That bun bo hue wasn’t half full for long. Wish he got a shot of the quail, too. But, understandably, hands are best used for shovelling food into your mouth.
Pablo Estrada sent over these pictures from our last pop-up. Lovin’ the color and afternoon light.
Have any pictures you’d like to share? Email rps@littleknock.com and we will love you forever.
The whole world of Rap Snacks was revealed to me during a social media class a few weeks ago.
Lately I feel like I need some positive reinforcement in my life, since I’m juggling 5 classes a week + work + trying to get my food calendar onto Kickstarter all at the same time. And I think the answer is in these over-flavoured chip products.
Still haven’t had any luck finding these, so any tips would be appreciated. I love the United States of THEME.
One of the few sides at Pizzeria Delfina is a small bowl of sauce for dipping your crusts and crostini into. At some point, you may end up paddling it into your mouth with a spoon, once no other bread-based vehicles are available.
I have no idea what it is about the sauce that made me refuse to leave it on the table. But I’m convinced that you can count all of the ingredients on one hand, and perhaps one of them is unexpected.
Which kind of goes against the grain of what qualifies me as the “skinniest fat girl” you’ve ever met. If something doesn’t take an hour to make, then it’s not worth any time at all.
But after some discussion that, in this instance, simple was best (and butter is involved), Google found me a recipe that I smashed out in just over 30 minutes.
It’s (still) no Delfina sauce, and the search + testing is still very much in session — but oh boy, butter does make err’thang better.
“It’s as easy as taking your pants off” tomato sauce
Serves 6
Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then sweat the onions until softened. Add the entire can of tomatoes, then simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and bashing the whole tomatoes against the side of the pan.
Season to taste. Serve, accept praise (and possibly panties).
Pro tip: $1 oysters on Tuesdays.
Pro tip #2: Make sure you check the specials board. More specifically, if the soft shell crab BLT is available.
Image source: Laura Morton @ SF Gate / The Chronicle
Deep fried bacon-wrapped placenta, anyone?
Favourite quote: “I’d say it’s closer to biting your finger nail than a Jeffrey Dahmer/Hannibal Lecter situation.”
This report doesn’t help with the ongoing argument of whether salt is good for you or not, but I feel like this is an appropriate moment to dispense my favourite person’s favourite quote: “Everything in moderation. Including moderation.”
But in the words of my favourite fried chicken place in San Francisco — “fucket, get a bucket.”
I’ve tried making cornbread using spelt and wholewheat flour, in an attempt to make it “better”. But it ended up being a really dense biscuit that tasted stale, even straight out of the oven.
Hey, I tried.
Jalapeño cheddar and potato cornbread
Recipe originally by Ina Garten. Modified by yours truly.
In a frying pan, heat a dash of olive oil, throw in the potato cubes and cover with a lid. Stir occasionally until the potatoes have browned on all sides, then throw in the jalapeños and sauté until they have released their aroma. Set aside and allow to cool.
Mix the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a slightly smaller bowl, combine the milk, eggs and butter, then stir into the bowl with the dry ingredients until just combined. Add 2 cups of the cheese, 3/4’s of the scallions, and the cooked potatoes and jalapeños to the batter, and allow to sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350º F / 180º C and grease a 9” x 13” / 20cm x 30cm baking pan.
Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and scallions, then bake for 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. My oven is ancient so I also fire it up under the broiler for 5 minutes so the cheese gets all crispy and golden.
Cool and cut into large squares.
Image source, strangely enough, from Australian Tropical Foods.
Honestly, I’ve never eaten jicama (hee-ka-ma) at any Latin American establishment, even though I live in the Mission.
So when I decided to buck up and get one because they were basically free at Casa Lucas, I did what any good Chinese girl would do to a mysterious turnip-y root vegetable: stew the hell out of it.
They lose the mega-crunch that they’re known for, but after an hour of simmering in a light broth they take on a sweet daikon-esque quality.
Of course, still great when eaten normally in their crunchy and raw state, or sprinkled with chilli powder, or even pickled — but worth stewing when you can’t get good daikon outside of winter.
Pro tip: Don’t make a half-assed job of peeling. Those tough fibers don’t come off easily, but they also won’t become edible even after cooking. Use a knife.
One of my art directors at school works at Luce, and also serves the occasional Foodspotting douchebag. Like the one who said the above.
Mind you, not every Foodspotter is a douchebag. Just the ones who make a point of declaring that they are one, and therefore are self-entitled to all sorts of douchey behaviour.
Since when did it start becoming acceptable to use your phone at the table when you’re eating with someone, regardless of whether it was at a Michelin-star restaurant or not?
And since when did iPads become a +1?
Lame. Candybars and flip phones FTW.
