Anyone can make crispy oven fried turkey wings….If you follow the directions exactly you will have unbelievably delicious flavorful turkey wings that you will make over and over again. First of all I start by using a brined medium sized turkey. The whole wings gets removed. Soak the wings at room temperature canola oil (1/2 cup for 4 wings or about a 1/4 cup for two wings) for about a 1/2 hour. Set oven to 425 degrees F. The wings get the oil shaken off. and are LIGHTY …..LIGHTLY sprinkled with salt, pepper, granulated garlic and paprika. Put the wings on a baking sheet. In the preheated 425 degree F oven for 30 minutes on one side and another 30 minutes on the other side. They stay HOT for an hour so you need to let them rest about an hour till you want to eat them.
In north Phoenix we have several choices for budget burger places. My definition of a budget burger place is $10.00 or less and offers menus that feature burgers. I didn’t include the chain places because although we have many and some are local chains I haven’t been to them. The original budget burger place that I know of in the area is called Burger Mania. It’s decorated with fun metal sculptures of cowboys, musicians and dinosaurs…..I don’t know what the Fork the decor is about…. and if that’s not enough the window reads Chicago. Well it looks like a fun place anyway. Instead of a bar they have lots of airplane booze bottles on display for you to buy. On the menu they offer BURGERS, Chicago sandwiches, hot dogs, breakfast, gyros, Mexican food and more. I remember the used to have gum ball machines inside.
I had a pastrami single burger here…(the current price might be $7.95). I thought it was an ok burger. On the day I was there my actual burger wasn’t the most flavorful but was better than a Jack in the box burger that cost about the same.
My husband had a burger called the Ortega. (same price) His burger came with a green chili.
Another Budget Burger destination might be Rocket Burger.
Rocket Burger and Subs Phoenix AZ
They advertise that their ground beef is never frozen. Rocket Burger offers BURGERS, sandwiches, subs, beef hot dogs, fish sandwiches, soft serve ice cream and maybe a MILLION KINDS of bottled sodas………I know when they first opened they made it a point to have every root beer ever made but these days they offer any kind of flavored soda.
Anyway I had a Eddie Lopez Burger here. ( $8.39)
This burger is enormous. It is actually two thinner burgers topped with pastrami, slaw and rocket sauce. That rocket burger sauce that makes any burger or sandwich taste better. Their slaw is also very tasty and the fries really do taste like potatoes.
But my favorite sandwich here so far is the Mexican Fish Sandwich. The slaw and sauce are very flavorful and delicious. It’s a little spicy too. It was a similar in price to the burgers.
My husband had a double bacon cheese burger this time. ($8.39)
We had a blast at Rocket Burger. For several years Rocket Burger seemed like the best of the budget burgers.
*****UPDATE see other locations..Glendale location closed.*****Recently North Metro Phoenix got not one but TWO new Budget Burger Restaurants. One was Matty G’s in north Glendale. It’s not a sports bar but it is a sports theme BURGER restaurant. The menu is mostly BURGERS. They offer a chicken sandwich grilled or fried and they also offer a full bar and custard milk shakes.
I ate a grilled chicken sandwich here.
The chicken was caramelized nice but ever so slightly dry. The onion rings were very thickly breaded and it all was tasty.
My husband had an All Star Burger. ($10.00)
You can see the burgers are nicely caramelized and the fries are abundant. My husband thought it was a pretty good burger.
*****SADLY Now Closed for Business********Then CHZBURGR also opened in north Glendale.
Chzburgr offers BURGERS, Vegetarian Beyond burgers, Crispy Chicken sandwiches, a couple salads, hot dogs, sides and milk shakes.
I went with the Crispy Chicken Combo here ($9.00) and it was FORKING SCRUMPTIOUS! Very Juicy, delicious, very crispy Chicken. The sides were also well seasoned and delicious too!
My husband had a Triple Cheeseburger Combo $10.00. These burgers are very thin grass fed burgers. He liked that each beef patty in the burger came with a slice of cheese too!
These were pretty darn tasty!
Those were the Budget Burger Places I’ve been to in North Metro Phoenix.
You can find Burger Mania, Matty G’s and Chzburgr all on Facebook. Rocket Burger has a website.
www.RocketBurgers.com
Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
The Mekong Plaza is an Asian Shopping Center that is a mall with a dozen Asian restaurants, an Asian/International Grocery Super Market gift shops and more. Today we thought we’d do some exploring here and mostly tasting.
We started with a full service Vietnamese Restaurant called Com Tam Thuan Kieu.
We shared a dish that is seldom found at most Metro Phoenix Vietnamese Restaurants called Com Do Ga Roti (fried Cornish hen with tomato paste red rice). Today they were out of Cornish hen so chicken was offered.
First came out a cup of broth and chunks of very developed soft pork.
Next we moved on to the main event.
We received a generously sized plate of very moist tender delicious bbq chicken thigh made with house made bbq sauce. I picked fish sauce as the dipping sauce and it went together to make something mighty tasty. The plate also came with pickled vegetables, a fried over easy egg and tomato paste red rice. I’ve had Vietnamese red rice before and this differed as they do from home to home or restaurant to restaurant. Here the rice was on the dry side and contained very little tomato.
Below is com do ga roti from Thao Sandwiches now closed for business. You can see the texture and tomato and seasoning does differ.
Thao Sandwiches (now closed for business)
Moving on next stop was suppose to be a Filipino Restaurant called Wholly Grill for Grilled Tuna with Eggplant Salad but that wasn’t on the menu today so we stopped at Heng’s Kitchen in the food court instead to share a Szechuan Spicy Boiled Fish.
Soon we are served and they are nice enough to split the rice plates for us. The fish is very tender and mild and cooked to perfection. We receive a good amount of bean sprouts and fresh chopped cilantro. There is some heat from hot chili and some Sichuan peppercorns but this is the least spicy Szechuan Spicy Boiled Fish that I’ve ever had…….I saw the chef looking at me when I ordered it……..It’s possible that he thought I looked like someone that can’t handle spicy foods and it’s a possibility that he was trying to spare me too much mouth numbing painful heat?????? I don’t know…..but that’s what I thought. This dish was still very good but super mild for the kind of dish that it is.
The last time I had Szechuan Spicy boiled fish it looked like this from Szechuan Cosine in Glendale.
from Szechuan Cusine in Glendale
See all the peppers…..now this was ultra spicy and mouth numbing.
Now we take a break and walk around Mekong Market. Lets see what we see.
Chestnut Kit Kats!
WOW Sake KitKats too!
Boiled corn with colorful kernels.
Faux fish.
LOTS of real fish. (near the middle is rabbit fish…..rabbit fish?……does it hop?)
Much more fish..thought the moon fish look attractive…..they shine much more than the photo shows.
Lay’s tomato and cucumber flavor chips.
Togarashi
Lay’s Spicy Hot Pot flavored potato chips that actually DO contain Szechuan pepper.
Asian gefilte fish…..who knew?
Fermented mudfish in rice……….?
Best Wild Jelly Fish Head.
Yellow Rock sugar…….I don’t know about yellow sugar??????? Makes me think of a Frank Zappa song.
A whole world of produce and herbs.
We decide we can hit one more restaurant and go to Happy Baos.
They are packed and we have to wait outside.
In reasonable time we are called in to sit at a table.
This is a tiny restaurant that is very packed with tables close together.
I don’t know if they are short on help or just very unorganized today. We’ve had ordering problems and waited abnormally long for our food while others around that came in latter had multiple plates. But this restaurant was written about in the Arizona Republic recently and might be busier than usual????? We finally get served.
Chicken Cabbage Dumplings and a Tofu Vegetable Bao.
The Bao is ok….
There is a possibility we waited so long because they rushed out a batch of dumplings for us. These dumplings seemed rushed because they lack seasoning and the cabbage they were suppose to contain.
That was my trip to Mekong Plaza in Mesa.
www.MekongPlaza.com
Every FORKING Thing is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
You can make delicious tender flavorful chicken with a flavorful side very easily. Just season and brown up your chicken, Use the drippings to season the vegetables, add liquid rice and it all goes in one big pot or actually a big baking dish in the oven and comes out amazing. It’s important to know that the chicken skin won’t come out crisp enough to eat (unless you care to fry it afterwards). It’s also important to cook with a thermometer so you know when the chicken is safe to eat. The chicken must reach 165 degree F to be safe to eat. I prefer my dark chicken to be cooked to between 180 f – 200 f so the chicken comes off the bone and still is all soft and tender. Since ovens differ and pans also differ I can’t tell you the exact timing you need. You need to cook till rice has cooked and when the chicken is at least 165 degrees F (or more). For me usually these dishes get done in 90-120 minutes if on the middle rack. So check at 90 minutes at that point every 15 minutes more will put about 10 degrees higher on the chicken. Rice needs a fluff with the fork at the end.
Ingredients for around 6 portions
4 lbs chicken quarters (3 or 4 large chicken quarters)
kosher salt to taste (to season chicken on both sides)
ground black pepper to taste (to season chicken on both sides)
granulated garlic to taste (to season chicken on both sides)
1 sweet onion – chopped
1 fennel – core removed – sliced thin – save some fronds
3 oranges – remove skin and white with a knife – remove and seeds – chop around pea sized
2 celery ribs – chopped
1 carrot – peeled – thick slices
13 garlic cloves – chopped
1 Tablespoon vegetable soup base (less sodium than salt and more flavor)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 bunch parsley – just the leaves – depending on size maybe chopped slightly
1 cup rice (I used short green bamboo rice…I thought it worked pretty well here but almost any rice will work)
1 1/2 cup water
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F.
Season the chicken on both sides with the salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Brown the chicken on both sides either in a medium high fry pan with a little oil or under a broiler for ten minutes a side. Set the chicken to the side and the drippings go in a pot with the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, fennel, soup base and black pepper. Cook on medium high till onions are soft. Add the water and bring to boil and after boil shut off heat and add the rice, orange, and parsley. All this goes in a really big pan or 1/2 buffet pan. Add the chicken and this gets covered tightly. Put this on a middle rack and check in 90 minutes. You are to cook till rice is done and chicken is at least 165 f degrees. I like chicken better when the dark meat is 180-200 F. When done remove the chicken and fluff up the rice with the fennel fronds and parsley.
There is ALWAYS something NEW Different Weird Limited or Special Edition out there in the wonderful world of food. I never know WTFork I’ll come across when I go to a store. Here are just a few of what I found recently. Up above are New Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros by General Mills. Well the cereal sure looks like Churros……makes me want the real thing!
LIMITED EDITION – Cap ‘N’ Crunch’s Red White and Blue Crunch…..Maybe you can get a bang out it???????………..I wonder if it makes your teeth turn blue?
Here are NEW Sun-Maid SOUR Raisins in watermelon and strawberry……I don’t know about this one…….I wouldn’t want raisins that taste like sour fruits…but maybe some people do?
Different – By Martha Stewart are jarred simmering sauces in Cioppino and Curry……..?
Here’s Mina Brand Shakshuka Moroccan Tomato Sauce – Sounds delicious but I don’t know if it is…..That’s different…I never came across this before.
Taco Bell Grated Cotija Cheese in a can…….?????????……..Usually pre-grated cheese doesn’t taste good…..but cheese from a can usually is even worst…..I haven’t tried it so I could be Forking wrong but I don’t think I am.
NEW – Birds Eye Brand Frozen Broccoli Fries and Cauliflower Fries……Why The Fork Not?
DHA – Tuna with Hot Pepper Sauce…….ummmm hot tuna?……..ok might be good!
Dong Won Tuna with Kimchi Sauce sounds even better!
DIFFERENT – Red Rock Deli Brand Aged Cheddar and Dijon Deli Style Potato Chips……Might be delicious?…Don’t know.
DIFFERENT – Trader Joe’s Jerk – Style Plantain Chips
NEW- Ruffles Double Crunch Potato Chips in Hot Wings Flavor! Bet they will fly off the shelves!
Here’s Saffron Road Chickpea Chickbean Crisps in flavors of White Cheddar and Sea Salt…..Didn’t try yet but in the past I purchased other snacks by this brand that taste good.
Skinny Sticks in Jalapeno Lime and Sweet Onion…made with quinoa and chia seeds….??? sounds healthy….don’t know if they are?
NEW – Fudge Covered Nutter Butter Cookies by Nabisco…..? Might be good but I doubt it?
Here’s White Chocolate Peanut M&M’s……Might be good? I didn’t pick these up to try…..Sometimes the white chocolate are good in M&M’s but sometimes it’s waxy and crappy??????? Could go either way???
NEW – 3 Musketeers Birthday Cake with artificial flavors……(I’ll pass)
NEW – Hershey’s Gold Kisses…They are caramel creme with pretzel bits….I haven’t tried the kisses but I did try the same flavor bar…..My bar didn’t have pretzel bits..It had bottom of the bag crumbs and salt….maybe I just got an end of the batch bar?
Harry & David Moose Munch Pop Corn in Birthday Cake flavor..Well it’s someone’s birthday every day!
Different and Maybe Weird? – Trader Joe’s Pancake Bread…? WTFork do you do with this?
Here’s Bill Johnson’s Barbecue Sauce, look at the cow…..look at the eyes……..it looks threw your soul.
NEW – French’s now makes sweet Buffalo Mustard….made with Frank’s Red Hot Sauce…..
It seems like every Forking week I see some new mayonnaise is mixed with. Here by Heinz is Mayocue (mayonnaise mixed with BBQ sauce), MayoMust (mayonnaise mixed with mustard), Mayochup (mayonnaise mixed with ketchup), and NEW-Real Mayonnaise….(I didn’t know the previous mayonaise from Heinz wasn’t real????) These mayonnaise hybrids must be made for idiots…I’d feel like a moron buying something like this.
NEW- Sunkist Strawberry Lemonade ….sound good but I don’t know if it is?
NEW (?) Krispy Kreme now makes packaged Chocolate Dipped Donuts, Glazed Cinnamon Buns and Jumbo White Iced Honey Buns…..? I never came across these before…….
Wild California Apricot Ginger Crisps and Pineapple Coconut Crisps…..sound tasty and in the right hand corner that I didn’t notice this one till I looked at picture…QUINCE Chips…now that’s different.
Macadamia Fudge Creamer….who knew!
Ready to eat Cookie Dough in Chocolate Chip and Birthday Cake……Is it really Forking cookie dough if you can’t bake cookies with it??????
Eggs and Fried Rice in a box…..Oh my……?????
Kettle Brand Potato Chips fried in avocado oil in Tropical Salsa Flavor…..WHO FORKING KNEW that they would ever make a chip like that?
Lemon Turmeric Hummus by Blue Moose………???? I don’t know about this one….??????
Cauliflower Tortilia Chips……I tried the same brand pretzels and that smelled and tasted like rotten broccoli ……ick…don’t know if the tortilla chips are the same.
Jet Black Chocolate Coffee Bites………I wouldn’t eat them but I think some people would like them….?
Serious Cheesy Puffs – Blue Cheese Jalapeño Puffs sound yummy!
Holly POOP! there’s another Limited Edition Oreo Cookie.
Of course there’s a limited Edition Oreo Cookie out there! Here’s S’MORES naturally and artificially flavored cookies. They are made of Graham flavored cookies with marshmallow and chocolate flavor cream………………… S’mores sort of frighten me…..EEEEEEK! (actually all Oreo Cookie frighten me)
OH MY!!! We got another Limited Edition Oreo! What the FORK have we done to deserve this?
Here are Limit Edition Marshmallow Moon Oreo Cookies to celebrate Apollo 11’s 50th anniversary of it’s lunar landing…..These cookies have flavor creme that’s artificially flavored! WOW! They also come in a glow in the dark package and come with stickers…OH JOY! Maybe they make your farts glow in the dark!
Well that was the NEW, Weird, Different, Limited and Special Edition Foods out there for July 2019. I don’t know WTFork I’ll come across next month.
I just got my Cook’s Country Magazine and they had a recipe for a rustic tomato tart. I made many changes to the recipe for many different reasons listed here…..But I wanted to give Cook’s Country the credit that they deserve because my tart would not have came out as delicious if I didn’t use some of their ideas. I wanted to make the tart but I didn’t want to make their crust recipe because it had a lot of butter in it and the style was rustic with a thick crust that I don’t like. It also requires a food processor that I don’t have so I just used my empanada crust that is easy to make and comes out well. I thought the tomato filling sounded great and only minor changes were made! I never heard of brushing the crust with dijon mustard….I thought what a great idea!!!!!! Those Cook’s Country people come out with some wonderful ideas. I also changed the cheese only because I wanted to use what I had in the house…The tart came out tasting great….I don’t really taste the mustard much but I guess it adds something interesting. I guess this is perfect to serve as an appetizer. I got lots of raves on this one…It came out FORKING DELICIOUS! (I used an eleven inch pie pan to make the tart)
Ingredients for about 7 servings
1 3/4 cup flour – plus slightly extra for rolling
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon course sea salt
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 lb tomatoes – (it is necessary to use a heirloom ripe tomato for a good taste) – sliced on the thin side or cut in half if using tiny sweet tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt (to salt the tomatoes to lose their extra liquid)
1 shallot – sliced thin
5 sprigs fresh thyme (remove leaves from stems)
2 garlic cloves – microplane or ground to paste
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
4 oz Swiss cheese – shredded
1 oz Parmesan – shredded
fresh ground black pepper to taste
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
neutral non stick spray
3 fresh basil leaves torn
Directions set oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray an 11 inch pie pan with non stick spray and set it to the side.
Make the dough first. In a large bowl combine flour, olive oil (1/2 C.), vinegar, 1 t. sea salt and 1/3 cup water and mix well and knead into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and set to the side.
Now get out a colander with a bowl to catch water. Put the sliced tomatoes in the colander and mix them with salt. They need to sit out around 30 minutes to drain.
In another bowl add the sliced shallots, thyme and garlic and mix well and set to the side.
Get the shredded Swiss and Parmesan cheese mixed together and set to the side.
By the time you did all this the dough is ready to be rolled out. Sprinkle a rolling mat lightly with flour and add your dough ball and top your dough ball with some flour. Roll out the dough into a circle shape that is around a 14 inch circle. Roll the dough around the rolling pin so you can roll the dough into and on the pie pan.
Break off the extra dough hanging off the pan with your hands or a knife.
Lightly spread the dijon all inside the crust.
Add the cheese
Shake the tomatoes to get the last of the draining liquid out of them and add the tomatoes to the bowl with the shallots and mix together well and add them on top of the cheese.
This goes in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 40 minutes or until done.
***UPDATE 9-20-2022 They lost their least……NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS>****Taylors Chowder House is located in North Phoenix Arizona. It’s around 59th aveune and Thunderbird but is impossible to see from the road. It’s been in business since 1985 so they must be doing something right. They are a full service restaurant with a bar. The average seafood dinner runs around $15.00. When you walk in it doesn’t feel like Phoenix anymore…….It also doesn’t feel like 2019 anymore. You sort of get transported to the east coast by the water……of the eighties era with all kind of fishing and seafood themed relics everywhere.
Here’s the bar area.
Tables are spaced generously.
This booth is the roomiest booth I’ve ever sat in.
Our waitress is friendly and pumped about the food. We ordered and soon she brings out a basket with a toasted AZ-Style Kaiser roll and whipped soft herbed butter.
My husband was going to try the chowder since it’s a chowder house but decides on gumbo since it’s the soup of the day.
It’s an A-OK.
I was going to go with the sole Florentine………haven’t seen that on a menu in decades but I went with the pan fried Walleye Special because you just don’t come across walleye often. It’s an expensive fish and I’ve seen it at AJ’s Fine Foods for $40. a lb…….This isn’t as meaty as a $40. a pound fish but hey! it’s walleye and not swai or something like that.
I get a good amount of skinless walleye. It came out with a light dusting of cornmeal. A squish of fresh lemon and a dap of tarter and all is ok here. Off to the side is a monkey dish of sweet peas that are dressed in butter and studded with chunks of sweet onions and sliced mushrooms. My baked potato is ever so slightly over done but the inside is delicious with the herbed butter from the bread basket. ($20.00)
My husband got the entree called the Two Plus Two.
He received TWO large pieces of battered cod and two large battered shrimp, thick steak fries and the buttered peas. ( this great big plate was around $14.95)
That was my trip to Taylors Chowder House in Phoenix – A Good Old Fashioned Budget Seafood Restaurant.
****UPDATE NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS********
www.TaylorsChowder.net
Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
******UPDATE*****NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS******Vaigai Indian Restaurant is located in north Glendale AZ in a strip by 59th and Bell Road. Certain days of the week they serve a lunch buffet and at night they serve by the menu. For weekend lunches they serve a banana leaf platter. It’s sort of all you can eat…….but only sort of.
I came in and got seated.
At the moment it’s kind of empty and we are just sitting there looking around. About ten minutes later someone approaches us and said do you want to order vegetarian or with meat. After he mentioned the meat dishes I decide to go vegetarian ($12.99) and my husband goes meat ($14.99) It seemed like within seconds the place fills up with people.
Nobody asks us if we want beverages but water is provided on the table.
We get served our platters very quickly.
My husband gets a platter with egg omelet, chicken 65, chicken biryani and something crisp that might be a poppadom or some kind of rotti. ( A kind person named Biny informed me that the crisp is an Appalam)
I got-
I got vegetarian biryani, crispy onion bondas, a thin crisp (appalam). We both also received what taste like yogurt with carrots and a thin sweet white sauce.
A second latter more food arrives from hot metal cans.
Even more food arrives.
Now I have my complete plate. I might have (from the left after the crisp) tomato dal, beet poriyal, potato masala, gobi mutter and puri. In the corner is tasty onion bonda and in the middle is vegetable biryani. Everything was delicious. The gobi mutter was very spicy. I never had these beets before…they were delicious! I’m happy with what I have. To me it’s a lot of food that’s hard to finish.
My husband feels differently. He eats more than me and tries to get some repeats.
He thinks everything he tried was delicious but each taste contained very little meat. (from the left what might be chicken 65, omelet, tomato dal, shrimp potato curry, eggplant fish, goat curry chicken biryani and a appalam and he did get puri too.
We wait and wait eventually my husband flags someone down for his repeats. They give teaspoon amounts of mostly sauce the second time around and a large mound of biryani rice.
No one drops off a bill. It’s casual and you just pay at the register when you’re done.
That was my trip to Vaigai Indian Restaurant in Glendale AZ for the Weekend Lunch Banana Leaf Platter.
******UPDATE NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS******
www.VaiGaiAZ.com
Every THING is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
I was inspired to make eggplant this way after dining from Confluence Restaurant in Carefree. I thought “OH” I can add miso, peanuts, sesame seeds and chili to eggplant. This plate is similar but I added the mushrooms. This recipe made a little more miso sauce than I needed but if your eggplant is bigger you might need it all. This comes out very impressive and delicious. The crunchy peanuts really add a lot of interest here.
Ingredients for around 4 servings
1 medium eggplant – cut in four long slices (or you can use any eggplant you happen to get. There are Japanese, a bunch of other eggplants or my favorite the white eggplants) (If your eggplant is shaped different cut however you think is best.) I lightly salted the eggplant and let them sweat in a colander and over a bowl for a 1/2 hour. I then rinsed them so the eggplant wouldn’t be too salty because it always gets too salty if I don’t.
1/2 cup low sodium miso (Asiana Market sells it)
2 garlic cloves – either ground to paste or microplane
2 Tablespoons date syrup
1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
8 squirts of extra virgin olive oil (I’m guessing maybe 2 teaspoons)
4 jarred sweet/hot cherry peppers – cut in slices (Confluence used Fresno peppers here)
4 Tablespoons peanuts
4 teaspoons scallions – sliced thin
4 pinches sesame seeds
1 – 3.5 package enoki mushrooms – cut bottom with dirt off but try to leave part of where the mushrooms are attached to a base
2 oz unsalted butter
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 pinches bonito flakes
piment d espelette – for finishing
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F.
Eggplant depending on what you are doing with it usually comes out better if you salt it and let it sweat for at least 30 minutes…But I find that it always makes the eggplant too salty for me so I rinse it off…(I KNOW that you are not suppose to rinse the eggplant…..but I hate too much salt so I do anyway). You can do that if you want or not…..Salting and sweating the eggplant helps it to reduce bitterness. I usually only salt a regular eggplant.
Now you make the miso glaze. In a small bowl combine the miso, garlic, date syrup and rice wine vinegar. Set to the side.
The eggplant pieces gets a light spray of olive oil on both sides and goes on a sheet pan in the oven for 30 on the first side.
While the eggplant is in the oven fry up the mushrooms. Get a frypan on medium high heat with the butter. When the butter is melted pinch off a clump of mushrooms and roll then in the cornstarch. Add the mushrooms to the fry pan and fry till golden and flip the mushrooms over. You should be able to fry three or four clumps at a time. Have a pan covered with paper towels for the mushrooms to drain on. Repeat till you are done with the mushrooms.
After 30 minutes the eggplant gets flipped over for 15 minutes on the other side. Then it gets flipped again and brushed with the miso mixture. Add cherry peppers peanuts and sesame seeds. The eggplants go back in the oven for another 15 minutes.
Miso Glazed Eggplant with Crispy Enoki Mushrooms, Bonito Flakes and Peanuts
Finish with scallions, bonito flakes and a little bit of piment d espelette pepper.
Miso Glazed Eggplant with Crispy Enoki Mushrooms, Bonito Flakes and Peanuts
ENJOY! This one is impressive taste-wise and looks-wise.
Singh Meadows is a farm with a farmers market and breakfast/lunch cafe. The cafe is only open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays 8am-1:30pm. The farmers market is taking a break after today. You have to check the Singh Meadows Facebook page for a re-opening date.
It looks like this when you walk into the market. (this picture was from March…less produce this time)
Then we wait in line to order at the cafe.
Here was todays menu.
The food is so detailed, delicious and special….It’s really hard to decide.
We order, pay and get a pager. Now we pick a table either inside.
On the patio
Or grab a blanket and get comfortable in the meadow.
Maybe by a pond….
Or by some vegetables.
It was pretty hot today so I grabbed a table inside.
Soon our pager goes off so my husband picks up the platters at the pick up table outside the door.
We start by splitting the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich ($13.00)
I sort of forgot how extra large the portions are…..even half is very large. But this is a lovely detailed and extra special plate. We received lots of crunchy battered chicken that was paired with these FORKING AMAZING heirloom tomatoes that were beyond belief. There also was pickled zucchini, arugula, tarter sauce and spicy honey. It was a super delicious sandwich but also was a delicious mess……If that wasn’t enough…..I found fancy greens on the plate with a whole BUNCH of these delightful lightly pickled beets….and we aren’t done yet…TWO good sized pieces of watermelon seasoned with a mild hot fruity pepper that I am guessing might have been Urfa pepper. WOW!
The Grilled Sweet Potato Fattoush ($12.00) turned out to be a more substantial plate than I anticipated.
This plate is packed with grilled sweet potatoes, red lentil hummus, charred cabbage, crisp pita breads, grains, harissa vinaigrette, seeds and sheep milk feta. We tasted it and it’s similar flavors that take you so maybe the best falafel you ever had but with sweet potato. It’s all delicious with all the pops of different flavors and textures but we got another plate so this one is getting packed up to enjoy another day.
We moved on to share the Apricot and Ricotta Napoleon.
Here we got apricots, sweet creamy fresh made ricotta cheese, crisp thin sweetened phyllo dough with pickled cherry vinaigrette and arugula….This all seems so light (but I know it isn’t) It’s easy to inhale. All these flavors go well together like magic Bitter arugula, sweet phyllo and apricots……unusually very good creamy sweet ricotta and then that cherry vinaigrette just taste so Forking GOOD!
Plates from our last visit were…….
Korean Beef StewSwiss chard falafel sandwichBeet Toast
Singh Meadows Farmers Market and Cafe are Worth a Fork!
Worth a Fork!
www.SinghMeadowsTempe.com
Every thing is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
