Surfing, Jackie Onassis, Diana Vreeland, and Shepherd's Pie! And, Yes, I can link them.

First a bit about surfing. Trying something new can often be a good thing, even if at first it may seem somewhat intimidating.  Like a new surf spot. This past weekend, after too many days of not being able to get in the water because of rain and then bigger swells than are good for me, things finally backed down. Unfortunately they backed down a little too much. When I got to my spot at Tower 26, the ocean was just completely flat. I mean, really flat! I headed down to Tower 24, where a couple of guys on boards were trying to catch some waves, but they were having no luck at all. So the day was looking like it might be a wash. Until I pulled out my phone to check Surfline and reports for Malibu and other spots. Venice seemed to be slightly better and was closer so I headed a bit south. Sure enough, just north of the Venice Pier some nice small waves were rolling in. There was a few other mellow day surfers already there when I paddled out, and I wound up having a blast on these little waves. Later that night we had Shepherd's Pie for dinner, which was made from leftover Roast Beef from Christmas Night dinner. Here it is:

What does legendary style maven and magazine editor Diana Vreeland have to do with surfing and Shepherd's Pie? Well take a look at this!

https://youtu.be/3wRmpc-Fh3o

Not only did Vreeland love surfers, but she thought skateboarders were great too. GREAT!!

So there's Vreeland. Did you know Diana Vreeland and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis were very dear friends? Well, they were, and one thing that Mrs. Vreeland would like to eat when she came to Mrs. Onassis's for dinner was Shepherd's Pie. This fact was picked up in a book called "Cooking For Madam," by Marta Sgubin, who was Mrs. Onassis's longtime cook. So the next time you find yourself with leftover roast (it could be beef, or lamb, or even chicken or turkey), make a Shepherd's Pie. Here's how:

Shepherd's Pie
(Recipe adapted from Marta Sgubin's "Cooking For Madam")
Serves 6

3-4 cups cooked roast beef or lamb (or turkey or chicken)
3 tbsps. butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tbsps. flour
1 3/4 to 2 cups beef stock (or chicken if you're going poultry)
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Mashed potatoes (recipe follows)
*note: if you have leftover vegetables you can throw them in too. I had a cup or so of cooked green beans, which worked really well. Just fold them into the sauce with the meat.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Finely chop the meat and set aside.  Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and saute until tender and translucent, about five minutes.  Add garlic.  Saute 30 seconds more. Sprinkle in flour and stir, without browning, about two minutes, until flour is blended in. Slowly pour in stock and whisk. Bring to simmer and cook, whisking, until thickened about two or three minutes. Fold the chopped meat into the sauce. Season well with salt and fresh ground pepper.
2. Spoon the mixture into a two quart oven proof casserole. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top. Use a fork to rake a design into the potatoes. Dot with more butter if you like.
3. Place the dish on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the potatoes are browned and starting to crisp.

Mashed Potatoes

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

2 tbsps. butter

1 tbsp. horseradish

Salt and Fresh ground pepper

About 1 cup milk

1. Place potatoes in medium pot and cover with cold salted water. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer potatoes until very tender, about 20 minutes. 
2. Drain potatoes and toss butter into the pot, along with horseradish and salt and pepper. Using a potato masher (or a ricer if you want a really find texture) mash the potatoes well.  Now start adding in milk, starting with about 1/2 cup. If the potatoes seem dry, add more milk, up to about a cup, until you reach a nice soft and smooth consistency.  Taste again for salt and pepper.

As always if you're looking for a good read, please also check out and pre-order my novel "Women Like Us" on Inkshares.  Here's that link:

https://www.inkshares.com/projects/women-like-us?referral_code=68914607

Sometimes It's Just Recon. In Surfing And Eating. Plus Trois Familia!

With fairly massive surf dominating much of California last week, I had to stay out of the water. Swell was way too big for the likes of me. But even good surfers were passing on some of the nasty conditions that were out there, all of this due to a pretty massive low pressure system blowing south and then east. Before this big swell really got going, though, I headed out to the beach because I thought I might get a session in. However, as is often the case, even if Surfline reports make it seem like it might be a good day for me, it turns out that you don't really know until you get to the sand and look for yourself. This was one of those times where when I got out there, it was clearly not a day in my wheelhouse. However, the day was not a total loss. I mostly surf around Santa Monica and occasionally Venice, and sometimes Zuma, or if we're lucky Carpinteria. But I've been so curious about Sunset Beach and Sunset Point, which are both closer to town. Sunset Point always looks sort of mellow, but I've been warned that it's deceptive, and that getting into those waves is tricky and requires a good bit of extra paddling. A check on Surfline revealed smaller waves at Sunset on this day, so I headed up there. I found a good spot to park, left the board on the car and just watched guys surf the waves that were coming around the point. Again, these were actually a bit on the big side for me, as was how to negotiate the paddle out, tricky because there's no real beach, just stairs down to some really big rocks. So I was happy just doing recon, observing, and from a vantage point you don't often get, which was up above surfers as they caught waves. This was interesting and somewhat instructional because one got a new perspective from this angle.  All in all, I was happy with this session, even though I didn't come close to wave catching. I did return to Santa Monica to just swim a bit because I didn't want to leave without getting wet.

Another recon mission this week was to check out Trois Familia, the new spot in Silver Lake from Jon Shook, Vinny Dotolo, and Ludo Lefebvre, the trio also behind the wonderful Petit Trois and Trois Mec. Trois Familia is only open for brunch and lunch, and these dudes have come up with a menu that's somewhat French, somewhat Mexican and, of course, entirely delicious-sounding. I'd seen reports (including from Jonathan Gold in the LA Times) about the potato tacos. Sam and I discussed checking out Trois Familia, but we figured on a weekend it would be a mob scene, so I decided to do a recon during the week, early-ish, hoping it wouldn't be too crowded. Of course, even mid-week, it was pretty busy. If I hadn't been solo, there would have been a wait. But I snagged a seat at a table with other diners -- it's all communal seating on picnic tables in a space that used to house Alegria. You grab your own silverware too so if that, and sharing tables, bothers you, this isn't your kind of place. I don't mind it. It can be fun eavesdropping actually, and everybody seems pretty stoked about what they're eating and sharing their suggestions.  I really wanted the tacos, but I must say almost everything on the menu sounds so good, so a return will have to be in order. Here are the tacos:

So there was potato, shredded carrot, lots of diced chilis (I think Jalapeños but they might have been Serrano...they had some heat so FYI) and definitely lime. Then there's Jack cheese and creme fraiche. All of this goodness is stuffed into a crispy taco shell, which is then stuck inside a soft taco! The combination -- crisp, gooey from the cheese and spicy is just incredible. I loved these tacos, and they're vegetarian too. If you're in the Silver Lake area and you're looking for a good brunch spot, Trois Familia will not disappoint. Here's their link:

www.troisfamilia.com

It's The Smile That Gives It Away. Plus Flatbreads!

I've had good days and bad days in the surf (and for sure more bad than good). But one thing that often stays the same is the smile on my face. Because any time I can get in the water I consider a good time. I've had sessions when my performance seriously sucked, but recently when this happened this lady I've come to know who surfs and teaches swimming commented on how I was smiling as I headed to my car.  I fessed up and told her how bad I'd done, but she just laughed it off. Yesterday was a super mellow day. My kind of day. And I did pretty good so I must have been smiling extra big because not one but two people made comments as I came out of the water. I guess maybe the lesson here is it's good to find a way to smile when things are bad as well as when things are good. Because it's infectious -- people notice.

Another thing that makes me smile? Well, if I've spent a bit of time on a recipe, it's always good to find a way to repurpose leftovers. Maybe it's because I value frugality, but when I can make something new out of something old it makes me happy. For instance I recently received the wonderful gift of Chef Tal Ronnen's cookbook, "Crossroads," which features recipes from his most excellent vegan restaurant of the same name here in LA. There are many recipes I want to try in this book, but the first one I went for was flatbreads with tapenade and roasted cauliflower. These came out delicious, but I had enough flatbread dough left for another meal. I wasn't going to need them for a few days, but according to the recipe they're good to freeze, so I popped the extra in the freezer.
A few days later, defrosted, they became the post-surf (non vegan this time) lunch you see here:

That's smoked salmon, creme fraiche, freshly squeezed lemon juice and capers on top of the flatbreads fresh out of the oven.  Totally simple, but super delicious. Here's how to make these very versatile flatbreads:

Flatbreads
(adapted from Tal Ronnen's Crossroads cookbook)

1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 cup, plus 2 tbsps. lukewarm water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 3/4 cups bread flour, or more, plus additional for dusting
2 tsps. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl and more for brushing on dough
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine yeast, water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve yeast and sugar. Let the mixture stand until it looks foamy, about 10 minutes (if it doesn't, toss it and start again...it means your yeast is no good).
2. At low speed slowly add the flour in three batches. When the dough starts to come together, increase speed to medium and add the oil, salt and pepper (side note: I had to keep adding small amounts of flour at this point...the dough was just way too wet, but it may have something to with humidity so you'll have to judge).  Knead the dough in the mixer, stopping the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook, until the dough has come together and is no longer sticky, about 10 minutes.
3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough for a few minutes more, until it's smooth and elastic.
4. Form the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour. Meanwhile, if you have a pizza stone (and you should!) place it in the oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees.
5. Divide dough into four equal portions and roll each into a ball. If you're only using two, wrap the remaining two in several layers of plastic (you can oil it if you want; I didn't). You can keep it in the refrigerator up to five days, and the freezer up to a month. I froze two, and took them out of the freezer the day before needed. A couple of hours before baking, place the dough balls on a floured board to come to room temperature.

When you're ready to bake the flatbreads, here's a couple of tricks I've learned for getting pizza, or  flatbreads like these, into the oven without making a big mess.

1. If you have a pizza peel line it with a piece of parchment paper. Dust the parchment paper with cornmeal.
2. On a well floured board press and stretch one piece of dough until you have an oval, approximately 8 inches long and 6 inches wide. Transfer dough to parchment. Do the same with a second ball of dough. You should have enough room to do two flatbreads at a time.
3. With a fork prick the surface of the flatbreads all over. Lightly brush flatbreads with olive oil. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
4. Carefully slide the parchment paper with the flatbreads onto your pizza stone. Bake for ten to fifteen minutes, until lightly browned all over (after about 6-8 minutes, if you like, you can remove the parchment from underneath the flatbreads but you can also just leave it).
5. Let flatbreads cool slightly. Then top however you like.  For the ones above, just spread on some Creme Fraiche, then top with thinly sliced smoked salmon. Spoon on some capers, squeeze on some fresh lemon juice and you're good to go.

Here's that vegan version, as mentioned.

If you're looking for a great vegan restaurant experience in LA, definitely hit up Crossroads on Melrose.  For more about it, here's the link:

www.crossroadskitchen.com

If you're looking for a great book to read, or give as a gift, here's a link to Inkshares, where you can search and pre-order my novel "Women Like Us".

www.inkshares.com

William Finnegan's "Barbarian Days" - Best Book About Surfing Ever? Plus Burgerlords!

It has taken me a while to get to William Finnegan's "Barbarian Days," which is all about Finnegan's life as a surfer, beginning with his early days in Hawaii and California.  I haven't read that many books on surfing, but I have to say I am totally enthralled by this book, and if you have any interest at all in surfing -- or what goes on inside the mind of a surfer -- go and get a copy right away because it's so, so good.  Even though I am such a bad surfer still, and I've only been at it a relatively short time, I relate to so much in this book (which, by the way, is also a great portrait of California and Hawaii in the 1960's and 1970's, which I always find fascinating and so cool). Also, I've learned important things from this book -- for instance I'm constantly referring to myself as Kook, which is surfer slang for a dorky surfer. However, what I did not know is that Kook comes from "...kuk, a Hawaiian word for excrement"! This is good information to have, and it paints a colorful picture, doesn't it? I guess what Finnegan really nails for me is a sort of obsession, which I guess applies to surf enthusiasts of all stripes. He began surfing as a kid, and while I don't have that (I have the sort of equivalent of that on skis, though), what I do have is surfing on the brain -- I think about it all the time. When I'm not in the water, I'm wondering when I can get back in. In many ways I've been rearranging my life around a surf schedule, and so Finnegan's obsession totally rings true. How many times a day can you look at Surfline cams? Many.

Another takeaway from "Barbarian Days" is the surfer's connection to nature. This is in some ways obvious -- you're in the ocean so can't get much closer than that -- but also in less tangible ways. You begin to understand -- or try to understand -- things like swell direction and swell size, and what it means when storms are churning away down in Baja because they're going to have a bearing on where you might surf and when.  But also it's just about appreciating things. Like the other day was a pretty good day for me in Santa Monica. Waves were on the small side, and there was the mid-tide I always like, but once again there were dolphins passing lazily by, and pelicans soaring overhead, and the water was nice and clear. It felt so good to just be out there. I was thinking about what to eat after the time in the water and, maybe because it was just such a pretty perfect Southern California day I wanted to do something nice for the planet, which means eating something vegetarian or even vegan. So it was a good day to hit up a new spot I'd read about downtown, in Chinatown, Burgerlords. This is a the vegan cheeseburger I ordered--

I'm generally not a huge fan of veggie or vegan burgers -- if you're gonna have a burger, go to In-n-Out for goodness sakes -- but pictures I'd seen of these made it look really delicious, and I have to say it was. Did it taste like meat? Not really, but it was hearty and filling, and I felt really good about eating it. I forgot to ask if the cheese was vegan. I suspect it was regular cheese, but if you're a total vegan get it without. The fries were prefect too, crispy and salty and hot. It's an interesting spot for lunch too, in the middle of this old-school Chinatown mall. I noticed a bunch of elderly Chinese men milling about, studying all the hipsters and such who were eating at Burgerlords. It was as if they were seeing the future and they weren't quite sure what to make of it.

I'll definitely go back to Burgerlords to try the real burgers but this vegan version definitely hit the spot.

So go!  And get William Finnegan's "Barbarian Days".  It's from Penguin Press.

And by the way, if you're looking for a good novel, please visit www.inkshares.com and search for "Women Like Us".  You can pre-order a book, and I will thank you heartily!

www.burgerlords.com

14,000 Days Of Surfing? 'Every Day Dale', Is Old School Surf Royalty. Plus Roscoe's For Another Old School Lunch!

Have you ever heard of Dale Webster? No? Well, to be honest, I hadn't either until recently, but if you surf -- and even if you don't -- this man is an inspiration. Why? Because, since September of 1975, Dale has surfed every single day. Yes, every single day. That's something like over 14,000 of them. Over forty years. He's only stopping now because he has to have minor surgery, and then, at some point, he says he'll get back in the water. But still -- 14,000 days of surfing! Man, we should all be so lucky. Dale surfed on good days and bad. Dale surfed when the sun was shining and when storms were so brutal the wind and rain slashed and bloodied his face. Now that's perseverance. Also Dale had something else to say in this recent interview in Surfer Magazine that struck a few chords. He had to surf three good waves in order to count the surf session as complete, and he was asked how he came to the three-wave idea. Dale said the idea came from Doc Paskowitz (another surf legend...Google him) and surfer Phil Edwards, who didn't consider the wave real unless you surfed it all the way in to the beach, with you fins scraping into the sand. That's where I really started paying attention, because that's still a huge goal for me. To get a long enough ride on one wave is an accomplishment for me. To ride three all the way into the beach is something I would love to be able to do. Okay, so new goal: to surf at least one wave all the way into the beach because I generally wipe out about halfway. I wish I could be like Dale and surf every day, but right now that's not possible. Still, it's always good to have goal. Oh, and Dale also had this to say, which I totally relate to -- When asked what surfing taught him, Dale said this: "Surfing is really a challenge. Sometimes you end up looking for perfect waves that only exist in magazines. But when you go to the beach, you have to surf the waves you have on hand. It may not be barreling, but the act of putting on a suit, going out there, and just being in the water feels wonderful." It's that last part that really struck a chord. I have such a long way to go in my surfing life, but just getting out there does, indeed, always feel wonderful.

Dale is old school, and I've been on a sort of old school eating kick these days too. Like after a recent session I was hungry for good, old school fried chicken, which brought to mind Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. Roscoe's is totally old-school. The menu has stayed pretty much the same, as has the restaurant itself, at least the one on Gower. They stick with what works, really good fried chicken and really good waffles. But I also love all the sides at Roscoe's. Here was lunch:

It's the three-wing combo, with greens, but instead of corn bread I got the Mac and Cheese. It was all, as usual, delicious, the wings crisp on the outside, moist within, the mac and cheese super creamy, and the greens long-simmered until ultra tender. When you do something long enough -- like Dale or like Roscoe's, you usually get it right.

So read about Dale in Surfer Magazine:

www.surfermag.com

And if you want to hit up Roscoe's:

www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com

Tips From An Old-School Dude. Plus Old School Breakfast At The Pantry.

Surfing often brings you in contact with interesting and colorful people. This past Sunday, for example, waves were pretty small and mellow, so it was a great day for me to paddle out. I thought I was doing pretty good, even though it was really crowded, which is never too much fun, and which I often find distracting, if not dangerous. Nearby was a real old-school surfer. How could I tell this? Well, for one, he was on a battered, and well-used old long-board. Also he wore just shorts, no rash guard or wetsuit or anything like that -- probably not even sun screen. He was maybe late-50's…possibly older, although quite frankly he had the body of a twenty year old, which is what surfing a lot will do for you. Between waves, he'd kick back and relax on his board like he was sitting on a beach chair. I saw him take off on a couple of waves, and I was just amazed. This was one of those people who make it all look completely effortless. Anyway, just after I went after one wave and failed he asked if he might make a couple of suggestions. I was cool with that, but the first thing he told me is something I already know -- I still have a tendency to pop up before I've completely caught the wave. What happens then is I get to my feet, but then basically stop and fall off as the wave passes. So he said, "one more paddle, man, and you'd have it." I thanked him, of course, but it was a little later that he had some even more colorful words, ones that also rang true while also being pretty funny. Now first I have to explain: I have tendency to take my time between waves. There's a couple of reasons. One is I think for a person like me, still battling some silly phobias, the adrenalin pumps -- so I get tired and think I need to rest, even though I'm not sure that's really true. Another reason is I'm super picky about selecting waves. It has to look just right for me to go after it -- not too big, not to small, not too steep, etc! This means I spend a lot of time watching waves. This dude totally called me on it, though. He said something close to this: "surfing is like when you were in high school with girls. You can go after one girl, yeah, but it's better to go after ten or fifteen or more because you learn something from each one, and you can figure out what works!" Then he added this: "or guys. Whatever you were into." His point, though, was a valid one. You have to go after as many waves as you can in order to learn, so next time I promised myself I'd do just that.

This session made me hungry for some old school eats, like a good old diner or coffee shop breakfast, which made me think of The Pantry downtown.  Open pretty much 24/7 since 1924, the Pantry, now owned by former Mayor Richard Riordan, is like stepping into a time warp, or an LA Noir movie from the 1940's. There's a colorful cast of characters scattered throughout, and forget about modern day amenities like credit or debit cards or, God forbid, Apple Pay! The Pantry only accepts cash and you pay at a cashier's booth that hasn't been updated probably since the place opened. But this is all what's so great and endearing about The Pantry, its steadfast refusal to change. Also fun is watching the guys behind the counter making the food. They are total pros who make juggling about twelve orders at once look like a piece of cake. Usually you can count on a line out the door of patrons waiting for old-style eats like steaks and chops, but many go to the Pantry for the generous breakfasts, especially for the pancakes. I opted for what you see here:

Yep, eggs over-easy, with crisp bacon, sourdough toast, and hash browns which are so, so good, perfectly crisp on the outside, but tender when you dig down beneath the crust. This place totally hits the spot when you're in the mood for a classic diner breakfast.

So the next time you find looking for some old school eats, hit up the Pantry. And, hey, you might even get lucky and spot one of these like I did outside the place.

Definitely helps make you think you've stepped into another era (by the way there's a lot across the street -- The Pantry validates so you get parking for two and a half bucks).

More info here: www.pantrycafe.com

Crowds Are A Bummer. But Fish and Chips at Bombo Rock!

Summer weekends in Santa Monica can be drag. Even if you paddle out early -- say 7:00 or 7:30 AM latest  -- it can get pretty crowded, and that's generally not a good thing. This past Sunday I thought I was out early enough to beat the crowds but I was wrong. There were tons of surfers, and a very big contingent of swimmers as well. Now, I've said it enough times, but I'll say it again: I'm no expert surfer. Really, really far from it. But I understand there are rules, and right-of-way issues, and some people, I guess, just don't pay any attention to that. Like if I've already got a spot in the line-up, and there's three of you paddling out, how about giving me some space and not crowding me out? That's what these dudes did and, quite frankly, it was kind of rude. Did I say anything? Nope. It's not worth starting something over. I've seen surfers get territorial and it's not pretty. Anyway, I paddled off and found a new spot. The good news is that it's almost Labor Day, and after the holiday the summer crowds will definitely thin. So it will be more like during the week -- I made it out for a surf session Wednesday morning, and though the waves were pretty mellow, there was almost nobody out. So that was nice.

Also nice was the post-surf lunch. Heading home, I detoured. I'd been having a craving for fish and chips, and I just read somewhere that Mark Peel's Bombo, in the Grand Central Market, had added them to the menu (or they might have put them back on the menu because for a while they didn't seem to be on it). Bombo's been on the must-try list for a while, but as I've said I always get sidetracked at the Grand Central Market by Wexler's. But I really wanted fish and chips so I resisted the urge for deli and this time was a success, as you can see here:

We still miss Mark Peel's Campanile, which closed a few years back but was consistently one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles, in one of the most beautiful spaces in town, with some of the most delicious food. Who wouldn't miss grilled cheese night too, huh? I was also a fan of the short-lived Tar Pit on LaBrea. So it was only good news to hear that Peel was setting up shop at the Grand Central Market, which has become such a great destination for good eats. Bombo is mostly about seafood, and you can even buy some nicely curated fish to take home and cook yourself if you want. Many of the dishes on Bombo's menu are cooked in broth, in these big steam kettles I've never seen anywhere else. I'm going to come back and try more of the menu, but like I said, this time was all about fish and chips. So how was lunch? In a word, excellent!  You might be used to a beer batter, but here the fish -- cod, which is always great for fish and chips -- had a crust that was bread-crumb based, so it was super crunchy, while the fish inside was light, flaky and not at all greasy. There was vinegar for sprinkling over the fish and, of course, a cool tartar-like sauce for dipping. The potatoes were perfectly fried little discs with the skin on, which is the way I like them. All in all a super delicious lunch, and highly recommended if you're downtown. Thanks, Bombo!

More info. here:

www.bombofoods.com

And more on Chef Mark Peel:

www.chefmarkpeel.com

Road Trip/Surf Trip/Food Trip To Pet-Friendly Carpinteria.

This past weekend we headed north to Carpinteria with some friends and the beagles for what's become an annual getaway. This highly anticipated trip involves a lot of beaching, a lot of surfing (for me) and a lot of good eating. I've talked about Carpinteria but it bears repeating -- it's the best low-key little beach town around, if you ask me. Carp can still be a little scruffy around the edges, and it hasn't gotten all glitzy like nearby Santa Barbara, but that's what we all like about it. We always head to a little strip of beach off Santa Claus Lane. You park (for free!),  and cross the railroad tracks (just make sure the Surfliner isn't chugging by). One of the reasons we love this beach so much is that it's an old-school, anything-goes kind of beach that might remind you of a California of the past. There are no lifeguards and no amenities at all (if you need a bathroom there are some porta-potties, but also if you walk down the street a bit there are a bunch of cool restaurants and shops where you can find a restroom). So, no lifeguards, you can barbecue on this beach, you can even discreetly drink and some people even smoke (and not just tobacco I suspect). Surfers, boogie boarders and swimmers mix together, and it's a very varied and interesting crowd. Oh, and dogs are cool here too. Of course the other great thing about Carpinteria for a surfer like me is that often the waves are super mellow and gentle and, usually, not very big or intimidating. So I just paddle out easily, and I can spend endless amounts of time catching and even getting up on these little waves, and it's so much fun. Also, it's one of these rare times when I can surf multiple times a day, days in a row.

This trip is also good for eats. Usually there are two nights involved, so two dinners, but a tradition has arisen of having cocktails and a picnic on the beach at sunset. Like this one you see here--

Beauty, huh? I never get enough of this beach when most of the people have left, and the sun is going down. Here's the dinner we had--

There's a vegetarian in our group but we often like to go meatless too, so on the menu was a chilled cream of zucchini soup, couscous with summer vegetables, and a baguette with various cheeses from Say Cheese in Silver Lake. There was a brie, a hard goat cheese, and a really amazing cheddar/blue combination. For dessert we had soft ice cream from Foster's Freeze in town because it's summer and you're at the beach and you have to have a soft ice cream cone dipped in chocolate. If you want to know how to make the soup, there's a recipe in the 7/28/14 post of this blog. The Couscous salad recipe is below.

A couple of more dog-friendly suggestions. For accommodations in Carpinteria, the Holiday Inn Express is dog-friendly.  Here's beagle Derric, resting on his bed!

Let them know beforehand because you need to have a first floor room. There's nothing fancy about this hotel (and it's not all that cheap -- this is the Santa Barbara area, remember!) but the beds are super-comfortable, there's flat-screens, free Wifi, and even a free breakfast if you want it. But if you have the dogs you can (and should) also have breakfast in town at Esau's on Linden Avenue. This place has awesome breakfasts and lunches and dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables. They have excellent omelets, egg dishes of all kinds, and even biscuits and gravy. For a dog-friendly dinner in Carpinteria we tried a new place this year, Delgados, on Carpinteria Avenue. If you're into old-school Mexican and strong margaritas (and who isn't?) hit up Delgados. The Taco-Enchilada-Chile relleno combo was perfect, as was the on-the-rocks Margarita. If you have pups, reserve a table on the small patio.

So that was the trip. If you've never been to Carpinteria, go. If you have dogs, bring them!

Couscous with Summer Vegetables

(recipe adapted from Ina Garten's "Make It Ahead")

Serves 4-6

*note: I made a number of changes to this recipe. A couple of ingredients I didn't have on hand, but also Ina calls for raw zucchini and I'm not a big fan of it raw in salads, so I sautéed it in olive oil and garlic, along with a yellow squash from the garden.

1 1/2 cups couscous (regular or whole wheat but not Israeli)

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup golden, or regular, raisins

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cumin

Salt and fresh ground pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, peeled and minced

1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise, then cut in 1/4 inch slices

1 large yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut in 1/4 inch slices

1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

3-4  ripe tomatoes, diced

1 carrot, peeled and finely diced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup white beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley

1/4 cup Lemon juice, freshly squeezed

2 tbsps. red wine vinegar

extra virgin olive oil

1. In a medium saucepan, place water, 2 tbsps. olive oil, the ginger, cinnamon and cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper, and the raisins. Bring to a boil. Off the heat, stir in couscous. Cover and set aside for about ten minutes. Then fluff couscous with a fork. Meanwhile, place sliced red onion in a bowl of ice water. Set aside for ten minutes. Drain, then dice onions finely.
2. In a medium skillet heat 1/4 cup olive oil until hot. Toss in zucchini and yellow squash. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Cover the pan and sauté about ten minutes, until squashes are soft and beginning to brown. Uncover, toss in garlic. Stir for a minute, then remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl combine sautéed zucchini, carrots, red onion, cucumber, tomatoes, chopped parsley and white beans. Again fluff couscous with fork and add it to the vegetables.
4. Whisk together the lemon juice, red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil. Pour it over the couscous. Stir everything together. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature. The flavors will continue to blend the longer it sits and it will be even better.

More Carpinteria info can be found here:

Holiday Inn Express: www.carpinteriaexpress.com
Esau's Restaurant:  www.esauscafe.com
Delgado's Mexican Restaurant: www.delgadoscarp.com

Crappy Surf, Good Surf, Even Gave A Tip. Plus An Hour Well-Spent At The Grand Central Market: Wexler's, Belcampo and McConnell's Ice Cream!

More SW swell and more choppy seas have meant some not so fun sessions in the water until Sunday, when the swell eased and so too did the chop. I paddled out really early and I did pretty good on some small waves. In fact I even had a first -- not far from from me in the line-up was a guy who was clearly a surfer like me -- kind of a kook. I was watching as he kept trying to paddle into and catch waves but he wasn't having much luck. I am so far from any kind of expertise about this sport but I've been at it for a while, plugging away methodically in an attempt to improve, and I have learned a few things, both from all the lessons I took and just from a lot of trial and error, and also watching better surfers. I could clearly see this dude was perched too far back on his board and that also he needed to paddle a couple more times in order to get into the wave. Then I debated whether or not to say anything because you never know if a person's going to be into getting advice or not. But I did say something. And he didn't get mad or anything. In fact he kind of knew what he was doing wrong and was going to try and make the correction, he said. And he thanked me. That was cool. So, all in all, a pretty good surf session.

Often afterwards I stop at McCall's Meat and Fish on the way home to pick up something to make for dinner. People know I'm loyal to McCall's through and through. I'm pretty sure I was literally one of the first people through the door when they opened, and it's been such a joy watching this business grow, expand and thrive. But this week Nathan and Karen have closed up shop for vacation! Knowing this was coming I did pick up a few things to stick in the freezer, but I needed some pork shoulder for canitas. So if you happen to be reading this Nathan or Karen, look away now, because I picked it up at the competition, Belcampo Meat Company in the Grand Central Market where, I have to say, these Bistecca alla Fiorentina's also caught my eye. Look at these babies!

To be honest, I'd been meaning to check out Belcampo, and if there was no McCall's I'd have gotten there sooner. But every time I thought about going, it felt like cheating. But since they're on vacation, I felt it was okay. A few things to know about Belcampo, which is not just a butcher, but also a farming operation. They care about the welfare of their animals, and they care about the land. This is so important, I think. I've said this before but it bears repeating. If you're going to eat meat, get it from the best source you can, from places like McCall's and Belcampo or a farmer's market, where often you can look the farmer in the eye and actually talk to him or her. Yes, you will pay more than you would at the supermarket, but it's okay to eat less meat and buy better quality, I say. In fact that should be everybody's policy. Anyway, turns out Belcampo was out of pork shoulder, but they were super-helpful, and the butcher behind the counter suggested I could use some pork sirloin. He even knocked a couple of bucks off the price since they were out of shoulder. Soon I'll return and try their burger for lunch. Oh, and here's the pork sirloin, cut into cubes and seasoned, before being turned into Carnitas. Beautiful, huh? You can always tell high quality pork from that rich, really white layer of fat. The carnitas tacos, by the way, were excellent. Side note to the Bistecca mention: we've had Bistecca alls Fiorentina in Florence, at a little tucked-away restaurant called Trattoria Sostanza. If you ever get to Florence, go there. You won't forget your meal, I assure you.

But Belcampo wasn't the only stop. I've mentioned that I can't seem to pass through the Grand Central Market without stopping at Wexler's Deli. I thought maybe this time. But no. Lunch was this Reuben from Wexler's.

Somehow it was even better than the last time I had it -- they've got the bread perfectly crisp and the swiss cheese perfectly melty. This sandwich is the ideal combination of salty, tart from the sauerkraut, smoky from the beef and rich from the cheese. I am addicted to this sandwich.

Oh, and there was one more stop. Directly across from Wexler's is this place--

Yes, McConnel's Ice Cream. How convenient is that? Like Belcampo, McConnell's has been on the must-try list for a while, but usually after eating Wexler's I'm kind of stuffed. But this time I figured I'd ask if they could pack the goods in ice so I could bring some home for Sam and we'd eat it later. McConnell's, by the way, began up in Santa Barbara, in 1949. So they've been at it awhile and clearly they know what they're doing, making small-batch ice cream from scratch. Lucky for us, they've slowly been expanding south. I ordered a couple of scoops of Salted Caramel and then a vanilla-like Sweet Cream. Can I just say this was some of the most delicious ice cream I've ever eaten? Okay, there, I said it. Go to McConnell's and get some ice cream.

www.mcconnells.com
www.belcampomeatco.com

Mick Fanning At J-Bay and Fear. And Phobias. Get Over It. Just Eat Comfort Food. Like Fried Chicken.

Anybody who has anything to do with surfing has probably seen the Mick Fanning video from J-Bay last Saturday. And, yes, it scared the pants off me too! I think I've discussed my various fears and phobias. There are several, but I saw "Jaws" as a kid and even read the book too. So yeah, sharks scare me. Honestly, I doubt there's anybody who goes in the ocean -- to swim or to surf or to Paddle-board or dive or scuba or kayak -- who doesn't occasionally think about the dangers. Of course statistically the odds are very much in your favor of everything being fine. But, I wasn't able to get into the ocean over the weekend. This wasn't because of fear or phobia, though. It rained! A lot. Hurricane Dolores, down south of Cali, was churning north and she brought with her much needed and very rare July rain, enough rain that it was a good idea to steer clear of the water for a couple of days. And then the Fanning video was all over the place but still I missed being able to get back in the water, so when conditions looked better yesterday I paddled out. Was a I little afraid? Yep. But I think it's important to face fears and try to conquer them. Oh, there was one moment when I saw fins -- it was just dolphins though, and we always like seeing dolphins. Dolphins are good.

Also good when you're feeling a little stressed is comfort food. Fried chicken, for example, just says comfort to me. Like this, which was the post-surf dinner:

Making fried chicken at home isn't really all that hard. In fact I think a lot of people fear it, but all you need is a deep-fat thermometer and a cast iron skillet and you're good to go. For this recipe, which I've making for years and is so, so good, you just have plan ahead a little because it needs to sit overnight in a zesty brine. The recipe originally came from Jane and Michael Stern's book "Two For The Road", and they got the recipe from The Bon Ton Mini Mart in Henderson, Kentucky, which, sad to report, apparently just recently closed for good after a long run. Luckily, we have the recipe. This chicken is excellent hot right out of the pan or at room temperature on a picnic. So next time you're feeling stressed for fearful about something, here's my advice: face that fear. Especially if it's about frying things. In fact, make fried chicken!

Bon Ton-Style Fried Chicken
(recipe adapted from Jane and Michael Stern's "Two For The Road")

Brine
2 tbsps. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne (use more if you like it spicy -- the original recipe calls for 2 tsps.!)
2 tsps. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. accent (I always skip this)
1 1/2 tsps. white pepper (I use black)
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsps. Worcestershire Sauce
1 quart water (4 cups)
1 whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces (2 wings, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 breasts, each cut in half)
*as always try to get your chicken from a good source

Spiced flour
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. accent (again, I skip it)
1/4 tsp. cayenne (again, more if you like it spicy)
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour

Vegetable or Canola oil for frying

1. Brine the chicken: stir all seasonings into the water until they dissolve. Add the cut up chicken pieces. Cover the bowl and refrigerate 24 hours, stirring the chicken parts occasionally.
2. Mix up the spiced flour: stir all seasonings into the flour.
3. Fry the chicken: heat about 2 inches of oil to 365-375 degrees in a large cast-iron skillet. Pull the chicken from the brine one piece at a time and dredge well in seasoned flour. Set on a piece of foil for five minutes (or more while waiting for oil to heat)
4. Cook the chicken in the hot oil for 20 to 25 minutes, turning each piece a few times so it cooks evenly and turns golden brown. Don't crowd the pan -- cook in batches if necessary.
5. Drain on a wire rack.

Another SW Swell...Plus Chef Tim Hollingsworth's Tri-Tip!

Surfing changes you as a person. It really does. Since I began this adventure, for example, I have become far more aware of my relationship with nature. Do we need to use so much plastic? Because lots of plastic ends up in the ocean and that's bad. Do we need to spray poison and other crap on our front yards? Because those poisons end up in the ocean. So we now reuse as much plastic as we can and recycle the rest, and we ripped the grass out of our front yard and put in natives that have turned the space into a wonder zone of bees, hummingbirds and butterflies, who seem to visit on a daily basis. Meanwhile, you begin to learn more about nature, about things like ocean currents and what's doing with monsoons down in Baja because these have an effect on where and when you might surf. Before I starting getting in the water, I couldn't have told you the difference between a SW swell and a hole in the wall. Now I have learned a few things -- for me, SW swells pack a lot of energy and usually bring waves that are far bigger than I'm happy with so now I know those are good days to probably stay out of the water. Lately there have been a couple of SW swells, not majorly huge ones, mind you, but enough that things were out of my comfort zone. So my weekend session consisted of practicing like a dork in the whitewash. Yesterday things had eased and I paddled out, but conditions were very choppy and it was hard to catch anything. still, in earlier days I would have been put off by chop too. Thanks to my former teacher I can deal with choppy days.

Speaking of teachers, a good mentor in the kitchen would be a dude like Chef Timothy Hollingsworth, who I think I first stumbled upon at some point after we were treated to an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime meal at The French Laundry in Yountville. How did this happen? Well, a dear, dear friend was given a gift certificate allowing him to treat about 6 of his closest friends to dinner at the restaurant. This was a truly epic meal of many courses, and wine pairings with each course were also included! God only knows what this cost, but it was definitely something everybody should do at least once in life. Of course we saved the menu, and it is framed in the kitchen. A picture of it is below so you can take a look. Anyway, Hollingsworth was Chef de Cuisine at the French Laundry (and a competitor in the Bocuse d'Or), and I started following him on Twitter (bonus points…I think I read somewhere that he surfs) so it could only be good news when he left Yountville to come south to LA where, with some partners, he's already opened barbecue joint Barrel and Ashes in Studio City, with Otium set to come downtown as part of Eli Broad's museum, which is scheduled to open in September. I've been meaning to get to Barrel and Ashes one of these days and just haven't made it (they have Frito Pie!) but recently I clipped from the LA Times Hollingsworth's recipe and technique for tri-tip, which is one of my favorite cuts of meat. It took a while to get around to making this, but here's the results, co-starring hand-cut twice fried Frites!

I made a couple of adjustments to this recipe (minor things, of course, because you don't mess with a master). For one, it doesn't say in the recipe to remove the meat from the refrigerator and let it come to room temp so I've added that step. Also, I served the salad on the side (and I had romaine to use up so I substituted that for the arugula. It would definitely be more peppery with the arugula though. Also, I added some seeded, diced cucumber because I also had some to use up). As always, source your meat carefully -- this tri-tip was from McCall's Meat and Fish, and it's excellent.

Tim Hollingsworth's Tri-Tip and Salad
(recipe adapted from the LA Times)

1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 2 - 2 1/2 pound tri-tip
1 onion, sliced thin
3 tbsps. chopped garlic
1 bunch thyme, chopped (I totally forgot this…just saying)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1. In a small bowl stir together onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne and red pepper flakes. Mix in about 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper. Rub this mixture all over the meat and set aside for at least 1 hour. Top with sliced onion, chopped garlic and thyme. Cover the bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.
2. Transfer the tri-tip and the rest of the ingredients from the bowl to a zip-loc bag. Add the olive oil and vinegar. Press out any air, seal tightly and then rub to distribute evenly. Refrigerate at least 6 hours, or overnight.
3. Get your grill going -- I used a chimney full of Kingsford briquettes and hickory chips that had been soaked for a couple of hours in water. When the coals were ready, I kept half the grill free for a cool side, but you want it hot at first for the sear. Sear all sides of the meat, then move to the cooler side and cook, turning frequently, until well-browned and medium-rare to medium (about 130 degrees), 30-40 minutes. The meat should feel firm to the touch, but still give with pressure.
4. Let rest 10 minutes. Slice meat thin, across the grain, holding the knife at a slight angle to make larger slices. Serve either over the salad below or with the salad on the side, as I did, with Fries!

For the Salad

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large shallot, minced

2 tbsps. balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

2 cups diced tomato

1 small onion, diced

1 avocado, diced
Juice of 2 limes

2 tbsps. chopped cilantro

Optional: 1 cup cucumber, seeded and diced

3 cups arugula (or lettuces)

1. Combine garlic, shallot and vinegar in a bowl. Let stand five minutes or so, then whisk in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Combine tomato, onion, avocado, cilantro and lime juice in a bowl. Set aside 30 minutes, then drain excess liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Place arugula in a large bowl. Toss with enough vinaigrette to moisten lightly. If serving the whole dish as a salad, line a platter with arugula. Arrange sliced tri-tip on top, then spoon over tomato mixture.  If serving salad and meat separately simply spoon tomato mixture over arugula and serve alongside the sliced tri-tip.

So that's it. Oh, below is the French Laundry meal we had.  Again, it was an incredible experience so if you ever get a chance…grab it!

One Step Forward…Plus Dune, And Not The Sand Kind, for a Vegetarian Lunch

After a few sessions in the water where I've done pretty good for a Kook, the last couple of times have not been as productive and kind of a bummer. First in Malibu conditions were not ideal, but I paddled out anyway. I tried to catch a couple of waves but didn't really get much of anything. Then, in Santa Monica yesterday, again the session was not great. This time conditions were on the bumpy side, and the waves were what I think some people call mushy, or they were closing out. Again, I did my best to try, but it was not my greatest effort. I've said this before, though, but it bears repeating: I consider any time in the water productive time. If nothing else it adds to the knowledge base.

Lunch, on the other hand, was a resounding success. In a previous post I mentioned Dune, which opened in Atwater Village not too long ago. We've now tried quite a bit of Dune's menu, and everything is so excellent. The falafel, for one, is I think the best I've had anywhere, and it's not just me saying that -- EaterLA just rated it number one too. The falafel at Dune isn't dry and crumbly like some  you encounter but moist on the inside, with a perfect crunchy crust. They have a pickled beet sandwich that's incredible. I've also sampled the lamb sandwich, which was delicious as well. But this time I felt like being super-healthy and going vegetarian for lunch so here's what I had:

This is the falafel and hummus plate, which is very generous and very filling. There's three nice sized falafel, a large serving of Hummus (which is also really terrific), pickled cabbage on the side, along with some watercress and a pretty large piece of naan-like flatbread. There's a generous amount of food on this plate, but it's all so healthy you don't feel overstuffed after finishing it all off. I've read elsewhere that Dune is serving some of the best falafel in town right now, and it's true. Go!

www.dune.kitchen

Impressed The Teacher! Plus El Cholo's Chiles Rellenos At Home And Other Weekend Eats: Dune And Crossroads Kitchen.

This week we had family visiting. My big sister was here, along with her son, and my brother's sister-in-law, and her daughter, because the kids were looking at colleges. And then another nephew happened to be in town too! So one of the days we had a big barbecue. And of course I had to take the out-of-towners to the beach. Also, of course I also had to bring along my surfboard so I could show off my extensive skill set…hahaha!  Well, at least I could hope for a super-mellow day and, with any luck, I wouldn't look too much like a kook. Turns out conditions were on the somewhat bumpy side. The waves were pretty small, but there were a few bigger sets mixed in. But I did okay, and I had given my sister a mandate: get it on video if I get up on a wave. And she did -- except she caught it just as I wiped out. She got enough of it, though, that you could see me getting a short ride. So I sent the little video to my old surfing teacher, because I figured he'd get kick out of it. And I think he was impressed. Anyway, we ate a lot of delicious food when they were here, and I sort of wish I had documented it all -- falafel, lamb wraps and other things from Dune in Atwater Village (all of it incredibly good), a baked pasta with some garden zucchini I made (excellent, of course), burger blend and Kobe dogs from McCall's for the barbecue, and then on Monday they wanted to take us to dinner. My nephew is mostly a vegetarian, and I'd been wanting to try Vegan Guru Tal Ronnen's Crossroads Kitchen for a while, so that's where we had dinner. This place was amazing -- Vegan, but not earthy-crunchy. Cool vibe, plus great cocktails, and the food was so, so delicious. Learn more about Crossroads Kitchen here, if you're interested (and you should be!):  www.crossroadskitchen.com.

For their last night in town, I thought about good Cali old-school Tex-Mex, like Chiles Rellenos, refried beans and Spanish rice. Here they are (the only thing missing the taco and enchilada which would make a classic combination plate!):

It doesn't get much more old-school for Mexican food in Los Angeles than El Cholo -- the original has been on Western Avenue since the 1920's. This is actually their recipe for Chiles Rellenos. It appeared a few years ago in the LA Times food section, and I've made it numerous times. Now, making Chiles Rellenos is no walk in the park, I'll admit. If you're being super traditional, you'd roast the chiles, peel and seed them yourself. Luckily this recipe saves that step, and you use whole canned Green Chiles. We use Hatch, which are so good, but sometimes hard to find. Definitely get Hatch Roasted Green Chiles if you can.  Here's what they look like.

And here's how to do it:

El Cholo's Chiles Rellenos
Serves 6-8
(recipe adapted from the LA Times)

Relleno Sauce

1 tbsp. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tsps. vinegar
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
2 whole canned green chiles, diced
1/2 cup chicken broth (or water)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Increase the heat and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat. Simmer gently, stirring frequently to break up the tomatoes, until all the vegetables have softened, about 25 minutes.
3. Remove from heat. Discard the bay leaves. If you like a chunkier sauce, mash the tomatoes with a potato masher and whisk. I like it a bit smoother, so I use an immersion blender to blend the sauce, although I still leave it a little chunky. Taste for salt and then set aside.

Chiles Rellenos

Approx. 3/4 pound grated Cheddar cheese, plus more for topping if you like

6-8 whole canned green chiles (Hatch if you can get them)

6 large eggs, separated

Vegetable or Canola oil for frying

Relleno sauce (above)

Sour Cream

Guacamole, diced green onion and shredded lettuce for serving

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Select the best 6-8 chiles from the can that you can find. Some you might notice are broken or are coming apart. Save these for scrambled eggs or sandwiches.
2. Divide the cheese into 6-8 mounds and roll each into a small football size that will fit into the selected chiles. Carefully stuff the chiles with the cheese and pat with paper towels to remove any excess liquid, then set aside. 
3. Heat about an inch of oil in a large cast iron skillet to 350 degrees. While oil is heating, beat egg whites in a stand mixer until they form soft peaks, about 4 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks until frothy.  Gently fold yolks into the egg whites to form your batter.
4. When oil is up to temperature, grab a stuffed chile and dip it in the batter. Make sure to get one side, the bottom, well coated, but for now don't worry about the top. Set the chile, batter side down, in the hot oil. Using a spoon, or your hands, add batter to finish coating the top. Continue with more chiles. Fry until golden on the bottom, then carefully flip and fry the second side until brown. Remove to a sheet pan, letting excess oil drain off.
5. When all Chiles are fried, top each with sauce. Scatter grated cheese on top. Place sheet pan in oven about five minutes, until sauce is hot and cheese is melted. To serve, set a chile on each plate. Add a dollop of sour cream, some guacamole and scatter green onion and shredded lettuce over the top. Serve with refried beans and Spanish rice if you like.

Note: Chiles Rellenos can be made ahead. Once you've finished stuffing and frying the chiles, cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to several hours. When ready to serve, preheat oven and then sauce and top with cheese. It'll take about ten minutes to reheat everything if you do it this way.

Circle Of Life. No Food Today.

The ocean is always a beautiful place to be. But sometimes it can be a little sad. Sunday's surf session, for instance, started out so great. First thing I saw when I hit the path was a woman carrying what seemed to be a newborn down to the shore. It was like she couldn't wait to show her baby the sea. Sweet, huh?

Meanwhile, I had made it out for Dawn Patrol, and the conditions were nice and mellow, the sea almost glassy, the sky a slate grey. One thing was strange though, I noticed, almost immediately after paddling out. There were what appeared to be three dolphins, just hanging very close to shore, and close to each other. It's certainly not strange to see dolphins off the coast here in California, but usually they're just passing by, heading either north or south. I always find it soothing, and maybe even good luck to see dolphins, so I was happy at first to see these guys. But they didn't seem to be heading in any direction. Were they feeding on something? Mating? Another Surfer soon paddled up next to me and also commented on this strange sight. I wasn't quite sure, but it almost looked like one was larger, and there were two smaller ones, so maybe it was a mama and her babies, and that was nice, because it fit in with the theme of seeing the mom and her baby a few minutes earlier.

So we turned our attention back to trying to catch waves. Often on weekends there are swimmers too. These hardy souls swim way out past where surfers are waiting to catch waves, and I always admire them for their courage and endurance, because that kind of swimming is not easy. So I was sitting up on my board when a lady swimming north approached. We traded 'good mornings,' and then she said "it's so sad. One of those dolphins is very sick." Apparently the larger dolphin was really struggling, while the two others were swimming in circles around it. They didn't seem to want to leave it, and it was as if they were watching over it. Was it a parent? A friend? A dolphin sibling? At one point the current pulled me a bit closer, and you could clearly see the face of the ailing guy. I think I even heard him or her let out what sounded like a defeated sigh. It was so moving, and it made me want to cry. Maybe the fellow surfing next to me said it best: "circle of life" is how he put it. And then this idea struck me: how lucky are dolphins? They love the ocean. And they get to spend their entire lives in it.

I tried to get a few more waves, but now my heart wasn't it so I headed in (getting a good pummeling from one wave when I wasn't paying attention!). I figured the lifeguard knew about the dolphin, but I was going to say something. I passed another surfer, though, who was coming from just having done that. They'd alert Marine Patrol, and if there was something they could do to help the dolphin, that's what they would do.

So, yes, circle of life, but still kind of a bummer. Couldn't think of a good segue into something food-related, so we'll just leave it at that for this episode.

Every Time's An Adventure. Plus The Little Jewel's Soft Shell Crab Po'Boy.

Pretty much every time I strap my Greco to the roof of the car and head to the beach, it feels like going on a little adventure. You never really know what's going to happen. For example, today once again conditions weren't quite what I expected, but there were fun little waves, and so I paddled out and caught a few. I have made some really major improvements lately, and I'm not sure why, but I'm going with it, and it feels really good. Anyway, also on the subject of the unexpected, I was heading home, and I look to my left at a stoplight just after having left the beach, and there's my old surfing teacher! I have to get him to come and see the improvements (although with my luck, I'll choke when he's there watching so maybe not quite yet, eh?).

While we're on the subject of being adventurous, it's good to be an adventurous eater. I've always been one, even as a little kid. It often amused my parents -- I ate escargots (snails!), and once tried Pheasant Under Glass (didn't need to do that again), and I think the first time I ate Soft Shell Crabs was when I was about twelve, at some restaurant our parents had taken us to in Westchester County, in New York. I can still recall that dish -- there were three Soft Shell Crabs on an oval plate. They'd been, I think, dusted in flour, and then simply fried in butter, and then a lemon-caper sauce was served on top. "You eat the whole thing, shell and all," I remember being told by my dad (or, well, it might have been the waiter). So I took a bite. There was a slight crunch, and then the taste of the sea. They were really delicious, and a little exotic, and from them on I'd order Soft Shell Crabs whenever they were in season and I'd see them on a menu. They often have them for sale at McCall's Meat And Fish in Los Feliz, and one day I'm going to get some and try to recreate that dish. The only thing that's been stopping me is I'm not sure Sam's going to like them, and they're not cheap!

But there's another place that's been featuring Soft Shell Crabs, one of my new favorite lunch spots, The Little Jewel Of New Orleans, in Chinatown. If you haven't been here, go. Go right now. The food is excellent all around, and there's also a little market where you can buy cool things, and there's always great music playing in the background, and everybody is always having a good time. Lately Chef Marcus Christiana-Beniger has been featuring a Soft Shell Crab Po'Boy, and every time I see the picture he posts it's been a day that I haven't been able to get there, and that's been a bummer. But the other day I finally scored one of those puppies. Here it is:

This Po'boy knocked my socks off! Oh, wait, I wasn't wearing socks. But it would have had I been wearing them. Two perfectly fried, crisp Soft Shell Crabs sat on one of those incredible Leidenheimer rolls. There were pickles, Gruyere cheese, and a kicky remoulade. I added a little Crystal Hot Sauce, of course, and along with a Swamp Pop to wash it down, I was in Po'Boy Paradise.

Thanks again, Chef, for bringing this sweet gem to LA.  Again, everybody go!

littlejewel.la

New Surf Bud. Plus A Pink's Chili Dog At Home. Yes, you can!

Generally, since I stopped taking lessons, I surf solo. This is often nice because getting out in the water is a good way to escape the hassles and the noise of everyday life. However, it's also a necessity, since none of my friends surf. But this past weekend, I ended up surfing with a buddy. It was a nice gentle day in Santa Monica, and when I paddled out this dude happened to be next to me. We traded 'heys' and then got to talking, and it turned out he was still sort of figuring things out too. The truth is he was better than me, although he had a ways to go too, to be honest. But in between going after waves, he'd point out things I was doing right, or I'd do the same thing for him, and it was nice for a change to have a dialogue going. I think it helped me too, because I got up on several waves, and I went after way more than I usually would. So hopefully we will run into each other again because it was a nice change of pace. Oh, one other surfing note: there's a great lesson I stumbled on -- it's on You Tube, and it's this Aussie (I think) dude. He gives a really amazing lesson about the mechanics of a wave, and I've watched it a gazillion times so I can really absorb it. If you're interested you can find it here:  https://youtu.be/hVyatMUYwZw.

Later that day we were going to a barbecue at a neighbor's. The mandate was bring a side dish to share to go along with burgers and hot dogs. At first the usual things ran though my head -- potato salad, cole slaw, things like that. But I figured there would be more than enough side salads. For some reason lately also I've had Pink's on the brain. Everybody from Los Angeles -- and many from outside of the city even -- knows Pink's, the little hot dog stand at the corner of La Brea and Melrose. My standing order at Pink's is two chili cheese dogs and an order of fries (or, occasionally, onion rings). It's important to get the fries or onion rings because you need something to scoop up any chili that might fall out onto your plate.  Here is what my chili cheese dog looks like:

Pink's dogs are steamed, and they have a nice snap when you bite into them. I'm pretty sure they're all beef. The cheese is as it should be -- American, so it melts perfectly. There's always a few onions scattered on top. And then there's the chili -- it's a little spicy, a little greasy, and there are no beans. It's the kind of chili that's more of a sauce, or a condiment, and less like the kind that may or may not have beans (I know, Texans shudder at the thought of beans in chili). It's certainly a close relative to the kind of hot dog chili you find in Rhode Island, or the kind known as Coney Sauce. Regardless, Pink's chili is just delicious in that sort of decadent, you-know-you-shouldn't-be-eating-it sort of way. Oh, here's a Pink's tip -- there's always a line, so if you want to go for lunch, for example, try to get there at around 11:30.  You'll beat the crowd. But back to that neighbor barbecue, and the need to come up with a side to bring. I thought it would be cool if I could somehow duplicate Pink's chili, and a google search turned up a couple of recipes that claimed to produce something pretty close. The one I chose to adapt comes from egghead forum, which can be found at www.eggheadforum.com. I have to say the results were pretty good. Here my version simmers away on the stove.

This chili was a hit at the barbecue. People made chili cheese dogs and chili burgers, and in the end I should have doubled the recipe because it went pretty fast. So, can't get to Pink's, but want a Pink's-style chili cheese dog?  Try this:

Pink's Style Chili For Burgers And Dogs
(Recipe adapted from egghead forum.com)

1 pound ground beef (20% fat, or higher!)
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup water (or more)
2-3 tbsps. chili powder (use 3 if you like it hotter)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
2 tbsps. finely grated white onion
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. white vinegar
Fresh ground pepper to taste

1. In a medium skillet, brown ground beef, breaking up into small pieces. When meat is brown, drain off fat into a glass measuring cup. You should have about 1/4 cup.
2. Add flour to the beef fat and stir to blend. Add in beef broth. Return this mixture to the skillet over medium heat. Cook the roux, stirring, until it starts to brown.
3. When roux is a nice dark brown, stir in beef and remaining ingredients. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until chili sauce is the consistency you like -- if you like it thicker, cook it longer. I like it to be not too thick, so I simmered it for about 20 minutes. Also, if it gets too thick you can thin it with a little more beef stock, or just water. Taste for salt. I needed to add some more toward the end.

To make a Pink's style chili cheese dog, steam your hot dog, then slip it in a steamed bun. Line the bun with a couple of slices of American Cheese, add the hot dog, then top with chili. Squeeze on yellow mustard, sprinkle with some chopped onion and you're good to go.

Ride The Wave, Not The Board. And a Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake!

Somewhere recently, I'm not quite sure where, I read this about surfing: "ride the wave, not the board." I don't know why, but this little sentence struck a note with me the more I turned it over in my mind. I think a lot of times when I'm out in the water, I am way too conscious of what my board is doing -- or is supposed to be doing, or where it is exactly when I'm not on it, and stuff like that. What I should be doing is just focusing on the wave. Go with the wave, and the board will go with you, I guess. Anyway, I like the way that sounds, and I'm going to try to incorporate it into my surfing life.

Last Sunday I had a nice session in some mellow waves out in Santa Monica. I was surfing near this other dude who was far better than me, but later, in the parking lot, he flashed me a shaka sign!  So that was cool.  I think he saw how hard I was trying, even if I was wiping out all over the place.

Back at home, in the garden it's zucchini time again. In a big way. If you have ever grown zucchini you know what I mean -- suddenly you become inundated with them. Also, they are always the first thing to start producing in a garden, at least here in California. Plus, if you don't keep an eye on the plants and keep harvesting, the zucchini can turn into baseball bats overnight. So in the last week or so we've been eating tons of zucchini. One night I made The Smitten Kitchen recipe for a Zucchini Ricotta Galette. This meant I had leftover ricotta. Also I picked a bunch of ripe lemons from the tree in our front yard. So I figured why not look for a way to combine lemons and Ricotta. A little research turned up a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis for an Orange Ricotta Pound Cake. This one called for a lot of orange zest and Orange liqueur but just as I was wondering whether or not I could substitute lemon zest and lemon juice for the liquid, I spotted another writer who did just that. So the recipe, adapted from Giada, is also adapted from Alexandra's Kitchen, which can be found at www.alexandracooks.com.

I added a lemon glaze because I still had some lemon juice to use. This glaze is used on an Ina Garten Lemon Yogurt Cake recipe, so I figured it would work here too. it did. The cake turned out really excellent -- tart, sweet, and very very moist. Take a look:

So if you find you have leftover Ricotta around, and maybe you have some lemons, why not try this pound cake? You won't regret it!

Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze
(Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis and Alexandra Cooks)

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
plus more butter for greasing pan
1 1/2 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting pan
2 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk Ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
zest of 1 large, or 2 small lemons
2 tbsps. lemon juice
Lemon Glaze (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan generously, then toss in some flour and turn and shake the pan so it's even coated. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle, cream together butter, sugar and ricotta until light, about 3 minutes. With mixer running add eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. In small amounts, add in flour and mix, slowly, until just combined. Don't over mix.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan*. Bake in preheated oven, 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Let cake cool ten minutes in pan, set on a rack. Then remove and set cake back on rack. Drizzle with lemon glaze.

* I suggest placing the pan on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet before going in oven. I've found that, depending on the size of the eggs used, the batter really can inflate and sometimes drip over the sides of the pan so you'll want to catch them before they hit your oven floor! They are tasty, though, and can be considered cook's treats.

Lemon Glaze

(Adapted from Ina Garten)

1 cup confectioner's sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. In a bowl stir together confectioner's sugar and lemon juice until smooth.

Props For The Kook. Plus Tacos. Carnitas Tacos!

While I always feel crappy on days when I -- to put it bluntly -- just suck in the water, on my good days it's like some kind of high. There's just a sense of an almost euphoria, in fact. My last session was one of those really good days. Conditions were not perfect -- there was a bit of wind, and some chop to the water, but the waves were on the small side, and they were nicely spaced apart so I could paddle right out. I managed to catch more than a couple of waves, and though I got no real good long rides, I got enough to put a smile on my face. Timing is still an issue for me, as is front foot placement and remembering to stay low after the pop-up. It's been a very long time coming, but I feel real breakthroughs just around the corner. At least, I hope they are.

So a good day in the water meant a good dinner was in order. Recently the new Saveur Magazine showed up, and featured in it was a great article on a California Taco crawl. Included were recipes, including one for Carnitas Tacos -- or Carnitas Michoacan -- that sounded really delicious. I've seen many Carnitas recipes, including some that cook the pork in big vats of lard. That wasn't going to happen! This recipe entailed a long braise of pork shoulder but in a liquid much easier to do at home. The tacos are then topped with a homemade salsa, pickled jalapeños, sliced radishes and cilantro. For bonus points, I made the pickled jalapeños. Earlier in the week I had noticed we had a bunch of peppers on our plant, and pickling them is a great way to use them so they don't go to waste.

I made some adjustments to this recipe, mostly in the salsa section. The recipe has you put the tomatillos, tomatoes and garlic in a dry skillet and char the outsides, but my kitchen was just filling with smoke, so I kept them in the cast iron skillet, and placed it under the broiler. Anyway, here's how the finished tacos looked:

This is another super easy recipe. You just need to set aside some time to braise the pork but it's only a couple of hours, not a whole day or anything like that. Definitely worth a try if you are into Carnitas Tacos -- and if you aren't, maybe you should be.

Carnitas Tacos (Michoacan-Style Braised Pork Tacos)
(Recipe adapted from Saveur Magazine)
Serves 8-10 (so have a taco party!)

For the salsa:
6 tomatillos, husked and cored
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 plum tomatoes, cored
1 canned or jarred whole picked jalapeño, stemmed, plus 3 tbsps. pickling liquid

1. Heat broiler. Place tomatillos, garlic and tomatoes in cast iron or other heavy skillet. Place under broiler and cook until everything is charred and blackened, turning often, 10-12 minutes. Transfer vegetables to blender. Add jalapeños, pickling liquid and salt to taste and blend until smooth. Set salsa aside.

For Carnitas:
3 tbsps. lard or canola oil
3 pounds skinless bone-in pork shoulder (or, you can use boneless, like I did) cut into 3-inch pieces
Kosher salt to taste
3/4 cup whole milk
8 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
6 canned or jarred whole pickled jalapeños, plus 1/3 cup pickling liquid
1 large white onion, roughly chopped
2 limes and 2 oranges, juiced

1. Heat the lard or canola oil in an 8 quart saucepan (or large dutch oven that will hold the pieces in one layer) over medium-high. Season pork generously all over with salt, Cook, turning, until browned, 10-12 minutes. Add milk, garlic, jalapeños, and pickling liquid, onion, and lime and orange juices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, covered, until pork is tender, about 2 hours.
2. Let pork cool and transfer to a cutting board. Chop into bite size pieces. Strain cooking liquid (I actually skipped this step, since all the vegetables had pretty much broken down) and return to pan. Stir in pork and keep warm.

Assembling tacos:

Corn tortillas, warmed over a burner 

Chopped Cilantro

1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced.

1 orange, cut into wedges

1 lime, cut into wedges

Pickled jalapeños 

1. Spoon carnitas onto warm tortillas.  Top with Salsa, chopped cilantro, and radish slices. Serve with lime and orange wedges on the side, along with more pickled jalapeños.