Dining in DC

We have been enjoying the delights of North American cuisine and I thought I'd share with you.  We spent 4 days in Washington DC and that was an unexpected culinary delight.  We stayed at the Tabard Inn in Dupont Circle.  This was recommended by a friend and I am recommending it to you.  Breakfast was included in the room rate and this was a great breakfast.  We also spent some time in the hotel lounge enjoying the pre- and post-prandial cocktails.  I recommend the Don't Bring me Down, Spruce. 
Washington is located by the Potomac river and seafood abounds.  On our first day The Old Ebbitt Grill caught our eye and we dined there that evening.  They had an extensive oyster menu and we shared a dozen as a starter with the recommended glass of Jules Taylor Sauvignon, which was named Grand Champion in the Old Ebbitt Grill 2011 International Wines for Oyster Competition!
I followed these briny delights with lobster which I have never eaten before.  It just seemed the right thing to do.  It's a bit fiddly but well worth the effort if you haven't tried it.  This is definitely a seafood town. 
Peter had the crab cakes which are a speciality of the region.  They are essentially a fish cake so comprise fish and potato.  These and the ones I enjoyed later in the week at the Tabard restaurant were definitely a very high ratio of crab to potato.
They did not disappoint.   I am not sure if they are seasonal or if you can enjoy them year round. 
The rest of the time we enjoyed diner fare.  A good American diner is a delight and we enjoyed 2 in Washington.  The Luna Grill and Diner nearby served classic diner fare including delicious salads, burgers and somewhat over-sized sandwiches.  This is proper food at affordable prices.  Yes, some of the meals are over-sized but you don't have to eat it all.  Your lettuce will be fresh and crisp, your vegetables will be perfectly cooked,  your burger will be grilled to your specifications and the service will be impeccable. As you can see I am a fan of the diner.  When we spent a morning strolling around Georgetown we had lunch in a diner there.  Martin's Tavern claimed to have served every sitting president since it opened and that JFK proposed to Jacqueline Bouvier there.  Certainly their home while he was a congressman is just around the corner.
I was really delighted with eating in Washington.  I hadn't been expecting anything special and was saving my eating for the next leg of our trip - New York City.  Here we enjoyed more cocktails, classic NY Italian fare, the deli sandwich and a hurricane.  More on that to come.

Fish suppers

We've been having a fishy time recently.  Wonderful fish at the market and scallops & whitebait on the menu.  I thought I would share some of our favourites.  If you are not a partaker of fruits de la mer turn away now.
I love a creamy risotto with a simple fillet of pan fried fish.  We have had rainbow chard in the garden this winter.  I thought it would die back but it has not.  We just have to keep eating it.  Fortunately I came upon a recipe from Floriditas for rainbow chard risotto.  You could make this with any greens I think including beetroot tops and this is the perfect accompaniment to a pan fried fillet of terakihi or gurnard.
I also like to do an oven based vegetable dish with a piece of fish cooked on top at the end.  Try these braised potatoes with leeks and thyme, topped with a firm fillet of white fish.
For four, lightly boil 600g waxy potatoes and slice to about 1/2 cm thickness.  Halve 3 leeks lengthwise and slice about 1cm thick.  Mix the potatoes & leeks with a little olive oil, thyme and 2 cloves crushed garlic then tip into a wide shallow ovenproof pan (or cazuela) & place over a medium heat.  Pour over 1/2 cup white wine & a cup chicken stock & bring to the boil.  Cover with a lid or foil and transfer to the oven.  Cook at 180 for about 45 mins until the vegetables are tender.
Put the fillets on top of the vegetables pour over 1/3 cup cream then grate over Parmesan.  Cook uncovered about 15 minutes until the fish is just cooked & the vegetables are just coloured.  If it is still quite liquidy remove the fish & set aside to keep warm then reduce the liquid down on the stove top.  Serve with lemon wedges and a green salad if you fancy.
For a quick scallop treat try gingery scallops with spinach.  We often have this for Saturday lunch  or it could be a birthday starter if your birthday falls in the scallop season. Warm 2 tsp grated ginger, 1 clove crushed garlic, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp v finely chopped red capsicum in a little olive oil.  Heat a pan to very hot & cook the scallops in batches (6-10 per person depending on hunger/greed), 30 seconds each side.  Remove from the pan & rest in the marinade.  Add a bunch of chopped spinach to the pan with a little lemon juice & wilt down.  Place the spinach onto warm plates, top with scallops & drizzle over the marinade & pan juices.
For a very seasonal and rather luxurious soup night, what about pea & parsley soup topped with scallops & fried tarragon?  Soften a finely sliced onion and 2 stalks finely chopped celery in a little butter, with a bay leaf. Add 3 cups chicken stock & bring to boil then add 1 kg freshly picked or frozen peas & boil 3 mins.  remove from the heat & stir through 1 cup chopped parsley & 3/4 cup cream with a little ground white pepper to taste.  Blend until smooth.  Add 2 tsp red wine vinegar & salt to taste.  Keep warm while you pan fry 3 scallops per diner.  Cook them in a little butter with a little salt & some tarragon leaves.  Pour the soup into serving bowls and top each bowl with scallops and tarragon leaves.

Sunday Curry

We recently had an old favourite curry with some new additions.  I may have mentioned it before but I am going to tell you again.  This has been a family favourite since 2001.  It is known as Malcolm's Curry and is named after the person who first  made it in our kitchen. 
You first need to make a garam masala mix. Take 1 tbsp black peppercorns, 6 cloves, 2 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tbsp fenugreek seeds, 1 tsp black mustard seeds.  Heat a heavy based frying pan over a medium flame.  Put the peppercorns in first.  After a couple of minutes add the cloves.  After another 2 minutes add the coriander seeds.  Shake the pan gently as the spices roast.  After a couple more minutes a fragrant smell will waft into the kitchen.  Add the cumin & fenugreek seeds.  When the mustard seeds start to pop remove from the heat & pour into a bowl to cool.  Grind with a pestle & mortar.  You can store in an airtight jar for several weeks.  I always keep a quantity on hand.
Now you are ready to make the curry.  Do a good quantity.  You can always freeze or reheat later in the week. For 1 kg meat, in a food processor blend 2 roughly chopped onions, 4 cloves garlic,1 inch piece of ginger until you have a smooth paste.  Add 2 tbsp of the garam masala, 1/2 tsp turmeric & 1 tsp paprika & mix well.
In a heavy based pan add a little vegetable oil and add the spice paste.  It will sizzle & smell quite strong.  Malcolm recommends changing into your gardening clothes and his wife suggests you remove all laundry, coats & bags from the kitchen at this stage, unless you want to smell like a curry house.  I also recommend opening windows because the smell is lovely while cooking but not so much 3 days later. After a couple of minutes add the meat.  You can use any meat you like including chicken, on the bone or off.  On this occasion I used lamb shoulder cut into largish chunks.  This cooks beautifully.  Brown the meat on a high heat and add just enough water to cover.  When the water is simmering, cover and cook until tender.  We cooked the lamb for about two hours. It might take longer if your meat is on the bone.  Less for chicken.  Add water during cooking if it looks dry.  Serve with rice and dhal plus vegetables.
Malcolm also provided a dhal recipe but I prefer mine. Melt ghee or vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add 1 finely chopped onion with 3 cloves crushed garlic.  Sautee until onion is soft then add 2 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp chili powder, pinch of salt & a few grinds of black pepper. and sautee 1-2 minutes.  Add 1 cup red lentils. juice of half a lemon & 3 cups water.  Bring to the boil & simmer uncovered until lentils are cooked - about 15-20 minutes.
I served this Nigella Tomato Curry sans coconut rice, because it looks so pretty in the picture.  It tastes as good as it looks.  Nigella is a fan of English mustard powder and it really is a good addition to many things.  I always put a pinch in the cheese sauce for cauliflower cheese.  Do you?
 I wanted an Indian type pudding and I had eaten a yoghurty thing at Moore Wilson's producer day a few weeks ago but couldn't buy it.  Jack Santa Maria came to the rescue.  It's called Shrikand.  Take 600ml thick yoghurt - you could strain it overnight, but it's fine without.  Dissolve a pinch of saffron in 1 dsp rosewater, then whisk into the yoghurt. Mix in about 1 tsp ground cardamom and chill.  Jack noted that in Nepal, cloves, cinnamon & pepper are added with the cardamom so I did that.  He didn't say how much so I did similar quantities.  Adjust to your taste.  Jack mixes though chopped almonds & pistachios before chilling but I added them just before serving with a tsp rose petals.