Squid Ink Pasta, I Conquer You!

The squid ink pasta I made a little while ago was maybe a 5 on my satisfaction scale.  Today I tried it again and...10!  The other day I went to an Argentine market and found canned squid pieces in their own ink which was tremendously exciting. Using just a little bit in the pasta with little tomato paste made all the difference.  I'm so happpeeeeee!

Ingredients:

handful of squid ink pasta

2 crushed garlic cloves

chopped italian parsley

half a tin of squid pieces in squid ink pasta (Goya brand)

1 Tbsp double concentration tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

shaved parmesan 

1. cook pasta in salted water

2. drain

3. saute crushed garlic in olive oil

4. add pasta and tablespoon of olive oil

5. add squid pieces and half the ink in the tin

6. add tomato paste

7. salt and pepper to taste

8. top with parmesan and parsley

A Little Dinner With Friends

boiled artichokes with two different types of aioli

argentine cheese, raw goat cheese, honey, and fig paste

tomato tarte tatin

tomato tarte tatin with mozzarella 

tomato tarte tatin in the pan

I had Nancy and Thomas over for dinner.  Artichokes are everywhere nowadays.  I boiled them with lemon and salt and served them with an aioli and a quick mix of whole grain mustard and mayo.  And I made the tomato tarte tatin again.  It's one of my favorite recipes lately.

Yay for friends! Yay for eating with friends!

Creamed Polenta With Wine Sauteed Mushrooms

okay, so i need to work on presentation a bit, but taste wise this was pretty good.  I made some polenta with milk and just a little bit of cream and topped it with mushrooms and yellow squash that I sauteed in red wine and cream. Served with parmesan cheese, parsley, and vegetarian meatballs.  

Tomato Tarte Tatin and Pasta E Fagioli

I cooked dinner for my family yesterday and on the menu was:

1. pasta e fagioli

2. miso glazed fingerling potatoes

3. tomato tarte tatin

I like foods that are pretty.  tomato tarte tatin is enormously pretty.  i found the recipe here

Crow Bar Gastropub and Saeyoung's Birthday

strawberry confetti cake from susiecakes

caesar

blue crab deviled eggs

roasted pear salad

For Saeyoung's 20th birthday we went to the Crow Bar Gastropub is Corona Del Mar.  We thought this might be the affordable route...but not so much.  But the food was pretty great.  We also had an ahi tuna sandwich, duck fat fries, a cheese plate, pork loin, steak frites, and fish and chips.  The cake was from Susiecakes--excessively sweet but in the best way possible.  And the cake's so cute!

2325 e coast highway

corona del mar, CA 92625

(949) 675-0070

Mochilato (and the greater subject of shaved ice)

I've always been fond of shaved ice and there's a variety of types you can get: the korean kind, the taiwanese kind, and now this strange japanese hybrid kind.  Mochilato combines shaved ice with gelato, red bean, fruit, mochi, and condensed milk.  I'm not sure how I feel about the gelato.  I'm just not used to it, I think.  My personal preference is just plain fruit with condensed milk, hold the red bean, please.

Aside:  Yesterday, I bought an ice shaver and put these ingredients in:

condensed milk

strawberries

mangos

kiwi

pineapple

a handful of honey nut crunch cereal

yogurt covered raisins

a couple tablespoons of cream mixed with sugar

mandarin oranges

Saeyoung's Eating Marathon in LA

brioche donuts with madagascar vanilla cream

southwest salad, fennel salad

salmon spring rolls

morning glory salad

new zealand mussels

I miss you cho cho.  come back to los angeles.