Sunday Dinner: Mushroom Shallot and Bacon Risotto-Stuffed Pork Chops

Autumn has officially converged onto Southern California, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Roasts are on sale at the grocery stores, the holiday paraphernalia is unavoidable, and the weatherman is false-alarming us with reports of possible rain. Ahhh, yes, autumn in L.A. is the best. With football season in place, Sundays are the perfect day to invite friends and family over for dinner (to be eaten AFTER the night game, of course...), and I've started feeling inspired with a few cozy recipes to share.

A few weeks ago, I had some of the best risotto I have ever had the pleasure of eating at the Michelin-rated Providence. I was determined to try to replicate it at home, although I was doubtful I could have included the summer white truffles Providence added into my humble version. However, I had one small issue: I had never made risotto. I knew it was a somewhat demanding and sensitive dish, but I feared not. I bought my package of arborio rice, read the directions on the back for a "Classic Risotto" and tweaked it Moonlighting Fooditor style. Here's my version:

3 cups clear chicken broth
8 oz. arborio rice
2 Tb unsalted butter
1 shallot, diced
1 cup white mushrooms (or other flavorful mushroom of your choice), diced
1 slice of thick cut bacon, cooked and diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp black pepper
Truffle oil

Simmer the chicken broth in a pot over medium heat. In a large skillet, saute the rice in 1 Tb of the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly. (You don't want the rice to toast or burn.) Add the shallot, mushrooms and bacon to the rice and saute until the shallot is clear in color. Add the white wine to the rice and continue to stire until the wine is absorbed. Slowly add one cup of the chicken broth and continue to stir, thickening the mixture. Add 1/2 cup of the broth at a time until the rice becomes creamy, but still wet. (There should still be a little bit of liquid in the risotto.) Fold in the remaining butter, parmesan, garlic salt and pepper, and add truffle oil to taste. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cover until you are ready to serve.

Now, for the stuffing, you should use thick cut pork sirloin chops. The risotto recipe above will make plenty of risotto to stuff four or five medium size pork chops, with a little left on the side. Pan sear your pork chops in a skillet over high heat for three minutes on each side, until you have a crisp glaze. Remove from the skillet and let them cool for a minute or two. Butterfly cut the pork chops in half so as to create a pocket for the risotto. Stuff each chop with risotto according to the size of the chop, and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Your porkchops should be moist, and the risotto that has been over low heat should be ready to serve! My boyfriend and I sauteed some asparagus and threw a spinach salad together for the greens. The result was a cozy and filling dinner (and naturally warm kitchen from using your oven!), just what you need after eating snacks and drinking diet coke (and/or beer) all day long while watching football.


Now your only challenge will be recruiting a dishwasher from the comatose guests sitting on your couch after dinner... Happy cooking!!!

Thanks for Making the Small Stuff Count, Smuckers!

The media does a great job of spreading fear and ignorance. One example is the recent campaign against high fructose corn syrup. I'm no scientist, or nutritionist, or chemist. But the mere name of this sweetener scares me. A lot. Anything extreme, ie. "high," should be questioned. After all, isn't moderation the key to happiness, or something like that?

To my surprise, I was taken aback to read the ingredients in my recently purchased jar of Smucker's Raspberry Jam. I knew the name Smuckers and their advertising had done a great job since my childhood of creating a loyalty to the brand. I trusted this brand name and fondly recalled the Smucker's "How Sweet It Is" morning celebrations on the Today Show, with Willard Scott celebrating the birthdays of awesome mature people who were living healthy prosperous and long lives. I even dreamed that one day my grandmother would be featured on his segment.

Oh the horror! To think that this great brand was using some weird non-naturally occurring ingredient to sweeten fruit preserves made me mad. What ever happened to good ol' SUGAR? At least I know from where and how that comes to exist in my cupboard, thanks to Mr. Alton Brown. And so, like the consumer watchdog that I am not, I set out to notify Smuckers of my dismay at their use of high fructose corn syrup.

On their website, they have an area in which to submit feedback, aka COMPLAINTS. (I mean, really, who uses this area for compliments? "Your blueberry jam rocked my baked brie!!") Anyway, I immediately knew that spending more than five minutes to complete the feedback form would most likely be five wasted minutes, and my complaint about the high fructose corn syrup would go into the ether, never to be acknowledged or even read by any live human at the Smuckers headquarters in Fruityville, or wherever they are headquartered.

I was dead wrong. Not more than 10 days after posting my complaint, I received a letter from the J.M. Smucker Company (they are actually headquartered in Orrville, Ohio, FYI). I opened the envelope to read a somewhat personalized letter, addressing my concern with the high fructose corn syrup and stating they would forward my comments to the appropriate personnel. They offered suggestions for other Smuckers products that are organic, or sweetened with sugar and/or natural fruit syrup, and included a coupon for up to $3.00 redeemable for any Smuckers product of my choice.



CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NOT DEAD!! Bravo, Smuckers, for the awesome response to my little complaint. The effort alone to respond to my comments is deserving of respect, and whether or not you change the ingredients in your products because of my complaint are not the issue. You listened and responded. For that, I thank you, J.R. Smucker Co.

Take note, Corporate America!! When your customers say "No high fructose corn syrup," just tell them you listened and give them a coupon. It will do wonders for your customer loyalty, even if we still really don't know what's going on behind the curtain.

Project Pegboard: Fake It Til' I Make It!!

This is a picture of a small project that my boyfriend and I worked on recently for the new apartment. For most, this isn't an unusual site in a crafty, heavy-cooking house-wifey kitchen. But alas, I am none of those things. I would love to think of myself as a heavy cooker (well, I prefer "curvy"), but the real truth is I am in love with the IDEA of being a cook. Having a fulltime job, trying to stay in shape with gym time, staying in touch with friends and work associates, etc. all factor into my lack of energy at 8 o'clock at night. Too tired to lift the heavy cast iron skillet... But, when I do have the time and the creative juices are flowing, there's no stopping me, not even three trips to three different stores for ingredients.

Thus, this project (we'll refer to it as 'Project Pegboard') was to help inspire me to do just that - cook more. After all, of what use is it to hang your shiny and heavy and regularly used cooking tools if they are just for artistic purpose? Eventually every single item hanging on that pegboard is going to get dusty and/or greasy and will need to be washed regularly anyway. So why not put them to use?

Well now I'm rambling, justifying my project to myself. I promise that I WILL cook more and utilize Project Pegboard for its most important purpose - INSPIRATION.

A great friend, who happens to be the Queen of Crafts and DIY small projects and previous roommate of mine, and I shared an apartment with a huge bare wall in our kitchen except for the one electrical outlet for the fridge. We had discussed utilizing that wall to hang a pegboard for our pots and pans (so Martha Stewart-esque, her idol...). She even had an article from the now defunct Domino magazine (RIP...) that had great instructions on how to create your own. It didn't seem complicated at all, but we never did act on the idea. Watching Julie and Julia helped to remind me of that kitchen project inaction...

Fast forward to a couple months ago, when I was studying the empty space in my new kitchen between the gigantic fridge and the wall. Just over four feet, I thought perhaps I could use it for a small bistro table and chairs, or maybe shelving for more storage space. Instead, I realized that most importantly, I needed more counter space. I had a great kitchen cart that fit perfectly in the space, but just above the cart was a huge naked wall. I remembered my roommate's and my previous idea to hang pots and pans.

Thanks to this fad called the internet, I found a simple DIY article in Chowhound for this Project Pegboard. And within a few days, my boyfriend and I were able to find the materials: leftover and perfectly measured and cut pegboard, and wood spacers at HomeDepot (in the wood scraps section), hooks, spraypaint, screws and anchors at Osh. With some loose measurements and with the help of the geometric pegboard holes, we were able to drill the holes and hang the sturdy pegboard within one or two lazy Sunday afternoons. Success!!


And thanks to an awesome gift from my boyfriend to this wannabee chef, I have beautiful shiny new stainless steel pots and pans to display! Let's hope that I don't burn the bottom of them too badly, since they are now celebrities...

Hope your Project Pegboard rocks like mine!!!

End of Summer Drama, Comedy and LOTS OF FOOD!

Hello, Friends!!

Autumn has formally descended upon us, and yet the weather says otherwise! Well, at least for us here in the North American Sahara known as Southern California. My apologies for being so absent during the last month and a half, but I have lots to update you!! I won't do it all in this one post, of course, but I am happy to be back sharing with you some of the fun and exciting events that rounded out my summer of 09.

Some of you may know that I moved in the middle of August from one part of LA to another. And sadly, I could not take my garden with me. However, I did take pictures of the beautiful tomatoes that flourished from months of patience and endurance, and I crossed my fingers that my previous roommate would continue to take care of the beauties in the garden upon my departure.






The cherry tomatoes grew like crazy, while their mellow yellow cousins took their sweet time, but oh how sweet they were when they ripened!! The one lonely green tomato you see was the one and only HEIRLOOM that I saw slowly grow, beautiful and glorious and oh so desired. Nearly in tears to have to leave my little garden, I was proud of what I had accomplished in six months with the help of my boyfriend. The thought of leaving the fruits of my hands was unacceptable, and so I uprooted the Serrano Pepper plants that also had sprouted so beautifully.



I am happy to report that of the four pepper plants I attempted to take with me to my new apartment, two have survived the shock and transport and are THRIVING!! I will be updated you soon with photos from the new homefront. Unfortunately I left my herbs, but I am anxious to replant some more and keep those handy in my kitchen. Updates to come soon!!

Immediately after the drama and soreness of moving, my car broke down. And when I say it broke down, I mean it BROKE DOWN... However, this didn't stop me from keeping my ear to the ground and my hands in the food! I was able to get away for a weekend in San Francisco for the Outside Lands Music Festival, and of course besides enjoying a weekend full of music, my friends and I enjoyed a weekend full of food. LOTS of food.

Keep your eyes out for my future blogs from:

* San Francisco: Slanted Door at The Ferry Building, Golden Star Vietnamese Restaurant in Chinatown, Brandi Ho's and Mama's in North Beach, and Hamburgers in Sausalito!
* WeHo/Hollywood: Bistro LQ and Street
* Downtown LA: Würstkuche
* Kitchen Arts & Crafts

I can't wait to share all the photos and stories!! Stay tuned!! In the meantime, here are some teaser photos for you. See if you can guess their place of origin:







Lots of Food and even more Love,

The Moonlighting Fooditor

Dear UrbanDaddy: Madame Royale = FAIL

I recently celebrated another year of this life o'mine with many loved ones. A girlfriend of mine (whose birthday is the day after mine) and I decided to co-party it up this year by combining our celebrations. We thought it would be so much fun to just have one big soiree and call it another year.

So we began to investigate restaurants where we could have a nice intimate dinner with just immediate close friends, small enough where finalizing the bill wouldn't require a half hour. We wanted to have fun and go somewhere we hadn't previously been, and we soon landed upon a new French restaurant in West Hollywood, Bistro LQ, which I will be blogging about in the next day or so - stay tuned!! However, we struggled a bit with finding a central and fun place for drinks after dinner with our larger group of friends. Wanting to try somewhere new and not too "edgy" as we would normally frequent, we landed upon a recommendation by UrbanDaddy for a bar called Madame Royale. The write-up about this Hollywood newbie made it sound fresh and very French, in line with our French dinner and rounding out a nice theme for the evening. Plans, however, seldom work out the way you plan them.

UrbanDaddy's positive review of the Moulin Rouge-esque bar appealed to us because it was different and seemed to be a less than pretentious Hollywood bar whose Parisian atmosphere and (hopefully) strong drinks would make the birthday celebration one we would hardly forget (or remember, if the pours were done right). HOWEVER... I am here today to tell UrbanDaddy, my fellow bloggers, blog readers and friends that Madame Royale nearly ruined our birthday night of fun.

As is typically the case, our dinner party ran a bit later than we wanted. We invited a large group of friends to meet us at Madame Royale, the previous location to Goldfingers and Play on Yucca at Cahuenga, at 9pm. We knew that a 9pm invitation time would translate to closer to 9:30 or 10pm, which it did. As we were quickly trying to leave the restaurant and head to Hollywood, our phones began to ring. The few friends who arrived "early" at 9:30 were told that Madame Royale was not yet open for business. Mind you, it was a Saturday night in Hollywood. We rushed the couple miles into Hollywood, fearful that our friends were standing outside waiting for the women of the hour to arrive.

When we finally did arrive, close to 10pm, we exited the cab to find two large bouncers, equipped with stupid Secret Service earbuds, standing outside of the front door with a small velvet rope. My fellow birthday-er and myself don't frequent Hollywood clubs at all, but this bar was not on Cahuenga, Hollywood Blvd, or Sunset. We weren't intimidated by the velvet rope or the bouncers. We saw our few stranded guests outside waiting for us, and we immediately asked the bouncers A) what time the bar opens, to which they responded, "Sometime between 10 and 11," and B) where the manager was, who I had previously spoken to about making a reservation at Madame Royale. The bouncers' ambiguous and fuzzy answer about business hours was LESS than acceptable. What kind of bar, old or new, doesn't open by 10pm on a Saturday night in LA???? Here we were, anticipating a party of thirty people or more, all drinkers of alcohol, waiting for this stupid pretentious bar to open, but it was too busy trying to create a line of people outside to build buzz while it sat COMPLETELY EMPTY INSIDE.

It was our birthday, and we weren't having any of this kind of stupidity. I ::possibly:: used a couple choice words for the bouncers, and we immediately left, all 10 of us thus far, down the Cahuenga corridor where we found another bar that would take our green money and serve us some stiff drinks. Our French theme quickly turned into a Mexican theme, which was fine with us. Alcohol tastes just as strong in both countries.

So, UrbanDaddy, please take this review as a big fat FAIL on your part to find a place that wouldn't even bother SERVING the supposed "discriminating" patron like myself. Just because I live near Hollywood doesn't mean I'm going to play it's stupid games, especially when it comes to my birthday and my alcohol.

As for you, Madame Royale, you will last just about as long as a pretentious and presumptuous bar typical to the Hollywood scene. I give you less than a year before you start to financially fail, not because you don't have a fun and unique atmosphere, but because you won't let people enjoy it and spend their money on you.

Parlez vous FAIL?

Kamsamnida, Korean BBQ!!!

I have been an Angelino for over 10 years now, but growing up in San Diego, I did not have the opportunity to become acquainted much with the Korean culture. Of course there were Koreans in San Diego, but they were often among a large diverse mix of Hispanics, Japanese, Samoans, Filipinos, etc. However, living in Los Angeles where the largest Korean population exists outside of North or South Korea themselves, it is nearly impossible not to become acquainted and grow very fond of Korean culture and, more importantly, food.

After attempting to dine solo on a Korean lunch once about five years ago, I failed to understand the pairings of so many side dishes with noodles and meat. I just didn't get all of the little containers in my gigantic take-out paper bag. So when I was invited last night by my girlfriend and her Korean fiance, I gladly accepted the invitation to learn more about this wondrous and healthy culture and culinary experience.

We drove into Koreatown and emerged onto Vermont just north of Olympic to one of hundreds of strip mall Korean BBQ eateries in a two mile radius. Our eatery of choice was Soowon Galbi, packed with patrons at every table on a Tuesday night. The aroma of grilling is irresistible - it beckons you from the parking lot. We waited patiently for a table and were seated thankfully near a door. You see, Korean BBQ requires you to grill your own meat and veggies on a small tabletop grill in front of you. So I knew I was going to come out of there smelling like a steak. Not that I minded at all...

I had experienced Korean BBQ before with friends, but I did not get to enjoy it with a Korean friend who could speak and joke with the waitresses like my friend's fiance. Well prepared for the plethora of side dishes, I was comforted by having an ambassador at the table to explain the history and technique behind the cuisine. He quickly ordered three meats for us to enjoy, and before I knew it, here came the twenty or so tiny dishes, covering the table.

Chris (friend's fiance) explained the different sauces, some hot and some not, that you could enjoy with the pickled seaweed, bean sprouts, kimchi, radishes, fish and vegetable cakes, and everything else lining the table. Koreans love spicy, and I love spicy, so already I was loving my meal. The waitress came back to the table and said a few words to Chris, who she assumed spoke Korean fluently (he doesn't speak it but understands it... good thing he's cute enough to just laugh and get away with speaking to her in Kor-English), and before we knew it she was slapping a gigantic plateful of thinly slices brisket onto our hot grill. It was a site to behold! What makes Korean BBQ such a fun experience is the interactive way you eat it. You help each other out by watching the meat and making sure it doesn't burn. The Koreans aren't really afraid of germs from person to person, as we each dipped our chopsticks over and over again into the side dishes and meat. Germs are overrated anyway. Our ambassador had shown us how to eat our meat in a small wonton-like taco, wrapping it up with some salad and hot sauce in a flat square rice noodle. I'm half Mexican, so I instantly felt at home with this technique. It was second nature!

The second round quickly came after we devoured the thinly cut brisket, which was so tasty and the perfect start. We segued into a plate of 3 large strips of pork belly - I just fell more and more in love as the night went on. Our lovely waitress cut the pork belly pieces and threw in some onions and mushrooms onto the grill. We fried up the small pork pieces, while we found a second round of small plates being ushered onto our overflowing table. Two favorites of mine were the fluffy omelette in a bowl, and the bean paste soup.
The omelette was so light and seasoned with scallions, and quite hot. Apparently the Koreans are very keen on freshness, which also translates into the hottest temperatures possible for food just out of the kitchen. Equally as hot was the bean paste soup, which after letting cool down a bit, I enjoyed thoroughly. Fresh pieces of tofu and meat as well as jalapeno and zucchini made the soup a nice break from my meat overload.


Our final victim on the grill was an order of beautifully marbled rib eye. The Koreans know me so well! They served so many of my favorite flavors - beef, pork, sipcy, egg... We almost thought we were all too full to continue, but after smelling the rib eye grilling up into a nice medium rare, it was nearly impossible to turn away, full belly or not. The meat was tender and juicy, and at that very moment, I thought to myself that this was possibly the best dessert I could ever have. What I appreciated most about the meal was that as full as I was, the small bites of meat and side dishes allowed for a slow digestive process - the entire dinner took just over two hours. Oh, and we were all wrong: we had PLENTY of room to finish off the rib eye.

Finally, as I was looking up the Korean names for our meat entrees, I noticed the very back of the menu had instructions and history on the side dishes and techniques for a Korean BBQ meal. This was perfect for the naive like myself, and I found it refreshing and very kind for the restaurant to share this information. Or they were probably just sick of trying to explain it all to ignorant patrons like myself over and over again everyday...





All in all, I can't wait to have Korean BBQ again. I am feeling just confident enough to even try it on my own! No more wondering what the hell I do with this pickled cabbage or spicy hot sauce and bean sprouts in my takeout bag. Kamsanida, kamsamnida!!

The Start of the Magical Ghetto Burger Tour!!

Hi friends! I know it has been a little while since my last lovely little post, but I'll have you know, I have been quite busy!! Life has a great way of reminding you that you are just a weeeeee speck of dust in the large universe, while larger forces move around you bringing birth, death, future plans, career moves, etc. Before I knew it, weeks had gone by without updating my bloggy-blog!! Believe me, it isn't because I haven't recently dined anywhere fabulous, but rather it was just that a few recent challenges came my way for me to kick their butt. Now that I've done that, here's a post to get you through your weekend: we're going on a Magical Ghetto Burger Tour!!!

Not to be confused with a psychedelic Beatles-esque acid trip in the woods while staring at trees and kaleidoscope figures, but rather this is the start of a tour of some of LA's less popular or known burger joints in some of the more colorful and exciting parts of town. We'll visit those parts deemed "notorious" and seek out the peaceful and uniting power of food. No matter what race, nationality, color or orientation, EVERYONE loves good food.

Our first stop is Mom's Burgers in Compton, CA. Situated just north of the industrial area of the 91 freeway, the small traditional burger stand sits quietly along Alondra Avenue across the street from an inviting Southern Baptist Church. It was a warm Saturday afternoon when we made the trip to try a famously big and juicy Mom's burger. While there wasn't a line of customers waiting, business was quite steady at 3pm.

The menu includes various burger options including a bacon burger, a double meat burger, a turkey burger, and even Mom's special with a fried egg on your burger. Being my first trip, I decided to try a good starter burger - the bacon cheeseburger. Because each burger is made to order, your service is definitely not "fast." They also don't ask the customer how they like the burger to be cooked, but I feared not. A meal comes with a side of fries, which are not just salted, but SEASONED salted. We were off to a great start.

The burger is cooked medium without a hint of pink. Not really my preference, but it was still juicy and tasty. The burger itself stood out with its peppery seasoning and slight char. The bacon, on the other hand, could have used another minute or two on the grill, as it was a bit undercooked. But the burger was definitely worth the drive to the 91, and even with a full belly of burger, the fries were hard to resist.

Overall, Mom's Burger did not disappoint. The traditional burger stand proved it could compete against many other lauded joints, and I look forward for the next stop on the Magical Ghetto Burger Tour - stay tuned!!