Gold Mine: March 2023

LET’S EAT

Some of the dishes on Bintoh Thai’s menu include, clockwise from top left, gai yang, mango salmon salad, matcha milk tea, ribeye steak, and basil fried rice.

COURTESY PHOTOS

Bintoh Thai a labor of love for owner-chef Kitapan

Bintoh Thai is one of the newest Thai restaurants in Fairfield. It features recipes that owner June Kitapan brought from her home in Thailand – along with ones added by her husband.

“So the tastes are a little different than people are expecting,” she said. “I have my own dishes that are different from other Asian food.”

Kitapan is also the chef and cooks all the meals.

Bintoh Thai opened the doors May 1, 2020, just as the Covid-19 pandemic business closures were ramping up. It was a challenge but the restaurant sur-

vived by adapting to the new normal with deliveries and by retaining the staff.

“I didn’t want to let anyone go,” she said. “They still had bills to pay.”

Kitapan comes from family that worked in the food industry, and when she left her home, it was not with the idea of running her own place. But she changed her mind and opened her first restaurant many years ago: The Bird & Bee Fusion Thai Cuisine.

Kitapan sold it in 2010 and then opened Bintoh Thai in the old Denny’s location right next to Interstate 80 and Travis Boulevard.

Some people think Thai food is spicy, but she assures everyone there

are plenty of different spice levels to choose from at her restaurant.

Kitapan wants to cook like she would for her family, so she uses all fresh food and a variety of flavors.

“Everything I cook with is with love,” she said.

Her favorite dish, which also happens to be the customers’ favorite, is Koong Fai Dang, which is prawns and green beans sautéed in lobster sauce. Another crowd favorite is the spicy fried catfish, which is a crispy fried catfish fillet with spicy sweet curry sauce and green beans.

Kitapan’s goal is to bring customers in with good authentic food so they keep coming back for more.

Friends of Fairfield K-9s help with retirement costs for K-9 families

riends of Fairfield K-9s is on a mission to help Solano County police K9s through their retirements.

Lisa Murphy and Fairfield Mayor Catherine Moy, executive directors of the nonprofit, have been working hard to raise money for K-9s because they do not get retirement like their human partners.

In addition, Murphy and Moy would like to create a memorial for the police dogs in the park near City Hall as a reminder of their dedication to their jobs.

Murphy retired in July 2019 after 10 years as the Vacaville Police Department training manager. She began her career on patrol as a community service officer in October 1993, moving into the Court Liaison and Records offices before finding her niche as the training manager.

Murphy and Moy created Friends of Fairfield K-9s in August 2019.

“While I was attending training in Anaheim, I saw this beautiful memorial for K-9s there,” Murphy said. “It really gave me an idea of something that I think we should do here.”

But it wasn’t until Fairfield police K-9 Cort was bitten and stabbed by a man in April 2022 that it was

brought home to Murphy how important it is to have funds for medical treatment for these K-9s.

“I wanted to do something to help offset the medical costs,” she said. “That is the huge goal for us.”

When K-9s retire, the costs for medical bills fall on the families.

“That is the way it is across all of America,” Murphy said.

The organization really didn’t get going until recently due to Covid-19 but they have held a couple of fundraisers, including one at Paradise Valley Legends. Friends of Fairfield K-9s also sells toy versions of its police dogs – Xero, Bosch, Kilo, Leon and Cort – complete with vest and badge.

“Those all sold out,” Murphy said, “but we are going to be placing another order for them.”

Murphy will let the public know when people can purchase them again.

Moy and Murphy are planning a 5K run in August and hope to see members of the community out with their own dog companions for a little exercise.

“I am still working on where that will be,” Murphy said.

For more information, go to the group’s Facebook page, Friends of Fairfield K9s.

PUZZLES

Sudoku

FUN BY THE NUMBERS

Like puzzles? Then you’ll love Sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your Sudoku savvy to the test!

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 14

PUZZLES

Word Search

Find

PEANUTS

BENEATH BUDDING

COMPOST CURE FARM FRUITS

GEORGIA

GROUNDNUT

HARVEST

HOPPER LEGUME

PEANUT

PEG

PLANTING

POD

PRODUCTION

ROASTED

ROOTS

SOLUTION ON PAGE 14

RUNNER

SOIL

SPANISH

VALENCIA

VARIETY

VIRGINIA

RECIPE

Miso takes this vegetable soup from basic to memorably delicious

Itypically approach my recipe creation methodically, thinking through the concepts, ingredients and each step well before I get into the kitchen to test them.

But every once in a while a recipe just falls into my lap. That’s exactly what happened with this one. I was staring into my refrigerator one evening trying to figure out what to make for dinner, pondering half of a head of cabbage, a random smattering of root vegetables and some leftover herbs. I decided they’d come together well as a simple winter vegetable soup, so I started sautéing diced onion, carrot and celery root in olive oil (you could sub celery, rutabaga, turnips, potatoes and/or parsnips).

Then I added garlic and thyme, and the chopped cabbage. Fishing around my pantry for boxed broth I spied a can of chickpeas, so I tossed those in as well to make the soup more of a complete meal.

When the vegetables were tender and the soup’s aroma told me it was ready, I went back to the refrigerator to grab parsley for a garnish, when it caught my eye – the ingredient that catapulted this soup from basic to “definitely making again” – a container of white miso paste.

Just a couple of tablespoons stirred in at the end of cooking added a layered, deep savory taste that played off the earthiness and sweetness of the vegetables beautifully. Although I intended the soup to be merely a simple dinner for my family, it turned out so memorably delicious, I couldn’t wait to share it with you here.

WINTER VEGETABLE SOUP WITH MISO

Active time: 25 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

6 servings (makes about 10 cups)

A couple of tablespoons of miso catapult this simple winter vegetable soup to one that is truly special, with a layered, deep savory taste that plays off the earthiness and sweetness of the vegetables beautifully. Instead of the carrots and celery root, you can substitute any root vegetables you have on hand – rutabaga, turnips, potatoes and/ or parsnips would all work well.

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion (12 ounces), chopped

3 medium carrots, cut into 1⁄4 -inchthick coins

1 large celery root (1 pound), trimmed, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice

2 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)

½ teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 cups roughly chopped green cabbage (½ of a small head)

One (15-ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas, drained

6 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

2 ½ tablespoons white miso paste (shiro miso)

Fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, for garnish

In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, carrots and celery root and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the cabbage and chickpeas, followed by the broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes, then remove from the heat. Ladle about ½ cup of broth into a small bowl, add the miso, and whisk or stir to dissolve completely. Add the miso mixture to the soup and stir to combine. Taste, and season with additional salt, if desired.

Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with the parsley and serve hot.

Nutrition information per serving (about 1 2⁄3 cups) | Calories: 226; Total Fat: 9 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 729 mg; Carbohydrates: 32 g; Dietary Fiber: 8 g; Sugar: 12 g; Protein: 7 g

This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.

From cookbook author and registered dietitian nutritionist Ellie Krieger.

PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ANSWERS

Guess Who?

I am an actress born in Louisiana on March 22, 1976. I became a fashion model for a TV advertisement at the age of 7. My various screen roles have kept me busy. One movie in particular helped me earn several awards.

Answer: Reese Witherspoon

PAGE 4

CRYPTO FUN ANSWERS

Answers: A. worker B. office C. cubicle D. boss

PAGE 8

WORD SEARCH SOLUTION

PAGE 6

MARCH

2385

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