I know, mambo-jambo, right?  Simply, what this means, is that I’ll have more personalization, my own http://kitchenbachelor.com web domain (without the weird .wordpress.com extension) and making it easier for readers to find me.

As far as the transition goes, I’ll still maintain the old blog for now, but all new content will be published at http://kitchenbachelor.com.  There’s a bit of a new look and feel as well.

If you’ve enjoyed my kitchen adventures and want to be updated when there’s new content, feel free to subscribe to email notifications (the bright-green button, top right of the page), or RSS.

Jerk seasoning usually includes ingredients like allspice, Scotch bonnet peppers, cloves, cinnamon, scallions, nutmeg, thyme, and garlic.  You could make it yourself or buy something off the shelf like one I found called “Walkerswood”.

Usually I would marinade something like this overnight, but due to some bad prep on my part, I only had 2 hours to slap on the amazing rub on some free-range chicken thighs (score the chicken with a knife) that I purchased.  In the fridge for 2 hours, onto a baking pan covered with foil, and then into a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.  Turn the oven over to broil on high for the final 15 minutes of baking to get a nice browning of chicken skin.

As for side dishes, I had boiled some beats (45 minutes in boiling water) and chopped up some yams (seasoned and in the oven at the same time as the chicken).

Heat tip: If you have a lower tolerance for spice, turn down the heat of the jerk spice by mixing with some brown sugar or honey.

Difficulty Rating: 2 out of 5

Chocolate anyone?

Padme’s exotic look was first discovered when she was 16 by a modeling agent while at a cafe in Spain.  She’s since gone on to grace many magazine covers and international runways, take on films like Mistress of Spices (with Aishwarya Rai), published a couple cook books and now taking on Top Chef hosting honours.

You can find out more about this Foodie Hottie at her official website (I highly recommend checking out the Downloads and Photos links – no reason really).

View the other nominated Foodie Hotties under the “Celebrity Chefs” category.

A friend from work recently mentioned that Chambar’s Moroccan Lamb Shanks recipe was surprisingly profiled on the 24 hours newspaper.  Many of the dishes at Chambar have an exotic twist, given that Chef Nico was schooled by a Moroccan chef.  I love this dish and decided to throw a dinner party for a few special friends.

It turned out amazingly well – with scrumptious flavours and exotic scents that permeated my apartment for a good 2 days!

Here’s the recipe – a slight variation from what was posted on the 24 hours newspaper.  Double up the ingredients if you’re going to go through the effort – make some friends, invite some neighbours.

Difficulty rating: 4 out of 5
Serves: 2

Shanks

2 – 1 lb lamb shanks (about 1.5 inches thick)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed or ground
50 g red onion, diced
40 g fresh ginger, minced
30 g tumeric
2 garlic cloves, minced
100 ml honey
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups of white wine
2 cups of stock (I used veal stock)
Pinch of crushed chilles
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Clean, dry, salt and pepper the shanks
3. Heat vegetable oil in a stainless steel pot – medium high
4. Brown meat on both sides, then remove temporarily
5. Reduce heat to medium low
6. Add onions first (sautee), then garlic, ginger (sautee some more)
7. Add stock, wine, honey and other spices
8. Bring shanks back to the pot
9. Liquid level should come to halfway up the meat – this is the key to braising this meat over low heat
10. Cover the pot and put it in the oven for 3 hours – flip the lamb every hour

Couscous

100 mg couscous
160 ml water
1 tbsp sliced almonds
2 tbsp dried apricots, cut into strips (I used prunes)
2 tbsp raisins
2 tsp tumeric
2 tsp green onion, sliced
2 tsp mint chopped
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan
2. Add the couscous, salt, olive oil and tumeric and mix well
3. Take the couscous off the heat and cover for 5 minutes
4. Use a fork to fluff the couscous and stir in the rest of the ingredients

That’s it!  It takes a bit of planning to get this dish ready, but once it’s prepped, most of the time is really just waiting for the lamb to get super tender in the oven.  I would love to hear your experiences if you do try this great “dish for the soul”!

Not to be outdone, I decided I’d give it the college try and look up some recipes online.  I’ve actually never used lentils before, but it was simple enough to follow directions.  Coincidentally I recently watched Cairo Time, a Canadian-made film with movie-club “First Weekend Club“, which had brilliant cinematography showcasing the cultural differences, bustle and madness that is Cairo.  Check it out if you get a chance to.

For my first attempt at this soup, I think I did alright, and got some kudos from my therapist.  In her words, it was “even better than the one I had before”.  Yes! Mission accomplished!

Here’s the recipe:

Difficulty rating: 2 out of 5
Serves: 6

1 1/2 cups of green lentils
7 cups of chicken stock or vegetable stock
2 cups of spinach
2 medium onions, sliced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 cup of small pasta (I used Arborio rice; you can use broken vermicelli, large orzo)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
Cilantro and fried shallots (optional)

Directions:

1. Wash lentils well and drain
2. Heat oil in a pot
3. Saute onions, then garlic
4. Add lentils and cumin, coriander, salt, pepper
5. Add stock and lemon juice and bring to a boil
6. Bring heat down and simmer for 15 minutes
7. Add pasta and spinach and simmer for another 20 minutes or so (you can add more stock, or simmer for longer depending on the consistency you want)
8. Garnish with cilantro or fried shallots

Enjoy your soup while watching Cairo Time! Perfect!

Lunches are busy – if it’s the like the ones in Yaletown, you want to get your lunch crew in there just before the 12 o’clock rush to secure a table.  Then there’s the great eye-candy (sometimes resembling the cast at Rhino’s or straight off the extras’ list from Entourage) that locals know as standard hiring practice – even complaining when one gets the “B” team or a male waiter.  As in, WTF, why is the B team on today? Or why did we get the male waiter!   My friend, Carlo, even made up lyrics for a song entitled, “The Male Waiter” for our fictitious boy band many years ago.  And don’t even try taking a date here.  The whiplash and lack of eye contact with your date is a sure way NOT to get a 2nd date.

But overall, you can count on reliably tasty food.  At any of those chains, you have your standard salads, calamari, wings, burgers and if you’re at Earl’s and recently Cactus (thanks to Feenie) – you can expect a little more international or gourmet fare such as butternut squash ravioli, bbq duck clubhouse (at Cactus) and Jeera Chicken Curry and Hunan Kung Pao (at Earl’s).

Here come the “hate” part of these CFDs.  It’s cookie cutter. The line-ups can be insane.  Try the ScotiaBank Earl’s on a Friday night when the suits are still hanging out and nursing their 5th martini (Friday is Martini night, I think), combined with the pre Canuck’s game crowd and clubbers looking to get their food base before a night of boozing – and you have a recipe for 1 hour wait lines.  But don’t worry, they’ll give you a pager.  Then there’s the meek attempt at some authentic international dishes.  Cactus has a Wor Won Tun soup dish that taste like Mr. Noodle’s stepsister, made from cardboard chicken stock.  Why would you even try won tun soup in a city that has so many authentic Chinese restaurants that have mastered the art of noodles and soup?

They’re not cheap either.  With the drink specials, the beautiful babies, and the drum & bass of house music in the background, you can’t help but get that 3rd beer and springing for the half ribs and chicken special.  You’re walking out of there with a $50 bill, no doubt.

For the foodies in Vancouver, we know that if you want an authentic experience, food that you can gossip/brag to your friends about, spices that awaken your senses, you have to get out there and really take advantage of what Vancouver has to offer.  It’s unbelievable the number of people I know who rely on the old standard and take what we have for granted in this great gastromic paradise.  We have Afghani (Afghan Horseman, East is East), Cambodian (Phnom Penh), real Italian (Cibo, La Buca), Korean (Ap Gu Jung),  Mexican (Salsa & Agave, Don Guacomoles) and of course the countless Indian, Chinese and Japanese restos.

Ultimately, you will still find me having a glass of Mon Ami Rascal (a delicious Grenache, Syrah blend) at Earl’s, kicking off a night with tasty Gyozas with hot mustard and soy dipping sauce at Joey’s, or the creole-butter blackened chicken at Cactus – all the while soaking in the scenery of restaurant porn in action.  But for the love of God and for the sake of exercising your pallete, be a little adventurous and go eat something else.  Therein lies my love-hate with Chain Restos!

Some recipes are more complex than others and probably a little intimidating for those who are just adventuring into the kitchen for the first time, or trying to expand their repertoire in baby steps.

That said, I’m going to attempt to put a rating system on my recipes, so that folks have a better sense of what you’re getting yourself into.   I’m thinking of also starting to post more single-pot, quick fix meals  (pastas, soups, stir-frys, casseroles, chilli come to mind) that aren’t as glamorous but do the job in a pinch for those Monday nights when you just don’t want to think about cooking.

Like the K.I.S.S. principle that we hear at work all the time, I’m just going to “keep it simple stupid”!  For those of you out there who have been reading my blog and haven’t commented, here’s your chance to let me know what you think of the recipes so far and if you agree with what I’m trying to do.  I appreciate it as it’ll only help me shape the content of Kitchen Bachelor!  Thanks!

#7: Condiments: mayo, pebre, chimichurri

• Mayo: both Argentineans and Chileans love their mayo – it’s on everything
• Pebre: this is essentially home-made salsa with the freshest ingredients  – tomatoes, parsley, cilantro, lime, jalapenos – served with bread at pretty much every restaurant
• Chimichurri: as I mentioned earlier, since Argentineans don’t like spicy food, this is as close to picante that I got.  It’s a marinade made with parsley, minced garlic, vegetable oil or olive oil, white or red vinegar, and red pepper flakes.  I had it with a pizza at a restaurant in Palermo called “Kentucky” – amazing!

#8: The Work/Life Schedule: Argentineans are sleep deprived.  They usually start work around 9 until noon; go home for lunch and siesta for about 4 hours; then return back to work for another 5 hours.  I would be so unproductive if I worked this schedule.  With a work day ending so late, it’s no wonder no one has dinner till about 10.  The party-goers, sometimes even on weekdays, then begin hitting the bars at 1:30 or later and party till 5am.  Talk about carpe diem.

#9: Generosity and hospitality:

It’s amazing the hospitality and overall kindness that I experienced on two occasions during this trip.  In Santiago, a friend and I were having lunch and the couple sitting next to us went out of their way to suggest dishes we should try and gives my Venezuelan friend their home address so that they can cook him a traditional Chilean meal.

In the second instance, I met Ornela, who’s a stunning Italian/Argentinean guide for the wine tour I did in Mendoza.  I coincidentally saw her the day after the tour and she invited me to an asado (grilled meat party) with her friends when she found out that I was going to have dinner by myself.  We crammed 6 people into her tiny Subaru and went to a friend’s place 45 minutes away.  I met a whole bunch of locals and expats and had an amazing time trying all cuts of beef and pork and drinking my first fernet and coke.  Dinner at 10 pm, conversations till 4:30 am.  That’s hospitality!

#10: Obsession with futbol: my experience at the Boca Juniors home game against Colon was by far the craziest sporting event I’ve ever attended.  Unbelievable energy, chats and songs by the fans, and young and old alike swearing at the opposing team – amazing!

#11: Buses and coins: you need coins to take the bus. No change, no bus for you.  Apparently there’s a shortage in coins being minted, so Portenos hoard their coins – don’t bother asking for change, you will get a “no es posible”.

#12: ATMs: I left my credit card at a restaurant and had to deal with ATMs for the rest of my trip.  Argentina is a cash society.  It’s common that ATMs run out of cash on weekends and at the end of the month.  Makes for interesting budgeting.

#13: 20k, 1 year of travel: I met quite a few backpackers at the hostels that were truly getting to experience all of South America.  Many of them were in their early to mid 20s, just out of university but some had been working for years and decided to take a year off for adventure.  With the availability of cheap meals in South America and lodging at hostels for typically less than $10 a day, you can get by with $50-60 a day.  So if have $20k burning a hole in your pocket and want to travel for a year, check out South America!

I loved planning this trip.  It worked out beautifully to take in 2 big cities, hiking and the outdoors in Patagonia, and wine tasting galore in Mendoza.  I met great people, tasted great food, experienced the kind of hospitality you only read about and will most definitely return to South America.  I think Columbia, Peru and Brazil are next on the list.

In the absence of a real-time account of my 3 weeks in South America, I have decided to do a recap of the amazing people I met, weird quirky things I experienced, delicious food and drink delights and brief glimpse of the South American culture.

#1: Best Spanish (swear) words I learned: boludo (assh*le), suertodos hijo de puta (lucky son of a bitch)

• picked up from tour-guides and from the mouths of portenos (locals) at the Boca Juniors futbol game

#2: Street food that we need to import: empanadas, completos, churrasco and choripan

• Empanadas: similar to the ones my Filipino friends make at parties; but in Argentina and Chile, you can find pretty much any variant of ingredients that are filled into a beautiful doughy goodness
• Completos: hot dogs topped off with mayo, the freshest of avocados and tomatoes
• Churrasco: same as completo, but replace hot dog with thinly grilled steak
• Choripan: chorizon sausage and toasted bread – unbelievable!

#3: The Argentinean Steak Obsession: Argentineans love their steak.  The huge country and open land means that for generations Argentina was able to raise organic cattle fed on grass (the healthy way).  Apparently, they’ve now started to use some antibiotics to treat infections, etc, but nonetheless, succulent beef.  Portenos however love to eat their steak well-done.  This is by default.  Only if you’re in a nice steakhouse will they ask you how you would like your steak done – which I reply with medio.

#4: Spice: Argentineans are not used to spicy food.  My palette was definitely craving spicy food after 4 days in Buenos Aires.  Fortunately, Chile is quite different and every meal came with pabre and pan – essentially spicy salsa that you eat with bread.

#5: Drinks: mate, fernet, pesco, cafe

• Mate: this is a bitter tea steeped (pun intended) in tradition.  With gaucho roots, the cowboys used to drink mate as a way of staying awake and warm in the open fields.  You drink it in a gourd, made of pumpkin, wood or metal, and sip the tea from a metal spoon with a strainer at one end.  It’s quite an acquired taste and there’s quite the etiquette involved with drinking mate.  You never ask to drink someone’s mate, unless you’re offered.  You receive it with your right hand and finish the mate, as opposed to taking a few sips and returning.  I quite enjoyed the experience on two separate occasions and bought myself some.
• Fernet: it’s quite hard to decipher what this spirit is made of but wikipedia suggests it’s a type of amaro, a bitter, aromatic spirit.  This is quite popular with the locals and I tried some with coke.
• Pisco: pisco sours are huge in Chile – they taste like a lime margarita and are usually served as a pre-meal cocktail.  There’s quite the rivalry between Chileans and Peruvians on who makes the best Pisco sours.  Roberto, my guide, told me to tell my good friend Carlo who’s from Lima, that I had the best pisco sour in Chile!
• Cafe: I OD’d on coffee in Argentina – sometimes up to 4 strong cafe con leches, solos or cortados a day.  The coffee is so good here, especially when you can loiter. See below.

#6: Cafes and loitering: As I was travelling on my own, when I didn’t have the company of other travellers, I would spend hours sitting in cafes reading and people watching.  No one ever tries to rush you or kick you out for savouring one cup of espresso or water for hours on end.  Brilliant!

That’s all for part 1 of my recap – check out part 2 here.

On Day 1, having settled into my hostel, I ended up joining a German couple at a tango show out in La Boca.  It’s a bit of a tourist trap, but nonetheless, I decided to join the tour organized by the hostel as it didn’t involve a lot of thinking.  The whole thing was a bit of a gong show – from the booking, to the taxi, to the waiter who seemed like it was his first day on the job.  A steak dinner came with the show, and as I’m starting to find out, Argentineans love their steak well done and parillas usually serve a cheap cut of sirloin.  Don’t know how much steak I’ll have here.

Observations:
i) ¨If there’s nothing else to talk about, talk about women!” – the guy at the hardware store finds out I speak English and proceeds to tell me how hot the women are in Buenos Aires.  I concurred, and said the same about Vancouver women.

ii) Argentine women cheek-kiss a lot – hot!

iii) Americans don’t make it this far south.  This means that English isn’t spoken a lot here.  My non-existent Spanish needs work.

On Day 2, I walked a lot.  Checked out the Palermo Soho area of fashionable boutique shops (you Metrosexual men would love it here – great local designers) and cafes.  I spent about 2 hours at a cafe caffeine-loading and reading.  Walked past the local zoo and onto this massive park where locals spend their weekends sunbathing and hanging out.  Lots of silicone-enhanced women here – it’s a terrible thing…NOT!  As I was reading my guidebook, this dude says hi and asks if I’m American.  Turns out he’s a retired co-founder of a biotech company in California and lives in Buenos Aires about 3 months a year.  He shows me the park, the rose garden and the free museum.  Friendly dude -  would never see that in Vancouver.

Late evening = nap.

I wake up around 8pm and walk over to Palermo Hollywood to find a nice dinner.  Settled for an Italian dinner.  Half a litre of wine, salad, pasta and an espresso for about $35. Can u dig it?

The partygoers are just about ready to hit the clubs around 1am.  I don’t have it in me nor the clothes to go partying.  Bring on the bunk bed.  Buenos noches!