Sardines & cooking with fire

been a long time since I posted. Spring has sprung, and it's warming up here in Colorado. It's still too cold for me to bike to work, but I will be able to soon.

I've been in a food mood as of late. A few reasons for this. Two 'natural' markets opened within a week of each other, and I wanted to check them out. Also Good Eats did an episode on Alton's Diet/ his weight loss. Plus, warm weather means I can get my BBQ running. I'm a wimp, and have a gas powered Weber grill. I grew up with charcoal, but I like the ease of the gas.

Back to the Good Eats episode, Alton was talking how he lost weight. He didn't come out and say it, but analysis of what he ate showed the no longer vogue Lo Carb diet. One of the things he listed that he used as a snack was Brisling. Later, the label fell off showing that Brisling is actually Sardines. Brisling is one of the varieties of fish considered to be Sardines. I'd dabbled in Sardines a few years ago after hearing an article on NPR on a Sardine Cannery. So, I've combed all the local markets for different brands and styles. They're great for lunch, but there's a huge range in quality. My favorite so far is King Oscar Herrings (not a sardine, but in the same category) and Brisling 2-layer. I'm digging the flavored fish more than the oil or water. I like oil better than water. I'm eating all these straight out of the can. I have Wild Planet cans coming this week, and they've received good reviews. I still eat Tuna and Salmon in cans, but the difference here is that the Sardines and Kippers (Herring) are more intact fish fillets. In the case of Brisling, you are eating the intact fish, just missing just the head and external fins. You can also get them skinless and boneless, but that removes taste, and makes it mushy/ not hold together. I eat a can every few days, and I'm rating it. Only problem is cans aren't cheap. Expect to pay $3 for the good stuff.

Also, getting the BBQ going, I grabbed some 80/20 ground beef and some brats. At one of the natural food stores, I saw they had ostrich patties and steaks. I'd heard good thing about them, that they're lean and good for you, and that they taste like beef. So, I grabbed an 8oz package that came with two steaks. They grill up real quick. I did 7 min total, and that was too long for medium; they came out med-well. Yes, they taste like beef. Their leanness means they're a little dry, and I hate using steak sauce. A little salt helped, for some reason. I'd get them again.