I find it kind of funny when i think about there being whole committees and associations around cheeses alone! I guess this is true for all things food, but the dedication to one was certainly apparent at the Seattle Cheese Fest this year. Judy and I took a nice stroll through Pikes Place Market on this lovely day, amazing weather, and checked out the wares.
They had everything from cheedar to gouda. Supposedly we tasted the “best gouda in the world” which tasted pretty good. The amount of people at the festival made it hard to grab some cheeses but after wrestling through the crowds we managed to snag a few. It was not until then I realized that cheese tasting is almost as developed as wine tasting. Sure you pair the too up very well but even on it’s own, telling the differences between good cheeses is near impossible. In my mind, if it wasn’t some store bought brand, it was good 
I must confess that I am no where near a cheese guy, and being a veggie boy means it is no where near my diet. It’s nice to step out of ones tastes to explore what wonderful things other folks are doing though. At the festival there were a few cooking demonstration, one about gnocchi and another about making your own cheese. They were very well put together and I was very pleased to see the amount of people watching. My hope is at least half of that will make their own cheese or gnocchi one day rather than buying.
So the Cheese Fest was a success by terms of people, the way the cheese impacted, and the robustness of not just providing cheeses to try but also things to do with them. I will see you again next year Seattle Cheese Fest!
Judy and I received a last minute invite to a local wine club event called the “Tom Douglas Press Club” which was having a salmon and Pinot Noir pairing tasting. Once I heard what the pairings would be I was immediately interested. Prior to this night, I have not once hadPinot Noir and salmon paired together, not once I tell you! Turns out that I wouldn’t just explore but I also learned quite a bit about wines and salmon.
I will state this up front, I don’t like pinot noir with salmon. I’m not 100% sure why, but the pairing combinations just did nothing for me. This could come from the fact that I am no where near a good wine person and end up sticking with whites and reds general pairings (seafood vs meats). From what I can tell, this combination isn’t something that occurs very often and I applaud the club for stepping out of the box and trying something new. Although i wasn’t fond of the pairing, I was very fond of the information I learned about salmon and pinot noir.
The event gave me the ability to try steamed salmon from six different species. Chinook, Coho, Chum, Pink, Sockeye, and Steelhead. Out of those six the following are place in order of my liking: Chinook, Steelhead, and Sockeye. So let’s talk about the ones I didn’t like, Pink, Chum, and Coho for a brief second. They were all too dry (not overcooked, but taste wise) and had very strong fish flavors. Sure when you eat fish, you will have that flavor but those three seemed to really stand out as fish and might stand out very loudly as fish in dishes. The Chinook, Steelhead, and Sockeye had a very fluffy light texture and had hints of their natural flavor and not too much of it. These three would probably provide a very awesome base for any sauce due to their textures and not masking fish flavor.
So what about the Pinot Noir? Well we had eight different selections coming with 2 from: New Zealand, Oregon, France, and California. It was nice to be able to compare and contrast the different regions. Obviously France was superb and I expected no less at all, however Oregon played a very close second. I found it strange that I like Oregon over California but really their wines were not only priced well but delivered well also. Also interesting about Oregon, in 2007 they had a bit of a weather problem which caused some deviations in their quality. Nothing horrible but nothing amazing, then going up to 2009 they grew up into amazing! The nice tidbit I learned was if you find a 2007 buy it (cause it’s cheap) and store it for a few years, 2008 is a bit more but still not awesome, and 2009 is awesome (although the price is higher for such awesomeness).
So I realize that I have been gone for a long time. It wasn’t my plan to disappear like that at all! As some of you may know, my family and I decided the west coast was where we belonged so I managed to find a job in Seattle and packed up shop. It finally feels like home again and I am ready and more prepared then ever to bring Madzak back into the interwebs.
Since moving here I have been visiting different restaurants and festivals, which appear to be plentiful out here. I have collected pictures and information from these things and will be posting my thoughts on them in the up coming days. I also have a bit of a secret which I believe is ripe enough now to be shared…
I am a vegetarian, yup for the last year I have slowly converted to the wonderful world of vegetables. Some would classify me as a vegan but really I am just eat plants. I will also share my reasons in depth in an upcoming post. Rest assured that the same fun and adventures will continue, but will involve veggies instead. Don’t worry meat lovers, a little veggie love will help broaden your cooking skills and I will have some guest chefs to help you guys and gals get your meat fix.
Once again I am sorry to leave you hanging like I did. The good news now is my passion for food is even more alive out here in Seattle then it ever was. I cannot wait to share that passion with all of you as well!
Talk to you soon,
MadZak
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What better way to enjoy a nice sunny and warm day in Seattle than to fire up the grill right? Luckily my friends and I were all on the same page and that’s exactly what we did! Coming from the Ohio suburbs, we never had rooftop grills and although the grill is no different, the experience was just freaking awesome. You get a very calming experience sitting high above the skyline and with the wonderful views that Seattle provides ( as the pictures above show ), you can not go wrong.
To spice up the BBQ, Michelle and Corey (the grill master!) decided to spice up the event with a nice Asian theme. Given the theme and the outdoors eating adventure, I decided that I would be making some delicious cold sesame noodles and a nice asianish coleslaw. They both turned out great and was loved by all. I may just make those noodles again for weekly lunches because it was so easy and I plan to spice it up and bring the recipe on here! Although what I made was delicious, the star of the event was all the marinated meats that were quietly waiting to hop on the grill. We had chicken, beef, shrimp, squid (yes!), asparagus, veggies, and bread. Seriously it was a massive amount of awesome food
The food was great, beyond great really, but the real greatness came in the fun up on the roof with friends and the remarkable view that we had. This was a great way to enjoy a saturday and relax without spending it in a cafe or restaurant. I even got a little sun burnt which for me in the first week of march is the first time ever! Looking forward to next months outdoor BBQ with an italian theme!
Hello foodies,
So this quest is really turning out well as the second attempt has made drastic strides in flavor! I knew the frozen ingredients and dried herbs would affect the quality and flavor but this is tasted like 500% better! Yes no kidding! I’ve been making a nice risotto with the stocks as a kind of measure given those nice little rice grains soak up all that stocky goodness. Although i should probably start a risotto quest as well, my so-so risotto sky rocketed in likability. Here are the ingredients and reflections from this attempt. Oh and I followed the same “tips” as last time.
Ingredients:
- carrots (without skin)
- onions
- 1 bunch celery stalk
- 1 head garlic
- 2 corn cobs
- 1/2 pack white mushrooms
- fresh basil
- fresh thyme
- fresh oregano
- fresh tarragon
- salt
Reflections:
I didn’t realize it but I actually put in less of the items from last time, so I guess I made 2 differences with this batch. Regardless the freshness was the KEY in terms of flavor of the stock. I have also been stressing the limits of the 4 days in the fridge rule for “fresh” I’m finding in my fridge it’ll last about 5 to 6. I don’t recommend this to everyone so in just reheat the stock on the 4th day to get 3 more days out of it and accomplish a nice make 1 day use all week base! Next attempt will be to add the same original ingredients and also see if I can’t strain it in some cheesecloth/coffee filters.
When I was in Taiwan I had a very delicious beef noodle soup and have been longing for a soup to that caliber. Luckily January is when I started to perfect my vegetable stock and figured I’d give it a shot with some vegetable noodle soup.
The broth is what really sea
ls this dish as the ingredients do nothing but soak up the flavor. If you can make the broth yourself, you are better off as store bought just won’t cut it!
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 carrot (peeled)
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 wood-ear (any fungus like mushrooms)
- 1 tomato
- 1 tablespoon basil
- 1 tablespoon thyme
METHOD:
Combine vegetable broth and water in a pot and bring to boil. Add frozen udon noodles, carrots, onions, wood-ear or mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, basil, and thyme. Once frozen udon noodles start to break apart, go ahead and add the sesame oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce.
Once vegetables and noodles are soft, remove from heat, add salt and pepper, and serve.
Hello foodies,
Today I am announcing my quest to develop the perfect vegetable stock. I’ve been reading a book lately (book recommendation coming once I finish) that mentioned you aren’t much of a chef if you can’t make a good stock.
I completely agree with this remark and realized that my stocks were just so-so. I’ve begun researching various basics on vegetable stocks and have started focusing on a few factors. My plan/goal is to hone in the stock within a month, so I’m giving myself 4 tries at getting it right. I guess over time I can continue to work on it but I’ll post the great recipe after the 4 attempts. So far these are the items to look out for in creating a great vegetable stock.
- Do not cook for more than an hour.
- “Boil” your vegetables in the stock pot before adding water (this usually means to let your onions get translucent in some oil, I used 1 tablespoon).
- Once you’ve added your water watch for the stock temperature to reach up between 170 and 180, then turn that heat down to maintain it. You should never boil or simmer from what I’ve heard, although I’ve noticed a lot of recipes would like you to go back up to a boil after adding the water.
- Make sure mushrooms are in the stock, they give it more depth.
- Strain after the hour of cooking and let to cool to room temperature before going into the fridge or freezer.
Ingredients in today’s stock are as follows:
- carrots (with skin)
- onions
- celery
- “fresh” rosemary
- garlic
- tomatoes
- corn kernels
- mushrooms
- wood-ear (Asian fungus)
- bay leaves
- dried basil
- dried thyme
- dried oregano
- dried parsley
- peppercorns
Reflections:
First I know it was silly but I actually made all these vegetables up and froze them about a month ago. They don’t do bad in that condition but really to get to a perfect stock, this is unacceptable so next time they will all be fresh. The same thing goes for my herbs as they were all dried and not fresh. So the stock is way better now that I focused on the list of requirements above, however, the real test will come with fresh ingredients. Week 2 should knock my socks off I hope
Green curry and rice is a personal favorite dish of mine and I’ve seen it served as soup or as a thick sauce on the rice. It is super great to warm you up during the winter and no one should be afraid of curry as it’s easily adjustable. The flavor from the green curry is what makes this dish, combined with coconut milk and you get a nice sweet heat. Not only will all the ingredients soak up the flavor but the rice will absorb whatever is left leaving you with a dish to remember. You can adjust the green curry paste based on your heat tolerance. I’ve found that 4 seems to work good for Judy who doesn’t like heat at all and is still a bit hot for my medium tastes. Play with the ingredients, most everything will work fine!
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2 cups coconut milk (1 can)
- 4 tablespoons green curry paste
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup broccoli
- 1 cup cauliflower
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 4 cups rice
METHOD:
In a skillet, bring 1 cup of coconut milk to boil with green curry paste. Reduce to medium and add everything but the chicken into the milk/curry mixture. Cook the chicken separately and add into the soup mixture once done. Cook for 15 minutes or until vegetables are soft and serve on rice.
Having a bunch of turkey left overs from Thanksgiving, I’ve spent most of the week working on utilizing it as much as I can. Last Night, I made a nice turkey fried rice for my wife and as always it was super simple and super tasty.
As with many of my recipes, it is a bit of a blank canvas and you can use any type of meat you’d like. Enjoy the great mix of carrots, green peppers, turkey, and egg as it melts in your mouth and warms you up. This is what fried rice should be, notice the lack of that weird yellow color? I still haven’t figured out why that’s added to the take outs! Make a big batch as you can warm this up for quick dinners or lunches as well.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2 cups turkey (pulled/shredded)
- 1 carrot (vertical sliced)
- 1/2 green pepper (horizontal sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (diced)
- 1 egg
- 2 cups rice (cooked)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 1 tablespoon garlic (diced)
- 1/4 cup green onion (sliced)
METHOD:
Warm a skillet on medium-high heat. Once warmed, add oil and garlic then sauté for 30 seconds or so. Add carrots, green peppers, pepper, and turkey. Turn heat up to high and fry for 5 minutes stirring to make sure things don’t stick to the pan.
Add rice, rice wine, and soy sauce and mix well. Make a small hole in the center of the skillet and crack the egg in the middle. Mix the egg until it is cooked, add green onions and then mix the whole skillet up, remove from heat and serve.
I sincerely hope that your Holidays bring laughter, cheer, great food, and good spirits this year. I will be taking a week off from the blog to enjoy the holidays and will resume blogging on the 28th of Dec. In other news, The Culinary Adventures of MadZak has finished Season 1 and boy was it a great time! The MadZak team is creating and planning Season 2 which is going to bring in even more MadZak for you to enjoy. Season 2 will start up on March 1st so be sure to tune in.
In the meantime, enjoy the new and old segments that will appear here starting next week and as always, get in that kitchen and make some real food!
Thank you again and Happy Holidays!