My kind of Halloween treat

I’m. so. making. this.

From the Vault: Tuscan-Style Grilled Tuna, Pasta with Arugula and Tomatoes

[Before there was TheFoodventure.com, I posted some blog posts about the Foodventures of Frank and I on my personal blog, including the following Foodventure, which was originally posted on August 3, 2008.]

Nearly every weekend, my boyfriend Frank and I experiment with different recipes we find (mostly online). During these “Foodventures,” as we’ve taken to calling them, I learn so much and, partially because I got a new camera, I’ve decided to start a series of posts about said experiments.

(Full disclosure: My parents own an Italian restaurant in St. Louis, Mo., and I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m not a very good cook. But, perhaps that’s relative. I have friends who think cooking means defrosting a pizza. Anyway, let me say now that Frank does most of the cooking and I do most of the…assisting, observing and wine-opening. But I digress…)

Most of the recipes that Frank and I use come from Serious Eats, our favorite food blog, and tonight was no exception. I first read about this pasta with arugula (my favorite among the lettuce varieties) and tomatoes there last week–and when it came time to decide what to cook tonight, there was no hesitation in my mind. Frank wanted to pair it with “something fishy,” and we agreed we needed a thicker fish for the event. At the store, tuna looked great, so tuna it was. We found a very straightforward, very fresh recipe for grilled Tuscan-style tuna on the Food Network website, courtesy of Rachel Ray.

Without further adieu, here’s the photo essay of tonight’s Foodventure:

Here’s a picture of the beautiful raw tuna with the parsley, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper blend. Unfortunately, the grocery store was out of fresh rosemary, so we had to go without. It did leave something to be desired, but certainly didn’t ruin the dish. Read more »

Have you ever wanted to swim in a pool of jalapenos?

…I have, though I recognize the fun would be pretty short-lived, as this would likely burn my skin. Where did I have such a ridiculous idea? At a Mexican market in Denver, along South Federal Boulevard.

If you’ve never ventured into an international or ethnic market of any sort, I highly recommend it. Smell some new things. Explore a little. You never know what treasures you might find, like pre-made mole sauce, religious candles on display next to ketchup, new vegetables or even a pool of jalapeno that makes you imagine crazy swimming adventures. Read more »

Travel the World for the Very Best Foods

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?

The Sushi Birds Leave the Nest

Needless to say following the sushi class we were anxious to cut our teeth at making our own. Katie and I were feeling empowered by the relative success we enjoyed in class. We were both impressed with ourselves; it didn’t seem as difficult as we thought it would be and in my opinion we were at the top of the class. Armed with our new knowledge and inflated senses of ourselves, we set out to put our lesson into practice, unsupervised.

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. Read more »

Hands-On Learning: Sur La Table’s Sushi and Hand Roll Workshop

For part of my birthday gift this year, Frank enrolled the two of us in Sur La Table’s Sushi and Hand Roll Workshop–and I’d highly recommend it to anyone, even the reluctant cook.

Photo: Homemade spicy tuna roll Frank and I made after the class

During the class, which lasts nearly three hours, we learned how to make sushi rice, California rolls (hello, inside out!), spicy tuna hand rolls, eel rolls, cucumber rolls and tuna rolls. (Note that the menu may vary in different cities or with different teachers.) Everything was hands-on; this was not a lecture class. Every student receives a copy of recipes and tips prepared by the individual teacher of the class, and I recommend bringing a pen to add notes in the margins of the paper; one of the most valuable parts of the class was having the teacher walk us through where and what (or what not) to buy to equip our homes for sushi preparations. Our teacher and his assistants were extremely patient, there was more than enough supplies to go around in case we made mistakes, and we left with many tips and tricks to aid our future sushi-making Foodventures!

It wasn’t the first time the two of us attended a class at Sur La Table. Read more »

Can we cook a whole fish?

Despite the fact that I don’t like things with bones (thanks for sharing that with everyone, Frank), I manned up over the weekend so we could attempt to cook a whole fish. And I’m happy to say it wasn’t half bad.

We decided this first effort should be undertaken with rockfish–or striped bass, as it’s called outside the Mid-Atlantic area–because it’s one of Frank’s favorites. And who doesn’t like a local specialty? Read more »

Recommitting and Picadillo Photo-blogging!

Blog updates have really trailed off on the site and for that, both Frank and I are very sorry. Things have been busy and all things Washington depress us lately, but we are recommitting to this blog! More Foodventures await! I even have some photos of various adventures over the past month or so that I’ve forgotten to post, so there may be some Foodventure posts from the vault. Get excited.

In the meantime, my friend Karen seems to be taking up the banner of food-blogging–and doing it quite well. I am embarrassed to admit that I didn’t know what picadillo was before I saw her post, but I’m excited to give it a try sometime after reading her post and seeing her pictures. She and I are also looking around for a food photography class, so stay tuned for the details on that.

Has anyone ever taken a food photography course? Any recommendations for class locations or other resources?

Philly Phoodventure

As Katie wrote below, The Foodventure took our show on the road to Philadelphia this weekend. On paper, the trip was to visit friends, but with all due respect to those who we saw, the trip was really about food. As always, Philadelphia came through in a big way.

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. Read more »

Leftover Monday: Cod with Lemon Butter Sauce

Just like last week, I was confronted with some highly perishable leftover fish. Knowing that he seldom leads me wrong, I turned to Alton Brown. Read more »