Oh Scallops

August told me he’s allergic to shellfish and I almost cried. Never before did such words pain my heart in such clenching ways. Can you imagine the horror? I feel so sad for him and anyone else who shares this curse!

Scallops are one of the things in life I enjoy eating most. The white meat is filled with savory juices and the flavors pull me in each time I see them at the market or while eating out a restaurant. They are easy to prepare - seared over the pan with butter with a bit of sweet white wine and a sprinkle of salt and you have dinner under 15 minutes. Here I’ve also wrapped them in bacon and broiled it in the oven for a few minutes – using raw spaghetti to hold. To top it off, balsamic vinegar reduction with a little sugar for faster results.

Oh how I love shellfish.

Beet This

When I first started to cook for myself, grocery shopping was actually one of the most intimidating steps of the meal preparation process. How do you tell what color constitutes ripe and which texture constitutes freshness? While it has become one of my most enjoyable parts outside from eating, I am often challenged each time I shop for a meal. My challenges mainly come from lack of experience and knowledge - not just around matching the right ingredients but as far as what certain ingredients actually are.

Believe it or not, beets were always one of the scarier vegetable to me. They are roots that look dirty at first glance, they have color that stains even your skin, and I never knew what to do with the extra leaves on top. Unlike potatoes or tomatoes, beets are not part of the everyday Vietnamese cuisine and thus were never a part of neither my diet nor knowledge growing up.

In recent years however, beets have become one of my favorite thing to serve at any meals. The plant – to my surprise - is extremely easy to prepare and can be served either hot or cold and does not need much to compliment. Not only is the taste full of flavors – the deep colors of the root allows for great presentation at no expense of extreme creativity.

Easy, good, and pretty and requires only 20 minutes to broil, you can’t beet that!

Fish, Sauce, Home

On my move to Boston, I was sure to bring one item that any self respecting Vietnamese could not live without – fish sauce! I was afraid of not being able to find the right brand at the American supermarkets. I triple wrapped the glass bottle and put it in a box filled with Styrofoam and flew with peace of mind knowing that when I got to the new apartment, my fish sauce bottle would turn it into a home.

Squid, Plating, Marriage

For the past month I’ve felt imprisoned and can hardly breathe. This is because my choices of plates and bowls were limited to 1 of each! Can you imagine it? Living with just ONE choice of plates? Oh the criminal offense! Luckily, my mom finally sent over my CB collection from home and saved the day.

Food to me is an art. The shopping, the chopping, the grilling and broiling, all precursors to that pivotal moment of robust flavors exploiting every pore of your tongue and building up to the final gratification of heighten taste buds. This crucial moment however can be easily ruined regardless of the excellence in your flavoring, or texture if your presentation lacks appeal. Much like a good song played on scratched record; no one wants to experience the buzz kill of a delicious meal on a messy and thoughtless plate.

Regardless if you are a young college student, a single man in his early twenties, an aging recently divorcée, or a bachelor on the prow, or even a nerdy engineer who can’t get some, the best thing you can do for your sex appeal is to get a set of white plate settings. Pricing is no excuse. If you have the bling for a set of Williams Sonoma , cheers to you, but if your current financial state is less than glorious, Ikea sells amazing and modern plates ranging from $2.00 - $6.00 (link). Please throw away your plastic, floral print, burnt marks covered, washed out, scratched up tableware now.

White tableware will accent your food and make it look like you’re a mature adult – even if you’re a monkey. Any ladies coming over for dinner will surely be impressed and when this happens, you’ll be glad you took my advice. Please send any wedding invitations to hdevonho@gmail.com.

Pizza - Best Way to Get "Some"

Have you ever forked over more than $20 for a pizza? Especially at one of those fancy, brick oven baked pizzerias? God knows I’ve paid for more than my fair share of such ridiculous bills! Tonight I decided to save some cash and made my own!

The ingredients and directions are really simple: pizza dough (or puff pastries if you don’t have time), spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard, cover with chopped shallots (sweet onions), and grated cheese (can be any of your choice but I prefer Gruyere), sliced cherry tomatoes, and top it off with some salt, thyme or dry basil. Half an hour and 375 degrees later, you have a tasty meal.

The thing I love most about this dish is not only how easy it is for an inexperience chef and how devilishly delicious it is for anyone, but also how impressive it looks on a plate. Best to use if you’re cooking for a dinner date under the clock. Trust me - it’ll take you along way if served with a glass of Carbonet. And by a long way, I mean the next room over.

Happy cooking. Cheers.

Comfort Eating

When your insides are blue, when the sky is gray, and when you’re all alone, what is the one dish that can bring you endless comfort? For me, it’s rather simple - spaghetti! Nothing is as warm as a plate of hot served, extra mushrooms, over loaded meat, carbs bonified spaghetti!

The reason why spaghetti is so comforting is because our moms made it for us when we were sick as kids. They made it when they came home late from work and had no time to prep a proper meal. They made it out of a jar, they made it out in under 15 minutes, and they made it with no shame!

Today’s entire menu, because it’s raining outside in Boston and because I am in need of that extra comfort, is dedicated to a few of my most comforting ingredients/foods – bacon, eggs, tomato sauce, spaghetti, vanilla bean ice cream, and ANDES MINT!

Salmon Reminisce

In college we use to buy frozen packaged salmon by the bulk from Costco. Along with a handy dandy Gorge Foreman Grill and a bottle of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, we were never afraid of hunger or a poor meal. This is how my roommates and I got through our last few years at UCLA. Anyone who came over was served Salmon, every mid afternoon conversation, every late night study session, regardless of time or whether you like fish or not, Salmon was to be had!!!

Needless to say, after a while, we were forced to find ways of making this fish interesting without spending the big bucks. We flirted with other types of fish a few times, but nothing was as easy or clean, or convenient as the Salmon from Costco. The result was this, Salmon with pasta and sesame oil.

This meal is a dedication to that special time with those special people who helped me every step of the way through my awkward cooking stage of my undergraduate degree. Every time I see Salmon, I am reminded of such sweet times. I truly miss you all.