Leftovers are kind of a big deal in my household. I’m not a fan of waiting in long lines and paying downtown prices for lunch so I usually try to plan dinners that work well as leftovers. That way, I can take them with me to the office to have as my lunch the next day. Sometimes, no matter how good a planner you are, you end up with leftovers that just won’t do as a lunch. Perhaps you simply miscalculated and didn’t make enough extra food for a full lunch or maybe you ended up with only one component of the meal, like vegetable stir-fry but no rice. Or, perhaps you made something that is currently on the microwave blacklist at work (fish is banned at my office and, yes, we did have a staff meeting about it.) When this happens, you have a couple of choices. You can suck it up and throw the food away. You can wait until you have accumulated other oddball leftovers and eat it all together as one big leftovers feast (and hope that nobody makes fun of you for eating spaghetti with a side of curried vegetables.) Or, you can take your leftovers and repurpose them into a whole new meal. That last one is my favorite option because it forces you to be a bit creative.

Friday night, Robert and I went to our neighborhood Korean joint, Kimchi Bistro. Normally I get the Soon Doo Boo but, since it was such a nice day and spicy tofu soup didn’t seem appropriate, I decided to boldly try something new: grilled mackerel. I love mackerel, and this one was certainly delicious, but it was also enormous! I ate most of the rice and stir-fried cabbage that came with it, but I could only manage to eat half of the fish before I was completely stuffed full. I decided to take the rest home with me even though half of a crispy, charred mackerel didn’t seem like it would be very good as is for lunch the next day. It was time to get creative and do a little repurposing!

Well, if I had had the time to go to Uwajimaya for ingredients, I would have made the Grilled Mackerel Salad from my Thai cookbook. That’s one of those recipes that always sounds good to me but that I never actually consider making because, you know, when am I ever going to have grilled mackerel in the house? But, I barely had enough time to go to the grocery store on Saturday let alone to make an extravagant salad. So, for all you Top Chef fans out there, I considered this my own personal quickfire challenge: what can you make out of leftover mackerel in a short amount of time using a limited number of easily available ingredients?

Mackerel is similar to salmon in that it is strong-flavored and oily so I started thinking along the lines of what I would do if I had leftover smoked salmon. Then, it was obvious: use it as a spread for crackers! I removed the bones and flaked the mackerel into a small bowl. Then, I mixed it with mayonnaise, a squeeze of lemon juice and, for crunch and a sweet note, finely minced granny smith apple. That’s it! The mackerel was already so flavorful that I didn’t need to add any seasonings. I served this on whole wheat crackers, and it was a perfect lunchtime treat. It may not have been the most creative way of using up my mackerel, but it was definitely easy and delicious. What is your favorite way of repurposing leftovers?

Well, I’m officially out of Thailand tales so it’s back to regular old blogging. That means the return of winesday! While picking through my favorite section of Pike & Western Wine Shop - the “hot bargains” bin - I found a new new varietal to try for this week’s winesday: Picpoul! Pronounced peek-pool, I think picpoul may just be the cutest name for a wine grape that I’ve come across. It really deserves to always be followed by an exclamation point. Picpoul! Okay, enough of that. The specific picpoul that I bought was Chateau Font-Mars 2007 Picpoul de Pinet.

Picpoul hails from the Languedoc region of Southern France, and it is one of the most ancient varietals from that region. Although it comes in red and pink variants, picpoul blanc is the most common. Common is a relative term, however. Until now, picpoul has rarely been seen outside of France. As is usually the case with lesser-known grapes such as this, when you do find them, they are typically very reasonably priced. Of course, this may not last long; I just read an article proclaiming picpoul as the new “it” wine (last year’s Gruner Veltliner hipsters are probably all fawning over picpoul now.)

Picpoul wines are known for having a bright acidity with vibrant flavors of lemon and minerals. Unlike many similarly zesty wines, however, picpoul also has complex floral and stone fruit flavors and a surprisingly full fruitiness. They are perfect wines to serve with fish and oysters, although, because of their complex flavors, they can also be served with a much wider range of foods beyond fish. This versatility makes picpoul just as appropriate for any fine dining occasion as it is for that family picnic in the summer. Though they are good food wines, picpoul can also be served as an aperitif, either alone or with a touch of crème de cassis.

To serve with my picpoul, I made Steamed Fish with Black Bean Sauce. I was inspired by an essay in The Nasty Bits where Tony Bourdain describes a huge seafood feast at this tiny, dingy shack in Singapore. It all sounded amazing, but the one dish that stood out to me was the fish with black beans (probably because I had some fermented black beans sitting in my fridge that I had been meaning to use up.) I picked up a fillet of fresh black cod at Pure Food Fish which ended up being a really great choice for this recipe. The sauce that results from the steaming is flavorful but delicate, perfect for such a sweet, mild fish. I really need to start steaming fish more often. I usually sear or roast it, but steaming produces such moist results. And, it is so easy! I served equally easy steamed rice and stir-fried asparagus on the side. Fast and delicious!

The wine was excellent as well. It was much more full-bodied than you would expect from such a low alcohol wine (12.5%.) Flavors of citrus and peaches were predominant. It reminded me a bit of an unoaked chardonnay. I was worried that the salty black beans and herby asparagus would clash, but this wine proved to be a great food wine. I highly recommend the Chateau Font-Mars 2007 Picpoul de Pinet. If you can find this little gem of a wine, be sure to pick it up. It’s cheap, tastes great and, this may just be the geologist in me talking, but how cool is it that the vineyard is planted on a bed of fossilized dinosaur eggs?

Before heading south to Koh Jum and Koh Lanta, Robert and I spent a few days in Bangkok. To describe Bangkok as a bustling city would be a gross understatement. Bangkok is…insane! Every square inch of space is filled with something: people, stray animals, food vendors, tuk tuks, you name it. And it is all moving around you at an intensely frenetic pace. I was a little bit freaked out at first, but now I kind of miss it. Seattle seems so still and desolate by comparison (that said, I was relieved to have my personal space back.) Our first night in Bangkok was a bit rough. After a full day of flying, then being thrown immediately into the heat and madness of the city, we come to find out that there is no alcohol being served anywhere due to it being an election day. No beer! We stayed at a small hotel on Rambuttri Street which is a pretty touristy area but not nearly as touristy as nearby Khao San Road. I don’t even know how to describe Khao San Road other than “total sensory overload.” This short street is chock-full of cheap backpacker hostels, food vendors, bars, souvenir shops and tourists from all over the world. Although I loved the islands, I wish we could have spent a bit more time in Bangkok. I could have easily spent another week eating my way through the city. Fortunately, although our time in Bangkok was brief, we did manage to eat some very memorable meals. Here are the highlights.

Siam Paragon Mall – Visiting a shopping mall while on vacation may seem like a waste of precious tourism time, but we decided to make a stop at Bangkok’s Siam Paragon Mall anyway since it was right by one of the major skytrain hubs. Plus, sometimes it’s more fun to get outside of the tourist bubble and do the things that the locals do. You get to view a slice of regular life that way (not that malls necessarily represent real life, but you get the point.) Believe it or not, Bangkok’s shopping malls are also good places for tourists to go to try lots of different Thai dishes. The malls have big food courts, and all of the dishes are very clearly labeled making it easier for people who don’t speak the language. We sampled a fatty and spicy glass noodle sausage, and we also tried some sort of Japanese snack which consisted of fried balls of flavored batter topped with mayonnaise and a thick barbecue sauce and served in a little carton. They are made in a specialized cast iron griddle that helps mold them into their round shape. The four available flavors – prawn, octopus, vegetable, and ham and cheese – all pretty much tasted the same. They were gooey and yummy, although the sauce was a bit overpowering. If these were served at Safeco Field, I’m sure they would be a huge hit. We also ordered a couple of cookies that looked like little crepes with various fillings. The cookie part was similar in taste and texture to a fortune cookie. We had one topped with something called “golden threads,” which was very sweet, and another topped with a mixture of sweetened carrot, cilantro and salt. I liked the carrot one best because it was salty/sweet, one of my favorite flavor combinations. We also, gratefully, found a place in the mall to order our first beers of the trip!

Aw Taw Kaw Market – Aw Taw Kaw Market was my favorite place that we visited in Bangkok! It is a giant food market located across the street from Bangkok’s famous Chatuchak Weekend Market. Although it is located so close to a major tourist attraction, few tourists visit the Aw Taw Kaw Market. But, as a foodie, I knew I had to check it out. We spent a good amount of time just wandering around and gawking at the giant piles of unidentifiable dried goods, exotic fruits and vegetables and even more exotic (sometimes downright creepy) fish and meats available. This is a great place to go for lunch because a large portion of the market is set aside food vendors. Some sell only the one dish that they cook best and some offer more of a full lunch; you get a plate of rice and a choice of one or several items from a vast array of premade dishes. I ordered a clam dish (pictured) that was sweet and spicy and a mind-blowingly spicy fish cake and eggplant dish. Since the food was all premade, they weren’t able to tone it down for my supposedly delicate Western palate like some places do. This was perfectly fine by me. I was sweating a bit, but it was delicious! Robert had a green bean and pork dish and a crispy fish dish. We also split a plate of fresh-off-the-grill chicken skewers with peanut sauce. For dessert, we had fried bananas and these little coconut custards called khanom krok. The bananas were quite firm, more like a plantain. They were good, but the coconut custards were the highlight for me. Crispy on one side and soft on the other, they were like little disks of pure, silky coconut goodness. Some were topped with scallions and some were plain. I could have easily eaten about twelve of these!

Chote Chitr – Chote Chitr is a pretty popular restaurant with foodies visiting Thailand (NPR and The New York Times have both done stories about it so its popularity is no surprise – while we were there, people were even getting their photo taken with the lady who runs the place.) Chote Chitr is located just off Tanao Road in the heart of Bangkok. Despite its new-found fame, it still only has four or five tables and looks like a hole in the wall. The owner is a pretty funny lady. She’s got a couple of dogs that run around wreaking havoc in the restaurant, and she often greets her guests while wearing safety goggles (this may seem strange but, after pounding a batch of green curry paste in my new mortar this weekend, I think I might have discovered why she wears them – I came dangerously close to splattering chili oil into my eyes.) We ordered a couple of Chote Chitr’s more famous dishes: Mee Krob and Banana Flower Salad. We were also persuaded to try the nightly fish special, a whole fried fish in a sweet and sour Thai sauce. Mee Krob consists of a little basket of crispy fried rice noodles topped with a tart-sweet citrus sauce. It was a little sweet for my tastes. I’m sure that Chote Chitr’s version is very good, but I prefer more savory dishes. The Banana Flower Salad, on the other hand, was amazing! I couldn’t get enough of it. The sauce, an unassuming brown color, tasted of fried shallots and coconut and citrus and a million other flavors all in perfect balance. I know I won’t be able to get banana flowers here, but I may try to make this salad using something else. That sauce would be good on anything. The fish was great as well. It was crispy on the outside and perfectly moist and tender on the inside. Robert proclaimed the fish best in show, but I couldn’t stop thinking about that banana flower salad.

Hemlock – Hemlock was recommended to us by several people, and it certainly didn’t disappoint! Although it looks like an upscale restaurant, with a tastefully decorated dining area and plenty of art up on the walls, the prices were still very low (four dishes, rice, and two large beers came to only $18 US including tip.) Hemlock’s menu is huge and features many ancient Thai dishes, the kind that you just don’t see in Thai restaurants in America. We started with one of my favorites, Miang Kam. This appetizer consists of toasted coconut, dried shrimps, sliced chilies, peanuts, lime, ginger, and shallots which you wrap up in a betel leaf and top with a sweet chutney-like sauce. You pop the whole thing in your mouth, and it’s like a little explosion of flavor. I use spinach leaves when I make this at home so it was nice to finally try it with the betel leaves. Miang Kam is perfect beer food! I was very excited about our next dish, Nam Prik Pla Too. Nam Prik refers to a Thai condiment or paste that is served with a very specific set of accompaniments. Usually, this is an array of raw vegetables but, depending on the type of Nam Prik, it may also be served with fish, omelets, or deep-fried vegetables. Ours came with fried “pla too” (mackerel), a piece of omelet, deep-fried eggplant and an assortment of interesting raw vegetables. This Nam Prik is made from fermented shrimp paste so it has a very pungent (but appetizing) flavor. It is said to be a favorite among Thais. Now, it is a favorite with me too! Next up was Pad Ci Ew. This is Robert’s favorite Thai dish of all time, and we hadn’t seen it on any menu yet so we had to try it. Not surprisingly, the Pad Ci Ew at Hemlock was much more subtle in flavor than what you get here in Seattle. The rice noodles were soft and not too greasy. We ended the meal with Tavoy Salad, an ancient recipe consisting of an exotic assortment of vegetables - eggplant, morning glory, banana flower, beans sprouts, bamboo shoots, and wing beans - topped with chicken and served in a spicy, sour dressing. It was refreshing and delicious. We ate at Hemlock on our last evening in Thailand, and we couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the trip!

Flat Blake came up to Seattle to visit my mom for a couple of weeks. Flat Blake lives in San Antonio, Texas with Big Blake. While he was here, he learned how to cook several recipes from my site, elliemay.com. Here he is making Flat Blake’s Super-Blake Salad. It was delicious!! I asked him for the recipe, but he told me it was a secret. Spoken like a true chef! Thanks for visiting Seattle, Blake. We hope you had a wonderful time!

To learn more about the Flat Stanley Project, click here.

Koh Lanta is a popular island located on the Andaman Sea between Krabi and Phi Phi Island. It was the second island we visited in Thailand. After the peace and quiet we experienced on Koh Jum, we found Lanta to be a bit too touristy at first. But, as we settled in, we came to realize that Lanta has it charms as well. We ended up staying on Khlong Kong Beach our first night which we weren’t too crazy about because it was very touristy and the beach wasn’t particularly nice. The next day, we rented a scooter and headed further south where the beaches are less developed. We found a bungalow at Lanta Marine Park View Resort on Kantiang Bay Beach. The bungalow itself was just okay, but the view of Kantiang Bay from our porch was unbeatable. And, once again, our bungalow was located at the top of a big hill in prime monkey territory. Kantiang Bay Beach is exactly what you think of when you picture a Thai island: beautiful white sand and crystal clear, turquoise water. Although there was a small handful of resorts nearby, the beach was never crowded. We spent most of our time zoning out on the porch, but we also enjoyed a scenic scooter trip around the east side of the island and a fun 4-islands boat trip which included a stop at the awesome hidden beach on Koh Muk (the only way to reach the beach is by swimming through a long, dark cave!) We ate at a lot of places on Lanta, but here are the highlights.

Blue Marlin Resort – We stayed at Blue Marlin Resort on our one and only night at Khlong Kong Beach. The bungalow we rented was kind of shabby, but it was cheap and run by a friendly family. Although we weren’t thrilled with Khlong Kong Beach, we did get pretty excited when we saw all the resorts setting up for their nightly seafood barbecues. The moment the grills were fired up and the giant platters of fresh seafood were brought out, my mouth started to water! We decided to eat at our own resort, Blue Marlin, mostly because it had the best music on the beach (I’ll take Amy Winehouse over Pink Floyd or techno any day.) We picked out a nice piece of barracuda and two giant prawns from the seafood display and then ordered potatoes and veggies to go with it. It was all very good, but here’s the weird thing: our seafood never made it onto the grill. And neither did anybody else’s. As soon as anyone ordered a piece of fish, it was whisked away and cooked in the kitchen. The only thing that we saw on the grill all night was the potatoes. What is up with that? Why put out a platter of seafood right next to a big grill if you are not going to put said seafood on said grill? I wanted to see some char marks on my fish! Oh well, it was still very fresh and delicious. Plus, you really can’t complain too much when you are eating barefoot in the sand!

Drunken Sailors – Drunken Sailors is a really cute café located in the tiny village at Kantiang Bay. It is situated in a very distinctive octagonal blue building consisting of two stories: the bottom floor is the café and the top floor is the home of the young Thai woman who owns the cafe. It is a tiny, brightly lit space with only a few tables. Regardless of its small size, however, it is one of the hotspots in town. Each night, they show a different movie on the television; movies run the gamut from recent Oscar winners to unknown (to me) foreign flicks. We went there for breakfast and enjoyed it quite a bit. Everyone in the place is really friendly, and it’s a fun spot to just sit and watch village life during the early morning hours. Plus, they serve good, strong coffee and some of the lightest, crispiest pancakes I’ve ever had.

Lanta Thai Cookery School – I knew that I wanted to take a cooking class sometime during my stay in Thailand. Originally I was going to sign up with Time for Lime, but they were a little too peppy and overly branded for my tastes. Lanta Thai Cookery School, on the other hand, was very laid-back (and cheaper too!) I can’t really say that I learned too much as I’ve cooked a fair amount of Thai food in my day, but it was fun and I met a nice woman from Sweden (we were the only two people in the class that morning.) We made Tom Yum, Pad Thai (of course), Chicken with Cashew Nuts, and Green Curry with Seafood. We were also shown how to make green curry paste from scratch but, unfortunately, we didn’t get to use our homemade paste in the green curry dish because it takes too long to pound it properly (our teacher said it takes 1 hour for Thais but 2 hours for foreigners - ha!) Everything that we made turned out really good. My favorite dish was the Tom Yum because I had never made it before and was amazed at how such a simple set of ingredients could be so complex in flavor.

7-11 – Yes, I really am including 7-11 in with my Lanta food notes. Since we had a fridge in our bungalow, we were constantly going to the 7-11 in town to stock up on beer, iced coffee and whatever crazy Thai snacks sounded good that day. The 7-11 at Kantiang Bay was frantic every time we were there. There were usually about 10 or more people working in the tiny store at any given time, and they were all obsessed with mopping the floor. Seriously, the mopping was nonstop (interestingly, the 7-11 is also the only place that we came across where people didn’t remove their shoes before entering - I think there may be a connection there.) I spent a lot of time perusing the available snacks at 7-11. I tried several kinds of potato chips including Hot Chili Squid, Seafood and Mayonnaise and Pla Sam Rod flavor, whatever that is. I also bought a very unusual salted jujube snack which was kind of good and kind of gross all at the same time. But, my favorite snack from the 7-11 was Miang Kam candy. This delicious candy contains all of the ingredients in Miang Kam: coconut, lime, peanut, chili, dried shrimp, etc. I bought all of the bags on the shelf to bring home as souvenirs, but it wasn’t enough. This stuff is like Thai crack, and I’m an addict! I couldn’t find any at Uwajimaya, but I’ll be sure to scour the entire International District until I get some (or else I think I might freak out a little…)

“The Road” – In the middle of the town at Kantiang Bay, right by the side of the road, there exists a tiny shack run by a couple of Muslim ladies. This place has the best food we found on Lanta. Since we didn’t know the name of it, or maybe it doesn’t even have a name, we started referring to it as “the road.” We ate there four times during our trip (coincidentally, we met another American couple who had eaten there four times as well.) People who eat at the expensive beach resorts are really missing out (although, if you’re uncomfortable with the thought of roosters and stray cats running around at your feet during lunch, then “the road” might not be the right place for you.) My favorite dish was the red curry vegetables. Unlike sweeter versions made with coconut milk, this red curry was all about the spicy! Robert loved the fried noodle dish: wide rice noodles sautéed with vegetables and prawns. We also enjoyed their pad thai, a vegetable dish with fresh basil and some delicious Thai iced coffee. Each dish costs 60 to 70 Baht (under $2.) We saw lots of locals eating there which is always a good sign. There is nothing at all fancy about the food at “the road.” It is just simple, honest, homemade, delicious (and spicy!) food, and I miss it terribly.