Egg-ceptional

Ok, call off the dogs – we’re still here. Sorry for the huge lapse in posting – to be honest, we hadn’t tried any new recipes or any new restaurants for a while anyway, so you really haven’t missed much. But we now have a few new recipes to share, along with a review of a local eatery. And there was much rejoicing. So today’s recipe stems from a redesign of a Hannaford supermarket magazine recipe. Their dish contained okra, which we have never really cooked in the MHK, so I was looking forward to giving it a shot. But apparently – and maybe it was just me, I don’t know – okra goes bad in four days. I had it in a plastic bag in the fridge and when I pulled it out, it had white gunk (technical foodie term) all over it. Disappointment set in, but we rebounded magnificently. The original dish seemed Indian in nature, but without any typical Indian spice. Years ago in California, we had eaten an egg curry dish at an Indian place, so we decided to substitute eggs for the okra, and added some garam masala (very typical Indian spice blend). The result was terrific. The flavors of the onion, garlic, and hot peppers soak into the tomatoes and broth, and the eggs provide a nice texture (plus they soak up the bright flavors too). Serve this over rice with some naan too. Enjoy!

Spicy Tomatoes with Egg

(serves 4)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, minced
1 medium red Fresno or jalapeno chili, seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 each (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 tsp. garam masala
4 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add onion, peppers, and garlic. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes, broth, sugar, salt, and cayenne. Stir well. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the eggs in a separate pan until just cooked through. Place eggs into the saucepan, stir to combine and cook for one minute. Remove from heat, stir in cilantro. Serve over rice. Eat!

An Experience that Lingers

Once in a while, a restaurant gets just about everything right  – the right atmosphere, the right service, the right menu, the right flavors, and even the right price. Such a restaurant is the relatively new Linger, located right next to downtown Denver, Colorado. The MHK senior staff had the pleasure of dining there last week, and as the title of this post suggests, we are still thinking about the experience.

Linger’s name comes from the name of the building in which its housed – Olinger’s Mortuaries. Chef/owner Justin Cucci, rather than shy away from the morbid past, simply darkened the first letter of Olinger’s prominent neon sign to suit his place’s name, and changed the word “mortuaries” to “eatuaries.” Like many green-thinking restaurants these days, Linger’s interior is made from 70% recycled materials – large wood-beamed ceilings, cushy half-circle booths, and various lighting racks and other accouterments adorn the somewhat spacious place; it’s a little dark but not annoyingly so. The servers all have that “hip” look – tattoos, top hats, piercings, etc. You feel like you’re in with the in crowd, so to speak. It’s a very popular place – we booked our reservation 3 weeks in advance for a Saturday night, and the best time available was 5:30pm. We were seated right away, but every other table was filled, even that early. As the evening went on, we understood why.

Our server greeted us with a bowl of fresh popcorn; miso caramel popcorn, to be exact. Apparently they change up the flavors often, but it’s always an exotic concoction (our dining companions had an Indian spiced popcorn there on their first visit). It was an unexpected and fun way to begin. Linger’s drink menu follows the current trend of having unique ingredients for their signature cocktails; the “Donovan Electric Banana,” for example, has Scotch, vanilla simple syrup, and cola topped with banana foam & a mint leaf; the “Toronja Flip” features tequila, grapefruit juice, jalapeño simple syrup, egg whites & Luxardo Cherry Juice. Most of our party abstained from such indulgences, but I tried their caipirinha, which is like a Brazilian mojito – a Brazilian liquor called Boca Loca Cachaca is muddled with limes and sugar. It hit the spot…twice.

It’s very rare that we’ve been to a restaurant where upon reading the menu, there would not be one single thing we wouldn’t try. I tried hard to find something on Linger’s menu that didn’t interest me or that I would not try – it was impossible. Everything made my mouth tingle with anticipation. The dishes are all small plates – tapas style, as some call it, with recipes stemming from influences of global cuisine. Africa, the Far East, Southeast Asia, India, America, the Middle East, and Europe are all represented, and represented well. Here are a sampling of the items we did not have room in our bellies to try: Vietnamese skirt steak, ceviche, duck wings, short rib tacos, lamb belly tagine (have to go back for that one), and lettuce wraps stuffed with garbanzos, cashews, Turkish chile, scallion, pickled shiitakes, herbs & lemon-tahini yogurt. Plus the fried pork belly special they had that evening – I’m still not sure how we didn’t order that.

Mongolian BBQ duck buns

But now on to what we did have: African peanut soup, Mongolian BBQ duck bun, popper “breakdown,” saag paneer “fries,” roasted beet bhel puri, masala dosa, raw Indian “samosas,” and “Devils on Horseback.” What, you need an explanation of those? Good idea. The soup featured fire roasted tomatoes, yogurt, peanuts and cilantro, and the combination of flavors was fantastic. The sweetness of the tomatoes, the semi-firm peanuts, and the creamy yogurt all blended nicely together – it tasted sort of Indian, but sort of not. It was delicious. The duck bun was a very tasty sesame pancake of sorts filled with pulled duck meat, miso-pickled cucumbers, and scallions. The duck was soaking in an Asian BBQ sauce, and the dish was so good. The meat was super tender, and pancake/bun was almost crepe-like but thicker. I could have eaten six of those. The popper “breakdown” plays off the traditional jalapeno popper, deconstructing it.

Popper "Breakdown"

Shoshito peppers, which are mild, were seared in a wok, and were served with tempura cheese curds – yes, I said tempura cheese curds; wipe up your drool – and an orange-habanero jam. Each item tasted amazing on its own, but combining them was a revelation. The smoky flavor of the seared peppers mixed with the crunchy and oozy curds was so enjoyable, and the jam gave it a sweet and spicy punch that knocked it out of the park. It was so very good. Saag paneer is very familiar to those familiar with Indian cuisine – for those who are not, it’s spinach cooked with cheese cubes, and it’s terrific. Linger’s saag paneer “fries” featured French fry-shaped cubes of cheese atop a spinach puree, served with rhubarb ketchup. It was another triumph; the cheese was seared on the outside to give it a firm texture, and when mixed with the puree, it tasted very similar to its Indian original. The ketchup added a nice touch of sweetness. The roasted beet bhel puri contained roasted beets, puffed rice, crunchy lentil noodles, chickpeas, red onion, cashews,

Saag Paneer "Fries"

tomatoes, cilantro, yogurt, and a tamarind-date chutney. I’m not big on beets, and on their own I wasn’t too fond of these, but when mixed with all the other ingredients, the dish was quite good. Several different textures played off one another well; the crunchy noodles, the tender chickpeas, and the creamy yogurt really enhanced the dish. Masala dosa is a giant Indian crepe – it puffs up really high, making the dish look almost burrito-ish. Inside the crepe was potatoes, brussel sprouts, black mustard seeds, tamarind-date chutney & coconut chutney. I’d never had brussel sprouts before, but if they always tasted like they did in this dish, I’d eat them a lot more (but I doubt they always taste like this). And I’d never heard of

black mustard seeds before, but I know I like them. The potatoes were mashed very smoothly, and the mustard seeds really were a mustardy nice touch. The chutneys simply enhanced the other ingredients perfectly. The

Masala Dosa

“Devils on Horseback” were actually bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese, served with a sambal gastrique (sambal is an Indonesian/Malaysian chili sauce). The dates were huge, and their sweetness matched with the smoky, salty bacon perfectly. The goat cheese was unfortunately almost undetectable, and the gastrique was very good, but we could have used a lot more of it.

While we were perusing the menu, one of the managers, Ian, came over and asked if we had any questions and such. I asked him about the raw Indian “samosas” – we were curious how the dish was made. Samosas are normally fried balls of potatoes and peas, so if it was raw, how would that work? He told us it was for the more adventurous eaters – he said it had Indian flavors, but the consistency of a “Luna Bar,” one of those protein bars. That made us all raise an eyebrow, but we decided to be adventurous. Ian

Raw Indian "Samosas"

told us if we didn’t like the dish he wouldn’t charge us, so we had nothing to lose. And it was…good! Three small conically-shaped mounds were topped with a cashew yogurt and served with a cranberry mint jam. Ian was right on regarding the texture – just like one of those protein bars. But the flavors were really good, the yogurt was a great touch, and along with the jam gave the “samosas” the moistness they needed. We did not ask them to take it off our bill.

Even with all those dishes we managed to save room for dessert. It was Mrs. MHK’s birthday, so Linger accommodated her with a complimentary chocolate bread pudding with homemade strawberry soft serve ice cream. It was quite generous – the ice cream was absolutely amazing, and the bread pudding was ok – it could have been more moist and more chocolaty. We also shared their Trio Plate, which featured half-sized versions of their “Peanut Butter and Jelly Cup,” “Mississippi Mud Pie,” and the “Ovaltine and Oreos.” You read that right – Ovaltine. Little Ralphie’s nemesis in “A Christmas Story.” But this is not our father’s Ovaltine, no sir. An Oreo cookie was topped with an Ovaltine Bavarian cream, marscapone, and a malt sauce. Somehow they made Ovaltine very chocolaty and delicious – this dessert was fantastic. The PB & J Cup was tiny but good – cabernet jelly coulis, whipped cream, bruleed bananas and candied peanuts changed a blue-collar sandwich into a fine dining dessert. And the Mud Pie was a dense chocolate cake topped with a miso butterscotch, cream and candied walnuts. It was very rich, but very good. What we didn’t try sounded just as amazing, like the grapefruit-ginger sorbet or the homemade brown butter-strawberry ice cream.

Prices range widely at Linger from $5 up to $19 for the small plates; desserts range from $5 to $10. But even with all the dishes I listed above plus two drinks, it was under $100 before tip, which made us think at first that they left something off the bill, but they didn’t. It was an incredible value for a wonderful dining experience. The eclectic food, the hip yet comfortable atmosphere, the friendliness of the staff, and again, the food, give everyone a reason to hang around, loiter, delay leaving, stay a bit longer, wait a while, etc. And of course, a reason to come back.

The Mouse House Kitchen gives Linger 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Butter Your Chicken!

Comfort food exists in all cultures, and while the ingredients may differ greatly from one place to another, the concept is the same: familiar flavors, food that reminds you of home, and most of all, a satisfying meal. Today’s recipe – another great offering from the Bowl Food cookbook – is an example of Indian comfort food. Butter chicken is as homey as it gets for this type of cuisine, harmonizing wonderful spices with yogurt, cream and tomatoes, and of course, butter. We don’t cook a lot of Indian food here at the MHK – many dishes require ingredients that are either hard to find, or just aren’t worth buying due to the lack of frequency with which they’d be used; plus our Tandoori oven is always on the fritz, so when the flavors of India come calling, we tend to go out to greet them. But this dish is very easy to make and is full of flavor and, well – comfort. Garam masala is a spice that can be found in supermarkets, and it is a key ingredient – worth buying if you plan on making more than one Indian dish in the next 5 years or so. Serve it with rice for a tasty meal. Enjoy!

Indian Butter Chicken

(serves 4)

2 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, quartered

¼ cup butter

1 tbsp. ginger, minced

2 tsp. sweet paprika

2 tsp. garam masala

½ tsp. chili powder

1 cinnamon stick

2 tsp. cilantro, chopped

½ tsp. salt

12 oz. tomato puree

1 tbsp. sugar

¼ cup plain yogurt

½ cup whipping cream

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Heat a wok or large skillet on medium-high. When hot, add 1 tbsp. oil and cook half the chicken until browned. Transfer chicken pieces to a plate, add the other tbsp. oil and brown the rest of the chicken; transfer to plate. Melt the butter in wok or skillet; add ginger, paprika, garam masala, chili powder, cinnamon stick, and cilantro. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken to wok and toss to coat. Add tomato puree and sugar; reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add yogurt, cream and lemon juice; stir and simmer for about 5 minutes until sauce thickens slightly. Serve over rice. Eat!

Food That’s Sure to Please at LaZeez

I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad meal at an Indian restaurant.  Obviously some places do certain dishes better than others, and sometimes one or two of the items may not be great, but overall I don’t recall ever walking away and not wanting to return.  With the plethora of Indian restaurants in the Albany area, one might think at some point one of these places will just have bad food.  Since so many of the items on Indian menus are the same, the trick is how well the chefs cook them.  We tried the fairly new LaZeez Restaurant on Central Ave. (the former home of Shalimar), and we were happy to find that the good food tradition is continuing.

It was somewhat busy at 6:30 on a Friday night, and after being seated we were asked if we wanted the $10 buffet, but we elected to order off the menu.  We did glance at the buffet; it had about 10 items, and all the other patrons were eating from it, but we wanted to try some of the more interesting dishes on the menu. 

We started with the samosa chat, featuring chickpeas, potatoes and “crushed samosa” in a tamarind yogurt sauce, served at room temperature.  It was delicious – the sauce was sweet and spicy, and the chickpeas and potatoes were perfectly tender. The “crushed samosa” was little bits of fried breading, but it was pretty sparse throughout the dish – a little more would have been nice for texture, but we’d definitely order this again.

Being a Pakistani-Indian eatery (as most around here are), there were several beef items on the menu, along with the usual soups, seafood, chicken, lamb and vegetarian specialties that you’d find in similar restaurants.  We tried the following:  chicken tandoori, malai kofta, chana masala, palak paneer, dal makhani, and garlic naan.  Chicken tandoori is one of my all-time favorite foods, and LaZeez does it well enough, but I’ve had much better elsewhere.  The spices were average, and the breast meat was a little dry.  But even mediocre chicken tandoori is better than most chicken dishes.  The other dishes were all vegetarian; the malai kofta (vegetable balls made with carrots, potatoes and cashews in a cheese sauce) had the consistency of meatballs.  They were pretty good, and the sauce was a nice accompaniment.  The chana masala (chickpeas and potatoes in a tomato-cream sauce) was spectacular – the potatoes and chickpeas were cooked flawlessly, and the sauce was full of flavor.  Palak paneer (spinach with cheese cubes) is an item we order at every Indian restaurant, and LaZeez’ version was not bad.  The flavors were very good, but it could have used more cheese.  The dal makhani (lentils in a creamy butter sauce) was very good – the lentils soaked up the rich sauce beautifully.  The garlic naan (Indian bread stuffed with garlic) was great – not too dry, with little nuggets of garlic throughout.

The downside to the experience was the service.  Despite the fact that every other table was helping themselves to the buffet, the staff seemed to ignore us more than necessary.  At one point after we ordered, one server asked us if we wanted to order anything, as though he thought we were just hanging out for no reason.  And with everyone else eating at the buffet, our food seemed to take longer to arrive than it should have (at one point we began to regret not choosing the buffet, for hunger’s sake).  But once it did, we were very satisfied.

The prices are extremely reasonable for the quality and quantity.  The appetizers are all under $5, and the entrees range from $9-$11 (seafood items are a few dollars more) and come with a plentiful amount of buttery rice.  We would go back for the dinner buffet, and they do have a $7 lunch buffet as well. 

LaZeez means “delicious” in Arabic, and while the service may be a little lacking, the food lives up to the name.

The Mouse House Kitchen gives LaZeez 3.5 out of 5 stars!