Christmas in Houston

Last December, I went to Houston to spend Christmas with my Brother and Family. Every time I go to Houston, I have the opportunity to have some culinary adventures. Some of my Friends have suggested that I write about them.

For Christmas Dinner, I had the opportunity to taste one of the typical dishes of the south of the USA: Deep Fried Turkey.

Deep Fried Turkey is marinated with Herbs (Cajun Style) and then cooked in Peanut oil. Peanut oil has a high smoke point. We bought a boneless turkey. Some people think that this deep Fried turkey must be Crispy. I would say that is juicy, very tasty. Deep Fried techniques to cook Turkey have their advantages. 

In Venezuela, Country where we were born, there is a tradition for Christmas to make “Pan de Jamón”, typical Venezuelan bread filed with Ham, fried bacon, raisins and olives. In recent times, some people substitute Ham with Turkey. Other ingredients that are often used are capers and red peppers  My brother tried a different option, something that we found in very few shops: Use of Salmon instead of Ham. When we use Salmon, we need to change some other ingredients, which do not fit in this situation. Olives, raisins and bacon are not used here but we added capers and cream cheese.  

 Pan de Jamón, using Salmon instead of Ham. 

In Venezuela, Country where we were born, there is a tradition for Christmas to make “Pan de Jamón”, typical Venezuelan bread filed with Ham, fried bacon, raisins and olives. In recent times, some people substitute Ham with Turkey. Other ingredients that are often used are capers and red peppers  My brother tried a different option, something that we found in very few shops: Use of Salmon instead of Ham. When we use Salmon, we need to change some other ingredients, which do not fit in this situation. Olives, raisins and bacon are not used here but we added capers and cream cheese.  

Below I leave some pictures of some special dishes from Maggiano’s, one of our favorite Italian restaurants.       

Pasta Frutti di Mare

 Calamari

A Taste of India

It’s time to go and taste something different. 2 of my French classmates, Ghada and Emma came with me this time. We went to have some Indian food and we chose Little India restaurant for this little taste experience.

Our dishes were suggested by Emma, who has experience in the different tastes of her country of origin. Such experience requires a multicourse meal and I do not remember now which order they were brought to our table.

We had a Meat combo. This dish has a combination of Tandoori Chicken, Reshmi Kebab, Lamb Tikka, Prawn and Butter Chicken. 

Meat combo. We can see the Tandoori Chicken, Reshmi Kebab, Lamb Tikka and Prawns. 

Tandoori Chicken is a popular dish from Gujarat. The raw chicken is first marinated in a mixture of Yogurt and spices (that include garlic, turmeric, ginger and curry. Then it is baked. It was created by the founder of the popular chain Moti mahal Delux . Reshmi Kebab is a piece of meat grilled in charcoal fire. It has a roll shape. Our kebab was made of chicken. Lamb Tikka is a popular dish from Gujarat (It is said that is adapted to the taste of people from western countries) where lamb is marinated in yogurt and spices and grilled. 

Butter Chicken at the left, in the plate at the right we have some vegetables prepared with curry. 

Butter chicken is prepared marinating boneless chicken with yogurt and spices. Then it is fried, although it can be grilled. Then it is served in a curry sauce where butter is one of the main ingredients.

Veggie Mixed Platter

We had also a Veggie mixed platter. It has Samosa, Onion bhajia, Pakora and spring roll.   

Samosa is a crispy packet, can be baked or fried, and is filled with potatoes, onions, lentils. It exist also filled with meat. This popular Indian dish is believed to be of Persian origin. Onion bhajias are onion rings fried in flour and spices. Pakoras are also deep fried, but ingredients can be onion, potato, cauliflower or other vegetables.

My Friends Emma and Ghada with their Mango Lassie and the Veggie Dish

Fast Food with some friends

Last Saturday, after My Friends of Sarv Academy Choir and me, enjoyed together a nice moment singing in a concert, we decided to go together to enjoy a nice meal. The place we chose: Hero Certified Burgers, in Yonge and Sheppard. 

Hero Certified Burger is a business with an interesting history. Their aim is to provide food made with natural ingredients. The beef used is raised without hormones or antibiotics. According

to their page, they have a lot of options Gluten Free and those who use Non GMO ingredients. In Yonge and Sheppard, Customers can be assisted by its owner Mr. Shawn.

  Hero Burgers offers Different kinds of Burgers, from Angus beef Burgers to those of Wild Alaska Salmon. Toppings can vary from fried egg, bacon, Portobello mushrooms and different kinds of cheese, from cheddar to Swiss cheese. For me was also a new experience to use their soft drink machine, where customers can choose from a wide range of soft drinks with just a few clicks to a screen.

Here are some of  the selections we had that night: 

This is my with my dinner, a Wild Alaska Salmon burger coming with Fried O-Rings 

My friend Elena who decided to eat a salad 

My Friend Pouya with his Cheese burger and a side of Poutine.

Two different kinds of Burgers, one with a side of Fried potatoes and the other with a side of Sweet potatoes. 

A signature Burger. 

Une Aventure Française!

A couple of days ago, I met my friends Eliana and Ghada, my “Team”, to have dinner in a restaurant that we found in Internet. I am not going to mention the name of that restaurant, but it was a very disappointing surprise to find out that the place we were looking for does not exist.

We decided to move on. At the end, we were very lucky. There was a French restaurant nearby. We took a look and we felt that it was a very cozy place with a real French flavor. My “Team” shares not only a passion for good food, but a passion for French language as well.  This was our opportunity to have a French Gathering.

The restaurant is Le Paradis;  we felt very comfortable in that place. I started with a petit plat: Calamars à la Méditerranéenne, a dish with a squid with a bean purée and Fresh salad.

Then we asked for a Tajine de légumes, a mixture of Couscous and slow cooked vegetables using north African spices. This dish shows a fusion of French and Moroccan cuisine.

Another dish with same fusion was Lamburger à la Marocaine, a Hamburger using Lamb meat and North African spices, with melted Emmenthal cheese and salad, accompanied with the classic French Fries (les frites).     

Then we had Crevettes et avocat, Shrimp with avocado salad.  

  

We finish our visit with the dessert. The choices: Tarte citron, Balthazar (A chocolate cake with almonds) and tarte du jour (cake of the day, that day was an almond cake). It was a great final for our visit.  

Desserts in Toronto

In Toronto, to hang out at cafes and patisseries while eating delicious desserts can be a very interesting experience. The multiculturalism of this city is one of the reasons for this. It is possible to find such diversity of desserts that no other place in the world would be able to match.   

When I want to buy some pastries, I have my own choices. Today, I am going to show some of them that may not be in the lists of my friends and readers. They were made inspired in places and cultures that are not famous for their sweets and pastries.

In Thornhill, Steels Ave W, we can find Chocolada, with a great variety of cakes and its selection of Eastern European and Russian pastries. My favourite is the Poppy seed Strudel, with a unique flavour, but still close to what I used to eat in family gatherings long time ago. This year, I decided to buy a Poppy Seed Strudel to celebrate my Birthday.   

Poppy Seed Strudel

Many people in Toronto know about the delicious and simple recipes of Uncle Tetsu’s. This Japanese bakery attracts a lot of people who want to taste its famous cheesecake. Last time I’ve visited its new cafe in Dundas St W, I had the opportunity to taste the Matcha Angel Hat, a creamy and light cheesecake that has a unique Matcha flavour. 

Matcha Angels Hat

In North York, we can find a unique Persian patisserie, the Red Rose Patisserie. This place is ideal to taste Persian desserts, drink tea and hang out with friends. A great Variety of Persian cookies and sweets can be found here. Ice Creams are also available.

Back, from left to right:,       شیرین گردویی     دانمارکی کنجدی(Danmarki)

Centre,  قلبی(Hearts), قطاب  (Qataab)

Front :  زبان  (Tongue) ,  برنجی زعفرانی  (Rice cookies with Saffron ), کشمشی    (Keshmeshi)

Toronto Ukrainian Festival

Last weekend, I went to the Toronto Ukrainian Festival, the largest Ukrainian festival in North America. It was a great time that I spent speaking in Ukrainian, watching some interesting art crafts, listening to Ukrainian music and tasting Ukrainian food.

Ukrainian food, although very similar to the food that we can find in Eastern Europe in general, it has its particular taste.

The most popular Ukrainian dish in Canada is the “Pierogi”. This dish is known as “Vareniky” (вареники) in Ukraine. These are the famous Ukrainian dumplings, usually filled with cheese, potato, cabbage and/ or pumpkin. Other fillings can be used, like meat or fruits. If not eaten when they are fresh, they can be fried. It is usually accompanied with onions, cabbage or Smetana (sour cream). Vareniky is considered the Ukrainian National dish.

 Varenyky (Вареники) with a Sausage (Ковбаса)

Another typical dish is what we know as “Cabbage Rolls”, in Ukrainian they are known as “Holubtsi” [ Ukr: “Голубці”, Russian: “Голубцы”, Polish: “Gołąbki”, Bulgarian: “Сарми”, Yiddish: “Holishkes” ]. In Ukraine, they are filled with Buckwheat grains, mixed with fried onions and Meat or Pork, but outside Ukraine its filling usually has rice. They are stewed in tomato sauce.

Cabbage Rolls (Голубці) and Deruny (Деруни)

Potato pancakes are also common. They are made with Potatoes, flour and eggs. They are fried and eat with Sour cream. In Ukraine they are known as “Deruny” [ Ukr: “Деруни”, Polish: “Placki”, Yiddish: “Latkes” ].

Another dish I had the opportunity to taste is “Patychky” (Патички), this is the Ukrainian meat on a stick. This is usually prepared with marinated veal or pork. They can be fried covered with bread crumbs and eggs.  

   Cabbage Rolls with Patychky

Turkish Food - Pide

Labour Day was an excellent opportunity to meet my friends Eliana and Ghada. The chosen place was Mustafa Restaurant; this cozy place specializes in Pide.

The word Pide comes from the Greek “Pita”. It is the famous flat bread baked in a stone oven. It comes with toppings that may be Cheese, lamb, sausages, etc. It is usually compared with the famous Pizza.    

We elected 2 kinds of Pide: “Kıymalı Kaşarlı” and “Karışık”. “Kıyma” means “Minced Meat”. When you see the word “Kıymalı” it means that this dish contains minced meat. “Kaşar” is a kind of sheep’s cheese usually related with “Kasseri“cheese or Mozzarella. It is very often used in Turkish cuisine. “Karışık” means “Mixed”, “Complex”, “Combined”.  The Pide we ate, had a Mix of ground beef, Sausages, Cheese, Onions.

Kıymalı Kaşarlı 

Karışık

Pide is one of the most popular dishes in Turkey when you want to hang out and have fun with some friends. It is simple, not expensive and ideal as fast food.

We also tried “İskender Kebap”, This dish has slices of lamb in tomato sauce, served over pide and yoghurt. It is typical in the Northwest of the country

İskender Kebap

We finish our day with some sweets. We all agreed about how excellent the food was. We really enjoyed our time in this place. 

With my Friends Ghada and Eliana.