Thursday, November 6, 2008

Chez Henri - Cambridge


I'd been hearing great reviews about Chez Henri for over a year, more specifically about how ridiculously good their Cuban sandwich was. So, like a genuinely interested foodie, I procrastinated. But this summer I finally made it over there with a friend.

We ended up both getting the Cuban and splitting some seafood croquettes (The picture came out a little blurry so I left it out). The Cuban definitely was one of the best I've had, stuffed full of meat and served with fried plantain chips and a tasty homemade salsa. Definitely one of the better meals I've had (a little pricey though) but worth it!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Chili - For cold weather and football!


There's nothing like a hearty bowl of chili on a cold day on Football Sunday. And it's definitely good on a day where I was just doing chores around the house and cleaning! Throw everything in and simmer for a few hours. But the only problem was that I'd never cooked chili before, though from everything I've heard, chili isn't exactly the hardest thing to cook :P

After searching far and wide (there seem to be hundreds of recipes!), a buddy of mine offered up this nugget. With a few adjustments (more meat) and an extra dose of spices, I think I've stumbled onto something! So, after a morning and afternoon of chores, I was able to finally dig into the chili that was on the stove all day :)

Meaty, hearty chili


Serves : 6-8 people
Time : 20 minutes prep, 3-4 hours cook time

Ingredients:
- 1 – 1.5 lbs ground chuck
- 1 lb pork, diced
- 1 lb beef chuck, diced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1-2 Jalapeno peppers, chopped
- 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 (15 ounce) cans pinto/kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 3 (8-ounce) cans diced tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
- 1 12-oz bottle dark beer
- 1 (14 ½oz) can beef broth
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1-2 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp hot sauce (or more, depending on your spicy tolerance)
- Optional : 1/4 tsp cocoa

Method:
1. Cook garlic with some oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat for 30 seconds until sizzling.
2. Add meat, cook through, add onion, cook another minute or so
3. Combine meat mixture, beans, and the rest of the ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

New Jang Su Korean BBQ - Burlington MA

Spicy Squid and Pork stir fry



So it's been another long while since the last post! To tell the truth, I didn't cook the whole month of September, horrible isn't it??? That, coupled with vacations to Las Vegas and Seattle, and wow, my body was hating me!

Anyway, enough of that and back to the food huh? This post is about New Jang Su Korean BBQ, and as the name suggests, a Korean BBQ in Burlington MA. A very good friend of mine rants and raves about this place, and believe it or not, it was over a year before I managed to arrange dinner there :)

So, a bunch of us finally went a couple months back, and wow, definitely worth the trip (and nearly the year's wait too!) The Kalbi was incredibly juicy and the Bibimbap was one of the best I've had. My friend ordered more than enough for 10-12 people (There were 8 of us) and it's a good thing too, since we ended up finishing it all!

Bibimbap

Kalbi

Sunday, September 7, 2008

More random photos - New Jersey



Well, it definitely has been a while since the last post...August was quite a busy month and I honestly just lost track of posting! But that doesn't mean I didn't take pictures! I have a few from both my long weekend trips to Las Vegas and Seattle and will be posting those soon along with some notes!

Here are some pictures from the last few times I was in New Jersey, from a family BBQ and from Nagoya, a Japanese restaurant in town (And also my favorite!)