http://www.eatwashington.com/ The latest news from eatWashingon. en-us Eat Washington eatwashington@gmail.com eatwashington@gmail.com http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chew_on_this_your_first_duh_of_the_year/ A ‘duh’ moment to launch the new year: A diet rich in vitamins and fish may protect the brain from aging while junk food has the opposite effect. Who is it, I ask myself, who dishes out shedloads of money for research like this? Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:11:49 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chew_on_this_your_first_duh_of_the_year/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/eggplant/ There are so many different varieties of this beautiful vegetable. Which kind to use in which recipe? Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:11:47 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/eggplant/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/baked_beans/ Beans, beans, the musical fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot. The more you toot, the better you feel, so let's have beans at every meal! Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:10:30 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/baked_beans/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/ribollita_wondersoup_or_wodge/ This is one of my favorite dishes - a wonderful peasant soup that uses up stale bread to turn a winter minestrone (that's the kale in it) into a full scale comfort meal. It's even better if you keep a day before you eat it. Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:37:56 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/ribollita_wondersoup_or_wodge/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/yasaman_persian_bakery_one_of_my_favorites/ Depending on who's behind the counter, it can be a little daunting shopping at Yasaman. Most of the women who serve are distant and seldom smile. Get over it. You're there for the best walnut macaroons you've ever eaten. Sun, 01 Jan 2012 06:28:36 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/yasaman_persian_bakery_one_of_my_favorites/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/breads/ Not so long ago, the only bread available in Washington came sliced in cellophane packages. Now you can't move for choice among breads studded with everything from olives to cheese. But where can you get a plain brown loaf? Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:15:22 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/breads/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/duck_goose/ Duck and goose, full of dark flavor, make a sumptuous Christmas change from chicken and turkey and their carcasses provide a rich soup stock. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:30:06 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/duck_goose/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/a_festive_special_foie_gras_creme_caramel/ This is one of those glamorous recipes you pay a fortune for in high end restaurants which, according to Christophe and Michelle Poteaux, owners and chefs of Bastille, who make it, turns out not to be too difficult to do. (And no objections to the foie gras, if you please, until you address how battery chickens that are eaten far more frequently are raised.) Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:00:00 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/a_festive_special_foie_gras_creme_caramel/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/festive_presents_weird_and_wacky_at_world_market/ World Market is an oddity. On the same level in the Chevy Chase Pavilion as Starbucks and the escalator to the Red Line Metro, its most public face, through large glass display windows, is not much different from Pottery Barn in the same location. But penetrate the space, push past the hyacinth-reed woven chairs, the pillar candles and Asian pottery and in the back you'll find a bizarre food market. And a great source for stocking fillers... Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:00:00 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/festive_presents_weird_and_wacky_at_world_market/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/walnut_oil/ Take a tip from the cooks of France's Perigord region: invest in a bottle of walnut oil. A small one - it doesn't keep long, and store it in the dark. But you'll be glad you did. A vinaigrette made with it will lift a salad into another stratosphere. And it adds a festive zip to holiday season salads! Mon, 12 Dec 2011 06:59:23 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/walnut_oil/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/the_perfect_yorkshire_pudding/ A proper Yorkshire pudding is a Christmas treat - and a vital component of a roast beef feast. It must be 4 inches tall. That's official. The Royal Society of Chemists says so. The second key qualification is the cook must have Yorkshire blood. "It's the instinct of people born and raised in Yorkshire. You can tell if the cook has the right touch," scientist John Emsley told the BBC. Perhaps that's why my Yorkshire mother makes puddings like shoe leather - she was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:43:31 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/the_perfect_yorkshire_pudding/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chew_on_this_the_acai_berry_diet_can_only_thin_your_wallet/ Forget acai berries. (I just want to remind you of this scam diet if you're planning a hasty diet before the festive season.) The acai berry diet will only thin your wallet. Watercress, on the other hand, is a much more powerful ingredient... Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:08:25 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chew_on_this_the_acai_berry_diet_can_only_thin_your_wallet/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/the_queen_mum_s_favorite_cake/ This was the favorite cake of the Queen Mother, gobblesser. It's a lovely dense yet light much nicer alternative to a fruit cake - that thick brick the Brits love at Christmas or covered in sweet stucco at weddings. But you can't have the recipe for free. At it mustn't be given but sold for one shilling and the money donated to a charitable organization. So if you're planning to bake it, pop a quarter in a charity box. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 06:48:51 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/the_queen_mum_s_favorite_cake/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/west_indian_black_cake/ At Christmas time in Jamaica, a traditional black cake is baked in which the dried fruits and peel have been soaking in alcohol since the previous Christmas. It's a far more intense cake than traditional fruit cake, and covered in a dark, dark frosting. Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:52:08 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/west_indian_black_cake/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chinese_mushrooms_identified/ Several varieties of Chinese mushrooms are sold dried in Chinese script packages. But which should you use for what? And how can you buy the ones you want if you don't speak Chinese? Here's help. Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:43:17 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chinese_mushrooms_identified/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/crackers_quirky_facts_for_the_festive_season/ Commit this weird but true information to heart. It's completely crackers - English expression meaning 'crazy'. But they're allowed - they invented the cracker. (Non, vous Froggies, vous didn't.) But will come in handy at festive season parties. Like, can you buy a moose a beer in Alaska? (Nope. It's illegal, even if you could get one into a bar...) Get a spicy Bloody Mary in Britain? Drink as a student abroad? Read on... Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:14:20 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/crackers_quirky_facts_for_the_festive_season/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chocolate_truffles/ It's always a treat to be given a home-made food gift from a good cook. Trent Conry - one time chef of 401 then Ardeo - has three sumptuous chocolate recipes for food presents any time of year but especially the holiday season, that even a modest cook can tackle fearlessly. Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:21:11 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chocolate_truffles/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/bicarbonate_of_soda_magic_in_a_teaspoon/ It's the festive season. So you probably have a fresh carton of bicarb tucked away for digestion stabilizing. But there's more to bicarbonate of soda than meets the stomach. This antacid solution to gluttony, fizzer of sodas and raiser of flour to baking heights with a slightly salty taste has other tricks it can perform. Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:12:35 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/bicarbonate_of_soda_magic_in_a_teaspoon/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/kedgeree_and_omelette_arnold_bennett_recipes/ These are two recipes that come into their own with the fall chill. Make them for a celebratory brunch or lunch or an informal supper. Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:22:25 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/kedgeree_and_omelette_arnold_bennett_recipes/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/smoked_haddock/ British breakfasters miss their kedgeree, a staple of the groaning British Raj breakfast sideboard that these days makes a great lunch or supper dish, especially when the cold days draw in. But where to get the key ingredient for this and the delicious Omelette Arnold Bennett, smoked haddock? Don't despair, there's a good internet source. Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:34:26 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/smoked_haddock/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/foie_gras_and_confits/ I've just come across this video of Dan Barber of the Blue Hill Farm complex and restaurant in upstate New York. Please give it a look, whether you're a foie gras fan or violently opposed. Sun, 06 Nov 2011 11:50:41 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/foie_gras_and_confits/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chew_on_this_your_kitchen_clean_or_health_hazard/ How many people could identify the refrigerator handle as one of the most hazardous havens for bacteria in the kitchen? 48 million Americans each year get some kind of food borne sickness. At the worst they lead to some 3000 deaths. 180,000 people get hospitalized. Health officials believe there is a higher number of episodes that just don't get reported. Sun, 06 Nov 2011 09:51:39 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chew_on_this_your_kitchen_clean_or_health_hazard/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chew_on_this_can_corn_syrup_can_lead_to_dementia/ Whenever I wrote in the mainstream media about High Fructose Corn Syrup, I would be sent mutterings by industry representatives of legal proceedings. Now that the extensive use of corn syrup in the food business and rising levels of obesity and Type 2 diabetes have become openly connected by medical science, it doesn't seem necessary to keep on beating the drum. But recently scientists have begun to consider if there isn't a link between fructose and dementia. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 08:52:24 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chew_on_this_can_corn_syrup_can_lead_to_dementia/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/banh_khoai_crispy_shrimp_pancakes/ These fluffy rice flour pancakes, stuffed with shrimp and herbs, are a specialty of Vietnam's west coast. Make them as a starter or part of a multi-dish feast, and get your guests to do their own stuffing... Wed, 26 Oct 2011 08:23:45 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/banh_khoai_crispy_shrimp_pancakes/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/food_crawl_with_fellow_foodies/ Care to sample some of the wares of neighborhood restaurants with like-minded food curious? Take a note of Dishcrawl DC, a venture already established in several cities. It's launching in DC on November 8th with a trawl of Penn Quarter restaurants. Pay $39 and you get a taste of four of them. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 08:04:41 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/food_crawl_with_fellow_foodies/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/eden_center_unscrambled/ If you want a trip to Vietnam without leaving the area, head out to the Eden Center on Wilson Boulevard at Seven Corners, just before Route 50 and Route 7 intersect. You won't hear English spoken. The music blaring from the outdoor speakers comes from a local Vietnamese radio station. It's packed with Vietnamese tailors, jewelers, video stores, Chinese medicine practitioners and more. This is the list of food-related outlets, to eat at or to buy ingredients for your home-cooked Vietnamese feast. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 04:39:57 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/eden_center_unscrambled/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/tortilla_espa_ola/ From the Taberna del Alabardero, this recipe for Tortilla Española makes a classic Spanish tapas dish, perfect for a festive fall lunch, that feeds 15 with very little trouble. Fri, 07 Oct 2011 06:54:44 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/tortilla_espa_ola/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/colonics_versus_calories_you_choose/ These photos may help you decide which diet works best... Fri, 07 Oct 2011 05:41:08 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/colonics_versus_calories_you_choose/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/oriental_products_explained/ Without a working knowledge of Chinese, most of the treasures in a Chinese or Asian supermarket will remain out of reach, on the shelves. Here's a phonetic translation so you can ask what's what. Fri, 07 Oct 2011 04:32:54 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/oriental_products_explained/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/can_you_drink_your_5_a_day/ Obviously you're not going to be tossing those onions in your blender. It's more likely to be something you've heard is keeping Gwynneth Paltrow the fragrant female she is. Or Simon Cowell such a picture of bonhomie. Such as chokeberries. Or acerola. (Acer what?) But can you really get your daily fruit-and-veg nutrition from a glass? Sat, 10 Sep 2011 05:20:25 America/Los_Angeles http://www.eatwashington.com/article/can_you_drink_your_5_a_day/