Apparently, this is the world's greatest pho

The British newspaper The Observer has a list billed as The 50 Best Foods in the World and Where to Eat Them. The list has very specific foods and where the best is, like oysters from Northern Ireland and olive oil from Turkey by way of a London shopkeeper, as well as broad cuisines like the best place Algerian food (shockingly, in Algiers!). The list skews slightly toward British tastes (I am apparently too narrow minded for steak and kidney pie), but there are also items that seem almost too mundane (the world’s greatest tomato juice!).

In looking at the list, one thing, as an American, that I felt was missing, was the world’s best fried chicken. In looking at the list, do you see any foods that you wish were on it?

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These Chicken Feet May Prevent a Trade War

New York Times: Tasty feet may keep China from banning U.S. chicken.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Lots of ideas to enjoy the peak apple season.

Denver Post: Don’t miss the Great American Beer Festival.

Chicago Tribune: Want to make Indian food at home? Start with naan.

Washington Post: Homemade “fast-food” is a recession buster.

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Chlorophyll and Awesomeness Salad...What a title!

“Cheap, Healthy, Good” has a ton of recipes that are extemely well organized: Breakfast; Breads; Soups, Stews, Stocks, and Chilis; Sauces, Spreads, Dips, and Dressings; Sides; Vegetarian Entrees; Carnivore Entrees; Snacks and Desserts; and Beverages. Every recipe has the nutritional information and the cost-per-serving posted, so readers can really see just how the recipe is going to affect their wallet and waistline.

Foodventure readers should check out “Cheap, Healthy, Good” for inspiration for anything from weeknight dinners to brunch ideas fit for company. I’m sure we’ll be linking to more of their recipes in the future.

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An al fresco salad from Michael Chiarello via the San Fransico Chronicle

Washington Post: The Internet connects 21st century baking clubs.

San Francisco Chronicle: Extolling the virtues of eating outdoors in the beautiful weather.

Chicago Tribune: Food storage tips to combat food-borne illness.

LA Times: Dorm food is finally riding the revolutionary wave.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: A cooking instructor moves from the classroom to the home kitchen.

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Our instructor sang the praises of H Mart as a reliable, affordable outlet for sushi fish and supplies. We ventured out, expecting not to fly too close to the sun on our first try, meaning no raw fish. Still, we stashed a cooler with ice in the car just in case we picked up a product that we wanted to keep cold on the drive back to Katie’s.

For two lifelong suburbanites, shopping in an ethnic supermarket is a little bit of a departure. The key is to keep an open mind and pretend you know what you’re doing. We started in the produce section, where we marveled at the freshness and variety of the offerings, which ranged from conventional to exotic. We selected a large cucumber, for cucumber and California rolls, as well as an avocado for the California. From the produce department we wandered down an aisle with hundreds of sauces and vinegars, where we selected vinegar for our rice. Next up was the rice itself, where we found a pricey looking bag that was marked down so that it was cheaper than many of the other brands. We congratulated each other on this victory and scooped up some nori, wasabi powder, and chopsticks before venturing over to the fish counter.

As I said, the original plan was to avoid raw fish on our maiden voyage. We scooped up some good looking fake crab (which we were told at the class was a respected, perfectly legitimate ingredient in Japan) with almost no English printed on the package and thought we were done, until Katie suggested we take a closer look at the counter, just in case. There were a lot of people crowded around the fish counter shouting instructions to the staff in several languages, which made the idea of selecting a whole fish even more intimidating. Then, Katie wandered toward a cooler with prepared fish, where she found a six-ounce slab of tuna marked “sushi-grade.” It was packed that day, looked fresh, and only cost about $5. This seemed like too good a deal to pass up, so we promoted ourselves on the spot and headed for the checkout counter, stopping only to grab a bag of frozen kimchi dumplings that we had previously sampled from one of the many employees (all women) who were loudly exhorting customers to try their wares.

Most American cooks and diners give little thought to rice; it is never the star of the show and is more often than not an afterthought. Of course, the rice is the central component of sushi, and it is very serious business. The first step in preparing rice for sushi is to wash it in several changes of water to remove excess starch. To wash it, you put the rice in a bowl and cover it with cold water. Then, you gently sweep your fingers through and under the rice to get it moving. The water becomes cloudly, and after several swishes you dump out the water (not the rice) and add a fresh batch.

Once the water is more or less clear, you cook the rice. When the rice is cooked and after a brief rest, it is turned out into a non-metal bowl where it is coated with a mixture of rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. This is accomplished by pouring the vinegar mixture over the rice while gently folding, all while an assistant fans the rice. This process takes a little while but it absolutely worth it. When the rice is cooled to room temperature, cover it with a moist paper towel and set it aside (do not put it in the fridge!).

With the rice resting, we turned our attention to fillings. We decided to skip nigiri in this batch, because it is harder and requires more precise cutting of the fish. Spicy tuna rolls are a favorite of both of ours, so we constructed a “salad” of diced tuna, mayonnaise, sambal chili, and green onion. The remaining tuna was cut into long strips for plain tuna rolls, and the cucumber and avocado were prepped for California rolls.

Rolling is a bit tricky, and I think pictures show it better than words. Observe some of this fine work:

Above is spicy tuna, below is the California roll:

Once the rolling is done, its time to cut and serve. Cutting is harder than it sounds, with a sharp knife being critical. Observe our handiwork below:

Making sushi at home is a lot of fun, and we highly recommend learning more about it. It’s easy enough to put out a basic product, but making it yourself really makes you appreciate the art it is when the pros do it. We’re excited to bring you more sushi Foodventures in the future, so stay tuned!

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Top Chef Masters (TCM) features 24 chefs, many of whom are recognizable to TV foodies. For six weeks, four of the chefs will compete against each other in the usual Top Chef Quickfire/Elimination Challenge format, with the winner of the group moving on to the second round with the other five winners. I watched on Wednesday to see if it measured up to the original, and I thought I’d offer a few thoughts for our readers.

TCM carries over a lot of material from the original, including over the top product placement and reality TV essential confessional interviews. Part of why Top Chef works is because there’s always a contestant or two with a bitter, completely unlikeable personality who viewers rally around rooting against, and the confessional serves as a way to draw that personality out. On TCM, the chefs are consumate professionals who, instead of competing for significant cash and recognition, are playing for the charity of their choice. This eliminates a lot of the drama that defines the original Top Chef.

The fact that these guys (and gals) are pros really changes the dynamic. Top Chef relies on overeager competitors making mistakes, but these guys handle the curves like they’re nothing. In week one, Texas-based chef Tim Love inadvertently puts all of his groceries in the freezer overnight, a mistake that would have killed many lesser cooks. He obviously would not have done this on purpose, but it did not entirely throw him off, and he still competed admirably.

Top Chef fans should enjoy Top Chef Masters. It lacks some of the drama of the original, but the collection of chefs is impressive, and if week one is any indication, the chefs really enjoy the challenge and will rise to the occasion. Summer time TV is notoriously unsatisfying, but Top Chef Masters can be the Wednesday night fix that gets people through the week.

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Honey and Ginger Glazed Baby Back Ribs

Commencement speakers and wannabe English professors frequently exhort audiences to follow their passions. This is all well and good, but I have always believed that a world full of young idealists wandering around following their hearts would be a dangerous one. Cynical? Maybe.

That said, if the world were perfect and money was not an obstacle, I can assure you I would crisscross the globe in search of barbecue nirvana. I believe, to paraphrase Ben Franklin, that the dance of smoke, fire, meat, and reluctantly, vegetables, is proof that God wants us to be happy.

Pulled pork, brisket, ribs, sausages, you name it, I’ll eat it and when I’m feeling bold, make it.

Barbecue is very personal, like painting. One of the saddest memories of my adult life was saying goodbye to the staff at the Half Moon BBQ in Silver Spring, Maryland on their last Saturday night.

But barbecue is supposed to be happy, and I was happy to come home from work to find the July issue of Bon Appétit, completely dedicated to barbecue, sitting on the mail pile.

The cover photo of Honey and Ginger Glazed Baby Backs pretty much sums it up: crusty spices, crispy meat on the outside, even the obligatory grease spots.

This is 21st century barbecue, which is to say it is global. Korean beef barbecue and pork belly shares space with Spanish grilled black cod and Turkish chicken kebabs. Needless to say, there’s plenty of material for Summer experimentation.

As Summer rolls on, you can expect a lot more grilling here at The Foodventure. Of course, we’d love to hear about your favorites, too.

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Years ago I took a barbecue class with my aunt. One of the recipes we learned was a brined grilled chicken that was the class favorite by far. I have made the recipe hundreds of times since, and friends, family, and neighbors request it frequently.

I didn’t create the recipe, and I don’t modify it much when I make it. Still, everybody calls it Frank’s chicken. Is this fair?

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For the maiden voyage I went with a piece of salmon fillet that I salted, peppered, and oiled, then went it was almost done finished with butter and dill. I Also adapted these potatoes for the grill, and grilled some asparagus. It was a major success on all counts.

I’m looking forward to a summer of great grilling. If anybody has any grilling suggestions, leave a comment below!

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As you know, we’re two weeks away from Easter, and meat is still not on the menu. Philadelphia made the cheesesteak famous (or possibly the other way around), but for my money, the roast pork hoagie at Di Nic’s is the best sandwich in Philly, or anywhere for that matter. Sadly, because of Lent, there would be no roast pork or cheesesteaks, but in the name of good eating we went forward undeterred.

Charlie and Dana traveled from the north, Dan, Katie, and I from the south. Despite delays, everybody was at the designated meeting spot more or less on time, and according to plan, the designated time was lunch. Thankfully, our meeting place was near the Rittenhouse Square outpost of Di Bruno Brothers, a gourmet market and deli with beautiful meat, cheese, and produce counters downstairs and hot sandwiches, soups, salads and pizza upstairs.

Photo originally uploaded by miss_leslie.

Katie and I split a “half pizza” that was huge, topped with olives, artichokes, and roasted peppers. Dan also opted for pizza, and Charlie went for a grilled sandwich. Dana was by all accounts the lunch time winner with a salad composed of greens, white beans, and prosciutto. Simple, easy, and good.

Downtown Philadelphia is very compact and its easy to walk from place to place, so walk we did. A stop at the Academy of Natural Science yielded some entertainment, and from there we went to the Field House, located across from the Reading Terminal Market to meet the impeccably pengin-suited and coiffed Matt and Rachel, who strenuously defended Matt’s decision to comb his hair. This brief rendezvous was the perfect prelude to the main event: dinner at Villa di Roma.

Villa di Roma is proudly stuck in a different era. They only take cash, and one gets the sense that most of the staff has been there just as long as the classic cash register. Dinner started with the Villa’s homemade red wine, then the mussels marinara, which were spectacular. Six people devoured two orders of mussels and used at least three loaves of bread to soak up the tasty broth.

I kept it simple for the main course with eggplant parmesan, which was delicious. The eggplant was hot and crispy, with lots of cheese and the delicious sauce blanketing everything generously. Katie had spaghetti with shrimp and peppers, which she requested spicy. This prompted the late-joining Tony Orvivo, who is 110% Italian, to scold her for ordering as though she were in a Chinese restaurant, but the Villa complied and the plate came out with pickled hot peppers, which worked to provide a spicy, sweet tang. Charlie kicked it old school with veal parm, and Dan drew inspiration from the Foodventure and went with chicken piccata. Dana had a sausage pasta, and Tony had what I really wanted, the veal with eggplant special. Lent is hard.

Philly is a great food city, on par with any in my experience. I can’t wait to get back in a few months when meat is back in my life, and a trip to the Phillies game will probably be in order. You can bet that whatever I eat will be memorable, and that I’ll be sharing it with your right here.

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