Favazza’s Inspired Sunday Dinner

Venture into an American city that is new to you and you will more than likely encounter ethnic neighborhoods with distinctive cultures all their own. As new waves of immigrant groups replace the ones that come before, the neighborhoods develop a whole new character, and the food takes on a whole new flavor.

“The Hill” in St. Louis, MO bucks the trend. Since the days Italian immigrants first settled in St. Louis, The Hill has been the center of the community. To this day, there are many restaurants, delis, churches, and businesses that speak with a distinct Italian accent.
Katie’s family is a part of this proud tradition. Favazza’s restaurant has been a Hill mainstay for more than 30 years, and it continues to serve some of the best Italian-American dishes in town. Katie is justifiably proud of this history, and she’ll readily admit to missing it when she’s in Washington.

In that spirit, tonight’s Foodventure is a tribute to Favazza’s on the Hill. Meat-free Lent calls for a fish dish, and Katie instantly suggested sole piccata, sauted sole or other firm, white, fish topped with a lemon butter sauce. I am familiar with chicken and veal piccata, but this technique with fish was new to me. Read more »

Foodventure Fail: Shrimp Fried Rice and Veggie Egg Rolls

Knowing I had some odds and ends at my house that didn’t amount to much in and of themselves, I stopped at Trader Joe’s last night to pick up some things to supplement what was already in my pantry and fridge. I had big plans for a fun meal that would make for a great post, but I was too hungry to engage in a big project, so I went with Plan B. I picked up frozen shrimp fried rice and vegetarian egg rolls, in part because I was craving Chinese takeout but didn’t want to pay for it and in part because I wanted immediate gratification. In the end, I was less than satisfied.

The egg rolls were supposed to cook for 20-25 minutes in a 375 degree oven and be turned once after about 10 minutes. I put them in a lightly oiled pan, as instructed, but when I went to turn them, they were stuck in a bad way and fell apart. When the entire cooking time was up, they were not crisp and the insides that ended up on the pan were burned in such a way that made the pan almost impossible to clean.

The shrimp fried rice wasn’t terrible, but it took much longer to cook through than the bag said it would. After heating a little butter in a pan and getting the pan very hot, the food should only have taken about 2-3 minutes to cook, but after 3 minutes, the shrimp were still frozen solid. Plus, I’m not sure why this didn’t occur to me before I bought it, but the idea of frozen egg pieces did not sit well with me and I never got past that. I was too filled with anxiety wondering if the shrimp were really cooked enough and praying that I didn’t bite into a semi-frozen piece of egg to enjoy what was otherwise an ok meal.

What’s worse though is that because this was all so unsatisfying, I’m still craving Chinese.

Yes, I’m embarrassed to admit all of this, but I promised Frank a post about my Tuesday dinner. It was an official Foodventure Fail. But hey, for those of you who don’t like pretentious food blogs, know that I’m big enough to admit that I’m not above a fast, frozen option, particularly on a weeknight.

If you have a better suggestion for a cheap, takeout alternative–or weeknight meal in general that doesn’t disappoint–please pass it along in the comments section.

Leftover Monday: Mussels Mariniere

Yesterday’s cioppino left me with a welcome bonus: leftover mussels. I decided to keep it very simple and make mussels mariniere.

First, a word about mussels: everyone should cook them more often. At the fish market yesterday, a two pound bag cost $4.50. At the grocery store I usually see them for less than $5 for the same two pound bag. The moral of the story here is that mussels are very affordable and dead simple to make. Since most people don’t make mussels at home, they assume they’re expensive, and restaurants use this knowledge to charge a lot for them.

Anyway, my mariniere started with a couple tablespoons of butter and two minced cloves of garlic in a stainless steel pan over low heat. When the butter melts, turn the heat up to medium and cook until the garlic is soft and fragrant, but not yet brown. I added a cup or so of leftover sauvignon blanc from Litteri’s (You’ll learn about Litteri’s after Lent), but any white wine would be suitable. Turn the heat to high and let the wine come to a boil.

When you reach a boil, throw in the scrubbed, debearded mussels. Cook them, shaking the pan every once in a while until the mussels start to open. Get rid of any that don’t once most are open, then transfer open mussels to a bowl with some of the broth, and serve with crusty bread.

This would have been better if I had used a higher quality wine, and if I had some fresh herbs to add at the very end when the mussels are in the bowl (I think parsley would have been very nice). Still, very good, and very, very easy.

Mussel monday might become a new thing.

Chesapeake Cioppino

There’s something you need to know about Frank: He loves bacon. A lot.
So when it crossed my mind to give up meat for Lent this year, I didn’t mention anything to him right away. He suggested–rather unexpectedly–that we attempt this sacrifice together. For the first Sunday Supper documented on this blog (and knowing that there’s 6-10 inches of snow expected overnight), Frank and I decided on cioppino. With friends like these, who needs meat?
Like many a prior, undocumented Foodventure, this one begins at the Fish Market.

Read more »

Welcome to the Foodventure!

Hello Reader!

Welcome to TheFoodventure.com, the online home for the culinary stylings of Frank and Katie, two young cooks who are unfortunately saddled with unrelated day jobs.

What is a Foodventure, you ask? Foodventures can be any kind of project related to eating, cooking, or even thinking about food. Weeknight pasta can be a Foodventure, just the same as planning for and preparing an all day rib smoking session. The sky’s the limit.

Katie is a long-time blogger in the traditional sense, writing about the news, the world, the spiritual, and of course, food. In fact, in her blogging career, her food writing was a true audience favorite. With that in mind, we’re going to bring you the best of our adventures on this blog.

Katie, the creative one, loves writing and the art behind cooking. I am a man, and therefore like tools and the craft of cooking. We’re excited about this combination and believe that this blog is a great way for us to share this unique attitude with you.

Very soon we’re going to launch Foodventure TV, which will combine the best of videoblogging with entertaining food content. We’re very excited about it, and we hope you will be, too.

Katie will also be moving soon, and we’re both excited about the opportunity this affords her to outfit her kitchen with new toys. We’re looking forward to sharing this process with you.

Of course, all of this cooking and writing and filming will wear a person out. When that happens to us, like anybody, we hit the road in search of restaurants and travel adventures. We’ll be bringing the best (and at times worst) of all of that to you.

Thanks again for your interest in the Foodventure. Now let’s kick the tires and go!