Ossobuco Style Beef Shanks

Ossobuco Style Beef Shanks

I scored some beef shanks at Zion market for a super great price at the same time that I was shopping for beef marrow bones for stock.  Beef shanks are lean and tough, but also extremely flavorful.  Meat like this is perfect for braising.

Why would I want to cook a dish that will heat up my tiny apartment in this heat wave?  Because I really like bone marrow and fall-off-the-bone-tender beef.  Especially when it comes with a luscious sauce like this one.  The braising liquid is thickened by the collagen that is naturally abundant in this cut of beef.  It will coat the back of a spoon without the addition of thickeners or roux.  

Fall off the bone tender

And because I am going to cut down the cooking time with my pressure cooker.  Next to my grill, it is my second most used cooking appliance in the summer. It is a crazy, irrational home cook's best friend. It cuts down on cooking time for recipes that call for a slow braise, which breaks down the collagen in the meat, which in turn makes the meat tough and the braising liquid thicker.  That is one mouthwatering domino effect, isn't it?

Ossobuco traditionally uses veal and white wine.  However, I think red wine stands up to the more robust flavor of beef much better.  The acidity from the red wine and tomatoes helps tenderize the meat as well as infuse intensely complimentary flavors.  

By the way, only use wine that you like to drink.  It doesn't have to be expensive, it just has to be good.  And good means that you like the way it tastes.  Not sweet though.  The reason to cook with wine is to impart its flavor onto the dish.  If you don't like the wine in a glass, you won't like it in a dish.

Enough talking, start cooking.

Ossobuco Style Beef Shanks

1 lb beef shanks, butcher cut 1-inch thick

2 large tomatoes, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup red wine

1 cup beef stock (can sub with chicken stock), unsalted

salt & pepper

1 tsp beef tallow or cooking oil

Coat the beef shanks with salt and pepper.  Heat the beef tallow or cooking oil in the pressure cooker.  Sear the beef shanks on all sides.  Set beef shanks aside.

Cook the onions over medium heat in the pressure cooker until translucent, scraping at the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  Stir in garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. 

Add beef shanks, diced tomatoes, red wine and beef stock to pressure cooker.  Arrange the beef shanks so that it is covered by all the other ingredients.

Lock the lid on pressure cooker according to instruction manual.   Bring heat up to high to build up to high pressure.

Reduce heat to medium-low for 30 minutes.  

Turn off heat and let pressure reduce on its own for another 30 minutes.

Carefully remove lid.  Serve braising liquid over rice, risotto, mash potatoes or pasta.

Ground Beef Rice Claypot

Ground Beef Rice Claypot with Runny Egg 

I love one pot meals.  I love it even more when that meal can be eaten straight out of the pot it was cooked in.  Affordable, filling, simple and most importantly, flavorful.  Rice claypot meals are very popular in Hong Kong.  There are many different kinds, depending on the protein that is cooked over the rice: ground pork, chinese sausage, chicken, minced beef, vegetables, mushrooms, even seafood.  Here is one variation.

Ground Beef Rice Claypot

1/2 cup raw rice

1/2 cup water

1/4 lb. ground beef

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 handful of frozen vegetables

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp oyster sauce

pinch of sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

5 tbsp water

egg (optional)

small claypot w/ lid that can hold at least 2 cups of water

Soak claypot overnight or for at least 30 minutes in cold water.

Sprinkle the ground beef with cornstarch and mix well.  Mix 1 tbsp oyster sauce with beef.  Marinate in the refrigerator until ready to add to claypot.

Dry claypot.  Add raw rice and 1/2 cup water to claypot.  Bring rice to simmer for 8 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Add frozen vegetables and ground beef mixture on top of rice.  Drizzle the oil onto the inside edges of the pot so that it will flow down to the bottom.  This will make the bottom of the rice crispy.  Cover and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.

Mix the 1 tsp oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch and 5 tbsp water together.  Pour over meat mixture.  If desired, make a well in the beef and crack an egg into the well.  Cover and let the residual heat cook the egg to your liking.  I recommend about 2 minutes for a runny yolk.  

Beef Bone Stock

Daikon Noodle Soup with Beef Bone Stock 

Whenever I make Roasted Bone Marrow, I also make Beef Bone Stock with the bones that are leftover.  There are usually pieces that still have bits of bone marrow that I couldn't get to.  The knuckle pieces also contribute a lot of collagen to the stock, giving it more body.  It makes for a flavorful and robust soup base.  I like to add salt to taste as I use the stock instead of cooking it in.

Beef Bone Stock

3 lbs beef marrow and knuckle bones

filtered water

Place beef bones in a stock pot.  Add enough filtered water to fill the pot 3/4 of the way.  Cover pot and bring to a simmer.  Prop pot lid up to vent and keep at a barely simmer for 4-5 hours.  If it gets to a boil, the stock will be cloudy.  It doesn't affect the flavor, so don't worry about it if it happens.  Skim away the scum that rises up to the top every now and then.
Place a pot of equal size in an empty sink.  Fill the rest of the sink with ice.  Pour the stock into the empty pot through a sieve to strain out all the solids.  Discard the bones and solid bits.
Stir the stock to cool.  Drain the sink as ice melts.  Add more ice if necessary.  Cool stock to room temperature and pour into containers to store in the freezer.
I like to use mason jars as they are perfect for single serving sizes and have the measurement markers right one the sides.

Bone Marrow Endive Scoops and Roasted King Oyster Mushrooms

Bone Marrow Endive Scoops

This is a meal from a few months ago.  I picked up some nice looking Belgian endives from North Park Produce when I stopped to get fresh parsely for my decadent roasted bone marrow dinner.  They must not stock this often because the check out girl didn't know what they were.  She said that they looked different from the regulary endives that they usually sell.  Perhaps she was referring to curly endives?
I decided that this special item would make the perfect vessel for bone marrow.  The slight bitterness of these endives countered the rich bone marrow nicely.  At the last minute, I also opted for arugala that added a peppery bite.

Bone Marrow Endive Scoops
1 lbs beef bone marrow, roasted
1 Belgian endive
1 clove garlic, roasted
Arugala
1/2 lemon
1/4 cup cooked rice
salt & pepper to taste

Separate, wash and pat dry endive leaves.  Arrange the leaves on a platter.Slice the clove of roasted garlic. Layer a small portion of the following ingredients onto each leaf: rice, marrow, and a few small leaves of arugula. Squeeze lemon juice all over. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

I also roasted some king oyster mushrooms alongside the bone marrow for the last 5-8 minutes. The mushrooms soaked up the drippings and since they were so meaty, the outside carmelized beautifully without drying up.

Roasted King Oyster Mushrooms

Roasted Bone Marrow Tacos

Roasted Bone Marrow Tacos

I scored some nice marrow bones at NorthGate Market for $1.79.  According to the label, they were sold for soup making, but were the perfect size for roasting.  They were nice and wide, perfect for scooping out every delectable morsel.
I was pretty excited about lunch and then I realized that I forgot to pick up a baguette to make the crostini that would be the vehicle for my meat butter.
I found some tortillas that I had frozen (because Pancho Villa packaged waaaay too many fresh made tortillas in one bundle).  That's when inspiration hit.  Roasted Bone Marrow Tacos!
Meat butter tastes  just as fantastic on a tortilla as it does on toast or crostini.  In fact, it does a much better job of holding everything together.

Roasted Bone Marrow Tacos

flour or corn tortillas

marrow bones cut into 2 1/2 to 3" sections or split lengthwise
cold salted water

sea salt

grapeseed oil or olive oil (not the good stuff)

parsley

lemon

shallot, thinly sliced

Soak marrow bones in cold salted water for about 20 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Pat marrow bones dry. Rub with oil and lightly sprinkle with sea salt.  Arrange on baking dish so that the widest end of the marrow bones are facing down.  If the bones are split lengthwise, the marrow part should face up.  Roast for about 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bone.  When done, the marrow should form a golden brown crust on top and be cooked through but not melt.  If the marrow is melting, then it is overcooked.

While the bones are roasting, use kitchen shears to cut the parsley leaves into a bowl. Toss with the shallots and juice from the lemon.  Warm up the tortillas.

Scoop the marrow onto the tortillas and top with a bit of parsley salad.

Juicy Italian Meatballs and Umami Spring Angel Hair Pasta

I had a lot of ground beef and ground pork in the freezer.  I decided to use half for italian meatballs and use half for swedish meatballs.  I'll get to the swedish meatballs in another post.  For now, I'll just share my recipe for italian meatballs.  The milk soaked breadcrumbs really kept the meatballs moist and helped hold their shape.

Italian Meatballs
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup minced onions
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp oregano
3 tbsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tbsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp pepper
Oil

Soak the breadcrumbs in milk.   Saute onions until soft and translucent.  Set aside to cool.
Mix together ground beef, pork, soaked breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, egg, oregano, salt and pepper.  Once onions are cool to the touch, combine onions with meat mixture.
2 heaping tablespoons at a time, form the meatballs by lightly patting with the palms of your hands.
Heat a large frying pan w/ enough oil to just cover the surface.  Pan-fry the meatballs over med-low heat until brown on all sides, carefully turning once on each side, about 1 1/2 min each side.

I didn't feel like a saucy pasta dish, so decided to do a light spring angel hair pasta dish and topped it with a few meatballs.  The umami flavor of the pasta was sensational.

Umami Spring Angel Hair Pasta
16 oz. dried angel hair pasta
1/2 cup reserved pasta water
2 anchovy fillets
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
2 cups baby spinach
2 cups parsley leaves
1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp garlic, minced
Any other vegetables you have around, julienned
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste
White pepper, to taste

Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente (see package instructions).  Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and set aside.  In a large saute pan (I used the meatball pan with all the pan drippings), saute the anchovy fillets and onions over med-low heat.  Cook until fillets are melted and onions are translucent.
Add garlic to onion mixture.  Stir for 30 seconds.
Add parsley, spinach, tomatoes and other vegetables.  Cook until spinach and parsley are just wilted.
Take pan off heat and toss in pasta.  Stir in reserved pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time to make a light sauce.  Be careful not to add too much, the sauce should not be too watery.
Mix in parmesan cheese and pepper to taste.  I strongly advise tasting before adding the cheese.  The anchovy fillets make up half the salt element in this dish.
Serve with meatballs.

Roasted Marrow

Roasted Beef Marrow

I love bone-on/in wings, fried chicken, steaks, roasts, ribs, etc.  Boneless versions of any of the above are a joke to me.

I love love love roasted bone marrow.  Succulently rich morsels of meat butter.  A glutton's treat.  Anyone who has problems with eating fat should turn around now.  Marrow is mostly fat inside the bones, but it is also full of fat soluble vitamins.  Plus it tastes good.

For pennies per pound, this is a gourmet meal on the cheap.  I spread the roasted marrow on some toasted potato bread and topped it with a little bit of parsley and thinly sliced shallots tossed in lemon juice.  The lightly toasted bread had a nice crisp crunch.  The roasted marrow is so lusciously creamy that it almost melts into the toast.  The acidity from the parsley salad counterbalances the richness from the marrow.

Roasted Marrow
Beef marrow bones (ask butcher to cut into 3 inch pieces)
salted water
sea salt
pepper

Soak marrow bones in cold salted water for about 1 hour to get rid of the excess blood.  Drain and pat dry with a paper towel.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Arrange bones in a baking dish so that they are standing up on the widest end.  Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.  Roast for about 20 minutes or when the marrow in the center starts bubbling.  Scoop onto lightly toasted bread or crostini.  Top with a little bit of parsley salad.

Parsley Salad
1 bunch parsley, leaves only
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
sea salt

Toss parsley leaves, shallot, and lemon juice together.  Salt to taste.

After I got as much of the marrow out as I possibly could, I deglazed the baking dish with a little cognac to use the pan drippings and bones for stock.  Those bones just keep on giving deliciousness.

H Mart - Spicy Beef Stew

Spicy Beef Stew

A friend and I were driving down Mira Mesa Blvd when she pointed out H Mart to me.  "I didn't know they had one of these here!"
She informed me that H Mart has locations in the LA area.  I was intrigued when I heard that they had a food court.  About a week or so later, I decided to check out H Mart during my lunch hour.
There was a wide selection of pre-made food displayed next to the food court area.  I picked up some wakame seaweed salad and got in line at the food court.  The line seemed to be very slow moving, even though the guy at the cash register seemed to be pretty efficient.  There were 4-5 people in front of me and it took about 15 minutes for me to get to the front.  Perhaps it is because the cashier counter is pretty small and the food is picked up in the same area.  The cashier had to pause every time an order was called out.  Not the most efficient set up.
It was one of those days that I felt the chill in my bones, so the Spicy Beef Stew ($6.99) was my pick.  It was about another 10-15 minutes before my number was called out, so this might not be the place to go to for your lunch hour.  However, I was very happy when my order was ready.  The Spicy Beef Stew came in an extra large bowl.  Like the size of an extra large pho bowl.  The spice level was nice, enough to warm me up to the core, but it was not a lingering spicy that stays in my mouth.  There were tender pieces of beef brisket mixed in with vegetables and glass noodle.  My favorite is the beaten egg that was cooked in the broth.  Not like egg drop soup where it gets broken up.  No, because the egg would have been lost in the other components if it had been.  More like the pillowy "omelete" in bun rieu that blankets the stew.
There was also a sizable panchan of kimchi on the side, as well as a bowl of steamed brown rice.
It was more hearty and filling than I could finish.  I ended up asking for a large to-go container, which got filled to the brim.  I then reheated this into two more satisfying meals, with a soft boiled egg added each time.
I shall be back, but will time it so that I would miss the lunch rush.

H Mart

9440 Mira Mesa Blvd

(between Black Mountain Rd & Westview Pky) San Diego, CA 92126

Beef Stroganoff

Back in college, my group of friends and I would combine all of our culinary knowledge (which consisted of "my mom does this...") and pocket change together to scrape up enough ingredients to make a meal.  The results were usually good.  Surprisingly good.  Especially when our group was a brazillian-filipino-chinese-persian-bosnian-newyorker-midwest-cali mix.  No, none of use were exchange students.  Some immigrants and first generation Americans though.

One meal that I store in my memory bank is when the first of our group got their first apartment.  After 9 months of dorm living, that was something worth celebrating.  

We started off the celebration with browned ground beef and caramelized onions with some steamed rice.  One guy in the group added a huge dollop of sour cream to his bowl and mixed it all together.

"This is what we ate in Europe all the time!" Or something like that.  It was years ago and we were drinking alot.

Another guy in our group puts sour cream on everything, so he did the same.

The rest of us were intrigued, so we followed in suit.

Only years later did I realize that it was beef stroganoff sans the mushrooms.  Most beef stroganoff recipes cook the creamy sauce right into the beef mixture, but then how do you reheat the leftovers without breaking the sauce?  I love mixing in the sour cream at serving so that I never have to worry about how to reheat my lunchtime leftovers at work the next day.  If the beef mixture is extra hot, then the cold sour cream will bring down the temperature of the food to just right.

Beef Stroganoff
1 lb ground beef
2 tsp oil
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 onion, diced
3 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper
8 oz sour cream
chives or parsley for garnish (optional)
cooked egg noodles or steamed rice

Brown the mushrooms in a heavy frying pan.  Or even better, use a cast iron pan if you got one.  Once the mushrooms start to brown, add the onions.  Stir and cook until the onions are caramelized.  Add the ground beef.  Add garlic powder and worcestershire sauce.  Add salt and pepper.  Once the beef is completely cooked through, taste and add more salt, pepper or garlic powder if needed.  The sour cream will mute some of the flavors, so don't be afraid of strong flavors.

Fill bowls halfway with cooked egg noodles or steamed rice.  Fill the bowls almost the rest of the way with the beef mixture. 

Stir a large dollop of sour cream into each bowl.  Garnish with minced chives or parsley.

Savory Garden

I noticed that 168, the Taiwanese cafe in the space at the front of 99 Ranch had been replaced by Savory Garden a while ago.  I decided to give them some time to work out the kinks before trying them out.  I finally did last week.

One of my "aunts" is Taiwanese and I always enjoyed going to her house for dinner when I was growing up.  Either she or her grandmother would make delicious taiwanese dishes for dinner parties and get togethers.  I loved it so much that I (mostly) didn't mind that all the dishes were vegetarian.  

The restaurant health inspection rating at 168 kept me from braving the threshold.  Especially since it was always mostly empty.  It's one thing if the food is so good that everyone disregards the letter taped to the door.

The food at Savory Garden didn't knock my socks off, but it's decent enough that I would stop by whenever I need to stock up at 99 Ranch.

I first went in for a really early lunch by myself.  It wasn't even 11am yet, so the restaurant was pretty empty.  There was an older couple and a 20-something year old waitress who started to speak to me in Taiwanese until I responded back in English.  The older couple retreated behind the counter while the waitress seated me.  

The place had definitely been through a make over.  That and the "A" rating made me feel better.  I ordered the House Beef Noodle Soup and a hot milk tea.  There was only one other customer, so my food came out pretty quickly.

I expected a mug for my milk tea, but I got an entire tea pot and a chinese tea cup instead.  

Each cup was nice and hot.  

The House Beef Noodle Soup came with just 4 pieces small pieces beef, but they were flavorful,  tender and juicy.   Since the June gloom weather made me a little chilly, I dumped a big spoonful of chili paste on top.  The bok choy wasn't overcooked, but I still prefer my vegetables to be more on the al dente side.  The broth and noodles were ok, nothing to write home about.  When I tasted each component of this dish on its own, it was nothing special.  

Then I started to mix the tiny bits of finely chopped fresh chinese celery that were floating in the broth into each spoonful of swirled noodle and broth.  That tiny burst of celery flavor and crunch was really pleasant.  Mmmm.  What a great idea. 

When I paid for my bill, the older lady noticed that I still had some milk tea left in the tea pot.  She brought over a plastic cup with a lid and straw.  

A few days later, a friend and I were out and about.  I talked her into getting lunch at Savory Garden so that I could try out some other items on the menu.

We split an order of Green Bean kabobs (2), Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings (6), and Steamed Pork Bun Dumplings (10).  I got an order of Chicken Heart Kabobs (2) for myself as well.

The waitress set down a little shaker of paprika when she delivered our kabobs.  I didn't ask which dish it was for, so I just sprinkled it on both the green beans and chicken hearts.

Ever since I tried them on the streets of Bangkok, I have always liked grilled chicken hearts more than any other offal.  They have a nice firm texture and do not taste metallic or gamey like other organ meats such as liver.

My skewer of green beans still had a little crunch to them.  That satisfied my need for a vegetable to go with the rest of our meal.  Food grilled on a stick is always a good idea.  Always.

The Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings did not have a salt and pepper taste to it.  It was still nicely seasoned, big and juicy.  The cornstarch batter was light and crunchy, not overpowering the wings.  I really liked these, even though they should just be listed as plain "Chicken Wings" on the menu.

Eyeing the little container of rice vinegar on every table, I ordered the "Steamed Pork Bun Dumplings" hoping that it was code for Xiao Long Bao

and I was right! The huge steamer came out piping hot.  The waitress forgot to bring us spoons, but I scarfed them down before I even had a chance to flag her down again.  The wrappers were not too thick and there was a good amount of broth left in them.  Of course, the broth was mostly absorbed into the wrapper by the time I got down to my 4th dumpling.

That is just what happens with Xiao Long Bao.  It's one of those dishes that needs to be inhaled as soon as it is made.  There is no time for politely-waiting-for-someone-else-to-take-the-first-piece table manners.  They need to be scarfed down before the soup inside disappears into the wrapper.  The filling was nicely seasoned.  The gingery pork tasted just right with a bit of vinegar.  Ahhh.   Not the best I've ever had, but definitely decent and satisfied my craving.  I was not disappointed.

My friend was not too happy with our waitress for bringing her a regular Iced Thai Tea when she specifically asked for no milk, but I was pretty happy with my cold Milk Tea.  Can you get Thai Tea without the condensed milk or is there evaporated milk already in the mix?

I sure hope business picks up so this place stays open.  I want to try out the rest of their menu.

Savory Garden

7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

($20 minimum for credit card purchases)

Hot Pot Made Easy

I decided to do a hot pot dinner on Thanksgiving this year.  No turkey, no mashed potatoes, no cranberry sauce and no pumpkin pie.  So it's not the most traditional Thanksgiving meal, but at least it was stress-free.  I just wanted to drink wine and enjoy a great meal with good company without having to spend two days prepping and cooking and fretting over how the bird will turn out.

Hot pot, shabu shabu, lẩu, suki, sukiyaki, steamboat, fondue or huǒ guō is a social event.  Each part of the world has a different version, but it is basically everyone dipping and cooking the pre-sliced ingredients in pot of hot soup base, cheese or chocolate that simmers in the middle of the table.  I have many memories of family meals with everyone spending hours surrounding a pot of simmering broth chatting and eating.

Zion market was our first stop to pick up some ginger, lotus roots, pea sprouts, orange and thinly pre-sliced pork belly, beef tongue, ribeye and brisket.

99 Ranch had the portable camping stoves and cans of butane.  We also got some cuttle fish balls, herbal soup mix, rice noodles, moqua and napa cabbage.   There are lots more items that would be great hot pot additions such as tofu, fish fillets, shrimp, dumplings, any thinly sliced meat, noodles, taro, potatoes, veggies and etc.

At both stores, there were a plethora of induction and electric hot pot sets.  However, I wanted the portable gas version so that I could have the option of doing an outdoor hot pot as well.  Funny how both Zion and 99 Ranch had the portable gas stove, but neither had the pot nor little scoops to go with it.  SF (Thuan Fat) Supermarket had the pot and all the little scoops I needed to complete my hot pot kit.

Thanksgiving day: I spent about an hour or so rinsing and slicing up the veggies and preparing the soup bases.  Depending on the region, the soup bases also vary.  Since I got a half and half hot pot, I did one regular herbal soup base and one spicy herbal soup base,  which didn't take long at all.  To save time, I prepared the soup on my kitchen stove and then transferred to the portable hot pot setup.

Half and Half Herbal Soup Bases:
1 packet of assorted herbs
1 finger of ginger (peeled and chopped into large chunks)
6 cans of chicken broth or homemade broth
6 dried chili peppers
3 dried chrysanthemum flowers (optional)
Pour chicken broth, ginger and half of each herb from the assorted herb packet into a large pot.  Bring to a boil.  Transfer half of the broth to one side of the hot pot.  Add the dried chili peppers to the remaining half of the broth and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Transfer to other half of hot pot.  Put the chrysanthemum flowers in a tea ball and add to the spicy side of the hot pot.  In chinese medicine, chrysanthemum flowers are "cooling" and will balance out the "heatiness" of the spicy hot pot.  The tea ball will help keep the flowers from disintegrating into the hot pot.  Keep hot pot on a low simmer.  

Rinse and strain the pea sprouts and napa cabbage.  Moqua has a texture and taste just like winter melon.  I prefer it to winter melon because it has a much thinner skin and is easier to prep.  It soaks up the flavors of the soup like a sponge.  Peel and slice the moqua into about 1 inch pieces.   Peel and thinly slice the lotus root.  My handy mandolin slicer really made a big difference with the lotus root.  Parboil, rinse and drain the rice noodles.

 Cut half-way into each cuttle fish ball with 3 horizontal slices.  

Turn over to the other side and make one perpendicular slice half-way into each ball.  

That way, there are slices on each side of the cuttle fish ball, while keeping the whole thing intact.  This would help any meat balls cook quickly and evenly in the hot pot.

I laid everything out and we pigged out.  To keep the soup from evaporating away thru out the meal, I add hot water as needed.  The leftovers also made for a delicious noodle soup the next morning.

What about the orange?  That was for my azuki dessert soup.  More on that next time....

Beats N Eats Food Trucks Meet Up

Update - The Beats N Eats Food Trucks Meet Up has been moved to a new location in Mira Mesa.  Information to follow....
I have to apologize for not disclosing the information to the Beats and Eats Meet-Ups that have been taking place each Tuesday for the past summer months.  I was looking through my posts and realized that I never finished this one.  

The location is at the parking lot in front of the Tabe Kitchen off Murphy Canyon Road by Taco Bell, Happy Car Wash and Express Tire.

3690 Murphy Canyon Road, San Diego, CA

The trucks do not sell beverages at this event out of respect for the convenience store that they are parked in front of.  I always purchased my beverage from the convenience store.  Plus, they allow the food trucks patrons to use their restroom facilities.

Tables are chairs are available outside the convenience store where DJ booth is set up.   

This food truck event, unlike some others, do not have an entrance fee.  There is also DJ Kanoya providing the beats, hence Beats N Eats.   

This shingdig happens every Tuesday from 6:30 pm - 9 pm.  I thought this was only a summer food trucks event, but a very reliable source has told me that they are looking for a new location to continue this.  I hope so, it's so much easier than chasing these trucks down on Twitter.

There are usually 4-5 trucks at this event.  Tabe (the event organizer) and SuperQ seem to be the regulars.  Some of the trucks that I've seen on the rotation are Sweet Treats, Asian Persuasion, India on Wheels (no longer in business), Pierogi, SD Street Eats and the Gooch.  Most of these trucks take credit card for a small transaction fee and/or minimum purchase.  There's also an ATM inside the store.

Makes me wish that I had four stomaches, like a cow, instead of just my measly singular human stomach.  Sigh.

Clockwise: Tabe Kobe Beef Slider, Tabe Beef Short Rib Taco, India on Wheels Samosa, SuperQ Beef Brisket Sandwich (mostly eaten), Sweet Trucks Chocolate Covered Bacon

Asian Persuasion Longanisa Rice Bowl

Sweet Treats Tiramisu

Here's what I've tried so far:

Tabe

Kobe Beef Sliders - A child-sized burger served on a soft dinner roll w/ cheddar cheese and shredded iceberg lettuce.  A pretty good starter or kiddie meal.

Tabe Beef Short Ribs Taco - I love korean bbq'd meat on a taco.  My only complaint is the massive amounts of shredded iceberg lettuce.  I took half of the lettuce off my taco and re-sauced.  

Tabe Asada Fries - Super deliciousness.  Grilled beef marinated in korean bbq sauce over crispy fries.  This is an example of fusion gone right.

SuperQ

SuperQ Beef Brisket Sandwich - This is a meal in a sandwich.  Sorry, I scarfed this down before I even remembered to snap a picture.  It was a huge sandwich.  I-needed-a-nap-afterwards huge.  It's like a sourdough grilled cheese stuffed with tender beef brisket, mac n cheese and sautèed onions.  The brisket was packed full of flavor.  If you like a little spice in your life, ask them to add some jalapeños to your sandwich.  You won't regret it.  Unless you can't do spicy foods, in which case, you will regret it.

BBQ Chicken Salad - This is the most flavorful salad that I have ever had.  Black beans, corn, shredded cheddar cheese, red onions, cucumber, tomatoes, shredded BBQ chicken and ranch served over a mix of greens.  I was stumped as to what was making this salad so packed full of flavor when one of my friends pointed out to me that the chicken is infused with BBQ sauce.  Great big portions and flavor.

Asian Persuasion

Longanisa Rice Bowl - In other words, a longsilog.  And they do it so well.  My egg was a perfect over easy with a runny yolk and nice crispy edges along the whites.  The bite-sized chunks of longanisa were packed full of flavor, as longanisas should be, and had a good sear.  The stir-fried garlic rice had a good wok hay, which means the cook was using a very well-seasoned cooking surface and really high heat.  To achieve wok hay, you have to be able to use really high heat to sear in the flavor of each individual ingredient without burning any of it.  I overheard the girl who took my order speak to the cook in Cantonese.  A chinese cook with true skills is behind this filipino dish.  They actually ran out of this dish one Tuesday at 7pm.

Pierogi

Meat Stuffed Pierogi - There were other items on the menu that were calling to me as well.  Grilled polish sausages, hungarian pancakes and blitzers.  But how could I not try one of the hand-made pierogis from a food truck named Pierogi Truck?   Prior to ordering, I asked what's a pierogi?  One of my friends started explaining to me that it is a pan-fried european dumpling.  The lady from the truck overheard us and stuck her head out to inform us that she does not pan-fry her pierogis.  "It would make the dough tough.  We only boil ours," she said.  Boiling is also the preferred method of cooking for freshly made jiaozi.  Yes, most people probably think that pan-frying is the better way to make them.  However, that's what you do to the store bought frozen jiaozi (which I also love).  But when someone, like say your loving chinese mother (or someone else's loving chinese mother if you don't have one of your own), makes the jiaozi fresh from scratch, the best way to enjoy those as soon as they are made is to boil them. This allows you to really appreciate the texture of the dough.  It is the rest of the batch that are frozen for later use, hence losing that freshly made dough texture, that is pan-fried.  These were boiled, sprinkled with bacon and served with a side of sour cream.  Yums.  Like a european jiaozi. The dough was not too thick, not too thin and had a good "bite" to it.  Much like my momma's.  The filling is juicy, meaty and just plain good.  I could eat about 20 of these in one sitting.  There were also other meatless filling options.

Sweet Treats

Chocolate Covered Bacon - I know, it sounds weird.  But it is one of those weird combinations that are honestly really good.  Someone had made these for a work potluck once and had convinced me to give it a try.  To much of my surprise, I really liked it.  A crispy bacon strip covered in chocolate, probably the same kind that is used for chocolate covered strawberries.  It is not at all greasy.  For some strange reason, the salty sweet combo kinda reminds me of peanut butter and chocolate.  I don't know why no one else gets that.  Try it, it's good.  I promise.

Tiramisu - Pretty good.  I wasn't blown away, just a solid pretty good.  The espresso bean on top was a nice touch.  After all that food, I needed a giant hit of caffeine to keep me awake long enough for the drive home.

India on Wheels

Samosa - I got a potato filled samosa topped with a sweet and savory pesto-like sauce.  It was good.  Too bad they closed down the business.  I guess a vegetarian food truck can only sustain so long when there are competing with meaty, guilty-pleasure fares.

Pomegranates - Part II

The organic beef ribeye looked really good at the market. I used the rest of my pomegranate reduction as a marinade. The sweet and tangy taste of the pomegranate married well with the beef. Too bad I got distracted by Dancing with the Stars and overcooked my steak. Ho-hum.