food game

Breakfast in Bed

2010-01-31T11:55:00.000-08:00

This morning's meal is an ode to a clean room. Of which I've spent quite a bit of the last few days bringing order from chaos. Though the comforter did befell the minor setback during the photo shoot of chocolate on the sheets... oh oo whoa oo whoa oh! (simultaneous shout out to Chef Beth)

Pancake with Puss in Boots, in Bed, though not my best work, its safe to say Brilliant nonetheless: Blueberry, chocolate chips, flax, and sunflower seed buckwheat pancakes.... a touch of nutritious wheat and some special kind of uber vegetarian oil (only because the girl who sublet the apartment last summer left it behind and I gotta get rids of it somehow. Yeah, I know, hello January).. Speaking of which any of you peep yesterday's release from Apple? And I'd been hoping for a digital sketchbook.

Side of yougurt, raisons and granola all atop a bed of maple syrup and enough butter to saturate the pancakes like a second skin. The glass at the time filled with OJ was subterfuged during a lost night from Kiki. Always a friend, once a colleague now little more than a memory. I smoke a cigarette while writing this entry and ash in his empty glass.

Cheers foodies... Jahtzee

P.S. Incidentally, though this may be of most interest to those in the ford of hearts: the author of those fairy tales, who was employed as a secretary for Louis 14, began his career in law school...

Gee-ross!

2010-01-30T15:56:00.000-08:00

Can I just say ... no wonder my stomach hurts!?!

Breakfast:
coffee, McDonald's bacon egg & cheese biscuit, hash brown.

Lunch: Trader Joe's chocolate croissant, water.

Dinner: Whole Foods white pizza (garlic, olive oil, mozzarella, ricotta, parsley), 4 rolls of tuna and salmon sushi, one whoopie pie (disappointing), small portion of Ciao Bella pistachio gelato. All good things, just NOT. ALL. TOGETHER.

Oy.....

Asian Invasion (Yeah, I Said It)

2010-01-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

Dinner, last night: Restaurant week prix fixe at BondSt. Started off with a glass of very mediocre sake (my fault for ordering the cheapest one) at the bar. Sat down, began with a perfectly dressed salad of greens and literally ONE, paper-thin slice of radish, topped with with these very fine, crispy noodles. Followed by steamed, salted edamame. Then, a bento box-like plate with: crispy tempura shrimp glazed in a spicy mayo. Good, but the flavor and bright orange color made reminded me of something I couldn't quite put my finger on--Doritos, perhaps? "Steamed Yuba dumpling" turned out to be chicken "dumpling,"which resembled a small, limp eggroll, and tasted of lukewarm mushed cabbage. Braised hijiki. Half of a salmon-avocado roll, half of a spicy tuna roll--very good. Sliced steak over steamed greens, drizzled with, supposedly, 12-year-old balsamic vinegar.

Elisa had elected for the sea bass, instead, which was out of this world. The most flavorful piece of fish I have ever had--it was positively infused with moisture and sweet miso. Dessert was lychee panna cotta, served with an elegant twist of edible gold and a strawberry-rhubard compote. All washed down with a "sake flight." Three half glasses of complex flavor: one cloudy and citrusy, one with distinct pear overtones, and one more traditional, less fruity, deftly twisting sharp and smooth as it sits in your mouth. I love the idea of a flight; franny's does one with three amaros (or amari, for those Italophiles among us).

Breakfast, this morning: Cornflakes with milk, blueberry green tea.

Snack: Aloha Recipe Early Bird granola

Lunch: Andrea and I hoofed it up to the Chambers Hotel on 56th Street, in which has recently opened a new Momofuku outpost called Ma Peche. They have a $10 lunch special, which includes an entree and a soda. My dish was exemplary: wide rice noodles, rolled up into little noodle-cigars, in a slightly soupy, rich pork ragu, with tender leaves of baby bok-choy, crispy fried onions, lots of saw leaf herb. Diet Coke in a glass with ice, which always makes it more exciting. Andrea got the squid salad, which I only had a tiny bite of, because I didn't want to share mine with her. We shared a Milk Bar peanut butter cookie.

Here's a picture I found on the interweb.

Dinner tonight can't possibly compare, but I am making cacio e pepe, from a recipe in the most recent issue of Cook's Illustrated.

Me Too

2010-01-26T16:22:00.000-08:00

I'm with you, Nene!

Breakfast: Cara Cara orange, blueberry green tea
Snack: several handfuls of Early Bird granola, Aloha Recipe. This granola is made by my former manager at franny's and while a bit pricey it is damn good, made with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and toasted coconut, among other ingredients. The Aloha Recipe features macadamia nuts and dried mango.
Lunch: Some homemade vegetarian chili from a Food and Wine recipe. Carrots, peppers, kidney beans, hominy, parsnips, onions, garlic, chili, cumin. Absolutely delicious, especially topped with sour cream and cilantro. I ran out of the brown rice I've been eating it with for the past few days.
Dinner: Will be enjoyed (I hope) at BondSt, for restaurant week. Menu found here, report to come.

Daily Eats

2010-01-26T12:51:00.001-08:00

I'm taking this blog back to its beginnings by posting what I eat every day, because it helps me to be more attentive to my eating habits and hold myself accountable for what I actually put in my body. And, since we all know that food is one of my favorite topics of conversation, I hope some of you will also be inspired to comment or post what you are eating in response so that we can share. It's a way of keeping in touch!

Monday is my loooooooong day with six hours of work followed by six hours of class. I literally leave home at 8:30 am and get back at 9:30 pm. Since the semester is just getting started, I'm just beginning to figure out how this is going to work and what kinds of food I can bring to sustain me throughout the day. So, Monday:

Breakfast: coffee, glazed donut stick, banana.
Snack/Lunch: tangerine and half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Snack: mini-Twix and mini-Milky Way, chex mix.
Dinner: Vegetable soup - a total hodgepodge of vegetables (including potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, celery, parsnip, and carrot greens) with quinoa and soba noodles for bulk and cilantro, lime, and tomatillo salsa for flavor/heat. Sounds bizarre but it was soooo good! And a glorious piece of Whole Foods Seeduction bread rubbed with garlic, topped with Gruyere cheese, and toasted. Heaven.

So far today:
Breakfast: coffee and a mini-donut muffin from a nearby bakery that I just discovered.
Breakfast #2: oatmeal with golden raisins and banana, water.
Lunch: half a smoked turkey and cheddar sandwich on wheat bread with lettuce, avocado, and some SPICY dijon mustard from Trader Joe's. Beware!
Snack: a lemon wafer (from above-mentioned bakery), and some of a chocolate peanut butter brownie (frosted with chocolate icing and peanut butter AND peanut butter chips....oh my) and a chocolate mint brownie (frosted with a layer of mint frosting and a layer of chocolate frosting... OH MY)
Dinner: whole wheat pizza with bbq sauce, spinach, mushrooms, cheese, avocado, and cilantro. Sounds like a flavor explosion, and it was! Oh and a Long Trail.

Sick

2009-12-29T06:47:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays, y'all!

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/12/steamed-fried-cod-milt-kiku-shirako-tachi-recipes.html

Rien Faire Comme Un Au Pair

2009-12-13T15:19:00.000-08:00

The RER trains into Paris were on strike this weekend, which means I have to take a different train that takes even longer to get into Paris. The problem is not that I don't have the time to spare, but rather that this long and arduous journey makes me believe that I somehow deserve to indulge myself in fine Parisian haute cuisine. And indulge myself I did.

After this au pair that I was supposed to meet up with bailed on me -- a turn of events that I was secretly somewhat ecstatic about -- it was time to feast. After stopping in at the Breizh Cafe only to be told the wait was an hour and a half, I decided to make my way from the Marais to Saint Germain des Pres. This is somewhat of a troop so I stopped at a market and bought myself une galette saucisse traditionnelle. It was a hot sausage wrapped in a cold buckwheat crepe. Pretty delicious.

Next I stopped by L'Epigramme per David Leib's recommendation but alas, it's Sunday so it was closed. I stumbled onto Boulevard Saint Germain and saw Da Rosa... I figured if nothing else, I could just eat raisins soaked in sauterne and covered with chocolate for lunch. I asked if they had room for one, but the place was packed. Luckily the waiter must have seen my disappointment, and explained that there was a table in the basement where they hang the Spanish hams; if I wanted, I could eat there. C'est un peu froid mais quand meme... So I ended up sitting all by myself at this little table in the meat room of De Rosa. At first it felt weird, but then I developed a sort of back-room Tony Soprano understanding of it and I was like this is iiiiiiill.

Ok, I'll speed this up. I ordered the risotto with Iberico ham and a Savignon Blanc avec une carafe d'eau, bien sur. It was phenomenal. Dessert was an insane chocolate cake that was super moist, filled with a warm chocolate pudding and surrounded by a vanilla cream. As I bit into it three words inevitably came to mind: Get 'em girl!

After finally seeing the entire Limits of Control, I had a sausage shwarma at a pretty good little Lebanese restaurant next to the theater. As I'm writing this, I'm finishing up my Le Petit Suisse, fromage frais with a little pure cane sugar on top.

And I leave you with a little adapted Adorno:

Rien faire comme [un au pair], lying on water and looking peacefully at the sky, ‘being nothing else, without any further definition and fulfilment’, might take the place of process, act, satisfaction, and so truly keep the promise of dialectical logic that it would culminate in its origin.

Cookie Monster

2009-11-19T15:23:00.000-08:00

That's me, of course! Taking a brief break here in the Netherlands to report on tonight's unexpected cooking triumph: chocolate chip cookies. I know I haven't posted at all while I've been away (don't worry, I've got a lot stored up!) but I have been cooking quite a bit. We are fortunate to have a lovely, spacious apartment with a kitchen and dishwasher; however, we are oven-challenged. We basically have a microwave for an oven - I'm told it's a convection oven and so far we've cooked all kinds of goodies in it, but it still just looks like a microwave to me. I don't trust it. On top of that, the other night we had an unfortunate incident in which the microwave/oven began to smoke and emit a very strange and alarming smell, prompting me to worry that a fire might be imminent. I went so far as to fetch my neighbor (more on him later) and ask him to have a look at the thing, and we haven't really been on solid footing since then.

My lovely roommate was making dinner tonight and mentioned that she had tested out the oven a couple times and it seemed to be fine. Hope! Of course, at the end of our meal I began dreaming of chocolate chip cookies, and after a brief peak at the internet, I rose from the table with a mission. Baking makes me feel good, for so many reasons that I won't go into now, but suffice it to say that I love to eat and food is comforting and sometimes it helps to fill my heart with gezellig when I am missing someone. I was looking for something really quick and easy because after a few glasses of wine, I get a little sleepy. This recipe took all of 10 minutes and turned out delicious. I even made the entire thing in one pot on the stove, so there was minimal cleanup. I think the key is that you brown the butter on the stovetop, which imbues the batter with a heavenly nutty caramel flavor. Then it's just sugar, flour, the usual suspects, and some chocolate, which I chopped roughly from 2 different chocolate bars because they don't seem to sell chocolate chips here (perhaps the only deterrent from living here permanently?)

The cookies took about 8 minutes in our little convection contraption (I ran it hotter than the recipe calls for because our temperature only increases in 25-degree increments) and they were perfect...crunchy but not quite crispy on the outer edges, soft and almost mushy in the middle... I couldn't wait for them to cool off, but by the time I got to the third one, they were at perfect temperature. I guzzled some cold milk with these babies and sighed a long, happy, comforted sigh before crawling into bed.

Recipe here.

Eatin' Good in the Neighborhood

2009-11-04T12:47:00.000-08:00

Forewent (is that a word?) both franny's and the W (whose room service menu includes an entire page FOR DOGS) for Pam Real Thai Food, the best Thai joint I have found in Manhattan (I have yet to venture to Queens, where it's supposed to be really great). The four of us ordered, to start, fried calamari, which was served without the tentacles and in longer rings than you'd get at, say, a bar, and with a slightly viscous sweet chili dipping sauce. We also shared curry puffs, which were very similar to samosas (though lacking peas) and came with a thinner, brighter, more vinegary sauce. Then I went with my old standby, Pad See Eil, because I find that whenever I order something else there, even if it's delicious (and it usually is), I miss it. The wide rice noodles that fall in folds and stick together, the thick, dark sweet soy sauce, the tender stalks of Chinese broccoli, the scrambled egg, the crispy but not over-fried tofu--it drives me nuts. I was not disappointed, but admittedly envious of Steven's choice, which also consisted of wide rice noodles but tossed with chicken, cabbage, and a blended spicy red sauce instead. Jo got a third wide noodle dish with chicken, red peppers, and basil, and her co-worker had the larb gai (minced chicken) and Som Tum (shredded green papaya with a dense kind of green bean, peanuts, and tiny dried shrimp--another of my favorites).

Breakfast the next morning was: a slice of Boule bread with almond butter, a (perfect, if I do say so myself) fried egg, and a cup of English Breakfast tea, which I can never seem to finish.

Lunch: A very vanilla turkey-and-cheddar sandwich on a whole grain bread, with lettuce, tomato, and honey mustard. Half a pickle. A bag of Baked Lay's Potato Chips. A Diet Coke, which gave me a headache.

Dinner at the Grisly Pear, where my dear friend Becky was hosting trivia night: Sam Adams Winter Lager. A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad veggie burger. It was bloated and mushy with chunks of broccoli and topped with something called "cilantro cream," whatever that means, and on a sesame bun with a lifeless slice of tomato, some greens, and shredded carrots. The fries were decent at least. They were even better in the form of the cheese fries the other people on my team ordered--theirs came with cheddar and, oddly, rosemary.

Breakfast this A.M.: Another slice of Boule bread with almond butter. A very ripe banana. Three baby carrots. English Breakfast tea.

Lunch: In Bryant Park, delightful leftovers from Andrea's dinner party last night, which I rudely missed. Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated, butternut squash risotto with sage, which had a distinctly wine-y flavor in the best possible way, peas with cream and leeks, and a tangle of apple crisp made with lots of brown sugar and granola. Impressively good.

Self-Inspired

2009-11-02T12:27:00.000-08:00

I am happy with what I ate so far today so I thought I'd blog about it. I miss this thing!

Breakfast: Fried egg, sunny-side down. Small hunk of orange Cabot cheddar (why's it orange, by the way?). Slice of delicious Boule bread from Brooklyn Larder, spread with Trader Joe's blackberry jam. English breakfast tea, no milk. Water, vitamin, fish oil.

Lunch: Leftover Szechuan: chicken with celery and mushrooms in a spicy garlicky sauce. It needed peanuts. Homemade Jasmine rice.

Mid-afternoon snack: Handful of yogurt-covered pretzels. One of the last Macouns of the season.

Dinner at franny's or the W?

Pancake Man

2009-08-23T09:47:00.000-07:00

Its been awhile since we've seen one of these and not everyone is completely crazy about subliminal implications but I know at least one person reading this from art history has a smile growing across her face.

The run down:
Pancakes a la buckwheat, choc chips, kasha, ground sunflower seeds & banana chips
Maple s-y-"up"
a fresh batch of yoghurt
almonds
granola clumps
fried egg, chedah cheese & slice of tomato

Cold Hot Pasta

2009-08-17T10:36:00.001-07:00

Is hott in herre & I've got the remedy...

Arrabiata is one of the few un-swear related words i brought back from sweet Italia. Often inexpensive, tasty and unique due to it's hott character Arrabiata is not a sexually transmitted disease but rather a popular red sauce found all over Roma.

I was told by Gabriele that Arrabiata means "of the Arabs", presumably an Ancient Roman pick up from the crusades but Wikipedia suggests the following: All'arrabbiata means "angry style", named as such due to the heat of the peppers.

Either origin this sauce makes for a great overlay, both fresh off the stove on evening over penne or the following afternoon, outta the fridge. In fact, the heat (& in case you missed it, even Santa thinks this iz some heat) when combined with cool, is one of the great universal combos. Jason Alexander certainly nailed the thought with this dance number, in probably my all-time favorite commercial.

Thats the stuff!

2009-08-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

After Putney let out, I spent some days va-couching: pushing off responsibilities at home in favor of moving through various friend's domiciles, drawing and decompressing. This is really a terrific way of traveling because on short notice you get to witness people in their native habitat and often they feed you just because your around and playing with their cat or three year old.

On one such visit, with this drawer and his significant paintess, I was treated to the breakout surprise of the summer: yogurt. Not just any yogurt, but thick, creamy, cool in the summer heat and best taken out to the porch, made-at-home yogurt.

Made-at-home yogurt... you're kidding me. No, I am not. And I was told the only instrument you'd need is a thermometer. From that moment I vowed to bring the concept, made at home yogurt, to New Haven.

It took about 2 hours upon arrival, 1 for unpacking and another to get hungry before I found myself at the grocery store frantically phone calling any one I knew who might know something about yogurt or had access to the Internet.

The ingredients are simple:
1/2 gallon of milk
1 container of yogurt
1 thermometer
Several bags of Chocolate Chips, some cheddar and Ben & Jerry's

For a recipe source I improvised, using these guys, who are especially cool because they're also into illustrating.

So this is what I came up with: (you can call it the 9:45pm yogurt recipe & you'll soon see why)

1.Construct a double boiler and heat 1/2 gallon of milk up to 190 degrees F

2.Cover pot & place in cool water watching the temp to sink to 107 degrees F

3.Add 1 cup of yogurt, well 16 ounces if your not careful and stir lightly.

4.Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees F then turn it off once it's nice and hot.

5.Cover the alleged yogurt, stick it in the oven, close it, go to bed & let sit over night.

6.In the morning, pull the pot outta the oven, pour off the residual liquid

and if you're lucky, voila!

One day... a boy can dream

Can't beat the stand-by

2009-08-12T06:59:00.001-07:00

Just made it thru summer camp and these were the digs that got me thru...

A layer of kale, chard & beat greens occasionally accompanied and occasionally pirated from the staff garden from behind the cow barn. Steam till relaxed then add several poached eggs from Trish's chickens with a few hunks of Cheddar. Top it with a combination of lil' beats stewed with cherry tomatoes and a nip of honey. Smatter with pepper and salt.

Doesn't matter who you are, a few bites of this will have you maneuvering like a teenager, running barefoot and settin' fancy free.

Cinco De Mom-0h

2009-05-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

To go in reverse, for dinner: I picked up several slices at Bella Haven on College Street in New Haven. Although it was a prelude to a baseball game with liquid accompaniment up the block at the Anchor, Bella's pizza tasted just as good this time at 730pm as it more often does at 1 or 2am.

Not to step on the far more sophisticated New Haven Pizza reviews about to come out by Val Taleggio but I think Bella achieves it’s success by hitting on all three sides of the pizza golden triangle: sauce (which is clean, vibrant and fresh), crust (which is crisp, thin, yet pliant and acting as a perfect backboard for the sauce) and cheese (which is absorbent, piping hot and in an appetizing ratio relative to the thickness of the crust).

If there be one draw-back to this pizza, and it may be a matter of personal taste, because others have called this an attribute: the amount of oil which pools on your plate and is left on your hands between bites. Either way, you can’t beat the vicinity to the Anchor, where the food is horrible and the atmosphere divine. Especially the drawing angles from the booths and the steady stream of personality that flows in and outta there. On yester evening I had the pleasure of watching the hapless Yanks drop another against the pizza-sauced-colored Sox to the glee of a very independent Melissa and the woe of a carless, jobless Kiki.

Not to go off topic anymore than usual but I’m very impressed with the coaching going on in the ultimate sports program at this middle school.

For lunch, Chico & I heated up some split pea soup*(1) with a side of steamed brown rice and rainbow chard. These leftovers were well timed as we’d spent all yesterday morning into afternoon cleaning the apartment for Artwalk. After reorganizing the studio (we’re talking no brush left unturned), repairing hockey sticks, vacuuming and hanging paintings... lunch, in strong contrast to the rain outside, brought a glorious warmth to the living room and a temporary finishing still-life to the exhibit on the walls.

Although the original feeling earlier that morning was discontent with the timing of the event/relative to the state of finish with the paintings I’ve been working on.. after some pinhead oatmeal dashed upon with some simply bumpin jive-with-the-tastebuds, teamwork’d granola*(2), plus the addition of yoguhrt, ba-nenes, peanut butter, raw milk and honey, I felt fit for baptism.

Shout out to all the moms, grandmoms, future moms and potential moms this weekend...

Yours in culinary endeavors, J

*(1) Whole nother story, as that Split pea was the legend of last week never written but duly noted by all bards who put down their harps and pulled up a chair to sample its splendor.

*(2) Granola recipe and team-workmanship courtesy of the San Francisco Chef… Todah Rabah Beckolina

Leggums

2009-04-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

Legumes, people. Grains and legumes, that's what I'm eating these days... well, that's what I should be eating anyway. I eat mostly bread. And dessert. Honestly, I can't even remember what I ate yesterday but so far today, it's been cereal with banana, coffee, a biscuit, some lentils with roti and some water. I'm actually pretty full or I would polish off some samosas and a couple of cookies. Hah.

McOats

2009-03-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

Your papi’s right. Bittman seems to weigh in kinda heavily on the moral side and rather fret about his oats more so than consume em. Give the guy some slack though. On any afternoon we can channel something different and Bitt's proven his joy‘d comida.

Bittman's ethic infused food rants are interesting though; proposals of transferring into law body the real cost of food. I hope he includes the ocean into the list of targets. The commercial fishing industry, especially the long liners and net draggers, make the corporate mega farms seem like the caretakers of candyland.

Should food be a moral issue?

Bittman perhaps waters down his argument occasionally with the wistful view that information leads to healthy choices. Most of us today tend to be creatures of habit; if we can get used to or sold on drinkn Tab and eating chicken mcnuggets (granted they are doused with aromatic chemical crack) we can learn to love oatmeal. Especially when you make it a little more sexy. P.S., peanut butter is only the beginning, stew in some prunes, apples, apricots, figs or bananas, toss in almonds, granola, yogurt and maple syrup… one spoonful and you’ll see Bitt’s eyes spin like matching cherries at the casino.

Speaking of gamblin and poor choices made in light of solid information, I got the bug. Shout out to Puckdom: got my money on Groovy UV beatin the hometown heros this afternoon in Bridgeport. Tonight, rounding out the sweet 16 in basketball? C'mon, glorious!

All Hail Bittman

2009-03-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

Speaking of everyone's favorite food personality, I've been meaning to post this for quite some time. We talked in the NY Times cafeteria over--what else--oatmeal, into which he mixed peanut butter (an interesting idea, no?), and coffee, which he took with half-and-half, no sugar (I'm an observant little journalist). I think he had some interesting stuff to say. My dad was surprised by his apparent lack of passion for the pure joy of eating. What do you guys think?

What Grapes Are.

2009-03-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

The gentleman taking inventory in the produce section at Nica's gave me a stern look when he saw me pick up a bag of garden variety table grapes after work today. Silently, he handed me two small green globes tinged with pink, plucked like fragile treasure from a fold of protective white paper. "Muscats," he told me as I popped them in my mouth. Biting through the somewhat toothy skin, a flowery gush of sweet, winey pulp ran over my tongue. At some point, I must have opened my eyes again, because I remember thanking him as I rushed to the checkout with my tender bunch.

The white muscat grape is to supermarket grapes what Big Mama Thornton is to Elvis; these, my friends, are what grapes are. I ate half of my bunch for dinner along with a healthy wedge of boucheron, a handfull of EOTW whole wheat triscuit impostors, and two eggs scrambled with a heavy dollop of cream and a generous sprinkling of dried tarragon and then just barely cooked. Heaven.

The Salad Cure

2009-03-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

Being sick all week was a drag, but being in the house for days on end meant lots of time to cook and to think about cooking. On Thursday, Thomas (of salad-making fame) made me a lovely gift of five waxy potatoes and a bunch of asparagus. On Friday afternoon between naps I found myself unable to think of much besides salade niçoise. We put together this stripped-down version with what I had on hand- potatoes, capers, spinach, asparagus, and eggs.

I learned an important lesson putting this together- not all hard boiled eggs are created equally. Heeding the advice of Bittman, I put them in water, brought it to a boil, turned off the heat, and let them sit for nine minutes. (The Joy would have had me boil them for fifteen! As if!) They turned out great- the white was firm, but the yolk still tasted rich and moist- not at all chalky. Thank you, Bittman! (And Thomas, for peeling.)

All assembled and doused in vinaigrette this really hit the spot. The potato salad was comfortingly warm and tart, just as I had been dayquil-dreamed it. Capers are such sexy, salty little beasts that I am contemplating a dish built around them. (Any suggestions?) Chewing all that green stuff had the added benefit of convincing me I was getting healthier. In retrospect I would have added minced shallot to make the potatoes sharper and a chopped red pepper to make the whole thing more photogenic, but for vegetable-drawer weeknight eating it was not at all bad.

Saucy Dreams

2009-03-05T09:43:00.000-08:00

My parents and sister were over last night so we had a Buenarroti family sleepover. We, or mainly my mom, dusted the remaining red stripes or "red snapper" as she called them, leftover from a bowling party. Judi arrived late with her Bull dog, 'Mar-i-con', who ran all over the house, puked water on the carpet and knocked over an easel.

We made penne alla vodka shrimp, Thomas, my house mate, made a salad, and then retreated up to his room after dinner as the Buenarroties started reminiscing; bringing up ol family gripes and doing shots of leftover Vodka sauce. Back in the day, mom could be pretty militant about spring cleaning. She usually used this opportunity to get rid of some awesome stuff, especially clothes we had that she didn’t like; so i used to imagine little kids cruising the hood in my favorite iron on and corduroys, wondering if I’d ever see them again. Maybe that led to this dream....

I woke up this morning on the couch to my parents fuddeling around the kitchen and half asleep, i tried answering questions they were asking of one another. I had just emerged from a dream, where a young Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were filming a video in my childhood home on Old Parish Road (shout out 36!) with an equally young Chevy Chase. They were goofing around the house, variously clad in sixtiesish attire that they were finding in the bottom of my parent's drawers and using our childhood toys as props.

Garfunkel just walked by just wearing white short-shorts and a single two toned sleeve from a woman's short sleeve shirt crowned with a child's birthday party hat. I was sitting on the couch wondering when they were gonna leave, pagin through a book they were releasing of photographs. Apparently Simon, Garfunkel and Chevy Chase fashioned themselves more than just singers and comedians but artists as well. The pictures had taken over the many years of their careers and they were now releasing them as a coffee table tomb. Alot of abstract landscapes that admitidlely were pretty cool. Such great color and I wondered when they had time to take all these photographs.

They also had gotten permission or a grant or something from the city to repair the plumbing in the sewer system beneath our house. I walked around down there, while doing my laundry, marveling at the improved lighting, cleaned concrete and relief iron fireman they had incorporated into a somewhat minimalist, criss-crossing pipe-design, which seemed inspired by antique train trestle bridges.

My laundry was coming out pretty good and I was psyched because I love fresh laundered clothes and my parent's old washer was really a trusty well-powered horse of American engineering. Disturbing my reverie my mom was yelling for me from upstairs. She was really pissed, someone at cut the sleeve off her favorite t shirt. Wait till she sees the pipes I thought as I climbed the stairs with my basket of fresh laundry.

Fresh in mind, I told this dream to my parents this morning, half awake, on the couch and my mother replied,"oh yeah, well I dreamed I was pregnant at 55 and all my friends were making fun of me, 'why the hell would you wanna do that?!' and then I gave birth to three potatoes fetuses, two girls and a boy, and boy was I relieved." Somehow my mother's dream only confirmed what I already suspected; my parents are unfit to parent.

Okay, primo courso = Lettuce, carrots, beat shavings, sliced baby bellas, sunflower seeds and Goddess Dressing (Sorry Bittman, family favorite).

Segundo courso = Garlic, onion, oil, humanism spread and pepper till they sizzle. Cut up numerous tomatoes, throw in and add some sauce even. Next, once it’s really cookin, throw in diced up raw shrimp and add a lot of vodka, cooking and sampling. Meanwhile you’re now boiling water and maybe even add left over beat to get the water to magenta. Dump in a couple boxes of Penne (we’re cooking for a family with appetites) and keep an eye on its progress.

Back over to the sauce begin adding layers good melting cheese. We went retro and used deli sliced Land o’lakes American. Add a tug of heavy cream and then begin throwing in cheddar or whatever else that melts and you’ve got in the fridge. Occasionally I have even added some spinach at this point but last night we were going for bland and beautiful.

At this point your pasta should be ready and the salad out, (I hear raw foods set the stomach up for good digestion and should always be consumed before cooked ones but haven’t any stats to back it up). Drain the now pink pasta and place some on each plate. Cover with vodka cream shrimp sauce each pile with a pour from the pitcher and garnish with “Red Snapper” and voila!

How come with each entry I write it feels as though the course of humanity slides further towards the brink of reverse culture. I leave you on this note.

Where are all my peeps?

2009-02-08T20:00:00.001-08:00

This is becoming a one-woman show, peeps! Now, I know I'm fascinating (said in the Gary Oldman-as-Drexel voice if you catch me) but I ain't that fascinating! Variety is the spice of life, in food and in food blogging. I know we're all busy, but for the sake of keeping this thing alive (and because I amuse myself, if only myself) here's what I ate this weekend:

Friday night
dinner: tacos (corn tortillas) filled with caramelized onions, wilted spinach and goat cheese, smothered in A's delicious fire roasted salsa. Shazam!

Saturday
breakfast: bacon, egg and cheese on a toasted everything bagel and coffee. The everything bagel may arguably be "boyfriend repellant" (depends on the boyfriend, I guess) but it sure is tasty! And we all know I don't resist tasty. It was so tasty, in fact, that I took a couple home with me, along with a container of vegetable cream cheese and a hot chocolate chip bagel that got eaten before we even walked out the door.

lunch: this delicious broccoli and potato soup from the New York Times. They've got some gems in their soup repetoire, I'll report back as I try more of them. The parmesan croutons add textural interest and a rich saltiness - you can't go wrong.

dinner: Attended a vegetarian potluck. Brought bbq pizza with mushrooms (not my idea, and initially I scoffed at it but I learned my lesson - it was damn good!). Ate tons of awesome food, can't remember all of it. Standouts included quesadillas with guacamole, soy-marinated tofu and fried rice, homemade hummus with garlic pita bread, and butternut squash soup.

Today:
breakfast: half an everything bagel (from stash acquired yesterday), plain cream cheese, and coffee.

lunch: this is kind of embarassing, but I ate another bagel for lunch. What can I say? I like bagels. My first real job was at a Bruegger's Bagels and it was no accident. I think back on it as my halcyon days. I was free to try all sorts of seemingly perverse combinations like everything bagels with honey walnut cream cheese and poppy-salt bagels with every different kind of cream cheese. They are quick, filling (for a few minutes, anyway) and delicious, and I was running out the door. So it was a sesame bagel toasted with vegetable cream cheese. To save face, I ate a blood orange (I'm trying for one piece of fruit per day) and washed it all down with some hot peach tea (my favorite - oops, just kidding - Earl Grey is my favorite, see previous posts!)

dinner: what did I eat for dinner? hmmm... oh yeah, I remember, sorry but I'm emerging from the fog of dessert. Dinner was some of A's delicious green salsa (he is a salsa machine and I love it!), more broccoli potato soup, and some potato and pea samosas with coriander and mango chutney.

The dessert that did me in for the night was David Lebovitz's sticky toffee pudding, a recipe I have been absolutely drooling over for the past couple of weeks (weeks! just look at the pictures!) Usually once I find a recipe this swoon-worthy, I don't wait weeks. I do everything in my power to produce it in my kitchen as soon as humanly possible. Sometimes I think of myself as a machine. For some reason, I kept getting waylaid on this one and maybe it was for the best - someone should have warned me that I would need not only a couple hours to make it, but several more to recover from eating it. It was amazingly delicious, but my blood sugar HATED me afterwards. I doused it in toffee sauce (think of me & syrup, you get the idea), topped it with whipped cream, and devoured it. Any time any of y'all want to come over, just say the word and I'll whip it up. Then we'll have to talk to each other as we lie prostrate on the floor, but it will be worth it.

On a side note, if anyone's made toffee (not the hard kind, but the warm sticky kind as shown in the pictures) perhaps they can tell me what the trick is to getting it all thick and sticky. Mine never thickened to the consistency that it should have. It tasted like toffee and it worked fine with the cake, but I want to know what I did wrong. I'm thinking it may have been the sugar I used. Next time I'll try with true brown sugar (I used turbinado) and see if that does it. Maybe I'll add some butter. Hah.

Buona notte!

Another soup recipe...

2009-01-28T08:28:00.000-08:00

I apologize for my lack of blog participation lately, but i couldn't help but contribute one of my favorite "under the weather" soup recipes, or techniques really.

I started making this soup for myself when i was working at a vegetarian restaurant. I was really into (and still am) very simple japanese food at the time, and this was just something i came up with out of necessity. A small piece of kombu seaweed, a knob of ginger, some dried mushrooms, scallion whites, a little water, tamari or shoyu, makes an excellent broth for soba or udon noodles, or is great just poured over some brown or steamed rice, with fresh scallions and togarashi chili powder on top. you could make a basic dashi and add bonito flakes to the kombu broth, but i almost prefer this vegetarian version when im not feeling well.

Kombu Broth with Soba

1 2 inch piece of kombu seaweed, scored with a sharp knife once or twice.
1 1 inch knob of ginger, smashed with the flat of your knife
2 - 3 scallion whites (greens reserved for garnish) smashed with the flat of your knife
5 good quality dried shitake mushrooms, or fresh shitake stems (if using fresh shitakes, gently cook in the finished broth while the noodles cook.)
3 cups of cold water
tamari or shoyu soy sauce to taste

For garnish:
Cooked dried soba noodles
Thinly sliced fresh or reconstituted dry shitake mushrooms (from making the broth)
Scallion greens, thinly sliced on the bias.
Sesame oil
Very finely julienned fresh ginger
schichimi togarashi (japanese 7 spice chili powder)

Method:
in a small sauce pan combine the kombu, ginger, scallion whites, mushrooms and water.

Slowly bring to a simmer, and remove and discard the kombu before the water starts to boil, otherwise it will give off a funky odor. Simmer for 15 minutes, until the dried shitakes are soft and the broth tastes like it has fully extracted the flavor of the aromatics. remove from heat, strain through a fine mesh sieve, reserving the reconstituted shitake caps (remove and discard the woody stems), and discarding the rest of the spent ingredients. Thinly slice and return the mushrooms to the broth, and season to taste with the shoyu or tamari. keep warm on the stove while you prepare the garnishes and cook the noodles.

Serve in warmed bowls garnished to your liking.

Hope you feel better!!

Chicken Soup to the Rescue

2009-01-26T19:33:00.000-08:00

D, say it ain't so! I'm sorry to hear that you're under the weather. Here's my go-to recipe for a basic, no-frills, hearty and delicious chicken soup - you can improvise with whatever you have on hand (celery, onions instead of leeks, vegetable instead of chicken stock, etc.) I'm eating it as I type this very moment. Oddly enough, I find that a healthy squirt of hot sauce in my chicken soup is strangely satisfying when I'm sick - but you can also leave it as is, or grate some cheese over it, whatever strikes your fancy. If you're going to be eating it over a couple of days, you may want to keep some of the cooked chicken and pasta aside in the refrigerator so that you can make the soup quickly whenever you want. Feel better soon!

Chicken Soup with a Secret Weapon
Adapted from Orangette

2 large, bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh thyme (about 4-5 sprigs)
2 quarts chicken broth (I used Imagine brand Organic Free Range), plus a bit more broth or water for thinning if needed
2 large carrots, cut into rounds roughly ¼-inch thick
2 medium leeks, trimmed, halved lengthwise, rinsed thoroughly, and cut into rough 1-inch pieces 1 Parmigiano Reggiano rind, roughly 2 inches square
1/3 cup small soup pasta (I use whatever's on hand; pipette, elbows, etc.)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse and dry chicken breasts, and place them in a single layer on a baking dish or cookie sheet. Rub them with olive oil, and sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and roughly 3 sprigs’ worth of thyme leaves. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes, or until it is cooked through and the skin is golden. Set the meat aside until cool enough to handle; then shred the chicken from the bone in large flakes, discarding the skin. [Note that most of the seasonings are stuck to the outside of the skin, so as you remove it, you might consider rubbing it, seasoning side down, against the meat.]

Pour chicken broth into a large pot, Dutch oven, or stockpot. Add the carrots, leeks, cheese rind, and a dash of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let cook about 25 minutes, until vegetables are tender and broth smells lightly of the cheese. Add the leaves of 7 or so sprigs of thyme, and let cook another five minutes. Add chicken and pasta (and a bit of additional broth or water, if you feel the mixture is too thick), return the soup to a boil, turn down the heat, and let the soup simmer for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if needed. Retrieve and discard the cheese rind. Ladle into bowls. Serves a lot.

Soup Recipe

2009-01-26T17:51:00.001-08:00

Nene (or anyone else for that matter): I'm pretty sick right now, so I was hoping you might have a good soup recipe for me. I have some home-made vegetable broth in the freezer, and i'm fiendin for some old fashioned chicken-noodle, or something. Let me know!

Weekend Bounty

2009-01-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

So far today has been a day of bountiful productivity in the kitchen: I've made Molly's berry pound cake and Deb's chocolate chip cookies, and frozen yesterday's chicken stock in various quantities (ice cubes, 1-cup ziploc baggies, etc.). Now I'm contemplating what to eat for dinner but must do some actual work first (and I'm not yet hungry since snacking on the pound cake and the cookies). Potato gratin? Chicken soup? Patricia Wells' winter pistou with Gene's pesto? I forgot to get butter and milk when I was at the store earlier, and am debating whether to go out again. Is it absurd to go to Whole Foods twice in one day?

Breakfast: Kashi cereal of oat flakes and wild blueberry clusters (I add frozen blueberries), coffee, half a sesame bagel with cream cheese.

Lunch: Black forest ham and Swiss cheese on ciabatta with spicy mustard. Water, apple cider.

Snack: teeny slice of berry pound cake (warm) and two warm chocolate chip cookies.

Dinner: TBD

That's What I'm Talking About

2009-01-24T09:31:00.000-08:00

Since reading this article, I have been making this soup almost non-stop. It's quick, super tasty, wonderfully aromatic, and very easy to adjust or improvise the ingredients. It's kind of a fun game to play around with the proportions, depending on how much of each component you want to taste in each spoonful/forkful/bite. You can make and keep various ingredients (cooked, shredded chicken, cilantro, lettuce, scallions, etc.) in the fridge and simply toss them into the broth at the last minute. I attempted to eat this with chopsticks without much success, and promptly switched to a spoon.

There have been so many blog-worthy culinary moments of late that I don't even know where to begin trying to catch up. In New York last weekend, the wierd music fan club (minus one) hit up two spots that were both new to me: Veselka, Ukranian food in the East Village, and Le Gamin in Soho, which I've wondered about ever since I became devoted to Robert Arbor's cute, kitschy storybook about French food and lifestyle, Joie de Vivre. Veselka was heavy on the meat, although with lots of vegetarian options, it doesn't have to be - but I ordered the meat combination plate, which included meat-stuffed cabbage and an array of pierogi as well as a cup of winey red borscht (which was a bit on the sweet side for me - when I had it in Russia, I seem to remember it had a bit of cream added to the broth to cut it and give it some unctuous body). V looked like he was about to pass out over his goulash, and we decided that he needs a stomach expansion. H's Christmas borscht with mushroom dumplings looked tasty.

Le Gamin was a totally unexpected surprise and a huge hit (we missed you H & T!) Small, super laid-back with a neighborhood vibe, the food was straightforward French corner bistro and perfectly executed. By happy accident, they made us the wrong crepe and so we got to try two. V had a simple and delicious omelet of ham, mushrooms and cheese with a lightly dressed green salad on the side, and I had a poached egg atop a latke with ratatouille. Then we shared a ratatouille crepe and a crepe with fresh butter and sugar. The coffee was strong, the atmosphere calm and friendly, the food was scrumptious and affordable - if you're in NY and looking for a breakfast/brunch/lunch/study spot, you should check it out.

This morning has been devoted to making stock and reading, sitting at my kitchen table with tulips and a bowl of blood oranges before me. Later will be attending Culinary Nirvana at la casa de Jazione - will report back with full details and photos - ciao amici!

New Schedule, New Diet

2009-01-24T06:32:00.000-08:00

Thursday

Breakfast: Spent so much time in a flurry about what to wear on the first day of my internship, that I didn't eat at home. Found a clementine in my purse (I am such an old lady). At internship, with nothing to do, snuck absolutely disgusting "vegetable" Wheat Thins out of a half empty bag that I ALSO had in my purse. They contained MSG. Not the best way to start the day. Water.

Lunch: My first foray into the Conde Nast cafeteria. Delightfully surprising. I opted for the Korean bar, where I was served up a big bowl of brown rice, sprouts, kimchee, something fresh basil-like, tofu, and a fried egg, which I topped with chili paste, soybean paste, and sesame seeds. More water.

Dinner: To exhausted to even heat anything up. Sandwich on whole wheat white bread (which still confuses me) of salami, cheddar cheese, organic mesculun lettuce. Handful of Terra Cotta vegetable chips. A few almonds, I think. A few sweetened dried cranberries. A few penguin shaped gummies from Trader Joe's.

Before bed: Mug of chamomile tea.

Friday

Breakfast: Much better attempt. Mug of organic granola with 2% milk. Banana.

Lunch: Something called a mezze (I think) in the cafeteria. A small container with a sizable block of feta adorned with fresh rosemary, pitted greek olives, cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, two stuffed grape leaves. A mealy apple. Water.

Dinner: At Grand Central sushi bar called Masa, which is suprisingly good. I've avoided the fish because it's in a train station, but I've gotten the vegetarian "Track 5" several times now. It comes with two pieces of inari and three three-piece rolls. One of them has cucumber and plum paste, one pickled (yellow) radish, one cooked squash (the best). Half a decent red bean bun. Water.

Culinary Nirvana

2009-01-16T11:09:00.000-08:00

Today the snow is fallen and a bitter wind laces through New Haven like another outbreak of Dutch elm disease. On Saturday, something is going to change. Not this Saturday and not Tuesday's momentous inauguration (although click here to get Barack's reaction)
but on Saturday, January 24th…

Delicious Vegetarian Cooking Class

Inspired by the flavors of India

You can be the next KamaChefra. No more need to rely on restaurants for that curry fix. We've got the open sesame to get past the waiter's smile and reveal what is going on behind the doors of that kitchen. We can teach you the authentic elixir to reground you in warmth, strip away economic worries and break the cycle of samsara.

Our Indian Vegetarian Cooking Class is your solution to learning how to prepare delicious, healthy, vegetarian Indian dishes from scratch using the freshest ingredients. Our recipes incorporate vegetables from different colored vegetable groups that taste as fantastic as they make you feel. This class will show you how fulfilling and satisfying a freshly-prepared Indian meal can be.

So sign up and embark on a culinary adventure!

The Menu

Baked samosas: We'll be making potatoes and peas-filled samosas, baked instead of deep-fried.

Spinach with tofu curry: How about the spinach and tofu curry and the spiced ginger and garlic cauliflower to complement the rice for a satisfying winter meal?

Cauliflower with potatoes: As an added bonus, take home the immeasurable benefits that eating cancer-preventing vegetables offer.

Spiced Basmati Rice: Learn to make the classic Indian staple, spiced Basmati rice.

Coconut and mustard-flavored buttercup squash: Our quick buttercup squash infused with coconut, mustard seeds and red peppers will dazzle your palate and is an unusual, home-made recipe that you will never find in an Indian restaurant.

Our class will also highlight an in-depth description of essential Indian spices and teach you to identify, purchase and grind them yourself.

The Details

Admission is $17. You'll learn how to cook the whole menu, plus learn about the origin and health benefits of each dish. Also, as a special bonus, you'll take home copies of each recipe for you to use in your own kitchen.

All proceeds go to Anmol, a non-prophit organization devoted to raising orphaned street-girls in Mumbai, India and the education of African daughters.

It all goes down at 5pm, Saturday January 24th beneath the shadow of New Haven's better rock, at 838 Whalley Avenue, Apt #3.

If you're interested but cant make this one, email a better date and we can try to accommodate a second round. Class size is limited, please RSVP by Tuesday the 20th so we can purchase the right amount of food.
Feel free to tell your friends.

The Instructors:

Carrol D'Sa, a native of Mumbai and Mangalore, India, grew up learning cooking the traditional way, i.e. at the side of her mother, grandmother and sisters. Carrol is also a scientist who has fleshed out her recipes to include the most up-to-date nutritional research.

Her cooking class partner, Jason Buezning, contributes to this food blog and is New Haven's residential arbiter of taste. He is an artist who specializes in eating and washing dishes afterward.

Eatin' Good in the [Guatemalan] Neighborhood

2009-01-11T12:01:00.000-08:00

So it's been exactly a week since I got back from Guatemala, where I spent 10 days including xmas and New Year's--time to blog about it! I was staying with my good friend Rodrigo, whose family splits their time between Guatemala City and a SICK beach house in the south, very close to the border of El Salvador. The food they ate on xmas was very western-traditional though unusually abundant: turkey, ham, AND pork leg with stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc. It was pretty good but what really excited me was the traditional Guatemalan cuisine.

Highlights:

Corn tamales, two types: one savory, seasoned with a tomato sauce and whole green olives, the other sweet, seasoned with some kind of chocolate sauce (sort of like mole but sweeter) and raisins. Both with a big chunk of delicious pork in the center.
Chicharrines, or pork skins, fried into bubbly/crackly oblivion, accompanied by AMAZING refried black beans (no idea what they do to them), guacamole, tortillas, lime, Gallo beer (the national cerveza).
Guatemalan fried chicken at Pollo Campero, the most popular (native) fast food chain, accompanied by french fries, coleslaw, full-calorie soda (they didn't have diet, which I thought was very interesting).
Insanely fresh ceviche, on the beach: some kind of white fish, chunked (is that a verb?) and tossed in lemon juice, cilantro, chopped tomato, salt and pepper, and plenty of hot sauce for me. We had this every day as the first course of lunch--it was followed by fresh tortillas, guacamole, pickled cabbage, Guatemalan sausage.
The same white fish, fried with very simple seasoning (a little paprika, maybe? something orangey and tasty), with potato salad and green salad.
Rosa de jamaica--a very popular drink (all over the world, apparently) made by boiling hibiscus leaves in water and adding sugar to the liquid. Rodrigo's mom gave me a big package of the leaves to take home.

The beach house

Rodrigo and our friend Ashby, post-Pollo Campero

My trip was great for many reasons, but food figured prominently in the fun. In an ironic twist, I almost wasn't able to eat it--I got some kind of stomach bug the day after I arrived. Luckily, it is very easy to obtain drugs in Central America--almost everything is over the counter--and Rodrigo's mom's friend suggested some weird antibiotic I'd never heard of .... Hey, it did the trick! It probably took five years off my life, or something, but it was worth it.

Pressed, dripped, or percolated?

2009-01-11T07:37:00.000-08:00

Breakfast: drip coffee, croissant.

Lunch: Turkey sandwich, Salt and Vinegar Kettle Chips (booooring - this is what I buy from across the street when i forget my lunch in the fridge at home and feel too cheap to buy something more expensive)

Dinner: Cuban fricase de pollo (Inspired by my trip to the Carribbean. It has a bit of citrus in it as well as a few other unlikely ingredients, but when push comes to shove I think I prefer the French version.) white rice (yes, V, WHITE rice).

Side note: How do you all drink your coffee? i.e. what type of roast, method of brewing, add-ins, etc. I wish I could be swayed more by nene's tea confessionals - don't get me wrong, I keep a stash of PG tips at the office for those rainy afternoons - but that Pete's medium roast drip is too tempting to pass up sometimes!

You Feast on That Swine?!

2009-01-09T07:42:00.000-08:00

Breakfast: oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins

Lunch: 2-hour monster lunch at Joey Shanghai. Scallion pancakes (Nene, you put me on!), pork soup-dumplings, crabmeat soup-dumplings, and pork and salted vegetable soup. Tea.

Dinner: 2 slices of pepperoni pizza and a few beers.

Food Crush: Mark Bittman

2009-01-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me knows that this is not a new thing; but here is yet another reason why I love Mark Bittman and his simple, humorous, down-to-earth approach to food.

Fresh Start for a New Year? Let’s Begin in the Kitchen

By MARK BITTMAN
Published: January 6, 2009

PERHAPS, like me, you have this romantic notion of shopping daily — maybe even a mental vision of yourself making the rounds, wicker basket in hand, of your little Shropshire or Provençal or Tuscan village. The reality, of course, is that few of us provision our kitchens or cook exclusively with ultra-fresh ingredients, especially in winter, when there simply are no ultra-fresh ingredients.

Continue reading: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/dining/07mini.html

Welcome to 2009!

2009-01-02T16:52:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the new year, everyone! I know that we've all been swept up in the holidays and their accompanying excesses, but now that we are entering a calmer moment I'm going to take the opportunity to post a little update from my life as it regains a semblance of normaliy. I am beginning to disengage from the feeding frenzy I've been on over the last few weeks, the kitchen intermittently brimming with roast tukey, roast chicken, roast beef, roast potatoes (gratin... bacon, potatoes, and cheese - yum!), a delicious baked egg and vegetable casserole, lasagne, fresh molasses bread, peanut butter chocolate kiss cookies, sugar cookies, ginger molasses cookies, seven layer bars, chocolate cream cheese brownies, Julia Child's Best Ever brownies, caramel chocolate cheesecake ... the list goes on. Shockingly, I gained a little weight.

I really will have to put Bill's potato & bacon gratin recipe up here one of these days soon, because it is so ridiculously rich and delicious, a perfect heavy, starchy, warming dish for winter, and wonderful eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or late night snack. New Year's Eve dinner was a delicious, drawn out evening of snacking on crackers and truffled goat cheese, olives, and wine while cooking chocolate mousse, no-knead bread, roasted vegetables, and roast chicken. We feasted, drank champagne, and then fell asleep right around midnight, all in the presence of some very lovely holiday red tulips.

Today was a working day and thankfully punctuated by a degree of normalcy ( = restraint) in terms of food.

Breakfast: coffee, fresh (plain) cinnamon raisin bagel.
Lunch: buffalo chicken pizza (Whole Foods, why do you torture me?? You know I can't resist you....)
Afternoon snack: cranberry walnut toast with peanut butter and fig jam, grapefruit, tea.
Dinner: Omelet with cheddar and mozarella, leftover roasted vegetables (delicious - reheated in the pan with some garlic and olive oil, kind of like rustic homefries revised to include vegetables)
Dessert: brownies. Plural, that's right. I didn't say I had abandoned all excess.

Also, I just gave someone Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" for Christmas. Do any of you who know this book have any favorite or recommended recipes, or any good vegetarian main course recipes in general? I'd love to hear it.

Welcome to 2009! Here's hoping it's filled with lots of laughter, joy, and great meals with family and friends.

so pumped...

2008-12-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

So tonight, one of the chefs at the restaurant where I work, and I will be eating at Per Se in NYC, with money earned entirely from foraging and selling wild mushrooms all year. Its my second time there, but I feel like its the first, I'm just as giddy and nervous!

9:45 Pm seems like an eternity away.

Mi cena cumple

2008-12-09T13:54:00.000-08:00

Well, I just hit the big 22 and feel old but not yet wise, which is sort of a strange place to be. I know, I know, I'm the baby of this blog and 22 is not old but maybe you geriatrics remember what it was like to suddenly, completely realize that you were no longer a teenager and expected to act accordingly? Plus now I'm done with monumental birthdays (16, 18, 21) until I'm 30!

But enough of all that: it's food I'm here to talk about, namely my birthday dinner. Warning: copious details to follow.

On Saturday night some friends and I hit up Olsen, a very trendy, very delicious Swedish restaurant here in BA. It has become famous for introducing the concept of American brunch to the city, but dinner did not disappoint. We started with a vodka-sampler-cum-smorgasboard that came with five shots of various vodkas (they're known for their extensive vodka list) and five little sandwiches. I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't ask what the vodkas were but I am fairly certain that at least one of them was homemade, and one of them included tabasco sauce. I'm cloudy on the sandwiches as well, though I can say for certain there was definitely gravlax, and one with caviar, one with maybe steak and lingonberries, one with slices of apple and what I think was gouda, and one with cream cheese and something else? The vodka went quickly to my head, but not so fast as to drown out the memory of my main course, which was truly phenom.

It was a small plate--welcome after a long succession of enormous, steak-centered, coma-inducing traditional Argentine meals--featuring a slab of smoked pork belly perched atop a pile of warm mashed potatoes and plated with a few crumbles of blue cheese, a swipe of lingonberry puree (I think? or maybe reduction?), and a teeny tiny salad of carrots and some sort of delicate green.

The pork was crispy-fatty-crunchy-tender and absolutely delicious, complemented perfectly by the smooth texture of the potatoes, the kick of the blue cheese, and the tart sweetness of the lingonberries. We also ordered two bottles (there were five of us) of the cheapest Malbec on the menu, which turned out to be great--I won't try to describe it as I know nothing about wine aside from what tastes good to me and what doesn't.

At exactly midnight I was presented with a mini molten chocolate cake, complete with candle and a rousing rendition of "Que los cumplan feliz," followed by two more desserts: a lemon custard topped with caramelized pistachios and a vodka creme-brulee, both accompanied by small scoops of raspberry sorbet, FOLLOWED by cocktails--mine was vodka with mint and passion fruit and SO good.

The only thing missing was some pickled herring! I didn't venture there because the friends I was with are not the most culinarily adventurous (I think I ate all the gravlax by myself), but luckily I have my grandfather: I don't know where he gets it from--somewhere in Bridgeport--but he eats herring every morning for breakfast and is always happy to share.

who's the new guy?

2008-12-09T09:04:00.000-08:00

Hello,

Thanks to Nick and Brie for the invite.

I'm Matt, and I have been cooking professionally for about 5 years now. Nick and I have nerded it up with food ever since we met many years ago, he was just smart enough not to get into the food industry! Truth is I love my line of work, and I love thinking, talking, and learning about food, so its great to have a new outlet like this blog. Plus i'm always curious what people with normal lives outside of professional kitchens eat on a daily basis.

I've been super inspired lately and cooking my ass off at home and at the restaurant where i work, so i have alot of meals i'd love to share and discuss on here, but first its food-related xmas wishlist time:

Wine glasses - as much as i want fancy riedel glasses, i just need some decent, large and thin red wine glasses. anybody know of a good source?

Urban Italian by Andrew Carmellini. This book looks awesome. He was the chef at Cafe Boulud for some time, then opened A Voce, an upscale Italian restaurant in manhattan. Now hes unemployed, hoping to open another place in NYC soon. In the meantime, him and his wife wrote this book, about cooking simple Italian food in a tiny new york apartment. Ive been on a serious italian food kick lately so all of these recipes, especially the short ribs braciole, make me super hungry. I guess theres some pretty unreal kitchen stories too which is probably the real reason why i want this.

Balsamico. I mean like really old, really small bottle, really concentrated. I've never had a really exceptional one, save for the Villa Manadori, which is great. I've been cooking alot with saba lately, which i love, but i want that special bottle of the good stuff.

Razor Clams. I have never cooked with these, and can never seem to find them in markets. I think we can get them through city fish at the restaurant where i work, but i really want a shellfishing license so i can go out and get my own, now that i live so close to the shore. One of my favorite things to eat in NYC is the dish of razor clams at Casa Mono, Mario Batali's spanish tapas restaurant near Union Square. They are thrown, split and with the shell still attached, onto a hot flat top (they call it a plancha in spain) until they carmelize and firm up nicely, meanwhile the cook mixes a vinaigrette in a bowl, just lemon juice, tons of garlic, spanish olive oil, chopped parsley, and salt and pepper. The clams are just piled on a plate and the vinaigrette is poured over. Extremely simple, delicious and fun to eat.

Iberico Ham. Speaking of Spain, if anybody has ever had this type of ham, they'll understand why i want this so bad. The product of a very special breed of pig, raised in a very special way in the Extremadurra region of Spain, this dry cured ham is some of the best in the world. The best hams, called Bellota, are taken from black footed pigs who graze solely on acorns, their flesh and fat become perfumed by that nuttiness. It only became legal to sell in the United States last year or earlier this year i believe. Amazing flavor and texture, too bad its so goddamn expensive. Anyone want to go in on a whole ham?

Chitarra. A Chittara is an old fashioned device used for cutting pasta. It looks like a board with a bunch of guitar strings attached. The dough is rolled over the surface of the wires and is cut into the desired shape, usually spaghetti.

How about y'all?

Just Plain Terrible

2008-12-08T16:18:00.001-08:00

Breakfast: Oatmeal (make it with milk, not water. tastes better that way).

Lunch: A diesel piece of yellow cake with vanilla frosting. Carrots.

Dinner: I tried to make red-wine braised beef, but it came out so gross. I'm talking, "let's-go-get-a-slice-of-pizza-instead"-type gross. To be fair (to myself?), the reduction was on point: the wine, aromatics, and beef juice reduced into a nice little sauce. But the beef...yuck! I was told that a chuck roast works well for this type of cooking (the connective tissue and fats break down nicely when cooked slowly in a liquid), but for whatever reason mine cooked to fast and was hella chewy. After I seared it, I put in the liquids etc., then covered it and stuck it in the oven at 300 degrees (probably even cooler in my old oven). Half an hour later it felt almost done cooking, which seems like way too quick for such a big piece of meat. What did I do wrong? Only thing I can think of is too much liquid, since I'm pretty sure <300 isn't too hot.

What am I missing?

'Tis the Season

2008-12-03T12:58:00.000-08:00

A lot's been going on, peeps! There's a new administration in town, the holidays are upon us, people are getting married, things are in the oven (ha!), and my friend Marisa just informed me that New Haven has its very own traveling cupcake truck - brilliant! Such excitement! On top of all that, I think I've convinced a certain someone that we should put up a Christmas tree!

The weekend before Thanksgiving was something of a baking frenzy compared to how things have been around here. We *finally* used the stash of fresh Cape Cod cranberries had been waiting ever so patiently in my refrigerator for their moment to come. And it did, in the form of a Meyer lemon and cranberry scone recipe from Smitten Kitchen. We basically followed the recipe except that I skimped a bit on the lemon zest and used a regular lemon instead of a Meyer lemon - and they were delicious! We cut them into scone shapes and baked half, then froze the other half for those days when you want to walk out the door with a fresh, hot baked good in your hand (wait, that's every day...)

Then we made these chocolate toffee cookies. MMMMMMMmmmmm. All I can say is, there is a LOT of chocolate in these guys. They are practically all chocolate. Which means that they are extremely rich and extremely scrumptious. The only change I would recommend is adding more toffee - yes, that's right: more toffee. I have been on a bit of a toffee kick lately, and it adds such a great twist to the cookie - a bit of crunch, a bit of nutty caramel with a hint of saltiness - that underscoring that flavor could only heighten the cookie experience, if you know what I'm saying. I highly recommend them.

The days before Thanksgiving were also noteworthy for the consumption of a delightfully easy and warming potato leek soup, a soothing and earthy butternut squash and mushroom soup from Judies, and lots of wine. Thanksgiving itself was a feast for another post, featuring a delectable turkey, braised onions, Mom's kicky horseradish cranberry sauce, seared green beans, stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, and more. Hopefully this week will mean a curry squash soup and a chocolate caramel cheesecake... and The Office! Stay tuned!

The Benefits of Working Late

2008-11-21T11:08:00.000-08:00

Tuesday sucked. Though I'm all for working hard, 9am-10pm is just too much for me. And, since I was expecting a short day, the surprise call at 6pm did not leave me happy at all. That said, a wise man once told me: when life gives you coconut milk, make Thai curry! No curry recipes today, but I do have a related story:

As my coworker (Kevin) and I rolled our eyes about having to stay late (unexpectedly), there was a part of each of us that thought: "Now what should we order?" Our boss loves curry, so we decided to humor him by ordering from a Thai restaurant (on the client, of course). The way it works is we each have a $25 limit on the food. Naturally, then, ordering from a standard Thai place meant lots of food, especially considering that we knew our boss wouldn't eat much. The bill came out to be $74.88 on the following order:

1. 3 types of curry.
2. 3 orders of jasmine rice, 2 orders of brown (get those whole grains!)
3. 1 order Pad Thai.
4. 1 order Pad Siew
5. 1 order Thai BBQ Chicken
6. 1 order fried bananas with ice cream.

My boss ate half an order of curry, and Kevin and I made off with lunch for the rest of the week!

Hot Hot Beverages

2008-11-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

Since I seem to be somewhat fixated on hot beverages with the onset of winter, I'd like to add an addendum to my last post.

What is your favorite hot beverage? I'm picturing apres-ski (or shovel), frozen fingers wrapped around the mug, steam rising and a roaring fire, or a hot morning drink in the cold sunlight with slippers and robe...

Winter has arrived

2008-11-20T06:37:00.000-08:00

My culinary life has not been too exciting as of late. Exams are coming up, the student loan check is dwindling, and I think winter has officially set in (although it hasn't snowed yet). I've been dreaming of fireplaces, warm baths, and hot tea. The tea is easy and so comforting. For breakfast, chai or Earl Grey (still working on my supply!); in the afternoon, something refreshing like mint, spicy like cinnamon, oranges, and cloves, or bracing like Assam. At night before bed, it used to be chamomile, but lately I've gotten back to peach, which is fruity, calming, and uplifting.

What do you guys do when you don't have a lot of time to buy/plan/cook your meals ahead of time? Do you wind up eating out? Do you have favorite default meals, home-cooked or purchased? I tend to grab a turkey sandwich with cranberry chutney from the deli for lunch and either soup from Whole Foods (mmmm) or enchiladas verdes from the Mexican place in my neighborhood for a quick, tasty dinner. Here is Tuesday's rundown:

Breakfast: Kashi black currant and walnut cereal (SO good, but breaking the bank) and chai.
Lunch: Tomato & mozarella salad from Whole Foods, slice of potato and roasted red pepper frittata, Coke.
Snack 1: Heath bar (I'm totally feeling the English toffee these days)
Snack 2: coffee
Dinner: Greek lemon chicken soup with orzo, leftover butternut squash, mushroom and celeriac risotto. Peach tea.

Ciao e molto amore amici!

Oh snap!

2008-11-11T20:04:00.000-08:00

Breakfast: macchiato. oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins.

Lunch: herb flatbread from acme bread (wouldn't be jazionesque without one of these!) in the ferry building with dry wine-cured salami. water.

Dinner: curried butternut squash soup. garlic bread.

Dessert: hot cocoa.

For all you working folk, how often do you bring lunch to work? I try to always do it, but as I weigh the pros ($$$-saving, home-made healthiness) and the cons (time, getting out of the office, and trying new restaurants), I'm not sure it's as clear cut as I imagined. Thoughts?

Pink Chili

2008-10-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

Looking for a car this past weekend, I stumbled into a Halloween Monster truck Rally. Cars. When you’re looking for a car, suddenly they all become so interesting. The more I read this, the more what you drive seemingly becomes a moral decision. Driving used to seem so freeing. Did you remember that mind whammy accompaning your first solo drive… leaven the confinement of parent dictated travel. Driven then was celebration. If my next car could just catch a glimpse of that, not quite in this way but maybe soma that --- just enough of that former road glory could be regained to make the gas sucking schlep tolerable.

Our lives’ barometers. They crop up in the most unexpected places. T’other night I had some harmonious moments strung together in the kitchen: measured in minutes, 120 of them. Inspired by my favorite freshly barred barrister, or maybe she’s a solicitor, (either way she reads briefs and regardless she’s an attorney). Now that we’re confused the meal was chili to be sure. Chili that looked and tasted so good it seared into my mind, a formerly chililess mind.

Now this dish, this pink chili, (the photograph above doesn’t nearly translate the flavor bud popping goodness), is an exceptional specimen; exceptional being meant not only as exemplary but rare. To be honest though, the whole meal was actually a glorious debacle. I was trying to make the barrister’s chili and combine it with a side of my roommate’s sweet potato sliced carrot mash-up but non-selective selective memory made for a wonky imitation.

So initially following a recipe, I spiced it like chili (coriander, cumin, chili powder, pepper), but then somewhere in the turning to the rotating contents within the fridge and cutting vegetables, all sorts of ingredients such as the usual onions, garlic, tomatoes and yellow peppers went in , plus the expected, queso, beans (red and pink), but then the unusual, beats (source of pinkness), corrots, broccoli, turnips, brussel sprouts, spinach, potatoes, honey and dill. Now maybe those ingredients aren’t so unexpected, I don’t know, because like cars, chili is new to my radar. But on these rain swept cool weather autumn days, the soothing belly warmth of chili might just be labeled edifying.

Rumor also has it T-ra put on another year, Happy Birthday

A Culinary Odyssey

2008-10-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

So my parents just left after a 10 day visit, and 10 afternoons and evenings of eating out resulted in some pretty exemplerary culinary experiences. The highlights:

My dad wanted to try Milanesa, which is one of the staples of Argentine cuisine. It is, essentially, beef sliced very thin, battered in egg and breadcrumbs, then fried and I think ALSO baked--at least that's how my host family's housekeeper makes it, and hers is good. So I googled "best milanesa Buenos Aires" and came up with, suprise, surprise, an American food blog. A great blog, that is to say, called Matt Bites, and the recommendation for Milanesa was spot on--a really old-fashioned place that has stood its ground in the trendiest neighborhood of the city. We went one afternoon and had the best Milanesa I've had so far--flavorful beef, well seasoned bread crumbs, perfect proportion of meat-to-coating--along with Italian-style rolls, thick-cut french fries, and a salad of lettuce, tomato, and carrot, washed down with a 3/4 liter of Quilmes, the Argentine national beer, followed by a cafe (which equals espresso here) for my dad and a cortado for me (a cortado being an espresso with a splash of steamed milk).

Another afternoon was spent at one of the better known, bare bones parillas (grills) of Buenos Aires, where we had: asado de tira, which are beef ribs cut the long way, which is the Argentine way, and then grilled, of course, a salad of lettuce, tomato, and beets, french fries Provencal--with chopped garlic and parsley--bread, and, of course, more Quilmes. My dad loved Quilmes. This was his favorite meal but he couldn't stop looking over at the Argentines at the table next to us, who were having a seemingly neverending meal, alternating courses of meat and pasta. He liked the idea of having steak and pasta together--very Italian, he kept saying--which inspired the next meal I'll describe, which was probably my favorite:

We spent the day in this absurdly serene and picturesque farm/artisan town about two hours northwest of the city, called San Antonio de Areco. Lunch was in a beautiful, rustic parilla, sitting at the back next to a big window that opened into a sunny garden. We had the house salad, which consisted of lettuce, tomato, onions, peppers, red cabbage, and white cabbage, a plate of homemade egg tagliatelle with a simple, delicious tomato sauce, a big skirt steak, bread, mineral water, and Quilmes, with coffee for dessert. Afterwards we walked to the town museum, which is just about the only thing that doesn't close for siesta, and took a siesta of our own on some rocking chairs on the patio of the museum farmhouse. Later: ice cream. I had a refreshing limon (it was really, really hot outside) and dulce de leche granizado, which is dulce de leche-flavored ice cream with chocolate shavings mixed in.

One night we really wanted pasta--Buenos Aires has a rep for good Italian food--so we tried this place my host mother, and a guide book, recommended. We ordered three different kinds and couldn't decide which was worse--they were all truly heinous. My dad's spinach gnocchi might as well have been little pieces of green foam drenched in cream. My mom's pumpkin ravioli were rubbery, the filling completely tasteless--also drenched in cream and some chopped walnuts. Mine didn't even RESEMBLE Italian food--"whole wheat spaghetti with portobello mushrooms" turned out to be incredibly greasy, slippery noodles with mushrooms but also scallions, which tasted like a really average lo-mein, and then topped with parmesan--gross.

The next night, we tried again. This time I looked up a place on the B.A. equivalent of the Zagat Guide, Guia Oleo. Good decision--this time the pasta was extraordinary. I had homemade vegetable fettucine with mixed vegetables, chicken, and fresh basil, my dad had a spinach ravioli topped with warm chopped tomatoes and fresh basil, my mom had squid-ink and sundried tomato ravioli filled with crabmeat.

Buen provecho!

Apizza

2008-10-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

Go to the grocery store last night and I didn’t know what I was buying. Some of everything but afterwards the run and shoot Kitchen offence was one of those divine rhythms otherwise reserved to art.

Everything that crossed the counter-top could do no wrong, ingredients just assembled themselves. Tomatoes into sauce, herbs and onions onto beans, brocs, shrooms, shredded carrots, kale, cheddar, Colby, moz all tumbled outta grocery bags across cutting boards under knives and onto spinning olive oil soaked dough. The oven warrants preheating this whole time (as high as it’ll go), especially if you’re living in an Antarctic apartment like those of us who are trying to beat last October’s heating bill with a sans heat strategy.

The wheels, to borrow a term if I may, blaze. Were talking five alarm. To add some kerosene, we chased that baby with some chocolate chip ricotta roll but that’s deserving of a post unto itself. For some omega-3 fatty acids, half a Za, (or due to the shape of our pans: rectangles), got some Mahi-Mahi.

The fat lady sings…

Can Guiness Count as Dinner?

2008-10-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

OK so yesterday was not the best day for eating; in fact, I can't attribute my obama-like figure to my absurdly fast metabolism anymore if I'm going to eat like I did yesterday.

I had an early morning court date and skipped breakfast cause I was later than Rizzo after a night with Kenickie (zing!). Lunch was pretty blaze though. I went to this spot called Free Foods and had a small pice of salmon topped with pucini mushrooms, swordfish with grape tomatoes and yellow bell peppers, a carmelized potato wrapped in steak, and some penne with tuna. Dessert was a chocholate swirl cheesecake from Magnolia's with a chocolate pudding-like center. It was otherwordly.

Met someone for drinks after work and since I knew dinner wasn't happening soon I consciously ordered a Guiness (well, five of 'em actually) in order to keep my calorie count up there. I eventually got a piece of pizza late night once I was back on the UES but hunger remained.

Then this morning was oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar. Work is slow these days so my officemate and I went to Pompano, a Mexican restaurant on 49th and 3rd. Apparently there's a nice restaurant and a more casual foodcourt but we hit up the restaurant. I had a sort of seafood paella: octopus, squid, scallops, and shrimp over cilantro rice in a coconut sauce. BLAZE. Sara got the skirt steak with portobello mushroom and garlic-chorizo mashed potatoes. Also blaze.

Mi Amicci

2008-10-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

Last night, which probably more counts as early this morning, a baseball game was chased with some tunes; and though the Bosox have been stinkin’ up the field, the Pixies never sounded better. Twas a good evening, the scent of fall flowing in through KiKi’s ever open windows, Michelangelo on the couch under a blankie, and myself alternating between basil hayden infused mint juleps and a fine (Polish perhaps, maybe Czech) larger (or was it ale?) whose label as well as most events of the evening, appear as hazy as Kiki's apartment appeared through a curtain of Danish cigarillo smoke rings.

ahhh, its been awhile fellow friends in food and I see that during this hiatus your tables been graced with some fine cuisine. I’ve been very much waylaid, two funerals, a wedding, some simultaneous exhibitions, a 5th birthday party and the van’s been acting up ever since we tricked her out. Such are the spins in the wash cycle of life. Not too worry though, despite these diversions, I haven’t let my culinary explorations nor media voyeurism slide; details of which I’ll later divuldge

Absolutely remarkable, beautiful outside today. This one goes out to you mother nature.
Breakfast=Oats w/ apple, almonds, granola, pear, raison, honey, flax seed, yogurt & leche
Lunch=Soup w celery and chocolate (not inside but beside the soup)
Dinner=black beans, cabbage, turnips, coriander, dill, pepper, garlic & honey (because all my teeth are sweet) spread over pasta fusilli and a spinkling of queso

For an exciting snore, don’t miss tonight’s debate…
My friends, no pork barrel earmark shall freeze us mavericks from
standing by the fundamentals of my record of bipartisan reining in of a shepard’s hatchet to firmly sit down on a bailout package that further scalpels the taxpayers who are struggling to put food on their skyrocketing tables.

Buona Fortuna Amores

Fall Feast for Foodies

2008-10-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

The fall foliage has begun setting trees alight and frolicking at our feet. What better time to gather around a table adorned with gourd votives, baby pumpkins, american sycamore and white ash leaves, crimson napkins, burnt umber candles, and diminutive arrangements of sienna-hued roses?

We're hosting a fall feast for foodies. Bring your favorite autumnal apple treats, gastronomical gourd dishes, savory short-ribs, mouthwatering mushroom risottos and robust red wines. We'll provide a few delicious dishes as well as mulled wine and hot apple cider.

If you're in the area (Hartford, CT), consider yourself invited! Brie and I conceived of this plan but haven't picked a date. Anyone have any brilliant ideas as to when we should do this? Sometime in November seems best.

Spanish Harlem is the New East Village

2008-10-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

For breakfast yesterday I had my staple Oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar -- although Dunhill raised the price from $2.75 to $3.0o. You think this will help? OK, maybe a bit anachronistic.

For lunch I had a sandwich with cured ham, french gruyere, and mornay sauce on sourdough. My officemate and I split our desserts so half of a creamcheese brownie and half of a huge, honey-covered baklava.

For dinner I ate at this awesome little Franco-Mexican spot called Itzocan Bistro on 101st and Lex. I had Crepes with wild mushrooms, huitlacoche, brie cheese and truffle oil. Magnificent.

Morning meetings are the worst. I missed breakfast this morning and all I had was watered down White & Case-provided-so-I-can't-complain-coffee. Around 11AM hit up my new little lunchtime hotspot, Dishes, and got a duck confit sandwich with french brie, arugula, harissa aioli ('member I told you 'bout harissa last week!), port fig spread on toasted ciabatta. Arborio rice pudding for dizert. Although my job is whacksauce, I'm gonna miss eating like this...

Firefly Restaurant (SF)

2008-10-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

This new-American (?) place in SF called Firefly has a BOMB prix fix menu Sun-Thurs for a very reasonable price. Becky's order is in parentheses.

Starter: Sweet corn chowder with polenta croutons (Shrimp and Sea Scallop Potstickers
with Sesame Soy Dipping Sauce).

Main Course: Grilled Ribeye Steak with Twice Baked Parmesan Potato, Sautéed Spinach and Rosemary–Gypsy Pepper Relish (Seared Sea Scallops with Bacon–Lobster Mushroom Vinaigrette, Mashed Potatoes and Blue Lake Beans)

Dessert: Warm Huckleberry Plum Cobbler with Pecan Biscuit and Huckleberry Buttermilk Ice Cream (Summer Berry Pudding)

As tough as the climb to my house was, I was glad to walk home 5 blocks after this meal...

A Not-So-Memorable Day of Meals

2008-10-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

Breakfast: Bowl of oatmeal (microwaved - I was in a hurry). Spoonful of peanut-butter.

Lunch: 3-day-old bagel toasted with salami (no spread, cheese, veggies, nothing). As aweful as the sandwich sounds, the salami was hella tasty. I think it's a good meat for sandwiches when the fridge is lacking just cause it packs so much flavor on its own.

Dinner: Chicken burrito. Handful of baby carrots. Sliced Macoun apple (Highlight of my day of food. Gene sent them from CT...get 'em while they're still around, New Haveners!).

Who said we can't take anything away from such crummy (no pun intended!) days?

The Miracle Fruit, or who's going to be in NYC in the near future?

2008-10-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

"There will be a fancy Miracle Fruit tasting event, which will be going down this coming weekend. Indigenous to West Africa, miracle fruit, when ingested, reacts with certain tastebuds, temporarily numbing some while overstimulating others. Join 99 creative guests for a night of bizarre flavor treats. Sample portions of lemons, limes, kumquats, rhubarb, blue cheese, oysters, apple sauce, vinegar, mustard, tequila, whiskey, vodka, sauerkraut, olives, and pickles will be provided; bring other items to sample and to share. Price includes entry, miracle fruit, food and liquor samples, cocktails, and evening-long entertainment. This event is open bar.

Dress to impress.

Hope to see you there..."

Sunny October in NorCal

2008-10-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

Since October is the sunniest month of the year in SF (25 days of sun on average vs. 5 in February), the last few weeks have proven to be the perfect time to enjoy all of the "outdoors-y" aspects of Northern California. Yesterday, Becky and I drove up to Sonoma County and went apple/tomato picking. The place is better known for its grass-fed beef, and the apples didn't stand up to Bishops', but the tomatoes were...delectable!

Breakfast: Bowl of oatmeal. Cup-o-joe (Cafe au lait, to be more specific/yuppie)

Lunch: Madd apples (mutsu, orin, senshu, and arkansas black) and tomatoes (wish i could name the varieties from the top of the dome) from the tree/vine. fresh pumpkin ice cream (real pumpkin!) from a local creamery.

Dinner: Sliced heirlooms. Grilled chicken in a soy-ginger-garlic marinade. Garlic mashed potatoes.

Dessert: Apple crisp (hint of nutmeg in the streusel does wonders).

On a semi-related note, how'd you like to wake up and eat breakfast here (see all the pics): http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2901-Broadway-St-San-Francisco-CA-94115/15080904_zpid

Food for a Rainy Sunday

2008-10-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

Mom came up to the Heart this morning and we walked a few laps around the Park for the Breast Cancer walk. It was neat to be out in the drizzly rain with a whole bunch of people in good spirits on an early fall morning, and we walked arm in arm. Of course, we also ate.

I had a bowl of raisin bran (a staple chez moi) before the walk and some carrot orange juice. Post-walk, we hit up Mo's for comfort food. I had eggs, bacon, potatoes, rye toast. J-Star had a vegetable omelet that included cauliflower (which seemed a bit unique ... but tasty!), potatoes, toast, and coffee. There were no pancakes involved this time.

Then we hit up Starbucks.

Afternoon snack (with books) was Earl Grey, 2 fig newtons, a brownie, and some crackers and cheese. Lots of water. Dinner was linguine with shrimp in a tomato sauce with garlic, olives, and capers. Hibiscus tea. Dessert was a homemade ice cream sandwich of ginger cookies with pistachio gelato. Miam miam.

Bonne nuit!

Food of the Week: Lamb Merguez

2008-10-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

... North African food in general is what's up these days. Mad love and thanks go out to H who put me up on cAfe (108th and Columbus); a small unassuming French-Carribbean byob spot on the UWS. Your boy got exactly the opposite of what I would imagine D would order: pheasant pate with fennel, white truffle oil, cognac, and topped with melted brie. Then I got the lamb merguez with harissa, dried figs, and dates in a coconut sauce. Phenomenal.

Then last night I did some roomie bonding and ate at Le Souk in the one place being gentrified faster than Harlem: Alphabet City. It's a Morrocan place that my roommate basically chose because the hostesses were hot (I hung my head in shame; they were hot, though). His lamb was a bit bland but my couscous paella was Foxy Brown aka the ill-na-na. It had mussels, shrimp, spicy merguez and chicken in a bed of Israeli couscous (if you're not already, get up on that Israeli couscous). There was also a black olive spread with harissa in it to go with the bread. Shit was lovely. A forewarning may be in order though: It's gonna be bread and water for the next two weeks.

FYI: Artist of the week is Chuck Hamilton and his new dope track Brazilian Crying Season. As a matter of fact, this whole blog should be favorited.

Because, strangely enough, asceticism is for the capitalists...

2008-10-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

"The less you eat, drink and buy books; the less you go to the theatre, the dance hall, the public house; the less you think, love, theorise, sing, paint, fence, etc., the more you save – the greater becomes your treasure which neither moths nor rust will devour – your capital."
--Karl Marx, EPM

So given that I got lambasted last time regarding my seemingly irresponsible spending habits, this one [as the actress said to the Bishop] was a long time coming. I got up from my desk at 12:30 straight starving after only having a blueberry cliff bar for breakfast. I thought to myself that while I'm in grad school studying German grammar, I'll scrape by, day-by-day and week-by-week; but while I'm working at the white-shoe corporate law firm, well, I'm gonna where those white shoes, enjoy the perks, go to the grasshopper and spend some guilders. Ha capito? So I decided on Saju Bistro across the street from my office where the head of my department frequently feasts. And I went solito. It was dope.

I got the prix fixe lunch menu and, after some bread and particularly tasty black olives, began with a small salad of mixed greens and grape tomatoes. Then I had papardelle in a very simple but delicious mushroom sauce with parsley. My French-hating Italian college roommate thinks French food tends to be too complex so I savoured the moment knowing that he's wrong. Finally, inspired by Nene's blood orange for breakfast, I had two scoops of blood orange sorbet. It might be noted parenthetically (a phrase that always confused me, why wouldn't you just put in parentheses?) that throughout the lunch I drank enough ice-water to fill the Grand Canyon (something I absolutely love about restaurants in America).

In other news, Tribalista-like Brazilian music has been bumping on Pandora all day, my officemate and I have pet dog named Boulevard Canteloupe Bohemian, and after last night it's clear that Spike has officially lost it.

Ciao regazzi!

Keeping the Trouble Out of Paradise

2008-09-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

Breakfast: Inspired by "simply breakfast," I've taken to eating the first meal of the day on a tray and putting effort into its presentation (forgot to take a pic though). This morning said tray held a cup of cinnamon tea, a glass of water, a small bowl of All-Bran with milk and a sliced strawberry, and a plate of whole-wheat crackers with plum marmalade, which I don't believe is a natural antibiotic.

Midmorning snack: Banana, "handful" of almonds. (DJ taught me that a handful, the recommended serving size of almonds or any type of nut, is actually about a quarter of what would actually fit in my hand, and it is now what I try to stick to, cause no matter how good the fat is, you can still eat too much of it.)

Lunch: Two slices of leftover roast, salad of lettuce and shredded carrots in oil and vinegar, slice of what might be considered frittata? An eggy-casserole with zucchini/carrots/celery/corn baked in a loaf-pan until golden brown. Spoonful of dulce de leche to accompany small bowl of strawberries.

Dinner: My host fam is determined to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, even though they are Catholic and I refused to go to synagogue. We're having apples, honey, Challah, roast chicken and salad. Suzanna, the of-indigenous-origin housekeeper, said Happy New Year in Hebrew to me this afternoon and I almost fell over; apparently she worked for a Jewish family for 10 years.

This one's for you, J-Man.

Blood Orange

2008-09-30T11:08:00.001-07:00

Breakfast: coffee, toasted oatmeal wheat bread with apple butter and cheddar cheese, blood orange.

Lunch: Mushroom risotto cakes (OMG my new favorite iteration of risotto - I will be making it on the regular just so I can make this leftover delicacy), tomato salad, Gala apple.

Dinner: Macaroni and cheese (with Sriracha), courtesy of Adam's great aunt. One of these brownies. Miam miam.

People need to 1) C.H.I.L.L. and 2) post. It ain't gotta be long, but it's gotta be there.

PEACE
PAIX
PAZ

Chew on this

2008-09-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

‘H’ermana, I do not wrestle with the content of your entries, why you trying to compromise mine? U dig into what you want2 but I prefure a broader, “FIGURATIVE” diet. Besides, a little porridge is good for the colon.

Is marmalade a natural antibiotic? Hmm, perhaps if it contains some of these… Now Latinophile, I don’t mind you not liking what I write, but calling consensus as to how I conceive, that’s some mal leche. How bout this, when u see my contributions, your welcome not to read ‘em. I certainly snooze past some of y’all details.You really always need your fork on the right side of the plate and the blog properly categorized to satisfy yerself.. ain’t that a little stale? Lets try an’ coexist here, marinate with one another even. There’s alotta possibility abound.

My apology if the tanking economy combined with global famine and two candidates set on war in either Iraq or Afghanistan feels unhinging. You don’t think Patagonia is gonna look a lot different if nations don’t take some serious steps toward revamping the energy industry? How will your sorbet taste then? We could end on this note or we could let the pieces we blog explore some, possibly spar, but at the end of the day who we are, what we eat, what we say and think is closely aligned. We can tolerantly communitize here, creating a micro example, chances increasingly arise fro a larger frame pot-lock/latch.

Lemesee, that frittata, O-my!: Beets, Kale, tomatios, po-tats, carrohts & dios knows what else. My roommate (pictured above with the spaghetti style hairdue) made it, mad props. I added a pear, some ice cream (comfort food, ya’ll so mean) choclate sauce, yogurht, rasberrie jam & cranwalnut bread (grazie furelise), sum queso, apple slices (by the way New Haven’s got ‘em in season) a choc-chip banana buckwheat pancake and maybe some other stuff.

Whatevs, it was f@#(in’ food. How fortunate are we to be eating it, I’m grateful. My apology for sounding aggravated.

Food=Energy=Action
Pretty phenomenal formula. I’ll play nice. Minions, really, ive nuttin but…

Food=Energ-Action. What is it like being a young girl in Africa? Good film short on that link, clickit. There are 25 Million who can be educated for twelve dollars a month and Congress can not agree over how to spend 700 Billion Dollars on mostly well fed college educated irresponsible Wall Street Executives. Let’s get it together people.

Especially u Dj, c’mon out and spin your records. I miss ya

How To Feed a Sinus Infection?

2008-09-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

My host mother claims marmalade, of all things, is absolutely necessary. Something about the antibiotics and my liver.

Entonces, mi desayuno:

Whole wheat crackers with plum marmalade. Banana. Cinnamon tea.

At noon, I went to the ridiculously amazing apartment of my program director for a "reunion" about our experiences studying abroad so far. We were promised lunch. It was delicious but strange:

About 20 of us were given 20 minutes to stand around a too-small wooden table and eat fondue. There were four pots, two with oil, two with gruyere. The oil was for the meat: partially cooked steak, chicken, and tiny hotdogs and sausages, to be finished off in the pots and then dipped in a variety of condiments, including a spicy thin reddish sauce (finally, some actual HEAT in food in Argentina), ketchup, mustard, salsa golf (sort of like Russian dressing but I should find out what's actually in it) and what is that creamy yellowish sauce with the French name? Obviously that could describe many things but I feel like this one is very common. Not Hollandaise. Maybe Provencal? It was for the chicken, specifically.

The gruyere was for chunks of bread as well as an array of boiled/steamed vegetables--brussel sprouts, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli--plus raw cherry tomatoes.

Dessert was fondue, too: strawberries, bananas, and ladyfingers in your choice of chocolate or dulce de leche.

Then, I met my best Buenos Aires friend Annie to take her for a badly needed post-hangover meal. She made the mistake of ordering "risotto" off the menu of the very standard neighborhood cafe. It was not risotto but rice, chock full of overcooked vegetables, chunks of shredded chicken, and--inexplicably--noodles, seasoned with some kind of bland packaged curry but yet still topped with parmesan...bizarro. She pushed it aside and ordered our favorite and least healthy B.A. snack: medialunas made into sandwiches of jamon y queso, toasted a little, panini-style. SO INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS and heart clogging. Meanwhile, I had the overpriced afternoon special: a cup of black tea, two medialunas (without jamon or queso), and a copita (basically a shooter) of fresh OJ. The orange juice here is really, really delicious--tart and sweet and just so much more flavorful than any I've had in the US--it really bursts. Is it because the oranges are different? No se.

Fatties that we are, after all this we headed to Freddo, one of the biggest and best helado chains in the city, for the Monday-Friday until 6 pm special--a small cone with two flavors for $6.50 (2 US dollars and some change). I had maracuya (passion fruit) and banana split (banana base with flakes of chocolate and ribbons of dulce de leche); Annie got banana split and dulce de leche con brownie.

Ricisimo, but I might have to skip dinner...I'll let you know.

Face-Off

2008-09-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

So my sister called last night lookin to roast a red pepper without a grill. Do you have a gas stove? Nope. You could wrap it in paper and light it on fire in your backyard. Too intense, could I bake it? Thats a baked pepper, you need to burn the skinn to get that sweet smell. Simultaneously we were asking 'Broil?'

So is there gonna be a debate tommorrow?

The public has a need to know. I've been inside all day for two and half days (unless getting the mail counts) & need The Pin the Tail on the Elephant Party to go off so I can get my beer on.

Apparently, according to the United States of Mind, we Connecticuttonians are both highly neuratic and simultaneously open to new ideas.

So i hear McCain and Palin are really getting their hizz on... Let's ask another Connecticution, what do you think Dave?

In other food news...

By the way, sister reports back with an affirmative on the roasted red pepper broiler campaign. The Broiler will in fact properly burn pepper skin but I wish for the sake of politics this season, my beloved sibling, you would roast blue peppers.

Good luck Candidates!!!

Shout Out to Jazione for Keeping This Thing Going Hard

2008-09-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

breakfast: sesame seed bagel w/ cream cheese and small coffee from the vender on 44th and 6th. that's an everyday habit.

lunch: two pieces of pizza; one plain, one mozzarella. both while playing awkward 'ice-breaker' games at this month's legal assistant meeting...

dinner: veal parmesan on a sub.

and one small cappucino before missing the last showing of vicky christina barcelona.

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

'you are going to end up one of those sad old men who poke around in rubbish bins.'

'i'm going to end up in a hole in the ground,' he says. 'and so are you. so are we all.'

Two Words

2008-09-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

Apple Butter.

Perfect fall breakfast: ouefs en cocotte (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzxGBl4fYSU) and whole wheat toast with apple butter.

No funny Faces

2008-09-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

WTF is happening out there..? A rushed hail mary check to an incompetent administration with no strings, no accountability? We could be seriously Effffd. McCain & Obama are keeping quiet, nobodie’s got eggs worth crackin and meanwhile anyone whose got potential pull seems to haven’t a clue and is gonna hand off what is left of the US economic reputation to a tightlipped Paulson & Bernanke on a God I hope this works.

Where is Buffet? is that guy totally hands off? Whose makin out here!?

We need someone with a successful track record to kick some knowledge, be given power to hold people accountable and pass laws demanding greater transparency.

I can’t eat today…

A new Royal Family
a wild nobility
we are the family

I feel beneath the white
there is a redskin suffering
from centuries of taming

No method in our madness
just pride about our maner
“Antpeople are the warriors
Antmusic is the banner!"

and even when you're healthy
and your colour schemes delight
down below thos dandy clothes
you're just a shade too white
shade too white!
shade too white!

I feel beneath the white
there is a redskin suffering
from centuries of taming...

I hear ya Adam Ant(&Marco Pirroni)

1 down Eight 2go

2008-09-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

Weird...? Hmm, that’s odd because essentially I was going for mild amusing with a touch of current event. But now that you mention it, seeing something more in your food than enjoyable nourishment does sound a little anti-McCainian. I like the suggestion though; let’s drop the cultural relevance and go a little weird, cross the line maybe. I’m thinking Chevalier d’Eon here. Carrot, well, isn’t carrot already a possible euphemism for something else? How ‘bout tomatoes? They’re looking ripe.

I’m not trying to upset anybody here. Visually, these seemingly benign staples have connotations. Not only sexual but how the food is prepared, when and from where, by whom and even, what is it being called or how is it being labeled. The choices we make on what to purchase and how to prepare it are as important as the choices we make while getting dressed. Not thinking is still thinking albeit reactive. You are what-you-eat what-you-perceive what-you-do. Is that transvegetable holding its spoon up in victory? Shim taunting you with a middle green finger? Or is shem beckoning you to join in herim’s numero uno soupa? Can it be both?

By the way, that was some damn good soup there. Mostly courtesy of a lass I know who seems to always be pulling fruits and vegetables from her pockets, purses, backpacks, if not up from rolling around on the floor of her car. If I remember correctly (as it the evening was growing tall and disinfecting jars, in vats of boiling and somehow combustible water, exploding jets [in a strictly literal sense] across the stove, floor and counter top). The soup, being assembled among these conditions, went something along the lines of onions, garlic, salt, pepper, sweet potatoes, other potatoes, honey, vegetable broth, apples, raspberry jam (no kidding), kale, peppers, tomatoes, turmeric, beans and baba ganousch.

Appreciate the feedback, this one goes out to you DJ…

ok this is getting a little too weird for me...

2008-09-18T13:16:00.001-07:00

consider me on sabbatical

Stronger

2008-09-18T09:12:00.001-07:00

In an effort to channel some spark back into the economy I’ve enlisted the help my friend Kanye West. Kanye, seen above wearing his fried egg and chedder cheese sunglasses, sporting a stylish hash brown goatee & zucchini lip-gloss (for the cameras) and MC's w/ sweet red pepper articulation. Today he is sniffing with a slice of cranberry walnut and he smells trouble. Kanye, sing it!

Full screen, speakers tothe windows, Volume Up People

Quicki3

2008-09-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

Anybody watchin what the economie’s doin? This is my Lehman Brother. His yellow cherry tomato peepin pupils are peerin from behind perilous sweet peed eyebrows. He’s watchin the Dow and though he’s smiling zucchini cheeks cant hide the cranberry walnut-shot eyes. He hasn’t slept in days and has grown a munster mustache below his avoado’d nose. His pepered lips cringe a smile as he wonders weather any of the upcoming candidates have a better idea than Bernanke of whats gonna happen next. His carrot chin is lax and he dreams of the chocolate days of yore.

On a brighter note, I cleaned my room today.

Seasonal Eating

2008-09-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

One concept that really intrigues me is following the seasons. In lots of ways, we do it because we have to - we bundle up against the cold, stay inside, heat our homes, go to bed earlier. Eating heartier foods has always been one way that we build up reserves to see us through the winter. Canning the bounty of summer's fruit and vegetables is another. Nature guides us in ways that we may not even be conscious of, and lately, the idea of eating seasonally has seen a lot of press. While that means something different to those of you (DJ) in California than it does to those of us here in New England, it's an interesting concept across the board. Although our access is no longer limited to those foods we can grow ourselves or buy from our neighbors, and transportation has made out-of-season foods available anytime, anywhere - there is still an allure to partaking of the local harvest. Should we eat more locally and seasonally? As we round the corner into fall, what are the quintessential foods of the season?

Some of mine:

soup
roast chicken
mushroom risotto
banana bread
granola bars
potatoes
oatmeal
ginger cookies
apple everything

Victory Sunday

2008-09-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

was yesterday. Crashed an old friend’s significant other’s mothuh’s company party and cleaned up. Placed 3^rd in the egg toss, 4^th in ping pong (damn that backward paddle holdn Feng!), 2^nd in the 3 legged race, 3^rd in the water balloon toss, reached the semi finals in 3 on 3 basketball and Won the canoe race. Granted I was usually in the 11 year old and up category, which may or may not of been the seemingly advantage one might suspect as my teammates weren’t always all the way through puberty.

Worth retelling is the canoe. Andrew, my approximately 12 year ol’ partner, and I easily took the 1^st heat. & probably were fortunate not to be in the next heat as there were a couple steroid lookin marines who really wanted a trophy but overshot the turnaround bouy allowing a couple feisty college students to sneak in for the finale.

So game on, the fiesties an’ us. At the bullhorn we got off the shore and turned around quicker but while dodging an oncomer, did some bushwacking. Paddle Paddle Paddle I yelled at Andrew when he paused to push branches away. What was looking dismal may of worked to our advantage as I flashbacked back to my days on the Mediterranean and began a Venetian luge style gondola paddle off the rooty bottom to get our battle sled back slicing up lake.

Damn fiesties got a lead on us but were taking the turn around the lake middle buoy wide. Andrew and I dipped our heads and paddled like piranhas whilist I aimed our canoe straight fer their bow and Pow! We took ‘em hard and bounced them back pointing nor-verds &rebounded our metal hell wagon halfway back around. Andrew nearly fell out of the boat, my knees are all scraped up from lurching forward but I keep paddling.

Then the nervy feisties grab the side of our boat and start hand over handing up our side so I begin to try and rub them out by sandwiching them up against the shore. Andrew’s swinging his paddle while I’m paddling with one hand starboard and grabbing them port freezing our nose about a foot ahead of theirs. They start screaming leggo, so soon as they do; I send ‘em backward with a seeya suckahs with an admittedly cheap, though great, shove; to get our canoe back on the sluice. It was ciao ciao sianora adios from there, beating down on us though they were, A & I took the checkered flag with a crash when we hit drainpipe on the shore that sent us both kinder over bean. Fore I was not the only “adult” bending the rules.

What were we talking about here, food? Yo, has anybody been to Holiday Hill? It’s just up the road, toward Bethany & I can only say: it really is the epitome of summer, in a day. o_ & did I mention not to mention paint a pumpkin, mini golf or homerun derby? Yup, they got it. & clowns. As fore eats, this boy hit the potato salad, carrot sticks, New Angland clam chowdah, several corn on the cobs, many clams on a half shell, several liters of soda and approximately 3 ice cream Sundays, (move ovah Phelps). Trailed that with some can-openers into the pool and some dance floor shimmy shimmy yo’s during a feverish electric slide plus a new one. Anyone herd of the chicken noodle soup?

My only regret was that I didn’t get to go on a pony ride.

Tea

2008-09-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

Let's talk about tea. Let's talk about how I have been quietly, tentatively steeping leaves instead of beans every morning and taking a very particular kind comfort in cupping my hands around a big steaming mug of herby chamomile tea as bedtime nears. Then perhaps we can talk about the 80 bags of tea I received for my birthday. I'm in heaven!

At first it began as a convenience; making coffee is a somewhat involved process that can require significant cleanup. I don't have a compost and I feel wasteful throwing away the coffee grounds, nor do I have a dishwasher ... and you can guess where that leads. So I started drinking tea because I had it in the cupboard and it seemed easier, and I love a hot beverage in the morning and at least it has some caffeine, and the fragrance of Earl Grey is cozier than a nap on a rainy afternoon. Now I'm drinking tea morning and night! Another influential factor is the absence of a good coffee shop in the area. Before moving here, if I didn't make coffee at home there was always the eminently worthy Willoughby's, conveniently located on my walk to work. Oh how I miss Willoughby's, and the walk to work. There is a frustrating place in my neighborhood that should be decent but every time I go there, I am reminded why I choose to abstain - their coffee tastes like water. The ambiance is decidedly lacking as well, but that's for another day.

So, as often as not, lately I wake up with a mug of milky Earl Grey or Irish Breakfast instead of coffee - a trend that I imagine will dwindle, because I really am a coffee girl at heart - at least I think - and it will be hard to break out of 28 years of coffee indoctrination. But not before I use up those 80 bags of tea! On a related note, this shift may have something to do with the confused nature of my diet as a result of the change in seasons. It's been getting cool at night, and today it rained for much of the day. Summer is winding to a close. Iced coffee is no longer a viable option, and I thrill at the thought of fall and roast chicken and soup laced with melty Gruyere and applesauce simmering on my stove. I'm going to make homemade granola bars for hikes and walks. I'll let you know how that goes... if anyone has any good recipes, pass them along!

To Cook or Not To Cook

2008-09-07T11:28:00.000-07:00

Though I'm definitely a Luddite in these matters because I'm sure there's some subtly involved here that I'm losing but a straight raw food diet? Really! To me that wreaks of segregation. Now I do have my prejudices (if it ever walked, spit, pissed or defecated, I probably won't eat it); though once it crosses the kitchen counter top I'm much more an equal opportunist. McDonalds, geniuses that they are, totally had it right. A delicate blend of hot & cold, cooked & cooled, roasted and raw. Who remembers what I'm alluding to? The Mc. D(Click here) I cant believe they dropped that Jam. With those special styrophome double containers! You could leave em on your dash board, roll outta there and hit corners and your meal'd stay put. Mixed temperature meals, punches my ticket & Jason Alexander agrees.

So here's what I'm talking about: My roommate's dahl (def hot) & def benefiting from some brags liquid aminos. Rice & steamed kale (still hot). A couple slices of Jazione choco-chip the bomb zuccini bread spread with butter, baba-ganush (a story in itself... made of abandoned/found eggplant in E-wood park no less), Nuts (wals&almond) coolin & in their natural state. Hurricane Hannah, I'd say we hit the nail on the head. P.S. Watch for Whalley floating manhole covers, underside of cars are getting whacked. Once again my lovlies, J to the zee.

Inspired by Republican National Convention

2008-09-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

Dem elephants were pissed last night. War paint is on. & all the wrath, faith posturing and fear mongering was spoken through gleaming smiles. Even ODB was scared.

Will Admit, Palin is the most attractive candidate to since Edwards (its all in the haircut) to potentially step into the big house; if you exclude presidential daughters (Oh, we'll miss you Bush Twins). Can't wait for Chelsea to run for office. Palin though is stepping up, finding her cadence and is gonna keep this race more interesting than if Warjoy went with his earlier choices. She can sell a story. Ve shall see...

oh & almost fergot. Down to business: Cran Walnut bread (Edgewood Farmer's Market shout out), Cheddah, guacomoli, cherry toms, mini-cutecumber, yellow tom, peas, string beans & a sweet red bell pepper

<3 Jazzy-oh

the late post & a farmer's market pick-up

2008-09-03T12:50:00.001-07:00

Edgewood Park, park of parks; especially Sundays when I do my farmer's market stroll. But flash back to last night, just finished the first class of all gangstah illustrators (sweethearts), tearing I-95 to a beautiful sunset listenin to Another side's Chimes of Freedom , upon which Kiki gave a call, Omlettes? Mick's in town. Oui, oui! If anyone gets a chance, risotto & omlettes are the Fence's signiture meals. Side salad dude, get us some dressing, I've got the vine (Merci Orange Street Annie, hooked it up with some balsamic vinagarette), And Vine we did, Capital D double grape knackered. Poor Guang Ho Minn, besides porch & cigarette antics Kiki crashed mouth agape, on the couch, blasting the retirement mix, (all apologies for late naight texts).

so the latest countenance: raw carrot, raw pepper, raw pea, raw tom, raw zuke, raw cheese and raw fried egg.... any liklienesses, purely accidental.

As fer the other day's links (see defunct comment box below), f blogger blogspot. No worries, technical deficiancies aside, got it all figured out. Barefoot, loose and kickin the raw food philosophy, click here.

Comida Casera en Argentina

2008-09-01T20:17:00.001-07:00

desayuno: cornflakes with chopped strawberries and milk out of a plastic bag (it all comes that way). i developed an intense craving for cereal right when i got here and it hasn't seemed to leave me....

almuerzo: salad of bibb lettuce, tomato, shaved carrots dressed in olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. small toasts (formerly a baguette) with aji goat cheese.

cena: my host mother had a dinner party. i wasn't invited but i got the same eats. arugula topped with crispy pancetta and sesame seeds, dressed in olive oil and balsamic. arroz blanco, pollo con champignones. un postre: sort of like strawberry shortcake but instead of a scone, the strawberries and whipped cream were sandwiched between thin rounds of a yellow sponge-cake like pastry, all topped with a warm strawberry/raspberry liquor reduction. the sponge cake-like stuff comes in large sheets and apparently a popular summer meal involves making rolls out of it, with fillings such as cheese, tomato, lettuce, ham, for a salty-sweet effect. i am looking forward to trying this.

late night snack (i have class til midnight!): ham and cheese sandwich. (i cannot stop eating ham and cheese, in any form: cold sandwiches, hot sandwiches (tostados), empanadas. i haven't given in to jamon y queso-flavored snacks yet, but they're probably next. this is bad. i have started running to counteract; we'll see how that goes.) orange. another cup of digestive tea.

also: i ate at a raw-food restaurant last weekend and had a surprisingly good experience. i will post about it later, or maybe the next time i go back--one of my friends here is into raw-food as her mom is a raw-foodist. has anyone else ever tried it?

not a self-potrait

2008-09-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

bonjour encore mon beau...
When yer fridge is empty as mine you do whatya can do

du nord au sud: la hair= "Liberty" Fries, (made in America bitches!)
Oui, je m' apelle set off the fire alarm cookin those guys.
La eyes son zucchini et cherry tomatoes,
the earings are slices from an overripe banana,
the nose is a cabinet standby, the Masa cracker(Merci Edge-Of-tho-Woods).
Flaring nostrils are roomate-made, tasteless humus; which by the works great for adhering various pieces of food to other food & the plate to generate a little lift and create the menacing 3 dimensional effect.
E final, la faux chix patti (also EOW) found alone, floating in the ice box. E la chompahs et chedder.

Until next time... Fin

jouer avec votre nourriture

2008-08-31T12:18:00.000-07:00

Bon soir frère ah jahkas, je suis arrière!

Looked down at the plate & here's what i saw.. is it culture shock? Well, couuuld bee. Ma tête hasnt been feeling totally magnifique since departing France de mère.
At any rate, avante! From the top--->
Les yeux de cute-cumber et tomate, ahh tre bien!
Le nez de watermellon, grand.
et la bouche est les oeufs, le fromage et l'humus sur le pain (la bagel courtesy of some frou frou jam in Grand Central Station).. all-in-all, ooh la la!

Conclusion: de ce monde, à la maison-courir!

Until next time, avoir mes amours... Jazione

Day-to-Day!!!

2008-08-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

My problem is, if I don't post right away, I forget what I've eaten. Isn't there some food that is supposed to strengthen memory? For yesterday:

Breakfast: water, raspberry scone, coffee. Oh, and a random piece of bacon and a random sausage link. Gotta love those breakfast meats!

Lunch: a yummy Shaheen's samosa (spicy peas and potatoes) and malai kofta that splattered all over my white jeans. Arrrrrg..... if anyone has tips on removing turmeric-family stains from clothing, please contact me.

Dinner: grilled vegetable burrito with melty cheese, rice and beans, and sweet potato fries. Earl Grey (that unfortunately lacked the characteristic lovely Earl Grey smell).

Should we only post if we eat something remarkable, or are we still doing the day to day?

2008-08-24T16:20:00.001-07:00

Without a solid mid-day run on the beach, this sequence of meals could have added an inch to the waist...

Breakfast: home-made banana pancakes with (New England!) maple syrup. cappuccino

Lunch: boring spinach salad. carmel apple with chocolate chunks.

Dinner: hearty beef casserole (browned beef with sofrito, baked with noodles and cheddar cheese).

no room for dessert.

Back for Good!

2008-08-19T09:07:00.001-07:00

what's up y'all? as a a wise man once said: "i've been gone for a minute, now i'm back let me..." cook it? anyway, the game has been on and off these days, but Becky and i cooked last night (in her new apartment in pac heights, at that!), so here goes.

breakfast: avocado and honeydew soy shake (inspired by iron chef america - peep it at 9 pm on Sundays...it'll make a young chef dream big)

lunch: leftover Cruzan rice (stewed with tomato, pigeon peas, sasson?) with chicken. coffee.

dinner: fusilli in a pink sauce with italian sausage and mushrooms.

dessert: affogato.

oh yeah, i've been drinking madd sparkling water (all bourgoeosie-like) at work.

Szechuan and Steaks

2008-08-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

First off, shout out to H on that awesome blog! It really looks like you're making the most of your travels. Really awesome stuff.

I'm certain that I can speak for all of us when I say that we've all been quite busy this summer. Nonetheless, I apologize for my personal slackage.

In the past week or so, I had two memorable meals. First, I ate at Taste of China (follow the link for a nice review by the New York Times) in Clinton, CT down by the shore. The outside is quite unassuming, as is the name. However, the dining experience in there is very good and unique for the area. First of all, they specialize in Szechuan cuisine, which I've never truly had before. The common theme that I observed was the prevalence of infused, spicy oils. The better dishes we ate were:

- Broccoli stems - What a great dish! The stems were simply sauteed with a spicy chile oil but packed a lot of flavor. The heat built nicely as well. The stems definitely reminded me of cabbage in a good way. I came to the conclusion that these would have been phenomenal diced up with mushrooms in dumpling form for sure.

- Chungdu dumplings - These were simple and delicious. Thinly-wrapped, perfectly cooked chicken dumplings coated in a lighter type of chile oil along with a coating of pureed garlic. Really, really good.

Another unique feature of the restaurant was their alcohol selection: TONS of excellent BELGIAN beers. Apparently, the owner's husband is a connoisseur. We had an excellent bottle of Saison by Brasserie Dupont which perfectly washed down the heat while lifting up the flavor in our food.

Another good meal I ate recently was from me cooking dinner for my folks. It consisted of:

- Ribeye Steaks with Bordelaise
- Succotash
- Skillet potatoes
- Carmenere (red wine from Chile; kind of like a Malbec)

I spent a few days prior making veal stock for the bordelaise, which was a rewarding learning experience. My advice: don't make veal stock with anything smaller than a 10 quart pot and 5 lbs of bones. I used my 8 quart Le Creuset along with 5 pounds of veal bones and it yielded approximately a quart of finished stock. Some cooks like Michael Ruhlman, who extoll the virtues of veal stock (here's an article), claim that you can just make smaller batches. However, I don't really see how making less than a quart of stock for a recipe is really worth the couple day process--unless of course you half-ass the process, but by that point why not just buy stock?
Anyway, the steaks were great, but I was really proud of the succotash. Corn is super sweet and in season right now and fun to work with. I sauteed bacon, shallots, and garlic scapes, threw in some red peppers, then the corn, poured in blanched baby lima beans and let it simmer with some heavy cream and thyme. I then seasoned everything to taste and loved life. Tasty and easy.

Glad to hear everyone's food tales. I apologize in advance if I don't post again soon. Classes are starting!!

Bon appetit.

Long Overdue, But Never Forgotten

2008-08-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

So I've definitely been MIA over the past month or two but I am back, back with a vengeance, because I'd say that I've probably spent half said month or two EATING and for awhile I even wrote about what I was eating (by hand!) in a little notebook I carry around. Let's start at the very beginning: Brazil. After I finished my five week course in conservation biology in the Atlantic Forest (which included heavenly meals prepared largely with ingredients from an organic garden on the premise), I headed to Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest, fastest growing, and more importantly, most culinary city. In Sao Paulo, I ate myself silly. Here's what I recorded.

In the food section of a huge, open air fair, I went to a Japanese stand (Sao Paulo has a large Japanese population) and had:

- a sort of tempura pizza (no bread involved but it was round and flat like a small pizza) with shrimp, chopped onion, and a fresh green herb. one of the best things I have ever, ever eaten. they were making them right there, so I snapped some photos of the process, which entailed slathering a round metal grid at the end of a long handle in batter and the other ingredients, and then dunking the grid into hot oil.

- excellent yaki soba with chinese broccoli, cabbage, and carrots
- rice noodles with cabbage, carrots, and onions

All of these things I topped with some kind of delicious black garlic paste

At a different, similar fair, another day:

- pastel (pocket of dough deep-fried until blistery) filled with chicken and caitupury cheese
- crispy corn bread ball, cut in half, topped with shrimp and fresh herbs and plated with a chopped green tomato salad. when i reached for the hot sauce a woman warned me that it was powerful, but i am arrogant and proud and so i doused it anyway--it was REALLY hot. almost too hot...but I'm still here.

At a lancheonette (lunch counter), which are everywhere in the city and all seemed to be incredibly cheap and delicious:

- plate of rice, beans, a fried egg, sliced sausage
- small salad of lettuce, tomato, onion
- fresh mango juice

In Libertad (Japantown!):

- six takoyaki, which are a type of Japanese dumpling made with a sort of gummy rice (?) dough and baked I believe: 2 polvo (octopus), 2 queijo (cheese), 2 camarone (shrimp). SO DELICIOUS.

As a side note, I also picked up origami while in Libertad, and have since gotten pretty good. I can make, fittingly, several different marine animals.

Then one day, as I was traveling with a vegetarian, I went to a vegetarian India restaurant--a Hare Krishna restaurant, actually, and had a fantastic prix fixe meal (only option) consisting of:

- dal w/ lentils
- brown rice w/ corn and a fresh green herb
- quinoa w/ raisins, cashews, and a fresh green herb (there must be an herb-tasting course somewhere, right? I want to take one, I think my palate is underdeveloped)
- veggie kabob with meatless sausage, red and green peppers, onion, other veggies I can't remember, rather bizarrely topped with a strange sweet cheese
- little corn cakes topped with with a sweet tapenade of tomato and red pepper
- salad of some kind of bitter lettuce, apples, and walnuts, drizzled in a vineagrette
- fiber cake topped with a layer of chocolate goo and a white frosting
- I wrote down juice and I can't remember what kind it was but I remember it being phenom--all the juice in Brazil is
- warm Chai with milk & honey
- handful of pan masala

And that about does it for Sao Paulo--the standouts, anyway. Oh, except one night I went to a fancier, more international restaurant and had really delicious appetizers, the best being small toasts with slices of fig, brie, and honey. Simple, perfect flavor combination.

That was exhausting. I wish I remembered more. I also wish I hadn't gained 10 lbs since I left the States, but is anyone surprised?

Next post: Rio!

Whaa???

2008-08-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

This is insane. Courtesy of the D-Meister.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/aug/14/michaelphelps.swimming1

Dinner with Dad: Scallops and Risotto

2008-08-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the distinct pleasure of dining with one of my favorite people, my dad. I offered to cook dinner if he would swing by and stay for a little visit. When it came time to settle on a meal, however, I drew a blank. My appetite hasn't been as voracious these days - I waiver between yogurt in the thick heat of midday and a light bowl of soup during the recurring thunderstorms and the cooling breezes that follow. But I couldn't bring myself to serve my dad chicken (it's a family thing), so I drew some inspiration from a meal at Max's last weekend. It was simple and well-done, summery yet filling: seared scallops over summer-vegetable risotto.

The great thing about risotto is that it really can be a meal by itself, and it requires so few ingredients. As long as you have rice (arborio), some kind of stock, and cheese in the house, you're pretty much set. Anything above and beyond that is gravy in risotto-land. Of course people like to dress it up in the manner that seems to be all the rage these days - with the fanciest, most arcane ingredients they can find. I'll leave that showy extravagance to them - I like uncomplicated food (at least, when I'm cooking it).

Risotto and I are really just getting to know each other, and as it turned out, the whole dinner was a kind of friendly, getting-to-know-you kind of meal, as I had never worked with scallops before either (unless you count cutting them and raising the fork to my mouth). This was my third time making risotto, and it strikes me as something that is foreboding at first, then reasonably intimidating once you convince yourself to try it, and then after you've done it a couple times, it's nothing. That's how this was. I made arugula risotto just a few days earlier, and it was delicious, so I was confident and optimistic. The scallops I learned you need to buy "dry" or else they are worthess (well, maybe that's exaggerating). Apparently most grocery store scallops are soaked in a brine that's used to preserve them and plump them up. However, when you get them home and try to sear them, they release a ton of salty liquid and just generally act maddeningly frustrating. But if you get dry (also known as "diver") scallops, you can avoid all this and simply pat them dry, get the pan nice and hot with a fat (I used olive oil) and sear them until the cows come home. Which is, for the record, what we did.

They were delicious. I was marvelling at the sweet seared scallops smell rising from the pan, and they took under 10 minutes. The risotto, meanwhile, was done and off the heat by then, simply waiting. We ate some bread, some cheese, some olives, and opened a bottle of Ommegang Rare Vos, which was spicy and mellow at the same time, and produced that lovely little warmth in your chest. It was a delightful evening, and the company... well, the company was the best part! I was glad I could feed the Big Guy a decent meal (and, who are we kidding, a beer) after a long day of work.

Dad, you always have a home and a hot meal in H-town!

It's Been A Long Time, I Shouldn't Have Left You...

2008-08-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

Without a dope beat to step to!

I'm in a transitional period with no computer, steady home, or grocery store. The current posts are coming live from what Big-L so aptly named the Dangerzone. One three nine and Lennox, suckas!

"Get beat down and all you hear is gunshot sounds

On 139 and Lennox Ave there's a big park

And if you're soft, don't go through it when it gets dark..."

--Big L

Breakfast: A piece of multi-grain toast with peanut butter, tall glass of milk, strawberry pop-tart...

Lunch: Coconut braised salmon with white rice and roasted herb potatoes. A piece of Junior's cheesecake straight from Flatbush and DeKalb. Brooklyn, stand up!

Dinner: Chicken Lo-Mein and a water.

Letters in the Mail

2008-08-07T22:18:00.000-07:00

I received a lovely letter from Ms. Honeycut in the mail today explaining her reasons for not joining food game. She's not cooking, or eating well. Um, neither am I - I'm about to prove it! That is not good enough, Honeycut. I am waiting for you. You related tales of iced tea, fried chicken, and gin in your letter, so I'll venture that some of that (not all...) can be committed to the blog-o-sphere. Just to prove my point (and to get this thing up and running again), let me paint a picture of what I consumed today. I'm not saying it will be pretty...!

Breakfast: Hm. Did I eat breakfast? I can't remember. I think one of the first signs of nutrient deficiency is a failing short-term memory. Oh, wait...I think I had coffee. And maybe something else. But I don't remember what. Moving on...

Lunch: I ate a turkey, bacon, and cheddar flatbread sandwich from Dunkin' Donuts. Yes, Dunkin' Donuts. Comment all you want!!! It was free. Look out for that coupon on your iced coffee... those of you in school or on a budget will know what I'm talking about. I'm tryna make a dollar out of fifteen cents.

Snack: The remains of a chocolate peanut butter sundae that is just out of this world (if you know me, I have most likely told you about it) ... possibly the only leftover food I will eat. Kidding! See above note re: budget.

Dinner: I read this really mouthwatering recipe for roasted eggplant with tomatoes in a Patricia Wells cookbook and bought an eggplant thinking it would be a quick and delicious summer meal. I neglected to read the part about having to cook it at 450 degrees for an hour and a half ... not so summery. I think it was the grape tomatoes I used instead of the standard size, but they did not release juices as they were supposed to and so the dish was ultimately kind of underwhelming. Oh well. I ate it anyway (15¢ = $1).

Oh yes. I also drank lots of water with lime and some berry-flavored juice I picked up in Whole Foods when suddenly struck with a camel-in-the-desert type thirst. It reminded me of Juicy Juice.

'Til tomorrow, ragazzi!

Anyone for Chinese?

2008-07-25T05:17:00.000-07:00

Darn Blogg-o-sphere chopped up the link. Nonetheless, this is delicious enough to post. File under after-dinner happy happy... are there many better ways to work off those calories?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/world/asia/25pole.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

current default mode

2008-07-24T16:09:00.001-07:00

is set to Indian. Food, that is. I wouldn't have guessed it, but somehow the smoky eggplant and ginger flavors of bhaigan bharta and curries with naan, rice, spicy cashews, pickles, and chaats are really hitting it right now. The great thing is that there is an Indian grocery right down the street from me that makes home-cooked food in the back; and they always have at least 10 choices, plus samosas and all kinds of snacks. It is one of the more amazing deals in my area, and I have been eating there multiple times per week. The woman who serves the food is like my adopted auntie (although I don't think she knows that yet).

breakfast: raisin bagel with butter, coffee.
lunch: i skipped lunch and took a nap.
dinner: eggplant and potatoes, chicken tikka, a potato & pea samosa and a lentil fritter.
dessert: chocolate peanut butter ice cream with reese's pieces. what can i say. i'm also feeling the peanut butter lately.

salute!

In an attempt to rally the troops...

2008-07-03T09:50:00.001-07:00

Breakfast: 2 "eggs in a basket" (see pic). sliced fresh apricot and granny smith apple. espresso.

Lunch: maple-glazed tofu with brocolli and carrots. brown rice.

Snack: banana-apricot smoothie.

Dinner: pumpkin raisin pancakes. tall glass of milk.

Breakfast

2008-06-30T06:56:00.000-07:00

This has become one of my favorite breakfasts: Trader Joe's Raisin Bran (the raisins aren't coated in sugar) with sliced almonds and banana.

Yesterday

Breakfast: egg and cheese on a warm buttery croissant, coffee, water.

Lunch: Gorgonzola and mushroom pizza from Whole Foods. I have to say, the pizza at Whole Foods is pretty good.

Dinner: A couple of salmon rolls. Half a piece of carrot cake.

Where is everybody???

Meatloaf

2008-06-21T21:25:00.000-07:00

So out of the blue the other week my father asked me to make him meatloaf for Father's Day. However, I had to wait until this weekend to do the dish due to an avalanche of schoolwork. All in all, I was really pleased with the results. I based this dish on Shea Gallante's meatloaf but changed a few things and ground my own meat.

The end result was red wine-glazed meatloaf w/ farro and asparagus. Ingredients used: lamb, beef chuck, Niman Ranch bacon (Brie, Whole Foods didn't have slab bacon nor fiddleheads!), garlic, mire poix, Malbec, raw parmesan, parsley, sage, thyme, s + p, allspice, nutmeg, molasses, sugar, worcestershire sauce, eggs, milk, bread, breadcrumbs, tomatoes, asparagus, farro, and chicken stock.

Mis en place

&

Plating

I was really happy with the strong flavor combination of lamb, chuck, and bacon. I brushed the loaf with some reduced wine, sugar, molasses, tomatoes and allspice under a broiler to form a nice glaze. I cooked the farro with some left over bacon, veggies, and chicken stock and will be feasting on that for a while. I love farro's nuttiness and texture. For the asparagus, I just blanched it, sauteed it with butter, s + p, and lemon juice and finished it with some raw parm.

We drank some nice Malbec with the dish and ate outdoors. I love working with such ordinary, unpretentious dishes. People already have a solid reference point for them and it's easier to make an impact with the contrast in quality that way. I was stoked!

Happy eating, friends.

Been Gone For a Minute

2008-06-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

My friend, looking over my shoulder just now, reacted thusly to this photo: "Ewwww-wuh!"
She obviously cannot appreciate the finer things in life!

Almoco, pictured above, was especially delicious today. I passed on the hot option (unappealing meatloaf, white and brown rice, beans) and loaded up on salads instead: lettuce leaves with mango slices; shredded beets with green olive rounds, farmer's cheese, and tomato wedges; new potatoes with onions, parsley, and vinegar; leftover cold pasta with broccoli and chorizo; cauliflower with red peppers and kale (?). Squeezed half a lime over everything. Topped off with a glass of mango juice, a persimmon, and some chocolate pudding.

This, of course, followed cafe da manha, during which I consumed: a mango, several slices of honeydew melon, a cup of yogurt with granola and sliced banana, half a crusty roll with farmer's cheese and guava spread, and water.

At various points during the day I ate an apple or two and also a Kashi Chocolate Almond bar. After a long day in "the field" sampling soil and other abiotic conditions, I am eagerly awaiting dinner. T minus 45.

P.S. I guess that puddin' does look a little suspect....

Chicago ... where do I begin?

2008-06-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

We spent six lovely, sunkissed days in the Windy City ("Good Morning, Chicago! It's 84 degrees and sunny in the Windy City, and not so windy") to watch our youngest - the gem of the family - graduate from college. We laughed, we cried, and we ate. A LOT. I don't want to be the only one to recount all of our culinary joys (Boka), epiphanies (the Handlebar, props Misa!!!), and misadventures (I'll leave that one for hate-lover T) but I feel we have to begin documenting soon before the memories fade. Luckily, we jotted down some notes to help us along.

Day 1: The Posse Has Landed.

We met V, Mas & Heather at The Hopleaf, an airy, laid back tavern full of wood and light where we recounted the comical tales of our travels to V and his Chi-town posse over spicy golden beers and steaming pots of Belgian-style and spicy coconut-curry mussels. The Belgian-style mussels, steamed in Witterkerke white ale with sliced shallots, celery, and bayleaf were the crowd favorite; but personally, I preferred the coconut curry mussels, resting in a spicy yet soothing broth of jalapenos, cilantro, ginger, and coconut milk. The frites with aioli were also a hit. Alas, their steak frites had nothing on the delectable standard-by-which-all-others-are-measured, the steak frites at Union League. This was definitely a beer week overall (Dad was in his glory) and the Hopleaf was the perfect spot to kick it off with an extensive beer selection and an emphasis on Belgian ales of all colors and stripes. I tried the Allagash and the Leffe blond, both of which are now permanent additions to the (admittedly limited) repetoire.

I think V had some rabbit dish (correct me if I'm wrong) that looked (no offense, V) kinda sketchy, but maybe I'm biased because I own a pet stuffed rabbit. All in all it was a lovely meal with stellar company (Heather, we're adopting you!) and we left sated, refreshed, and ready to see more of Chicago.

Hot Spahgetti inside of me

2008-06-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

Greetings

After allegedly swimming in a resavoir at an undisclosed location in the vicintiy of a city once populated by Elms i arrived home. Officer, in my defense i reside on the third floor of a sweltering apartment. Alone, all day, on a computer, bathing in sweat, listening to sun-ra, a mind, like spagetthi, can take some roundabout pathways, inside, far away and come back again.. an observer, almost in the third person and the fingers continue to clack and the sweat; moisture beading, falls, hits the keys and one exists only in wonder.

But this is a food blog and what happened after the kitchen was the second greatest feeling since waking yesterday. The first having been after emerging from the water that evening, standing on the ridge, awaiting the rain, watching fifteen minutes of lighting get closer; becoming dried by the wind whistling through the trees, bending limbs, whipping water up in chaotic pattern and carrying the storm overhead & past my ears.

Salmanilla threats aside, tonight (now being last night) called for a thick tomato sauce chock with french fry shaped zuccini, diced carot, minced onion, generous olive oil, pulverized walnut, plenty of garlic, pepper and cubes of queso. I ate olives while waiting for the spahgetti to boil and poured off the olive juice into the boiling pasta to give the nominally yellow a pink hue and a slight buttery taste. An ear of corn also received eight or so minutes in with the spagethti before the water was dumped.

There is something incredibly satisfying about spagetti on an empty stomach. I sat at the kitchen table, body temperature momentarily closer to that of a lake, and ate the tangled web of warm noodles till i began again to perspire all the while enjoying the contrast between the cool crumbs of raw baby portabellas aloft in sauce and the heat regathering on a full stomach.

Che vediamo ragazzi, che vediamo ciao.

why do i feel like the only one to not get sick of writing what i eat every day haha?

2008-06-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

breakfast: whole wheat banana pancakes. 2 eggs over medium.

lunch: leftover corn salad (sweet corn, basil, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, fresh black pepper). grilled tofu. espresso with milk.

post-workout: cookies 'n cream ice cream.

dinner: green-pea and mushroom risotto. can of tuna (gotta get that protein) with cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley, spices.

late-night snack: tbd

whatever i eat with gene and sue today will be a million times better, but we cool

2008-06-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

Breakfast: omelet with stilton (almost done), orange bell pepper, onion, fresh cilantro. avocado. flax toast. espresso.

Lunch: protein shake. apple. slice of lemon tart.

Early Dinner: asparagus-mushroom rissotto (the home-made makes a world of difference). grilled balsamic tofu. sauvignon blanc.

Dessert: frozen plain yogurt with strawberries.

don't mind if i do, too...

2008-06-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

breakfast: toasted everything bagel with butter, scrambled eggs, coffee. i was oh-so-tired, but the scrambled eggs were oh-so-creamy and delicious.

lunch: i attempted not to eat as i wanted to build hunger the better to savor my meal at dinner. but then i felt a little lightheaded, so i ate a Liberte blackberry yogurt and a bunch of carrot sticks. (hmmm... maybe i should become a pharm rep...)

dinner: fresh anchovies on toast with avocado-cilantro puree (i think i only had 2, this was dad and t's joint). shrimp and scallop ceviche. part of a duck ravioli (appetizer) that was more like a wonton than a ravioli, stuffed with shredded duck and garnished with some kind of apple, tomato, and scallion salsa over pureed sweet potato. i wasn't a huge fan, but the others enjoyed it. braised short ribs over steamed cabbage-wrapped potato puree in a dark ginger-infused beer-soy sauce with dried apricots. fork-tender and delicious. my caipirinha was good too, but mom's mojito was even better.

dessert: fruit cake with custard and almonds from marjolaine that people were hating on because it had cake layers and cream and NOT JUST CUSTARD... but i thought was blazing.

¡salud y feliz cumpleanos, Guillermo!

don't mind if i do...

2008-06-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

breakfast: warm cinnamon raisin bagel, coffee

lunch: cup of new england clam chowder, blackened grouper with saffron aioli sauce over corn and potato hash...out of control good.

dinner: marinated fresh anchovies on toasted bread, avocado, cilantro puree...about four of them...so good. because they were out of my first choice (roast suckling pig, honey sherry vinegar sauce, spinach and potato comfit) the waiter recommended roasted duck breast, smoked bacon, potato, grape tomatoes, scallions, granny smith apple, turron sauce. delicious. the sauce was a bit salty but you know how i love the salt!

no food pics but is the garden behind the new cribo in frisco. sorry adam and eve!

2008-06-05T22:17:00.000-07:00

Breakfast: omelet (unless specified otherwise, it's a 1-yolk 3-egger) with stilton (still trying to finish it!), asparagus, onion, mushrooms. dry flax toast. espresso.

Lunch: savory whole wheat pancake with finely-chopped sauteed mushrooms and onions, cilantro, and shaved parmesan inside. glass of a california (arroyo seco) sauvignon blanc.

Snack: granny smith apple.

Dinner: take-out jerk chicken breast. arroz y frijoles. fried plantains.

Dessert: cinnamon bread.