Spicy City and the Last Chinese Chef

 

A couple of things ...

First, I must tell you about a book… The Last Chinese Chef.

I believe reading it will make you happy and hungry, to the point of getting up, grabbing your best friend and going out for Chinese!  I loved this story, for the recipes and the history and characters; they are all are compelling.    The Last Chinese Chef reinforces my feelings about eating... “Great food should never be taken alone”. 

Second, when choosing your Chinese dining location, you will love our hole in the wall mysterious restaurant  Spicy City on Convoy.  This place is tiny and you will most likely need to wait on the sidewalk. No one speaks much English.... WE LOVE IT.   

When you go, get the cold noodles, the incredible spicy shrimp (loaded with dozens of fried hot chili) and the chef’s green beans…. and then get something totally new.  

Keep your eyes on the waiters; you will see hot pots and wonderful noodle dishes come flying out from the kitchen. This place is very friendly, (both the owners and diners)... sometimes we share bites with neighboring tables and it becomes unexpectedly communal. Now, to be realistic, some dishes are a bit strange, yet we come back monthly to push our palates... 

So, read the book and go out and try something new, and take a friend.

julia

The Last Chinese Chef, by Niclole Mones

Nicole Mones Website

Spicy City - Urban Spoon Review

Spicy City Menu

Spicy City Yelp Reviews

Julia Engstrom's Pecan Chicken Wraps / original recipe

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup lemon flavored yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
3 ribs celery, finely diced
1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 ounces Boursin cheese at room temperature
1 large round flat bread or 3 whole-wheat tortillas
1 tablespoon minced parsley


Cook chicken by baking, broiling or poaching. Cool chicken completely and finely dice meat. In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, honey and lime juice. Stir in chicken, celery, pecans and dried cranberries. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread Boursin cheese over the flatbread or tortillas. Spread chicken mixture evenly and thinly over center of bread. Roll toward you, pressing mixture into wrap as you roll. When finished, trim ends and lay seam side down on a baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour but no more than 4 hours. Slice roll in rounds about 1/2 inch wide. Arrange the slices on a platter and sprinkle with parsley.

Click here for original article published 12/10/2008

Prepkitchen’s Decadent Brownie

Silky caramel layer is a yummy topper

Caramel, sea salt and pecans add to the flavor of the fudge brownie recipe from Prepkitchen. 

A year ago I ate this brownie while lunching with my foodie/ baker friend Charlotte. The restaurant is a small place called Prep Kitchen, located near the Vons in the old part of La Jolla. This was a memorable brownie... . we loved it. Here is the recipe, courtesy of the food section of San Diego Union Tribune. Try it and tell me what you think, ok?

Prepkitchen Fudge Brownies With Salted Caramel and Pecans

Yields one 9-by-13-inch pan of brownies
For the brownies:
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) butter
3 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (chopped)
5 large eggs
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter and chocolate in small heatproof bowl. Heat over a water bath until melted. Set aside until room temperature.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, combine eggs, brown sugar, salt and vanilla. Whip until mixture is thick and holds a ribbon with the whip.

Take bowl off mixer and pour in chocolate and sift flour over mixture. Gently fold mixture with a spatula.


For salted caramel layer:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup glucose or corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted
1 tablespoon Fleur de Sel (sea salt)

In a medium-sized saucepan combine sugar, glucose (or corn syrup) and just enough water to make the mixture the consistency of wet sand. Wipe down the insides of the pan with a wet brush so that no granules of sugar remain. Cook this mixture over high heat until it is a deep amber color.
Immediately take off heat and slowly pour cream in (mixture will bubble and expand vigorously, so use caution).

Add vanilla extract and salt. Add pecans and stir to coat with caramel. Immediately pour over brownies.

To cut, refrigerate brownies for 30 minutes so that the caramel firms up.

Nancy Mah emailed us a while back saying Prep-kitchen’s Fudge Brownies With Salted Caramel and Pecans are “to die for!”

“I have tried similar recipes found on the Internet, but they don’t compare,” she wrote. She asked if we could coax the folks at Prepkitchen into giving the recipe.

Pastry chef Jojo Rossi graciously shared her recipe for the gooey, sinful treats.

The two Prepkitchen locations are 7556 Fay Ave. in La Jolla and 1201 Camino del Mar in Del Mar.
Spread into 9-by-13-inch pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray or greased with butter and then dusted with flour. Bake about 25 to 30 minutes. Brownies will still be fudgy, but the top should be shiny and cracked. Cool completely in pan.

To share or request a recipe, email food@uniontrib.com

By Chris Ross

Originally published 7:45 p.m., June 21, 2011

Julia Engstrom's Mediterranean Sea Bass with Olives and Lemons

4-6 servings

White sea bass (6 oz each) skinless, boneless
1 tsp Harissa (Middle Eastern hot chili powder)
½ teaspoon Turmeric
7 tablespoons olive oil
1 ripe tomato
1 white onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove thinly sliced
1 lemon
10 tablespoons green pitted olives, chopped
½ bunch flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper

Blend half olive oil with Harissa and turmeric. Brush on filets and set aside as they come to room
temperature. Peel and dice tomato. (Separate cutting board). Heat second half of olive oil in heavy skillet, adds onion, garlic, and cook until onion is soft. Add the tomato lemon and olives and simmer for 7-8 minutes letting flavor develop, simmering while the fish is cooking...

FOR THE FISH: add 2 additional tablespoons of olive oil to a hot skillet. Sear fish for 3- minutes per side. Put on warm platter, top with tomato olive mixture and garnish with chopped Italian parsley and the remainder of the lemon, sliced into rings.

The Soul Care House-Warming Party in Mission Hills

I hosted an open house at The Soul Care House in Mission Hills with my husband, Gregg Hiddleson, last weekend. The weather was incredible and the crowd really came out for this opening! I will attach the menu asap and repost. Enjoy

Owners, Elaine and Ken Hamilton