Fried Green Tomatoes

Make it elegant and serve with creme fraiche and pea shoots.

One of the great things about shopping for produce at the greenmarket versus the supermarket this time of year is the variety and abundance. Right about now, the purple, yellow, and red carrots are being pulled up for market and the varieties of summer squash are vast, ranging in color from pale, pale yellow to deep, dark green. Things you may have never even seen before are available and waiting to be tried. Soon there will be big bunches of dill flowers and hundreds of peppers in every shape, size, and color.

Commune cuisine at its finest!

This past weekend I was reminded of one of my Southern-inspired summer favorites--fried green tomatoes. The hard green tomatoes piled in a crate looking meek and lonely next to the fancy and exotic heirlooms wooed me with their simplicity and humble presentation. I filled a bag right away. Fried green tomatoes are a symbol of summer sun and relaxation to me. Served with some kale, and smoky vegetarian pinquitos beans and rice, these sour and savory morsels don't last long at my table.

Fried Green Tomatoes

10-12 firm, green underripe tomatoes (ripe, green heirlooms are watery and don't come out the same)
1 1/2 c yellow cornmeal
1 c whole wheat or oat flour (or corn flour for gluten-free)

One of those little buggers began to ripen overnight!

1 T Cajun seasoning (opt.but good!)
1 t garlic powder
1 t sweet paprika
1/2 t sea salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

1 egg (opt.)
1 1/2-2  cups almond milk, soy milk, milk, or water

expeller-pressed canola/sunflower/safflower oil for frying (a cup or so)

I fried it anyway.

Wash and core tomatoes and slice into rounds about 1/3" thick. Set aside. In a shallow bowl or on a plate, combine cornmeal, flour, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.

If using egg, whisk together egg with liquid in a medium bowl. Start with 1 1/2 and as you dredge and fry, add more liquid if you are running low. Without egg, just put the full 2 cups liquid in a bowl.

Heat a 1/2 inch of oil in a frying pan and set up a plate with paper towels for draining. When a pinch of flour sizzles, oil is ready. Dip tomato slices in liquid and dredge in the cornmeal mixture, creating a nice, thick layer. Place in the oil to fry. Continue until pan is full, but not overcrowded.

Fry for about 4 minutes, flip, then fry about 3 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt while hot. Fry remaining slices in batches. Dredging the upcoming batch while a batch is frying will save time.

Tranfer drained tomatoes to a warm oven, uncovered to keep hot.

Serve with hot sauce, ketchup, creme fraiche and pea shoots (my favorite), or mustard. They are great as sandwiches the next day, too.

Tapas Time--Artichoke-stuffed Tomatoes

eggplant deliciousness on bread topped with a quail egg and chive

I'm always thrilled when someone wants to go out for tapas.  I love tapas.  The various small bites of flavor are captivating and I love the entire experience.  I love having a huge variety and getting just a bite of everything.  I love many different tastes at one sitting.  Tapas are an excuse to have a bunch of really great snacks and call it a meal.  The process, the slow-down, the savoring of each bite, and the wine thrill me to no end.  Apparently tapas began in Andalusia  as something to place over your drink to keep the bugs out. There was always one bite served with every drink and the tradition evolved into a cultural experience.  Using the freshest, most seasonal stuff around at the moment, tapas can be anything prepared simply and seasoned properly.  Plating and presentation are important and go along with the slow eating, appreciation of each bite, and the savoring of the experience.

Fun for couples or groups of any size, tapas-style dining changes the pace of things and gets us to sit back and enjoy.  The Spanish dining philosophy of 'Eat When You Drink, Drink When You Eat' isn't lost on me.  I love following this rule and do it whenever possible or practical. 

Last weekend, when good friends were visiting from D.C. and we were needing a good spot to catch up, we did just that.

fresh anchovies, briny, sweet, steamed to perfection, and dressed with lemon

On a Friday night in Greenwich Village, we were expecting a long wait when we saw the jam-packed tapas bar over-flowing with diners.  As luck would have it, our 30-minute wait became about 10 minutes and we were seated at a tall 3-top in the front with a perfect view of the Bleecker St. bustle. 

the remains of my seared tuna and a cheese stick to beat all cheese sticks. . .artisanal Spanish cheese, breaded and fried

My friend, another Katie, wisely ordered everything from the specials board first.  We then  revisited the menu for a few last nibbles.  Kurt ordered the wine, the details of which I have lost, but it was fantastic, too.  Maybe a tempranillo?  Nonetheless, everything was delicious and we left happy, but not too stuffed, which is another perk of having all small bites.

Here is a recipe that I made up inspired by a traditional tapas recipe of stuffed tomatoes.  The old version is filled with breadcrumbs and aioli and are concasse'd (blanched to remove skin).  I like the skin and wanted to add the artichokes in as flavor perk. I kept going by adding almond meal and marcona almonds on top until Voila!  Artichoke-stuffed Tomatoes...

Artichoke-stuffed Tomatoes

1 pkg Campari tomatoes (or about 8-10 golf ball-sized tomatoes), cherry tomatoes could be a substitute
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 T extra-virgin Spanish olive oil
1/4 cup minced onion
3 artichokes, carved down to the hearts and squirted with lemon juice and diced (or 3 canned or frozen artichoke hearts, diced)
1 T dry white wine
1/3 cup whole grain bread crumbs
3 T almond meal or finely chopped almonds
3 T mayonnasie or Veganaise, whatever your preference
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 T freshly minced parsley
1/2 t Spanish paprika (sweet or hot)
8-10 Marcona almonds (or 8-10 regular almonds, soaked for a minutes in olive oil and a bit of sea salt)


Wash, dry, and prepare your tomatoes, by slicing off just the tops and setting them aside.  Gently scoop out seeds and pulp from the tomatoes with a small melon baller or a grapefruit spoon.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Oil a baking dish and arrange tomatoes upright in dish.  Lightly salt and pepper them and set aside.

In a saute pan, heat oil and cook onion for 2 minutes on medium.  Add garlic, stir one minutes, then add diced artichoke hearts and wine.  Cook on medium for 10-12 minutes, if using canned or about 20 minutes, if using fresh. When tender and fragrant, turn the heat up a little bit and add breadcrumbs and almond meal.  Season with salt and pepper. Let cool for a few minutes, then add mayo/Veganaise, lemon juice, and parsley.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

Carefully  fill tomatoes using a small spoon and mound filling a little over the top, if possible.  Top each with a light dusting of paprika and sink an almond into the top. 

Bake, uncovered, for about 25 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.  Beware to remove them if the almond begins to burn or if the tomatoes begin to collapse.

Let cool for 5 minutes and serve!

Mable's Smokehouse

Southern-style comfort food isn’t hard to come by in Brooklyn these days, but Mable’s Smokehouse, which just opened on North 11th and Berry in the Greenpoint/North Williamsburg area, is offering something unique in the way of experience and style that doesn’t take itself too seriously.  Offering up excellent sandwiches and platters, with an exceptional array of sides and desserts, you can get down to Waylon Jennings music while chatting it up at with your friends at one of their long wood-planked communal tables or sit up at the comfortable wooden bar while an old western plays silently on the television for some extra country vibes.
Owners Jeff Lutonsky and Meghan Love have achieved that balance between casual comfort food in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with a modern, cool edge.   In classic Williamsburg fashion, they scored a huge raw warehouse that used to be an old tonic water factory and with clearly a creative eye and good sense of space, they have crafted this raw spot into a warm and comfortable destination that combines an urban sense of style and old-fashioned country comfort.  With a desire to preserve his grandmother, Mable’s, recipes, Lutonsky has carefully crafted the menu to reflect home-style Oklahoma cuisine.  With a nod to the rustic urban beauty of roughed –up exposed brick and the clean lines of a cool warehouse space, Mable’s is a great spot for a hearty weeknight meal or perfect for meeting a large group of friends.
Offering  both sandwiches and platters featuring pulled pork, brisket, ribs, Schwab’s Oklahoma hot links, and even an out of this world vegetarian sloppy joe,  Mable’s has really done it.  The prices are on the low end with a hefty sandwich, condiments, and choice of one side running ten bucks.  They also have a late night bar menu that features some real down-home comfort with Frito pie and Velveeta Ro-tel dip as well as pulled pork and brisket tamales.  Vegetarians, have no fear!  The veggie sloppy joe is truly fantastic and there are numerous sides for you to choose from.  Stop in for a Coors banquet beer and introduce yourself to your new favorite Williamsburg spot.

Mable’s Smokehouse
44 Berry Street (entrance on North 11th)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn  (718) 218-6655
mablessmokehouse.com

Brrrr. Haven't Seen the Sun (chokes) for Days.

Italian Treviso on the left, American Treviso on the right!

After much anticipation, followed by a bit of procrastination, I waited until the coldest weekend of the year thus far to research my first published article outside of my blog. It turned out great, thankfully, but Friday was certainly one frigid Brooklyn adventure.

As I hopped around Brooklyn on bus, train, and foot, seeking cozy spots for cold weather dinner and drinks, I saw some exciting and some not-so-exciting spots and feel like I may have uncovered some gems, as well as personally black-listed some holes.  I finished my day meeting friends for dinner and drinks in Bushwick, Brooklyn WAY off the beaten path at a hip little cabin-style joint called Northeast Kingdom.  It did make the article based on great ambiance and decent food, but mostly because of the nifty little salad that follows below.  Then, today, while 80% of this country was glued to football, I bravely ventured out in the 17 degree temperatures to hit Eataly, Mario Batali's new(ish)  Italian enclave which is a gorgeous and vibrant indoor marketplace with an Italian-style bustle. Adventurous, aren't I?  What a weekend!

Look at this stuff! Am I in Manhattan in January or Italy in June?

Eataly was certainly the highlight of it all, though it wasn't what I was writing about...I was just there for my own benefit, really.  From the moment I entered, Eataly wowed me with the bushels, baskets, and mounds of gorgeous produce displayed in a very European fashion. They had an exhausting assortment of fruits and squash, sun-dried tomatoes (both red and yellow), exotic citrus including citron and bergamot, and any continental specialty item you can dream of.  The Italian soda/juice department was just as tempting as the wine section.  The shapes and colors in the pasta aisles were astounding.  The cheese...the cheese...more varieties of fresh mozzarella than I can count on both hands...the cheese...

Egg Pasta

Just one of many tempting pastry cases.

I managed to maintain some level of decorum and only bought a few affordable items I know I will use in the near future.  The charcuterie, meat, and fish sections were tempting but I knew not to even start or I would leave with more than would be eaten at my house this week.  This place is seriously food paradise.  I spotted a huge gluten-free import section which is useful for some, tons of handmade sauces, pastas, desserts, and more.  In the manner of a real Italian marketplace, there were cases of teeny tiny beautiful desserts and pastries, not to take home, but to stand at one of the many counters and enjoy with a properly pulled espresso.

The crowds moved at an Italian pace, which strangely didn't make me nuts here.  Anywhere else, that would have evoked my classic New York 'sidewalk rage'.  Not here.  I moved leisurely with the crowd and was able to navigate my way just fine.  Even the crowded counters with people sucking mussels and sipping Montepulciano in the middle of the pathways only added to the truly European feel that Eataly provides.

There are also various restaurants, an Italian bakery, a gelateria which took all of my self control to bypass, and a serious Lavazza espresso presence as well as aisles of chocolates, jams, sauces, and condiments everywhere.

When I got home, all I wanted was a glass of wine and some simple, Italian-braised veggies to be eaten with leisure.  I had some basics and one killer cheese.  Isn't that what a simple Italian meal is all about?  What a glorious day of goodness!

While there, I was able to pick up a bag of sunchokes and some red endive, something I normally wouldn't even attempt to find.  In order to duplicate our best dish of Friday night, I needed them and they just came to me.  I am meant to duplicate this salad.

So...to return to Northeast Kingdom on Friday night, I wanted to mainly research the place and be able to write a good

Another day, another wheel of Parmigiano Reggi

blurb about it's coziness.  We met some friends there and ordered a small assortment of goodies.  It was all fine and fairly decent, but the shining star of this meal, everyone agreed upon.

Roasted Sunchoke and Roasted Red Pepper Salad with Fourme d'ambert dressing and Red Endive.

I know.  Get out of here.  Yes, that is what we ate and it was amazing.  Thank goodness Eataly provided me with those sunchokes and red endive.  It was indeed a salad meant to be at my table.  Here is my version of what we had.  If you have trouble finding the red endive, substitute regular green endive.  Texturally, you could substitute the sunchokes (aka Jeruselum artichokes) for fingerling potatoes, but flavor-wise the sunchokes are an integral ingredient.  Try to find them if you can.

Roasted Sunchoke and Roasted Red Pepper Salad 

with Fourme d'ambert Dressing and Red Endive

1/2 lb sunchokes/Jeruselum artichokes, well-scrubbed

2 medium red bell peppers

1 T+1T extra-virgin olive oil

sea salt and black pepper

1 t minced garlic

2 red endives, end trimmed off and leaves halved once into 2 square-ish pieces (halved the short way)

Dressing:

about 1/4 cup Fourme d'ambert cheese (or good gorgonzola if you can't find it)

1/2 t minced garlic

2 t fresh lemon juice

1 t honey

2 T white wine vinegar

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 t sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Halve sunchokes the long way and transfer to a mixing bowl.  Rub with 1 T extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, and a bit of salt and pepper.   Transfer to a baking sheet and arrange on half of it.  Rub the red peppers with the other tablespoon of olive oil and arrange on the other half of the baking sheet.

Roast 30-40 minutes, until sunchokes are tender and red peppers are soft and skin's blister.  Transfer peppers to a mixing bowl while still hot and cover with plastic wrap, tightly.  Set aside for 20 minutes.  Let sunchokes cool and transfer to a mixing bowl.  Add prepped red endive.

Make dressing while waiting for peppers to finish resting by blending ingredients in food processor or blender.  Set dressing aside.

After about 20 minutes, peel skin from red peppers and de-seed.  Slice into long elegant strips about 1/4 inch wide.  Add to endive and sunchokes.  

Toss with dressing, starting with about half of it.  Add more to your personal taste and grind a bit of fresh black pepper on top.  Serve immediately.

'Chocolate by the Bald Man' and a Good Omelette

Max Brenner in NYC

Yesterday, I met a friend who was passing through the city for work at Max Brenner off of Union Square to say hello and catch a cup of coffee and some breakfast before me moved on with our own day's agendas.  I often pass by and wonder what the story is with a place whose subtitle is "Chocolate by the Bald Man" and it seemed it could be a great spot to meet a fellow adventurous foodie friend.  The fragrance of chocolate rolls out of the heavy wooden doors to the passers-by and the window displays are quirky.  Those things are enough to pique my curiosity but for some reason I had never gone in to check it out until yesterday.

A simple bowl of granola.

We walked in and were immediately enveloped in an invisible chocolate-scented cloud. Whoa.  We walked past big barrels of dark, milk, and white chocolate being mixed with a paddle.  There were brown pipes along the ceilings and walls and we wondered if there was actually chocolate flowing through them.  Probably not, but the effect was pure delight.  I commented at a point that I felt like I was in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.  Everyone was friendly and the pastry case was filled with everything from chocolate and roasted marshmallow dessert pizzas to big plastic syringes filled with their own house-made chocolate ganache made to be injected directly into a choco-holic's mouth (only $3.95, by the way!)  There were cookbooks, souvenirs, and assorted chocolate novelties, as well as serious and straightforward chocolate wares.

A light breakfast complete with chocolate

The novelty was entertaining but, both of us ended up ordering more practical fare, a spinach and goat cheese omelette for me, a bowl of fruit, granola, and yogurt for my friend.  When the food arrived, alas, there was a well-sugared biscuit with a bowl of chocolate dipping ganache next to my omelette.  The granola was placed before my friend in a huge stemmed chalice-type thing, complete with shaved chocolate all over the top and accompanied by a sugared biscotti.  This place was a crack-up! 
The food turned out to be pretty good, not the best I've ever had, but totally passable and the coffee was good.  Prices were very reasonable.  The place is definitely a novelty in which groups would have fun and it would be great for entertaining friends and family who are visiting from out of town.  This chocolate fantasy was definitely a perk in my quiet January week.  There are also locations in Las Vegas and Philly if you are interested in checking those out. 

Spinach and Chevre Omelette a la Max Brenner

What is unique about this omelette is that the eggs and chopped spinach were incorporated together and filled with creamy, delicious chevre (as opposed to the spinach as part of the filling and plain eggs.). I thought it was a nice variation.  Here is how they did it if you are interested in trying it out!

2 large eggs
1 cup minced spinach leaves
salt and pepper to taste
2 T butter
3 T chevre

Whisk together the eggs, minced spinach, and salt and pepper.    Heat the butter in a non-stick pan and swirl pan to cover the bottom of the pan.  Pour egg mixture into pan and turn heat to medium-low. When egg is about halfway cooked, dot the chevre in the middle and fold the egg over.  Cover and cook 2-4 minutes, until eggs are cooked through and chevre is melty. 

(opt.) Serve with chocolate sauce and a biscuit for dipping...

Rockaway Tacos Rock!

Foraging with the Wild Man

My treasures from foraging in Prospect Park

Ready to Forage!

Foraging with 'Wild Man'. It's something that has interested me since I first caught wind of it a few years back. Steve Brill, botanist and self-proclaimed forager, lives in Westchester and offers foraging exhibitions in local parks and wildlife areas in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. It is his business, but clearly also his passion. His vast knowledge of wild plants and sense of humor combined makes the tour not just any old walk in the park. On these outings, he identifies and gathers wild and native edibles that are found growing in our public spaces and offers advice on their uses and recipes, as well.

Such a beautiful day in Brooklyn!

For those of you who know that I live in New York City, this may sound like a joke--what would I forage to eat in NYC? Rocks? Birdseed? Old bagels in trash cans? Probably, but all it took was a quick call, a desire to spend the day in the one of our many urban green spaces like Central Park or Prospect Park, and $15 to the Wild Man (and an ambitious foraging buddy--thanks, Sarah) and I was foraging real edibles!!

Flowers are popping up everywhere!

I was shocked and amazed at how many things are already growing in the chilly northeast in early March. Some forage-able items were year-round like things that came from trees, but we managed to find a good amount of tiny, tender green sprouted leaves of various sorts and even spotted some tiny early enoki mushrooms.

Witch Hazel in it's purest form!

I love the contrast of Brooklyn buildings in the background here.

As we entered the Prospect Park, immediately someone in the group spotted green! We had come upon chickweed popping up all over the hillside right at the Grand Army Plaza entrance! It was freshly sprouted and tiny, but it was there! Then we came upon such a beautiful tree-like shrub unlike any I had grown up with. Despite being somewhat un-usable to the amateur forager, this witch hazel tree was still such a sight to behold amidst the still bare branches that it was nestled among.

The Wild Man himself

As we hiked and noticed plants and green sprout-y things, the Wild Man would identify edibles and assist in finding enough for everyone in the group to take home, when appropriate. It is worth noting that in plants that need their greens to regenerate, he would identify and discuss the plant, then instruct us not to take them for the sake of their survival in the park. He also entertained the group with plant-inspired stories and played his instrument, the "Brillophone", which was apparently invented by his father and involves air moving through a round mouth and clapping cupped hands--you have to see it to believe it. At lunchtime, we stopped to munch on whatever snacks we brought along. He was generous and shared some delicious sour rye bread that he made by harvesting wild yeast from the air and fruit leather that was so delicious that he made from oliveberries in Central Park. Yep, this guy was a character, alright. All in all, it made for a fun and satisfying day. Check out Wild Man Steve Brill's website for booking a foraging day, ordering books, or just checking out his delicious vegan recipes featuring foraged ingredients. http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/

Northern Bayberry Leaves

Here are some other things we foraged and their uses:

Gingko nuts: about the size of acorns and can be roasted and eaten. They had an interesting flavor to rice or salad that tastes like a combination of green peas and Limburger cheese. Whoa, right?

Daylilies: have a flat shoot and are light green in color. Has a string bean taste with a mild onion bite. The tubers are also edible and taste radish-y. Both are great in stir-fries.

Garlic Mustard Greens: beautiful tiny leaves that look like heart-shaped mint leaves. They have a fresh garlic bite and the wild man recommends making pesto with them.

Kentucky Coffee Tree: huge green pods the have big beans in them. The recommended usage is roasting the beans and grinding them. Then, making a hot chocolate-type beverage with soy milk, carob chips, cocoa powder, soy lecithin, stevia, and a bit of orange extract.

Common Spice Bush: a large bush that has fragrant twigs that are reminiscent of allspice. Can be used in sweet or savory dishes.

Black Birch: a tree with wintergreen flavored twigs that offer a mild aspirin-like effect. Apparently, aspirin is derived from elements from this tree. The twigs make a nice minty tea, but also are the best for teething babies since they have a pain killer effect.

Northern Bayberry: leaves of this tree were dried, but still hanging on. They are the native, wild version of bay leaves.

Mugwort: powerful Chinese herb

Common Thistle: cook in soup/smells like parsley

Sassafrass: the tree that is used in the making of natural root beer, has medicinal uses, as well

Garlic Chives were everywhere!

Wild Salmon and Asparagus with Garlic Chives

4 6-8 oz wild salmon fillets, rinsed and patted dry
2 T white wine vinegar
1/2 t minced garlic
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1 bundle thin asparagus stalks, trimmed and/or peeled at the bottom
1/4-1/2 cup snipped garlic chives (regular chives work if you can't find them!)
1 lemon, cut into wedges


Place fillets in a shallow bowl. Mix vinegar, garlic, Dijon, oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and reserve half of the mixture. Pour other half over fish. Cover and chill for 30 minutes to 6 hours.

Preheat oven to broil and line a broiling pan with foil to prevent a mess. Toss asparagus with reserved marinade and transfer to lined broiling pan. Remove fish from marinade and pat fillets dry. Arrange on lined broiling pan and sprinkle generously with snipped garlic chives.

Broil 8-10 minutes or until fish is just done in the center. This is approximate and depends on the thickness of your fillets and also on your oven. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Cafe au Lait and Beignets

snowy, snowy Brooklyn

If you are anything like me, you are feeling lucky today. The snow is coming down and lots of things in NYC have been cancelled. I love an impromptu day of nothing. I like to catch up on reading and feel no pressure to hurry up or get to this place or that. Usually on a day like this, I like to do a bit of organizing and often a bit of cooking as I putter around the apartment peering out at the snow coming down.

It's a great day to treat yourself to a comforting cafe au lait with beignets. They take awhile to make, but are pretty straightforward. Start them now and you will have beignets and coffee for your afternoon snack. You probably have all of the ingredients on hand and Fat Tuesday is next week...take advantage of the extra time today and enjoy being snowed in. If you are a Saints fan, you could make these in honor of the Superbowl win. In general, New Orleans-y food seems fitting right about now. You won't have the whole experience of sitting at Cafe du Monde on a sweltering day with marching band sounds playing in the background, but you can turn the heat up and throw on some music, if you are so inclined. You won't regret that first steamy bite of a classic Cafe du Monde-style beignet!

Here is a scratch recipe for beignets. According to the author at NolaCuisine.com, it beats the Cafe du Monde mix by a lot. I believe him. Let's try it, shall we?

New Orleans Style Beignet Recipe
**These take awhile, so start them well ahead of time.**
Makes about 2 dozen

1 Envelope Active Dry Yeast
3/4 Cup Water (110 degrees F)
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Beaten Egg
1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk
3 1/2 – 3 3/4 Cups A.P. Flour
1/8 Cup Shortening
Vegetable Oil for Frying
Powdered Sugar in a shaker or sifter

Combine the Yeast, Water, and Sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (You could also make this in a food processor, or the old fashioned way, by hand). Let this sit until frothy, about 5 minutes, then add the Salt, Egg, and Evaporated Milk.

Mix on low speed, then add half of the flour until it starts to come together, then add the shortening. When the shortening is incorporated start adding the remaining flour, a little at a time until most of it is incorporated. At this time I always turn the dough onto a floured bench to finish by hand, just like when I make bread; it’s a touch thing. Knead the dough adding just enough flour as necessary to make a non-sticky, smooth dough.

Place the dough into a large oiled bowl, loosely cover and let rise. After the dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down and turn it onto a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle that is about 1/2″ thick. With a very sharp knife working at a diagonal to the rectangle, cut into 2″ wide strips. Now cut into diamond shapes by making diagonal cuts in the opposite direction. Place the Beignets on a floured baking sheet to let rise about 40 minutes in a warm place (I place them in a barely warm oven).

When the Beignets have risen, heat 2-3 inches of vegetable oil in a large saucepan to 350-360 degrees. Place 2-3 Beignets into the hot oil at a time, being careful not to smash or deflate them. When they are golden brown, flip them over until golden brown on the other side (They go pretty quickly so start checking them right after they go into the oil). Remove to paper towel lined plates to drain. Serve hot topped with plenty of powdered sugar (because the dough doesn’t contain much sugar, you will want a lot!). Best served with Cafe au Lait. Enjoy!


Cafe au lait: In French, it means coffee with milk. In New Orleans, it means strong chicory-infused coffee mixed 50/50 with scalded milk and served in a wide bowl-type mug.

The easiest way to do this is brew Cafe du Monde coffee, which is readily available in supermarkets, not just in New Orleans anymore. If you don't have any at home and they don't have any at the corner deli, just brew a nice, strong pot of coffee. Pour some milk (*or soy milk or almond milk) into a small pot and scald it, which means almost bring to a boil or bring just under a boil. If you are a perfectionist, this means 170 degrees F, but I never check. Then pour the milk and the chicory coffee together in a wide mug.

*If you use milk alternatives, be sure to pour it through a fine sieve on it's way into the mug, because soy milk/rice milk/almond milk-type things tend to curdle when heated--it's perfectly fine, just strain it.


Bon Appetit, Mon Cher!

La Taverna

If you are looking for decent eats at a low price, La Taverna may be just what you are looking for. They opened in Greenpoint, Brooklyn about seven months ago on Manhattan Avenue at Java Street. It is an Italian trattoria-style restaurant complete with heavy carved wooden chairs, textured plaster walls in a sunny yellow, wrought iron chandeliers, and a flat screen tv at the bar with a futbol game playing. The menu is fresh, authentic-sounding, and very, very affordable. Not to mention they don't have a liquor license yet so it's still BYO. I noticed the place last summer and the menu looked great, I just hadn't heard a word about it from anyone. From the looks of the decor, the owners definitely invested time, money, and heart to make the place just right. This weekend, Will and I made the right decision and decided to pop in for a casual dinner out.

Wine bottle in hand, we walked in and were immediately greeted by a stout, middle-aged man with a ton of energy. We later realized that this guy was Papa Gino. He made a few silly old guy jokes, took our wine to open it, and seated us. There were only two other tables of two seated out of about 12-15 tables in the dining room. For a frigid winter night, this probably was close to typical for any restaurant, but not at all good for a struggling new restaurant.

Recession-wise, it isn't a great time to open up a small restaurant and the dead winter season only adds to the struggle. These factors always make me skeptical about how fresh or good anything will be, especially considering the large menu and the amount of ingredients that they needed to stock to be able to expedite it.

Well, whether the place will be good or not wasn't going to be a mystery much longer, so we decided to set some expectations and really go for it. We ordered grilled calamari on greens and ordered the garlic bread appetizer for luck. If you want a good feel for the freshness or quality of a restaurant's product, I say order the most delicate, perishable item on the appetizer menu and see what they do with it. You will quickly know if you want to have an entree or bolt after the first course.

The calamari was tender, sweet, and flavorful. It offered a nice, lightly charred aroma and was plated over mixed baby greens with a very fresh tasting lemon vinaigrette. We agreed that it was delicious and proceeded to devour it, along with the very buttery, very garlicky garlic bread. Will did point out that despite being a good deal (it was only $6 or $7), they didn't give us the briny chewy tentacles, which are my favorite part. What a great guy to be thinking of me and my tentacles with a table full of good food in front of him.

For entrees, we ordered individual pizzas, which were offered in a 10" size and also in, I think, a 14" size. The waitress informed us that there was only whole wheat crust that day, which was great for me, but I think Will was a little disappointed. He's a bit of a pizza purist and likes to test out the classic pie, at least the first time.

The pizzas came and were good. They were not the highlight of the meal, but were passable. The prices were all so low, that I think my expectations were met, even though it wasn't nearly the best pizza I had ever had. The whole wheat crust was great, though--very homemade tasting. My Mediterranean Pizza with feta, spinach, fresh tomatoes, and olives was something I would get again and Will's sausage and cheese disappeared, so I guess it was pretty good, too. Toppings were a bit skimpy, but all flavors were very good. Our first course out-shined the second by far, but we certainly were not about to leave hungry.

I plan on returning in the near future and trying out an entree. The menu offered long lists of fish, pork, beef, and poultry entrees, as well as a nice salad section, and a gorgeous pasta selection. They were also offering free cream of tomato soup or lentil soup with each entree order. Something tells me the entrees, soups, and salads are all quite good and maybe the pizza was a menu afterthought.

Overall, we had a good experience. Papa Gino did a little too much hovering, interrupting, and joke telling, but the truth is, he was likeable and really nice. If it had been busier he would have been spreading his stories and jokes around, rather than saving them all for us. The bathrooms were impeccably clean, the waitress was friendly and efficient, and our bill was around $35. I dare anyone to feast like that in a cute place in Brooklyn for less than that. What a steal! The word around town is they also deliver--I should have grabbed a menu (but then I wouldn't get to see Papa Gino, would I?). If you're a Greenpointer or Williamsburger, check this one out sometime soon and let me know what you got and what you thought of it. They could use the business and I'm sure you could use a decent meal and some Papa Gino jokes.

Hopefully, things pick up and we have La Taverna in the hood for awhile!

La Taverna
946 Manhattan Avenue (corner of Java)
Brooklyn, NY 11222
(718) 383-0732
no website...c'mon Papa Gino, get a website
http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-taverna-brooklyn

Buon Giorno!

Golden Unicorn a.k.a. Chinese Love Boat

I'm always up for a food adventure, even if there's a chance I might leave hungry or have a terrible experience. The prospect of that doesn't really bother me a bit--how else would I discover the really great places if I didn't take a few leaps? Living in New York City offers so many opportunities to try new things, including the strange and confusing. It would be impossible to actually try everything this crazy place has to offer.

This weekend, I did some serious food-ing. Every meal I ate all weekend was outstanding, but one in particular really takes the cake. Not that the food was flawless, there were a few grease bombs at the table, but the experience will have me in stitches for a long time to come.

The Golden Unicorn deep in Chinatown was truly an experience to behold. Written up as having excellent dim sum (some said the best in NYC) and moderate prices, it seemed like a perfect place to go with a group on an otherwise boring Saturday night. We quickly learned that you may go to the Golden Unicorn for the food, but you stay for the experience (but not too long or you may lose your vision from the overwhelmingly bright lights). We enjoyed almost three hours of delicious food, new flavors, decent drinks, a waitstaff that was very friendly, and nonstop laughs. Here are some highlights.



We made a reservation in advance, assuming such a place would be packed on Saturday night. When we arrived at the entrance down on East Broadway (practically under the Manhattan Bridge!), we were greeted by a woman in a kimono-type getup who seemed to be expecting us right at that moment. The entrance looked like an office building with no hints of a restaurant or other people, but then we were ushered into an elevator. At the second floor, we entered a huge banquet-type room with very, VERY bright white lights. There were royal blue lights accenting the ceiling and the room was filled with large round tables with white tablecloths. There was a stage-type area with a few tables that had a loud sculptured background of dragons in red, green, and gold and some exotic chandelier sort of fixtures on certain parts of the ceiling. Other than a large Chinese family seated far in one corner and another small party, we were the only ones there. This place was crazy.

Delectable Dim Sum Sampler

We got a lovely dim sum sampler for the table that offered steamed pork dumplings, steamed shrimp ball dumplings, and a spinach-potato-celery type dumpling that was fantastic. They were all wrapped in clear rice paper. The fried pork dumplings were apparently the best ones ever made and the boys ordered a second round of them. We munched happily, laughed a lot, and got into the Chinese banquet groove, not realizing how much food was about to come to the table.

Sam and Hua carving the Peking Duck

All of us ordered an entree, including a whole Peking Duck. As the food arrived, we knew we were in trouble. The Peking Duck was carved table-side and made into two dishes. The beautiful, glossy, lacquered skin was carved and folded into puffy little steamed bun pockets. The duck then disappeared and we wondered if it was coming back. It reappeared shortly after in the form of a chopped up stir-fry with veggies and spooned into lettuce leaves. They were beautiful, but there was A LOT. Luckily the servers were practically force-feeding us. We also had really great fried rice, Chinese vegetables, honey garlic chicken, and mushroom bean curd rolls.

A few hours later, we had worked through most of the food. Retinas burnt and stomachs stuffed, we waddled to the darkest bar we could find for a nightcap. This place was a really great time and had some delicious offerings. If you want some great food and a free show to boot, try Golden Unicorn next time you get the hankering for something new and bring your sunglasses.

Xie Xie (pronounced see see ya) Golden Unicorn for a great night! That's 'thank you' in Mandarin.

Greenpoint Beer Festival!

After an unseasonably warm and sunny November weekend with not much going on but hanging out, starting up another work week just isn't what I felt like doing. To cheer myself up, I thought I would reminisce about my weekend food and drink highlight and share some pics.

On Saturday afternoon, Will and I headed out to Greenpoint Beer Festival at Red Star bar in Brooklyn. The event was being promoted by our friend's growing company 3V PR and Management and featured tons of local and microbrew beers, some favorite bar munchies, and a great musical lineup, including John Forte from The Fugees. Way to go 3V!

The bar offered some gourmet versions of bar favorites, including sliders, pulled pork sliders, wings, and some of the best mac n cheese in the neighborhood--and there's a lot of mac n cheese in this neighborhood...Yes, it's classic elbow macaroni with a typical, delicious yellow gooey sauce, but Red Star offers the bonus of sauteed red and green pepper bits folded in with a garlic breadcrumb topping. That's right. I'll say it again. Garlic breadcrumb topping. It's good.

No surprise the place was packed with what must have been 20 microbrew/beer purveyors. The deal was that you pay $20, then get your choice of 6 beers! I especially enjoyed Peak Organic's Maple Oat Ale and the Southampton Saison--which was light with passionfruit notes. Gimme some more of that! They also offered a delicious beer available for the first time ever in the U.S. , but guess what. I didn't write down the name of it. It was very good, a hefeweizen, I think. If anyone knows, please comment!

Greenpoint Beer Festival was a smashing success!

If you need PR people or business development consultation, these people are great!

3V PR and Management
EMAIL: press@3Vnyc.com

The Botany of Desire

What a pleasant surprise I had a few weeks ago when my friend surprised with me an invitation to a screening and discussion of The Botany of Desire at The Asia Society. It is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors (Michael Pollan) that was recently made into a PBS documentary, directed by Michael Schwartz and airs for the first time on PBS October 28. We were lucky enough to view the screening and attend the Q & A with Michael Pollan, Michael Schwartz, and Daljit Dhaliwal (of Worldfocus on PBS). They also had a Q & A with the audience and I got my copy signed by the author himself!

A refreshing look at our relationship to food, the author suggests and supports how plants control us, versus us controlling them(via agriculture, genetic modification, globalization, etc.), which is our tendency as humans. He does this by choosing four different plants and dividing his argument into four sections: apple (sweetness), marijuana (intoxication), tulip (beauty), and potato (control). In parentheses are the means by which the plant controls us without us necessarily realizing it.

In recent years, food films have tended to be exposes of our corrupt food industry and tend to preach about what we, as a society, are doing wrong and sort of guilt us into changing our habits. The Botany of Desire is truly a different flavor of film. While Michael Pollan may be a plant lover and locavore, he doesn't present his research from a preachy viewpoint or simply tell us what we are doing wrong which is why I consider him to be more of a food spiritualist and philosopher. Instead we are taken on a journey to the soil, if you will. We join the plant's side of things and seethrough the plant's eyes how humans have changed plants' states of being over the past few centuries.
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If you haven't read it and have any interest in food, gardening, plants, or science, I consider all of his books to be "must- reads". If you are not up for getting the book and reading it (though you would really be missing out), check out The Botany of Desire on PBS October 28!

Click here to learn more or buy the DVD:

http://www.pbs.org/thebotanyofdesire/

Pumpkin Soup, NYC Food and Wine Show, Chelsea Market, AND Knives

Silly, silly me. Of all weekends to decide to drag a big bag of stuff on the subway and into Manhattan. I went to Chelsea Market this Saturday to get some knives sharpened. I soon learned that this weekend was the New York City Food and Wine Show. The show is sponsored by The Food Network, which is housed INSIDE Chelsea Market. Oy Vey! Well, I thought, I couldn't very well turn back because I had already made it to the west side on the slow weekend trains and the knife lady was expecting me.

To add to the mess, most lines had limited service due to construction AND when I got off the train I had to plow through the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer to get to my destination. I guess it's a good thing that I had a dozen French knives in my bag--I had a false sense of confidence stomping down the street dragging my bag of sharp stuff and made it through the mess of tourists in record time!

I just wanted to get my knives and my clients' knives to Margery, the knife sharpener who, by the way, is fantastic. She sets up her table outside Bowery Kitchen Supply and is there Wednesdays and Saturdays from 12-6. Her prices are really low and she does a bang-up job! I just added her link, Samurai Knife Sharpening, to my links if you're interested. Oh, yeah, and she's really nice to boot!

So, there I was and decided to make the best of it. Below are some pics taken inside Manhattan Fruit Exchange at Chelsea Market. Yes, this is fresh baby corn and behind them, raw uncured olives. Divine!





Above is a shot of the varied and exotic dried beans, grains, nuts, and pasta offered at very reasonable prices. Just look at the colors!

Anyway, the place was jam-packed, but since I was there, I did my best to do a lap and see what I could see. I didn't run into Guy, Rachel, Sandra, or Alton who were all around giving talks and doing workshops. I noticed Paula Deen wasn't there, but she sent her sons to do a workshop for her, though!?!? I thought that was a little odd, but I'm a little odd myself and shouldn't judge.

I made a point to go to Buon Italia and bought some wonderful semolina pasta and bought some imported fresh sheep's ricotta to stuff them with. Sheep's Ricotta!!!! I also hit Manhattan Fruit Exchange, Fat Witch Bakery, Eleni's, and Amy's Bread before I headed out to get out of the crowd for awhile.

By mid-afternoon, I was back to pick up my super sharp knives and get back to Brooklyn pronto. I did manage to take pics of some impressive carved pumpkin displays and some beautiful shots from the Manhattan Fruit Exchange, though. See photo below for a look at the pumpkins carved to look like Guy Fieri and Rachel Ray. Pretty unbelievable, I would say. I also managed to eat a Pumpkin Walnut Muffin and picked up some homemade brioche hotdog buns at Amy's Breads.
Yes, I do believe it turned out to be a surprisingly fun and tasty day.

To celebrate the season, here is my favorite pumpkin soup recipe that is healthy, seasonal, and oh so dee-lish.

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

1 pumpkin, (basketball-sized), halved with seeds removed

1 lg onion, roughly chopped
4 T extra virgin olive oil
1 t sea salt
1/3 c raisins
4 c vegetable stock or water
1 T ground cinnamon
1 t ground nutmeg
½ t cloves
1 T allspice
½ c maple syrup
1 cup almond milk or coconut milk
¼ c lemon juice


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet and roast pumpkin halves, open side down for 1-1 ½ hours or until very tender and soft. Remove from oven, flip and let cool a little while you put together the soup.

In a large soup pot, cook onion and olive oil for 2-3 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Season with sea salt. Turn heat to low.

Scoop roasted pumpkin flesh from it’s skin into soup pot. Cook for 3-4 minutes and stir.

Add raisins, stock, and spices. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking to the bottom.

Add maple syrup and milk and remove from heat.

Puree in batches until very smooth. Return to a clean pot, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Finish with lemon juice, taste, and adjust seasonings.