Myco-what? (and more from l'Ile de Montreal)

Friends,
This week, as our story unfolds, the explorations of the Island of Montreal grow ever more exciting. In my research, I have learned that Montreal is the largest island in the Hochelaga Archipelago, and in fact in the entire Saint Lawrence River. Who would have thought there were other islands on the St. Lawrence? Thanks to Wiki I've learned that there are 74 islands in the Hochelaga Archipelago. I learn something new each day. So much for grade 8 geography retention.



In the frigged streets of Montreal. Left to my own devises, I discovered some magic. Camera in hand, roving the streets of Mile End and The Main (Blv. St. Laurent), curtains opened to reveal a store straight out of the Land of Make-Believe... The Mycoboutique on Rachel below St. Laurent, veritable mushroom emporium. All mushrooms all the time. Live, frozen, dried, embroidered, sculpted, carved... So awesome, I put myself on the mailing list. They specialize in fresh local wild mushrooms from the forests of Quebec and Ontario and since we are not in season for local mushrooms, they are selling fresh fungi from Oregon and British Columbia.

Festivals on Ice, St. Paul Style

Another leisure Saturday, another trip over to the State Capital, St. Paul. We were invited by Ruby's aunt and uncle to experience the first day of the Winter Carnival. We learned as the day progressed, that the St. Paul Winter Carnival was started back in the day, in 1886 and has been a huge community festival ever since. According to my research about the beginnings of this tradition, business leaders of the burgeoning city wanted to, "...disprove a New York newspaper reporter who had described their beloved city as 'another Siberia, unfit for human habitation in the winter.'” Hysterical.

As we have described on numerous occasions on the blog, Minnesotans are anything but wimpy winterizers. Bikers, skiers, nude pedestrians, dog walkers; all in sub zero temperatures with wind-chill! Carnival was no exception. Today was an especially brutal winter morning. We were out of the house by 9:30am and by 10am we were sipping sweet, hot coffee and partaking in delicious baked goodness at Swede Hollow on E.7th St. We enjoyed some delicious coffee; I had a Cubano coffee which was 2 shots of espresso, brown sugar and steamed milk. Coffees were served with a bitter-sweet chocolate stir stick. Artichoke Strata (picture a savory crustless quiche flecked with red peppers, artichokes and shallots, topped with finely grated cheese). My fellow eaters had an assortment of pastries ranging from cherry almond scones to pecan buns to sweet cinnamon bread pudding. Breakfast of champions.

Ice sculptures were being carved as we walked through the amazing display. Day one of the Winter Festival was underway... (if you have a hard time making out the sculptures, the one on the right is called 'School of Fish' Complete with Mr. Wally Eye, teaching up front, and little dunce-cap fish sitting on a conch shell beside him. Below, a scenic tiki beach, hammock, palm trees and tropical temptations...)

From there we hopped back in the car and jetted of to Rice Park - not so much a park but a little green area opposite the Landmark Center, an amazing architectural structure built in 1802 complete with St. Paul lore and historical significance. We learned all about the history of the building, from its heyday at the turn of the century, to its transformation into USPS central station, to 1930's New Deal headquarters. A national landmark, today it serves as a cultural center for music, dance, theater, exhibitions, and can be rented for kick ass parties.
Fun times. Cold, but definitely worth waking up for delicious breakfast and supporting sub-zero ice carving aficionados.

We gave the Winter Carnival a whirl. What would you do with 6 months of winter??

Holding out for Springtime and our own Manhattan Skyline

The winter is no time for a vacation in Minneapolis.
We are realizing this fact the hard way. The sun in the sky is not an indicator of a lovely day for a walk. The sunniest days have been the coldest. Though we are trying to get out of the house and have at least one adventure a day, it seems like it's easier to stay put. Sunset at 5:20, dinner at 7. Depressing thoughts.
We left the house yesterday, computer and novels a-tow.
We parked the car on 24th street and as I got out I noticed the house with the flowerbox. Sweet. Still holding out for springtime??
I know I am.



Cross the street to Nicollet. Arrive at Spyhouse. Surly baristas, average coffee, stale food, dirty tables, packed 24/7, strange collection of students, chess playing weird old men, loafers and grimy furniture. Ahhhh... feels like home!! We miss you, NY! Feels like the Tea Lounge on Union St. Brooklyn minus the babies and stroller brigade. The sweet part of the evening was taking pictures of the cafe and realizing how many of the kitchy 50's era art was of the Manhattan skyline! Check it out:

Cooking in the Cold (part 2): Fish Tacos

In an attempt to stay warm and keep from remembering the fact that we are far away from our friends and loved ones, I decided to cook up some fish tacos. Our favorite burrito take out, La Taqueria in Park Slope, was our go-to for any meal we were not interested in cooking but totally craving. In hopes of bringing back memories, that was what I decided to make for dinner...

Fish Tacos with Garlic Black Beans, Lemon Cole Slaw and Ancho-Lime Crema
Makes plenty for 2 people with leftovers for later...

The FISH part:

1. Take a nice filet or 2 Talapia or other white flaky fish.
2. Marinate in lemon, herbs, s&p, garlic powder and any other flavor enhancers.
3. After marination, dredge in flour (whole wheat) or a combo of flour and cornmeal (for a nice crunch).
4. Fry up fish in 1/2 an inch of canola oil.
5. Flip when ready and dry out on paper towel. Keep warm in a 250 degree oven...

The BEANS part:

1. Crack open a can of black beans (or any other bean of your choice), drain beans but don't rinse.
2. In a small pot or deep pan, saute 3 cloves of garlic and 1/2 onion in some olive oil with seasonings to taste. Cumin, chili, garlic powder or adobo, s&p...
3. Once onions are soft and spices are fragrant, take about 1/4 of the beans and dump 'em into the pot and mash them into a saucy paste.
4. Add the rest of the can of beans to the pot with a little water.

The LEMONY SLAW part:
Easy.

1. Shred some red or white cabbage very thin. Sprinkle with a little salt to wilt.
2. After about 10 minutes, mix and soften the cabbage with your hands or with a more sanitary utensil.
3. If too salty, rinse under water and strain out in the sink.
4. Add lemon and/or lime juice (fresh is best). Add some olive oil, pepper, cumin seeds, vinegar and stir up.

The CREMA!

1. Soak 2 ancho chilis (Goya sells them dried in most grocery 'ethnic' aisles) in hot water. Cover with a plate. When reconstituted, remove seeds (if you want a milder chili) and put in a medium sized bowl or blender.
2. To the bowl, add 1 cup of plain yogurt or sour cream.
3. For a creamier version, add some mayonnaise.
4. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime and add some of the zest.
5. Season with s&p
6. If you have a hand mixer, blend it up in the bowl or in the blender.
   Voila. Crema!
   

Heat up some corn (or as we did - blue corn) tortillas in a warm pan.
assemble your tacos or eat 'em all in a big pile.
Serve with fresh salsa, pickled jalapeno slices and avocado.
Report back once you've made it and let me know what you think!

-miya

Snow + staying indoors in sweats = cooking up a storm! (part 1)

In spite of or because of my negatively twinged post earlier this evening, I decided that I should turn it all around, find the love in the cold...

We spent all day indoors. 5532 Emerson. All day (minus the 1/2 hour shoveling).
You all know me to be the queen of queens of procrastination, right? So instead of scouring the want-ads and thinking about making some much needed money for the team, I decided that I needed to cook. It all started because we spent Saturday afternoon at The Wedge Coop (fabulous though not nearly close to our sorely missed Park Slope co-op) and to a pretty huge and lushly carpeted grocery chain that caries a huge assortment of imported foods, kosher meats and fresh fish called Byerly's. As super domesticatingly unexciting I'm sure this news is for most of you, as you also know, we love to cook almost as much as we love to eat. So needless to say, the food shopping part of our exile in MN is about as exciting as it gets. Minus the coffee part.

Long story short, I decided to make use of my procrastination and cook up a storm. After wishing my sweet baby sister Myrite a happy 25th and hearing about her carrot soup, I thought of a brilliant idea for lunch...

Squash Curry Soup!

1. I fished out an acorn squash that was resting soundly at the back of the fridge with his buddy sweet potato and popped them in the oven to roast. Roast at 350 for an hour or till soft. Once the veggies are done and cooled enough to handle, start step 2
2. I sauteed onion and garlic with some canola oil. Added curry powder, salt, pepper, some weird Jamaican seasoning from the coop (I think it was a cinnamon, chili, garlic combo). After the onions are soft and seasoned, added a cup of water.
3. Crank open a can of lite coconut milk and pour it into the pot. Fill the can up with water to get the rest of the milk out of the can and pour into the pot.
4. If the squash and potato are cool enough to handle, scrape the softened veggies into the pot. Get your trusty handblender and blend up the soup to your liking. Season to taste!

-miya