Bear Cuisine

Love at the Loveless

A stop at the Loveless Cafe is a must when visiting Nashville. The temptations on the menu are many, but Kay cannot resist their country-fried steak. This isn't a dish to eat often, but when it is well prepared as it is here, it would be a sin to pass it up.

COUNTRY-FRIED STEAK

COUNTRY-FRIED STEAK

(4 servings)

1. 1 TBS granulated garlic
2. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3. 2 TBS salt
4. 1 TBS black pepper
5. 1/2 to 1 cup vegetable oil
6. 4 tenderized steak cutlets or cube steaks

Mix the garlic,flour, salt and black pepper in a plastic bag and shake to combine.Pour it out onto a plate.

Dredge the cube steaks in the flour mixture and set aside.

Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Make sure that the oil just barely covers the bottom of the skillet. It is important that the oil is hot but not smoking.

Cook the cutlets in the skillet until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. You may need to add more oil during the cooking process. Never submerge meat in the oil.

Place the cooked chops on a rack to drain. Serve immediately when all the steaks are cooked.

 

PAN MILK GRAVY

(makes approximately 2 cups)

This is an essential part of the country-fried steak experience.

 

1. 1/2 cup reserved beef pan drippings and oil
2. 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3. 1 cup whole milk plus more for thickening
4. 1 tsp salt
5. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

After frying the steak, leave 1/2 cup pan drippings and oil in the skillet . Heat over medium heat and add the flour and stir until well mixed and looks pasty.

Add the whole milk, salt and pepper and bring to a slow boil.

Add more milk until you have the desired consistency. Pour the gravy over the country fried steak and mashed potatoes.

 

(recipes are from Jane and Michael Stern's Southern Country Cooking from The Loveless Cafe.)

 

 

Shake Foundation

 For the past several months, our kitchen has been in the process of being remodeled. Whenever I have grown tired of cooking on the hotplate, we head out to try a new eatery. One of our discoveries has been The Shake Foundation in Santa Fe. This is a genuine Roadfood find which Jane and Michael Stern should be writing about any day now. Their burgers are some of the best I have ever had anywhere and their French Fries are irresistible. Kay can't say no to their Milk Shakes and I can't stay away from their Root Beer Floats. Apprently, others find this place as good as we do. The parking lot is always full and there is nearly always a line. Try it, you'll love it.

Small & Tasty Bites in Santa Fe

Ten Thousand Waves , a Japanese-style Spa just outside of Santa Fe has long been a favorite destination for locals and tourists. This year they have added a restaurant, Izanami, to their establishment. I can't say enough good things about Izanami. It's a Japanese Bistro with small plates that are beautifully prepared and reasonably priced.

On recent visits we enjoyed several seasonal and standard offerings.

Spring Pea Soup

Gyoza

Shichimi Fries

(Kennebec potatoes, shichimi, yuzu aioli)

Fried Avocado

Organic Grilled Chicken Livers

The menu is always changing and whatever we have ordered has been fabulously delicious.

Like the rest of the spa, the restaurant has been built with attention to every detail. The result is a stunningly beautiful space that feeds the eye of the soul as well as the body.

The menu changes with the seasons and so do the interior decorations. Some, like these Godzilla dinosaurs, are whimsical; others more traditional.

This has become one of our favorite restaurants in Santa Fe. When you visit, we will be ever so glad to take you there.

A Good Italian Restaurant in Albuquerque

 

Italian restaurants aren't that common in The Land of Enchantment and good ones are scarcer than the proverbial hens' teeth. Torino's @ Home was originally located in Santa Fe and moved to Albuquerque a few years ago. Hooray for our side! This small gem has been discovered by the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, but that success hasn't spoiled the wonderful food. We stopped in the other day on the spur of the moment and we were very happy that we did. An impromptu lunch turned into a veritable feast.

  Soup:Oven roasted tomatoes,garlic, fresh thyme, basil and homemade croutons

With no cream or chicken broth, this soup is perfect for vegetarians and vegans. It had a wondeful deep, tomato flavor with just a touch of the herbs and garlic.

 Antipasto Platter

Prosciutto, Coppa, Fresh Mozzarella,Bell pepper tonnato, warm goat cheese croutons, sun-dried tomatoes, Cipollini onions and Nicoise olives.

The menu says that this serves one person, but it we found it substantial enough for two. Another fabulous preparation.

Butternut Squash Manicotti

Oven roasted butternut squash, carmelized onions, fresh ricotta cheese, baked in the oven with bechamelle sauce. Pecorino Romano and Fontina cheese melted over the top.

Meat Lasagna

Natural ground beef, homemade tomato sauce layered with Bechamelle, topped with Parmigiano and fresh Mozzarella cheese.

Both of the pasta dishes were almost ethereal. Even the lasagna which was more like an Italian-American lasagna was amazingly light.

Monique's Chocolate Mousse

Monique should get a gold star for this one.

 

Should you find yourself in Albuquerque with a hankering for Italian food, Torinos should be on your list of places that can't be missed.

My 84 Charing Cross Road

If you've read 84 Charing Cross Road or seen the movie, you will remember that Helene Hanf never does get to meet her favorite book seller, Frank Doel. I just love that book (and the movie) and have always found it sad that she didn't get to meet in person the man who had become a real friend.

For a year or so now I have been purchasing books from Omnivore Books in San Francisco. Celia Sack, the owner of this charming shop, sells new, vintage and antiquarian cookbooks and food related books. As time has gone on, we have developed a lively correspondence about books and sometimes about other topics as well. Celia has become a pen pal. So, when we were in San Francisco in November we made it a point to visit the shop and meet Celia. What a delight! We loved the shop and Celia. If you are a cookbook collector, Omnivore Books has to be on your list of destination bookstores. This visit was the perfect end to a virtually perfect trip. Unlike Helene, I got to meet my favorite book seller. I am a fortunate woman.

Celia presides over her domain

Kay gets lost in a good book