February 2011

Apolinaras and I ventured back to HMart on Super Bowl Sunday and enjoyed big bowls of udon soup for lunch from the Japanese section of food court. We always go back and forth on what to order because everything looks so tasty, but I think we made a good choice, because the soup was just delicious and packed with thin slices of tofu, seaweed, green onions, and broccoli– so good! We’d also never had udon noodles before and had a great time slurping them up.

Home turf: California

Local flavor: In health-conscious California, chili is as likely to be made without meat as it is with it. No self-respecting Texan would sign off on chili with beans, squash, and bulgur—but this lean, mean dish is as delicious as it is healthful.

Make it a meal: continue the Cali fantasy with whole grain bread, an arugula salad with mushrooms and garlicky vinaigrette, and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (California, $8 per six-pack).

"'Roasting the cauliflower really brings out its flavor in this side dish,' confirms Joann Fritzler of Belen, New Mexico. 'Even folks who aren't cauliflower lovers like it this way.'"

In an interview with "The Sriracha Cookbook" author Randy Clemens, he told me that when they did the photos for his book, he was surprised that everyone devoured a big bowl of tropical fruit salad with sriracha-sesame vinaigrette.

Clemens, 26, a California-based culinary school grad, came up with endless dishes on which to add some sauce, including grits, cornbread, butter, sour cream, and salt.

He said that the sauce is popular all over Thailand and Vietnam. One Thai brand he particularly likes is called Shark, which has a sweetness plus a kick.

Use shrimp shells from the Shrimp fra diavolo recipe, Old Bay, tomato paste, and leek to make stock. After 15 minutes, you have a rich base for shrimp stew. Add leftover shrimp in sauce to sweet red pepper, black beans, and cilantro. Serve the stew with crusty bread and a salad. The second-day dish isn’t as spicy as the first. It’s up to your valentine to add the fire. 

Fra diavolo (“brother devil’’ in Italian), is a deliciously spicy Italian-American tomato sauce in which you simmer calamari, lobster, or shellfish of any kind, along with oregano and cayenne, or fresh chilies and parsley. To make an intimate dinner for your valentine — one with a great deal of zip — buy large shrimp in their shells. Put some music on and shell the shrimp leisurely (save the shells to make a quick stock for shrimp stew another day). Set a pot of long-grain rice on the stove top.

Beans baked very slowly for several hours develop a creamy texture, while the liquid they cook in, which thickens to a syrup, acquires a caramelized flavor. The kale practically melts in this casserole, going from bitter to sweet. I love using lima beans in this dish because they’re so big and their texture is so luxurious.

When it comes to dessert, my husband is a man of simple tastes, perfectly content as long as chocolate features prominently, and preferably in the form of chewy, dark brownies.

This works out well for both of us since I’d rather make brownies than go to the trouble of baking a torte or frosting a cake. And brownies pack more flavor into a tiny square than most chocolate desserts do in their entirety, making them very gratifying to bake.

Flavorful Cajun seasoning adds a pleasant kick to this colorful, satisfying entree of tilapia, broccoli, bell pepper and brown rice.