Street food flavors find favor with diners

<p>The comforting aroma of Vietnamese pho soup. The spicy tang of a Baja fish taco. The deep-fried crunch of an Indian pakora fritter.</p><p>Chances are, you can now find these street eats at a restaurant, snack bar or taco truck near you. The allure of quick and convenient, fresh and flavorful food has never been more powerful, with casual dining and the downward economy whetting our appetite for both variety and value.</p><p>“Fine dining used to mean foie gras,” Culinary Institute of American President Tim Ryan said last month at the Worlds of Flavor conference at the CIA at Greystone in St. Helena. “Now it means the pork buns at Momofuku’s Noodle Bar in New York.”</p><p>The 12th annual Worlds of Flavor conference focused this year on the exciting arena of street food, gathering more than 75 street vendors, hawker chefs, live fire and barbecue specialists from 21 different countries, along with fine-dining chefs and cookbook authors inspired by those dishes.</p><p>But what exactly is street food, and why is everyone so crazy about it?</p><p>Along with Ryan, those weighing in on the subject included Jonathan Gold, a restaurant critic for LA Weekly; John Edge, director of the Southern Foodways Alliance at the University of Mississippi; and Greg Drescher, executive director of strategic initiatives for the CIA.</p><p>Ryan summed it up most succinctly: “It’s an endless variety of great foods, served quickly, anywhere, anytime, at affordable prices, to anyone.”</p><p>From a traditional tapas bar in Catalonia to a sustainable hot dog cart in San Francisco, the playing field for street food has broadened in recent years, incorporating chefs who announce the location of their trucks on Twitter and bakers who deliver pies on bicycles. </p><p>“Americans increasingly want a whole world of new flavors — from Asian to Latin and Mediterranean — within easy reach on a 24/7 basis,” Drescher said. “Increasingly these casual flavors are spilling out of traditional restaurants into roving food trucks, noodle bars, airport kiosks and more.”</p><p>Gold, author of “Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles,” noted that in the past year or two, the truck culture has exploded in L.A.’s food scene.</p><p>“We’re in the middle of a street food renaissance,” Gold said. “Now there are New Wave trucks — Korean tacos on Twitter — and a running buffet of street food going for a mile.”</p><p>Edge, who grew up eating barbecue from roadside shacks in the South, has begun an informal study of the newly emerging street food culture across the country.</p><p>“Street food has arrived,” Edge declared. “In 2009, it came out of the closet and out of the gutter.”</p><p>Edge is the first to admit, however, that street cuisine often requires an act of courage on the part of the consumer.</p><p>“It’s outsider food, immigrant food, a roll of the dice,” he said. “It’s among the most primal of bites ... also, a food of last resort.”</p><p>Some of the hot spots for street food in America include Portland, Ore., where food entrepreneurs are setting up simple carts around the city. Some of Edge’s favorites in Portland include the Swamp Shack, which serves up crayfish pie and other New Orleans fare; and The Brunch Box, purveyor of hot dogs and burgers, including a heart-attack burger sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches.</p><p>In San Francisco, Edge recommends the duck tacos from Kung Fu Tacos, a truck that parks in the Financial District; and the cookie cream sandwiches from Gobba Gobba Hey, a street cart that has revived a regional treat from Pennsylvania.</p><p>In some cities, Edge said, pavement cuisine has also realized its potential as street theater. In Seattle, there’s a Burlesque Taco Truck featuring a bit of racy, live entertainment. In New York, there’s a Big Gay Ice Cream Truck manned by a professional bassoonist who Twitters his toppings and locations and during the off season, gives away concert tickets.</p><p>“The hipsters are looking for the social aspect,” Edge said. “It’s a guerrilla punk rock act.”</p><p>According to Ryan, the street food craze is also linked to a budding “food democracy” movement that has been percolating for many years.</p><p>“Food democracy is of the people, without class distinction or privilege,” Ryan said. “Street food plays into that new mentality perfectly.”</p><p>With its small plates and small prices, street food has encouraged Americans to try something beyond the usual pizza, fried chicken and hamburger fare.</p><p>“There’s a massive amount of flavor out there,” Ryan said, “And we as Americans are just scratching the surface.”</p><p>Many of these global flavors were shared at the conference during non-stop demonstrations and tastings, where chefs from Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East produced a dazzling array of dishes.</p><p>Catalonian chef Daniel Olivella of B-44 in San Francisco demonstrated a pig’s feet pâté from Barlata, his new tapas bar in Oakland. The dish was one of his father’s favorites.</p><p>“We try to make food that brings something new,” he said. “It’s modernized traditional.”</p><p>Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto of Morimoto’s in New York — coming to Napa this summer — demonstrated Okonomiyaki, a savory pancake topped with cabbage, pork, seaweed, noodles and a fried egg. The delicious and versatile dish, served with a thick, sweet sauce, hails from the streets of his native Hiroshima.</p><p>Chef Charles Phan of The Slanted Door in San Francisco, who demonstrated a pork dumpling, confessed that he modeled his wildly popular Ferry Plaza restaurant after the street foods of Vietnam.</p><p>“Street food is the bedrock of Slanted Door cooking,” he said. “At lunch, we do street food dishes a la carte.”</p><p>Chef Donald Link of Herbsaint in New Orleans demonstrated street foods from the “Cajun prairie” outside of New Orleans: cracklings, a deep-fried pork rind; and boudin balls, a deep-fried filling made from seafood, pork livers and rice.</p><p>“Nobody makes boudin and cracklings at home,” Link said. “It’s like the doughnut. You pick them up.”</p><p>Meanwhile, Mediterranean expert Paula Wolfert of Sonoma demonstrated a semolina pancake from the streets of Marrakech in Morocco.</p><p>“Every country has street food. ... It’s becoming global,” she said. “Sometimes it’s the best, and sometimes it’s not. ... Plus, it’s fattening.”</p><p>Oh well, you can’t have everything.</p><p>This recipe is from chef Rick Bayless of Chicago, winner of “Top Chef Masters” on Bravo TV.</p><h3>Tacos of Creamy Braised Chard, Potatoes and Poblanos</h3> <p>Serves 16 to 18 portions</p><p>For Essential Roasted Poblano Rajas:</p><p>12 ounces fresh poblano chiles</p><p>1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil</p><p>1 white onion, medium size, sliced ¼-inch thick</p><p>2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped</p><p>¼ teaspoon dry oregano, preferably Mexican</p><p>1/8 teaspoon dried thyme</p><p>For tacos:</p><p>16 to 8 corn tortillas</p><p>For filling:</p><p>¾ cup chicken broth</p><p>10 ounces red-skin boiling potatoes, cut in ½-inch cubes</p><p>12 ounces chard leaves, sliced ½-inch thick</p><p>½ cup whipping cream or creme fraiche</p><p>½ teaspoon salt</p><p>½ cup Mexican queso fresco or salted farmer’s cheese</p><p>For essential roasted poblano rajas: Roast the chiles directly over a gas flame or 4 inches below a very hot broiler until blackened on all sides, about 5 minutes for na open flame and 10 minutes for broiler. Cover with a towel and let stand for 5 minutes. Peel, pull out the stem, seed the pod adn briefly rinse to remove bits of skin and seeds. Slice the peppers into ¼-inch strips. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium, then add the onion adn cook, stirring regularly. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are nicely browned, but still a little crunchy. Add the garlic adn herbs, toss for a minute longer, then stir in the chiles.</p><p>To warm tortillas: Set up a steamer and heat to a boil. Wrap the tortillas in two stacks in heavy kitchen towels, lay in the steamer and cover tightly. Boil for 2 minutes, turn off the heat and let stand without opening the steam for about 15 minutes.</p><p>For the filling: While the tortillas are steaming, prepare the filling. In a small saucepan, combine the broth and potatoes, cover and simmer over medium-low heat until nearly tender, about 15 minutes. Pour the potatoes and broth into the rajas pan, mix in the chard and boil over medium-high heat until the broth has evaporated, about 4 minutes. Mix in teh cream and continue to boil, stirring regularly, until the cream is reduced enough to coat the mixture nicely. Taste and season with salt. </p><p>To assemble: Scoop the mixture into a deep, warm serving dish and sprinkle with the cheese. Carry the serving dish and warm tortillas in a cloth-olined basket for each of your guests to assemble tacos al gusto.</p><p>This recipes is from Donald Link, chef/owner of Herbsaint in New Orleans.</p><h3>Boudin Balls</h3> <p>Makes 4 pounds</p><p>2 pounds pork shoulder, cutinto 1-inch cubes</p><p>½ pork livers, cut into 1-inch cubes</p><p>1 onion, chopped, small</p><p>1 poblano, medium stemmed, seeded and chopped</p><p>3 jalapenos, medium, stemmed, seeded and chopped</p><p>2 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped</p><p>6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped</p><p>4 tablespoons salt</p><p>2 tablespoons black pepper</p><p>1 tablespoon white pepper</p><p>½ teaspoon curing salt</p><p>2 teaspoons cayenne</p><p>1 teaspoon chili powder</p><p>8¼ cups water</p><p>7 cups cooked white rice</p><p>1 cup parsley, chopped</p><p>1 cup scallions (white and green tops), chopped</p><p>Combine the pork, liver, vegetables and the seasonings and marinate 1 hour or overnight.</p><p>In a large pot, cover the meat with water. The water shoudl cover the meat by 1 or 2 inches. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the meat is tender, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.</p><p>Remove the pot from the heat and strain, reserving the liquid. Allow the mixture to cool slightly and then put all the ingredients through a meat grinder, set on coarse grind. You can also chop with a knife if you don’t have a meat grinder.</p><p>Place the ground meat in a large bowl. Using your hands or a rubber spatula, mix in the cooked rice, parsley, scallions and the reserved cooking liquid and stir vigorously for 5 to 10 minutes, or use a mixer.</p><p>Roll into “boudin balls,” by dredging in standard breading and frying in hot oil until golden brown.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Diane Peterson at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@</p><p>pressdemocrat.com</p>