Wok Set Review and a Giveaway

Thank you , everyone, for participating in this giveaway! The entries are now closed. Those of you who guessed eel were very close, but it is actually something a little bit different. Therefore, I will be picking a winner from all the entries and will announce the winner along with the recipe for stir-fry Monday or Tuesday. Meanwhile, please look out for the course #3 in my Luxury Party for Project Food Blog challenge later today to find out what the secret protein is!

Recently, I have received a Taylor & Ng Wok Set from Wayfair to review. The main piece in the set is a gorgeous preseasoned 14” single handle flat bottom wok. Flat bottom means that it can be used on either gas or electric stove, with or without a wok ring. It's already preseasoned, so it is easy to take care of, and no initial cleaning or heating is necessary. The other parts of the set include a wood knob dome wok cover to help retain heat while cooking and bamboo utensils: fork, spatula, rice paddle, ladle and 1-pair bamboo cooking chopsticks.



Although the wok is preseasoned, it is not quite 100% non-stick, especially at the sides, so proper amount of oil is necessary when using this wok. Also, proper care is required as listed in the accompanying instruction booklet. Specifically, after cleaning, a small amount of oil is necessary to wipe on the inside surface to reinforce the seasoning and to prevent rusting.

For the last few weeks have been having a lot of fun making all kinds of stir-fry dishes.



This interesting stir-fry features a protein that I will be talking more about in an upcoming post. Can you guess what it is? Leave me a comment with your guesses to win $50 gift certificate to Wayfair to perhaps purchase a wok set or anything else you may like! The person with the correct answer will be the winner, and if more than one person guesses correctly, the winner will be picked randomly from the correct guesses. If there are no correct answers, I will pick the winner randomly from all of the comments.

The shipping for the Wayfair products is within United States and Canada but my international readers can still participate to either pass the gift certificate or purchase a gift for someone, a relative or a foodie friend, residing in US or Canada. The deadline for this giveaway is midnight on Saturday, October 2.

Cheese Saganaki and PFB Vote!

In addition to making Shrimp Saganaki for the Project Food Blog challenge, I've also made the Cheese Saganaki, the Greek-style fried cheese. This is an easy appetizer that can be made in minutes and is always so very good.

Saganaki is traditionally made with Kefalotiri cheese. This is a hard cheese made of typically goat or sheep milk with mild, savory, and salty flavors.

To make saganaki:

Cut the Kefalotiri cheese into slices, about 1/2 inch thick. Brush with egg wash or just warm water, on all sides. Dip in flour, and then fry in a pan with a little oil until golden. Serve immediately, while the cheese is still melted.

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This week, I am busy in the kitchen developing new gourmet recipes for the fabulous party I am planning in hopes to participate in the challenge # 3 of the Project Food Blog. I would love to share the new dishes with you this weekend, so please help me advance to the next round and vote for my Shrimp Saganaki here!!!

Project Food Blog Challenge # 2: Shrimp Saganaki

Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments, and your votes on the first challenge for Project Food Blog! For the second challenge, I am sharing a classic Greek dish known as Shrimp Saganaki that I learned about this summer in Greece. Voting is now open on Project Food Blog! I would appreciate your support - please vote for my entry here!

For me, the best part about visiting a new country is learning about its cultural traditions and its cuisine. This summer, I experienced travel to three different countries: Ireland, France, and Greece. We have been to both Ireland and France before, but this was my first time visiting Greece. Greek cuisine is therefore most unfamiliar for me and has been fascinating to learn about. Through this recent experience eating in authentic Greek tavernas, I learned about a variety of Greek specialties I had never heard of, nor tasted before.

One such dish is Shrimp Saganaki, a very popular classic Greek specialty. I had heard about Saganaki prior to visiting Greece, however I had thought that this dish pertained only to a specialty fried cheese. What I discovered, however, is that the term "saganaki" refers to a small skillet with two handles in which dishes such as fried cheese, as well as other specialties, are cooked. Garides (Shrimp) Saganaki, for example, is a dish consisting of shrimp cooked in tomato sauce on the stove, topped with feta, and finished off by baking it in the oven. We had some wonderful versions of Shrimp Saganaki in Greece, and spoke with at least one Greek who assured us that he had married his wife because of her mastery of this dish!

My preferred method of making an ethnic dish as authentic as it can be is by replicating it from my memory of tasting it. The best Shrimp Saganaki I tasted was from Athens, and when I came back home I worked on getting the right ingredients in just the right combination to match its textures, consistency, and taste. I have successfully replicated this dish, to the delight of my family, and I am very excited to share it with my readers today.



Ingredients: (2-4 appetizer servings)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (preferably high quality Greek oil)
1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 fresh medium tomatoes, peeled, pureed, and strained
2 tablespoons mastic liqueur (substitute ouzo or white wine)
1 teaspoon sugar
salt, pepper to taste
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and cleaned with tails on
1 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
3 oz feta

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. In a small skillet, heat the oil. Place onions and sauté for a few minutes until translucent. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 30 seconds more.

Add the tomato paste, pureed tomatoes, mastic liqueur, sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

Add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute on one side and 30 seconds more on the other side.

Stir in 1 tablespoon of parsley and oregano. Remove from the heat and transfer to a baking dish. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. Garnish with the remaining parsley.



Serve as part of mezze platter or as a main course over rice.

International Incident Party: Deviled Eggs with Potato, Irish Cheddar, and Bacon

Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments and your votes on the first challenge of the Project Food Blog! Please check out my entry for the challenge #2 here!



One of my favorite recipes on The Daily Spud is the fabulous Egg Baked Potato. It is a twice-baked potato, with the baked potato used as a shell to bake an egg, a very clever idea.

Following a recent trend of "deconstructing" a recipe of your favorite foodie friends, started by the talented Tanantha at I Just Love My Apron, I made a new dish inspired by Daily Spud's egg baked potato. My deconstructed concept is essentially an "inside out" version of the original dish, Deviled Eggs with a filling of potato, cheese, fried bacon, and onions. These deviled eggs were excellent!



Ingredients: (for 6 deviled eggs)

3 hard-boiled eggs
1 medium potato
Olive oil
2 tablespoons onions, minced
1 slice bacon, finely chopped
3 tablespoons cheddar, such as Dubliner, shredded
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt, pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Prick the potato all over with a fork and brush with olive oil. Bake until soft and tender for about 30-40 minutes, depending on the exact size of the potato. Cool, cut in half and scoop all the flesh out. Mash with a fork. (Alternatively, use leftover mashed potatoes).

In a frying pan, heat a tablespoon of oil. Add onion and bacon and saute until onions are golden brown.

Place potatoes and onion-bacon mixture in a bowl. Add cheddar and mayonnaise, and mix everything together well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Peel the hard-boiled eggs carefully under cool running water. Gently dry with paper towels. Slice the eggs in half. Remove the yolks and a little bit of the white to have enough space for the filling (reserve the egg yolks for another use such as egg salad). Place the egg white halves on a serving plate and fill each with a spoonful of the potato mixture. Garnish with parsley.

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Please check out what everyone else brought to the party and happy birthday wishes to this month's co-host Tasty Trix and all September babies!

Summer 2010: Dublin for Lunch

Our lunch of choice during our stay in Dublin was freshly baked bread accompanying the wonderful cheeses we got in Sheridan's, a cheese shop featuring an excellent selection of Irish farmhouse cheeses.

St. Gall cheese is a semi-soft cheese made from raw cow milk. It comes from Fermoy in County Cork. St. Gall cheese is made in the style of Gruyere and Appenzeller. It has a velvety texture and a mature, pleasant taste similar to hazelnuts with hints of wild grasses.



Coolea Cheese is a cow milk cheddar similar to Gouda, handmade on a mountain farm in Coolea, County Cork. This hard cheese is firm and crumbly with a nuanced taste of nuttiness and caramel.



Killeen Goat cheese is a farmhouse goat cheese from County Galway. It is firm but creamy, with a mild, sweet buttery taste reminiscent of wild flowers and honey.



Cashel Blue is one of Ireland's most popular blue cheeses. It is a semi-soft blue cheese made from cow milk on a family farm in Tipperary, Ireland. It is perfectly creamy with medium sharpness that is pleasant and not too overpowering.



Wicklow Blue is a unique blue brie, made in County Wicklow. This delicate cheese is creamy and buttery, with a mild, tangy taste and a little sweetness.



We were very fortunate to taste these delicious Irish cheeses, most of which we wouldn't be able to find in US, and we have to thank my blogger friend Aoife from The Daily Spud for telling us about Sheridan's.

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My daughter and I were able to meet Aoife for lunch at a restaurant called Bentley's. It was so much fun to meet my friend in person! We really enjoyed our conversation with her, and she was so nice and patient, answering my daughter's many questions and listening to all her stories. Also, I didn't have my camera with me that day, and I am very thankful that Aoife sent me the pictures of our meal so I can share them with my readers.

We enjoyed our meal at Bentley's. My daughter and I shared a delicious plate of gnocchi with roasted tomato sauce to start.

image courtesy of The Daily Spud

Our main course was the pork and leek sausages with caramelized onions and mashed potatoes.

image courtesy of The Daily Spud

For a sweet finish, we had a berry tart which my daughter was critical of, giving it a score of 5 out of 10. I actually thought it was not too bad.

image courtesy of The Daily Spud

We also got a taste of the amazing fish pie that Aoife ordered and it was the true star of our lunch.

image courtesy of The Daily Spud

In Aoife's writeup of our get-together, she made her own version of fish pie which looks just wonderful. So, even though Bentley's is now actually closed, you all can head over to The Daily Spud right now and check out her fabulous recipe!

Summer Trip 2010: Dublin for Breakfast

In Dublin, we stayed next to the St. Stephen's Green park, a public city park right in the city center. We loved spending time in this park, relaxing on sunny days, reading our books, or feeding the ducks and chasing pigeons.



A walk through St. Stephen's Green leads directly to Grafton Street, the most central pedestrian street in Dublin. Here, we always found a lot of fun street performances, lots of shopping, and some great dining spots.



On a busy weekday morning, the best place to grab a delicious breakfast bite is the Butler's Chocolate Café.



Besides the fabulous selection of gourmet chocolates of all kinds, they have the most delicious freshly baked croissants.



The almond croissant is actually my favorite here.



Butler's hot chocolate is incredibly luscious.



The special dark hot chocolate is wonderfully rich and flavorful.



My daughter definitely enjoyed her breakfasts here!



On weekend mornings, Grafton street is much quieter, and one place that opens early is the legendary Bewley's Oriental Café. Bewley's is an Irish company, founded in 1840, that produces coffee and tea for sale around the world. Bewley's Oriental Café has been operating on Grafton street since 1927. Their coffee is terrific and they have lots of delicious options for breakfast as well as bites throughout the day. A full Irish breakfast here is actually a reasonable portion.



This plate consists of potato farl, grilled bacon, sausage, tomato, black pudding, mushrooms, poached egg, a special relish and two slices of toast.

My personal favorite are the scones. The mixed berry scones are just gorgeous.



The fruit scones with raisins are also excellent.



After a good breakfast, it is time to start sightseeing. On top of Grafton Street is a statue of Molly Malone, inspired by the famous Irish folk song.

A visit to Trinity College across the street is a must as it hosts the Book of Kells, the world's most famous and oldest book.



The next important stop is Dublin Castle. The castle was built originally as a Norman fortress and now serves as a place for many functions of the government. The tour of the castle is fascinating, and the most intriguing part is found underground where the remains of the original Viking city of 1000 years ago can be seen. Hidden away are the beautiful Castle gardens where we love to spend time. This is also the location of Chester Beatty library which hosts many wonderful art exhibits.



Also on the itinerary are St. Patrick's Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, and Dublinia, wonderful interactive historical exhibits about Viking and Medieval Dublin.




In Dublinia, the food tent at the fair exhibit got my attention.




It must be almost time for lunch!

Summer Trip 2010: Ireland, Our Summer Home

Voting is now open on Project Food Blog! I would appreciate your support - please vote for my entry here!

The base location for our European stay this summer was in Dublin, Ireland. This was actually the second time my daughter and I have come to Ireland. However, this time we were able to stay for a longer period and stayed in an apartment in Dublin, as opposed to a hotel.

It was a terrific experience living in another city abroad. We really got to know Dublin very well, so much so that it seemed like our second home. Our apartment was located right in the center, and we enjoyed being able to walk to all of the major sights, beautiful city parks, restaurants, and shopping.



Our apartment was pretty cozy, with just the basics but still plenty of space for us. We even had an extra bedroom that enabled my mother-in-law to visit us in Dublin for a few days during our stay. Although we were challenged with an almost nonexistent internet connection, it was a comfortable stay.



I'm sure everyone here is most curious about the kitchen. I didn't mind that it was small but it was also pretty poorly equipped. Before I left on my trip, I was thinking that I would have a hard time cooking without my immersion blender and other fancy gadgets, and would have to be doing more basic cooking. Well, I really did get down to the very basics! All I had was a pot, an old frying pan, a dull knife, and an unstable cutting board.



Still, I did make some nice meals mainly due to some wonderful ingredients I was able to find in a few great food stores. We started shopping in Liston's, a deli and a gourmet food store.



Then, my friend Aoife @ Daily Spud also recommended Fallon & Byrne, a fabulous store that almost reminded me of my beloved Wegmans with so many amazing unique products from all over the world.



I didn't take pictures of all of the meals we had but here are some examples.

We found cute little Tomberries, the world's smallest tomato!



And terrific free range duck eggs.



I started to fry the duck eggs and they looked so gorgeous in a frying pan.




Belatedly, I discovered that I didn't have a spatula I could use. Still, I was able to save one for a picture.



We also got some fabulous Organic Irish Smoked Salmon and a flavorful White Wine, Smoked Garlic, and Thyme sauce to mix in with pasta.




We ate quite a few Irish sausages with mashed new Irish Queen potatoes.



In the next few posts, I will tell you more about our stay in Ireland, including a virtual tour of Dublin's sights and delicious bites, lunch with my blogger friend Aoife @ Daily Spud, our Irish cheese tastings, a review of Michelin-starred L'Ecrivain, and weekend trips exploring the Irish countryside. Please, stay tuned!