Walk Talk Taste Sip

Debbie and I in front of one of Michael Brown's murals on our food tour.

Although this blog is mainly about MY cooking, I like to venture out to new places where I can learn new dishes and so I can explore new ideas for my cooking. 

Debbie waiting in the lobby of the Franklin Hotel in Chapel Hill  Waiting on tour guide. . 

"Walk, talk, taste, sip" is how the Chapel Hill & Carrboro Walking Food Tour that Debbie and I enjoyed was described.  And the description was apt.  Our guide, Parry, met us and another couple at the lobby of the Franklin Hotel in Chapel Hill.  With only four in our group, it was actually like a private tour of some of the food and drink establishments in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. https://www.trianglefoodtours.com/

Parry our tour guide was fantastic. 

Along the way Parry pointed out some of the murals and told us a little history of the area.  Although I have been to Chapel Hill and Carrboro  numerous times, I learned a lot on this three hour tour.

This is a Michael Brown mural entitled Trees. 

Our first stop was at the Indian restaurant Mint.  That was one of Dan and my favorite Indian restaurants in the Triangle, so I knew we were in for a treat there.  Sure enough our sample plate included their Chicken Tikki Masala and their Mint Chicken Kabab  Delish!!! http://www.mintunc.com/

Chicken Tikka Masala, Mint Chicken Kabab, a bit of salad, slice of Naan. 

Although Crook's Corner wasn't one of our food stops, our guide Parry told us a bit of the history of the place as we passed by leaving Chapel Hill and entering Carrboro.  I didn't know it dated back to 1940 where Rachel Crook had a fish store there and that years later Crook was murdered at this spot, http://www.crookscorner.com/history

Crooks Corner with the Pig.

On to Carrboro and our second stop at the Hickory Tavern.  We sat out in the patio which was enclosed and heated on this chilly afternoon.  Our small plate include a slice of their tuna and a Shredhead (fried shredded potato + bacon + cheese with sour cream and a dipping sauce) and a small glass of beer.

Enjoying a small glass of beer at the Hickory Tavern.  

A Shredhead  and a slice of tuna at Hickory Tavern in Carrboro. 

On to Glasshalfull, where we were served wine from their extensive collection and a small bowl of Cream of Tomato Soup that was made using coconut milk rather than dairy.  Again delish!! https://glasshalfull.net/

Cream of tomato soup garnished with creme fraiche. 

Kept walking and talking and sipping at the Carrboro Beverage Company. We could choose from beer, wine, or sodas at this our fourth stop.  I chose a ginger ale that was very spicy and sure cleared out my sinuses.

Drinking a very spicy ginger ale.  

On to the Carr Mill Mall which is one of the oldest buildings in Carrboro and it has been converted to small shops and restaurants.  Here we enjoyed pizza at the Carrboro Pizza Oven https://www.carrboropizzaoven.com/

Pizza at the Carrboro Pizza Oven in Carr Mill Mall. 

A nice long walk too. 

We were served three tasty slices of pizzas in the Carrboro Pizza Oven.  The broccoli cheese was my favorite.  After this, the fifth and final stop, we were certainly full and having walked a little more than three miles we were a bit tired.  I highly recommend this tour, and I'm looking forward to trying some of the other Triangle Food Tours.

German Lentil Sausage Stew

German Lentil Sausage Stew

With the recent cool weather at last, I'm ready for soups and stews.  I recently received a recipe for Lentil Sausage Stew from Viking River Cruises.  It seems that ever since I traveled on one of their cruises I get recipes from them.  And the recipes are usually quite good as was the food on the ship during our trip.  Lentils are a favorite of mine and they cook rather quickly compared to other dried legumes.  This stew is chocked full with potatoes, carrots, onions and leeks.  So I consider it healthful.

This German Lentil Sausage Stew seemed to fit the bill so here's the recipe.

Ingredients
8 oz (227 g) lentils
6 oz (170 g) smoked bacon
1 T (17 g) tomato paste
2½ C (592 g) low sodium beef broth
2 med carrots, peeled and diced
1 med onion, diced
2 med leeks, white and pale green parts only, diced
1 lg white potato, diced
¼ C (10 g) parsley, chopped
3 precooked smoked sausages, sliced
Apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Clean and rinse lentils and place in a medium saucepan with bacon, tomato paste and broth. Add water to generously cover lentils; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer about 30 minutes or until lentils are tender but still intact. Add carrots, onion, leeks and potato; simmer 20 minutes more. Remove bacon, dice and return to soup. Add parsley, sausage, vinegar, salt and pepper and serve hot.

Lentils, tomato paste, bacon in beef broth.

Add vegetables. 

Remove bacon and dice. 

Cook for final 20 minutes with bacon added. 

Add parsley. 

Add smoked sausage when ready to serve. 

Prep time: 8 minutes.Cook time: 50 minutes.Makes 6-8 servings.

This really hit the spot for supper during these cool (actually cold) evenings. So if you are looking for something new this fall/winter, I can heartily recommend this.

Sweet Potato Cake/Pudding

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Sweet potato cake/pudding.

As a subscriber to NYT Cooking, I regularly receive recommended recipes to try.  With Thanksgiving coming up this was suggested as a substitute for pumpkin pie.  I like sweet potatoes, and this is much easier to make than a pie. It mimics Bebinca a traditional dessert from the Indian state of Goa.  This is a trial run before deciding whether to use it at Thanksgiving. 

o    Ingredients:

2    2 to 3 medium to large sweet potatoes (1 1/4 pounds total) 1/2/3 pureed potatoes

·        6 tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan

·        6 large eggs

·        1 cup/200 grams dark brown sugar

·        ¼ cup/60 milliliters maple syrup

·        1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

·        ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

·        ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

·        1 (13.5-ounce/400-milliliter) can full-fat coconut milk

1 cup/130 grams all-purpose flour

Directions:

1.  In a 400 degree oven bake the sweet potatoes until tender.  Cool and discard the skins.  Puree the flesh in a blender or food processor. Measure out 1 2/3 cups /400 grams).  Save the rest for another purpose.  Turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees. 

2.  Line the bottom of a 9-inch round baking pan with 2-in sides with parchment paper and grease lightly with butter.   Put the pan on a baking sheet.

Puree the sweet potatoes. 

Add sugar to pureed sweet potatoes. 

3.  Add sugar to pureed potatoes and mix well.  

4.  Add all the other ingredients except the flour. 

Add all other ingredients and mix thoroughly. 

5.  Add the flour.

Mix in the flour. 

6.  Mix the flour until it is well incorporated into mixture.

Ready for the oven. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 55 to 60 minutes.  The pudding should be firm to the touch in the center and light golden brown around the edges. 

7.  Let it cool completely on a wire rack,  and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or at least for 6 hours.  

Cool on a wire rack. 

8.  When the pudding has set, run a sharp knife around the sides of the pan, flip the pan onto a plate lined with parchment paper and tap gently to release.  Peel the parchment off the top (actually the bottom).  Invert over another dish and remove the second sheet of parchment paper.  

Ready to serve. 

Ready to eat.  Yum!

I think I will make this for Thanksgiving this year.  It's texture is reminiscent of a cheesecake,yet it is dairy free.  And it will be a change from pumpkin pie. 

Tomatillos Are Not Baby Tomatoes

Tomatillos with husks covering the berries.  

How you might ask did I become interested in tomatillos? My neighbor had a wild one growing in her garden, and I plucked one, tasted it,  and rather liked it.  I had seen cultivated tomatillos in the grocery store, but had never been inclined to try them.  Now I had a new veggie to try!  I got mixed reviews when I googled the wild ones to see if they might be edible.  Some said they were mildly toxic and others declared they were safe to eat.  After all, I had eaten one or maybe several with no ill effects.  However, I decided not to use them in my recipe.  

Although tomatillos are close relatives of tomatoes than taste a bit different.  They are more acidic and don't have the sweet flavor of a ripe tomato.  When you remove the husk, you are left with a bright green berry.  Now how to use these?  Googling I found a number of recipes where mostly they are made into a sauce or salsa.  They can be eaten raw or cooked.  

Tomatillos with the outer husks removed. 

This is a recipe I modified from one I found online.    This is what Mexicans call Salsa Verde.  I made the creamy version by adding an avocado.  

• 1 lb (more or less) tomatillos (about 7 to 8 medium), husked and rinsed
• 1 small to medium Serrano pepper, chopped
• ½ cup chopped white onion (about ½ medium onion)
• ¼ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves (more if you love cilantro)
• juice of one lime
• ½ to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1 diced avocado 

Slice the tomatillos and place them in a blender  or food processor with all the other ingredients.  Pulse until desired consistency is reached.  

I served the salsa to accompany black beans and rice and sliced grape tomatoes.  But I think the salsa would be good as a dip or as a sauce for fish or chicken.  

I also made an open-faced sandwich by toasting a slice of bread, and spreading vegan cream cheese and a sliced tomatillo on top.  This made for an interesting breakfast one morning. 

Toast topped with vegan cream cheese and sliced tomatillos.  

I'm glad I tried this new to me vegetable.