August 2014 - Eat Your Broccoli!

August 31, 2014

Sundried Tomato Carrot Top Pesto with Pasta

I had a lot of carrots with their lovely green tops from my last few CSA deliveries. I found a great way to use them up. It can also be frozen for later.

Sundried Tomato Carrot Top Pesto with Pasta

1-2 bunches carrot tops
1/3 C sundried tomato, chopped into pieces
2 tbs chopped garlic
½ C pine nuts or slivered almonds
1 C grated parmesan + extra
½ C – ¾ C extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
½ C peas
I bag Olivieri pasta or 1 bag penne, fusilli or other pasta

This is a super quick, easy to make supper. Especially if you use fresh pasta.

Roughly chop the carrot tops. In a food processor, add all ingredients except extra parmesan, peas, pasta, salt and pepper. Puree. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Dump into a mixing bowl and add peas and pesto. Add parmesan to taste. Mix well and serve. Serves 6-8 people with a side salad.

August 28, 2014

Ginza Ramen

Mmmm I think I have a love affair with ramen. So much that I went to the same place twice in less than a couple of days.

I was in Ottawa a couple of weeks ago and Ginza Ramen came highly recommended. The gyoza were tasty. How was the ramen? The first bowl was vegetable miso. The vegetables were cooked to a turn and the broth was very miso-y. Their noodles come from a supplier, but that’s ok; as most places don’t make in house. The second bowl was the shoyu. It does come with half an egg, but someone absconded with it before I took the picture. It was quite tasty too. One note: both bowls are pictured with an extra serving of noodle which was recommended. This is more the size I am used to getting in Calgary; their regular size would have left me hungry.

Calgary’s ramen scene is well ahead of Ottawa’s but this place made a good first impression.

August 13, 2014

Goro + Gun

I went to Goro + Gun a while ago. Just a little behind on my blogging. Located in the former West Restaurant and Bar location, it is definitely the largest ramen serving restaurant in Calgary. It’s not exclusively ramen; there are other Japanese influenced Asian dishes on the menu.

Hubby and I started with the okonomiyaki. It is a traditional Japanese savoury pancake. I quite liked the taste and concept. There was pork belly topped with ginger, bonito flakes, mayo, and teriyaki style sauce over a fried green cabbage batter. It was a fairly substantial appetizer and something that I have not tried before.

I went with the Miso ramen for my main. The noodles are what I would expect with ramen; yellow, slightly curly with a chewy texture. The broth was tasty and more like creamy tonkotsu if compared to Shiki Menya’s. I liked the added flavour of the black garlic oil.

Hubby and I shared the dessert which was a black sesame creme brulee. It was served with what tasted like a rice cracker on the side and topped with what seemed to be deep fried crispy noodle. It was a very interesting and unique dessert. I love the richness of black sesame, which works well in this case.

OKONOMIYAKI green cabbage, green onion, pork belly — OKONOMIYAKI
green cabbage, green onion, pork belly

MISO RAMEN bbq pork, kikurage mushrooms, red ginger, green onions, shio — MISO RAMEN
bbq pork, kikurage mushrooms, red ginger, green onions, miso