Avocado

This avocado was so good I had to take a photo of it. I ate it about six days ago and I’m still thinking about it. It was perfect. I’ve discovered the best thing to have with a really good avocado is a few drops of Kikkoman tempura sauce, right in the hollow where the pit used to be. Something about the salty sweetness.

Risotto II

This is the risotto! It's not the most photogenic food. A bit bland and lump looking. But its delicious.I was a little worried while making it because it took a long time for the rice to cook. And it needs to be coddled while it's on the stove. The butter and parmesan cheese do a lot for this dish. Also the wine. I doubled the amount of white wine from what was in the recipe. I also have a lot left over. Because it's so rich, my friend and I didn't have as much of it as I thought we would, last night. So I'm taking the risotto to work this morning and hopefully, it'll get gobbled up. Taking food to work seems to be the best strategy for getting rid of food in a hurry.

Risotto

I love getting dinner invitations to Brian and Susanna’s because I know I’m in for a great meal. Mostly because they have a no-fear attitude to cooking. They may wake up in the morning and say “Let’s roast a duck today”, never having bought a duck before. And then they attack the recipe. One legendary time Brian made his own paneer - an Indian cheese - for a dinner. He made the cheese in their apartment living room. The process involved a stack of physics textbooks.
I had Easter Saturday dinner at their place last week (that’s where I met their duck) and they created an amazing spread. Along with the duck, we had a spicy squash risotto, green beans with a red pepper sauce, eggplant stuffed with feta and ricotta (not sure about the ricotta, but I think it was in there), and apple dumplings for dessert. And before all of this, they laid out a walnut pate as well as a spinach dip, brought by Vicky.
My favourites were the spicy squash risotto and the apple dumplings. And it’s got me thinking that I will try to make risotto this weekend. To be honest, I’ve never really been into risotto. Growing up on white steamed rice, the idea of a creamy Italian rice seemed strange. But I’ve taken Susanna and Brian’s risotto recipe (they got it from the Jamie Oliver Naked Chef cookbook, which I understand can be hit and miss - I've put it up at porcelainspoon2.blogspot.com) and will make the more basic version.
I like the recipe because it seems to be written for someone who’s never made risotto before (that’s me) so the instructions are clear and detailed. I’m slightly intimidated by the length of the recipe. There are three stages to making risotto. Also intimidating is the fact that Jamie Oliver uses the word “crucial” in the recipe. Crucial is a word I don’t associate with cooking. I’ll make the risotto tonight. We’ll see how it goes.

My Easter-ish Dinner

Curried lentil, orzo and wild rice salad
Salad greens
Roasted potatoes
Morrocan scented pork roast
Challah bread
Rice Krispy Squares and Tim Hortons cheesecake*


*we forgot all the grocery stores are closed on Easter Sunday

Ma Po Tofu

Dad's been visiting while Mom is away so I've been trying to entertain. It hasn't been easy because I've had long days at work for the past two weeks. Good days. Just really long. So me and Dad haven't had as many meals at home as I had hoped. He just got back from Hong Kong, which I consider to be one of the eat-out/take-out/delivery capitals of the world, so I thought he could do with some home-cooking. Anyway, we have managed to have three meals at home. And on one of the nights, I made this dish, a mixture of ground pork, tofu and green peas in a fiery sauce. Pork and tofu don't sound like the best combination, but I really like it because the tofu soaks up all the flavour from the pork and sauce. The name Ma Po Tofu translates roughly into "Pock-marked Old Lady". It's about as appetizing a name for a dish as Newfoundland's Spotted Dick. There are a few stories on how the Ma Po name came about. But a common one is that it's named after a woman who ran a roadside restaurant with her husband. She was the one who created the dish. I don't know if this is true. But it is a pretty common dish to make at home. Especially in the Szchewan region of China, which is known for its spicy food. My version is a watered-down southern Chinese interpretation of ma po tofu. I'm not sure Ma Po would approve if she were alive today. But I like it. Especially on cold and drizzly spring days.