October | 2015 | Food Gal

Monthly Archives: October 2015

Tofu Disruption

Posted on October 7, 2015 by foodgal 5 comments

Chef Brandon Jew preparing his tofu “burrata” at the San Francisco Cooking School.

For some people, the thought of tofu is enough to disrupt their appetite.

But for others in the know, tofu is poised for the same geeky-chic disruption as so many other tech ventures.

Minh Tsai, former investment banker turned tofu master, is leading that charge.

The founder of Oakland’s Hodo Soy Beanery, Tsai brought together a group of the Bay Area’s top chefs and food writers last week at the San Francisco Cooking School to ponder and taste tofu 2.0 — the next iteration of thinking and cooking with the much maligned soybean product.

Tofu laab with shrimp, Asian herbs, quince and chicharron.

“We want people to talk about tofu differently, to take it to another level,” says Tsai.

Join the Food Gal and Chef Pradeep Kumar of Vedas Restaurant For A Cooking Demo

Posted on October 5, 2015 by foodgal Leave a comment

Enjoy a taste of spice and all things nice when yours truly is joined by Chef-Owner Pradeep Kumar of Vedas restaurant for a cooking demo, 6 p.m. Oct. 19 at Macy’s Valley Fair in Santa Clara.

With outposts in Milpitas, San Mateo and Pleasanton, Vedas restaurants offer up a bold taste of the various regions of India. They are known for their proprietary spice blends, made in traditional stone grinders to preserve their robust flavors.

Born in Delhi, Kumar worked in New York City restaurants, Silicon Valley tech cafes, and with Food Network celebrity Robert Irvine of “Dinner: Impossible.”

Bryan Voltaggio’s Baked Applesauce

Posted on October 2, 2015 by foodgal 4 comments

The beginnings of this applesauce.

The applesauce of my youth was light and bright, the taste of sunshine in the park.

This applesauce, in contrast, is like autumn by a crackling fire.

“Baked Applesauce” is by Bryan Voltaggio, chef-owner of Volt, Lunchbox, Family Meal, Range , and Aggio restaurants in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virgina.

You probably also remember him as a finalist on “Top Chef” Season 6, my personal favorite season of the show because of the outstanding caliber of its contestants that year. Voltaggio lost to his brother Michael, who owns MVink in Los Angeles.

The recipe is from Bryan’s first cookbook, “Home: Recipes to Cook with Family and Friends” (Little, Brown and Company), of which I received a review copy.

As the name implies, these 100 recipes are the ones he makes in his family kitchen.

Sure, a few recipes do call for a whipped cream canister or xanthum gum, items not necessarily found in your everyday home kitchen. But in general, these are recipes that are not geared for a brigade of cooks or fancy equipment. In short, they are accessible with familiar flavors and a sense of fun and comfort.