Photo by Torrey Bailey
Tasty Noodle House’s green beans
Every parent forces their kid to clean their plates at some point and, with each bite, instills revulsion for said forced food. Because I’m of Polish descent, cultural dishes were my archenemy come Christmas Eve. Not the Polish sausage kielbasa, the crepe-like nalesniki or the kruschicki cookies that were attractively plated among the buffet line. Nope, it was the borscht, it was the pickled herring and it was definitely the green beans that offended my palate.
Borscht: This red beet soup originated in Eastern Europe, mostly finding its way into Ukrainian, Russian and, eventually, Polish kitchens. Each country’s version will vary, so I sought out the vegetarian borscht at the Russian/Georgian restaurant Pomegranate (2312 El Cajon Blvd., North Park). The bowl of steaming, blood-red liquid placed before me had a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro. My mind reeled to when my ciocia (aunt) would tell me that adults don’t add cream to their soup. She should reconnect with her inner child because when stirred in, the sour cream adds a level of complexity to the thin beet broth that I’d never tasted. Pomegranate also adds chunks of beets, onions and mushrooms generously. While the beets gave the dish an overall earthy taste, the dill comes through strongly in the broth. I could taste the trauma dissipating.
Pickled herring: These slimy fish chunks are supposedly a delicacy when served in Poland on Christmas Eve. At my ciocia’s house, they were piled on top of one another, warming and glistening under the lights. However, at Mille Fleurs (6009 Paseo Delicias, Rancho Santa Fe), the cooled herring is treated with vinegar, cut into bite-size pieces and evenly spaced on a rectangular glass platter. Beneath the herring, there are slices of (yay, more!) beets, cucumber and radishes. A sauce consisting of lemon, egg yolk and black sesame seeds is dripped over. These were not the salty, nauseating meat blocks I knew. The herring’s characteristically fishy taste was contained and further kept at bay thanks to it being served with a shot of aquavit, a Scandinavian liquor that has the taste of caraway. In this case, the aquavit is meant to clear the palate between bites, but with enough shots of it, I’m sure Christmas dinner would taste just fine.
Mille Fleurs’ pickled herring
Green beans: A flashback to childhood forced foods wouldn’t be complete without a vegetable. Something green and all-too-nutritious for a kid’s sweet tooth. For me, my family’s green beans—largely uncooked, coated in butter and mixed with near-raw, minced garlic—were public enemy number one. But Tasty Noodle House (4646 Convoy St. Ste 110, Kearny Mesa) actually roasts its garlic, pan fries the green beans and adds little bits of seasoned pork and shrimp. The string beans end up lightly battered and cooked to the vegetable equivalent of al dente. The exterior had crunch, and the interior wasn’t mush. Not only had the waiter recommended them, but the tables next to us had both ordered the dish before I’d left. So while I wouldn’t order it again due to my deep dislike of string beans that likely no recipe will reverse, those who already enjoy the vegetable would presumably love this.