Couscous Salad and Merguez Sausages

Sometimes traveling to an exotic destination only takes a typical meal from another country and a lot of imagination. Since I don't lack imagination, the only thing I needed to feel like I was spending a summer day in the south of France was a typical Summer BBQ meal. A few days ago, a friend surprised me with this delicious diner: Merguez Sausages and a savory couscous salad (A.K.A Taboule) and I was overwhelemed with joy and gratitude.

A Merguez sausages is a spicy blend of lamb and beef with mediterranean seasoning, cilantro and harissa. They are hard to find in Los Angeles but most French people have their favorite spot they like to go to when they want to get their Merguez fix. However, if you've never tried them before and want to give them a try I would highly recommend: "Payless Internation Market" on Venice Bld and Westwood Ave (10817 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034). This store is a little gem in West L.A, offering a variaty of Halal meat (don't plan on buying any pork there"), Feta cheese from various countries, and cheap but flavorful fruits and vegetables.

Unfortuinately, the stash of charcoal bricks and our supplies of gas were both gone and we had to grill the sausages on the stove instead of the BBQ, which was a bit of a disappointment but roasting the merguez in the oven for about 5-10 minutes after cooking them was a perfect way to get the sausages crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

We enjoyed this diner with some good wine, we had a digestive spliff and I was esctatic when I had the chance to eat the leftovers the day after.

Healthy with a Dash of Tasty

Stoners sometimes have a bad reputation for being lazy and eating horrible food to cure their munchies....and like most stereotypes, there is some truth to it. Ordering a pizza while waiting patiently on the couch is a stoner's favorite sport and since I had already worked my finger out on the phone's keypad the night before to order pizzas that took an hour and thirty minutes to be delivered, I decided to make my way to the fridge to see what was hiding in there.

Since my girlfriend and I recently started eating a little healthier, our shopping carts mainly get filled with fruits, vegetables, and natural juices and cigarettes.....which is (mostly) great for our health, but not so great for nibbling on finger food in front of "Workaholics".

Champagne was already flowing by 5pm, and after enjoying the summer weather by the pool, I wanted to celebrate this fabulous day with an unforgettable meal.....or at least with a meal that would make my munchies go away. After combining things I wanted to eat with things I actually had in the fridge, I started cooking our snack.

I once learned from a chef that the first thing to do when you're about to cook is boil some water: You can use it to boil vegetables, make a broth, cook pasta or drink tea during the process...And if you don't end up using it,throw a few eggs in the boiling water and you'll have a few hard broiled eggs for the next big salad you will be making. So....I boiled some water.

Here's what I ended up making: "Fried Zucchinis with bacon on top of a Rice and Carrot patty" baked in the oven with a slice of mozzarella cheese on top.

Recipe:
- Rice & Carrots Patties:
- 1 1/2 cup of Rice
- 8-10 Carrots
- 1/4 cup of butter
- 1/4 cup of milk
- Chives
- Onions
- Garlic
- 2 eggs

- Cook the Rice.  Peel and boil Carrots until tender. Strain the carrots and mash them with the butter and the milk over low heat. Mix the rice and the mashed carrots into a big bowl. Add the chopped onions, garlic, pepper and chives. Add 2 eggs and mix it all together.

Make small patties out of the mix and fry them with olive oil until golden.

- Fried Zucchinis
- 3 Zucchinis
- 1/2 onion
- 1 strip of Bacon cut into small pieces
- 1 Tomato
- Italian Herbs
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive oil
- 1/4 cup of red wine

Cook the onions in olive oil until golden, add the bits of bacon and the Italian herbs and let it cook on low while you cut the zucchinis in thin slices (leaving a little bit of the skin will help). Stir the zucchinis in the pan with the rest, add the chopped tomato and the salt & pepper and add the red wine to the mix. Let it simmer until slices are soft in the center and a little crunchy on the outer edge.

Add the Zucchinis on top of the Rice Patties on an oven safe dish and top it off with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Bake everything in the oven on "Broil" at 425 degrees 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is golden.

Enjoy this with a good bottle of red wine.

The summer of smores

Summer is the time we all like to go camping for a weekend, to get away from the city, breathe some fresh air and roast some marshmallows. After the tent is pitched and the fire started, there is nothing like gathering around the warm fire with a beer and some smores.

Trying to roast a marshmallow to perfection is a skill and not setting it on fire is always a challenge, but taking care of your munchies with the most devilish treat is always a great way to spend some time outdoor.

However, when the fun is over and you have to drive back to reality, smores can still be enjoyed indoor with the leftovers from the trip. They make a great last minute dessert and are easy to bake in the oven. Just prepare your sandwich, throw it in the preheated oven at 375 degrees, wait 10 minutes, and grab yourself the drink of choice that will help you chase down the sugary cement.

You will still make a mess at home and you better be ready to lick caramelized sugar off your fingers and be equipped with a lot of napkins, but every bite is worth the trouble and this sinful "sandwich" never disappoints.

You can see and buy some "Smores" pictures on my Istockphoto portfolio and I invite you to take a look at my "Food and Drinks" lightbox.

"Yen Sushi" - Culver City

Located in one of the most notorious malls of Los Angeles lies a new sushi restaurant that offers a variety of fishy dishes with a beautiful view on their parking lot. "Yen Sushi" is a great way to end a shopping spree at the mall with a fantastic happy hour menu.

The menu is not only full of creative rolls and sushis but it also offers a variety of options for those who don't eat fish such as the "Tornado potato" and Asian dishes. The quality of the fish was outstanding and the presentation of the plates was elegant and original. Their happy hour menu includes a plate of sashimis (or sushis) including five sorts of fish with your order and they have Sapporo on draft for those who enjoy a large pitcher of beer with their meal.

We ordered a few different rolls including the "Rock n' Roll" "The lobster roll" and the "Spicy tuna on crispy rice" and they were all fabulous. Even their side of Wasabi was a visual delight.

The friendly staff made our drinks stronger when we kindly told them that they were a little weak, and finishing the meal off with a perfectly battered "Green Tea Ice Cream Tempura" was a real pleasure.

After a few beers and a few glasses of sake, you might even be inclined to give Karaoke a try since they also offer this service.

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"Cousins Maine Lobster" Food Truck - Los Angeles

This weekend we went to the "Street Food Cinema", a celebration of great food, good time with friends, booze drinking in public, and a chance to experience the summer by watching a movie in the fresh smoggy air of downtown instead of sitting on a couch.

The park is located right across from the famous Los Angeles Coliseum near USC which they turn into an outdoor theater during the summer. After setting our blankets and coolers on the grass at the very end of the park, as far away from the screen as we possible could, we started roaming around the venue to decide what food truck was going to feed us. After wandering around and bumping into people carrying food, we decided to go to the "Cousins Maine Lobster" truck to order one Maine Lobster Roll and three California Lobster Tacos. We started waiting in the absurdly long line and gazed at the menu on the side of the truck. We added a side of Truffle Mac & Cheese from another truck and went back to our spot to enjoy our meal.

Contrary to a lot of other "Lobster Rolls" trucks, this one had a lot of meat and wasn't laced with stupid ingredients like Celery or mayonnaise.. There was a lot of meat in the rolls, it was just seasoned enough and lightly buttered and it was delicious. The lobster Tacos with he creamy cilantro sauce were tasty too and after we were done swallowing our dinner, we tried to get comfortable for the movie were were about to watch.

The movie they were screening that night was the funny comedy "Bridesmaids". It was a good thing I had already seen the movie because the screen was far away, the sound system was weak, and to top it off, we had a birthday party happening right in front of us with balloons filled with Helium blocking our view and chatty inebriated friends.

It was a beautiful summer evening and a great way to see "Bridesmaids" again and laugh with the rest of the crowd.

Meatballs and Rice Pasta

Last night I felt lazy but still wanted to have a decent meal. I opened the fridge and after staring at the pack of ground beef laying in the middle of the empty fridge I decided to cook some meatballs with tomato sauce and rice pasta.

Here's my recipe (3 people):
MeatBalls Mix
- 1lbs of beef
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup of flour
- A bunch of Freh Cilantro
- Italian Herbs
- Pepper
- 1 Strip of Bacon cooked and cut in tiny pieces
- Grated Swiss cheese
Other ingredients
- Tomato Sauce
- Red Wine
NO SALT (add salt only at the end before you serve)

Wash your hands, put all the ingredients in a giant bowl, mix the ground beef with all the other ingredients listed above and put the mix in the fridge to rest for at least 15 minutes.

While you wait, grind some weed, roll a joint and pour a glass of the red wine you're about to use later in the process.

After waiting and getting baked, pour some olive oil in a pan and let it heat up as you start making small beef balls with your clean hands the size of a small apricot, their size will reduce as you start cooking them. Throw all of them in the pan at the same time and cook all of meatballs thoroughly. Once they are medium, add a little bit of red wine to glaze the balls. Proceed to open the can of organic tomato sauce and add the content in the pan with the meatballs and turn down the heat to let the meatballs simmer for at least 20 minutes.

Add some grated swiss cheese and a little bit of salt on top of the meatballs before serving and enjoy this delicious comfort food with some of your favorite pasta.

"Thomas Hill Organics" Market Bistro - Paso Robles

This week I had the chance to spend some time in the Redwoods National Park near Big Sur and enjoyed every second of this short vacation. On the way down, I took the scenic route from Cambria to Palos Robles to stop at a restaurant for my girlfriend's birthday. 

Paso Robles is like the mini "Napa Valley" of Southern California. It's somewhat of a small city but it's full of inviting wine tasting rooms and charming restaurants with local flavors. It was already late when we arrived there and most of the places were closed, but we ended up falling upon what ended up being one of the best culinary experiences I've ever had: "Thomas Hill Organics" Market Bistro.

When I went on their website to check the menu before walking in, I was delighted to learn that their menu changed every day depending on what the cook found at the local organic farms and markets. That was a good sign.

We walked in and I immediately apologized for wearing what I had been wearing at the campsite which consisted of black sweat pants, sandals and a "Smurf" T-shirt with firewood scent...but that's what I also loved about this restaurant: they didn't kick us out. We sat down in their outdoor patio that was simply but elegantly decorated and we started salivating at the menu that was full of creative dishes made with fresh local produce.

We started with some local white wine from the Paso Robles Bodegas Winery, and we ordered the appetizer that we were going to share: "Braised Beluga Lentil Tacos, Carrot Ginger Purée, Candied Jalapenos, Chews & coconut, Watermelon, Cilantro"

These Tacos were by far the most delicious and inventive tacos I had ever had. The mix of the flavorful organic vegetables and the sweet fruits was the best way to get a taste of this incomparable restaurant. 

We then shared two entrées (I love to share all the dishes on the table to get a taste of everything). The first one was: "Pan Roasted Alaskan Halibut Cheeks, Roasted Baby Beets, Macerated Strawberries Pickled Watermelon, Coconut Cream, Mint Leaves, Citrus Vinaigrette". Here's the thing, I'm usually not a fan of beets but this restaurant's chef changed my view on beets that night. Every bite out of this original dish was heavenly, the presentation was sophisticated and enticing, the fish was perfectly cooked, and the staff was incredibly friendly.

Our second Entrée was a thin crust pizza with THO apples, Bacon, Mon Brie Cheese, Roasted Red Onion and Cremini Mushrooms. We had ordered a glass of red wine from their fabulous wine list at this point and I had to take a picture of the wine list because this wine was one of the boldest and tastiest red wine I had drank in a long time. (Our incredible red wine was: "Thomas Hill Vineyards 10' Miscela Delle Colline"). Eating the pizza while munching on this crispy and savory pizza was a perfect way to finish the meal.....before dessert of course.

I tried to be sneaky and I pretended to go to the bathroom to ask our waiter to bring a dessert with thirty candles. That was the only time they manged to disappoint me because they had run out of candles, and I think our waiter was also a little shy so he didn't even try to sing "happy birthday", but the "Chocolate Fondant (flourless chocolate cake) with Dulce de Leche and Honey Frosting" made up for it. We cleaned off the plate and shared coffee brought to the table in a French press. They apparently create their coffee blend themselves by picking some of their favorite beans and mixing them together.

They had a few baskets full of fresh fruits from the farm by the front door and we bought a pound of a medley of fruits and headed back on the road to Los Angeles. At this point, you understand that I highly recommend this restaurant if you drive to San Francisco, from San francisco, or if you ever get remotely close to Paso Robles while you drive on the 101 freeway. Even if you're a little far from it, it is definitely worth the drive.