New Foods

At the time I was establishing my New Year's Resolutions, Cole suggested trying a new food from time to time. I decided not to make it a resolution, but to make it common practice! I will go to Iceland in October and can't wait to try skyr, hákarl, and Brennivín.  In the meanwhile, here is my list, in order of deliciousness.

Steak and ale pie over mashed potatoes with carrots.

Steak and ale pie: Eaten piping hot on a rainy day in a pub in Hawkshead, England. Seriously, what's not to love? The Brits KNOW how to make meat pies.

Barramundi: I first heard about this fish on a Food Network show, so when I saw flash frozen fillets at the store, I purchased a few. Other than shark, I don't think I've ever tasted fish I didn't like. I pan seared it and served it with a sauce made from butter, white wine, lemon, onion and capers (thanks, Food Network!).

Albariño wine from Rías Baixas: delicious, crisp white wine from Spanish albariño grapes. Never heard of it, can't pronounce Rías Baixas, but bring it on!

Tatsoi: Asian leafy green (spinach). Prepared for me with butter and roasted radish. I guess I can also add roasted radishes to this list, which are so much better than raw ones. Delicious, in fact.

Chayote: I made a chicken poblano stew twice before and excluded this ingredient because I didn't know what it was. Not this time!  In the squash family, it has a cucumber quality. Like Rías Baixas, I can't pronounce it, but I'm down with chayote.

Tomato jam: Found in a blob on a delicious cheese plate appetizer, made with allspice. Tasty and strange. I can't imagine how else you would eat it if not with a slab of yummy foul-smelling cheese.

Homemade roasted radishes with carrots.

Roasted radishes: They were delicious with my tatsoi, so I tried them at home. I roasted them with carrots, olive oil, and thyme. They were not as delicious as the restaurant prepared them, but tasty still. I need to experiment further with them to perfect the flavor.

Farro: Not sure why it has a special name, but it's wheat kernels. Hard to rank, because how bland it is depends on how it's prepared. Mine was tossed with roasted vegetables and sauced with lemon, served over pureed peas. Meh. How excited can anyone possibly be about wheat kernels? Or pureed peas?

Goat vindaloo: Smoky, earthy, Indiany, but my portion from the Indian buffet had large hunks still connected to bone shards and occasional gristle. Maybe boneless goat vindaloo nuggets would be more my speed.

Pickled celery: Found on the same cheese plate as the tomato jam. Marty snatched it up. If you pickle it, Marty will eat it, even celery. For my palate, it was entirely tooooo pickled.