Looking longingly ahead to springtime, my vow next year is to maintain a more comprehensive apartment windowsill herb garden. The next best thing to fresh basil is freshly dried basil from one’s own basil plant, although I prefer dried basil in most recipes because it’s lost that raw flavor. I purchased a basil plant in early September and was able to keep it going indoors for two months into the start of winter by clipping new growth frequently. I let clipped shoots dry completely, then store the leaves whole because I figure they’ll oxidize and lose flavor more slowly.
Orzo is a quick solution to coming home from work hungry and without the patience/energy required to make something more involving. I use frozen soybeans (edamame) because they add protein and create a balanced meal in a single dish, and because their mild flavor combines well with the basil.
1. Bring two cups of water to a boil, then add two tablespoons of olive oil and a teaspoon or two of salt. I tend to add more than this, but I’m a salt fiend.
2. Add about 2/3 cup soybeans, no less than a half tablespoon of dried basil, a pinch of tarragon, and maybe some freshly ground black pepper, and cook for about 5-10 minutes, depending on how tender you want the beans to get.
3. Add about 2/3 cup orzo, bring to a boil, and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook until the orzo is tender and all water is absorbed or boiled off, usually just over five minutes.
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30Nov
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30Nov
Several weeks ago, DCist discussed the best places to eat in Washington, D.C.’s rather mediocre Chinatown. We here at DCFUD have eaten at many of the restaurants in Chinatown, including the fabled Full Kee, and there’s no doubt in our mind. The best chinese inside the D.C. city limits is at Chinatown Express. For $4.95, you get a plate of the best noodles in the city — fried, with chicken or beef, or in soup. And for entertainment you can watch the chef make the noodles out front (see picture at right). Order delicious pork dumplings for an appetizer, and you have a chinese meal that might actually not leave you hungry again in an hour.
And as a special aside, zaf recommends you eat large quantities on the special sauce on the table. It’s in a clear, circular plastic container and looks like oil with green bits floating in it. We have no idea what it is called, but it consists of garlic, chives, and ginger, coated with hot oil and then cooled. The last time the DCFUD team made a visit to Chinatown Express, five of us managed to polish off half the container.
Chinatown Express | 746 Sixth St., NW
Image Courtesy http://www.vilimpoc.org. -
29Nov
All right, I’ve had enough. I’m not having this discussion any more.
Your Red Zinger is not about caffeine. You are not “wired” after two cups of Lipton.
– W
P.S. The next tea-totaler to sneer “addict” at me before 8am is getting bit. -
29Nov
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The tomato shortage rolls on. Much beloved Soho Tea and Coffee on P and 22nd today joined the list of DC restaurants no longer offering tomatoes due to a mix of hurricanes, floods, and bugs with a very specific palate.
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29Nov
I went with my parents and grandmother this past Sunday evening to dinner at Al-Tiramisu, which has been at 2014 P St, NW for a little over nine years, and gets consistently good reviews. I
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29Nov
Pardon her headline but z -
25Nov
Nations have trembled at its untamed might! Mountains have been humbled by its arcane power! But now, with just a few easy steps, you will impose your iron will on the oddness that is chocolate mousse!
Here is an unbelievably easy recipe. It tastes of oranges and will impress your great aunt into forgetting to show you her vacation pictures at thanksgiving dinner.- Heat two cups of chocolate chips in a double boiler- if you don
- Heat two cups of chocolate chips in a double boiler- if you don
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24Nov
So, real men don’t eat quiche, eh?
Does that mean real men don’t like ham? Real men don’t like eggs and hearty melted cheese? Real men don’t like a filling meal they can have at any hour of the day?
It seems like all that’s left for all those “real men” is tofurky and kale.
Masculine posturing aside, quiche is a great dish that works for any meal of the day and is surprisingly easy to make at home. Read on for a modified version of a traditional ham and cheese quiche recipe (with pictures!) that puts more emphasis on the meat and the cheese and is perfect for whipping up on a Sunday night in advance of the workweek. -
23Nov
One of my co-workers turned 40 (the horror!) the other day, so today we all took her to City Lights of China for lunch. My feelings about this place have gone up and down over and over for years, and I have to say that today’s experience fit that pattern.
We came in and were seated at a large table at the back, the hostess was very attentive and made sure everyone was comfortable and situated, and happily accommodated our slightly-larger-than-reservation party. Lovely.
Server Number 1 came almost immediately and asked if we wanted tea, which of course we did. Out came two pots of pale, aromatic, smooth Jasmine tea at just the right temperature.
Server Number 2, who had brought the tea, asked if we were ready to order. We were and did. The food came out soon thereafter (carried by Servers 3, 4, and 1), but two of our party had to wait an extra few minutes after the rest got their meals. One of my pet peeves.
I had the Szechwan Beef. The beef was tender and nicely cooked, but the sauce was a tad too sweet, and though marked as “very spicy” on the menu, it was not. Tasty, but nothing special.
The Birthday Girl and The Vegetarian ordered MaPo Tofu, which I always avoid ordering because it’s one of my favorite dishes and so often not good. The sauce was again a bit sweet, and while much spicier than my beef it still did not merit the “very spicy” label. The tofu was also mushy. Oh well.
Another of our number got the Kung-Pao Chicken, which would have been the prize winner of the meal but for a pair of glass shards found within. The hostess was duly distressed by this, and happily replaced the dish (and did not charge for it either). The chicken was tasty, not very spicy but with enough hot peppers around to make it as hot as you might like it, and not greasy or sloppy.
The final dish at our table was sweet and sour chicken. More on the sweet than sour side, and of a color far too reminiscent of traffic cones, this was a yummy plate of near-total inauthenticity (maraschino cherries and all), greasy and sweet. Not High Cuisine, but utterly what its owner wanted when she ordered it.
Our check came immediately when requested, accompanied by lovely fresh oranges and fortune cookies full of nonsensical semi-complimentary bits of advice. Mine was “You have a keen sense of humor and love a good time,” which is true enough.
All in all, it was a tasty lunch, but bits were disappointing enough that I’d just as soon go somewhere less fancy, with lower expectations. I also have no idea why we had so many different servers…it could have gotten confusing had we been less distracted with our own birthday-ish activities.
City Lights of China | http://www.citylightsofchina.com/ -
23Nov
I stopped by my friendly neighborhood bagel shop/pizza place/deli, Pumpernickel’s Bagelry, this morning, and as I stood in front of the register to pay for my bagel, I noticed a hand-written sign hanging from the blackboard menu: “Due to the rising cost of tomatos [sic], we won’t have any!!” The owner, Rob, answered my “shame about the tomatoes” with a “they were crappy [this season] anyway.” And that they were. As DCist reported earlier this month, cutting back on tomatoes is becoming a trend. For more on the tomato shortage, check out this Boston Globe article. All I know is, Pumpernickel’s BLT just won’t be the same.
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
