Monday, September 5, 2011

Squid and Chorizo – Cross Species Delight

When Nancy is away I can indulge myself with some dishes which she would prefer not to have in the house when she is home. Hence, since she is back in New York awaiting the arrival of our second grandchild, this afternoon I decided to make myself some Sautéed Calamari with Chorizo using a recipe by Rick Stein that I came across here.

I just made half the recipe and it was more than enough for a good sized portion plus some leftovers. I was not able to find chorizo (The Spanish Table was closed when I stopped by) so I ended up using some Portuguese linguica. The chorizo would have probably been just a bit spicier and coarser and would have been a better choice.

I also mashed half of the chickpeas which was a good choice since it added a bit more body to the dish. Finally I was also unable to find arugula so used spinach. Not bad, but greens with a slightly bitter note would have been better.
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Saturday, September 3, 2011

Sanuki Udon – A Master Demonstration


Sausalito has for over 20 years been the sister city of Sakaide, a city located on the north coast of the Japanese island of Shikoku on the Inland Sea.  Sakaide is the point on Shikoku where the Seto Ohashi Bridge that connects Shikoku with Honshu comes ashore, and the original motivation for the sister city relationship between Sakaide and Sausalito was influenced by the two cities’ proximity to major bridges.


The most significant element of the relationship has been annual student trips – one year one way and the next year the other way. Last year a group of students from Sakaide visited Sausalito, and just this past month a group headed to Sakaide from Sausaito.

This weekend is the annual Sausalito Art Festival which has grown over its 59 years of operation to become a major event. In addition to the displays of art and live music, a number of Sausalito non-profit organizations operate food booths at the Festival which provides important operating funds for them. The Sausalito/Sakaide Sister City group has done so in the past and is doing so again this weekend.
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