PERPETUAL HUNGER!

BACK!

2011-08-17T19:14:00.001-07:00

Perpetual Hunger! is back! and with a new mission statement...

My portion of this blog will now will be devoted to eating healthfully, CHEAPLY, and DELICIOUSLY!

Here are some things I want to make in the near future:

Homemade Celery Salt (FOR EGG SALAD YUM!)

I've made celery salt with a number of different types of salt, and the flaky, whispers of Maldon sea salt is my current favorite. The shards are similar in size to the crumbled celery leaves, which works nicely. With some of the finer sea salts, you get more separation. Which is not what you want.

Leaves from one bunch of celery
flaky sea salt (see head notes)

Pick the leaves from each celery stalk, leaving the stems behind. The outer leaves tend to be dark green and hearty, the inner leaves pale green and tender. I use them all.

Rinse the leaves with cold water in a strainer, then shake off as much of the water as you can. At this point you want to dry the leaves as much as possible, so they toast (not steam) when you cook them. Gently pat them dry in a clean dish towel, or paper towels. Once dry you have two options for toasting the leaves.

1) If I have a lot of leaves, I arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet, then bake in a 350F / 180C oven for about 5-7 minutes. Bake until dehydrated and crispy, but not browned.

2) If I have fewer leaves, or just don't feel like heating the oven, I'll throw them in a large skillet. Single layer if possible, over medium-low heat. Again, you want to barely toast them, not brown the leaves much.

In either case, when you're done cooking. Remove from heat and let the leaves cool completely. They'll crisp up even more at this point. When cool, use your fingers to crumble the leaves completely, discarding any leaves that aren't crispy.

Combine equal parts celery leaves and salt in a jar, and either stir or shake to distribute the celery leaves evenly throughout.

Prep time: 5 min - Cook time: 5 min

Chopped Miso Salad Recipe

I used Westbrae Natural Organic Mellow Brown Rice Miso for the dressing. If you like the flavor of sesame oil - go ahead and add it to your dressing in fact you can go ahead and add it "to taste" - although sometimes I like to go a bit more neutral and skip rhe sesame oil altogether. I also had two small heads of little gem lettuce so I threw them in here as well. You can use any kind of extra-firm tofu you like here - this salad works well with baked tofu or plain. Tofu cooked in a skillet for a few minutes to take on some color is great - I cheated a bit and used Soy Deli baked tofu (savory) for the salad pictured up above.

1 1/2 cups shallots, skinned and thinly sliced
splash of extra-virgin olive oil
pinch of salt

2 tablespoons miso
1/2 teaspoon powdered mustard (or a bit of whatever mustard you have around)
2 tablespoons brown sugar (or honey or agave)
1/4 cup (brown) rice vinegar
1/3 cup mild flavored extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon pure toasted sesame oil (optional)

1/2 of a medium-large cabbage
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 medium red onion, sliced
3/4 cup chives, minced
8 ounces extra-firm tofu (see headnotes), room temperature

Stir together the shallots, splash of olive oil and big pinch of salt In a large skillet over medium heat. Stir every few minutes, you want the shallots to slowly brown over about 15 minutes. Let them get dark, dark brown (but not burn). if needed turn down the heat. Remove them from the skillet and onto a paper towel to cool in a single layer. they should crisp up a bit.

Make the dressing by whisking the miso, mustard, and brown sugar together. Now whisk in the rice vinegar and keep whisking until it's smooth. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, and then the sesame oil. Two pinches of fine grain salt. Taste and make any adjustments if needed.

Cut the cabbage into two quarters and cut out the core. Using a knife shred each quarter into whisper thin slices. The key here is bite-sized and thin. If any pieces look like they might be awkwardly long, cut those in half.

Gently toss the cabbage, shallots, almonds, red onion, chives and tofu in a large mixing/salad bowl. Add a generous drizzle of the miso dressing and toss again - until the dressing is evenly distributed. Add more a bit at a time if needed, until the salad is dressed to your liking.

Serves 3 - 4 as a main dish, 6 - 8 as a side.

Summer Corn Salad

Save the corn cobs if you like - you can simmer them for a while to make a quick corn stock. I did this for a corn soup recently - turns out great. Also, if Mexican oregano is hard for you to come by, you can substitute fresh oregano, or chives, or whatever herbs you like, really. Mexican oregano is unique, potently fragrant, and zesty and earthy all at once - I have a fondness for it with corn, and with mushrooms as well.

6 ears of corn
1 large shallot, minced

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
v. scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons sunflower oil

3/4 cup / 4 oz / 115g toasted pepitas
3/4 cup / 4 oz / 115g toasted sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano

Feisty Green Beans

Use a white wine that you'd want to drink after opening. And for those of you looking to speed things up, you don't need to slice the green beans, but it was a good call, the sauce gets into all the nooks and crevices.

1 pound green beans, thinly sliced (see photo)
1/2 cup / 2.5 oz / 70g golden raisins
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
3 bay leaves
1/3 cup / 80 ml white wine
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
scant 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup / 120 ml crème fraîche or sour cream
1/4 cup / 3/4 oz / 20g sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup / one handful of finely chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the green beans in a pot of well-salted boiling water for about a minute, just long enough that they lose their raw edge. Drain and dunk in ice-cold water to stop the cooking. Drain again and set aside.

In a small bowl cover the raisins with scalding hot water for five minutes, drain and set aside.

Heat your largest skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil, garlic, onion, and bay leaves. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions and garlic start to brown just a bit. Add the wine and cook until it has mostly evaporated. Carefully remove the bay leaves. Stir in the paprika, cumin, coriander, curry powder, salt, crushed red pepper flakes. Stir in the tofu and raisins and cook until heated through, a minute or so. Add the butter and green beans and stir until the butter has melted. Remove from heat and stir in the crème fraiche, then most of the almonds and most of the cilantro. Taste and add more salt and some pepper if you like. Serve topped with any remaining almonds and cilantro.

Serves 4 to 6.

Inspired by a recipe in Anna Getty's Anna Getty's Easy Green Organic, to be published by Chronicle Books, 2010.
Prep time: 30 min - Cook time: 15 min

Simple Cauliflower Recipe

To make this recipe vegan, just omit the Parmesan cheese finish - still delicious.

2 - 3 heads of small cauliflower (or 1/2 head large)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
a couple pinches of sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small bunch of chives, chopped
zest of one lemon
freshly grated Parmesan
a bit of flaky sea salt

To prep the cauliflower, remove any leaves at the base and trim the stem. Now cut it into tiny trees - and by tiny, I mean most florets aren't much larger than a table grape. Make sure the pieces are relatively equal in size, so they cook in the same amount of time. Rinse under running water, and set aside.

Heat the olive oil and fine grain salt in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the cauliflower and stir until the florets are coated. Wait until it gets a bit brown on the bottom, then toss the cauliflower with a spatula. Brown a bit more and continue to saute until the pieces are deeply golden - all told about six minutes. In the last 30 seconds stir in the garlic.

Remove from heat and stir in the chives, lemon zest, and dust with a bit of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a pinch of flaky sea salt (if you have it on hand). Serve immediately.

Serves 2-3 as a side.

Cashew Curry Recipe

There are few things as satisfying as cooking with your own freshly ground curry powder. I've included a favorite curry powder recipe below.* I use an electric spice grinder, and then sift the powder through a sieve to rid it of any remaining over-sized particles. Feel free to play around with other seasonal vegetables here. And as I mention up above, feel free to experiment with other curry powders as well. Because each curry powder is different, if you aren't sure about the amount of curry powder to use, start with a little on the front end, and add a bit at a time (after you add the water), until it tastes good to you.

1 cup whole coconut milk
1 - 2 tablespoons curry powder*
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, chopped
1/3 cup water
4 ounces firm tofu, cut into small cubes (optional)
1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch segments
1 1/2 cups cauliflower, cut into tiny florets
1/3 cup cashews, toasted
a handful of cilantro, loosely chopped

Bring half of the coconut milk to a simmer in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Whisk in the curry powder and salt, working out any clumps. Now stir in the chopped red onion and garlic and cook for a minute. Stir in the remaining coconut milk and the water, and then the tofu. Cook down the liquid for a couple minutes before adding the green beans and cauliflower. Cover and simmer for just about one minute, maybe two - or just until the cauliflower and beans lose their raw edge and cook through a bit. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the cashews. Taste and adjust the seasoning (salt / curry powder) if needed. Serve with a bit of cilantro topping each bowl.

Serves Serves 2-3.

*I like to make my own curry powder on occasion using the freshest whole spices I can come by. This curry powder has evolved from one I read about in Sri Lanka a few years back - if you like more heat, add another red chile or two. In a dry skillet over medium heat toast 4 dried red chiles, 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds, and 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves. Toast for just a minute or two or until the spices are deeply fragrant. Now use a spice grinder to grind the chiles into a powder first, remove them, then grind the spices - it usually takes a couple minutes in the grinder for each. Place in a small bowl and stir in a scant tablespoon of ground turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Sift through a medium-fine sieve to weed out any clumps and your curry powder is ready to use. Makes a scant 1/3 cup.

Thai-spiced Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Keep in mind that different Thai curry pastes have differing strengths. Start with a teaspoon to start and then build from there until the soup has a level of spiciness and flavor that works for your palete. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds.

2 acorn squash, pumpkins, or other smallish winter squash
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 teaspoon (or more) red Thai curry paste
water
2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt (or to taste)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place the oven racks in the middle.

Carefully cut each squash/pumpkin into halves (or quarters). Slather each piece of squash with butter, sprinkle generously with salt, place on a baking sheet skin sides down, and place in the oven. Roast for about an hour or until the squash is tender throughout.

When the pumpkin/squash are cool enough to handle scoop it into a large pot over medium high heat. Add the coconut milk and curry paste and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and puree with a hand blender, you should have a very thick base at this point. Now add water a cup at a time pureeing between additions until the soup is the consistency you prefer - a light vegetable stock would work here as well. Bring up to a simmer again and add the salt (and more curry paste if you like, I used just shy of 6 teaspoons but the curry paste I use is not over-the-top spicy).

Serves six.

My Love for New York: Rekindled

2010-07-18T15:33:00.001-07:00

I'm one for simplicity when it comes to food. And I don't like Kitsch or Hype. If I know that wherever I'm going is sure to flavor combine in insulting ways or have a long line of people dressed for a "night on the town", chances are you won't find me wanting to be there.

After living in the East Village, I became overwhelmed with both Kitsch and Hype, with the Momofuku empire reigning surpeme on both accounts. I stopped writing in this blog, and I stopped going out to eat.

I've since moved.

And I've sinced remembered why New York is such a great place to eat.

Perpetual Hunger usually focuses on home cooked food, but there are a few recent dining adventures I'd like to point out:

1. Spicy Mina: This Bangladeshi (Bengali??) restaurant in Woodside/Jackson Heights, Queens is everything you hope for. Cheesy, small, and run by one older woman named Mina who makes everything herself. Get the Shrimp Dopeaja and the Lamb Curry.

http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/spicy-mina/

2. Kanoyama: Here's an East Village restaurant worth checking out. Best Sushi I've had in New York, and the best bang for your buck as well. Go with someone else and get the sushi for two.

3. Primorski's: Take the trek to Brighton Beach to go to this place. Bring a crowd. Bring an even number. This Soviet dance hall/restaurant serves awesome Georgian/Russian food and if you go during a specific time (look it up I'm too lazy!), you can get a Prix Fixe dinner for two that will blow your mind. You each pay 15 bucks. 15 bucks. That includes: getting the vegetable appetizer platter which features a GIANT platter of various pickles, salads, and other ways of preparing vegetables. I specifically recall a delicious chickpea and breadcrumb salad that made my evening. Then, if you happen to get the fried trout, expect an entire whole trout, deep fried to perfection, eyeballs and all, with tartar sauce, and the rest of the plate piled with perfectly fried potatoes. Then, you get a pastry for dessert. It's ridic.

TBContinued..

My Favorite Meal

2010-04-11T08:42:00.000-07:00

Moules Marinières. Eaten on Suzanne's roof.

-R

Iceland

2010-04-11T08:33:00.001-07:00

Jeffrey and a Communal Dinner

2010-03-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

So, who is my second cousin once removed, you might be wondering? None other than New York's rock star butcher, Jeffrey Ruhalter. That's right. My great-grandma was his grandfather's sister. Obviously.

I'd be meaning to head down to the Essex St. Market to introduce myself to Jeffrey for awhile, but shyness got the best of me, until this past Saturday. With a spurt of bravado, and a little moral support from Suzanne, I trekked down to the LES, and found the man ready to help me himself, ponytail and all.

I met his lady-friend, and ended up with a giant gorgeous steak and a beautiful second cut brisket, at a VERY family-friendly price. Thanks Jeffrey!!!!

I had every intention of Jew-ing that brisket up with some red wine. That is, until Suzanne took me to the GIANT BEER WHOLESALE WAREHOUSE on Chrystie St. After that, the meat had a lot of beer in its future.

I slow cooked that sucker in a bottle of beer and some broth, chili peppers, tomato paste, 1 turkish bay leaf, thyme, and black peppercorns. Everything eventually melted and broke down into a thick, spicy sauce. The beef was super moist, and I even attempted to do things right and cut it against the grain with my shittay knife. If there were any of this brisket left (of course, the five of us around ate it all), it would have been prime stacked high on a toasted bun. Slow cooked beef sandwich, oh yes...

We made sage corn bread in my cast iron skillet to accompany.

In conclusion: Jeffrey rocks.

In other news, NYU paid for me to cook a communal dinner at my dorm yet again.

What I made:

-Swiss Chard lasagna featuring fresh pasta and Grana Padano cheese

-Poached Bosc pears in red wine, vanilla, and ginger served with the wine sauce reduced, and fresh Whipped Cream with cardamom, cinnamon, and rose water

-Raw radishes served French style: with room temp butter and sea salt

The joy I get from the frivolous spending with these dinners is remarkable. One of my key pointless buys was Burro di Parma. This is a super expensive Italian butter from the Parma region that is a by-product of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese making. It actually smells like the cheese. It's super crazy. And NYU paid for it.

NEXT POST WILL BE THE FOOD I ATE IN ICELAND SO STAY TUNED, SUCKAHS!

-R

A Taste of 7th St. plus another Gem worth noting...

2010-02-28T19:49:00.001-08:00

READ: Click the names of places for links!

Brian and I split the Taste of 7th St. food tour offered by Scoop St. It was 18 dollars and included the following:

1. An Arepa from Caracas Arepa Bar . They gave everyone a regular sized "De Pabellón" Arepa which is a doughy disc thing stuffed with shredded beef, queso fresco-y cheese, sweet plantains and some black beans. It comes with spicy creamy sauce. Honestly, kids, this is about as ridiculously great as great can be. If this makes you hot, check out the end of my post, where I dote on the Pupusa (Salvadoran), which I bought for much cheaper (normally) in Brooklyn, and is basically the same thing.

2. A giant smoothie from Xoom. We chose the "Paint It Blackberry", but could have opted for something more interesting and fun. I would recommend that. Our choice was perfect for the Arepa, but if you're there only for a smoothie mission there were some crazy options on the menu that would probably be more fun. However, I still assert that anyone can make good smoothies at home.

3. 2 Butter Lane Cupcakes. Butter Lane seems to think their cupcakes aren't as "sweet" as others, according to their website. This is entirely untrue. The icing was so sweet is was almost TOO sweet. From me, this is even surprising. The cake itself wasn't anything to speak for, either, although it certainly was enjoyable. It's a cupcake, after all. Again, I would say that this establishment wins for fun-factor. The "Elvis" cupcake is a banana variety with peanut butter frosting.

4. Luke's Lobster Roll. This was the most visually disappointing, and therefore the most rewarding in the end. When we went to Luke's, we had been granted giant portions of the afore-mentioned items, and so when the palm-sized half-roll with a bit of pink and white falling out of it came into our hands, it was a bit of a let down. That is, until we tried it. EAT THIS LOBSTER ROLL! It was light, buttery, super juicy, and really really yummy. This guy is crave-worthy. So great. I want another one right now.

5. And finally, the 7th St. pig maker we all know and love, Porchetta. My secret? This was my first taste of Porchetta! Brian's description of "Roast Pork that tastes like Stuffing" is entirely accurate. There's a sage disposition here, and the meat is so tender that it really does have a stuffing-like quality. Brian was sad there were no crispy bits on our sandwich, but I enjoyed it VERY much even just being melty and tender. Better yet, they serve it on a Sullivan St. Ciabatta. YOM.

So there was the food tour. So worth it. I'd never heard of Scoop St. until I did this, and now they are offering some 160 buck Yoga crap that I would never buy, but maybe one day they will bring me a Flushing Queens food tour or something else that I'd fall to my knees for.

As an ender, I'd like to introduce everyone to Bahia Restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a Salvadoran establishment which specializes in the "Pupusa", which is basically the same thing as an "Arepa", although I'm sure there are differences that I don't feel like looking up. Basically, if you're in to a corn/wheat flour dough stuffed with Latin American Things, this is your place.

For two, that's right, TWO DOLLARS, you can get one. My group ordered... well, a lot more than one. Luckily a time constraint prevented all of us from hurting ourselves. I'll save a long discussion and just tell you what to order there now:

Jalapeno con Queso Pupusa (Pupusas come with a cabbage slaw you eat on top)
Queso con Loroco Pupusa
Revueltas Pupusa
Fried Sweet Plantains con Crema
Sweet Empanada de Leche
Horchata

Thank me later. Also try the ten thousand other things on the menu that all look delicious and incredible. Cheap beers.

-R

Healthy Whole Wheat and Flax Scone Recipe

2010-02-24T09:37:00.000-08:00

from the original post at http://perpetualhunger.echoz.com/

Makes 2 Large Scones, Serves 1

1/2 cup White Whole Wheat Flour (essential! This is a whole wheat flour ground from a White Wheat, rather than Red, so it is lighter and has the mouth feel of processed white flour, but IS WHOLE GRAIN)
2 Tablespoons Golden Ground Flax Seed (optional? You don't have to, and I don't think it will affect the recipe, but I've never left them out, so be wary)
1 Tablespoon Aluminum Free Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons good cold unsalted Butter
1/3 Cup cold Buttermilk OR regular Milk with a few splashes of light (rice, white, apple cider) vinegar mixed in
A splash of Vanilla Extract
Large Crystal Sugar to top (quite optional)

*Be sure to keep many of these ingredients on hand for quick tweaking before baking. The dough texture and dryness are what make a good scone.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare yourself for the best breakfast experience ever. Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Have cold buttermilk or milk/vinegar mixture prepared and in the fridge. You can add the vanilla to the milk to make everything quicker. Add cold butter to the bowl. With a long pronged fork, smash the butter into the dry ingredients, until the bowl is filled with little flakes of butter. To be honest, I never measure the butter, I just take a few huge chunks and start going at it. (By the way, butter is good for you. These scones are still healthy.)To scrape fork while mixing, use a knife, not your hands. This does not have to be precise, and while it should be incorporated, bigger flakes of butter mean a flakier scone. After this is completed, quickly make a well in the center of the flour/butter, and add the milk and vanilla. Use fork to gently combine ingredients. The dough should be quite dry, and getting the last bits of flour to pull together should be a small battle. Give the dough a few pushes and squeezes with your hand just to smooth it out and place on the center of a quickly buttered sheet pan. Make a square-ish shape, and then cut in half with a pastry cutter (great investment), or knife to make a classic scone triangle. Top with the sugar if desired, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until just golden brown all over the top. Enjoy warm with clotted Devonshire cream (or lightly sweetened whipped cream) and jam, or just jam, but definitely include coffee or tea.

I've been enjoying these every morning. They make a really great breakfast, and can be spiced up any way. The ones above have added cinnamon, and I've recently been doing them with tons of huge frozen blueberries. Make them as savory or sweet as you like, but either way it's really fruity jam that gets them going. Just make them. Okay?

-R

WE'VE MOVED!

2010-01-25T10:34:00.000-08:00

http://www.perpetualhunger.echoz.com

:)

Staples

2010-01-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

(Photo above from sometime last year featuring numbers 6, 7, and 10)

People complain because they are poor and can't afford food that tastes good at home.

I resent this!

Here's how you do it:

1. Toasted Sesame Oil: for about three dollars you will buy a bottle of "why everything Korean/Chinese tastes so good". Put it on everything, mix it into a simple bowl of rice (and add a few of some things later on this list), and you're golden. This is the stuff of heaven. A little goes a very long way.

2. Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: Go to the Goya section of your supermarket. You'll find these here. They are in little cans and cost you about a dollar. In one can lies about 4-5 chipotle (smoked jalapeno) peppers in a thick spicy sauce. Scrape away the seeds and one of these babies + a spoonful of sauce can jazz up anything.

3. Dried Red Pepper Flakes. They'll last forever and just a pinch-full will make pasta and rice and anything suddenly better.

4. Garlic salt. Don't knock it 'til you try it. On that note: create your own seasoning salt. You won't regret it.

5. Seasoned Rice Vinegar. A bottle of this stuff will allow you to make bowls of sushi rice at home, which is a staple for me, not to mention ccountless dressings. A little sesame oil and red pepper flakes and an egg on top and you're gold.

6. Fresh Flat-Leaf Italian Parsley: If you keep it from bruising, a bunch of this will last a long time, and some chopped leaves as a finishing touch will consistently make anything you cook better. Promise.

7. One block of good European-style butter. It might seem pricier, but it WILL be worth it. Make it last: just stir a little chunk into your food. Quality of life will suddenly increase ten-fold. And it won't go bad.

8. Canned tomatoes/tomato paste. Buy the cheap store brand and you have homemade pasta sauce, braising liquid, spanish rice base, etc at your disposal.

9. Decent Olive Oil. Try Whole Foods over Trader Joe's. The difference in color is remarkable. Just a drizzle over pasta and soup works wonders. Whole Foods 365 brand has a beautiful green hue and a huge bottle is $7.00.

10. Eggs. Keep good eggs around and you have the basis for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. A poached egg on top of anything basically is just awesome.

On the same thought track, Whole Foods now has a bulk section (read: cheap) for dried rice, beans, fruit, cereal, nuts, etc, and the 4th St. Co-op always did, so no more excuses, k?! Also, Raffetto's on Houston sells hand-cut fresh pasta for 2.50/LB.

-R

Homemade Pizza

2010-01-11T19:15:00.000-08:00

You need:

1 Pizza Stone

Bread Flour

Yeast

NYC Tap Water

Salt

Sugar

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Crushed Tomatoes

Fresh Mozzarella

Oregano

Basil

Attempts at creating an authentic New York pie at home went surprisingly well! Used Jim Lahey's No Knead Pizza Dough recipe which can be Googled easily. I used dry active instead of instant yeast so I did the prep-work in a little bowl with some sugar and warm water. Watch out, because you have to start it the day before, even though it's very easy. I also put some olive oil directly into the dough. Make sure you heat the pizza stone (mine was 12 bucks from Whole Foods ... and I feel like it will DEFINITELY be worth that price) with the oven or it might crack. Just turn your oven up as high as it can go. Then spread a thin layer of good olive oil on your VERY THIN dough before spreading a VERY THIN layer of crushed tomatoes (fresh out of the can, with some oregano and salt stirred in) on top. Finally, fresh slices of mozzarella and fresh basil (if it's in season, which it wasn't, and so I couldn't find it and even if I had it would have been off the wall expensive). Drizzle more olive oil, salt, and pepper on top. Then try and get that sucker onto the stone alive and without draining all the heat from the oven. Our method involved two spatulas and one corn meal dusted plate. Cook until done. Good luck.

-R

Chickpea Curry

2010-01-10T17:50:00.000-08:00

Spices laid out for a tomato-based chickpea and chard curry. Although I don't think this kind of curry is supposed to have cream in it, I think it would have benefitted. Also, we had it with rice, but the sauciness would have really been prime with some ghee laden naan.

-R

Bleecker St. Pizza, Citrus Season, and more

2010-01-09T14:52:00.000-08:00

Pictured above is the Nonna Maria slice, the award-winner from Bleecker Street Pizza. On the corner of Bleecker and 7th is this tiny place - just around the corner from John's, Joe's, and Keste if you want to take a pizza tour. For 3 bucks, it's a good size slice with a crisped crust, yet good foldability, and classic Margherita toppings. Sauce tasted fresh, tomato-y and not too sweet. And of course, it dripped with the essential grease drops, so grab some napkins. I think Brian put it best when he hailed it just a "great solid traditional slice of pizza". I may be a bit out of line quoting that, but it's pretty much what he said.

On other fronts, it is citrus season somewhere in the world, and although I do try and stick to local produce, I have a serious thing for oranges, so I take advantage of our country's expanse over many climates around this time of year and fill my fruit bowl with beauties.

I'm particulary fond this year of Cara Cara Oranges which have a pink-y grapefruit hue on the inside, but are very sweet. They have the easy peel and flesh firmness of a Navel, too, so no giant sticky mess on your hands after. I also have a love affair with Clementines, and the flavor of Tangerines really can't be beat for me if you can mind the seeds, which I don't have the patience for.

All good cooking greens (kale, swiss chard, etc) are prime right now (eat them every day!) and apparently so are pears, although I haven't really found a good pear at all this year, sadly. Know of one?

And finally, while on the subject of seasonality, turnips are so IN. I never ate turnips at home. They are pretty alien to me, to be honest. Must buy some - roast them or something. We'll see.

-R

Thanks, banana family.

2010-01-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

Rum sauce! Heavy cream, brown sugar, molasses, and rum. What else?

(banana) Bread Pudding with rum sauce

I love bananas for many reasons: their undead-ness, savory to sweet versatility, strong texture, super healthness, attractive addition to every fruit bowl, the list goes on.

Even thought bananas are so lovable, we often find a pile of mushy brown ones sitting on the counter attracting delicate fruit flies. What to do when the garden variety banana bread loses its appeal?

In my questing, I found a few recipes for banana bread pudding. That's bread pudding of the banana persuasion, not bread pudding made with banana bread (although that would probably be delicious).

I used a recipe from epicurious and some homemade bread. Here's one wonderful thing about this recipe: you can use crappy bread, dead bananas, and even sour milk. Still tastes sa goodde!

Cookin' those bananas in butttter: 3 bananas to be exact, with 2 tbs butter and 2 tbs sugar

Ill-fated (depending on your perspective) too yeasty bread

I made some dinner rolls and they tasted way too yeasty, this was the extra dough. Lovely texture so perfect for bread pudding! All the extra crap you throw in masks any weird flavors so just use any random bread lying around.

Be sure to soak those raisins in rum and to let your concoction soak in the custard before baking.

Banana pancakes (cue Jack Johnson...OH DEAR). Secrets: separate your eggs

I'll put up this recipe soon. I got these tricks from Alice Waters' Art of Simple Food (great cookbook!). You get the pancakes nice and fluffy by separating the eggs and beating the whites (you know...stiff white peaks).

Continuing in the theme of bananas foster (of the rum sauce persuasion..which also goes QUITE well with these), place thinly sliced bananas on the pancake after flipping and sprinkle sugar. It gets nice and burned and crunchy.

Fried Plátanos

So facil and so tasty. My not so local CSA has plantains and I'm so glad. So far, I like to soften them by boiling, then fry in vegetable oil (peanut is yummy), smash and salt. Wikipedia of all places has a lovely summary of all the things you can do with this curious vegetable.

Christmas! ...on a plate

2009-12-25T13:32:00.001-08:00

The star of the show: a ham of delicious and epic proportions. ahh I'll just stare at this when I get lonely

Mashed potatoes: courtesy of ample sour cream, butter, milk, food mill, and heavy cream

Mustard vinaigrette green beans

-------------------------------------------
Christmas Eve

Potato Gratin: looks fancy, tastes fancy...ridiculously simple

A bread of lovely texture and over yeast-ness

Oh Haddock, I miss you! Leave the skin on my friends.

Not pictured for Christmas eve: strawberry shortcake with cream biscuits and fresh whipped cream

All the Christmas Eve stuff was pretty easy. I made some 1 hour dinner rolls which really called for far too much yeast...but I did use it after all!

Potato Gratin: so easy and I'll so make it again Just slice up some Yukon Gold potatoes and layer them in a pan with salt and pepper..pour on some milk (don't skimp and use anything but whole) and in an hour...viola! crispy soft good ones...garnish with parsley

On to Christmas!

I'm really excited about the ham choice. We originally had some lame-o foil wrapped ham from the grocery store but I was difficult and wanted to get the one at the little market in town (of the more free rangey persuasion) and sooo worth it. I'm addicted and excited to later make soupppppe.

It got nice and crispy..but SO juicy. I made a glaze out of honey, brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, vinegar, mustard, and dry mustard. Once you've had zis ham you never go back.

Vegetables: roasted onion, parsnips, and carrot with olive oil and thyme accompanied by roasted beets, green bean with vinaigrette, mashed potatoes (if you can call them vegetables)

top it off with raisin sauce!

For desert: banana bread pudding and pear pie (more about that later)

Ahh I'm quite full right now and I shall relish leftovers in the near future.

I think this is pretty all encompassing so Happy Winter Solstice!

S.

HOLIDAAYYYZE...or I'm back with a food coma vengeance

2009-12-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

Michelle made a pear tart and pecan pie

Oh jeez. The Spread: in plate form. Glazed carrots two ways, kale with nuts and raisins, crispity turkey, mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, biscuits, chestnut stuffing, peas n' corn, and cranberry sauce. nice to quaff: Pimm's winter and cider with a dash o' lemon

Seriously? Here's what was still in the garden on Thanksgiving day. Adorable wee carrots and some robust heads of kale!

.......................................................................................................................................................................

I'd like to blame my camera issues on why I've been so lazy with the posting but really I've just been to unorganized/busy/not making much that's fabulous! Although there have been gems that I've wanted to document:

Lapin moutarde at Balthazar OH YES it's so worth it. tender tender rabbite with wee onions, whole grain mustard, over papardelle

tea and sympathy Christmas pie followed by apple crisp with m'azing custard

artery-land chorizo arepa at Caracas

Splendid cheese plate and fizzly lambrusco at Bar Veloce

roasted port with cabbage and dumpling chased by a .5 er of Staropramen and shot of zelena at Koliba

Anywho..about the above pictures hah this is from Thanksgiving, nearly one month ago. Just thought I'd be festive and prelude the Christmas food fest with something.

S.

Home To-Make Pt.II

2009-12-21T21:05:00.000-08:00

Spiced Honey Orange Sorbet

yeah just one more thing, but thought it was worth mentioning.

-R

Chocolate Review

2009-12-20T22:20:00.000-08:00

I'm not a Lindt chocolate person. SORRY! My heart beats only for Valrhona, which you can find in giant chunks at Whole Foods. Those Lindt "truffles"? No way. No flavor, the chocolate middle is a tasteless goo.

HOWEVER.

Lindt has a new product on the market: A Touch of Sea Salt bar

oh my oh my. they made mommy very happy. the smooth, buttery dark(ish) chocolate is very appealing and then suddenly BAM, a lovely burst of salty-sweet in thy mouth.

not unlike a chocolate covered pretzel minus the pretzel.

delicious. still not sure why lindt's packaging has to look like a 1980's power trip, though.

-R

Homemade Burgers, Fries and a Shake

2009-12-18T22:53:00.000-08:00

1.Umami burgers (beef from Grazin' Angus Acres at Greenmarket) spiked with fish sauce and black pepper, topped with smoked cheddar cheese (Millport Dairy, also Greenmarket), caramelized onions and homemade ketchup. I went skimpy on the fish sauce in the beef 'cause I was afraid, but don't be! The burger was nice and juicy, but needed a bit more salt/umami. The buns were sesame kaiser rolls from Bread Alone, Greenmarket again! Important to toast bun in same cast iron skillet that beef was cooked in so it soaks up all the juices.

2.Oven fries crisped with some garlic salt, olive oil, and paprika.

3.Chocolate shake made with milk and organic chocolate ice cream.

-R

Han Bat Korean Restaurant

2009-12-15T08:48:00.000-08:00

a Kat & Cat adventure in K-town. 53 35th st.

A few questions:

1. How did Korean food get so expensive in a mere 3 years of my residing here?

2. Why did the famed New York 24 Hour close?

3. Why can't you write on the walls of every Korean restaurant?

Nevertheless, the food was tasty. My bibimbap was pretty great, and considering the starters and finishing orange segment, a 15 dollar bill isn't so bad, although certainly not a steal. I was mighty stuffed afterwards. For those of you who aren't familiar with the wonders of bibimbap, it's basically a bowl of yummily seasoned vegetables, beef, and cookeed egg that you dump a bowl of hot sticky rice into, squeeze on chili sauce, mix up, and eat. If you wanted to pay two dollars extra you could get the more special 'bap served in a scorching hot pot with a raw egg on top. You get the idea.

Kat got the Japchae (clear noodles) and Cat the Mandoo (dumplings)!

-R

Heather's Southern Coconut Birthday Cake

2009-12-12T16:18:00.000-08:00

It's triple layer, it's pink, it's Heather's birthday cake. It's a southern coconut cake with a cream cheese buttercream frosting. That's right: cream cheese buttercream. As weird as it sounds, it's a variety on a real Italian buttercream involving quasi candy-making and real meringue. So even though it looks like a giant Hostess snowball, this is actually the real deal.

Recipe: http://tendercrumb.blogspot.com/2009/02/southern-coconut-cake-cake-slice.html

-R

No Knead Bread

2009-12-06T10:49:00.000-08:00

Jim Lahey of Sullivan St. Bakery's famed No-Knead bread dough = SUCCESS!

So easy. Recipe here: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html

My adjustments:

1. More salt.

2. I used dry active yeast and activated it with a bit of warm water and sugar first. I've read in a few places that it still works just adding the dry active, but I wanted to be safe.

3. No 300 dollar dutch oven... I used a 12 dollar pizza stone. I did the 2nd rise on a flat pan with lots of cornmeal and flour and a towel covering. Preheated the stone with the oven (very important), and then slid my fully puffed dough onto the pizza stone and baked for 45 minutes to an hour. Make sure to cut a few slits into the dough to let out steam and prevent huge holes after baking.

4. Filled a small loaf pan with boiling water from a kettle and put it in the oven with my dough to create some sort of steam.

It's really the perfect crusty white loaf. Great for soups, great with butter, just great. You know when you get that bread served at a restaurant that looks really good, but then it's cold and stale, and you wonder what it tasted like when it was fresh. This is that.

-R

WINTER HOLIDAY TO-MAKE!

2009-12-06T09:30:00.000-08:00

My list of to-makes for my winter break at home.

1. No Knead Olive Bread: http://www.macheesmo.com/2009/10/olive-bread/

2. Soft Pretzels: http://www.pinkbites.com/2009/10/pretzels.html

3. Poulet a la Fermiere: http://wineguyworld.blogspot.com/2009/08/le-vengeance-du-grand-mere.html

More to come!

-R

Quote of the Day

2009-11-17T10:12:00.000-08:00

One time he got a phone call from somebody looking for 10 rabbits at the last minute, so he called up his “bunny guy” and had them at his counter within the hour.

“They were still warm,” said Ruhalter. “It turned out that they were for ‘The Martha Stewart Show.’ ”

-An article about Jeffrey Ruhalter, of Jeffrey's Meat Market on Essex St. Jeffrey is a relative of mine, and I've yet to introduce myself. That day will soon come.

-R

Duck Ragu Lasagna

2009-11-17T08:45:00.000-08:00

FINALLY.

I'd been wanting to experiment with this one for a while now, and it's a good thing Suzanne and Patricia were there for moral support to say the least.

THINGS LEARNED:

1. Lots of specialty foods operations are closed on Mondays, some of which include Raffetto's and Aphrodisia. Be warned.

2. Try to find fresh duck if possible.

3. Marjoram is a lie. It doesn't exist.

On to the recipe:

Autumn Lasagna

A few things changed in our recipe. First of all, we bought pasta (still fresh of course), used pecorino romano, and chervil instead of marjoram. Also our carrots were in matchstick form.

This was a really rich dish. It would be best served in small portions with a very acidic side salad. Upping the vegetable quantity would help as well.

I have to say that there was too much duck fat to handle. It would take a lot for me to say this, so know that it is true.

On the other hand, I didn't feel particularly gross or heavy after. I think because this sort of thing is so innately satisfying, it doesn't take much to register as a completed meal.

Best parts were the crispy bits, 'course.

-R

Buckwheat Honey

2009-11-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

I'm a honey slut. I put it in my smoothie in the morning, I drizzle it on my skyr in the afternoons, and let it melt into my tea in the eve. I will be experimenting with different sorts of honeys in the upcoming months.

I bought a pound and a half of the stuff from Whole Foods about 3 weeks ago (aaand it's gone today.. oh dear). You know, the "organic Amber" honey. It tasted good, like honey, but there was nothing particularly remarkable about it. And then I saw that it was sourced from at least two different places, and that thrilled me even less than the flavor, so I told myself that the next time, I would buy a more interesting honey.

Flash to today and the Buckwheat Honey that I just opened. This is a whole other animal. This was the sexiest honey I've ever tasted. It's almost purple, and reeks, and is faintly smoky. It would be amazing as a component of a glaze for barbecue or whatnot. I had it over my skyr, and it was awesome as well.

Of course, honey is honey. Nutritionally it's all the same ... the flavors just come from the different sort of flower the bees use. But, man is it a different experience..

I bought McLure's brand. Any honey suggestions?

-R

Raffetto's

2009-11-04T15:08:00.000-08:00

okay. i'll keep this short. fresh pasta that they CUT FOR YOU RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES AS THICK AS YOU WANT for 2.50/pound.

Raffetto's. it's been around since the early 20th century. 144 Houston St. Go there. Just go. Just do it. They carry other Italian imports.

And apparently, the fresh ravioli is the star of the place. I have a feeling my thick cut fettuccine isn't going to let me down, though.

-R

Homemade Chicken Soup

2009-11-03T11:25:00.001-08:00

The real deal.

And you don't have to use a whole chicken. Just buy a pack of drumsticks. 4 or 5... toss them in a big pot with whole black peppercorns, celery, one onion, carrot, dill, parlsey, a few garlic gloves and get boiling. After it boils feel free to add some potato. Then, after, feel free to add some already cooked fresh pasta or rice.

Yom.

-R

Sixth Street CSA

2009-11-01T07:31:00.000-08:00

So excitement: this week I just turned in my forms for a CSA! Sixth Street Community Center gets most of the produce from Sun Valley Farms and R-Best produce: see the lovely spread of edibles for the season.

Sample Deliveries
November	December	January
Empire (red) apples Mutsu (green) apples DeVoe pears Bananas Arugula Kale Onions Russet potatoes Broccoli rabe Japanese turnips Cranberries Carrots Celery Pumpkin Green leaf lettuce Asparagus Cherry tomatoes	Rome apples Jonagold apples Bosc pears Cantaloupe Grapefruit Yellow onions Russet potatoes Alfalfa spouts White beets Celeriac Radishes Squash Lemons Eggplant Peppers Cherry tomatoes Arugala Carrots	Fuji apples\| Ida red apples Seckel pears Satsuma tangerines Bananas Blue potatoes Yellow onions Pumpkins Radishes Broccoli Carrots Kale Zucchine Romaine lettuce Cherry tomatoes Cucumbers Eggplant Gold bell peppers
February	March	April
Empire apples Seckel pears Red grapefruit Tangerines Bananas White mushrooms Tomatoes Bok choi Broccoli Carrots Cauliflower Celery Romaine lettuce Garnet yams Yellow onions Chevre	Empire apples Red grapefruit Bartlett pears Bananas White potatoes Shallots Green beans Broccoli Celeriac Green leaf lettuce Spinach Cherry tomatoes Cucumbers Carrots Cauliflower	Spartan apples Blood oranges Mangoes Bananas Grimini mushrooms Green bell peppers Broccoli Green cabbage Carrots Kale Green leaf lettuce Jewel yams Zucchini Yellow onions Eggplant Tomatoes

I'm pretty sure there are still spots left, it's a lot to put down for the whole season, but it breaks down to about $30 a week..and you'll probably have more that you can eat. Point of contention: there's bananas and stuff on there...and upon further investigation a lot of the stuff is from R-Best Produce. So, I'm going to see where it's actually coming from and give an update.

Veal Chops

2009-10-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

Brian cooked me an amazing dinner the other night! Veal chops in a mustard cream sauce with roasted baby potatoes and sauteed chard on the side. Yay. :)

-R

Japan Premium Beef: prelude

2009-10-10T09:36:00.001-07:00

So when a new classy food-related store opens up on my street, it won't be ignored! I've noticed this gleaming meat shop many days on my way to school and always wondered whether it was as good as it looked. By the way it's on E. 3rd st. (actually the block where it's Great Jones street) and the meat is from Oregon. Today I'm going to go get some beef there! I'm getting more excited since I just read a review on yelp.

Let me just excerpt some comments:

"My wife and I were very excited to see this shop open in our neighborhood, as we met in Japan, and had good memories of the beef there."

"If you're a Japanese housewife living in Japan who've never lived outside of Japan, you might not understand why I'm sooooo exited about this place."

"First thing's first, it's like stepping into a set from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey -- the scene in the glowing-room toward the end of the film (where Dave approaches the Monolith and becomes a free-floating fetus and, metaphorically, returns to and equals Mother Earth)... Perhaps I've said too much?... Anyway, needless to say, the storefront is is stark and austere, a thing of beauty of art -- and the service is phenomenally informative and patient."

Well. I'm sold. I have yet to discover what cut of beef awaits me, but I am duly excited for this gem of Great Jones street.

-----------------

update: It was delicious. I got the marinated beef (strips...pieces???) a cause de laziness at $9.99 a pound. Just sauteed those bad boys with an onion and voila a tasty beefy sauce...served with long grain brown rice and kale! Yes, there are quite a few things over $20 a pound, but cheap stuff is still amazing...next on my list: burgers with their sassy ground beef at $4.99 a pound.

OMGZ I found the perfect apple

2009-10-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

It is named "Macoun". It's a cross between McIntosh (which I've NEVER liked) and something else...

Holy godz is it good. Honestly, I've never been so excited about apples in my life.

Read about them: apparently, they have a very short season and are loved by people with extreme sweet teeth (like me!)!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macoun_apple

it is also really small and cute.

-R

Roast Duck Salad

2009-09-26T08:32:00.001-07:00

Two duck legs, marinated with balsamic vinegar and chipotle chiles, browned skin side down in a cast iron skillet. Then placed in a 375 degree oven along with sliced waxy potatoes. After an hour and a half or so, you'll discover succulent roast duck, and a skillet full of duck-fat crisped potatoes. Serve over a bed of greens with goats cheese and raspberries and a dressing of duck fat and lemon juice.

Rachel

Places that make me happy for restaurants

2009-09-13T00:26:00.000-07:00

So in the past week I've been so blessed as to eat in some very tasty warm n' loving places. Sadly my camera is out of commission until I figure out how to put up pictures again but I'll pirate some from various other sources.

This is an ode to restaurants that are just what restaurants should be: tasty, affordable, inviting

My three recent highlights are Otto, Lomzyniaka, and Kafana, spanning the hoods/deux boroughs.

Kafana is a delightful Serbian restaurant in the East Village on Avenue C between 8th and 9th. It's just a happy place. I was wandering in that area one night and I saw its lights from afar and as I got closer I could see happy Serbs sharing a tasty meal and wine. Everything I've had there is delicious. They have a weekend brunch, of it I sampled the savory French toast: huge pieces of hearth-baked bread, a mound of feta, scallions, and roasted red pepper spread. Oh dear...and $8. Also quite tasty: cevapi, spinach pie, Montenegro wines. Also if your inner football fan is yearning to celebrate some game, the German beer garden Zum Schneider is right across the street. extra plus! Their website isn't up yet check out the menupages deal.

Next: Lomzynianka. The name is a mouthful and makes me a little dyslexic but this is a pearl of Greenpoint on Manhattan Ave. EVERYTHING is under $10 and most entrees are about $5...also it's BYOB. So, head into a Polish deli and grab some Zywiec Zdroj or Wodka and sit down to a hefty plate of veal meatballs in dill sauce...or gigantor schnitzel accompanied by borscht, beets, and cabbage. Peruse their menu! You'll be full and just as happy, if not happier than clams.

One place a little less quirky would be the pizzeria/inoteca Otto of the Mario Batali persuasion. But truth: it's quite a tasty place. It's secretly in the basement of Washington Mews and on 8th...so VERY close to NYU. Their specialty is pizza but I was anti- and got pasta. It's pretty big downstairs and very lively/full...there's big vats of oil, olives, pickles tasties, etc. A nice hunk of bread and nicely green oil comes when you sit down. All the pasta is $9 and the pizzas (including Lardo...which is basically a pork fat pizza..yes!) are $10-15. I got pasta with escarole, sausage, and cheese. Yes, I don't know what specifically the cheese/sausage was but it was just right! Salty, melty, cheese and the sausage was a wee bit spicy and the pasta al dente. Ye be warned: the ricotta is runny and not fluffy, but not bad by any means.

As a whole, these three winners made me full, made me want to stay, and didn't put a dent in ze wallet. WIN!

SEASONAL IN SEPTEMBER

2009-09-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of September's bounty! Buy locally!

Apricot
Aubergine (Brits... Eggplant!)
Autumn lamb
Beetroot
Blackberry
Broad beans
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cavalo nero
Celeriac
Celery
Courgette (bah - Zucchini!)
Crab
Damson
Fennel bulb
Fig
Garlic
Globe Artichoke
Goose
Gooseberry
Grouse
Guinea Fowl
Halibut
Kale
Lamb
Lamb's lettuce
Leek
Lettuce
Peach
Peas
Pepper
Plum
Potato
Radish
Raspberry
Redcurrant
Salmon
Sorrel
Spinach
Strawberry
Sweetcorn
Swiss Chard
Tomato
Tuna
Watercress

I don't think you'd go hungry with that list.

NOW I am taking this list from an English website. But I don't think it will be too dissimilar here. Most importantly, you should buy these things locally! I'm really bad at this, but I want to start.

The hardest thing for me will be fitting in less tropical fruits in my morning smoothie, and more temperate in-season fruits. But, looking at that list, everything will be just fine.

-R

Sustain! Sustain!

2009-09-01T16:35:00.000-07:00

Pretty sure I just found the greatest utility ever:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/local/seasonal/september

It's native to Britain, so take that into consideration. But, still, amazing. Every month, you now know exactly what you should be buying!

-R

Faire un pique-nique

2009-08-22T05:19:00.000-07:00

Look at those happy clams

Hooray ice cream!

The spread: beet salad, orecchiette, haddock, with a summery cocktail

Grinding sage a little for the cocktail: gin and tonic with basically everything in it: lemon, sage, blueberries

Cuttin' some beets...and turnips

Well this picnic may or may not have actually been a month ago...but it was tasty and joyous nonetheless! We went out into the pasture above the beach on a lovely sunny day and ate some tasties. I made orecchiette pasta (it means 'little ear' maybe gives bow tie a run for its money?) salad with beet greens and herbs.

Since I have a problem, I also made beet/turnip salad with goat cheese. OOh and a crowning achievement: haddock! My parents we're doing some grillan' so they grilled those lovelies with breadcrumbs and I pan-cooked the rest. Oh an ode to fresh fish of the Gloucester!

It was Kathryn's birthday a little while back, so I made a cake: chocolate with brown sugar butter cream. It paired nicely with homemade strawberry ice cream and mango granita!

I support anything al fresco...on the veranda...with Bradly and Madison...preferably on the Vineyard.

S.

Steak

2009-08-20T14:06:00.001-07:00

I don't eat a lot of meat. Mostly because I don't eat out a lot, and I don't want to have to take the time to watch what I'm doing because of contamination issues.

But, sometimes, you just want a steak.

This is the steak I wanted to make: Pan Seared Rib Eye

Alton's easy recipe and trusty perfectionism led my wide-eyed, steak making virgin soul to the butcher counter at Whole Foods, where I was promptly disillusioned. There was no way I was paying $24.00 for a steak to serve two college students, I don't care how amazing it is.

I eventually came home with $7.00 worth of Top Round. Top round, top round, how do I know that name, I thought...

Oh, yes, that's the (in my dad's words) "cheap, tough, and dry" cut of meat he uses to make beef roast.

Fuck.

Solution: Marinate!

Marinated Top Round Steak

1 1/2 pound top round steak

Lots of balsamic vinegar

Olive Oil

Garlic, chopped

Salt

Buttah

Lots of freshly ground Black Pepper

A cast iron skillet

At least 3-4 hours before take out a big GLASS bowl and throw that lean piece of beef in there. Cover it completely with balsamic. Yeah, I'm not kidding. Buy the cheap ass not-really-Balsamic Balsamic for this ... not that you can really find real Balsamic in your local grocer's aisle anyway. The vinegar part will break down the connective tissue and the sweet part (even if it's not authentic) will make the steak taste good. Add chopped garlic, a glug of oil, and lots of salt . Let this marinate in the fridge until dinner time.

THEN! IMPORTANT: an hour before you cook, take the steak out of the fridge and marinade and let it rest on a plate to come to room temp.

So, you're ready to cook. Preheat the oven to 400. Now put so much pepper on that steak you think it may suffocate. Now, put more on. You really can't put too much on. I didn't need to salt this steak because I knew I overkilled the marinade. You may have a different situation.

Heat up your cast iron skillet until it's really hot. Add a bit of oil. Put that sucker pepper side down and then pepper the other side. Don't move it! Three minutes or so later, flip it.

Three minutes have passed again, and your steak is super caramelized and wonderful, but I bet the inside isnt perfectly cooked, so put all of it, including your skillet, in the oven. Unfortunately, you are just going to have to figure out when it's done.

Better to stay on the rare side with this cut. It IS a tough, lean steak. Overcook it and it's bound to not taste too good. Thinly sliced is best, and a tab of butter doesn't hurt either.

I'm glad to say my first steak turned out wonderfully.

It was eaten along-side Lemon-Oregano roasted potatoes and sauteed chard. It looked a lot like that photo above before cooking.

-R

Cilantro/ makeshift kulfi ice cream

2009-08-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

An extra feature: Roquefort and honey ice cream...cheesy!

Herb'd! Ready to freeze

Post-custard mess

Cilantro en ice bath

Right off the farm!

This is a little embarrassing: it seems all I do is make ice cream. Ah well, my consciences is clear! I really like the idea of making desserts with mild herbs like cilantro, sage, or rosemary. Thus, I made a treat starting with some nutty fresh cilantro, the recipe definitely morphed into something like kulfi, the Indian ice cream with spices and nuts.

I made my custard with 4 egg yolks and 1 cup of whole milk (being careful not to scramble the eggs!) and strained the mixture into a bowl with my heavy cream and super chopped cilantro. I boiled the cilantro for a few seconds and tossed it into an ice bath, then ground it up in a blender.

Things were a little bland so I added a bunch of sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, and crushed nuts (brazil, almond). Left it to freeze, stirring ocassionally. Colorful and tasty and refreshing!

S.

Kahlua Custard

2009-08-12T09:28:00.001-07:00

I had extra chocolate tart dough, and didn't want to leave it in the fridge for too long, so last night I pushed the extra into two ramekins and then thought and thought of what to fill it with. Eventually, I came up with the obvious choice: custard. I found a simple vanilla custard recipe, but decided to peruse the liquor cabinet for a sumptuous addition and settled on Kahlua. After it got all browned and set and smelled like coffee, I topped it with crushed Macadamias for some continuity. Yom.

-R

Raspberry Tart: The Result II

2009-08-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

Because my Living Room had better lighting.

-R

Raspberry Tart: The Result

2009-08-11T06:11:00.001-07:00

I would serve this at room temperature, and if I had a sprig of mint, it would be on that puppy so fast. Although I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't find fresh currants at Wegman's, this is obviously the clear substitute.

-R

Raspberry Tart: The Process

2009-08-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

Grated Butter for Crust

Pureed Raspberries and Sugar ready to boil

Chocolate Tart dough made by grating frozen butter and hand kneading. Kept in the fridge for a half an hour or so, and ready to bake.

The baked shell, sides cleaned up with a pizza cutter, filled with the raspberry filling that has been spiked with gelatin!

Making ganache...

Ganache made....

Once the gelee is cooled, pour the ganache on top.

Currently setting in the fridge is a raspberry gelee/chocolate ganache tart: a spin-off of my much coveted Red Currant tart by Palachinka. The only condition: I'm using a removable-bottomed cheesecake pan instead of a traditional tart tin, but so far this has proved to only be a minor disability. The final result will reveal itself tomorrow...

-R

Ode to a beet

2009-08-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

Beet porn!

Simple sautee with beets, zucchini, green onions, and beet greens.

Wee beets! From Gloucester charming road-stand

Contrary to some kid complex, that same one that abhors spinach and other leafy healthy things, beets are the best thing ever. Contrary to popular belief, bears do NOT beat beets.

1. They are a beautiful magenta, joyfully staining your hands and everything else they touch
2. They are sweet and earthy and perfect in texture
3. They have greens good as chard

Some wonderful ways to prepare beets:

I definitely would cook them, either boil or wrap in aluminum foil and bake around 400 for 25 minutes, or until soft (for both methods). Then, peel off the skin and make a nice warm beet salad with goat cheese, nuts, and grapefruit or chill and make a lovely cold salad, or sautee with more fresh vegetables, the greens, and vinegar, or just be impatient and make your hands and face purple with delight!

The moral: go buy some beets and be well!

Some incentive:

"Remember all those legendary Russian centenarians? Beets, frequently consumed either pickled or in borscht, the traditional Russian soup, may be one reason behind their long and healthy lives. These colorful root vegetables contain powerful nutrient compounds that help protect against heart disease, birth defects and certain cancers, especially colon cancer."

Read more about how awesome they are.

S.

One Week Home

2009-08-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

I am always really really excited to go home. For many reasons. First of all, I love the house I grew up in, especially in the summer time. There is a hammock and a frog pond and flowers and vegetables and a big front yard. And there's the kitchen. We have a really nice kitchen that my dad basically re-did himself. I won't pretend that a big reason why I'm excited to go home is not so I can use that kitchen.

Here is my list of to-makes while I'm home. I'm putting it down so hopefully I will hold myself to them, although I don't think it will be that difficult to motivate me to craft goodies with the nice equipment and money allotment my parents can provide.

1. Red Currant and Chocolate Tart
2. Soft Pretzels
3. Bulgogi
4. Fish Tacos
5. Grilled Pizza

And hopefully I can get my hands on my parents' nice camera :)

-R

Pickles.

2009-08-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

Aye comrades, it is true, that our cameras suck mostly but still we make things! Well now that it's August...there STILL no excuse for not canning. There's a lot of quite delicious fruits and veggies.

Take cucumbers for example. They taste good...when pickled! It's quite easy: boil water, white vinegar, and salt. Pour into jars with dill weed, garlic, peppercorns, and cucumbers. Process with enough boiling time so you don't get botulism later. DONE. Come October or November you can whip these babies out of hiding.

S.

More Inspiration

2009-08-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

I think it's always good to keep looking out for what the pros are doing. In this case, the food-blogger pros may be just like us, but with better cameras. All it takes to successfully food blog is the promise that you'll actually MAKE something and the hope that whatever you make can be photographed properly. Now I won't speak for Suzanne officially, but I think she'd agree that our photographic capabilities and resources are minimal. Because of this, I must vicariously live through some other's photographic renderings of food experimentation. And I think all of you who view PERPETUAL HUNGER! deserve a little eye candy every once in awhile, at least until we get all fancy cameras n' stuff.

Here are the corresponding websites to the pictures:

Rainbow Sponge Cake

Heirloom Tomato Tart

Zucchini and Goat Cheese Pizza

Adorable Cupcakes

-R

Chocolate "Sherbet"

2009-08-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

(No, not mine. But it looked a lot like that, really!!!!)

Dairy's been kicking my ass lately, so I thought I'd do a little experimentation based quite loosely on David Lebovitz' Chocolate Sherbet recipe. Sherbet, as opposed to Sorbet, contains milk. In this case, Soy Milk.

So I took 2 Cups of Soy Milk, 3/4 Cup of Cocoa Powder, one chopped banana, a bunch of tablespoons of thick apple butter, and a healthy couple of twirls around the pot of honey into a sauce pan. I brought it all to a boil and whisked it together. Somehow it came together nicely, and after boiling, I pureed it in my blender and set it to cool. Is it possible that this dessert could be good for you AND actually work?

Somehow, it cooled into a just slightly sweet chocolate pudding?!?!? How this happened, I do not know. It is in the freezer now, and all we can do is wait and see....

UPDATE: SUCCESS. Using Mr. Lebovitz's making-ice-cream-without-a-maker tutorial, I successfully crafted a perfectly smooth decadent fudgy non-dairy (low-fat if you dig that too!)dessert! (Sorry for lack of photographs). I think the apple butter/banana additions assisted this achievement. How the custard came out so thick and pudding like will forever befuddle me, but it worked.

-R

One Stop Dinner: Murray's Cheese

2009-08-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

Title not entirely true... we bought produce elsewhere.

And although you'd think that since Murray's (http://www.murrayscheese.com/) is quite famed/tourist destination, the prices would be off the wall, the opposite is true.

FRESH Pasta: Enough for three people or two really fucking hungry people. $3.00.

Fresh Ricotta: A very generous container full of the best ricotta I've had. $3.00.

A Chunk of Prosucitto: That's right. A Chunk. No, not slices. $3.50.

All grand quality.

Grab a zucchini and a lemon or two from the market and you're pretty set to go assuming you have olive oil and garlic. Cook the pasta for about 8 minutes in salted water. Meanwhile, heat up some oil and cook pretty shaved zucchini slices and garlic. Throw in the chunks of proscuitto that you've rendered from the big chunk at the end. Take this all off the heat, throw it in a bowl and squeeze in some lemon juice. When the pasta's ready add it to the bowl and toss. Spoon in globs of fresh ricotta.

This is nice because the shaved zucchini twirls up in your fork with the pasta :) I still have leftover ricotta and prosciutto, too, and had leftover pasta this morning.

Eat.

-R

Homemade Sushi

2009-07-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

In descending order, there is our (as in, me, Rachel, and my cohort, Kristen) homemade sushi experience. Summary: it was brilliant.

Please, follow all directions to the best of your ability. Here is the sushi rice tutorial I used: www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-sushi-rice

After doing this all correctly, the maki world is your oyster. Mind you, we did make regular nigiri sushi, too. In fact, here is a list of everything we made, most are included in photos above, but one is not:

California Maki

Spicy Tuna Avocado Maki

Shiitake Vegetable Maki

Classic Tuna Nigiri

Spicy Mango Crab Maki

Horray!

-R

Vegetable quandary: kohlrabi, easy pasta to impress!

2009-07-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

Kohlrabi salad with strawberries, raisins, and goat cheese

Lemon-pepper pappardelle with tomatoes and tuna

Sometimes you'll find yourself at the grocery store, farmers' market, what have you, with quizzical looks at certain produce. One vegetable in question: kohlrabi. This purple alien root veggie may be a bit off-putting. I'm not sure the full range of what you can do with it but I'm pretty sure you can treat it like a radish or turnip. So, that's what I did!

Slice up the bulb and toss with strawberries (or some other seasonal fruit), raisins, nuts, and chevre.

Over at TJ's I tried this pasta in the sample station. It's quite easy and elegant seeming, same goes for most pasta that could pass for homemade. They had some cheapo lemon pepper pappardelle tossed with tomatoes and olive-oil canned tuna. Super easy and good for times when it's hot: add a but of parmesan or basil, or any other italian sort of ingredient and you'll stay classy.

S.

Perfect omelettes: read em' weep!

2009-07-29T22:20:00.000-07:00

A nice wholesome omelette: cianti salami, onions, tomato, kale, scallions, and chevre, paired with a toasty piece of potato bread

Sometimes even if you've memorized something it's good to go back to the source and see what else there is to be learned, such is the case when learning a song or making a good omelette.

One morning I decided to make omelettes and also decided to check in on the joy of cooking. I opted for the milkless French omelette (as opposed to fluffy).

If you want to put a cooked filling inside, cook it first! I like adding cheese with the actual eggs.

Take 2-3 eggs (or 5 is what I used for two people) and crack them of course. Stir together but DONT BEAT! See how the first picture has big clumps of white, just basically break up the yolk and mix the eggs around a bit.

Coat the pan in butter (I actually used ghee, clarified butter) until glistening, then add your eggs cook on medium high/high all while swirling the liquid so it nearly coats the edges. Voila! in a few minutes you'll have the shell to hold your delicacies. When the eggs start losing their liquid sheen, add the cooked ingredients and fold, cook for less than a minute and enjoy! Top with fresh herbs and leftover fillings.

Red Curry Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-07-29T15:52:00.001-07:00

YES! I think I've finally crafted my signature recipe.

Yayayyayaya!!!

These were inspired by the Green Curry Banana Bread my roommate Patricia brought home from Momofuku Milk Bar. The bread was brilliant, and on my way home today I was thinking about a way to spice up the peanut butter cookies I wanted to make, and my mind drifted to the half jar of red curry paste I had left... fate was sealed.....

OK, so the recipe is definitely an approximate, but just try it please!!! I want to see how other people's comes out! Mine came out perfectly spiced, chewy, soft, sweet, salty, spicy, ah. Just wonderful.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Self Rising Flour (this is what i had at the time, YOU can just use regular plus some baking soda. same goes for the whole wheat...)

just shy 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

2 Eggs

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Cup Peanut Butter (I recommend using the conventional bad-for-you PB, just because it contains the right texture and the right amount of salt and sugar... but if you DO use a more natural peanut butter, let me know how it works!)

1/3-1/2 Cup Butter, room temp (I didn't have quite enough to make a whole stick!)

1 tsp to 1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes or Cayenne Pepper or Hot Paprika or something SPICY

2 oz red curry paste (1/2 of the small "Thai Kitchen" jars)

a few drops of red food coloring, or more, just for fun (quite optional)

Mix peanut butter, curry paste, spicy spice of your choice, butter, and sugar with an electric hand mixer. Add two eggs one at a time. Add the flours slowly until combined. You will have a very greasy, sticky dough. Put it in the freezer! Put a fork and your baking sheet in the freezer as well.

Here's where it gets a little time consuming, but just taking the time to do these steps will make this all much easier. Take the dough and pan out of the freezer and roll ping pong sized balls. Give a good amount of space. I was only cooking eight at a time on a large cookie sheet (they cook quickly). Once the balls are spaced on the sheet stick it back in the freezer for a few minutes. Then, quickly take the fork and press down on each ball, creating the signature peanut butter cookie cross! Bake at 350 degrees for between 3-6 minutes. Just check. Take them out when they look JUST done. Let cool for a few and then place on a cooling rack. Put the pan back in the freezer and a few minutes later repeat all steps until you have exhausted your dough.

Then eat one.

Prepare for awesomeness.

-R

Ippudo Ramen

2009-07-29T08:47:00.001-07:00

On a very peculiar block lies a very swanky Japanese Ramen house. Between 10th and Wanamaker on 4th avenue, you will hear the swishing of cars past the Astor Place Kmart, and Ippudo.

Beware the long wait, dance music, and blood red motif, but don't let it frighten you away.

The ramen is GOOD. And finally a noodle place where the pork topping is DELICIOUS and not weird.

Thin, but slurpable noodles are nestled in the porky-est, umami-est (albeit quite salty) broth. A special signature broth, apparently: Tonkotsu. Well it's damn good. There are two main bowls, a "classic" and a "modern", the latter differing from the former with an addition of garlic oil, chili paste, and some different toppings. Essentially, though, they are very similar. I ordered the classic.

Definitely recommended. And I hear their pork buns are amazing, too.

-R

Costolette Panino/Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Cookies

2009-07-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

In Time Out New York's Cheap Eats edition, the "I'm officially obsessed..." went to Bar Tano in Brooklyn and their Costolette Panino, a sexy combination of beef short ribs, mozarella, and onions.

Of course, instead of going there, I made it myself.

I slow cooked beef round all day in broth and spices until it was super moist and completely shredded and piled it on a sandwich with homemade lemon/herb aoli, sauteed red onion, cheese, good mustard, and tomato. Then slathered butter all over it and pressed it in my cast iron skillet! YES!

ALSO made were chocolate peanut butter cookies with a surprise peanut butter center. Sea salt on top. DOUBLE YES.

-R

Soba Bowl!

2009-07-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

After visiting Angelica Kitchen http://www.angelicakitchen.com/ (300 East 12th Street). Nay, let me rephrase that: after visiting Angelica Kitchen's WEBSITE, I was inspired to create today's lunch.

...I DID dine at Angelica last night, but, what I ordered, the "Dragon Bowl", was less than inspiring. It's definitely their "we cater to starving models" dish: a plate of steamed everything with a tiny portion of dressing on the side (the way they phrase it on the menu created a more hearty, satisfying image in my mind). On the bright side, when you mix the brown rice, beans, and seaweed together and put brown rice gravy on top, it doesn't completely fail. (Regardless, I still went to Pommes Frites after. Long live the sweet mango chutney mayo!)

But to the point! If you click on the website, you'll see the montage of a Soba dish being created. While viewing this, I thought, "I could definitely arrange that".

And so I did, just a moment ago!

My Soba Bowl:

1. Put steaming hot Soba Noodles in the bottom of the bowl with a bit of hot water. Be sure to reserve some water in your pot for the kelp! Stir in a little bouillon.

2. Arrange raw shredded carrots and bell peppers on top. Slice extra firm tofu and do the same.

3. Drop some kelp (I have the kind thats dried and all covered in salts...) into the hot water for a bit just to let them soak up water and shed their caked on ocean-y layer.

4. Add the kelp, drizzle tamari on top, and finally shake on some sesame seeds!

If I had shiitakes, bean sprouts, and a bit of sesame oil, this would be even more of the kind of amazing it already was.

I have to say, I really do like food like this if it's done right. I've been eating a slaw all summer that just has carrots, avocado, tofu, and sesame seeds in it. I'll put it over some sticky rice, and it's satisfying for some reason. It's something about the balance of ingredients. As long as you get the right combination of textures, and as long as it's all salted properly, it works. So here's to health.

-R

Dinner: fishies, biscuits, greens, and potatoes

2009-07-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

Sauteed fresh veggies! Chick root grows like a weed, is a weed, is tasty.

Spicy cayenne potatoes

Look at those beauties!

Slather some butter on these

As recently attested, it's hard to screw up good fish. Basically dress it up with herbs and a few of these: breadcrumbs, lemon, butter. Thus I tell myself I've got to take advantage of the summer Gloucester digs by eating a LOT of fish.

Here's a nice din din: sauteed some veggies from the garden, kale and chick root (an edible weed...genius!)

Sprinkle some dill, breadcrumbs and butter pieces on a couple haddock filets and make a little foil pouch (or don't it's still yummy!)

Cut potatoes and roast with olive oil and spices for about 30 minutes at 350/375 depending on your oven.

Ahh and the biscuits, whole wheat got you down? I made these with half whole wheat/half white whole wheat (but probably should have used white). You can really take the heaviness out of whole wheat by using a cup of sour cream in the recipe (not in addition to a recipe...that'd be awkward).

Dinner For One: Trout

2009-07-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

I decided to stop into the Lobster Man today (Bleecker St.) for a fillet of salmon that I've treated myself with before. It comes to between 6-7 dollars for a single (but perfect) portion, and it's good smothered in mustard and baked. It's kind of a lot, I know, but whatever, it's worth it.

WELL, today I noticed my favorite bony fish tucked away in the back of the icing shelf for 6.95/lb. Brook Trout! I took an ample single serving sized whole fishy home for 3.95.

Success! Spread the dijon on top, sprinkle on thyme, broil in the oven for something under 10 minutes, take it out and place it over a bed of pan wilted rainbow chard. And eat. Not too bony today either. Now if I can only figure out how to get the whole fish off the pan in one piece.

-R

Sweet Cherry Galette

2009-07-23T17:34:00.001-07:00

BEST PASTRY CRUST EVER!

So flaky, so easy, requires only a cheese grater. Thank you lady from O Pistachio! Here's the link to her Strawberry Galette: http//opistachio.blogspot.com/2009/05/strawberry-galette.html

We (as in my roommate Patricia and I) used the pastry recipe (again, I can't stress enough how AMAZING this pastry is), but switched up the filling to one of sweet cherries, almond extract, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and a dense sprinkling of flour. Do this first, and let it sit until you have to use it. Be sure to strain before you have to use it, or the galette will be drippy!!!

Endless filling possibilities are entering my brain as we speak: the onion/tarragon filling from a tart-gone-by, heirloom tomato, apple, pear/gorgonzola, INFINITY!!

(Serve with homemade honey-vanilla whipped cream like we did)

-R

Roasted Tomato Paella

2009-07-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

Recipe origin: http://jenniferscooking.blogspot.com/2009/01/tomato-paella.html

This one-pan short grain rice dish (not really paella, but in the spirit of paella) is smoky (paprika), tangy/sweet (tomatoes), chewy (edges), and soft (arborio rice).

.....sweet smoked paprika from Aphrodisia on Bleecker St., for a whopping one dollar. the smell of this stuff makes this all worth it.

.... we added some sliced roasted garlic chicken sausages to beef things up a bit

-R

Ice cream that could make you weep/ don't encourage me.

2009-07-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

Christina's Store front at Inman Square, incidentally next to a fine foods and spice shop next door.

Mint steeping in cream for Jeni's backyard mint ice cream!

Jeni Britton-Bauer: ice cream maker with one of her creations

Check out the fabulous album of ice cream making

Well it's surely summer. Here in Massachusetts our six weeks of rain have finally abated in favor of sunshine! Even so, I would have been eating ice cream. In my ice cream adventures (and yes RESEARCH) I've discovered that Massachusetts has a particularly robust ice cream culture and number of shops that make their own confections (from area dairies!).

My mission: try all of the famous and delicious ice creams around Boston. My first trip was to Christina's, an Inman Square favorite with a raft of crazy flavors. I even tried the bacon (but it was too salty, David Lebowitz candies the bacon I think I'm in favor of this route). Alack no pictures, but I will say my haphazard cone of carrot cake and lemongrass was delicious! The carrot cake had great chunks of raisins, walnuts, and carrot while the creamy base tasted like some fresh batter. It wasn't even bad with lemongrass which was delightfully refreshing. SUCESS and cheap! It was $3.50 for my massivo two scoop cone. Check out their excellent flavor list!

Of Boston I'm definitely trying Toscanini's (apparently the country's...or world's best??), Herrell's (who does what Coldstone does but before them..and probably better), and Lizzy's out in Waltham. Of course J.P. Licks is wonderful: their oatmeal cookie and El Diablo (Mexican chocolate) is quite yummy along with their soft serve yogurts.

But why the other pictures? I was doing a newsletter profile for Chefs Collaborative on member Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. Oh dear, they are splendid and would be my inspiration for moving to Columbus, Ohio!

Did I mention Jeni and her family are big proponents of the local movement and have encouraged local family-owned dairies? They get all their ingredients from within Ohio (well except for vanilla beans, etc.) and make wonderful standards like strawberry buttermilk and super infused mint along with seasonal treats like cucumber melon cayenne yogurt or sweet corn and blackberry. Suffice it to say I'm so tempted to order their nine pints package..oh dear, anyone want to go in on some ice cream purchases?

My advice to you: try good ice cream whenever possible.

I could eat you all day every day: bread & butter & other divinities

2009-07-15T06:23:00.000-07:00

Some quasi-good potato bread I made...made much better with butter and chestnut cream (right) and avocado and salt (left).

Holy cow and goat! Amazing butter.

Freshly baked bread? YESSS.

All is right with the world: a shop with brick-oven baked breads just opened down the street from me. Joy! There is nothing better than breaking into the crackly crust of freshly baked bread and slathering on some butter. The bread is from Willow Rest which was just redone under new owners so now they have a bakery, tasty coffee, produce, and more (lots of it local too). I've tried the seedy kind, olive oil ciabatta, and batard...all so tasty.

In butter news I'm trying to sample whatever random stuff is at the store: Kerrygold of course, Smor, new tasties are Vermont Butter and Cheese's cultured butter and Meyenberg goat milk butter. Let me just say: if you like chevre or that great goatie taste: this butter is for you! That is if you want to splurge on butter, it's not as cheap as land o lakes but the others are definitely affordable.

The right pair of slathering medium and freshly baked canvas can be a recipe for polishing off loaves at a time. DELICIOUS.

S.

Pseudo azn' dinner

2009-07-13T07:15:00.000-07:00

Epic noodles
Miso-based dressing

Radishes from the side of the road...in the best way possible!

You too can pretend to have hearty Asian dinners! To start we have a fairly standard Japanese-style salad of thinly-sliced radishes and cucumbers with a miso based dressing (mix to taste, soy sauce, miso paste, rice vinegar).

Then cook your udon! A lot of udon is pre-cooked and packed...quite easy and VERY hearty. So just cook it for a few minutes (it doesn't need much time). I cooked up some snow peas, squash, corn, and onions with oil and then miso paste and soy (the kind for noodles, with bonito), then stirred in the cooked noodles.

I do eat salad sometimes

2009-07-12T09:06:00.002-07:00

photo courtesey of food.theplainjane.com

I have this thing about meals. They are very important to me. In my dream world, I would sit down for three a day, with people, and eat with leisure and pleasure and all that...

In the summer, however, things shift. All my groceries are pretty much produce, and I find myself eating said foods all day long which, for whatever reason, doesn't irk me as much as it would if it were, say, November. This is my unfortunate reason for not being such an enthusiastic poster these days.

HOWEVER, that said, I do miss my meals.

Q: But, how do you make a meal out of purely produce?

A: Salad. Hm.

I've never been a salad person, especially those really "fresh" crunchy

ones that are all iceberg, cucumbers, peppers, radishes, carrots, etc, I like all of those things, I just don't find them to be that satisfying on my plate in salad form (julienne them into a slaw however, and I might definitely change my mind).

THE POINT OF ALL THIS: There IS a salad I LOVE! And I will share it with you now.

Rachel's Summer Salad

Spring Greens

3 Large Strawberries

3 Large Brined Artichokes

1/3 Avocado

flaked salmon (optional)

pine nuts (optional)

Arrange everything prettily on a nice plate! Top with...

Dressing, whisk:

2 Teaspoons dijon

2 Teaspoons honey

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon Olive oil

I just ate this. Without the otpional ingredients, and it was awesome.

I guess the point is that I assume that one assumes the most important texture in salad is "crunchy", but I would have to disagree. Flavor wise, I think tangy is the most important, and I like salads that are soft, juicy, and even melty in a way. That might be weird, but, hey, that's me.

-R

Farmers' market and fennel!

2009-07-11T07:42:00.000-07:00

Fennel, apple, vidalia onion, brown rice, dill, peas, sauteed in butter with white wine vinegar.
Beach peas!

Beautiful heads of fennel

Grapefruit and stracciatella gelato...side by side

We'll start with the inaugural Cape Ann Farmers' Market! It's back and seemingly bigger and better...hooray! Perhaps some things aren't so farmy but I'll take a risk on permitting gelato, pies, and honey at my markets.

After reading an article about them, I was quite excited to see Giovanna Gelato there so I traipsed over to get my fix: the grapefruit had a wonderfully smooth and refreshing icy texture and the stracciatella was very delicate (made with whole milk) and with just thin slivers of dark chocolate. I was being impulsive getting the two, but they were actually quite good together!

I went back to the market and got a tart from Cape Ann pies: strawberry rhubarb and I'd say it was like a mini-pie in character, nevertheles delicious.

Overwhelmed by all the vegetables, I finally decided on fennel which was $.75 a head! Score.

I had already been to Karl's sausage kitchen that day and needless to say I couldn't cook up that fennel right away. It finally stopped raining so what else but a walk to the beach? I had to walk on the path since it was high tide and was pleasantly interupted by swaths of beach peas!

At home I decided to make a whatever is in the kitchen sort of dish. I cut up the fennel bulb (including not leafy stalks) and sauteed it with vidalia onions in butter, I added apples a bit later, then the beach peas and brown rice (already cooked). Toss on a little dill and white wine vinegar and you've got a lovely early summer plate!

S.

Kale: du jardin and not

2009-07-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

Kale chips (greens from the market)
Hey there, sauteed onions, garlic, and garden fresh kale with vinegar and red pepper flakes.

It's that time again! HARVEST It's been super rainy here (eek a cause of the outbreak in irish potato famine-esque potato blight!!) and our plants haven't been getting a ton of sun. BUT the plants that I lazily bought (already started) were ready...the bushiest of the lot being the assorted kale.

Sadly I don't know what they were called (the varieties) but they WERE delicious.

I made a little breakfast sautee and some kale chips (either broil or roast for a little longer after coating in oil and salt).

Fourth!

2009-07-04T17:52:00.001-07:00

Just some of the feast! MA collard greens, juice-salt licious hot dogs, toasty buns, French-style potato salad with oil and herbs, roasted onions
Leftover fennel greens? Boil for a few minutes, ice bath, then mix in raisins, grapes, crushed nuts, olive oil, and summery spices.

Grilled onions..vidalias are sweet and tender!

Blistering hot dogs: yum.
Dinin' al fresco
Some kick-but German mustard: otherwise known as senf! It's from Karl's sausage kitchen..magnificent!
Portabellos and greens

OHmAGAD is' da forth. Anyhow, I usually never do anything exciting for our nation's birth. We just have a mini-family gathering and BBQ on the smoky joes...which are pretty ghetto-fabulous wee 14-inch charcoal grills.

There were many tasty treats to be had, some not pictured such as: fruit salad, grilled corn, and some splendid Italian sweet spicy sausages.

Some fun grilling experiments:

...of course toasty buns
...portabellos! brush both sides with olive oil, salt, and pepper. After grilling the bottom brush the cap with some seasoning of choice and grill that side
...collard greens boil them in water with salt and butter (boil water, then disolve butter and salt, then boil greens for 3 minutes and but them in an ice bath) stack the greens about 5-7 high and let them go for about five minutes on each side...charred and moist! Was kann besser sein?
...corn easy! leave the husk on and wrap in tin foil...then wait

Basically everything tastes good grilled...more experiments to come! pork butt? dessert?

S.

Foodgawker and Inspiration

2009-07-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

for all of you who haven't checked out foodgawker.. do so immediately.

what lies there is a seemingly endless collection of the "best of" pictures from the "best of" food blogs. and now, as it merrily rains out side, I will share with you my personal favorites of the bunch: things I have no way the resources to make, but one day would be proud to:

1. Red Currant and Chocolate Tart (from: http://palachinka.blogspot.com/2009/06/red-currant-tart.html)

This is potentially one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. It combines my two favorite dessert textures: a soft fruit jelly and creamy chocolate ganache. The presentation is glorious. I can't say enough. The layers look so incredibly thick, that you can just imagine a fork sliding through it. Ahhh.

2. Shallot Tarte (from: http://opistachio.blogspot.com/2009/05/shallot-tarte-tatin.html)

The O Pistachio blogger ALWAYS makes incredible looking things, but this is just top notch. As you can see, I have a distinct fondness for good looking tarts. This is a whole shallot tarte with the little devils nestled in a red onion jam. Holy crap.

3. Sourdough Potato Bread (from: http://cupcakemuffin.blogspot.com/2009/06/sourdough-potato-bread.html)

I'm not really sure how much I have to explain this one. It's ASKING to be ripped apart and dunked in something or have something slathered on it or pressed between two slices of it....

4. Lasoon Palak Di Dal (from: http://varshaspaceblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/lasoon-palak-di-dal-garlic-flavored.html)

The colors in this bowl of this Indian garlic heaven are astonishing and captured perfectly. I can almost smell it. You can see by the ingredients list how complex it is.

5. Cilantro Shrimp Dumplings with Homemade Wrappers (from http://rumahmakanmurni.blogspot.com/2009/06/cilantro-shrimp-chinese-dumplings.html)

These perfectly shaped dumplings look chewy and savory and to die for. Ultimate comfort.

6. Baked Apricots stuffed with Almond Paste (from http://www.piggyscookingjournal.com/2009/06/baked-apricots-stuffed-with-almond.html)

Most of the time, the best things are the simplest. So I'll end with these.

-R

Leftover Rice Noodles?

2009-07-02T08:02:00.001-07:00

Make noodle soup. Obviously.

Boil carrots, mung bean sprouts, and rice noodles in 2 cups of chicken broth that has been flavored with soy sauce, red chili paste, and a drop or two of sesame oil. When everything is soft, pour into a bowl, squeeze a little lime on top, and sprinkle on cilantro.

-R

The Perfect Scoop: gone to parsley!

2009-07-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

Oh jeeez! Alien shots again. Well I made David Lebovitz's parsley ice cream and it was a great success, so fresh and nutty! AND, I didn't fail at custard thanks to some good directionals.

I kept the heat lower and was very careful about signs of boiling this time. But, I think adding the warm mixture in little bits to the eggs really was the saving feature. After adding the mixture to the eggs, I put it on the stove again and voila! No scrambled eggs!

Also, I've got to plug the magic bullet for ice-cream ease. Makes quite the nice parsley puree! I've gotten so lax about recipes but that just means you should go get the book!

Singapore Chow Mei Fun

2009-06-30T17:29:00.001-07:00

I remember when I started ordering random choices from the Chinese Takeout place at home, and I remember when the day came that I discovered Singapore Chow Mei Fun, which really has no relation to anything served in Singapore, but deserves merit just the same.

I used this recipe, found courtesey of Foodgawker. The site exhibits a much more attractive photograph of what the dish is supposed to look like.

It's a curried rice noodle dish with veggies and lots of various protein sources, and it ROCKS. And as usual, my pictures don't do it justice.

-R

Adventures in frozen treats: Partie Un

2009-06-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

Chocolate and coffee sorbet with some candied lemon peel

Wow I'm awesome at flash photography: churnin!

Success! Banana pecan ice cream

These fellows are sauteed bananas in butter with brown sugar and pecans: a delightful mush to add into ice cream (or yogurt).

Ah, the adventures that ensue from the biblioteca. I took out David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop a few weeks ago and since then I've been churning away! More to come on a custard that I didn't destroy!

I'm not upset about lacking an ice cream maker, just be sure to churn everything regularly (so stir every hour or so)

Hearty Breakfast: + things you can make that might be otherwise pricey!

2009-06-25T06:48:00.000-07:00

Fit for a king! Fresh whole-wheat bread with Smör (Icelandic/Scandinavian cheesy-textured butter) baby spinach from Maine! (Locally Known farms...super fresh and not at all bitter) with some tomatoes and a super soft-boiled (ermm...raw?) egg..drizzled with a bit of "green goddess" dressing

Crusty dill-pepper boules! SO EASY

Annie's makes a divine (HAH) Green Goddess dressing with tahini etc....it's really delicious! If you've been to Dojo by NYU you'll know that delicious tahini-soy love (but this is sans carrots).

Here's how the stuffs were made!

Whole-wheat country style boules

So Rachel admonished me for not going on foodgawker, and I was glad I found this recipe before I went to bed last night! If you remember the Irish quick bread, this would be its yeasty partner in crime. (My Slovenian couchsurfer said it was like the stuff grandmas make in farmy towns..yes!)

The recipe I used called for 2 cups white and 1 cup white whole-wheat, but I didn't have all-purpose so white whole-wheat it was!

3 cups white whole-wheat flour
3/4 tsp yeast (NOT FAST RISING)
1 tsp sea salt
1-1 1/2 cups warm water

Mix n's of choice: I mixed them right in with the dough, used about a tsp. of ground pepper and a couple tablespoons of dried dill weed.

Mix the dry ingredients, then add water until dough is elastic and a bit wet/sticky.
Cover and let rise for 6-8 hours (sleep?)

Put a baking pan filled with water in your oven and heat to 450, put in your 'hearth' (cooking stone, or what have you) in for 15 minutes after the oven has heated.

Separate dough into 2 boules, shape on a floured surface and coat in oil. I cut some slits in the top and sprinkled sesame seeds, adds a nice touch! Bake for 35-40 minutes, cool on a wire rack for 10. Slather with some good butter when cooled.

On to the dressing. This is quite a simple concoction. But, you must have tahini (it's usually $5 for a jar that will last you centuries..unless you make a lot of tahini stuffs). Basically I just put stuff together that was on the back of the bottle.

Amounts (NOT EXACT) adjust to your tastes

1/4 cup vegetable oil
juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons tahini
2 tsp. dried parsely
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
water to thin
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (white wine etc. is probably fine)

Whisk it all together and enjoy the rich nuttiness of tahini all the time!

S.

Croque Monsieur

2009-06-21T16:33:00.001-07:00

The French usually get it right, but especially so in the case of the Croque Monsieur.

-R

Candied Lemon Peel

2009-06-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

What to do with your left-over lemonade skins? make lemonade! no candied lemon peels! YES. Since I'm OBSESSED...no I just have the book right now, I used Alice Waters' recipe.

Take your lemon (citrus in general) halves and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until tender.

When cooled, scoop out all the whiteness and cut into bit-size strips, about 1/8-1/4 inch. Put back into a heavy saucepan with 4 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water. Cook over medium heat and stir often until the sugar is dissolved and syrup is simmering. Get it nice and thick'n bubbling. The peels should become translucent.

When the mixture reaches this stage, turn up the heat to reach the "thread stage" (when the sugar is stringy after you pull it out). After cooling, take each peel to harden on a wire rack. Finish it off by rolling in sugar (I like raw/organic chunky stuff) and/or dipping in melted chocolate. You can also keep the leftover syrup as something like a citrus simple syrup! Use as a classy garnish for ice cream and other deserts!

Preserves!

2009-06-16T21:39:00.000-07:00

Mmm perfect with some thick yogurt

rhubarby goodness

Cutting the pretty stalks and removing toughness

Perhaps it's a premature to go all mid-west turn of the century old woman, but I've been canning! It's pretty simple to can high acid foods like tomatoes, pickles, and fruity preserves. You don't NEED equipment but it will increase your chances of not getting scalded!

Rhubarb is in season...(as many other cold weather creatures) so eat it while it lasts!

I got this recipe from rhubarbinfo.com (where else??)

It's quite a tasty one.

8 cups rhubarb

2 oranges

1 lemon

1/4 chopped preserved ginger

Cut the rhubarb into 1" pieces, remove the tough strands of the outer membrane. Mix rhubarb and sugar, let stand overnight or for several hours.

Cut rind from fruit into 1 inch pieces, cover in cold water, and boil. Simmer until tender and drain.

Chop the fruit pulp (without the white part: pith) and add to rhubarb. Boil then cook on low for 10 minutes until the mixture thickens. Add ginger and rind. Stir for 5 minutes and skim foam.

The canning part is probably more difficult. Canning jars are under $10 a dozen at your local grocery (or broadway panhandler etc.). You can get tongs especially for canning (or a kit) which makes things easier.

What you do need:

stock pot (preferably 2) big enough to submerge your jars

rack for the pan bottom

the jars..with clean lids!

wipes of some sort

spatula/spoon

nice to have: ample pots and pans for sterilizing

canning kit

tongs

actual canning rack

Sterilize the jars by washing them and placing (including the lids...but separately) them in hot water.

Bring a big pot of water to boil (or start boiling when you're ready to start loading stuff into jars)

Fill each jar with liquid, being mindful of air bubbles (which can be removed by spatula) and goo around the mouth. Leave 1/4-1/2 inch head space. After all the jars are sealed, boil for about ten minutes in the pot. Lucky you, now there's fresh fruits and veggies for the winter!

However, if you're actually going to can...look it up so you don't get botulism!

Eat Your Leafy Greens

2009-06-15T17:44:00.001-07:00

Here's the thing: I don't like spinach. I think it has an unappatizing flavor and a droopy watery texture.

I always thought this meant I didn't like leafy greens, because spinach is the most readily available/popular, so clearly it must be the most tasty/mild, right? WRONG.

Three more delicious choices:

1. KALE! Best sauteed (as are most of them I think). Has a cabbage-like flavor, which doesn't sound appetizing until you try it, not at all bitter when cooked, is crunchy and awesome. The curlz are pretty too.

2. SWISS CHARD! Almost sweet, this topper of the beet plant is so perdy (especially if you get the rainbow variet) and wilts in SECONDS so throw it in to your pasta sauce at the LAST MINUTE.

3. ARUGULA! On Pizza. Yes.

-R

FAIL

2009-06-14T09:20:00.001-07:00

Custard FAIL: scrambled eggs

Cone FAIL: cookies?? pizzelle?

Since it's been a few days since the last post, I figured it would be fitting to give two examples of what NOT to do. My fails aren't well documented since they're usually not very memorable or photogenic.

I tried to make a custard and wasn't quite patient or knowledgeable in the ways of my stove, therefore the milk got TOO hot, dare I say boiling! Such is not cool for custard. Therefore, ample chunks of eggies were present and it didn't get nice n' thick. Lesson learned: custard requires patience and will probably end up with more chunks than not until mastered.

Inspired by The Perfect Scoop, I tried the cone recipe, thinking myself above parchment paper and nursing them in the oven. Of course the batter was yummy, along with the end resume. But, as you can see the mixture didn't come off the paper, much less form something resembling a cone. Lesson: use parchment paper and check the little ones while they bake!

S.

Armenian delights

2009-06-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

Ah, what a ghetto-looking spread. I promise it's delicious! Wandering around Boston's suburbs, I happened across a little vein of Armenia in Watertown. Thus, if you're in the area, definitely pay a visit to some of these little shops and restaurants!

I was quite happy to see a plethora of pickled veggies: peppers, artichokes, olives the works. Cheeses, nuts, dried fruits, sweets like baklava and the little pink thing above is like Turkish delight...covered in dried rose petals!

I also found some fruit syrup (I don't think Marco Polo brand is top of the line) which I miss for making a low-effort juice by just putting a bit in water (or flavor whatever is good tasting like fruit). I know Brighton Beach is a good place for such syrups: black currant, raspberry, the works!

Oh, not to forget, the baked goods! They had a lot of bread and pies, eggplant and bean dishes etc. Pictured above is the remains of my spinach, tahini, walnut pie!

The two markets I visited:

Arax Market

Sevan Bakery

They're both on Route 16 in Watertown, going into Boston.

S.

ode to miso

2009-06-10T14:06:00.001-07:00

Miso miso fighting in the dojo, oriental prince in a land of soup!

Anywho, miso is essential to everyone's pantry and list of condiments! It can be used in soups, for dressings, just about anything that needs a yummy base to mix into.

There are many types of miso, but I don't want to explain nor do I know what I'm talking about! So just read the wikipedia article!

One thing I've been doing when I'd like a little warm soup on a cloudy day: heat water and add about 1 tablespoon of miso per cup (depending on your salt desires), when it gets fairly hot, add some dehydrated seaweed (pretty easy to get at asian stores..not nori!).

Since beautiful BOK CHOI is in season eat some! it's very cheap, especially in your local chinatown. If you put the greens in the soup and then take them out, cook them in the liquid that comes along and add some soy soup base like this stuff you've got yourself a tasty quick cheap soup! Crack in an egg or add fresh scallions for a true treat!

Balsamic Spice Loaf

2009-06-09T11:31:00.000-07:00

Experimenting with quick breads until I receive my sourdough starter for free from Carl's! To be honest, I enjoy making quick breads, because I already have everything I need, and I can usually eat whatever I make about an hour from the time I decide to make it. And, they are always incredibly moist, where I feel that yeast breads are a toss up in that category.

My classic is a whole wheat Irish Soda Loaf. What I made today uses the same general chemical processes, but is a lot jazzier and risky.

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons agave nectar

cinnamon

allspice

ginger

nutmeg

1 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt

a splash or two of buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 egg

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

salt

melt butter. add sweet stuff. add yogurt and buttermilk. whisk until smooth. add egg and balsamic vinegar. whisk until smooth. combine dry ingredients well and add to wet ingredients. a pasty batter will form that is strange, but go with it and load it into a small bread pan. put it in a 375 degree oven and cook for 20 minutes, until the top is golden, then turn the oven down to 325 and let cook thoroughly, testing with your preferred method, whatever that may be.

Wah! It tastes a lot like banana bread! Moist, good with butter and honey. Would be great with nuts and fruits inside. Also, check the ingredients list. Whole wheat, some healthier sweetener alternatives*, and not too much butter! Most of the moistness definitely comes from the yogurt.

So easy. The next one I make will be a lemon/herb loaf or a beer/cheese loaf or any loaf....

-R

* I started using agave nectar when I had some blood sugar (all speculation, but indulge me) issues. It is low glycemic, because it is way high in fructose, which doesn't rely on insulin and has to pass through your liver, unlike the other popular monosaccharide, glucose, which gets absorbed anywhere and asks for insulin to help. Now, this DOESN'T mean it's a good sweetener for everyone, or even healthy. First of all, nothing is naturally that high in fructose, and your body probably isn't supposed to get that overload all at once, since nothing from nature is that high in fructose (not even fruit). The stuff from the plant is processed to make it that way (high fructose corn syrup, anyone?). Also, it ... ok... I'm just going to link to this article: AGAVE NECTAR. It is a very anti-agave article, and it is a really interesting read. Puts some things into perspective. But, clearly, since agave is in my recipe, the everything in moderation rule is well in place in this chicken's brain.

dinner again: Lemon chicken, radish salad, cranberry granita

2009-06-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

If you're partial to very moist yet crispy tangy chicken try this recipe! It's yet again from the silver palate.

Juice about 1 cup's worth of lemon juice for each pound of chicken, soak it all day or overnight.

Then, make your own shake n' bake by combining salt, pepper, paprika and flour. Coat the chicken in the mixture. Then fry it up on both sides in about 1/4 cup of oil. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes and voila! Delicious.

As it is early summer/late spring there are many delicious vegetables in season! Radishes are one of them (more to come on that later). This salad of field greens has thinly sliced radishes, a basic vinaigrette, wasabi peas, and goat cheese. Cucumber and Asian flavors like miso go quite well with radishes.

Ahh yes and for a nice cool summer treat, have a granita! They're quite easy to make. For mine, I mixed some cranberry juice with orange juice (about 2 cups) and about 1/4 cup of sugar and boiled it with some orange rind. Let it cool, then pour it into a some freezer safe container...a few hours later, scrape out the juicy icy goodness! It's lovely with fresh mint.

Voyage a l'Afrique! merci Marcus Samuelsson

2009-06-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

Skål!

Clockwise: Bobotie, mango "sambala," toasts, bulgur wheat with pecans and raisins

Your public library has many wonderful things to offer: including 'free' trendy cookbooks!

Officially I like Marcus Samuelsson very much. His last restaurant to open in New York was Merkato 55 on Gansevoort st. in the West Village: it's African food..mostly of the pan-African persuasion, with dishes from around the continent. But, Samuelsson himself was born in Ethiopia so the North definitely gets some attention. Ah, but Marcus grew up in Sweden, which is where Aquavit comes in, the delicious Swedish restaurant in Midtown.

Here's where I come to last night's meal, and the library. I got out The Soul of a New Cuisine yesterday and made sense of it along with what I had in the kitchen. The book is basically the spirit of Merkato 55, African deliciousness. Thus far I've liked such food: hearty, nutty, saucy.

The spread

Bobotie: traditional dish of South Africa. It's usually made with ground beef but I had ground turkey so I used that and added butter to compensate for the fat.

Bulgur wheat salad: cracked wheat is a popular grain in the Mediterranean lands (all around the big old sea) and goes well with dried fruits and nuts

Sambal: chili-based sauces used in South Africa originally from Malaysia and Indonesia
The real one is much classier but I just cut up some red onion, mango, and added ginger and spicy peanut butter, sounds gross but it's good

The bobotie is pretty easy to make..but you need about 2 hours since there's a lot of time the food hangs out and soaks in itself..so worth it!

1 1/4 pounds ground beef
red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tb green masala or curry
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp crushed coriander
2 tomatoes/canned diced tomatoes
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup crushed peanuts or unsweetened peanut butter
2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs + 2 yolks
pinch nutmeg

cook beef and onion, add garlic, spices, and tomatoes then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes
Stir in bread crumbs, peanuts, salt (you don't need all of it), and 1/2 cup water, cook for 15 more minutes.
Drain the mixture if you want and then refrigerate fro 20 minutes
Preheat the oven to 350 and butter a baking dish.
Pour the mixture into the pan and cover with the mixture of eggs, milk, nutmeg, and a bit of salt.
Put the pan into another pan of water so that the water rises up an inch on the side of the actual food dish.
Cover with foild and bake for 25 minutes, then take off the foil and bake for another 20
Cut into squares and serve...he says with mango sambal and creamed swiss chard.

I failed a bit with the whole water bath thing, the water wasn't deep enough and the egg was NOT cooking so I turned up the heat and added more water to the dish. This recipe sounds sort of complicated but it's just a little time heavy..soo worthy it and ground turkey definitely matches the flavors.

S.

OMG Molasses cookies part II

2009-06-06T18:10:00.000-07:00

NO JOKE SAHHS. We both made molasses cookies in the same week, without planning it: skills. They are both looking like poo, delicious, and powerful delights.

I got my recipe from the Silver Palate, basically if you want your baked goods to taste like they're from a legit bakery, use their recipes. I've received such results from the zuccini bread, banana bread, semolina bread, and molasses cookies thusfar.

I definitely cooked mine longer (but then again my oven fails)

This section of the book is entitled: The Cookie Basket, in case you were wondering

1 1/2 sticks sweet butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
(nutmeg wouldn't hurt)

Preheat to 350

Melt butter, add sugar, molasses, mix then add lightly beaten egg

Sift dry ingredients, then mix in

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto aluminum foil (on top of your baking sheet) leaving ample room between each cookie (batter will be wet and expands)

Cook for 8-10 minutes, take out while still soft, cool on the foil

excellent! add some candied citrus peel on top

S.

Soft Molasses Spice Cookies

2009-06-06T12:07:00.001-07:00

After coming across this recipe, I decided to adapt it to my own tastes. If I were cute, I'd call them pantry cookies for obvious reasons: you use many things that sit unused in your pantry to make them, namely: autumnal spices, jars of sweet things, oats, and brown sugar. I would bet that most households have these things lying around, unused.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Regular Unbleached Flour

1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour (obviously not necessary)

2 packets Plain Flavor Instant Oatmeal

3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Spices:

(Here's the deal. I didn't measure my spices, but I put a LOT of spices in. Here they are in descending order of the amount I put in.)

Cinnamon

Ginger

Allspice

Nutmeg

1/4 cup Blackstrap Molasses

1/4 cup Honey

A little less than a block of Plugra Unsalted Butter

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 egg

WARNING: This cookie dough looks like the consequences of eating too much Indian Food

WARNING: The way this dough tastes (as in, AMAZING) may entice you to eat the consequences of eating too much Indian Food. Don't do it.

Let's begin!

In one bowl mix the dry ingredients, without sugar. Good. Now cream the butter and sugar. Good. Now add the egg, honey, and molasses to the butter and sugar and blend! Good. Now add the dry ingredients to the wet slowly until you get what looks like a giant's toilet. Good. Taste it, if you dare. It's heavenly.

Now, the hard part. The dough is really sticky, and even though I'm usually too impatient, I DID roll it up in plastic wrap and stuck it in the freezer. So, you do that too. About an hour later, take it out and begin to roll ping pong sized balls of dough. Dip the tops in more brown sugar or big crystals of raw sugar and place on a lightly buttered baking sheet. If you have pecans, or better yet, CANDIED pecans, please push one into the center of the cookie! I wish I had them. Bake for only about 5-7 minutes at 375 or so and don't overbake! Try to use your best judgement here, you really want to take them out when they are JUST cooked.

Let cool and enjoy. Good with a mug of warm milk.

-R

dinner again mutant pasta e fagioli!

2009-06-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

excuse my lobsided polenta shot!

Such is a nice spin on the Italian classic...beans and pasta. I had a sausage in the fridge so I fried that up (whole) and then cooked the onions in the fattly juices

I added white beans (great northern to be exact yummm so plump and protein-licious) and tomatoes with a bit of tarragon and thyme

The polenta was sliced and cooked in a bit of olive oil at 350 for ten minutes on each side...definitely make your own! the polenta logs aren't really satisfactory

Chocolate Disaster Cookies with Salted Caramel

2009-06-05T14:47:00.001-07:00

I baked without a recipe, and beginner's luck granted me a success!

I still christen these chocolate disaster cookies, because there's something very unruly and chaotic about them, and I think they look like a black hole.

The recipe went something like this

I melted four whole squares of semi sweet bakers chocolate with 1/3 of the european butter rectangles. In another bowl I combined 1/2 cup of brown sugar with 1/2 cup of regular unsweetened cocoa powder, one egg, almond extract, vanilla extract, and then I'm pretty sure I added a bit more sugar. Brown sugar, ps, for this whole recipe. When the chocolate and butter is melted together, pour all of that into the other bowl and mix well. Then add about 1 cup of regular flour and 1 cup of self rising flour, mix well, and incorporate lots of chocolate chunks. Then make a caramel sauce by not knowing what to do, so just throwing butter, light brown sugar, and milk in a pan and hoping for the best. Then, when you think it won't work, just start pouring a bit of that into the cookie batter, because you don't know what else to do. Start to form huge cookies on a baking sheet and create a well in the middle. Spoon a bit of the caramel into the well. Bake these cookies at an unspecified temperature, since your oven dial doesn't include numbers (350?), and take them out in about 10-15 minutes.

Then look at them and decide that you may as well pour the remaining caramel sauce all over them and then sprinkle sea salt on top.

Please wait for them to cool a bit before transferring them to a wire rack, and then let them cool completely before eating. They will fall apart if you do not heed my warning.

The cookies are incredibly rich and the salted caramel topping is a bit crunchy, but mostly chewy, and you cant beat the little salty lick you get as an after taste.

Next time, I think I would make them perfectly round and small and press a hole in the middle with my thumb. I would then fill that with the hot caramel, and wait until they were cooled completely to drop a few huge crystals of sea salt on top. I think there might actually be a next time for these babies!

-R

Cheap Meats

2009-06-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

The cheapest cuts of beef and pork are usually the ones that are easiest to cook, albeit take the longest. Stew them!

You probably wouldn't want to eat a small bowl of stewed beef as a snack, but then again, you aren't me.

Topped with a touch of sour cream.

All you have to do is bring some stock to a boil with the tough, cheap chunks of meat included. Then, reduce to a simmer. An hour or two later you'll come back and the meat will still look like jerky and you'll say to yourself "man, will this ever work?". Come back two hours after that. Oh yes, the most succulent melty meat you've ever had.

-R

kimchi

2009-06-04T19:05:00.000-07:00

Pshhh looks just like David Leb's...but with a crappier picture!
ferment my friends!

The Spread:

Doing some worldly food stalking I cam across a kimchi recipe on David Lebovitz and it's actually much easier than I thought! Once you get your economy-sized korean chili paste and chili power, you're good to go (outside of the likes of K-town, it's go big or go home).

I followed the recipe here: except I didn't use a glass jar, which I WOULD do. Canning jars are pretty cheap...like a dollar or two, so no excuses! Mine didn't ferment like I wanted it to, but it smells and looks like a pretty batch, so no complaints! Best things about kimchi: you can put it on legions of rice, make yummy beef dishes with the broth, hooray! (Go questing for a heart-warming recipe made with meat, veggies, tofu: it's kimchi jigae)

What you'll need:

1 large Napa cabbage (2 pounds, 1kg)
2 tablespoons coarse salt (do not use fine table salt)

1/3 cup (80ml) white rice vinegar
3 tablespoons Korean chili pepper paste (gochujang)
1 tablespoon very-finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons coarse Korean chili powder (gokchu garu)
1/2 tablespoon very-finely minced fresh ginger
4 scallions, sliced in 2-inch (5cm) batons, including the green part

1 glass jar (a quart will be fine)

get these in K-Town, or regular old Chinese markets sell some of this stuff.

The Recipe.

Whole Wheat Quick Bread

2009-06-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

OK, I gave up. After living wheat free for three days, all I wanted was warm bread, with soft butter slathered all over, topped with honey or apple butter or.... SHIT I WANT IT NOW!

The solution? Quick Bread! AKA Soda Bread AKA Irish Soda Bread AKA WHATEVER I DON'T CARE I want wheat!

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup reg ol' flour

1 cup and a bit more buttermilk

salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

mix the dry ingredients together. make a hole in the center. add buttermilk. mix but do not overmix! form into a ball and place on a buttered baking sheet. make a deep cross with a knife on top of the bread plus prick a few extra spots. put it in a very hot oven (400? my oven dial doesnt have numbers WTF) for 5-10 minutes and then a medium hot oven (325?) for 10-15. the top will brown a bit and if you tap the bread with the knife, it should sound hollow. seriously, the easiest thing ever. seriously, best idea ever.

apparently, according to an article I just read about the origins of breads like these, this is pretty traditional irish table bread ... having eggs in the dough, raisins, currants, caraway, whatever, is really rare, not to mention costs a lot to the rural family, so find comfort in the fact that if you make this, you are really staying true to the people of the land!

this bread for me, is best served right out of the oven, hot, slathered with anything mentioned above. I can't even count how many times I made it this semester, but it was certainly a staple, and very cost-worthy. I decided to make it about an hour ago, and now I sit here having made it and eaten it, and written a blog about it.

satisfied.

-R

My Dream Come True

2009-06-04T09:04:00.001-07:00

-R

baygullz

2009-06-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

Finit! I'll say that the barley flavor is salvaged by eating these with goat cheese and jam, something that matches the earthy flavor.
boiling in the malt-ese water
making cute bagels is harder than it looks
awww
aye! kneading why do you torture me!?
being uncharacteristically meticulous
The Troops

SO, I've been trying to bond with le book: Bread Alone. but it is INTENSE involving various types of thermometers and flours. I tried to start simple with our quotidien bagel pleasure yet it was more difficult than expected.

I think some of my bread fails are with yeast/ the amount of time it takes to rise. Also, I would not boil the bagels in malt syrup (the end up tasting like beer wort) and use all white flour (since it's white whole wheat anyways). Still I think bread baking is one of those things you have to do a million times before it's fabulous...there's still time! I WILL make bagels once again.

Those Other Grains!

2009-06-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

Chickpea, tomato, and barley soup from http://www.buffchickpea.com .....

Wheat wheat wheat. It's in EVERYTHING, but what makes it so much more special than other grains? Agriculture. Ah.

In this spirit, I am attempting to live for awhile on ALL sorts of grains/legumes, wheat included, but given no more a chance than the rest!

In the past two days, four alternates have become the basis of a meal. Here they are, in descending order of awesomeness:

1. Barley. At 1.19 a package, you really can't beat barley. It's chewy, like pasta, has A TON of your daily fiber needs, and tastes awesome. Actuallly awesome. Not "I'm pretending like this tastes good when I know I would rather be eating pizza" awesome. I just finished a bowl. My favorite way to serve it: Cooked in chicken stock until soft, with a spoonfull or two of greek yogurt stirred in to make a creamy bowl of grains. Top with a drizzle of olive oil!

2. Chickpeas: not just for dips! My second favorite. Try them WARMED! So good in a thick, spicy tomato sauce, and a pinch of allspice (my new favorite spice, BTW).

3. Steel Cut Oats. A breakfast staple in the British Isles, it IS worth it to take the extra time to cook whole oats. They have a little bite, and are crazy good for you. Awesome cooked in whole milk drizzled with honey. Keeps you full for hours.

4. Green Lentils: My least favorite, especially considering the tastes of the ones above, but still worth a mention. To me, they are a bit dry, and the flavor isn't anything to crave. You can't beat the nutritional value, though. I've got a bag around, so I will try and make them work. I actually prefer the red lentils, which become slop (why most don't appreciate them), but make good chili and stews!

Semolina bread

2009-06-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Perfect! Freshly baked with Bonne Maman wild fruit jam, butter, and a little fruit.
They so crusty and lovely! Cornmeal on the pan really adds a touch.
First rise: coated in oil.
Oh the travails of kneading and mixing flour!
Semolina flour is delightful.
This recipe was a little less intense than those of Daniel Leader's Bread Alone as in it didn't require scales and three kinds of thermometers. ayee! Once again, I quote from the Silver Palate cookbook. Yum!

I was inspired by all of the Gloucester Italian semolina bread usage..and thought: yes I can!

I'll post the recipe shortly

Brunch at Cristina's

2009-05-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

The beginnings of a tradition.

On the menu:

Sourdough toasts topped with avocado and lemon

Baked eggs with spinach, cream, and jarlsberg

Fresh tomatoes

Spreadable honey!

-R

scallops and sprouts

2009-05-29T18:51:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to make my parents eat home-cooked meals so here's a chapter in that saga! I get to use a lot of neglected cast-iron lovelies.

Sunday dinner: brussel sprouts and scallops.

Not pictured: a yuppie salad of field greens, hazelnuts, goat cheese, and cucumbers

Scallops: sauteed in butter with a little white wine

Brussel sprouts: boiled until pleasantly green, then cooked with onions, garlic, and thyme

Hummus

2009-05-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

Hummus is delicious and easy to make yourself. However, you will have your work cut out for you in the blending department (unless you have a food processor of sorts).

I started with dried chick peas: SUPER cheap, something like $1/pound. Some say soak overnight, some say simmer. I didn't do it this time but I read a Nigella tip: make a paste of 1 tsp salt, 1tsp baking soda, and 1 tb of flour and add it to the chick peas. Soak overnight, then boil and simmer for 30 minutes...voila! tender chick peas.

You don't really need a recipe so just go by your flavor preferences. I used about 1/4 cup tahini for each 2 cups of chick peas, mix that in with garlic paste, salt, lemon juice, pepper, sundry herbs, and of course olive oil. blend well! top with a little more oil and some red pepper..eat some with homemade crackers: toast some old bread in the oven with oil, pepper, and herbs. hummus hooray!

Here's the recipe I went from, it's out of the Silver Palate cookbook ( a specialty food store that used to be in the Upper West Side (I think West).

Hummus Bi Tahini

4 cups garbanzos (chick peas), drained (but you can hydrate your own)

1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste..available in many groceries/on curry hill

1/3 cup warm water

1/3 olive oil

juice of 2-3 lemons

4+ garlic cloves

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cumin

freshly ground black pepper

process tahini, garbanzos, water, oil, lemon juice (anyway you like..food processor is prime)

add spices and alter to your wishes

La Sirene

2009-05-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

La Sirene, the tiny 25 seat bistro on Broome St., just east of Varick, is easily missed. But, be aware: you don't want to.

I'd only been once, a year ago, with my pal Cristina. We were there for the BYOB factor (no corking fee!!!), and I think I ordered a crabcake, which wasn't memorable, although I'm sure I enjoyed it.

What I remembered most about La Sirene was the atmosphere and seeming anonymity. The only other diners were a gang of young, ricidulously attractive Parisian-types sitting around the only long table (that's one of about 5 others, catch my drift), drifting in and out for a smoke, sharing bottles of wine, and, of course, having conversations in FRENCH. SWEET!

As it is, I went back last night on a "date", you could say :), and settled in for their Prix Fixe, 26.50 for three courses, served between 5-7. It's on the low side as far as these places go, but still, as is well known, what you get makes the money either worth it/not.

Our waitress was tres adorable! She had triangular bangs. Enough said.

Bread Basket: Tangy, chewy bread served with strangely cold (albeit GOOD) butter. Butter should be room temp! But, that's me nitpicking.

First course: We both ordered the traditional onion soup which was pretty great. The broth was lovely, lovely, and plenty of cheese on top. No complaints.

Main Course: Brian got the Sea Shepherds pie, pretty much exactly what it sounds like, which seemed good, but was a small portion (as expected in a prix fixe). I spied around and I noticed that pretty much ALL the portions being served were quite small, indeed.

That is, until my massive, heaping bowl of Mussels in Curry Cream came out. Holy God. There were SO MANY. AND delcious. Yum. With thyme sprigs poking out of the thick curry cream sauce coating every mussel-y morsel! Not to mention at the end you are left with basically a bowl of glorious dipping sauce for the rest of your bread.

Dessert: Your choice of a baby scoop of ice cream or sorbet. No chocolate :(, for shame, but they offered vanilla ice cream and lemon, coconut, raspberry, eh and something else for the sorbet. Scratch the lemon - Brian ordered it and they were out!

So, he got vanilla and I chose coconut. Both homemade. I was VERY fond of my coconut. I think it was the curry sauce I had just consumed, but I found it to be one of the best frozen dessert experiences, and I think the flavor profile of my previous dish only added to it.

SUMMARY: DO IT! FOR THESE REASONS!:

1. BYOB: Gather friends, bring a ten dollar bottle of decent wine, and have the waitress open it for you for free. Boo yah.

2. Prix Fixe: 100% worth it, especially if you order the...

3. MUSSELS!: Brilliant. I can recommend personally the curry, but there were a traditional white wine/herb, dijon, and one more to choose from. I'm sure they are all delicious as well.

4. You will feel very cool knowing about a very under the radar bistro serving some serious grub.

http://events.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/dining/reviews/19rest.html
http://www.lasirenenyc.com/

-R

cupcakes: or muffcakes, where it began

2009-05-28T18:51:00.000-07:00

You may ask yourself how perpetual hunger got involved in the cupcake contest previously recounted. It began with these delicious carrot cupcakes I found on epicurious.

While the process is not thoroughly documented, I promise this recipe produced a delicious moist cake full of delightful spice and a little tang from the orange icing. As for this icing, I added a bit of butter and thick greek yogurt for body and to give it something else besides the taste of sugar.

I pretty much followed the recipe but you can mix it up with the spices...and important detail! I added carob chips. (Please try carob if you haven't already..and DO try related sweets if you're ever in Portugal...they know how to do a carob) they added a nice earthy and sweet crunch.

Israeli couscous!

2009-05-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

Yes my friends, we revert to the backlog of stuff I've made but ne'er posted!

Being a curious eater, upon seeing a new sort of couscous (on sale I might add) at TJ's I made a move.

What to cook with Israeli couscous? Luscious dried fruits (preferably of the Mediterranean persuasion) and nuts. This sort of couscous is plumper and I'd say nuttier. When you pan-fry it, crispy deliciousness ensues.

I cooked the buggers in olive oil, added some rosemary. Once the couscous was cooked, I added some chopped hazelnuts, apricots, and my favorite: DATES. Top it of with some orange juice, salt, pepper, and citrus zest.

Apparently this is how one would say bon appetit in Hebrew: (b'tayavon) בתיאבון
ooh find it in many languages on Omniglot.

Lemon and Thyme Roast Chicken Legs over Sweet Potato Gnocchi and Summer Sqash with Brown Butter!

2009-05-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

Tonight's dinner for two.

Things learned:

1. I was correct in assuming that if I slow roasted the chicken at a lower temperature for a while and then cranked the heat at the end, it would produce both succulently fall-off-the-bone-moist flesh and crispy shiny skin! Success!

2. Sweet Potato Gnocchi are really sticky. Use lots and lots of flour. The consistency of a sweet potato is, indeed, a bit gloopier and wetter than that of a regular potato. Otherwise, I found that it can be subsituted into a regular gnocchi recipe just fine. Mine included just sweet potato, flour, and one egg, although some call for ricotta cheese which must be lovely x20!

3. Italian flat leaf parsley makes anything look/taste good. As does a lemon wedge.

4. Pouring the chicken-y contents of your roasting pan over your whole meal just before serving is a good idea.

5. Big Apple Meat Market (Right next to Stile's farmers market!) sells really cheap meat!!!!!!!

IN FACT:

Let's do a rundown, shall we?

2 Chicken Legs (1.97!)

1/2 Summer Sqash (.20)

2 Sweet Potatoes (.44)

1 Lemon (.20)

... everything else I had on me, but all basics (flour, garlic, parsley...). You get the point.

-R