Day 152

Irish Cheddar & Porter Cheese: Today's new food is actually one I first learned about last weekend, but I just got around to trying it today. I attended a post-holiday party thrown by my uncle that lives in Avondale Estates, and in addition to plenty of other great foods, he had a nice cheese selection featuring a couple varieties I'd never had. I noticed one interesting one that looked new to me - it had a dark brown and yellowish marbled appearance that I assumed was a mixture of a couple different kinds of cheese. I was wrong: it was actually cheddar mixed with porter-style beer. I love cheese and beer, so I was eager to take a piece of this home for sampling later.

Upon sampling this firm-textured cheese, I noticed that it had a fairly sharp and tangy taste, with some sweetness that followed after (which I assume comes from blending the beer in). I'm not sure where he bought this, but it was tasty. There aren't many Irish beers that I don't love (well, except for maybe Killian's Red), and I really enjoyed the mix of the tangy cheddar with the malty, sweet porter. Much like the ubiquitous chocolate and peanut butter, I love it when 2 great tastes taste great together. Good stuff.

If anyone can recommend more cheeses that feature beer as an ingredient, please let me know. I know the Rogue Brewery produces a few, but I'm not sure where to find them in the ATL area.

Day 151

"Primal Strips" Meatless Vegan Jerky: Today's post is a great example of the extreme improvisation I've had to go through due to the awful weather we've endured this week. I was running out of provisions at the house, and with my car still stuck in the driveway, I had no choice but to start looking on foot. Luckily I live near the Candler Park Market, so I took a walk there this afternoon and found this unusual new item. I typically despise any fake meat products - they're far stranger than any real meat product could ever be. However, I was in a bind, and this was about all they had that would fulfill the blog requirement.

This meatless jerky brand was called "Primal." Pretty funny, and I wonder what Ted Nugent would say about that. Anyway, this one was made from teriyaki-flavored dried shiitake mushrooms, not the disgusting seitan that I'd tried before with bad results. I opened the wrapper, and instantly noticed the smell of sweet teriyaki, which didn't translate as appetizing. The appearance wasn't exactly appealing, either - it had a strange molded look that's common with fake meat products. I took a bite, and it actually didn't taste as bad as it looked. It wasn't as chewy as real jerky, and the dried mushrooms provided a bit of stringiness that resembled real meat. I got down a couple bites before putting it away, but it wasn't bad. Not something I'd want to repeat, but not awful.

I'm ready for a new food that's actually tasty. This week has proved to be non-eventful in a lot of respects, but as soon as things thaw out, it's back to the good stuff.

Day 150

Trader Joe's Cioppino Seafood Stew: As many of you may have noticed, I've had to do a bit of improvising this week due to the bad weather. I haven't been able to do any driving, which also means no shopping or restaurant visits. Luckily I've had some reserves put away for the blog, but I'm afraid they're running out pretty quick. Who knew we'd be stranded this long? Anyway, when it came time to make dinner tonight, I was rummaging through the freezer when I noticed this bag of TJ's Cioppino Seafood Stew stashed away under a lot of other food. I've had this in the freezer for months now, but never got around to trying it. I've never had cioppino anywhere, so I guess it was time to start with this frozen version.

I'm usually happy with TJ's frozen foods - they're so much better than similar versions in big-box stores. Their vesrsion of cioppino included a package of tomato-based broth along with some nice sized chunks of seafood (Alaskan cod, scallops, mussels, shrimp and clams). I heated the tomato broth separately in a saucepan till bubbling, then added the seafood mix and cooked for a few minutes more. Super easy.

After cooking, I toasted some garlic bread to dunk in the sauce. For a frozen entree, I have to say that this was pretty tasty. The broth was a bit spicy, and the seafood actually came out tender, not overcooked. The mussels were much bigger than I expected after cooking, and the chunks of cod paired well with the broth, as did the rest of the seafood. When paired with the bread, it made a nice easy dinner that was perfect for the cold weather.

I'd love to try a fresh, from scratch version of cioppino - I'm sure it's much better than this. But for now, TJ's makes a good option, if you're interested.

Day 149

Papaya Cake: After being stranded at the GF's house for the last couple days because of the icy roads, I was running out of options for new food pretty quick. I managed to improvise last night with the tri-tip steak, but the rest of my food stash was back at my house. Despite the treacherous sidewalks, I managed to walk all the way back to my house this afternoon - luckily, we don't live too far away from each other. While my dinner consisted of some Trader Joe's frozen goods, my dessert was something tasty that was brand new to me.

I scored this package of "papaya cake" during my trip to the Super H Mart last week, and while it may seem fairly normal compared to the tripe-fest of the past few days, it was definitely worth trying. These came from the snack section of the market, which has always been great for finding new, interesting foods. The cakes were packaged in a clear plastic container, and from the outside, they looked a lot like Fig Newtons. I doubted they would taste like them, but it was my job to find out.

I opened the package and took a bite of one, and the outer shell (made from wheat flour) actually did taste a lot like a Fig Newton. The filling was made from what the ingredient list called a "papaya paste," and it had sort of a gooey, gummy texture that tasted more like peach than papaya. Not fresh peach, but more like the artificial peach flavor you find in a lot of candies. I really liked these - they were almost like a more fruity-tasting, peachy Fig Newton. Good stuff, and not a bad option for a light dessert.

Day 148

Trader Joe's Santa Maria Tri-Tip Roast: Today's new food was actually a bit unexpected. Due to the nasty weather, I spent the night over at the GF's place last night, and luckily she'd prepared for the weather in advance with food supplies. I was worried about finding a new food to blog about today since I hadn't been able to prepare in advance, and driving to buy something was out of the question. When she mentioned cooking this tri-tip roast for dinner, I knew it would work. I'd never had that cut of beef, so the crisis was averted. This pre-marinated version came from Trader Joe's, and since I love most of their products, I knew it wouldn't be bad.

The roast was marinated in a mix of onion, garlic, lemon and pepper, and the package instructed to roast it in the oven for around 30 minutes. I wasn't sure where the tri-tip came from on the cow, but Wikipedia informed me that it was taken from the bottom sirloin. Apparently it's quite popular on the West coast, but just now reaching a higher degree of popularity elsewhere. Anyway, after cooking and resting, we sliced the roast into thin strips. It was cooked a perfect medium rare, and I was hungry and eager to try.

My first bite was tasty - the marinade provided a good bit of flavor and spice. It was a bit tougher and chewier than a lot of cuts I've had, but good nonetheless. I'm glad we didn't cook it longer, since it may have been a little too tough if left in the oven past 30-35 mins. If you're looking for a more economical way to cook steak, especially without a grill, this would be a great option. I ended up using a little bit of Bobby Flay steak sauce on it, but it really didn't require that. 

I bet this will make good steak sandwiches tomorrow, which may be our only lunch option if still snowed in.

Day 147

Pork Stomach: Today's new food is the last offering from the strangely awesome combo platter of pork offal that I bought from the Doraville Super H Mart last week. So far, the stuff I've eaten from it has been good (tongue, liver) and just plain weird (ear), but today brings me to the stomach. I've eaten beef stomach before plenty of times in Vietnamese pho, but never pork. I'm glad I was feeling better this week after being sick; otherwise, there's no way I would have been up for sampling the food from this platter.

Like the other cuts from the platter, the stomach was steamed then sliced thin into strips. It had a greyish-white color to it, and it honestly didn't look too appetizing. I sprinkled a little of the salt/spice mix onto a small piece and took a bite. It was extremely chewy and rubbery, and it didn't have much flavor. Better than the ear, but it still reminded me of chewing on a piece of inner tube. I've found that I prefer offal when it's worked into a dish as an ingredient. I've eaten plenty of this type of stuff in pho with great results, and I had an amazing tripe stew at Abattoir last year. To be honest, a lot of offal doesn't taste like much on its own. Maybe some cultures enjoy this sort of thing by itself, but it's just not for me.

I'm glad I tried all the selections from this platter - the tongue/liver were definitely winners, but the ear/stomach...not so much.

Day 146

Pork Tongue: Today's new food isn't actually the first strange meat product I've eaten today - I had a hot dog at Costco this afternoon. It's always funny to me how people are so resistant to offal, but they'll gladly eat hot dogs and other processed meats. At least with offal, I know what part I'm actually eating, right? Anyway, I promised my readers that I'd pick back up today with more of the pork offal that I got with the combo platter that I bought from the Super H Mart a few days ago. The pig's ear was super strange, and the liver was much better, but today it was time to try the tongue. I really like beef tongue, so I was curious to see how this differed.

Like the other offerings from the combo platter, the tongue was sliced thin and steamed before serving. Before eating, I reheated a few pieces in the microwave then sprinkled a bit of the salt/spice seasoning on it. My first bite reminded me of pork roast, but a bit chewier and tougher. The texture was a lot like beef tongue, but it definitely had a much more pork-centric taste. Really tasty, and I could have gladly finished it if I wasn't going to dinner relatively soon. If I had to compare it to one thing, I'd say it's close to roast pork, but a little bit chewier/stringier.

If you like pork at all, don't be scared to try the tongue. If it's sliced thin and seasoned, it's just as good as any other cut. Well, except maybe belly.