Bistro Newsletter

Do you know the definition of a strong marriage? You can hang wallpaper together without killing each other. Mark me safe.

After that experience, I had no energy for Sunday Pickleball, and I was more than ready for a glass of wine and some fun. Luckily for Michael and me, as we may have needed a distraction, friends joined us for drinks, dinner and games. I made Fresh Rolls, our new favorite dish for the house, Seared Ahi Tuna & an Umami rich Miso Mushroom Udon Noodle Soup. Fresh Rolls are a great healthy dish and fun for your guests to roll themselves. Soak 1 to 3 pieces of rice paper at a time in tepid water until soft and fill with your favorite crunchy raw vegetables, roll like a burrito or egg roll. No cooking required! Serve with a quick Peanut Sauce: in a blender add peanut butter, coconut milk, soy sauce and a jalapeno… I add a bunch of other ingredients, but you can keep it simple and easy.

I had more international inspiration the next with Lisa, one of the Hens. She and I celebrated her birthday by cruising different ethnic markets. We walked through the Polish Market and admired the rows and rows of canned beets, tons of cheese, 1000 sausages and all kinds of unique items. Many printed only in Polish so we had to guess what they were. I bought pierogi, pickled tomatoes and farmers’ cheese. We stopped at International Foods where we met Sam the Butcher who walked us through the store explaining different fetas, grains and spices… specifically how there are so many different styles of za’atar . I bought a weird granola looking Greek pasta that I had no idea what to do with and Lisa grabbed some dynamite fetas and pickled turnips. Sam was super friendly and eager to help as was the store manager. We stopped at Dreams Market to see their variety of spices. Holy Cow! Huge bins of the best smelling spices and so colorful. I may have made a spectacle of myself smelling everything and exclaiming “Lisa, SMELL this one!”, shoving the scoop under her nose. I did see the grocery guy laughing at me, but I couldn’t help myself. Bread was baking in the back and the market smelled so good. Colorful produce and rows of all kinds of crazy items that I have no idea what they were. I bought a few new spices, some fava beans (Michael’s favorite bean) and Markouk bread. I’m excited to try everything. It’s been a minute since I’ve pushed myself culinary speaking and this outing was just the motivation I needed.​

Lisa and I wrapped up our day with dinner at a Turkish restaurant, Galata, in Sterling Heights. There was a lot we loved but we need to go back now that we know how to order and what to expect. We met the friendly owner unfortunately after we had ordered. New food experiences can be intimidating but remember most people want to share their culture with you, all you must do is ask questions and they seem happy to guide you. The Katmer dessert and Turkish coffee were certainly the highlights, but as I watched the colorful large platters go out to a party that had arrived as we were leaving, I was jealous that we had not had someone leading us through the menu more. Their food looked so amazing and smelled so good. I will be returning after doing more research and I would like to try a few new dishes out at the Bistro. I’m feeling my inner Moroccan coming out!
 
Cheers,
Sharon
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Be sure to click on the gallery to see the photos from our excursion
 

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