"Casablanca"

On September 18, 2010 we decided on a night of North African passion: Casablanca and a Moroccan feast. It was a resounding success as the food lived up to our expectations, but the movie proved to be, as of yet, the only film that no one disliked! A coup! To say the least. Enjoy the recipes and our post-film discussion!

RECIPES

Drinks

Moroccan Mint Tea Cocktail

Ingredients(one serving):

- 4 whole mint leaves

- 1/2 cup pre-made sweetened ice tea

- small splash lime juice

- ice

Directions:

1. Add ice and mint leaves into a cocktail shaker. Shake a few times to bruise mint leaves. Add remaining ingredients and shake to combine. Pour into ice tea glass.

Appetizers

Grilled Red Pepper and Hummus Spread

Ingredients (serves 6):

- 1 box of canned chickpeas

- 24 pieces of julienned grilled red peppers

- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

- 1 tablespoon of finely minced parsley

- 1 teaspoon of cumin

- 1/4 teaspoon of paprika

- 1/4 teaspoon of salt

- 1 baguette of French bread

- 100g of feta cheese

- 1 clove of garlic, minced

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Combine the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, cumin, paprika, salt

and olive oil in a food prosessor, cover and mix until smooth consistency.

2. Cut the pieces of bread diagonally into 24 pieces. Grill the bread in the oven.

3. Spread the hummus onto the bread. Place some feta cheese and a piece of grilled pepper on top of the hummus. Serve.

Grilled pepper and hummus appetizer

Salads

Cucumber and Olive Salad

Ingredients (serves 4):

- 4 Lebanese (short) cucumbers

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1 finely chopped red onion

- 3 teaspoons caster sugar

- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

- 60 ml olive oil

- 1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon thyme

- freshly ground pepper to taste

- 90g black olives

Directions:

1. Wash cucumbers and dry with paper towels. Do not peel cucumbers if the skin is tender.

2. Coarsely grate the cucumbers, mix with salt and leave to drain well.

3. Add the red onion and sugar to the cucumbers and toss together.

4. Beat the vinegar with the olive oil in a small bowl, then add the lemon thyme and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

5. Whisk the ingredients together and pour over the cucumber.

6. Cover and chill for 15 minutes. Scatter with black olives and serve.

Note on the cucumber and olive salad: We left out the sugar and didn't have lemon thyme, so instead used a combination of thyme and lemongrass to replace the otherwise unavailable lemon thyme. Turned out just fine!

Warm Eggplant Salad

Ingredients (serves 6):

- 1lb eggplants

- 3 tomatoes

- olive oil for frying

- 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic

- 1 teaspoon of paprika

- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

- 2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander

- 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

- 1/2 preserved lemon

Directions:

1. Using a vegetable peeler, remove strips of skin along the length of each eggplant. Cut the eggplants into 1cm thick slices, sprinkle with salt and layer in a colander. Leave for 20-30 minutes then rinse under cold running water. Drain, squeeze the slices gently, then pat them dry with paper towels.

2. Peel the tomatoes by first scoring a cross in the base of each one using a knife. Put in a bowl of boiling water for 20 seconds, then plunge into a bowl of cold water to cool. Remove from the water and peel the skin away from the cross- it should slip off easily. Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally and squeeze out the seeds. Chop the tomatoes and set aside.

3. Add the olive oil to a frying pan to a depth of 5mm. Heat the oil and fry the eggplant slices, in batches, until they are browned on each side. Set aside on a plate. Add more oil to the pan as needed.

4. Using the oil left in the pan, cook the garlic over low heat for a few seconds. Add the tomato, paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper and increase the heat to medium. Add the eggplant slices and cook, mashing the eggplant and tomato gently with a fork. Continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. When the oil separates, drain off some if it seems excessive; however, some oil should be left in as it adds to the flavor of the dish. Add the coriander and lemon juice and season with freshly ground black pepper and a little salt if necessary. Tip into a serving bowl.

5. If using preserved lemon, rinse under cold running water and remove the pulp and membrane. Chop the rind into small pieces and scatter over the eggplant or, alternatively, garnish with slices of fresh lemon. Serve warm or at room temperature with bread.

Note on the warm eggplant salad: we skipped a couple of steps in peeling the tomatoes (we didn't make crosses on the bottom, and we only let them sit in the hot water without alternating with the cold water). This may have been the reason why it was somewhat hard to peel them -- or it may have been the fact that the tomatoes weren't completely ripe. One final note: this salad is indeed quite rich in oil, so be ready for it!

Eggplant for the salad

Main Course

Lamb Tagine with Peas and Lemons

Ingredients (serves 4):

- 1kg lamb shoulder, or leg

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 1 finely chopped onion

- 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic

- 1 teaspoon ground cumin

- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

- 3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

- 3 tablespoons chopped coriander

- 2 teaspoons chopped lemon thyme

- 1 1/2 preserved lemons

- 1 1/2 cups peas

- 2 teaspoons chopped mint

- 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions:

1. Trim the lamb and cut into 3cm pieces. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat and brown the lamb, in batches, removing to a dish when cooked. Add more oil if required.

2. Reduce the heat to low, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic, cumin, ginger and turmeric and cook for a few seconds. Add 375ml water and stir well to lift the browned juices off the base of the pan, then return the lamb to the pan with a little salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Add the coriander, parsley and thyme, cover and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, or until the lamb is tender.

3. Separate the preserved lemons into quarters and rinse well under cold running water, removing and discarding the pulp. Cut the rind into strips and add to the lamb, along with the peas, mint and sugar. Return to a simmer, cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes, or until the peas are cooked. Serve hot.

Note on the Tagine: We didn't buy lamb shoulder as we thought it would take too long and would be too messy to later separate. Instead, we found lamb in cubes, though they are sold in Montreal with the bones. If you don't find cubed pieces, have a butcher cut up the lamb chops into "cubes" and cook it that way. It's easier. The bones help to add some flavor to the dish. It's not a lot of trouble to pick the bones out when eating. We didn't use any sugar in the tagine because one of our members can't eat any, but it was not a problem! Also, as was stated earlier, we didn't have lemon thyme, so we used the comb of thyme and lemongrass that worked very well. We noticed that there was a lot of liquid so we took some out and thickened it with cornmeal. We then used some in the couscous and put the rest back into the tagine. In the end, we probably could have used all the liquid as couscous soaks up liquid like cattails soak up oil!

Lamb tagine cooking up

Couscous

Ingredients (serves 12):

- 1kg fine-grain couscous (ready-made)

- 8 tablespoons olive oil

- 4 cups boiling water, or 2 cups water and 2 cups of chicken stock

- a dash of salt

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, work the olive oil, with your hands,into the dry couscous to give it a little moisture.

2. Add the cups of water/chicken stock into the couscous and mix.

3. Cover for 5-10 to allow the couscous to absorb the liquid. Serve.

Note on the Couscous: We used the liquid from the tagine instead of chicken stock.

Final product

Dessert

Keneffa

Ingredients (serves 6):

- 750ml full cream milk

- 35g cornflour

- 60g sugar

- 50g ground almonds

- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

- 1 1/2 tablespoons rosewater

- 100g blanched almonds, lightly roasted

- 2 tablespoons, sifted icing confectioners' sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 40 square won ton wrappers

- oil for frying

- organic rose petals to serve

Directions:

1. To make the almond cream, put 125ml of the milk in a large bowl, add the cornflour and mix to a thin paste. Bring the remaining milk to the boil until it froths up.

2. Mix the cornflour paste again,then add the boiling milk, mixing constantly with a balloon whisk. Pour this back into the saucepan and stir in the sugar and ground almonds.

3. Return to the heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until thickened and bubbling. Reduce the heat and boil gently for 1 minute.

4. Pour the liquid back into the bowl and stir in the almond extract and rosewater. Press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface and leave to cool.

5. Just before using the cream, stir briskly with a balloon wisk to smooth it; if it is too thick, stir in a little milk to give a pour consistency.

6. Coarsely chop the roasted almonds, mix with the icing sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

7. Bring the won ton wrappers to room temperature. Lightly brush a wrapper with water and press another firmly on top. Repeat utnil there are 18 pairs. Make two extra pairs in case some are burnt during frying.

8. In a large frying pan, add oil to a depth of 1cm and place over high heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, reduce the heat to medium and add two pairs of won ton wrappers. Fry quickly for about 20 seconds.

Keneffa

Movie Commentary on "Casablanca"

Individual Scores:

8.5

8
9
7
8.2

9

9

8.5

8

8

8.5

9

9

___________

8.44/10 overall rating

"Revolutionary Road"

On August 15, 2010 we watched "Revolutionary Road" a movie set in the 1950s. Always trying to find a food theme to fit the film, we decided on a 50s inspired American meal. Below, our attempts to make such a meal.

Mr. Retro Metro

Retro Red

RECIPES

Drinks

Bellinis

Ingredients :

-Peach nectar
-Prosecco (Italian Sparkling Wine)

Directions:

1. Pour 1/3 peach nectar and 2/3 Prosecco into a glass. Stir and drink!

Note on the Bellinis: We couldn't find peach nectar and so settled instead for peach juice. Yummy nonetheless!
Appetizers

California Onion Dip

Ingredients:

-2 envelopes of Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix
-2 containers (16 ounces each) sour cream
-Carrots, broccoli and other veggies to go with dip

Dip and veggies

Directions:

1. In small bowl, blend onion soup mix with sour cream; cover and chill.

Salads

Caesar Salad
Ingredients for the croutons:

-6 cups (750 ml) French or Italian
-bread, cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) cubes
-4 Tbs (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
-Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions for the croutons:

Toss the bread cubes in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 450F (230C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Ingredients for the salad:

-2 large clove garlic, peeled
-2 large head romaine, washed and crisped
-4 Tbs (60 ml) lemon juice
-2 soft-boiled (1 minute) egg
-OR 1/2 cup egg substitute
-2 to 6 anchovy fillets (to taste), mashed
-1 tsp (4 ml) Worcestershire sauce
-2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
-2/3 cup freshly grated Romano cheese

Directions for the salad:

1. Cut the garlic clove in half and vigorously rub the inside of a wooden salad bowl with it. Discard the garlic.

2. Break the romaine into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl.

3. In a small bowl combine the lemon juice, egg or egg substitute, anchovies, and Worcestershire sauce and whisk to combine.

4. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

5. Add the Romano cheese and toss with the romaine. Top with croutons and serve immediately.

Note on the Caesar Salad: We cheated and got store-bought croutons. Some of us were disappointed and would have preferred making them from scratch. Next time!

Main Course

Lasagna
Ingredients:

-1 pound of sweet Italian sausage
-1 pound of ground beef
-1/2 cup of chopped onions
-2 cloves of garlic chopped
-1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
-2 (8 ounce) cans of tomato sauce
-2 (6 ounce) cans of tomato paste
-1/2 Cup of Water
-2 tablespoons white sugar
-1 teaspoon fennel seed
-2 teaspoons fresh Basil leaves chopped
-4 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley chopped
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
-1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
-23 ounces of ricotta cheese.
-1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
-1 egg
-1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-12 Lasagna Noodles

Directions:

1. Start with the following in a pot.
1 pound of sweet Italian sausage
1 pound of ground beef
1/2 cup of chopped onions
2 cloves of garlic chopped

Brown the ground beef, Italian sausage, onions and garlic in a pot until they start to look. It takes about 6 to 9 minutes to brown the meat. I like to use a Dutch oven to cook this portion of the recipe. I use a medium low temperature to brown the meat. It is optional to remove the grease from the meat once it is finished browning, your choice.

2. Add the following:
1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
2 (8 ounce) cans of tomato sauce
2 (6 ounce) cans of tomato paste
1/2 cup of water

Gently stir this into the cooking meat.

3. Add the following:
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon fennel seed
2 teaspoons fresh Basil leaves chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Gently stir these seasoning into the sauce.
Cover the pot and let the meat sauce simmer. Simmer on low heat for 1 hour and 30 minutes

4. Soak 12 lasagna noodles.
The lasagna noodles need to be soaked in hot tap water for 15 minutes.

Pasta patiently waiting

5. While the noodles are soaking you can make the cheese filling.
Put the following in a mixing bowl:
23 ounces of ricotta cheese.
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
Grate fresh nutmeg over the Ricotta cheese.

6. Add the following
1 egg
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley chopped
Mix these ingredients together with a spoon

7. Now we start building the lasagna layers.
Use a 9×13 inch baking pan.
Spread 2 Cups of meat sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Remove your lasagna noodles out of the water bath. Shake water off wet noodles.
Lay 6 noodles across the layer of sauce.
Spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the layer of noodles.
Spread 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta layer.
Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese over the mozzarella layer
Spread 2 cups of meat sauce over the cheese layer
Lay down the next layer of noodles
Spread the remaining ricotta mixture over noodles
Spread the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses saving some cheese for the top of the lasagna
Put the last layer of meat sauce on the cheeses
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

8. Cover with foil
Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 25 minutes
Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for approximately 15 minutes.

Lasagna and vino

Dessert

Angel Food Cake
Ingredients:

-1 cup cake flour
-1 1/2 cups white sugar
-12 egg whites 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
-1/2 teaspoon salt

Eggy Business

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Be sure that your 10 inch tube pan is clean and dry. Any amount of oil or residue could deflate the egg whites. Sift together the flour, and 3/4 cup of the sugar, set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites along with the vanilla, cream of tartar and salt, to medium stiff peaks. Gradually add the remaining sugar while continuing to whip to stiff peaks. When the egg white mixture has reached its maximum volume, fold in the sifted ingredients gradually, one third at a time. Do not overmix. Put the batter into the tube pan.

Angel Food Cake Stuff

3. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake springs back when touched. Balance the tube pan upside down on the top of a bottle, to prevent decompression while cooling. When cool, run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert onto a plate.

Note on the Angel Food Cake: We're not sure if it is because we had a couple of drops of yellow in the batter or whether there was too much sugar in the mix or whether we upset the cake by placing it with the lasagna for the first half of the cooking process, but we found the cake to be slightly too sticky and sweet, not as light as some of us knew it should be. That being said, we still thoroughly enjoyed our cake! One of our most successful desserts to date!

Cake ready to be eaten

Final Product

Ambiance

Individual Scores:
8
8.5
9
7
6.5
8
5
9
7
4
________
7.2/10

The Oscars Experiment: "District 9"

The 9th edition of Epicuriosi was, suitably, centred around another Oscar nominee, "District 9" which brought the South-African theme into our kitchen. We had two special South-African culinary consultants (neither of whom was present, alas), who helped us pick the dishes for our menu that night.

For the record, the organization of this particular night showed a rift among our ranks as far as the choice of films to be seen goes. Some felt we needed to respect the original idea and finish all the 2010 Oscar candidate-films, while others felt ready to leave the Hollywood behind and move on to better films. In the end, we agreed to see "District 9" that night, but to change the selection criterion from then on. The new "method" is very simple: everyone wrote a few favourite films on slips of paper, and the lucky winner was drawn from the hat (or, more like a plastic container) -- "Revolutionary Road." Whether this new system will bring more happiness to everyone, remains to be seen. -Tijana

RECIPES

Appetizers

South African Curry Dip

Our hostess and the dip!

Ingredients:

-1 cup Mayonnaise
-2 tablespoons prepared commercial salsa
-1/2 to 2 tablespoons Malawi curry Powder
-1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
-1 tablespoon grated Onion
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1.Blend all the ingredients until well combined. Chill.

The making of the Curry Dip

Gang at work

Salad

Green Bean Salad

Ingredients:

-2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
-1/2 cup oil
-4 tablespoons lemon juice
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon pepper
-1 cup sweet white onions, thinly sliced
-1/4 cup sliced stuffed green olives

Directions:

1. Cook the beans in a large pot of boiling water until tender. Drain well.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Add the onions, green olives, and hot beans and toss until coated. Serve immediately.

Busy hands

Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

-2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into thin slices
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-Pinch sugar
-1 fresh hot green chile pepper, minced
-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Arrange tomato slices in a serving dish. Sprinkle with salt, sugar, and minced chile pepper. Drizzle on the vinegar. Let salad sit for about 15 minutes before serving.

Note on Tomato Salad: We used jalpeno peppers instead of chile peppers. Turned out nicely, though many found it very spicy.

Banana Salad

Ingredients:

-Bananas
-Plain yoghurt

Directions:

1. Combine freshly cut up bananas with plain yoghurt and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Main Course

Bobotie

The filling

Ingredients:

-1 lb beef or lamb, minced ( mince is ground beef)
-2 eggs
-2 slices white bread, stale with crusts removed
-1 onion, thinly sliced
-2 tbsp cooking oil
-2 tbsp hot water
-2 tbsp sugar
-2 tbsp lemon juice
-2 tsp curry powder
-½ tsp ground cloves
-1 tsp garlic, crushed
-1 tsp turmeric
-½ tsp salt

Onion-stricken

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 325 F.

2. Soak the bread in water for 10 minutes, squeeze out the excess and then crumble.

3. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and braise the onion until golden.

4. Break the two eggs into a large bowl and beat lightly. Mix in the mince

5. Add the onion mixture from the frying pan, the hot water, lemon juice, crumbled bread, turmeric and sugar to the mince, mixing well.

6. Spoon the mixture into a well-greased, oven-proof dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and then remove from the oven.

The topping

Ingredients:

-1 egg, lightly beaten
-½ cup milk
-bay leaves or lemon leaves for garnishing

Directions:

1. Combine the other egg with the milk and beat well.

2. Pour the mixture over the bobotie and arrange the bay/lemon leaves as garnish.

3. Return to the oven and bake at 350o F for 10 minutes, or until the topping is set.

Bobotie hot from the oven

Yellow Rice

Ingredients:

-1 tablespoon sugar
-1/2 teaspoon turmeric
-1 tablespoon salt
-2 tablespoons butter
-1 cinnamon stick
-1 cup raisins
-1 teaspoon lemon rind
-2 cups white rice

Directions:

1. In a large pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil.

2. Add the first 7 ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

3. Add the rice, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Remove cinnamon stick and lemon rind before serving.

Gourmet body

Dessert

Hertzog Cookies

Ingredients:

-1 lb self-raising flour
-4 Tbsp sugar
-2 Tbsp margarine
-3 egg yolks
-milk or water (as required)
-1 tsp vanilla essence
-¼ tsp salt

Directions:

1. Beat the margarine and sugar together in a bowl to a light and creamy consistency

2. Stir in the egg yolks and vanilla essence, taking care to blend well.

3. Sift the flour and the salt into the mixture, ensuring that it is thoroughly mixed.

4. Stir in enough milk or water so that a fairly stiff dough is formed.

5. Place the dough on a floured surface and roll out to a ¼ inch thickness. Cut into rounds with a cookie cutter.

6. Line a greased patty tin with the rounds of dough

Drôle de dessin

The Cookie filling:

Ingredients:

-3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
-2 cups desiccated coconut
-1 cup sugar
-apricot jam

Directions:

1. Gradually add the sugar to the beaten egg whites, beating well to blend.

2. Fold the coconut into the mixture and mix well.

3. Place a little apricot jam in the center of the rounds in the patties and spoon some of the coconut mixture over the jam.

4. Bake in the oven at 400o F for approximately 15 minutes. The pastry should be a light golden color.

5. Leave to cool slightly in the patty tin and then place on a rack and let the cookies cool completely.

6. Makes approximately 60 cookies. These may be stored in an airtight container for 2 weeks.

Herzog cookies

South-African plate: final product

DISCUSSION HIGHLIGHTS ON THE MOVIE "DISTRICT 9":

- Opinions were divided on whether the film is blatantly racist or not. Some thought the representation of black people (especially "the Nigerians") was extremely clichéd and insulting as it made them look like savages; others disagreed, as they thought the film exposed the savagery of white people's science/exploitation

- Most agreed that the documentary style used in the first 30 minutes is captivating but that the film then degenerates into a generic action movie

- While some thought that the apartheid background was superficially treated, others stressed that this was not a documentary/historical film and that the hints we got were sufficient

- It is occasionally hard to follow the video-game aspect of the film, as well as to identify with the aliens

- The film offers a certain innovation within the sci-fi genre (for example: the aliens are usually represented as aggressors, not the underdog)

- The protagonist's physical and mental transformation -- the narrative backbone of the film -- is fascinating to watch

INDIVIDUAL SCORES:

8

4

6

7.5

6

7

7.5

5

______
6.4/10

The Oscars Experiment: "The Blind Side"

On Saturday, May 22nd, we had our 8th Epicuriosi night. Going back to our roots, we watched "The Blind Side", one of the 10 Oscar nominated films for 2010. As a result, we attempted another southern meal which we felt was quite successful. Watch "The Making Of" below.

APPETIZERS

Cheese Straws

Ingredients:

-1/4 pound coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (1 1/2 cups)
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-Rounded 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
-1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

2. Pulse cheese, flour, butter, salt, and cayenne in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk and pulse until dough forms a ball.

3. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 12- by 10-inch rectangle (1/8 inch thick). Cut dough with a lightly floured pizza wheel or lightly floured sharp knife into 1/3-inch-wide strips. Carefully transfer to 2 ungreased baking sheets, arranging strips 1/4 inch apart. (If strips tear, pinch back together.)

4. Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until pale golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheets on racks, about 15 minutes.

Cheese Straws

Note on the Cheese Straws:

Erin felt the reason the recipe didn't turn out the way she'd hope was due to the fact that she used phylo dough instead of regular flour. It was still a tasty treat!


SIDES

Corn Bread by Mark

Ingredients:

-2T bacon drippings
-1t baking soda
-2t baking powder
-1t salt
-2C corn meal
-1 egg
-1 3/4C buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F and grease 10" pan

2. Mix dry ingredients; mix liquid ingredients; add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients

3. Mix well but don't over mix; pour batter into pan and bake 20-30 minutes 'til golden brown and/or edge separates from pan.


Collard Greens by Mark

Ingredients:

-4-8 heads/bunches of Collards (enough to fill a paper grocery bag for 6 people)
-2 ham hocks or 2lbs fat back or 1lb salt pork
-1 onion chopped
-water
-salt

Directions:

1. Set pork salt and onion in water to cover to boil to a deep kettle

2. Remove large stems and wash collard leaves thoroughly (nothing worse than grit or bugs in greens)

3. Roll greens and cut into strips (may be cut after cooking)

4. Add greens to pot and reduce to simmer till tender for at least and hour and a half, the longer the better

5. Strain collards and save broth/likker

6. Serve greens hot or at room temperature with vinegar and salt to taste and cornbread

7. Add likker as required to moisten.


Note on Collard Greens:

Mark felt the Collard Greens were too salty because of the salted pork used, so we added potatoes to help absorb the salt (a trick Tijana learned from her grandmother. We also under salted the mashed potatoes so that combined with the collard greens, it would be perfectly flavored.

The boys at work peeling potatoes for the Mashed Potatoes

We have not added a recipe for mashed potatoes as we didn't follow a recipe, but rather went with our own concept of how to make them. Simple!

MAIN DISH

Fried Breaded Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

-3/4-1 lb pork tenderloin
-2 eggs
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
-1 dash pepper
-3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Cut pork tenderloin into 1/2 inch slices.

2. Pound to about 1/4 inches.

3. Should be about 12 slices.

4. In a pie plate,or medium bowl,beat egg with 4 tsps. of water,salt,rosemary,and pepper.

5. Place bread crumbs on wax paper.

6. With tongs (or fingers,like me) dip meat into egg mixture to coat both sides,then dip in crumbs.

7. Repeat until each piece is coated twice.

8. Heat oil in frying pan or electric skillet: fry tenderloin on each side till golden- about 5 minutes a side.

9. Keep warm until all pieces are done.

Martijn with man-apron preparing the meat!

DESSERT

Best Tennessee Blackberry Cobbler

Ingredients:

-2 to 3 cups fresh blackberries
-3/4 cup water
-cinnamon sprinkles
-1 c. sugar
-1 c. self-rising flour
-1 egg
-1/3 c. butter

Directions:

1. Wash blackberries and spread on the bottom of a greased baking dish. Add water and sprinkle all with cinnamon.

2. Combine sugar and flour, whisk egg, then cut egg into sugar and flour until crumbly.

3. Layer mixture over top of fruit.

4. Melt butter and drizzle over topping. Bake 45 minutes at 350. To keep topping crisp, do not cover.

Blackberry Cobbler about to go into the oven

Note on Blackberry Cobbler:

We added more blackberries than the recipe called for and it was therefore a bit on the bitter side. Remember to add a bit more sugar if you're going over the blackberry limit!

Final Results!

Sasha hiding his enthusiasm. Holding our completed meal with a Jack and Coke.


DISCUSSION HIGHLIGHTS ON THE MOVIE "THE BLIND SIDE":

- It was a feel good story, a typical Hollywood ringer

- The lack of sexuality in the film was a nice change

- The was a distinct effort to keep the image of Oher as pure

- Some believed it was stereotype-enhancing, while others thought that it was okay and that we should suspend cynicism

- Some hated the portrayal of the little white kid and his extreme expectations and thought some of the cute scenes were too cheesy: the movie would have done better without that added element

- The voice-over weighed the movie down and didn't add anything to it

- The extras that were added to pull on heartstrings were unnecessary, the movie would have held up on its own and would have been that much more "real"

- Movie-style vs. documentary-style: there was debate as to whether it should have been one way or the other but not both

- There were some loose ends: What about the brother that Oher saw in the restaurant? What happens there? What happens with the mother?

- Some felt there was too much branding and product placement in the film

- Some felt the movie would have been better as a 15 minute film


Individual Scores:

-5
-4
-7.2
-9
-4
-5.2
-6
-5

Final Score: 5.7/10

Shorts

A long, long, time ago (April 23rd, 2010 to be exact), the Epicuriosi community got together for a different approach. As suggested by Vincent, we decided to try watching a series of short films/videos to incite fresh discussion amongst all who attended. And boy did that night do just that! In total, we watched 7 shorts and commented on each of them afterwards. Of course, this wouldn't be Epicuriosi if there wasn't food, so we opted to have a kind of potluck dinner. Each person or group prepared something for that night. Curious? Let's see what we came up with...

APPETIZERS

Baked Dates Wrapped in Prosciutto by Whitney

My recipe was very simple - just tear strips of prosciutto into smaller strips, wrap around pitted dates, secure with tooth pick, place on baking tray, bake at 400 for 5 or 10 minutes until crispy et voila! You don't need to bake them, but I think we all agreed they tasted better baked.

Baked Dates Wrapped in Prosciutto

Pao de Queijo (Cheese bread) by Tatiana

Ingredients:

-4 cups of tapioca starch
-4 cups of cheese (or 1 package of 340 g of “Italiano” Sargento cheese)
-2 cups of milk
-½ cup of oil
-3 eggs
-1 tea spoon of salt

Directions:

1. Bring to boil in a big pan the oil, milk, and salt.

2. Remove from heat and stir in tapioca flour until smooth. Mix well with a wooden spoon and let it cool down or for 10 to 15 min.

3. Stir the cheese and eggs into the tapioca mixture and knead well.

4. Roll 1 tablespoon of the mixture into small balls. Tip: grease your hands with oil before making the balls.

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

6. Bake in preheated oven until the tops are lightly browned (more or less 30 min in the oven). Serve them warm.

Pao de Queijo (Cheese bread)

MAIN COURSES/SALADS

Green Bean and Potato Salad by Leita

Ingredients:

-1 1/2 pounds red potatoes
-3/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped
-1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
-1 small red onion, chopped
-salt and pepper to taste
-Chicken cut in cubes (1-2 breasts)
- 1-2 eggs (boiled)

For Dressing:

-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
-2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 dash Worcestershire sauce
-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot, and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

2. While potatoes are boiling, pan fry the cubes of chicken in butter, salt and pepper. Also boil the eggs in a pot.

3. Throw in the green beans to steam after the first 10 minutes of boiling the potatoes. Drain, cool, and cut potatoes into quarters. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with fresh basil, red onion, salt and pepper. Set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and olive oil. Pour over the salad, and stir to coat. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Sort of Anthony Bourdain Boeuf Bourguignon by Vincent

This is the third recipe I have adapted from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook. I have to say his beef bourguignon does not contain any fancy factor. This recipe uses the basic ingredients beef, onion, carrot, red wine and bouquet garni and turned them into a fabulous French beef bourguignon. This is exactly how I like a classic to be.

Anthony Bourdain - "Traditionally, this dish is cooked entirely with red wine. And that's fine, just fine. But if you listened to me earlier, and keep a stash of good, strong demi-glace * (see note) kicking around in your freezer, a couple of spoonfuls give the sauce a nice flavour boost. This is one of the easier dishes in this book, and also one of the best."

*Demi-Glace: Once referred to a mix of reduced veal stock and sauce Espanole (an old-school brown sauce). Now it implies a dark, thick, greatly reduced veal or even chicken stock. And no, I didn't listen to him nor did I use the demi-glace but it still tastes superb.

Anthony Bourdain's Boeuf Bourguignon Recipe (Adapted from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook)

-2 lbs (900 g) paleron of beef, or "chicken steak" (* see note), or same amount of should or neck, cut into 1 1/2-inch (4-cm pieces)
-Salt and pepper
-1/4 cup (56 ml) olive oil
-4 onions, thinly sliced
-2 tbsps (28 g) all purpose flour
-1 cup (225 ml) red Burgundy
-6 carrots, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces
-1 garlic clove
-1 bouquet garni (* see note)
-A little chopped flat parsley

* Paleron: A noble, flavorful, and relatively tender cut from the shoulder of beef or veal, inexplicably called the "chicken steak" by American meat-cutters.

* Bouquet Garni: 1 sprig of flat parsley, 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, and 1 bay leaf, tied together with string and used for flavouring (usually stews or sauces). Tying the bundle in cheesecloth makes it easier to retrieve from the pot.

Directions:

Season the meat with salt and pepper.

1. In the Dutch oven, heat the oil over high heat until it is almost smoking. Add the meat, in batches - NOT ALL AT ONCE! - and sear on all sides until it is well browned (not gray). You dump too much meat in the pot at the same time and you'll overcrowd it; cool the thing down and you won't get good color. Sear the meat a little at a time, removing it and setting it aside as it finishes.

2. When all the meat is a nice, dark brown color and has been set aside, add the onions to the pot. Lower the heat to medium high until the onions are soft and golden brown (about 10 minutes).

3. Sprinkle the flour over them. Continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the red wine. Naturally, you want to scrape up all that really good fond from the bottom of the pot with your wooden spoon. Bring the wine to a boil.

4. Return the meat to the pot and add the carrots, garlic, and bouquet garni. Add just enough water ( and two big spoons of demi-glace, if you have it) so that the liquid covers the meat by one third - meaning you want a ratio of 3 parts liquid to 2parts meat. This is a stew, so you want plenty of liquid, even after it cooks down and reduces. Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer, and let cook for about 2 hours, or until the meat is tender (break-apart-with-a-fork tender).

5. You should pay attention to the dish, meaning to check it every 15 to 20 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot to make sure the meat is not sticking or, God forbid, scorching. You should also skim off any foam or scum or oil collecting on the surface, using a large spoon or ladle. When done, remove and discard the bouquet garni, add the chopped parsley to the pot, and serve.

I (Vincent) replaced the demi-glace with chicken stock, and I forgot to add the flourish of parsley at the very end. There were some other very minor variations because I was doing it by memory. We only cooked it for around 2 hours (the minimum) because we didn't start early enough. Also, I browned the beef with extra virgin oil, which is a bit tricky because extra virgin olive oil can't achieve the same high temp that regular olive oil can reach. Also,I think I may have oversalted the beef, slightly. The recipe comes from this (great) episode of No Reservations where Bourdain goes over some basic cooking techniques that he feels everyone should know: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA6HUMTuEoU

Spaghetti Squash by Erin

Ingredients:

-Full squash
-Marinara or rose sauce (home made recipe is always better ;0))
-Parmesan and grated cheese of choice

Directions:

1. Pierce the whole shell of the squash several times with a large fork or skewer and place in baking dish. Cook squash in preheated 375?F oven approximately 1 hour or until flesh is tender.

2. Once the squash is cooked, let it cool for 10 to 20 minutes so it will be easier to handle, before cutting in half (if it wasn't already) and removing the seeds.
3. Once the seeds are removed, pull a fork lengthwise through the flesh to separate it into long strands. Leave it in its squash shell.

4. Add sauce and grated cheese Put back in oven for about 10 mins.

5. Let stand for a few minutes, dish out and serve.

Spaghetti Squash

DESSERT

Midnight Sensation Zouzous (the improv version of something from a raw-foodist resto in Montreal) by Tijana and Martin

Ingredients:

Mix together (happily):
-200 g of date paste
-1.5 tbsp cocoa powder
-2 tbsp almond milk
-1 tbsp hazelnut butter
-a good pinch of ground/crushed cardamom
-thinly chopped pumpkin seeds
-a handful of blended oat flakes
-a pinch of cayenne pepper
-a few handfuls of almond flour (or very finely ground almonds)

Directions:

1. Make small balls/zouzous, then roll some in sesame seeds and others in poppy seeds. Makes about 15 zouzous.
Zouzous

NOW FOR THE SHORTS FILMS IN THEIR ENTIRETY AND OUR COMMENTARY

9/11

Video Commentary

Individual Scores:
6
9
7.5
6
8
7
4
Vincent rated this as third best

Overall Score: 6.79/10

Aeon Flux: War

Video Commentary

Individual Scores:
6
4
7.5
8
5.5
5
Vincent rated it best of the shorts that night

Overall score: 6/10

Kylie Minogue: Come Into My World

Video Commentary:

Individual Scores:
7
7
7.5
7.5
7
7
7
Vincent rated it second best

Overall Score: 7.14/10

The White Stripes: Fell in Love With a Girl

This short was not rated, though we did watch it and enjoy it! Comments are welcome!

Tango

Individual Scores:
9.5
8
8
10
7.5
7
6.5
Vincent rated this as fourth best

Overall Score: 8.07/10

Balance

This short was not rated, but was highly enjoyed.

Two Cars, One Night

Comments:

-The children are too exposed to the adult life, they seem too grown up
-It sounds like they're more responsible than their parents
-The power of kids to take care of one's own world

*Because this was the last short of the night and because we saw it on a computer screen, comments were scattered, at best

Individual Scores:
9
7
7
5.5
6
This was Vincent's least favorite short

Overall Score: 6.9/10


Feel free to tell us what you thought of the shorts and which would be your overall pick!

"Taegugki"

It has been too long since the last post! On this particular night, over a month ago in fact, we opted to steer away from the Oscar films (having been fairly disappointed in the quality of the nominated films) and watch something else that one of the members suggested. We therefore watched "Taegugki" a Korean film which was considered quite a successful film by Koreans and foreigners alike. Our nights are never really predictable, however (as you will see in our commentary)! Below, our video for our Korean-inspired meal.

RECIPES

Kimchi Stew (Kimchi Jjigae)

Ingredients for Kimchi Stew (with a side of mandu)

Ingredients:

1 to 1.5 cups kimchi (old kimchi works best - tastes slightly sour)

kimchi juice

1 pack tofu

2 stalks green onions/scallions

1 jalapeno/chili pepper

1/2 of large onion

2 -3 cloves of garlic

oil

2 cups water

approximately 1/4 cup gochujang (red pepper paste)

2 - 3 tbsp gochugaru (red pepper flakes)

pork belly chunks (or any pork with fat)*

1 hobak (use zucchini, if you cannot find korean hobak)

dashida - optional

Directions:

Prior to cooking, prepare the following.

1. Roughly chop kimchi into smaller chunks. Cube tofu into bite sized pieces. Slice scallions on a bias (on an angle) into 1-inch long slices. Chop onion into smaller slices. Mince garlic. Slice chili pepper on a bias. Slice zucchini (hobak) into 1/4 inch slices, then cube them into bite sized pieces.

2. In pot, add a little bit of oil (just a little - pork already has a lot of fat, so you wont need much). Add minced garlic to flavor the oil. Then add in pork belly chunks and cook until meat turns white.

3. Add kimchi chunks and cook for about 2 - 3 minutes (this will help the soup cook faster). Add water (approximately 2 cups serves 4 individual servings).

4. Bring heat up to high and boil for a few minutes. Add one scoop (a little less than 1/4 cup) of gochujang (red pepper paste) and stir until dissolved. Add a couple tablespoons of gochugaru (red pepper flakes). Let it cook on medium heat for approximately 5 to 7 minutes (this will allow the kimchi to cook through). Stir occasionally. Taste and if needed, re season with kimchi juice and dashida.

5. Add zucchini cubes, tofu, onion, and chili pepper slices. Let it cook for another 4minutes or so before adding in the scallions. (add in scallions last because you don't want them to wilt completely).

Kimchi Stew

Serve with Rice

*Note: Kimchi stew is best when made with pork, however, you may use tuna, spam, or bacon. When using tuna, add in the tuna with the vegetables, since it is already cooked.

Leita and Tijana discussing our stew

Note on the Kimchi Stew:

We made the soup with tuna, rather than pork. It's easier to make and the tuna is already flavored with kimchi juice, which helps with the overall taste. Pork kimchi stew, however, is really good. Try both ways...We also left out the dashida (Leita was not familiar with this addition as she never saw it made that way in Korea).


Ginger Pork with Vegetables (Jaeyuk Bokum)

Ingredients of Jaeyuk Bokum

Ingredients:

500 g (1 lb) belly pork, cut into thin strips

3 tbs Korean hot bean paste (gochujang)

1 tsp Soy Sauce

2 tsps minced ginger

1 tsp Korean chili powder (gochugaru)

1 tbs sugar

1 tbs rice wine

1 tbs sesame oil

1 tbs oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 head cabbage, sliced

Tijana shredding cabbage


1 spring onion, cut into lengths

1-2 green chilies, diced

Heike slicing peppers

Directions:

1. Combine the pork, hot bean paste, soy sauce, ginger, chili powder, sugar, rice wine and sesame oil in a large bowl and mix until well coated. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat and stir-fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the cabbage and spring onion and stir-fry for about 2 minutes until soft. Lower the heat to medium, add the pork and chili, and stir-fry for 5-7 minutes until cooked, adding a little water if the dish is too dry. Remove from the heat and serve hot with steamed rice.

Cooking it up!

Note on the Jaeyuk Bokum:

Considering the quantity of pork we had, we could have easily added more marinade to the dish. As it was, the dish was flavorful, but on the light side. The flavors should have been a bit stronger. It is entirely possible that the reason for this is we didn't let it marinate for as long as was suggested...

Final Product!

As is the norm in Korea, all meals are eaten with a plethora of side dishes. There was a bit of a misunderstanding as to which side dishes to purchase (Leita's fault! She should have indicated that people ask for "banchan" at the Korean grocery store. Instead she just told people to ask for side dishes, which is not specific enough). So we got dried shrimp, a very popular side dish,

Shrimp


mandu (dumplings), which is not usually eaten as a side dish in Korea,

Mandu


some sheets of dried seaweed

Seaweed: we bought this from a sushi restaurant. The Korean style ones are salted and yummier!


and Japanese-style seaweed salad.

Seaweed salad; not very Korean, but delicious nonetheless!

And let's not forget the piece de resistance! Soju!

Soju: a rice or potato based alcohol somewhat similar to sake.

Sitting down for our meal! Notice all the dishes on the table! Very typical of a Korean meal.

For dessert, we cheated and got hottok, an amazing Korean sweet that we can liken to a hot donut filled with melted brown sugar. Again, there was a misunderstanding (Leita's fault again!) and the Chinese version was purchased instead of the Korean version. The Korean version is better!
Chinese Hottok


DISCUSSION HIGHLIGHTS ON THE MOVIE "TAEGUGKI"

- There was a general consensus that the movie was very violent

- Most felt the movie started off pretty well, but when the main character started losing his mind, the movie fell apart and things started to get predictable and monotonous

- The emotional aspect of the film was lost when the character went "crazy"

- Some of the cuts were really good and others were really bad; example of bad: the scene with the plane crash

- Some thought that maybe the scene with the plane was added at the end to use up the left over money from the film's budget, as thought it were an afterthought (we are a cynical bunch!)

- It was interesting to see the way the brothers worked together

- One of us hated the movie from start to finish, possibly because he was trashed on soju (you know who you are!)

- There was an issue regarding the South Korean propaganda film style; you never see the characterization of the North Koreans, while the South Koreans' actions are portrayed as justified and this therefore presents a one-sided point of view

- Most were not bothered by the one-sided point of view as the film characterized and focused on South Korea; they didn't feel as though it detracted from the worth of the film and what it was trying to portray

- Some of us were frustrated with the fact that the film never tried to explain why the remains were identified as the younger brother's

- Some thought the internal conflict among the soldiers fairly original as they were actually anti-war, not something you see much in war films; the motto they adopted was "die starving or die fighting"

- Some thought the music detracted from the movie as it was trying too hard to pull on heartstrings; others hadn't noticed it

Individual Scores:

6
5.5
7
8.5
0

Final Score: 5.4/10