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eatWashington's Profile

Website: http://www.eatWashington.com

Location: Washington DC

About: Began a weekly newsletter in Soviet-era Moscow on fabulous food finds in a city with no food. Now in DC, launched eatWashington.com, a guide to eating and cooking well locally, with chef profiles, recipes, tips, and my favorite markets.

Favorite foods: Anything rice noodles from Asia and egg noodles from Italy.

Last bite on earth: A big bowl of brisket-and-tendon pho.

The Ten Most Recent Comments By eatWashington

From Talk

"Drop It Like It's Hot"

Drop stuff on the floor on a regular basis. I reckon eating it gives me fantastic immunity from almost everything. Obviously not fond of basset hound hairs on stuff, so they get washed off if I can get to the dropped goods before the basset. Meat is definitely washed. We worry a little too much about bacteria. Food safety is necessary. But too much sanitizing leaves you open to food sickness when you travel to other countries. Why does the US think it can't eat raw milk cheeses under 60 days' old? Are the French and Italians dying like flies? Why do cured meats from Europe have to be pasteurized? Do you think if an Asian, a Latino or an African in their own countries tosses food when they've dropped it? It's a privilege of the wealthy.

eatWashington at 10:38AM on 05/15/08

From Talk

Sliced pork belly -- now what?

This is late to the threat. But if you decide you liked it enough to buy more, or if you find some pork belly WITH THE SKIN ON in an Asian market, here's a wonderful European recipe: Score the skin every half in inch but not too deeply. Rub in salt and powdered fennel seed. Place skin side up in a 400F oven for 15 minutes to draw the fat. Pour fat off and add white wine three-quarters of the way up the meat. Turn heat down to 300F and bake for 3 hours. While the meat rests, pour off the juice and separate the fat from the gravy. Slice the pork through the score marks, serve with pureed mash potato and the juice poured over. Bon appetit, eatWashington

eatWashington at 11:13AM on 04/22/08

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

My grandfather invented sardines. As a young grocery delivery boy with a bicycle, he went over on the ferry to Norway from Newcastle-on-Tyne in the North of England where he lived to find new markets, and saw the Norwegians were canning fish. He bought the rights to do the same, came back to England and launched Skipper Sardines. The round-cornered flat can was opened with a key attached to its underside. It was wrapped in paper illustrated with the picture of a bearded sailor in a yellow sou'wester that's become an iconic poster. The French sued him in court for using the word 'sardine' which they said was theirs. Since it doesn't describe a species of fish, my grandfather lost the case and had to change the name of his canned fish to "bristling".
They were our regular Sunday night supper, after a heavy roast meat lunch with Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, vegetables and gravy. We squashed them with the back of a fork into thick slices of hot buttered brown toast, squeezed some lemon juice over and several good grinds of black pepper. Wonderful! eatwashington.com

eatWashington at 10:19AM on 03/24/08

From Eating Out

Best Ethnic Markets and Grocery Stores in the Washington D.C Area

If you want to know about masses of ethnic groceries in the greater Washington area, check out www.eatwashington.com. Julia Watson, of eatWashington.com.

eatWashington at 6:59PM on 03/21/08

Responses to Comments by eatWashington

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

i love sardines right out of the can. i eat one can everyday and i savor it.
delicately picking out the bone and eating bite by slow bite... i practically lick the can.

i've discovered that in order to get good sardines you've got to pay for them. the cheap ones have more of a fishiness that i don't like. i buy norwegian brislings. mediterranean style is my favorite. i've discovered that everyday i actually feel better after i eat them. they really help me stay alert for the rest of the day. i felt an instance high after the first time i ate them, so i've been hooked every since.

i've tried doing recipes and mixing them in salads but honestly, i love em plain and that's how i only eat them from now on.

krissy at 7:17PM on 06/11/08

From Talk

"Drop It Like It's Hot"

Hmmm spectacular drops in my past include a tortiere that was baked in one of the infamous dollar store foil pans mentioned above. Ex hubby took it out of the oven, the pan folded and efficiently dumped the entire thing on the oven door, which of course, was hot so the contents COOKED onto the door. Then there were the hamburger condiments that were sprayed onto the living room wall when I tripped on my boyfriend at the time's cast. My mom once dropped an entire roast chicken on the floor with company sitting in the next room. I once flung a plate of spaghetti with meat sauce clear across the kitchen (I kept a hold of the plate but the contents went flying) when someone scared me as I was serving myself from the stove. Peppercorns are a nemesis. Oh and then the time I had raw cookies sitting on top of the stove waiting to go into the oven. Opened the door above the stove - my mom had not wrapped up the bag of rice correctly and it poured directly onto my cookies.

As a general rule, we salvage all we can! The cookies were, however, a tad crunchy!

Maureen at 12:34PM on 05/15/08

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

guess what I make a living out of them. I do product development for a certain brand in asia. But eversince I started working on it, I stopped eating them at home. C'mon give me a break, they're everywhere at work. =) I want to eat something else. lol.

I'm not sure if you're familiar with fried sardines but they're great on toasts and on rice as well. One can eat it right off the can or bottle (yes, there are bottled sardines). But for the tomoto sauce based sardines, I'd rather heat them first and add some lemon or a bit of soy sauce.

jobelle at 11:34PM on 05/06/08

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

I, too eat them out of a can. I prefer the ones packed in mustard sauce, as the mustard hides a bit of the fishy taste, but also buy the water-packed and add my own mustard. I just smash a few onto wheat bread or a bagel. Eating them on bread also makes them more palatable for me. Eating them with hard-boiled eggs sounds like a good idea, too...

foodwriter97426 at 4:06PM on 04/14/08

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

As suggested above, buy sardines packed in water. Drain well, mash and spritz with balsamic vinegar and malt vinegar to taste, add a scant amount of mayonnaise, if you like a creamy spread or omit. Fold in a tablespoon of chopped, drained and rinsed, capers and season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Spread on hot, buttered rye toast. This sandwich is quite palatable, even delicious. This is a variant of the French Canadian "sardines on toast.

The sardines won't be oily, 'fishy'. Buy the cheap brand of sardines in spring water and visit a dollar or discount store to buy capers. The ones from Spain seem the cheapest. I think this sardine approach is good on all counts. Do try to enjoy....

Raki5 at 10:53PM on 03/29/08

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

Try getting a tin of the smaller sized variety and using them instead of anchovies in a puttanesca sauce. I cut them in half lengthwise rather than chop them.

If you ever have a chance to try Venetian sarde in saor, do it!

zenduck at 5:40PM on 03/26/08

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

I just ate my first can of sardines. These were packed in water. Quite tasty. I ate them plain right out of the can with a little pepper on top. Thanks for the sardine tips. They are an excellent source of protein.

vickith at 3:24PM on 03/26/08

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

re: sardines and rice -- yes! must be cos i'm half filipina? salad of choice to accompany is red onion/juice ripe tomatoes/coriander and a sharp vinaigrette.

my parents retired to live in st jean de luz and every time i visit them i stock up on their sardines from this WONDERFUL shop: http://www.labelleiloise.fr/

in fact, my ma sent me a dozen tins for my birthday!

the other way i like tinned sardines is in on toast with plenty of mayo and sliced tomatoes.

if i get fresh i make them in escabeche OR grilled -- too too yum.

astarteny at 9:07AM on 03/25/08

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

Try Sultan brand sardines in chili oil from Morroco. Yellow box. They are great and would probably go well with pasta and just use the oil on the pasta as well. Maybe add some capers, green onions or how about some lightly sauteed kale........? And how about some toasted old baguette just smashed up in there?

robincat at 5:13PM on 03/24/08

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

I can eat them out of can, but that's me. Here's a good way to tart them up:
http://badhomecooking.typepad.com/bad_home_cooking/2007/04/how_to_avoid_br.html
Which I did at Pessach last year.
Good luck. And don't overthink what you can or can not eat whilst pregnant. I craved tekka maki (tuna roll sushi) when I was pregnant with my first....ate it all the time, in defiance of the Parenting Police. The now 11-year-old is tall, smart and healthy. And loves sushi.

Bad Home Cook at 3:40PM on 03/24/08