Beer post: Duck Rabbit Rabid Duck Russian Imperial Stout

Bad ass review.

agreed.

Egg Noodles "Scampi"

I love the flavor combinations of parsley, lemon and garlic. Here is a vegetarianized version that could be a one dish meal.

2 cups egg noodles, cooked according to package directions
4 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup tempeh, cubed
1 cup zucchini, sliced
1/2 cup peas, frozen
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsely, chopped
1/2 lemon or 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste

1. Cook egg noodles according to package directions and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in wide skillet over medium high heat, once hot, add in garlic until fragrant.
3. Add tempeh, continue cooking for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add zucchini and peas.
5. Cook 5-8 more minutes, or until soft and bright green.
6. Turn off heat, top with parsley and lemon juice, and add in egg noodles.
7. Toss well and serve.

You could also use butter instead of olive oil and add in white wine to thicken the sauce a bit. I think this took about 20-30 minutes.

Sambar post

Perhaps what I love more than Indian food is South Indian food. Masala dosa has to be an all-time favorite. Dosa is made from a rice and split black gram fermented batter, poured into a pan like a crepe, and then stuffed with masala potatoes, and served alongside a steamy tuver dhal based sambar with coriander and cumin aromas.

What makes me appreciate sambar more than anything is using your own garden grown veggies in the recipe. Sambar vegetables usually include squash, peppers, and tomatoes. I personally love okra, tomatoes, eggplant, onions (or leeks), and lots and lots of fresh and ground coriander (ground coriander seed + cilantro). Because I enjoy more of a "sour" sambar, I'll use less tomato and more tamarind paste. You could use any variety of soup/stew style veggies.



This is my mom's sambar recipe tweaked with my ocd sambar obsession. If you can't find these ingredients (I've put substitutions or links in the ingredient listing, these are just FYI), try a South Indian Vegetarian restaurant. I recommend Tower in Morrisville, NC. You can't go wrong.

Sambar
Serves 4 or more.

1 C tuver dhal

2 C water

Cook in pressure cooker and set aside (you can also cook on stove top in pot; skim off foamy liquids and mash coarsely when done)

In large stockpot

(vaghar)

1 T oil

1/2 t channa dhal

1/2 t urad dhal

1 1/2 t cumin seeds

1/2 c onions, chopped

1/4 t hing or asafoetida powder (or use garlic powder)

8-10 mitta limbda leaves (or use bay leaves)

1 1/2 c mixed sambar vegetables (shallots, carrots, okra, eggplant, tomatoes)

1 t turmeric

2 T sambar powder
1 T cumin, ground
1 T coriander, ground

1 T tamarind concentrate

1/2 cup tomato sauce or 2 tomatoes, chopped

1-2 cups water

1 t salt

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1. Heat oil in large stockpot over medium heat.
2. Add channa, urad, cumin, hing and mitta limbda leaves. Cook 3 minutes.
3. Next add shallots if using and onions.
4. Stir in sambar vegetables.
5. Next add tuver, extra water and bring to a boil. Add salt and turmeric. Bring to a boil cook 5-6 more minutes
   
6. Add sambar powder, tamarind and tomato sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary
7. Garnish with chopped cilantro

Note:

t = teaspoon

T= = tablespoon

Beer post: Victory Storm King Imperial Stout

This delicious imperial stout pours dark like a great French roast coffee, it even has that nice creamy ¼ inch layer on top. It’s heavy. It smells a little of roasted chicory and barley (which I think is sweet, if you can characterize a smell as sweet). It’s thick, dark, and creamy with no floral aromas, but with a pungently astringent hoppy aftertaste. Imperial stouts ruin my appreciation for regular stouts. I love stouts and porters, but this stuff is so tasty it makes me want some hot bread and butter, which for me, always goes well with beer.

Tried from a 12 oz bottle, poured into a pint glass, 9.1% alc/vol, 175 calories

Likert Scale :( 1...2...3...4...5 :)

p.s my fave Courtney buggalie lovalie's wedding bliss is getting it's own Storm King; Tropical Storm/Cat 1 Hurricane Hanna has rained it out. Weather forecasts project 4-6 inches of rain along the eastern 95 corridor, with a 6 foot storm surge between Myrtle Beach and Wilmington, Destination of wedding: Ocean Isle, NC. outlook: bleak and wet.