Simple Comforts or Guilty Pleasures
Everyone has favorite dishes that they find are simple, cheap, and oh-so-satisfying. Sometimes these are dishes that wouldn't even be considered really good food, but for some reason, they hold special meaning to us and we really enjoy it. Maybe it's nostalgia, or a misguided memory. I still remember Bryan telling me how much he loved Cadbury eggs. We picked some up during Easter a few years ago. After excitedly unwrapping the foil and taking a big bite . . .
"they're way too sweet. I don't remember them being that sweet."
We threw the rest away.
How memories sometimes change. Here are some "simple comfort" / "guilty pleasure" foods that I still enjoy today.
Guilty Pleasure: a meal with no veggies
One of my favorite soups to get at the Super 88 Food Court in Allston is this simple Korean beef bone soup. I always feel a bit guilty ordering it because it has no vegetables. I mean, really, I'm essentially eating noodles and beef with a touch of scallions on top. Oh, I guess you could count the bright yellow-dyed pickled turnips? Anyway, the flavor of the broth is so hearty, so satisfying, I love getting it on a cold winter day. Anyone willing to share a recipe with me for this dish? Yummmmm.
Guilty Pleasure: Deep Fried Calamari with Fake Asian Sauce
Legal Seafoods is a well known Boston establishment that is very popular with tourists because of its emphasis on super fresh seafood. My coworkers love ordering this 4-way Calamari Sampler. For some reason, whenever they order it, I just can't stop eating it. My favorite is the "Thai-style" calamari, which is not very authentic at all, but for some reason tastes really really good as an appetizer when you're starving, waiting for your meal . . .
Guilty Pleasure: Burgers for Breakfast?
Bryan always makes a point of coming here whenever he travels to California. There's one near the airport, and thus he'll always go there whenever he flies in or out of SFO or LAX. He'll eat it for breakfast, close to midnight, whenever his flight happens to land or take off. Can you guess what it is? Or, more specifically, can you name the two burgers pictured above?
Simple Comfort: childhood memories
Speaking of nostalgic favorites - grilled corn is one of my favorite vegetables, and I absolutely love the way my mom makes it. I need to ask her one of these days for her grilled corn recipe. This grilled corn is from Basta Pasta Enoteca. Though the corn is not quite at its peak right now, Reno grills it in a way that really brings out the flavor. It tastes fantastic. Can't wait to go back.
Playing with a Macro Lens
Many of you guessed correctly! These are fresh garbanzo beans (chick peas). So easy to prepare - I just boiled them (sort of like edamame) and squeezed them out of their pods. Yum!
I was playing with my photographer friend Mark's 100mm macro lens. Check out the detail! Macro lenses are a pain in the butt to use. You have to use a tripod, and (at least for this lens) you manually focus it as well. The pictures turn out pretty cool though. 🙂
What are your simple comfort foods, nostalgic dishes, or guilty pleasures?
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