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Fun with amino acids is about having fun with glutamate.

Why is this kind of dish so unctuously good?

Grilled Skirt Steak with
Shitake Fries and Worcestershire Aioli

1 skirt steak
kosher salt
fresh pepper

Heat a grill on high heat until hot. Season steak liberally and grill on high until browned and caramelized on both sides, about 7 minutes…don’t worry about cooking it all the way through, skirt stays moist.

Fries:
fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced or shaved
1c rice flour, cold
1c or more club soda or beer, ice cold
fry oil

Heat fry oil to 360 degrees (when you start to fry it will drop to 350 which is the real temp to maintain. Whisk together the rice flour and soda water until a batter is formed…like a crepe batter. Season the batter with salt and pepper, dip in the mushroom slices and pop into the hot fryer. Fry for a minute or two, it won’t need to get browned, just crispy. Remove from the fryer to a cooling rack and season with a little more salt.

Aioli:
1 egg yolk
2Tworcestershire
1T malt or red wine vinegar
1T Dijon Mustard
1/2 clove garlic
1/2T minced shallot (optional)
1/8tsp dried thymes or 1/2tsp chopped fresh (optional)
1c grapeseed or canola oil, or peanut
salt and pepper to taste

Using a food processor, blend the first 7 ingredients. Then, with the machine running, slowly drizzle in the oil until combined and thick. Season to taste with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Wrapping our tongue up with earthy, savory flavors like, mushrooms, beef and Worcestershire is primal. These are tastes that for most people, are undeniably good.

But why are they undeniably good?

I am not a scientist, nor a scholar; just curious about the relationship between the foods we eat and their effects on our mind and body. Here are a few facts…a few fun facts, and a bunch of laymen theorizing that will hopefully run out of gas at its proper destination.

Glutamic acid or L-Glutamine…heard of ’em? Probably somewhere, it’s widely used in the medical, dietary and scientific industries. It also happens to be amino acid numero uno, making up 60% of our skeletal muscle structure and plays a primary role in balancing our brain chemistry.

Which is which?

L-Glutamine is the absorbable form of glutamic acid; an amino acid, that in congruence with GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), balances our brain function. These two aminos are neurotransmitters; they act like yin and yang in our brains with glutamic acid being the stimulator and GABA being the suppressor. These are the most vital/abundant NT’s in your brain. They control basic motor function, cognition, keeping your heart pumping, and lungs inflating, etc.
Both are important and both are necessary, however; I’ll be focusing more on the stimulating effects of glutamine, what it’s in, and how it’s a part of our lives…in ways you might not have realized.

Mono-Sodium Glutamate, or, MSG or hydrolyzed vegetable protein; is a refined version of Kombu seaweed salt. It tastes absolutely magical, but unfortunately, throws your insulin levels through the roof, along with your blood pressure and, is an excitotoxin (cell killer).  Did I mention it’s crack like addictive quality (scratch, scratch scratch).

The ocean gives

Kombu has been around and used, for centuries. However, it wasn’t until the early 1900’s that a Japanese professor, refined it and processed it to sell to the public as a miracle food additive…which it is (scratch, scratch, scratch).

The only thing L-glutamine and MSG seem to have in common is they are both forms of glutamate. Which means they both trigger glutamate receptors on our tongue telling us that something in our mouth is savory and delicious…enter Umami. The name given to the 5th known taste sensor on our tongue, and the only taste sense to have it’s own brain receptor. Having it’s own brain receptor means we are absolutely hard wired to crave and enjoy this protein. It is also one of the only amino acids capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier. These two bits of info are huge as there are very few things on the planet that our brain is hard wired for and can pass through the blood-brain barrier.

Trained since birth to crave glutamate, it’ the most abundant amino acid in breast milk at 0.02%; which means a baby could easily be getting .15g a day. That might not seem like alot, but adults (on avg), eat around .5g -1 g of glutamate per day; which means newborns eat like they’re already 25lb. Please don’t question the math, the bullet point of this presentation is that breast milk has high levels of glutamine. Those glutamine levels will also be key in a babies ability to efficiently hydrate…which I’ll discuss in part 2.  Still with me?

Let’s widdle this down

Because we’re wired for glutamate it makes sense that finding ways to use it in our food is a good way to naturally bump up flavor and add richness that wasn’t there before.  Familiar foods naturally rich in glutamate include,  soy sauce and other soy products, black and white truffles, parmesan cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, yeast, legumes, hemp seeds, chia seeds, raw cabbage, beets, and most animal based proteins.  I bump up flavor in lots of dishes with Worcestershire sauce, Braggg’s Liquid Aminos, Thai fish sauce and truffle oil. A bone in pot roast or braised short ribs is another great example. The flavor the bones give to the sauce is all glutamate richness…and fat—gigitty. Dried mushrooms are another great, natural, easily found umami punch.
Now that we have a small overview of what glutamate does, you might have realized that I haven’t made any profound points…turn tape over to side B, or read Part Deux.

Continuing our discussion on the importance of glutamate, fun with amino acids goes deeper. Let’s explore glutamate and alcohol consumption.

One day, while contemplating glutamate rich foods. I realized that Jack ‘n The Box tacos were ridiculously glutamate rich. Mostly bad/unhealthy free-glutamate. But since it’s pretty much a “glutamate taco” anyways, (beef, soy, tomato and MSG). I realized that what I had been preaching for several years, might have some scientific validity. That is, that Jack ‘N The Box tacos are the greatest hangover remedy food in existence. “Existence” meaning, that it’s easily available down the street and inexpensive.

Believe the hype

Every time I had a bad hangover, these little 50 cent bastards would bring me back from the dead, every time.  I always assumed it was just my greasy post drinking food of choice. But as it turns out, this glutamate packed snack food acts like a pit crew in an auto race.

Stay with me here: Your body is the car and alcohol is the race. You’ll have fun racing, but you’re gonna get beat up, get a flat, spill some oil and run out of gas. To get back in the race, you’ll need some gas (water), and new tires (stable head and stomach). Glutamate (the pit crew) assists your body in getting what it needs by facilitating hydration, balancing your brain chemistry and removing withdrawal symptoms. You can do all these things without added glutamate; but do you ever see a race car driver get out of his car to change the tires or fill up the tank? No, a pit crew is safer and more efficient.

What is your hangover remedy? Is it glutamate rich? All signs lead to yes…especially if your answer involves fast food.

Brain stuff

Most of us know that the main reason for hangovers is dehydration. The higher concentration of blood alcohol you have, the less water there is in your blood, duh.
Another reason for hangovers is the effect alcohol has on your brain. Alcohol increases GABA activity and lowers glutamate activity. That means it increases a suppressing neurotransmitter, and decreases an excitatory; resulting in a double dose of depressant effects.  Look at this list of suppressed body functions. The central nervous system, heart/circulatory system, respiratory system, motor function, cognitive ability, learning, memory. The double whammy of higher GABA levels and lowered glutamate is real.

While balancing out your suppressed brain function, glutamate also acts as a cellular hydration mechanism, whereby it can “trick” the brain into pulling in more water. This use is highly common among athletes and body builders for its hydrating effects on muscles—which then helps recovery time and growth.
This amazing hydrating aspect is what turned the light bulb over my head into this diatribe before you.

Disclaimer for lack of bibliography :-|
I got nothin’.  When it comes to concrete, documented evidence supporting my case, there isn’t much out there. But there are some companies selling GA based hangover cures, and I did do some pretty good field testing of my own. I had varied results because my controls were not strict enough; but one time (out of about three)…it worked like magic.
I already had the L-glutamine in pill form, as I’d been experimenting with myself and friends on random party nights. Results were always inconclusive, but never bad, and everyone seemed relatively good the next day; however, it was never clear that the glutamine was the reason.
So, like so many before me, I decided to put the burden and responsibility for accurateness solely upon my shoulders.
The mission ahead was detailed as such:
Glutamine pills…check.
Cheap liquor that assured a plate tectonic shifting headache… check.
I did drink a responsible amount of water, but nothing outside of what I normally would when partying.
While hanging out with family over a 3-4 hour period, I preceded to destroy around 3/4 of a 750ml bottle of Jim Beam, mostly mixing with a little Coke. I took glutamine before I started drinking, before bed and when I woke up in the morning. I think it was about 1g per dose (100mg). .
The next morning I felt absolutely fine.

Overall, L-glutamine is an awesome supplement capable of doing ridiculous amounts of good for our bodies. I wouldn’t recommend it everyday (since water is the only thing we should have EVERY day); but I’d definitely use it when I’m feeling less then 100%.
Sidenote* for those who use alot of ibuprofen. Glutamine has been found to reverse some of the intestinal damage caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatories,..just sayin’.

ALOT of scientific explanation was left out here; but I assure you, I researched a shit ton…ask my wife :-| She’s glad it’s all over.

I obtained my information through random research, self testing, talking with people smarter then me (they weren’t hard to find) and a ton of scientific journals on the web. Obviously I have no bibliography for this article, sorry about that. I gathered information over a long period of time and lost track of where it all came from, so take it as you will, I’m gonna go grind a taco now…gigitty.

Let me make sure this math is correct. Local + organic = delicious. Yep, it checks out.

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)

In some form or another you’ve heard of it. This is a food co-op where farmers from around a specified region bring their wares, divvy them up and people from around that county pick up a varied box of fresh, local organic produce. Perceived value is the issue here.

It costs a little more than your local grocery but, you get what you pay for. Our particular CSA is Garden of Eden Organics. They had the nearest location drop off for us and had room on the list for us to join. Many CSA’s are booked up or too far away…or too pricey.

We paid $420 for 12 weeks, ($35 a week). What’s your weekly produce budget?

A better question might be; what is your weekly local organic produce budget. Until the general population demands healthier eating lifestyles, veggies will always be more expensive then things out of a box. Inexpensive organic veggies ARE a viable option for our future, but things will need to change.

Rely on ourselves

Our government funding was set up to subsidize certain agricultural and farming industries that focus on one item; and to produce as much of that one item as possible. Things like wheat, corn, soybeans…you know, the “filler”. That made it nearly impossible for small farmers across the country to turn a profit. We as a culture began producing mass quantities of cheap food available anytime, anywhere, which definitely has it’s addictive delicious ups…but the downs of cheap food, big business and a lack of nutritional IQ have proven quite detrimental to our societies physical and mental health. Not to be all hippie-dippie but; the farther away we go from fresh food, the farther away we go from each other. /rant

Back to the badass deliciousness of fresh local vegetation. The veggies we get from our weekly box are varied and wonderful with varieties I’ve never seen or heard of. Everything tastes as it should, carrots deep with flavor, cucumbers that are sweet, perfect melons(gigitty), fresh herbs, crisp sweet lettuce and the list goes on.

Forced creativity

Another thing I love is what the veggies force you into with your diet. Creativity abounds because you have to make a meal with something you might have never cooked before. If you feel lost or confused about what to do, just use teh interwebz to look up a quick and easy recipe. Many CSA’s will post recipes on their web-sites or blogs. My wife was recently perplexed about mustard greens which are a spicy bitter green not unlike kale. She did a fine job sauteing them up with a little garlic and olive oil but was only really stoked about their uber-nutritive value. So yes, sometimes you receive something that isn’t your favoritest ever, but it’s usually highly nutritious and maybe you have a friend who’s a chef and can point you in the right preparational direction ;-)

Watermelon martini’s and a fresh crunchy chicken salad were my inspiration this particular week.

If you didn’t already know, I’m a personal chef. My job as a personal chef consists of cooking for private dinner parties, teaching cooking classes and preparing meal services. Occasionally, clients request a wine pairing dinner and I’m happy to oblige.

I enjoy most aspects of my job for different reasons but my super-duper most favoritest ever, is wine or beer food pairings. I enjoy the direction and focus I’m forced into with the flavor profiles wine and beer provide.
My recent wine dinner was very involved and allowed me the pleasure of using a few expensive items that aren’t usually in the budget.

Finally some pics :-)

I usually don’t take pictures of my food during parties…I’m too focused on getting the food out perfect and hot…or cold; and of course making sure people are enjoying themselves.

This time I was lucky enough to snap a few off before they went out. Not all of them…and I failed with pics of the wine as well, but like I said, it’s not my focus.

Why pair wine

If you’ve ever been to a wine pairing dinner then you know how much fun it is…when it’s done right. If you haven’t, then I highly recommend it as a way to enjoy wine like never before. The wine will heighten the food and the food will heighten the wine…hopefully…and hopefully you don’t end up with a lame bottle. Not that that would be your fault, it just happens. But that mystery is a fun aspect to wine.

Ideally, it accentuates what that grape is capable of with its given environment…easier said then done that’s for sure.

Some wine pairings will focus more on wine, giving small portions of something simple–like a piece of chocolate, or some good parmesano drizzled with aged balsamic and fresh cracked pepper. Those simple ingredients can completely change the way your palate registers that wine. I tend to prepare mini entrees for each wine. It’s not hard but does take some ingredient understanding.

I ended up getting some great wine from John Alonge; the friendly and knowledgeable owner of the San Diego Wine and Culinary Center or, The Wine Heratic.

He introduced me to some wonderful California wines (2 from Ramona) and the prices were totally reasonable.

Bold flavors

Hors D’oeuvres:

Spanish salmagundi stuffed peeled loquat with coconut cheese

Foi gras stuffed roasted carrot with crispy apple-mint.

Not pictured is Buffalo mozzarella and marcona almond stuffed prosciutto wrapped date, grilled and dressed with lemon juice and olive oil

1st course (not pictured)–Ramona Valley-Kohill Winery, 2008 Estate Sauvignon Blanc.

Seared scallops with Fresh English peas, pea pod herb nage, citrus segments, and king crab croquettes…Picture fail, but it was beautiful.

2nd course- Russian River Chardonnay of some kind. Had nice citrus tropical notes with a hint of butter, French oak and crisp acidity.

Achiote and coconut water braised pork belly with banana roasted mashed potatoes and citrus macerated cucumber and mango.

3rd course-2009 Clifford Bay Pinot Noir. Earthy, hint of truffle, supple tanins, fruit forward with cherry and plum. Also a nice crisp finish.

Ahi sashimi and roasted golden beet napoleon with butter lifted porcini broth, white cherry and blanched celery garnish tossed with red wine vinegar and white truffle oil.

4th course-Petite Syrah Edwards Vineyards…I think. Black cherry, bold and earthy, mellow tannins, soft structure with a small amount of oak.

Roasted lamb loin and smokey roasted riblets with dried black cherry lamb reduction and shitake, parsnip chips

5th course-Cabernet Sauvignon, jeez I’m feeling buzzed just writing this. Classic wonderfully structured cab. Cabernet braised beef short ribs with rib jus reduction and handmade black truffle gnocchi, no picture :-(

6th course- Sparkling cuvee from somewhere in Santa Barbara I think. Had some dry fruit rolling through with some yeast on the finish.

Loukamades with almond covered chocolate truffle

So that was it. I left 6 people happy, full and drunk…sounds like great Saturday night to me :-)

Canned beer. “As American as apple pie”– at least since the early seventies. This my friends is an exhibition in mediocrity

I love American spirit and ingenuity; we’re the best in the world at working hard to be lazy. I say lazy, but I mean we have a drive for convenience. Other countries don’t seem to prioritize that like we do. Our ideas, wants, and needs(?), have driven the world economy since there’s been a world economy. Capitalism is great and everything but sometimes there’s a fizzy, flavorless price to pay.

Why cans?

Back in the sixties we started thinking; ‘Screw flavor, I want my beer to come in something I can crush on my head. (No, I cannot crush a can on my head, but I think it’s cool when people do). Obviously that’s not the reason, but interestingly, canning was cheaper than bottling, and it afforded more real estate for labels and slogans. As far as quality goes and the taste difference between cans and bottles, it just depends on how old the beer is. Most breweries that can their beer, don’t produce a delicious product. So being in a can doesn’t matter a whole lot, especially if it’s only been on the shelf for a short time. Canned beer has given us a uniquely American product. One that made beer cheaper, safer, more convenient and more marketable. Granted, taste is diminished and can be straight up funky. But we’ll gladly make a small sacrifice for taste if it means we can consume it with ease anywhere, and for less moolah.

Home brew

I wonder if the big American beer companies of today, tasted better 50-60 years ago? Because it really is a testament to our love of drinking that we have such popular mediocre beer. And before any beer enthusiasts get their panties in a bunch I realize America is now the world leader in award winning high quality craft brews. In fact, my home town of sunny San Diego is quickly making a name for itself within the industry. With more then 20 craft breweries around the county there’s a multiplicity of options for enjoying good beer.
But enjoying a beer is different then beer drinking. Although there are some impressive beer drinking cultures, non have done so much, with so little, as us. You know what the difference is?

Independence.

We don’t relegate ourselves to a bar or our living room…we like our beer outside or wherever we friggin’ feel like it. A cooler full of beer is an iconic American site to behold. Not because of our love for a high-quality product. But for our desire to catch a buzz and relax wherever we damn well please. Sure, bottles are portable, but drinking can also cause carelessness.  A broken bottle in a natural surroundings, or a place where children might play, is just really disappointing. Sure, people leave trash in nature regardless of what they’re drinking. But picking up a can is a lot easier than a hundred shards of glass.

Me being a lover of quality beer, I feel the need to further justify my stance on an important distinction.

There’s a difference between enjoying a beer, and beer drinking. Beer drinking requires affordability and drinkability with an emphasis on beer temperature. American light lagers are meant to be drank cold, no matter the season. Americans get a lot of flak for cold beer, but what old world enthusiasts aren’t grasping is…we’ve perfected the art of drinking 30 beers…without being of direct German descent!

Coors Light

Coors Light is (to me), the undisputed king of canned light beer. Many factors are measured when determining this lofty title, but I’ll break it down into the big two. First, why bother with canned beer instead of bottled?

There are only two answers. Affordability and packaging convenience. Canned beer is always cheaper unless you come across a super schweet deal, which’ll only occur when the store is trying to sell their old beer. So price…check.
Convenience comes down to a few things as well. Cans are more durable, cans stack better (more in a cooler), they get colder, and get colder faster.
Coors Light has unparalleled drinkability. Everyone has different tastes and I’m not gonna argue with someone that it’s the best tasting, however.  I will vehemently stand by the notion that it is…THE MOST REFRESHING, INEXPENSIVE, CANNED ADULT BEVERAGE anywhere west of the Rockies.  To prove this, me and my buddies did a taste test of all the “big” canned beers.                                                                                                                                                                                             

The Challenge

We had lofty intentions of finding a king amongst peasants, but unfortunately… everything became a blur of mediocrity. We tried to be official about it with rankings, comment sheets and guesses as to what it might be, but we fell short because of time constraints and straight up forgetting to actually rank our favorites, doh!

It was alot of fun and I totally recommend it as a fun activity with friends,

but I really wish we had picked a winner. There were some that tasted pleasant at first sip, but immediately went downhill on the second taste. About halfway through, everything was tasting horrible and I was getting uncomfortably full. Note to self…wait a minimum of one hour after dinner to start a beer tasting.

Once again, it’s not that Coors Light tasted the best. But in a blind taste test, it was by far the most refreshing. None of my friends or I are very familiar with the other beers we tested. However, by the end we all realized why this was the case. When Coors Light popped up at the end there was a resounding “AHHHHHH, thats the stuff right there, that’s natures sweet nectar…that comes in a can for $.50.”

There was no winner at this, so the person with the least correct picks had to drink the dump cup.

Family, friends, food, fun and…figs? I missed a few important F’s but I think you get where I’m going here. All these F’s are important to me, and since it is late summer…figs make the list.

Surprisingly, figs are an actual fruit that grow from a tree and don’t just magically find their way in between a pastry.
Seriously though, I’ve finished a whole sleeve more times then I care to admit. Damn little things are so easy to eat; before I know it I have an empty plastic wrapper, a crumb covered couch, and a life or death need for a cold glass of milk.
For some people, the word fig is always and forever attached to Newton. That’s cool…maybe a little sad but whatever. As kids, we never really questioned what the filling was. I’m sure we deduced from the label that it was indeed a fig construct of some kind, but not really anything tangible. After all, what is a fig? I don’t remember ever being given a raw fig. Maybe someone did? But it was probably under ripe; which to a kid means he/she is now holding a scary looking, mushy, bitter, nasty “thing.” Fo reelz…under ripe figs suuuuuuuck. Don’t ever give a child a less then perfect fig.

They can be eaten raw and whole, but are always sweeter with a little heat put to em. Figs looooove heat, especially direct dry heat, like a grill or broiler. I tend not to just munch on raw figs, (although we have a tree now, so maybe I should start?), but they are a versatile way to add sweetness to a plethora of dishes.

Recently I procured an obscene amount of figs via my favorite method. Pretty sure they’re Mission figs, but since there are over 700 varieties of fig…Mission is close enough.

I’ve done figs six ways from Sunday but most often I use them as an hor d’oeuvre. Maybe something like…

ripe figs
olive oil
salt and pepper
good ricotta
toasted almonds (Marconas are great but pricey)
honey
lemon juice

Preheat broiler on high. Cut figs in half and lay on and oiled sheet pan. Drizzle with a bit of oil and season with salt. Broil on top rack until just barely browned but totally heated through. Too much cooking will leave you with a puddle of fig. If that happens you can puree and use as a fig filling or topping.
Plate the warm figs and top with a bit of everything. A little pepper, a nubbin’ of ricotta, an almond, and a drizzle of honey and lemon juice…dee-lish.
Also feel free to wrap up all this goodness into a slice cured meat, like prosciutto.

Here is what I played around with at my buddies house the other night.  These pics show some lack of refinement, but I had a few handicaps I was dealing with, mainly my 2yo lil’ monster.

My goal was to make a savory fig lollipop. I succeeded in all aspects of the dish except I didn’t quite have the appropriate cut of lamb I was envisioning. But, jeebus was it delicious.

Grilled fig and lamb “lollipop” with almonds and red wine/lamb reduction. 
The last pic also shows a caramelized fig topped shark fillet with potato pave and the same sauce; ridiculously good as well. Both plates also had grilled cauliflower. FYI…grilled or broiled cauliflower IZ THA BOMB! I knew this dish was gonna be good…but not THAT good. Did I mention it was good?

Of all the “common” fruits, figs are the highest in overall mineral content and are an excellent source of fiber. Raw figs also contain a bunch of phenols, which are powerful cancer fighting antioxidants.

Figs have a ton of other health benefits, and if they were imported from South America or the Himalayas, they would be marketed as a “super food.” But they aren’t…which is good for our pocket book as they can already be a little pricey.
You can buy dried figs at most places but Mediterranean markets will have the best price.

If you live in a climate that doesn’t get too cold, you might have a friend or neighbor that has a tree. If you do; then I’m sure they would be more then happy to have you pick some. Fig trees can get messy since birds and bugs love ’em; I mean, why wouldn’t they? Along with it’s nutrient density comes a ton of fructose. Natural sugar is a good thing; it gives you energy with no insulin spike.

A ripe fig is soft and squishy; if it’s cracked, no worries, that just means it needs to be eaten.

So this season; have some fun cooking figgy foods with family, and friends.

A quick update on the aforementioned lemon vodka / limoncello.

Day 1

Our plan was to let the peels sit for several days, but after 24 hours it tasted delicious. Nice refreshing lemon flavor and a nice light-yellow color to boot.