We went to see the new Japanese Deco Exhibit at the Albuquerque
Museum at around 11:30 am because admission is free until noon on Sundays. The exhibit is exceptional in two
respects. It includes items I have never
seen before and they are of very great beauty.
I had never even thought about a Deco period in Japan, but the exhibit
included a treasury of beautiful items of exquisite refinement.
Before we left the house, we had prepped all the ingredients
for Ma Po Dofu, I diced two Chinese eggplants, 2 green Anaheim chiles, and a small
onion and deboned and diced six pork chops, and minced two Tbsp. of ginger and
one Tbsp. of garlic and sliced five or six portabella mushrooms and several
shitake mushrooms. Suzette made pork
broth with the bones from the pork chops and a diced carrot and ½ onion.
The reason we went shopping was for me to buy a set of
bamboos sheets for Suzette’s Valentine’s Day gift. Then we stopped by Bob Moon’s because he graciously
allowed me to borrow his copy of this month’s book club selection, “Barney’s Version”. Finally we stopped at Sprouts Market (See
February 11, 2013 for shopping details) where we also bought a 14 oz. tub of
soft tofu ($1.49).
We had been invited to go to dinner with Josefo and Davida
at 7:00 p.m., but we were really hungry, so when we arrived home at 3:00 p.m. we cooked the
Ma Po Dofu and a cup of rice with lilly pods, since we knew Willy would be
hungry after his soccer game.
Suzette and I stir fried the pork in 2 Tbsp. of heated peanut
oil in a wok with half of the minced ginger and garlic. Then I removed the pork from the wok and
added the vegetables and the rest of the garlic and ginger and stir fried the
vegetables until they were soft and added the mushrooms. After the mushrooms took on color I added about
1 Tbsp. Chinese Rice Cooking wine and 1 tsp. of mushroom soy and 1 tsp. of
sesame oil and then the diced 14 oz. of tofu and then the pork broth to cover
the ingredients so they would cook into a stew.
After about more 30 minutes of the stew's simmering, I made a thickening mixture of 2
Tbsp. of cornstarch and 1 Tbsp. each of cooking wine and soy and a dash of
sesame oil and about 2 Tbsp. of water to liquefy the mixture and added that to
the wok. There was still a lot of liquid
in the stew, but it thickened slightly, which is enough for us. I usually add chopped green onions and crushed Szechuan
peppercorns but, we were too hungry for those niceties today, so around 4:00
p.m. when Willy arrived we piled the Ma Po Dofu onto a scoop of warm rice and dug
in. The sauce was a little less
thickened than I like, but it coated the rice nicely.
Then at 6:30 Josefo and Davida arrived. They first showed me a new watercolor Davida
is painting of a stallion she named Fire.
Then we went to High Noon Restaurant in Old Town for dinner. The restaurant was not very full but we loved
the over 200 year old adobe building and the accents, such as wagon wheels and
harnesses on the walls. Suzette and I
were not terribly hungry, having eaten three hours before, so we split a dish
of beef short ribs served with a cherry flavored demi-glace and Davida ordered
the same dish ($22.00), three chunks of grilled beef served with a pile of mashed
potatoes and asparagus. Josefo ordered
the Bourbon Roasted Chicken, one-half of a roasted chicken served with mashed
potatoes and baby carrots ($23.00). The
table setting and service were excellent. Suzette and I each drank a Monk’s Ale brewed
on the grounds of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert in Abiquiu, New Mexico
or in Moriarty, New Mexico.We all loved our meals, so we tried the tres leches cake and it was delicious also. A square of sponge cake served in a bowl on a bed of custard and drizzled with a caramel sauce. A lovely dessert. We went home happily full and arrived just in time to watch Downton Abbey.
I have known Charley and Shirley Villa for years and am happy to say that their daughter Carla is doing a great job running the restaurant. If you want a great steak or a restaurant in Old Town that serves a lovely dinner, it is well worth a visit to High Noon located in its elegantly converted historic home.
Bon Appétit
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