Dok Bua Thai

After years of passing Dok Bua Thai Kitchen on the way to Coolidge Corner and never once going in, despite the effusive recommendations of our good friends who frequented the place every weekend, we finally made a date to try this renowned Thai.

The restaurant was packed on a Saturday night, and yet when they told us it would be a 15-minute wait for a table for two, it was ready shortly after, crammed in the large, noisy dining room that seemed to be filled with families. The food came fairly quickly (though they forgot to bring the Thai iced tea with the meal), and it was just hands down good Thai food.

For appetizers we ordered crab rolls:

Though honestly they tasted nothing like crab to me, rather  pork rolls of some kind, so as a Maryland blue crab purist it was hard to wrap my brain around these things actually being seafood. They were good, just not pure crab flavor.

and crispy tofu:

I am a huge fan of tofu when it's cooked properly, and while admittedly these golden treats were bland without the dipping sauce, they absorbed flavor like the blank canvas they are while retaining their texture. I added some of the leftover tofu triangles to soak up the sauce in my stir-fry entree, and it worked really nicely.

For our entrees, he got the classic Pad Thai:

 

The shrimp were massive!

I ordered the cashew stir-fry with chicken and vegetables:

Really tasty, with crisp peppers and mushrooms in the savory sauce, and the perfect nut crunch in every cashew bite. Thai food is almost comforting for me, since it reminds me of eating with my dad, and Dok Bua hit the spot.

Rainbow Salad

Vibrant heirloom tomatoes from the farmer's market - this salad was a rainbow "feast for the eyes."

Tuscan Chard

I made this Tuscan chard dish using ingredients from a ribollita, a traditional Tuscan soup, but lighter for the season. How I did it:

1) Saute a few strips of bacon in a large pan and remove to drain on paper towel. Add olive oil to the bacon grease and saute a diced onion and a few cloves of minced garlic. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. While they cook, roast cherry tomatoes on a sheet pan in the oven.
2) Wilt a large bunch of chard into the pan, adding chicken broth as needed. Take the rind of good quality parmesan and place in the broth so that the flavor melts in (I save these in the freezer after we've finished a block.) As liquid evaporates, mix in a can of (drained, rinsed) white beans.
3) Season the greens with a pinch of nutmeg, sage, and basil (preferably fresh.) When the broth has simmered off, add in chopped pieces of sundried tomatoes and put crumbled bacon back in. Add roasted cherry tomatoes and some cooked spinach tortellini (we had some leftover), and top with shaved parmesan and freshly ground pepper to taste.
4) Tear a few pieces of crusty bread and place around the edges to sop up the juices. Enjoy!

Grilling

We recently got a new gas grill and naturally have been grilling up a storm on these summery nights. Grilling is simple and straightforward cooking, but you can still get more creative than the standard burgers, hot dogs, and fish - here, for example, are the grilled veggie towers I made for Labor Day:

How I did it:
1) Slice and salt eggplant (I got a gorgeous eggplant from the farmer's market with marbled skin of white and lavender purple) to draw out the moisture before grilling.
2) Fire up the grill. Lay slices of eggplant over medium heat (we have a gas grill, and since each grill is different of course, the temperature will vary) and cook until you have nice grill marks on the eggplant flesh, then flip to the other side. The eggplant will cook longer than the asparagus, so get it on the grill first.
3) Trim the asparagus and toss on the grill with a drizzle of olive oil if desired.
4) While the veggies cook, make the fresh herbed ricotta - stir into part skim ricotta cheese freshly chopped herbs - I used basil, thyme, parsley and a bit of chives, just picked from the garden) and season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.
5) Remove the veggies from the grill and make the towers: spoon a dollop of herbed ricotta on top of a piece of eggplant, top with some asparagus spears, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

The Simpler Things

With fresh produce from the farm (or farmer's market), I think that simpler is better - let the ingredients shine. Here is a fresh heirloom cherry tomato salad dressed simply with good olive oil (from Tuscan family friends' farm), sea salt, and basil picked from the garden. The ideal summer salad - no fuss, and all the flavor.

Creative Cake Idea

The "sea cake" my sister made for the annual family Crab Festival: crumbled graham cracker to look like sand, buttercream frosting tinted like water, and a seashell as the centerpiece!

Zucchini Boat

My attempt at recreating the delicious zucchini dish I had at The Local in Charlottesville: baked zucchini filled with quinoa in a fresh tomato garlic sauce topped with walnuts, goat cheese, and tart dried cherries.