21 Tuesday Apr 2009
Posted in Alabama, Birmingham, Restaurant Review, Southern Living, Sweet Potatoes
Read about a local Birmingham restaurant that serves the best sweet potato fries (in my humble opinion).
Black Market Bar on Highway 280 under Chef Jordan Cox
19 Sunday Apr 2009
Posted in Alabama, Baklava, Birmingham, Falafel, Festival
Food:
I sampled a selection of hummus, fallafel, and baklava. The rating went as following:
Hummus ($3) – pretty well balanced with lemon and garlic. The pita bread served with hummus was disappointing – you got half of a cold, stale-ish pita served in a zip-lock bag.
Falafel ($7) – This is definitely not Amsterdam Falafel (one of my favorite local spots in Washington DC). The falafel balls – made from ground up chickpeas and spices – were unfortunately cold and mushy. The flavor was good, but I really missed the light, golden brown balls that you typically get in a falafel sandwich. The sandwich was served in a large pita, which again was cold, and was so large that it overpowered everything that was inside – falafel balls, a smear of hummus, pickles, tomatoes and mint. This was actually the first time I had mint inside a falafel sandwich – not sold on the idea.
Baklava ($2/piece) – I saved the best for last. Dessert was great! I tried both pistachio and walnut baklava. Layers of phyllo dough saturated with honey and sugar, filled with chopped nuts. A touch of rose water and orange blossom added to this Lebanese delicacy.
We listened to live music by Amin Sultan band and people watched. And then it was time to head out.
19 Sunday Apr 2009
Posted in Balsamic, Cooking, Recipe, Writing/Publishing
I have heard about balsamic glaze (or balsamic syrup) and have been curious to try it, and now that I have, I am addicted.
Hello, my name is Anna, and I am addicted to balsamic syrup. (“Hello, Anna!”)
What is this delicious concoction? In the simplest form, it is balsamic vinegar with a touch of sugar that has been concentrated to a thick, sweet, rich potion by simmering over time. I tried the balsamic glaze both ways – by reducing the vinegar myself and by purchasing a bottle at a grocery store.
How to make Balsamic Glaze:
Pour twice the amount of Balsamic vinegar in a pot (if you want to end up with 1/4 cup, pour 1/2 cup into the pot). Bring vinegar to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the vinegar is reduced by half. Important – once the vinegar is reduced, remove it from the heat and pour into a jar or a bottle. I failed to remove the reduced vinegar from heat and the residual heat turned my beautiful drizzle into a fruit-leather-like consistency.
If this happens to you, you have two options: start from the beginning, or add a little bit of water or more vinegar to thin it out. Similar to avoiding using cheap wine for cooking and making sauces, please, do not use cheap, sour balsamic vinegar for this reduction.
Or, you could purchase Balsamic Glaze:
Pretty easy. Open a bottle and drizzle 🙂 In terms of price, expect to pay more than for basic balsamic vinegar, but it’s definitely worth it!
Ways to enjoy Balsamic Glaze:
Drizzled over spicy and peppery baby arugula
Brushed on top of a pork tenderloin or roasted chicken
Over vanilla ice cream (I’m not joking)
Have a different way you enjoy balsamic glaze? Let me know!
14 Tuesday Apr 2009
Posted in Alabama, Birmingham, Freezing, Southern Living, Writing/Publishing
My second blog post is up on Eating My Words site for Southern Living 🙂
Check it out to learn basic guidelines for freezing your food and which items are better left out of the freezer.
13 Monday Apr 2009
Posted in Alabama, Birmingham, Russian, Writing/Publishing
I was at a Blockbuster’s location, sifting through the movies that I haven’t seen yet and wanted to watch (a very small pile) when a man approached me asking if the car parked outside of the store with NY license plates was mine. I got worried – was there something wrong with my car?
Turns out, the man was just curious because he has lived in New York prior to moving to Birmingham. When I told him that it was in fact my car, he detected an accent and asked if I was Russian. I said I was. And that was a start of a 10+ minute conversation, at the end of which I wanted to pull my hair out and run away – I did leave the store in such a hurry, that I left behind my cell phone.
Back to the man – he informed me that his great-grandparents were from Russia. Where in Russia you might ask? KIEV!!! For those of you who might not know, Kiev is a capital of Ukraine. So I informed him that his great-grandparents were actually from Ukraine, not Russia. Oh, but he insisted that Kiev used to be a part of Russia. Really? Interesting. But I stood my grounds.
Then he continued asking questions and talking in a very obnoxious way up until the moment I paid for my movie and left. And the movie? Not even worth it! It was The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, II. The first one made me fall in love with Greece and I’ve been looking forward to seeing the second one, which disappointed, like most sequels do.
10 Friday Apr 2009
Posted in Alabama, Birmingham, Grits, Southern Living, Writing/Publishing
It’s been a long time since my last post. Rather than writing here, I’ve been making mental notes and taking photos (which eventually will make it over on this blog).
But I wanted to share an exciting news. I am beginning to write for “Eat My Words” – a food blog from the staff of Southern Living magazine.
Check out my first blog In the Land of Grits
I plan to contribute to the blog on weekly basis. Have an idea for a post? Let me know, and keep on reading!
