I thought I posted this recipe earlier, but a quick search revealed that it was missing from all my posts. This is one of my “go-to”recipes since it’s not that hard to make, however it does require a lot of prep in terms of cutting and chopping everything to be ready for the quick stir fry.

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup tamarind paste (store-bought or made yourself - can be substituted with ketchup in a pinch but not recommended)
• 2/3 cup fish sauce
• 2-3 thai chili’s (or other chili that you prefer)
• 4 garlic cloves
• firm tofu (optionally soaked in soy sauce for a few hours)
• 1 package pad thai noodles
• 2-3 green onions
• 1 cup loose bean sprouts
• 1 carrot
• 1 lime
• 2 eggs
• 1 chicken breast (or 12 shrimps or combination of chicken and shrimp)
• 2/3 peanuts
• coriander/chinese parsley for garnish

1. Soak the noodles in warm water for 30 minutes, do step 2 while waiting.
2. Prep all the ingredients by slicking the green onion into 3/4″ pieces, julienne the carrot and tofu, wash the bean sprouts, and slice the chicken breast into thin strips.
3. Make the sauce by combining the fish sauce, sugar and tamarind paste, stir well until sugar is dissolved.
4. Put the wok on the stove and turn to maximum setting, when the oil in the wok is smoking, quickly add the garlic and chilies, followed by the chicken. If using shrimp, add shrimp when chicken is almost completely cooked and then cook thoroughly.
5. Move the cooked chicken and shrimp to one side of the wok, exposing about half of the bottom of the wok, add a bit more oil. When the oil heats up, add the eggs and scramble lightly, then mix the entire meat mix with the eggs.
6. Wait for wok to heat up again then add the softened noodles. Add the sauce to the mix and toss until almost cooked. Add the carrot/green onions/bean sprouts, toss, then serve on a plate.
7. Garnish with coriander and crushed peanutes, and slices of lime.

Got this recipe from an old episode of Naked Chef.

• 10 pieces of pancetta or bacon
• olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely, chopped
• handful thyme
• 1/2 large savoy cabbage, halved, and, finely, sliced
• handful parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 lb. dried farfalle
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 lb. cheese, buffalo, mozzarella, diced into 1-inch pieces
• toasted pine nuts
1. In a pan, fry off pancetta in a little olive oil until lightly golden.
2. Add garlic and thyme and soften.
3. Place in Savoy cabbage with the Parmesan then stir around and put the lid on the pan.
4. Cook for a further 15 minutes, shaking every now and again, while you cook farfalle in salted boiling water until al dente.
5. When the cabbage is nice and tender, season and loosen with some nice peppery extra virgin olive oil.
6. Toss the drained farfalle into the cabbage and at the last minute mix in mozzarella and pine nuts.
7. Serve immediately.

Roger is doing a cooking demo this weekend at the LCBO Summerhill. Here are the details:

Saturday, November 15 | 11:30 am - 3:30 pm

MEET ROGER MOOKING
Meet multi-talented chef, musician, and TV personality Roger Mooking. Sample what Roger has cooked up today, paired with fabulous wines, and listen to his latest CD.

Toronto Life published a list of best wines under $10. Here are there choices:

• $9.55 LA PUERTA 2007 SHIRAZ (Famatina Valley, Argentina)
• $9.90 FINCA FLICHMAN 2007 MISTERIO MALBEC (Mendoza, Argentina)
• $7.80 ROCCA VENTOSA 2007 TREBBIANO (Abruzzi, Italy)
• $9.95 CONO SUR 2007 VIOGNIER (Chile)
• $9.95 MONTALTO 2007 PINOT GRIGIO (Sicily, Italy)
• $9.15 TOLLO 2005 COLLE SECCO MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO (Abruzzi, Italy)
• $7.10 CASAL THAULERO 2007 SANGIOVESE (Abruzzi, Italy)
• $7.95 DUNAVÁR 2006 MUSCAT OTTONEL (Hungary)
• $9.95 CONO SUR 2007 MERLOT (Chile)
• $9.95 MASI 2007 MODELLO DELLE VENEZIE (Venetia, Italy)

Here’s a great video on how to make California Rolls:

I saw this recipe on Roger’s TV show this week and gave it a shot myself, with a few exclusions because I was crunched for time. Served with some sauted spinach that had a dash of sesame oil.

E-Pan is part of the new flux of restaurants that are invading the existing Chinatown on Spadina. It’s modern new look is clean and very friendly to Chinatown newcomers. Gone are the plastic sheets on the tables for quick cleanup and the floors are nice and clean.

The food there is above average, but not the best. Prices are higher than the “cheap eats” places but also the incident of rat sightings are probably a lot lower at a new place such as E-Pan. I would rate it a solid 7 in both food quality and value. Not as cheap as a meal at Swatow but comparable to Lee Garden. Because it’s north of most Chinatown restaurants, it’s easier to find street parking out front.

E-Pan
369 Spadina Avenue
416-260-9988

I’ve been trying to learn a lot more about wines in the past year. Only recently have I discovered the Amarone - a favorite of one of my close friends. This week, the LCBO Vintages site has a special focus on the Amarone and Ripasso. As part of their “Understanding” series, they provide a general overview of this lovely wine:

UNDERSTANDING AMARONE

It’s fairly simple. Each producer determines the drying time of their grapes. Ideally, the grapes should raisinate in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment to prevent rot. The dehydrated grapes are pressed and fermented dry. Since over 50% of each grape’s liquid (mostly water) is lost to the dehydration process, the flavours of the final wine are intensely concentrated and the alcohol level is anywhere from 2-5% higher than a typical table wine. The secret of this wine’s resurgence is directly related to the popularity of intense, fruit-forward New World wines. Amarones share some of the flavour profile of California Zinfandel or Australian Shiraz, but with a more refined balance between the complex aromas and flavours.

My two favorite Amarone’s are from Masi and Villabella ‘Fracastro’.

In bad economic times, fast, junk food satisfies North Americans. Dominos stated higher sales in the past two months, McDonald’s has to hire additional people, even Canadian Pizza Pizza is reporting more orders than seasonal averages. Now poutine has come full force to Toronto. Smokie’s Poutinerie is conveniently located above another late-night food spot, Burrito Boyz. If “comfort food” is now in, these guys are poised to be successful. Plus they have a wicked location for the light-night crowd.

They open in November.

Tucked away on the east side of Bloor Street, away from Yorkville, is this small sushi spot. It is a modest size and located along the IBM building at Bloor and Church. It was recommended by my friend and I’ve returned twice since going there initially.

The sushi is very nice and fresh. Most of the rolls are more authentic than my staple, Sushi Inn. There is a large appetizer menu that offers everything from the best Gyoza’s I’ve had to tempura and edamame. None of the dishes stand out as being really creative, but their preparation and freshness really make this a great place to go to.

Because of it’s location, Ichi Riki is not as busy as some of the Yorkville hot sushi places. However, its size means that it can still pack up and on a Thursday night, all the tables were filled at 7pm. This place is now one of my “go-to” sushi places.