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Food Friday: A Little Sump-thing

I am always trying to make my own gyoza dipping sauce (nothing makes Wednesday less hump-y than a thrown-together meal of dumplings and edamame from Hana Market and a little Top Model), but I am forever fucking up the proportions and forgetting ingredients - soy sauce? Sesame oil? Ginger? Does garlic go in there? I don't know! Salvation has arrived in the form of Hisao Abe, the chef at the lauded sushi mecca Kotobuki. This dumpling sauce looks spot-on, and involves some elements I have yet to experiment with. Let the games begin!

Food Friday: Tune-up

I will never, ever, ever get tired of tonno con fagioli - the endlessly riffed-upon dish that typically combines white beans and tuna flavored with lemon, garlic, salt and pepper. As you can imagine, a dish this simple is a mere jumping-off point for many an enterprising chef, including DC Coast's Jeff Tunks. His Tuna with White Beans and Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce is a must-try! It gets high marks for simplicity and nutritional value - and deliciousness. (Duh.)

Food Friday: Orange You Glad

I am over buying stumpy, wet, too-bright orange carrots crammed artlessly into a plastic bag. It is an inappropriate and un-American thing to do, and entirely disrespecful to this nutrient-rich root! Now that I think about it, I am so mad I could crush spices in a resealable plastic bag and then simmer them with minced garlic, orange juice, coriander and sliced carrots to create a sweet, simple, earthy dish of epicly healthy proportions!

Food Friday: Mashup!

Oy! We've done a lot of cooking this week. Monday saw vegan chili from Bon Appetit paired with fluffy, cheesy dill-and-cheddar beer bread; last night, thanks to a simple template from 101 Cookbooks, I attempted miso soup for the first time - with sexy results! (And by sexy I mean light, spicy, and satisfying.) Do yourself a solid and give any of these recipes a whirl the next time you're cold, lazy, and/or hungry. Or you just want your kitchen to smell like amazingness.

More Fro-Yo at Cali Yogurt

I used to be Miss Pixies!

It may be January in D.C., but the taste for frozen tangy yogurt never leaves me. How else can I keep my heard so hard and cold ?

When I saw the signs for Cali Yogurt (2473 18th St NW near Columbia) to replace the old Miss Pixies space in Adams Morgan (the new space is very fab, by the way), I was skeptical. Is the fro-yo market going to be saturated within of year or so of its beginnings, and fall prey to one of those unnecessary trends that trickle down to our beloved city? First there was TangySweet, then Mr. Yogato, now Cali. I was worried, until I tasted the sweet, sweet deliciousness of Cali Yogurt. They have a different flavor special every week along with the standard original and green tea - Mango (yum!) , Peach (yum!), and Raspberry (haven't tried , but I am sure also yum!). Love the toppings - a pretty and clean array of fruits and candies. And they also offer a really pretty assortment of desserts, loose teas (must try, although who wants warm tea in the winter?crazy!), and cyber-looking tea presses. And the retro vibe of the furniture reminds me of the fun vintage furniture at Miss Pixies. In my head, I am going to call it a homage and I won't resent "Cali" for not being "DeeCee." Also, the cost at $6 for a cup with three toppings is not so spiffy. But the large size is a value if you want to split amongst friends.

Suggested: green tea and peach swirl with pomegranate, mango, kiwi. Also suggested: Emily had the green tea with peanut butter chips and fruit.

Japanese Snacks from Space

Another sign that DC is evolving for the better - we got ourselves a Japanese market! Prince of Petworth is on this so we aren't the only ones foaming at the mouth with excitement. Those who have traversed the U st corridor are familiar with the Japan Associates travel agency offering flights around the world, by plane or by rocket (dreams!). Now this uber Japanese space has mostly been taken over by "Hana Market," a Japanese alternative to all the good Latino/Korean-oriented bodegas. It's probably the only Japanese market DC has and the only other ones I know of on the east coast are the Sunrise Marts in NYC. Not only are goods wide-ranging for such a small space (there is even a small selection of produce and sushi-grade tuna!), the owner Yoshio Tanabe is very amiable and funny, and the prices are comparable to those at H Mart or Lotte in the 'burbs (I don't understand the economics of this but I want to find out). Let's have more like this!

We'll miss the signs. But this is a good trade.

Men's Pocky: " This combination of crispy pretzel and smooth dark chocolate brings a whole new flavor to fun." Why wouldn't you want to eat this? But does the bitter chocolate make it for men only?
$1.40/bag of frozen edamame blows Trader Joe's and Whole Foods out of the park!
Enough mochi offerings to fill a bathtub. Kewpie mayonnaise - essential for creamy+sweet Asian potato salads.
Furikake seasonings - it's the stuff that Teaism puts on their rice to make it xtra special (try the light green one in the middle).

Now I am going to start daydreaming about a noodle bar and Asian pastry shop...

Food Friday

I know everyone is probably still recovering from Thanksgiving, but how can I not address something that contains brie? I went to the Valley Green Inn in Philadelphia last weekend with my family, and while I was not being overwhelmed by the verdant quaintery of this spot (someone get married here - stat), I was being floored by the food. Try their Brie French Toast and see what I mean.

Food Tuesday

I normally reserve my food posts for Fridays, but if you're anything like me you will be having more of a Food Coma Friday and not in the mood to try new recipes. Besides, who needs recipes when you have leftovers goulash supreme? You won't need me then. Here is something that you may need in the next few days - a silken, painfully simple (but slightly elevated!) mashed potato recipe that will impress your foodie aunt but won't scare your grandmother. (I know mashed potatoes are none too exciting, but Thanksgiving is one of those holidays where the menu is decided waaay in advance, so I'm kind of stuck.)

Food Friday

I have a bad habit of buying used cookbooks whenever I see them. I’ll get home, crack them open, and realize that there’s a reason that my newly purchased treasure was discarded in the first place – it was published in 1967 and every recipe calls for at least six tablespoons of butter, a healthy dollop of mayonnaise, and at least one type of canned vegetable. That’s why I almost got rid of House and Garden’s New Cookbook when I found it for sale (for a single George Washington) at the Mount Pleasant Library over the summer. Almost. Until I saw this:



Hello, illustrated recipe for a salad that sounds deliciously similar to an Amsterdam Falafel topping! You've made my day much brighter with your jaunty, handwritten way. PS: Thanks for being vegan without realizing it!

Food Friday

This week, in a nod to both the election and the increasingly delicious autumn weather, Food Friday brings you a "Gyngerbrede" recipe that Politics and Pot Roast author Sarah Hood Saloman attributes to George Washington's mother, Mary. I myself am a gyngerbrede (or gingerbread - whatevs) fanatic - for me, nothing conjures the winter holidays like this sweet, dense bread. And nothing conjures elections like George Washington, right? Like, literally?

Gyngerbrede

1/2 cup butter
1/2 brown sugar
1 cup molasses
3 eggs
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons ground ginger
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon mace
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 cup raisins
1 cup buttermilk

Cream butter and sugar. Stir in molasses. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and set aside. Combine the orange juice, orange zest, buttermilk and raisins and set aside.

Beat 1/2 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, then add 1/3 of the milk mix. Repeat until all ingredients are combined. Put into greased 9" x 13" pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes (or until straw inserted into gingerbread comes out clean). Yields 24 pieces.

Food Friday

Last week, as we approached the Whole Foods on River Road, a friend and I were overwhelmed by an intoxicating smell. It was warm, sweet, and spicy - so unabashedly welcoming and autumnal that I grabbed my friend and yelled "What is that?" After sniffing around carefully stacked displays of pumpkins and apple cider and finding nothing (and probably scaring the store's many well-heeled patrons), we discovered the culprit: a cluster of cinnamon-soaked brooms sandwiched between some bales of hay. I gazed at them, transfixed. "Cinnamon brooms," I murmured, as if in the presence of something holy. O, mighty cinnamon! I am powerless in the face of your bosom-y bouquet. I immediately resolved to make better use of cinnamon in my cooking this fall. Simmering it in a pot of water makes the kitchen smell nice, but there's got to be a better way to put this all-star to work.

I am now faced with a first-world conundrum: how to best honor this potent spice? Pork noodle soup with cinnamon and anise? Gnocchi with cinnamon butter? Cinnamon-sugar popcorn? I made the gnocchi for some hungry boys on Monday night and it was a hit - surprisingly light, and vegan thanks to the substitution of Earth Balance. Any suggestions, cinnamon lovers?

Guiding Light

"You forgot Marvin."

Woo! The second edition of eat.shop washington dc is here! I picked up a copy today, and I have to give props to author and researcher Anna H. Blessing for presenting a nicely varied assortment of good ones, from timeless standbys (Tabard Inn, Mixtec) to relative newbies (Hook, Casa Oaxaca) to certified Listopad obsessions (Dolcezza, Mandu). Shopping highlights include excellent spots like Hu's Shoes, the Brass Knob, and Tabletop. While we missed shout-outs to style pioneer Commonwealth, Silver Spring's transcendently delicious Lotus Cafe, and - hello! - Mercedes Bien, we'd definitely recommend it as a gift to DC newcomers (of which there are plenty!) - or even to jaded DC oldcomers like us.

Get To It

Get graphic today: a cheeky Alice Temperley dress on Net-a-Porter - or, if you're a member, on Gilt Groupe; these Betsey Johnson peep-toes on Zappos; Abaete's colorblocked-and-pleated symphony of neutrals from Saks. (Bonus: they're all on sale!)

The only TV shows that Listopad officially endorses are Mad Men and America's Next Top Model, but we should remind you that the season premiere of Stylista will grace your idiot box on Wednesday. Prior to the show, cast member Johanna was a suit-by-day-DC-fashion-blogger-by-night; we must root for one of our own!

Thursday, head north to the Ottobar to catch Ponytail (and others) play a benefit concert for Jawbox and Channels frontman J. Robbins' son Callum, who has spinal muscular atrophy and one of the cutest little mugs this side of the Mason-Dixon.

The Baltimore Women's Film Festival runs Thursday through Sunday.

Saturday, Comet Ping Pong hosts a Halloween Party! Transcendent, locally-sourced foodstuffs and drunk people in costumes? Yes please.

Braise Awareness

Happy is the day that the new Martha Stewart Living arrives at my workplace. There is bound to be some delightful tidbit of timeless, cutesy amazingery within its pages - be it a meticulously arranged gradient of squash varieties, a Shaker-inspired decorating spread, or an issue devoted entirely to breadmaking.

MSL is also my go-to resource for lazy-person recipes. Now, I know you might be thinking that "lazy" and "Martha Stewart" don't belong in the same sentence, but, um ... they do! Maz has introduced me to a number of instantaneously prepared and delicious foodstuffs: baked sweet-potato chips, stewed green beans and poblanos, and, courtesy of the November issue, braised fish with fennel and tomato - the recipe which inspired this post. Thanks to a vegetarian domestic partner and a personal fear of venturing outside the pasta-and-vegetables paradigm, I have managed to avoid any recipe that involves flesh. This one, however, looks too easy not to try - plus, words cannot describe my ardor for fennel. Apparently I throw everything in a skillet, turn on the heat, and go watch America's Next Top Model? Um, where do I sign?

Get To It

Get scholarly on Monday during the Graduate and Professional School Fair at GW. Dorksville, you say? Whatever. If you're just tuning in, I am an avid nerd and legitimately excited for this event.

Get serious on Tuesday when Dan Higgs plays at the Velvet Lounge. Never have such scary songs been so soothing.

Get wild on Wednesday when These Are Powers play at Civilian Art Projects with the Apes and Food for Animals. See above flier for further vibe details.

Get on Facebook on Thursday and join the Listopad Facebook Group! We are so very plugged in.

Get hungry on Friday at the St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church's Greek Festival outside Baltimore. There will be FOOD.

Get the most excited you've ever been on Saturday because Listopad is having a party! Jiggle that!

Get crafty on Sunday at Crafty Bastards. (Keep your eyes peeled for a more extensive post on this later in the week!)

News Flash

(dcist.)

Hooray! Dolcezza's badassery got them a mention in the the New York Times. We feel validated. (Did you know that these gelato swamis have a blog? Kyoot!)

We also have a very last-minute addendum to Get To It: cheeky local label Policy is having a tailgate party at Chix today. You were going to watch football anyway, weren't you? Just throw on some pants and do it in public.

Sizzurp

Y'all heard about Rickey Month, right? This inspired mixology marathon--and the surrounding buzz--propelled me to Hotel Tabard Inn last week, where my head basically fell off after trying Chantal Tseng's sprightly, floral Rive Gauche Rickey. (Kathryn Bangs' Haymaker incarnation of the drink is no longer officially on the menu--but only for the time being, she said.)

Rive Gauche Rickey

1 1/4 oz. Aviation gin
3/4 oz. St. Germain Elderflower liqueur
Charles de Fere Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine
dash absinthe
juice of 1/3 medium-sized lime, rind reserved
one sprig lavender
ice

Combine gin, liqueur, absinthe, lime juice, rind and ice in cocktail shaker. Pour into glass. Top with sparkling wine. Garnish with lavender and serve.

Haymaker Rickey

2 0z. rye whiskey
1/2 oz. brown sugar-balsamic syrup*
juice of 1/2 lime, rind reserved
ginger ale
ice

Combine whiskey, syrup, lime juice, rind and ice in cocktail shaker. Pour into glass and top with ginger ale. Serve.

*You can make this mixture yourself by combining 3/4 cup packed brown sugar with 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar.

(The Haymaker was inspired by an eponymous 19th-century punch which Kat calls "the gatorade of the time": a (technically) non-alcoholic energy drink of brown sugar, vinegar, and ginger ale enjoyed by Midwestern laborers. Coincidentally, the first printed mention of this concoction appeared in Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter, which was written in Kat's home state of South Dakota. I like how she is simultaneously repping DC and South Dakota with this recipe!)

Asian Gazpacho from Teaism

Profuse thanks to Linda Neumann of Teaism for sharing this delightfully cold, fresh recipe with us.

Serves 8.

Ingredients
2 large cucumbers, peeled and seeded
2 large very ripe tomatoes
1 small red onion, peeled
2 jalapeno peppers, stems removed
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
juice of 2 limes
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sambal olek hot sauce or Tabasco
1 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup mint leaves

Directions
Roughly chop the cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, garlic, and ginger. Wash, dry, and roughly chop the basil, cilantro, and mint. Working in batches if necessary, puree cucumber, tomato, and onion. Add jalapeno, garlic, and ginger and puree. Add vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, sambal olek, and olive oil. Puree. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add basil, cilantro and mint and pulse to chop. Put mixture in bowl and cover with saran wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours; optimally overnight.

Serve with bread or croutons.

Note to our industrious readers: please let us know if and when you take a crack at this recipe! We'd love to know how it turns out.

Beautiful Bounty

I feel very grateful that I can walk out the door every Saturday morning and in a few moments have access to fresh farmers' market fare. Luckily D.C. is situated so that we have access to great markets practically every day of the week for a good portion of the year. The Mount Pleasant market offers a wide variety of produce as well as dairy and baked goods. One of my favorite vendors there is Audia's Farm, which alongside herbs and potatoes, sells Kathy Audia's homemade dry tea mixes, preserves, and handpicked wildflower boquets. This market also features an "ATM"--if you are out of cash but have a debit card, you can buy tokens which are good for the entire season.

Aside from the Mount Pleasant market, which runs from May through November, there are two Sunday year-round markets in Dupont Circle and Takoma Park. The Foggy Bottom market on Wednesdays is great for mid-week produce, and if you miss that one there is a market in Penn Quarter on Thursdays. For more information on these and other markets, visit www.freshfarmmarket.org. For information on even more markets, as well as Community Supported Agriculture in D.C., visit www.localharvest.org.

For a million good reasons to buy food directly from farmers, read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Carlo Petrini's Slow Food Nation, and Alice Waters' cookbook The Art of Simple Food.


Eggs with goat's cheese, basil, tomatoes and bread.


Flowers from Audia's Farm.


Pizza with goat's cheese, potatoes, and rosemary.