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Exotic Fruit or City?

partysugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:00:52 -0700

Since you enjoyed the tomato variety or nail polish quiz so much, I thought it would be fun to do a similar exam. This time, I've researched the names of exotic fruits. Some of them sound strangely like cities. You have to identify which names are exotic fruits and which are cities. Sound fun? Get started!

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Exotic Side: Tabbouleh

partysugar — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 04:46:36 -0800

Lately I have been posting common side recipes that can be paired with roast dishes and hearty meats. Today I decided it's time we spice things up a bit (we are after-all in the middle of January) and instead of making a normal, classic side I suggest we make an exotic, fresh tabbouleh. Tabbouleh (pronounced tub-boo-lei) is an Arab salad made of cracked wheat combined with finely chopped vegetables such as tomatoes, parsley, or onion. Neither rice nor pasta, tabbouleh, with its tiny grains, is an excellent make ahead side that only betters the longer the flavors meld. It's incredibly simple to make and is best described as being a close cousin to couscous. To take a stab at making tabbouleh, read more

Tabbouleh
From Food Network

1 cup bulghur wheat
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 cup good olive oil
3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (1 bunch)
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch)
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the bulghur in a large bowl, pour in the boiling water, and add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir, then allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper; mix well.
Season, to taste, and serve or cover and refrigerate.
The flavor will improve if the tabbouleh sits for a few hours.

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Your Political Leanings May Determine What's on Your Plate

YumSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:20:37 -0800

Everyone says that you are what you eat. But could your political party affiliation be the driver of what goes on your plate, too? That's what food trend analyst Phil Lempert (of koodie fame) is arguing. Examining 2009 data from Hunch, he found conservatives opt for "mainstream, comfort food staples," while liberals are likely to gravitate toward "international and exotic cuisines."

According to Lempert, conservatives correlated with foods like pizza, macaroni and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly for lunch, plus fried chicken, meatloaf, and steak for dinner, with Italian food being the cuisine of choice.

Liberals, on the other hand, preferred Asian: Thai and Indian for lunch, and veggie burgers and green curry for supper. His findings indicate they also tend to make more nutritionally sound choices, such as eating vegetables more often and fast food less frequently, and making dishes from scratch.

Those looking to toe the bipartisan line should stick to mutually-loved foods such as hot dogs, bacon double cheeseburgers, ice cream sans sprinkles, romaine lettuce, and salt on a margarita glass. Do these findings line up correctly with your political leanings?

Source: Flickr User thebittenword.com

Costa Rican Fruit Cocktail

YumSugar — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:00:25 -0700

Recently I visited Costa Rica. One of my first stops was a local farmers market set up in a small plaza in the town of Quepos. It was a bustling place with a variety of stands: fruit, flowers, vegetables and makeshift restaurants serving local fare. Amongst many known fruits and vegetables were plenty foreign and exotic variations - all a must try. My two new favorites were the mammones and guaba. To meet all the fruits of Costa Rica, just hit the "Start" button.

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Wild Meats

YumSugar — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 00:00:14 -0800

Meat used to be a simple option. Pork, chicken, beef and if you were adventurous you could get duck or lamb or even buffalo. But thanks to the folks at Exotic Meats you can get a wild assortment of meats delivered right to your front door. Choose from mildly adventurous such as frog legs and rabbit or go wildly adventurous with crocodile, turtle and rattlesnake.

I don't know about you, but this makes me horrified and hungry at the same time.

Fast & Easy Dinner: Spicy Thai Curried Lentils

partysugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:50:09 -0800

If you don't cook with lentils on a regular basis, you should start experimenting with them. The small legumes cook quickly, are filling, and can be served with everything from chorizo to arugula. Not to mention they're supposed to help you lose weight!

This recipe combines lentils with sweet potatoes, red pepper, and cauliflower. The exotically flavored dish is seasoned with coconut milk and red curry paste. It's a hearty and healthy vegetarian meal, so get the recipe now and read more.

Spicy Thai Curried Lentils
From Woman's Day

Ingredients

1 cup brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 can (14 oz) vegetable broth
1 cup canned lite coconut milk (not cream of coconut), stirred well before measuring
11⁄2 Tbsp red curry paste or 2 tsp red curry powder
3 cups fresh cauliflower florets
1 large sweet potato, peeled, cut in 3⁄4-in. chunks
1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
1⁄4 cup basil, finely shredded
1⁄4 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Directions

Mix lentils, broth, coconut milk and curry in a large saucepan. Simmer, covered, 15 to 20 minutes until lentils are almost tender.
Place cauliflower, sweet potato and red pepper on lentils. Return to a simmer, cover and cook 10 to 12 minutes until vegetables and lentils are tender.
Sprinkle servings with the basil and cilantro.

Serves 4.

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Would You Eat Bugs?

YumSugar — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 00:01:19 -0700

Out of all of my friends, I'm probably the one who will eat anything once, actually make that twice (I always have to make sure my first opinion was right). Anyways, I ran across this list of 32 Edible Insect Foods You Can Buy Online and had to question whether or not I would eat these. Okay, who am I kidding, that questioning lasted about 3 seconds, of course I would try them. There are a few on the list that I want to try (Tom Yum Flavored Bamboo Worms anyone?).

Admitting that makes me wonder if this is some kind of new low? I'm almost embarrassed by myself, first I admit I've never eaten at any of the top 50 restaurants in the world and then I say I'd be willing to try all of these bugs. I should also mention that me trying all 32 of these edible bugs is probably more likely than me eating at 32 of those restaurants. But I digress...

The edible bug list includes a few extraordinary things like Roasted Pregnant Crickets and Extra Hot Crushed Giant Bug Paste (both of which can be found online at Thailand Unique), as well as a few more "tame" items such as Giant Toasted Ants (which apparently taste something like bacon) and Chocolate Covered Scorpions, or Scorpion Amber Candy. You can check out the whole list at Senselist.

What do you guys think, would you try any of these?

Source: Make

Happy Hour: 2007 Feudo Principi Di Butera Nero d'Avola

partysugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:15:12 -0700

When selecting wine from a menu, sometimes I like to choose a varietal I've never heard of. Take Nero d'Avola for example. Up until recently, I didn't know this red grape (that's been grown in Sicily for hundreds of years) even existed. The bottle I tasted was 2007 Feudo Principi di Butera.

This lush and impressive red has a cherry aroma with a hint of spice and a smooth, velvety mouthfeel. The liquid is a deep garnet. It's unusual and exotic, but highly drinkable. With its appealing complexity and rich fruity flavor, the Fuedo tastes like an expensive bottle of wine.

Surprisingly, it's only $14, making it the ideal wine for a dinner party or hostess gift. Have you ever sipped Nero d'Avola?

Say Cheese! Pimento Cheese

partysugar — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:30:50 -0700

I am not from the South, so before this week, I had never tasted the comforting spread native to the region that's known as pimento cheese. However, I was eager to experience this seemingly exotic food, so I decided to make it. Pimento cheese isn't a type of cheese, but rather, a seasoned cheese mixture. The main ingredients are sharp cheddar cheese, jarred pimentos (a type of sweet succulent aromatic red pepper), and mayonnaise. The history of pimento cheese is fairly unknown, although it appeared in grocery stores and home kitchens somewhere in the early 1900s. It's delicious simplicity made it a hit during the Depression, and since then, pimento cheese has remained popular in the South. The tasty spread can be enjoyed on crackers, celery or other veggies, toast, or plain, old crustless white bread. To look at the recipe I used - it's Paula Deen's - keep reading.

Food Section Sampler - Sept. 9, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:50:23 -0700

Why Japanese bento boxes have developed a cult following. - New York Times
Previewing Xoco, the new Mexican street food spot by Rick Bayless. - Chicago Tribune
Thirty things to do with tomatoes during harvest season. - Los Angeles Times
With sales plummeting, Champagne producers have slashed this year's harvest and bottling. - Wall Street Journal
In a tasting, which brand of lemon sorbet proved the sweetest? - Boston Globe
How one beet dish won over a beet-averse eater. - San Francisco Chronicle
Fast, healthy, and exotic, sabji stir-fry should be the home cook's new 30-minute meal. - Washington Post

Source: Flickr User luckysundae