Some Cuisine of the Catskills

"If I sit on the hearth by the fire and stare at them, maybe they will give me some attention."

 It's been a cold and snowy 2011 so far and I've already been wanting a much-needed vacation or maybe just a break from the snowy, snowy city. Last weekend, we had the pleasure of being invited to our friends' ski chalet in the Catskill mountains.  We drove the 2 1/2 hour trip during the second snowstorm of the new year knowing that once we arrived, it could snow all weekend and we wouldn't mind a bit.  We were about to spend the weekend with great friends, great food, frosty air, and open sky. 

Just some of  Sweet Sue's pancake menu

The chalet is adorable and comfortable, has a cozy fireplace, and even has an outdoor hot tub perfect for frigid snowy nights.  We enjoyed it almost as much as we enjoyed the company of the good friends we sat in it with (and their adorable dog, too, but he wasn't allowed in the hot tub).  It was a welcome three-day procrastination from getting back to the grind in NYC and gearing up for regular life again now that the holidays are over.  We ate and drank well the entire weekend, by both combining efforts at the chalet and hitting a few favorite local haunts that we love to visit when we are up that way.  Both restaurants can be found in a nearby town, Phoenicia, NY, a quaint and tiny town nestled in the mountains full of cute and hip spots and colorful locals.

One spot we love is a quirky combo of a place called The Sportsman's Alamo on one side (great California-style Mexican) and Brio's (homemade, fresh Italian) on the other side.  They are two restaurants that share a kitchen and allow you to order off either menu regardless of which side you have chosen to dine.  Friday night after we arrived and unpacked, we headed straight there.  My husband, Will, got his favorite menu item, which is incidentally the only thing he has ever gotten there.  His pepperoni, onion, and green pepper calzone with fresh mozzarella and ricotta is the only thing he even considers when coming. I enjoyed my chipotle shrimp with a huge serving of fresh sauteed spinach as much as I did the the Chilean Cabernet.  I was so immersed in my great meal, I can't tell you what our hosts got.  Probably something delicious. 

For our favorite Catskills breakfast spot we hit up Sweet Sue's Saturday morning, which has the most diverse and incredible pancake menu this side of the Hudson, as well as great coffee, outstanding house-baked breads and muffins, and just exceptional all-around brunch food. At our table, we had the biggest 1" thick pancakes I've ever seen.  They never cease to amaze me.  One order of blueberry and one order of chocolate chip for the boys.  Two Greek omelettes for the girls and assorted sausage--handmade turkey sausage (the size of a hamburger!), classic beef/pork, and veggie sausage, as well.  Bottomless cups of coffee rounded things out and we had to roll ourselves to the car.

The Porn Horns kicking back ready for another eating session.

Our hostess made two incredible lasagnas that night with a beautiful salad and we had flourless chocolate cake for dessert. On Sunday morning, she whipped up some lovely broccoli quiches without flinching, despite the fact that we were up late boozing in the hot tub.  We ate assorted appetizers the entire time including quinoa tabouli with whole wheat flatbread, spinach artichoke dip (you know the one), local Hudson Valley tomato-basil cheddar cheese, the hostess' own marinated antipasti, semolina bread with olive oil and balsamic, and plenty of wine.  I won't tell how much. Yep, we know how to do it.  Now for that New Year's scale-back on the gooey food and gluttony.

The chalet kitchen was up and running the whole time.

Below is my favorite part of our huge appetizer spread.  It was simple and delicious and my part-Italian hostess demonstrated delicious Italian simplicity by her choices of antipasti and pepper-marinating.  It is the way to go for a light and delicious appetizer selection.  

Hostess Antipasti Platter

1 6 oz jar roasted red peppers

1 clove garlic, finely minced

dash of dried oregano

dash of sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 T+1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup oil-cured black olives

1 loaf really fresh Italian bread

1 t balsamic vinegar

Italian or Italian-inspired cheese (such as above mentioned 'Hudson valley-made tomato basil cheddar')

Drain the peppers and slice into thin strips or rings and transfer to a small bowl.  Add minced garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of good olive oil.  Toss together and let marinate.  Refrigerate if you are making this well in advance (and you should!  It gets better the longer it marinates.)

When you are getting ready to serve, warm the bread in a hot oven and set up the platter.  Combine the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil with the balsamic and a pinch of salt and pepper and put in a tiny dipping bowl.  Slice cheese into 1/4" thick squares or triangles, whatever makes sense for the cheese.  

Arrange cheese, olives, oil, sliced bread, and marinated roasted peppers on a platter.  It is simple to do and marvelous to taste. 

Branson, Missouri, Part Two

While the southern midwest does often tend towards chain restaurants and processed/pre-packaged foods, even in the Ozarks, there are some favorite local dishes and ingredients that we enjoyed on our visit that are noteworthy.  Freshly caught, local trout, local catfish, and barbeque in it's many forms can be enjoyed and savored here.  Sorghum, a molasses-type, mineral-rich syrup is a popular local ingredient that reminds me of my childhood is popular in the Ozarks and is found in all the stores and even at the Wal-Mart in Branson.  I have never seen it anywhere else, so I definitely bought a large tin.  Stay tuned for a posting that features what I come up with for that! 

There were two meals that made an impression on me during our stay.  Funny, I ended up getting the trout at both places--I guess that's how the cookie crumbles when you don't eat meat and try to eat local in the Ozarks.  Thankfully, both meals were delicious.

Hold on to your seat when I say this...The first of the two trout dinners was at Andy Williams Moon River Grill found next to the Moon River Theater on the main drag in Branson.  We had tickets to see Paul Revere and the Raiders opening with The Comets (the surviving ones at least) and decided to eat at the adjacent restaurant beforehand (reservations at 5--early bird country!).  The Comets were adorable, still played great music, and impressed us with their 76 year old lead singer, and 86 year old drummer.  Paul Revere and the Raiders?  There was more slapstick humor and really corny jokes than there was music and the show was geared for the 70+ set.  Well, at least it ended early...Dinner before was good, though.  The salads were fresh, the drinks were decent, and my Pecan-encrusted Trout served with Maple Sherry Butter Sauce was outrageous.  A simple crust and pan-searing turned an otherwise bland, woodsy fish into a gourmet, but still un-pretentious treat.  Hearty and flavorful, the trout is something I would order if I ever found myself here again.  We also stuck around near the booth where Andy sits, in the hopes that we might see him but no such luck.  We had to leave for the show before he came in.

The next memorable trout was served to me at Devil's Pool Restaurant at Big Cedar Resort.  This place was a lesson in local ambiance.  It was a taxidermists dream with stuffed 'possum, birds, mooseheads, deerheads, maybe a mongoose or an armadillo here or there, all perched amidst the log beams, fireplace, and long plank tables.  The stuffed carcasses were not my favorite part, but at least none were looking at me while I ate.  The trout, on the other hand, was maybe a rainbow trout.  It's flesh was a bit pinker in color than the previous night's, but also very fresh.  The preparation was simple.  Pan-seared and finished in Lemon-Thyme Butter and accompanied by a shaved asparagus and snap pea salad, which was just as delightful as the trout--thinly shaved and barely sauteed, though I suspect use of margarine here...I guess they haven't heard....It was another winning trout meal.

If you can find fresh trout fillets without bone or skin, I would highly recommend giving it a try.  There is fresh, local trout in many regions of the country so there is most likely some near you if you look for it.  Even better, though, is if you have a fisherman in your midst who can just catch you some.  I am blessed with an in-house fisherman and next catch you can be sure I will pull out my boning knife and cook up some...

Pecan-Encrusted Trout with Sherry Butter Sauce

2 lb fresh trout fillet (boned, skinned, and sliced into 4-6 serving size pieces)

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups pecans

1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sugar (or sucanat)

5 T unsalted butter

2 t maple syrup (use the real stuff, if you don't have any, then substitute honey!!)

2 t sherry

1/2 t sea salt

quick shirt of freshly squeezed lemon juice

coarsely ground black pepper to taste

4-6 T extra-virgin olive oil or olive oil/butter combo for pan-frying

Rinse fillets in cold water and place in a shallow bowl with milk.  Let sit while you prepare the crust and butter sauce.

In a food processor, combine pecans, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and sugar or sucanat. Pulse in food processor until mixture in uniform and fine, about 20-30 pulses.  You may need to scrape the sides down once or twice to get it all blended. Transfer the mixture to a large plate or bowl.  Set aside.

Melt butter over medium-low heat in a saucepan.  Whisk in maple syrup and sherry.  Cook 5-7 minutes, lowering heat if it goes above a gentle simmer.  Finish with salt, lemon juice, and coarse black pepper. Turn heat to the lowest setting to keep warm.

Return to the fillets and drain the milk; discard.  Pan fillets dry and roll in pecan crust mixture.  If it is having trouble sticking, you can add some bread crumbs or just press the mixture firmly into the fillet.  Coat them thickly!

In a large frying pan, melt oil/butter for frying and bring it the medium heat.  Cook the fillets about 4 minutes on each side.  Don't move them around (except for flipping) once they are in the pan or the crust will fall off.

Drain for a minute on paper towels, if necessary.  Transfer to a serving plate and drizzle butter sauce over the top. 

Rockaway Tacos Rock!

Peruvian Cilantro Rice

How great it is to get away for awhile!  We are gearing up for an action-packed and fun summer this year and are getting excited about trips to Branson and Cape Cod among others.

Setting summer fun into motion before it's official start, we took a quick 5 day trip to the Los Angeles area last week to visit my brother and sister-in-law and meet my beautiful new niece, Sophia, but also wanted to just hang out and soak in some of that slower-paced California vibe for a few days.  We managed a few dips in the pool, killer Mexican food, and lots of relaxation.  When we weren't swooning over the new baby, we also managed to hit the Long Beach farmer's market, a classic LA-style swap meet, and a day in West Hollywood with friends.

We ate so much delicious stuff that I just don't see in NYC.  The farmer's market had fat and bursting tamales available in 9 flavors!  At the swap meet, I had crisp and fresh fish tacos from a taco truck and Will and I split Mexican donuts for dessert (one, a cinnamon and sugar combo and the other, a cinnamon and chocolate-glazed bun still warm--mmmm.).  We enjoyed beautiful, fresh, and local cherries, mango, and watermelon and I grabbed a bite of my sister-in-law's churro.  It was AMAZING and had I gotten my own, I would have eaten every bite.

Our last night in town, we went to a place serving up what we believe to be authentic Peruvian eats (not sure, though--never been to Peru.).  We enjoyed the Yuca for an appetizer and it was absolutely divine.  My entree may well be the best thing I have eaten in many, many months.  I had Arroz con Mariscos, which was fresh and tender shrimp, scallop, octopus, and langoustine sauteed and served over the ultimate, most flavorful, and tasty cilantro rice in existence. Seriously.

Other dishes at the table were the house-roasted chicken, which can only be described as lacquered with a salty citrus glaze and was very good,  Talarin Saltado which looked like hibachi tossed with French fries, and fried rice that was very Chinese in influence, but had some Latin notes.

For a first try at a new cuisine, I must admit that I am smitten.  Peruvian cuisine is a diverse fare with Asian, Latin, and American influences with seemingly equal weight.  If we had more time in California, I would have requested more Peruvian. For now, though, the search is on for good Peruvian in NYC.  Any suggestions are welcome, dear readers.

Here is the first try at a recipe for the cilantro rice, which would be perfect for a summertime barbecued fish/meat meal, especially grilled seafood or to accompany a vegetable saute.  Give it a try and fall in love  with this cuisine!

Peruvian Cilantro Rice

1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 cups broth (chicken is traditional, vegetable works, too)
1/4 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/4 cup frozen peas (optional)
1 tablespoon cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked white rice


In a food processor or blender, puree cilantro with 1/2 cup water.

Heat oil in a saucepan and cook garlic until lightly browned. Pour in 2 cups of the cooking liquid and stir in the cilantro puree, carrots, peas, cumin and rice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, then cover; cook on low heat until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.

Cornmeal Gnocchi

I have never really understood obsession that some people have with pasta.  It's good, but it's rarely so good I crave a repeat.  Honestly, I probably ate a ton of it in college with plain old jarred sauce and just got sick of it,  forgetting how great fresh pasta with a delicate and flavorful sauce can really be.  This being said, I really and truly appreciate fresh, homemade pasta, probably more than the average joe.  I have tried my hand at making pasta a few times and know it isn't foolproof.  Even simple semolina pasta made by hand involves skill, practice, and a handful of luck.

Well, this weekend with my foodie friend, Lori, in town for a visit, we headed to Little Italy on Saturday night.   Along with a few other food-loving girls, we headed to Holly's favorite, Da Nico Ristorante.  They don't take reservations, but we were seated in their huge, sprawling garden within ten minutes.  A beautiful and unique house-made bruschetta-type flatbread came to the table right away.  It was delicious.  It was a round flatbread-type crust that suggested a brick oven in action.  This crisp and flaky crust was topped with ripe, sweet tomato chunks just chopped and tossed with garlic, lemon, and basil.  When your ingredients are this fresh and impeccable, simplicity like this is the way to go!

On such a warm and beautiful night, we ordered a crisp and citrus-y Pinot Grigio and took our time perusing the menu.  The pasta selection was great!  Traditional preparations like pomodoro sauce and Bolognese sauce were offered, as well as creative preparations like spicy vodka sauce with olives and fresh mozzarella, pesto, and various chicken and seafood preparations.  All pastas were made in house.  They also had a vast selection of pizzas and non-pasta entrees/secondo corso as well.  Delectable.

Potato gnocchi is always where I gravitate on an Italian menu if it is offered.  Those chewy little potato dumplings are so addictive and I like them with just about any sauce.  So that is what I ordered--Gnocchi Napolitana.

It arrived and was outrageously delicious.  It may be the most tender, yet flavorful gnocchi I have had.  Very fresh mozzarella was chopped into pieces about the size of the gnocchi and the mixture was gently tossed in a very fresh and delicate tomato sauce and topped with a huge sprig of aromatic basil.

My friends enjoyed the Rigatoni with Olives and Fresh Tomatoes, a special that offered Lobster Chunks in a Spicy Vodka Sauce that was divine, and a classic Spaghetti with Bolognese.  We ate well.  At the end, the waiter brought us a plate of zeppoles on the house (not that we were able to eat much more!).

The service here was great and we felt not a bit rushed, which is a rarity and a huge plus for a busy garden restaurant like this in NYC.  What a great spot!  This is a place to remember for great Italian eats.  A hidden gem!

Now that I am thinking about gnocchi, I will share a gnocchi recipe that I haven't made in ages, but was a huge hit and often-requested dish with my clients a few years back.  I would serve this with a roasted pepper-infused tomato sauce or cilantro butter.  It isn't traditional like what we had on Saturday, but it is a guaranteed hit!

Buon Appetito!

Cornmeal Gnocchi

1 cup cold mashed potatoes

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/3 cup unbleached white flour

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

1/2 tsp sea salt

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together to make a soft dough.  The best way to do this is mashing everything together with clean hands.

Divide the dough into fourths.  On a floured board with floured hands, roll each quarter into a rope 12 inches long.  Slice each rope into 15 pieces.  After slicing, roll the dough between two forks the make some cute ridges, if you like.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the gnocchi.  Cook until the gnocchi float to the top.  Drain and serve with a classic or creative sauce.

The simplest homemade pasta that there is!

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.

Simple Lentil Dal with Whole Cinnamon, Cardamom, and Cloves

Today I want to feature my new favorite cookbook author. Suvir Saran is the chef of Michelin starred restaurant Devi and author of Indian Home Cooking and American Masala. Both cookbooks make using exotic spices and preparing Indian food straightforward and absolutely perfect every time and are a great learning experience for the novice home cook-- even for those who feel intimidated by exotic recipes

Indian Home Cooking is filled with authentic recipes that one may find in the kitchen of an Indian grandmother. Truly, everything I have tried out of this book has put the cuisine of most Indian restaurants to shame. I don't know whether his techniques are his own or a regional Indian style, but I was surprised at how little oil he uses. He doesn't use much ghee at all. In most recipes, there is just a few tablespoons of canola oil. His recipes' flavors come from the frying of the spices and layering them with skill, not by dolloping extra ghee into the pot. The result is fragrant, rich, and contains "the aromas of the ages", as stated by one of my clients. He takes the mystery of out the layered spices and fragrances of this richly woven cuisine and makes the flavors accessible to all.

American Masala is an equally fantastic book that offers recipes of Indian food altered for the American palette, American-inspired Indian food, and Indian-inspired American food (if you can believe that!). A few examples from this book are Spicy-Sweet Chicken Wings that use honey and garam masala, Tamarind-glazed Meatloaf, and Stir fried Carrot Salad which has cilantro, lime, coriander, and cumin.

An important thing to note for both cookbooks is the importance of "gathering your mise". The recipes are simple and easy to follow, but you MUST have your ingredients ready/measured/chopped/pureed. I like to take a few prep bowls and prep each grouping of ingredients together before I start cooking anything, so when the recipe says to quickly add seven ingredients (or something like that), they are ready to go. This prevents most mishaps such as burning your spices and makes the preparation virtually fool-proof.

Check your supermarket for the spices and even for things like tamarind paste and mango powder(although for some things he suggests easier to find substitutions, if needed). It's really not that hard to find this stuff. There are some great spice stores online, too. If you live in NYC, head to little India in Jackson Heights, Queens (E, V, R to Roosevelt Ave.). Patel Bros. is amazing. In Manhattan, there is Spice Corner and Kaluystans.

I will keep cooking my way through these books and when I'm done, I will most likely start over and do it again. This food is just that good. Well, here is a teaser recipe. Get ready. Before long, you, too, will be totally immersed in this guy's food.

Simple Lentil Dal with Whole Cinnamon, Cardamom, and Cloves
from Indian Home Cooking, by Suvir Saran

1 1/2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 1-inch piece cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 whole cloves
4 green cardamom pods
1 cup pink lentils, picked over, washed and drained
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4 cups cold water
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Tempering Oil
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 fresh hot green chile, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime


Heat the oil with the cinnamon stick in a large saucepan or kadai over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until the cinnamon unfurls, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the cumin, cloves, and cardamom and cook, stirring, until the cumin turns a golden brown color, about 1 more minute. Add the lentils, turmeric, water, and salt. Bring to a boil and skim well, Turn down the heat and simmer, covered, until the lentils are soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Add more water during cooking, if necessary. Taste for salt and add more if you need to.

Ladle about 1/2 cup of the lentils into a small bowl and mash them with a spoon. Return the mashed lentils to the pot and give the dal a stir. Continue cooking at a simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes to thicken. If you like a thicker dal, use a whisk to break up the lentils into a puree. If you like a thinner dal, add water. Remove the cinnamon stick.

For the tempering oil, heat the oil in a small saucepan or kadai over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it just begins to brown around the edges, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic paste, ginger, and minced chile and cook just to mellow the raw taste of the garlic, 10 to 15 seconds.

Stir half of the tempering oil into the dal along with half of the cilantro and all of the lemon or lime juice. Simmer very gently for 5 minutes Transfer the dal to a serving bowl, pour the remaining tempering oil over the top, and sprinkle with the remaining cilantro. Serve hot.

Idee Fixe: Ethiopian Food, part 1

Only a few months ago I had my first experience eating Ethiopian food. It was exciting and tasty, and definitely an exotic experience. I loved the aromas, the seasonings, and the presentation, but at this certain restaurant, the waitstaff barely spoke English or were possibly just pretending, explained nothing, and were rude. There were nice basket-like woven tables where the injera bread was placed, which was charming, but would've served cocktail hour better than an actual meal. We awkwardly leaned over the basket and did our best. There are no utensils used since the meal is eaten communally with your hands and can be relatively messy, it wasn't easy-- a good experience, but not a great one. Most importantly, though, I got the gist of the food and knew I needed more.

I could see the potential and liked it enough to continue my exploration of Ethiopian cuisine. Onward to the next place that was recommended to me. . .I went to Ghenet. . .and my life changed forever. Seriously.

On Friday night, I went out for my second Ethiopian dinner and feel compelled to share. It just wouldn't be nice to keep it all to myself. I will start with an explanation/overview of the cuisine and a bit about the Ethiopian dining experience.

"Dining in Ethiopa is characterized by the ritual of breaking "injera" and sharing food from a common plate, signifying the bonds of loyalty and friendship. The traditional way of eating with the fingers. "Injera" is placed on the plate with a variety of dishes decoratively arranged around it. A small portion of "injera" is torn off and wrapped around a mouthful of the selected dish."--Ghenet, Brooklyn, NY

Also thanks to Ghenet, here are some terms that I thought were useful when navigating an Ethiopian menu or recipe. I have added a few thoughts to some of the original definitions. I know, I am obsessed.


Injera: staple bread in Ethiopian cuisine, a flatbread made of teff; it seems like sort of a sour/sourdough, savory giant crepe. Often made with half teff/half wheat flour, but sometimes 100% teff can be requested for gluten-free bread.

Teff: a fine grain unique to Ethiopia. Teff is tiny and usually red. It's a gluten free grain that is 11% protein and contains about 17 times the calcium as other grains, such as whole wheat or whole barley. It has sort of a nutty, almost maple-y flavor when cooked whole.

Wett: dipping sauce which may be prepared using a variety of meats, fish, and vegetables. Wett is cooked with Berbere.

Berbere: Ethiopian seasoning made from mature red chili peppers, onions, garlic, and other spices, may range from very mild to very hot. Berbere is sun-dried then mixed with more spices & used in Wetts.

Aletcha: a more mildly spiced dipping sauce prepared with a variety of meats or vegetables

Nitire Kibe: another Ethiopian basic, nitir kibe is pure clarified butter seasoned with several condiments and used in traditional sauteing.

Kaey Wett: A lively sauce prepared with berbere, nitir kibe, and meat, fish, or legumes.

That being said, there is still a lot, and mean A LOT to learn about this cuisine. It's impossible for me to include all that I want to here. It's new to me and I'm new to it, so this will be a journey. This is part 1--there will definitely be part 2, maybe 3 or 4. Here are my impressions of the essence of the food from my amateur perspective.

If you have never had it, and are trying to picture what these new flavors/flavor combinations might taste like, the closest food I can compare it to is curry, and that is a really general statement. My own expectations had me assuming the dishes would be comparable to Indian curry in both fragrance and flavor. The flavor is definitely not curried, but texturally and visually, I think they compare for the purpose of trying to experience food from written words. The fragrance is all it's own and wouldn't be confused for anything else.

Like most Indian curries, the layers of flavors infused into the sauce give the dishes depth, pungancy, heat, sweet, savory, sour and most definitely with umami. Rather, the sauces ARE layers of flavors, don't just contain them. Another parallel to curry is that, traditionally, clarified butter is used as the cooking oil, much like Indian cuisine where ghee (toasted, clarified butter) is used. This probably gives the similiar texture, richness, and mouth feel.

Upon being seated, warm hand wipes are placed on the table. We ordered wine--a South African Sauvignon Blanc for me, Honey Wine for two of my friends, and freshly juiced pineapple for another. Our appetizer was gluten-free/100% teff injera bread, dusted with a very spicy red powder, presumably a hot berbere. The bread was quickly pan-fried with the spices, folded, and topped with crumbles of "mild cheese". The cheese was a fresh cheese, much like chevre. It was out of this world and gone in a few minutes.

Everyone at the table ordered combinations to try lots of menu items. I ordered the vegetarian combination and got the following:

Mesir Wett (Lentils cooked slowly in berbere, spice sauce)
Shiro Wett (spicy kidney beans ground and cooked with spices)
Gomen (Collard greens cooked with spices)
Engoudae Wett (Mushrooms cooked in berbere sauce with a blend of spices)

I chose the lentils, collards, and mushrooms. The kidney beans were recommended by the server and she was right on. They were delicious. The beans were ground and almost the consistency of split pea soup, but a deep red color and thick enough to eat with injera. The dominate tastes were spicy and sour, but it was well balanced and had almost a Mexican mole-like flavor. I wonder if there was cocoa powder in it. This one was my favorite.

The lentils were lovely and had more of a reddish-brown color with less of a sour taste and more of a complex savory bouquet.

Gomen/Collard Greens were chopped and simmered until very tender, but not destroyed. They maintained their texture and character and had a tangy southern-style element. I see how collards found their way into southern American/soul food kitchens. They are really very similiar in flavor to what we see in American restaurants/American kitchens.

The mushroom dish was unique in that the the mushrooms were sliced, and cooked in a deep brownish sauce. The texture was a thick sauce with pieces in it, rather than a completely uniform mixture. It was decadent, rich, and was packed with flavor, berbere spice and others. Unlike the other foods on my injera, this had a strong sweetness in it's fragrance, I think, from cardamom.

Each of these dishes was neatly and beautifully dolloped on top of the injera bread for a colorful presentation. My friends ordered the regular combination which consisted of meat dishes and vegetarian dishes. The meats were stewed similiarly in berbere and spice sauces. There was a lot of beef and chicken, as well as a tuna dish available. I noticed that there some were blended smooth and some were made with larger, stewed pieces of meat. One dish in particular that caught my eye was a smooth stewed meat sauced,poured over two unsliced hardboiled eggs. . .very interesting. It all smelled exquisite.

For now, I will keep thinking about that unbelievably great meal and continue my Ethiopian food research. I recommend that you head to Ghenet for dinner this week or find the nearest Ethiopian spot and check it out, if you haven't before. If you find a great place, then be sure to post your recommendation here, no matter where it is. We want to know! If you are familiar with the D.C. area and can recommend some good places amidst the crowd of Ethiopian spots, I will make a special trip to D.C. just to eat there. I'm serious.

I love this stuff, I mean, I really love it. Maybe it's the challenge of treading down a whole new culinary road. Maybe I love it so much because my mind and body thrive on exotic spice combinations and spicy food buzz. Probably both. I'm into it though. I can tell you that much.

Next time you're hungry and in Park Slope, try this:
http://www.ghenet.com/

Here is a great site for both recipes and Ethiopian spices/ingredients:
http://www.ethiopianspices.com/index.asp

Stay tuned for part 2!