Endless Simmer - A Food Blog

Fine, the title doesn’t really make any sense, since we were in Myrtle Beach, SC, and even less sense because we didn’t grill at 4 in the morning just so the American viewing audience could tune in. It just rhymes, ok??

A few (couple?) weeks back, I took a long weekend down to the South Carolina beach in celebration of the passing of one Jackson (Jeb, AJ) from basically married life to married life. To most attending, however, it provided an excuse to open a beer in the AM. After one long afternoon of Par 3 golf, we passed a local produce stand and decided to grill. The corn and shrimp you will see after the jump are from that stand, while the rest came from that great Southern supermarket that will never be as good as Harris Teeter, Kroger.

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The results of last week’s veggie burger battle royale are in, and with 98 percent of all precincts reporting, Eat Air’s Big V captured 47 percent of the vote, earning the official title of best veggie burger in the world. Ever.

Since today is a big election day, we’re going with a political theme for this week’s Who Cooked It Better. The good folks over at Urban Spoon recently crunched some numbers to come up with the Steak/Sushi index, which shows that any city’s voting habits can be predicted by its ratio of steak houses to sushi joints. The nation’s political divide falls almost exactly along these lines, from Dallas (most Republican; most steak houses) to San Francisco (most Democratic; most sushi).

Of course, in 2008 everyone is all gaga for unity and bipartisanship, and what better way to celebrate such feelings than with steak sushi. This inspired creation is popping up on more and more restaurant menus, and it’s a delicious trend that should keep on trending, if you ask me.

Our first steak sushi roll, pictured on the left, is from Sushi Day, who offers up some beautiful butter-fried flank steak cooked to a pinkish rare. But more importantly, Sushi Day has the gall/genius to roll it up with onion slices and french fries! (The fries are both inside the sushi roll AND served alongside it.) This non-conformist sushi is topped off with BBQ sauce. Full recipe here.

Our second steak sushi recipe is from Gourmet, and as you might expect, they go avant-garde, getting rid or the seaweed and instead wrapping a bloody steak in thinly-sliced carrot ribbons. A mustard sauce made of basil, parsley, shallots, capers and garlic brings the flavor, and a flaky sea salt garnish adds extra arty effect (does anyone else think it looks like sushi falling from the sky?) Full recipe here.

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Have an idea for a Who Cooked It Better or wanna see your own blog featured? Pop an email over to info@endlesssimmer.com

Photos: Sushi Day, Gourmet

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By now, you’ve totally heard us *kvetch* that we’re waiting for the day when ES makes it BIG. And when that happens, you’ll surely get recipes that you can use ahead of time, instead of hearing about them after the fact.

Example: I’m going home for Passover this weekend. Not really sure what I’m going to make yet, so unfortunately, I can’t give you great, original ES dishes to try at your family seder. But I will be able to report back, and hopefully give you some inspiration on what kosher food to make for the following days.

So far though, my mom has requested twice-baked potatoes, and I’m thinking I’ll spike mine, SAG’s and DAD GANSIE’s with some wasabi powder. (My mom is the plainest eater in the world, no wasabi for her. Actually, I say she has a “delicate pallet” because that’s the nicest way I can think of to say she won’t eat shit.) I’ve also requested steak for dinner, because it’ll only be the four of us for the first night.

When my aunt’s family comes over for the second seder, we’ll see what group-style meal we come up with - probably turkey or brisket. DAD GANSIE’s a huge proponent of the bird year round. I’ve been asking him to post his turkey soup for a long time now (hint, hint).

Oh, and clearly we’re making matzah ball soup.

Here, though, are some interesting kosher-for-passover recipes:

Fruited Quinoa Salad [Atlanta Journal-Constitution] (via 80P’s Mom)

Matzoh Lasagna [A Mighty Appetite]

Mediterranean Fish Cakes [Culinate, Zena Chew Collection]

———
And please, totally send me your Passover suggestions

Photo: Charleston Heston as Moses

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While you’re bitching about the pending commercial hell of DC USA—the new shopping center starring Target—and how it will ruin the neighborhood spirit, grab a bite to eat across the street at Logan @ The Heights. Take in the goth interior, reminiscent of a Meatloaf video, as you start in on the mussels, soaked in a creamy sauce and perfect for a bread-soaking session. Skip the fried baby artichokes, as they are oily and served in portions too small to justify the $8.50 price tag; also skip the Southern fried chicken (it’s dry) and the grilled salmon that seems to be served with Aunt Jemima (actually a “citrus-maple sauce”). Sandwiches are where it’s at here: both the burger and the pretend burger—eggplant and Portobella mushroom with feta and sun-dried tomato—are juicy and filling, and served with hand-cut fries.
For: Eating at a local joint before chain-restaurant hysteria sets in.
Entrees: $9-$22. 202-797 -7227. 3314 14th St, NW (Columbia Heights)

Originally in the Onion - AV Club / DC local edition

Photo: Flickr user, otavio_dc

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Who could say no to the Hollandaise sauce for Steak?! Yes, Bernaise is a sister to our egg-stra special friend Hollandaise, both made with whisked egg yolk and clarified butter. Bernaise, however, adds a savory mix of vinegar, shallots, tarragon, and chervil (a pretty little spice I hadn’t heard of prior to my first attempt cooking up this sauce) and forgoes the lemon found in Hollandaise. As you may or may not be able to see in the photo, I added chopped up baby bellas to my bernaise. It added a nice, complementary flavor and allowed me to feel like I was eating “more healthy” (despite the beef and bernaise, of course).

More after the jump…

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With the NCAA basketball tournament tipping off this afternoon, America’s brightest young minds are poised to spend the next month doing what they do best: getting drunk and yelling at television screens. When all the blood, sweat, tears - and beer - are swept off the court, the nation’s 18 million college students will be left in search of one thing: some grease to soak it all up.

While you were finalizing your bracket picks, Endless Simmer carefully evaluated the tournament field to compile this list of the tournament’s Top 10 Colleges - ranked by the drunk food they have to offer their hungry, hungry students. Eat that, U.S. News and World Report.

10. University of Wisconsin - Mac ‘n Cheese Pizza

Photo: J&J Blog

Oh maaaan, I need some pizza. Cheesy pizza. Mmmm, cheese. No, wait, I want mac and cheese. Oooh! Pizza with mac and cheese on top! That’s what I want.

If you have ever said or heard a statement like this, you are almost certainly a drunk college student. Also, you probably live in Wisconsin.

The Badgers may have been dissed by the selection committee (29-4 can’t get you a no #2 seed??) but Wisconsin never was as good at sports as they are at creative use of cheese. Madison drunks flock to Ian’s Pizza for this gooey, magnificent creation that just couldn’t come from any other state.

9. Rutgers - Fat Darell

Photo: AP

Don Imus’ not-so-favorite team is back in the women’s tourney as a Number 2 seed, while the Rutgers men were sent packing after a miserable season at the bottom of the Big East.

But don’t feel too bad for the Scarlet Knights - they can always console themselves back on campus with a Jersey summer full of Fat Darrells, a behemoth of a sandwich that solves the drunk’s eternal dilemma of “Do I want chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, or French fries?”

The answer: a resounding “all three,” piled high on a sub role and topped off with marinara sauce. I’d tell you more about it but I’m a little short of breath and I feel a painful shooting sensation in my arm.

8. Purdue - The Duane Purvis All-American

Photo: Flick User Horsepj

You can be forgiven if you didn’t know the name of Purdue’s All-American half-back/full-back from their undefeated 1932 football team. But you should damn well know the burger that bears his name.

The Triple XXX Family Restaurant in West Lafayette, Indiana serves up this decidedly unwholesome Boilermaker classic: 100% sirloin patty with lettuce, tomato, pickle, Spanish onions, and….wait for it…peanut butter. Only a drunk or Elvis - perhaps only a drunk Elvis - could fully appreciate this brilliance.

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With all of this talk about Obama’s race speech, the FIFTH fucking year of war in Iraq and the divorce of the cutest Beatle and his model ex-wife, we’ve over looked the *breaking news* of effed up food stories.

- Quick - go back to school. The veterinarian industry will soon have a shortfall of qualified docs to deliver grass-fed food. [Workforce Management]

- Not only are “gays worse than terrorists” but now they’re turning our fish intersexed. [DCist]

- Corporations, tired of the MSM, are trying to own the free-thinking blogosphere. ES will soon reveal our first flirtation with commercial hell. [AP]

Photo: Flick user Pete Rocks

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You know those Hungry Man commercials. It’s like, oh, only wussies eat salad or whatever. Okay, that was a bad impression, but I think you know what I’m talking about. The whole notion that MEN need a pound of food is sexist and unhealthy. Not to mention completely fucking wrong.

So it was nice to see Men’s Health feature the 20 worst foods found in restaurants, plus suggestions for alternatives. Vanity is in.

Photo: Scritchy Pictures

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Editors Note: ES first heard of Evo Diva through my journey to another world, but I’ve known she’s been a food enthusiast for much longer. Enjoy her peer-reviewed rant.

As a non-evangelical tree hugger, I feel a quiet sense of responsibility to convert to vegetarianism. After all, over half of the water and over 70% of the agricultural production in the U.S. is put toward raising livestock. As with most things, America’s consumption has gotten out of control. Besides, cows are just so damn cute – what did they ever do to deserve the slaughterhouse?

However, as an evolutionary biologist, I know that our species is not at its supreme fitness when sustained on a diet lacking in animals. If veggies don’t do their homework, they might not be getting essential B12 and D vitamins that are easily obtained from meat. Vitamin D is important for calcium absorption and strong bones. B12 is important in proper brain function. Other studies have shown that infants nursing from vegan mothers will not develop properly. Our ancestors might have subsisted on fruits and nuts, but our species evolved on the motto: “Variety is the spice of life.” While our teeth structure still is best suited for fruits, our most striking difference from other animals is our brain size. Along with B12, protein is essential for neurological development. A likely scenario is that our ancestors were obtaining new sources of protein in animal food options and were able to grow larger brains.

So what’s a hippie like me supposed to do? While true vegetarians agree that going halfway doesn’t count, I would argue that it is my only option. Choosing cage-free eggs, free range meat, and eating vegetarian 4-5 days of the week is my way of reconciling this inner conflict and pissing off people on both sides of the fence.

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