I made quite the vegetarian feast last night, with help from Robin, Emily, and Chris. There were two amazing things about this meal which set it apart from other cooking adventures were that the food came out at the right time, so we weren’t waiting around too long for the next course, and things didn’t get cold. The other thing was that there were almost no leftovers, except for some blanched asparagus that will make a good late-night snack tonight.

To start off, we had a stracciatella, which is an Italian soup. Mine had vegetable broth and garlic simmered for a little while, to which you add fresh spinach and then shortly thereafter beaten eggs, parmesan, and bread crumbs with some salt and pepper. Once the eggs bind it’s ready to serve.

Robin took charge of the funghi arrosto con pignoli (mushrooms roasted with pine nuts) to which Emily added a generous helping of red pepper flakes. The next time we make this I’ll have to get a slotted baking dish so that the juices from the mushrooms drain out. I didn’t want to spring for the porcini mushrooms, but the Berkeley Bowl had some lovely large brown mushrooms that were plenty flavorful. This is a much easier dish than the rice-stuffed crimini/baby bella/porcini that I usually make.

For the main course I turned to How To Cook Everything, one of the best purchases I’ve made in the last year and a half (thanks, Winnie!). Simple food is often good food. Take the asparagus baked with parmesan for example. Emily said it was the best asparagus she’s ever had. Part of that has to go to the quality produce out here, but the cheese and asparagus together were pretty killer. The pasta was fettucine with spinach and cream sauce, which was also super-easy to make but very tasty, probably because of the butter and heavy cream. Fat is good.

The dessert was my favorite though — I found it in a book called The Vegetarian Feast that I picked up in a used bookstore. Bananas with dried raisins and apples, poached in white wine with vanilla. And some fresh whipped cream (with the rest of the heavy cream) on the side. I am going to devote my life to studying desserts made with bananas I think — they are so yummy!

For wine, there was a zinfandel from D Cubed (Napa Valley) and a pinot noir from Greenstone Point (Australia). The total cost per person was probably around $10, thanks to the Berkeley Bowl’s cheap (and delicious) produce.

Suppose one finishes a first stab at some MATLAB code around 1 AM and decides to celebrate by having some sake and reading a little. One might then read a very anti-labor short story by Heinlein (“The Roads Must Roll”) and get a little irritated, and then decide to play some solitaire. And one’s solitaire game may end up with all cards face up except for three in the hand — the 4, 5, and 6 of diamonds, only in the wrong order. This might just tempt one to break the rules, just this once, to make oneself feel better. But then one would have cheated, and one couldn’t have that. Thus one is relegated to the legions of those who didn’t quite made it. Luckily, however, success at solitaire is not a universal measure of success, so one can sleep with full assurance that a lack of success at solitaire means very little in the grand scheme of things.

I had a Pummelo today, and it was pretty tasty. Sweeter than a grapefruit, but with those huge cells of pulp that grapefruit has. It occurs to me that I don’t know what the cells in citrus fruits are called other than “pulp,” but pulp to me connotes the squished up cells. But the Latin name for the Pummelo is Citrus Maxima, which is just awesome. Apparently it’s a precursor to the grapefruit.

Why is it that when I want to sneeze, looking at a bright light will induce the sneeze? I was told once that it was a male thing only, but that has since been refuted.

I met a freshman who doesn’t know who Aerosmith is. I think talking to undergrads is bad for my sanity.

The other day I had 5 cups of coffee and I felt like my heart was going to explode. It used to be that I could sleep 3 hours a night, drink 3 cups of coffee a day, and function well enough to get all the stuff I had to get done done. I’m beginning to feel old.

Pardon the direct quote, but this is from Ask Dr. Science, a radio show:

Dear Doctor Science,
Why is it that after not sleeping for two weeks and drinking only coffee, I am able to see demons and control nature and fly and stuff like that?
— Brian Brunschoen from Portland , OR

Because lack of sleep and extreme caffeine consumption allow you to become the person you were truly meant to be: a self-deluded narcissist with an eating disorder. It’s only by getting to know our real selves that we can claim the power that is due us. Some people might encourage you to sleep or eat, but they’re just jealous, and wish they had your ability to see demons and fly. Oh sure, the circumstances of your life, or incarceration, might mean that you would do well to play along with their silly little games, but you and I know what you’re really up to. When you drink coffee, make sure you drink only the very best, Ethiopian Harrarrarrarraar, brewed with distilled water and just a hint
of chromium dioxide.

Classic.

[two children, BOBBY and SALLY sitting in the kitchen waiting for dinner, when all of a sudden two eyepatch-wearing villains in green swing in through though the window on ropes.]

PIRATE 1: Avast!
PIRATE 2: Arrrrr!
BOBBY: Who are you?
SALLY: Are you going to make us walk the plank?
BOBBY: I can’t swim!
PIRATE 1: Yer fate’ll be worse than that, ye swabs!
PIRATE 2: Ye’ll need a strong stomach to face yer fate,
PIRATE 1: Me name’s Broccoli Rob, and this is me first mate, Bruce.
PIRATE 2: But they calls me “Ell’s Sprouts.”
SALLY: Oh no, Bobby! I’ve heard of them! They’re the Green Sea Men!
BOBBY: What are you going to do to us?
PIRATE 1: We’re going to stuff you full of Vitamins A and K!
KIDS: Noooooooooooooooooo!

Ok, so it’s a work in progress. I blame Adam for the idea. Arrrr!

I’m really frustrated by the lack of information about Chinese food and vegetables on the web. I go to the local grocery and buy some “yau choy” from the produce section, and then come home to find only 3 hits when I look for recipes on google, and none of those have actual recipes for it. I found out it’s also called “oil seed rape” or “broccoli rabe.” The first sounds dirty, and the second sounds like a a underground techno party for vegetarians with colds. I see a lot of chinese cookbooks out there, but since I don’t know if any of them are any good, or authentic, or whatnot, I have no idea what to buy.

This goes along with my frustration at identifying the dish “Ling Gao with Sezuan Pickles,” which is served at King Fung Garden in Boston’s Chinatown only if you ask nicely (since it isn’t on the menu). Ling gao seems to refer to small 1-2″ long noodles that are oval, thick, and chewy. But I can’t find any information anywhere about these noodles, where to get them, what else they might be called, etc.

California has great produce, only I have no idea how to cook most of it. It’s not that I can’t make something up, but I would rather have some recipe at least point me in the right direction.