It has been a busy couple of weeks, and Alex has been incredibly productive in the kitchen. Some highlights include:
Baked Dover Sole with spiced sweet potatoes and crispy brussels sprouts
Delicious pesto that we've eaten twice with different types of pasta- my favorite was the orechiette!
He has also planned lamb for this week, which I am looking forward to.
Atticus has also been eating well, with gourmet cauliflower and carrots with spices, and spinach/apple combinations. Mmm. Healthy AND delicious :)
We are going to have our first dinner party this weekend! Inviting some classmates and their significant others, hoping for a fun relaxing time with good conversation. I was thinking small plates might be nice- although maybe too much work? Nicer if it can be easy on all of us, particularly Alex. I think he feels like an indentured servant these days, so it would be good to have a fun relaxing time.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
BBQ Pork, Clams, Pesto and Pizza
Specials of the week: all over the map really, just trying new and different twists on things including Atticus who tried kale, brisket and peaches along with a little of just about whatever we were having!
Appetizers:
Prosciutto wrapped papaya
- the papaya was a bit strong for the prosciutto but it was a worthwhile attempt at a variation on the tried and true
Acorn squash, carrot and parmigiano dip
- I've made different versions of this over time, and this was one of the better ones. For posterity:
Bake an acorn squash in the oven for about 30 mins (cut in half) along with a couple of carrots
Scoop the squash out and mash the carrots and squash together or blend to desired consistency
Mix in 1-2 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp mango powder and a dash of cayenne pepper
If you want, you can try other spices though these have worked well - it's a taste game
You can depending on the consistency of your acorn squash either put the mixture back in the shells of the squash or into a serving bowl, put some shaved parmigiano on top and broil for a couple of minutes and done!
Mains:
BBQ'd rosemary pork loin with goat cheese and figs served with cornbread and a summer salad
- read about this in a BBQ cookbook I have and tweaked it a bit, but the pork was wonderful!
Basically just coat a pork loin in salt, pepper, rosemary with olive oil and then BBQ for a few minutes a side until perfect.
Skewer some figs onto the empty rosemary twigs and BBQ those too
Plate with some goat cheese and honey drizzled over the pork and figs and you have yourself a main!
Clams with corn, pan seared potatoes, bacon and kale
- tried something a little different this time and it turned out well:
Cook the thinly sliced potatoes in a large skillet with olive oil until browning
Add onion and chopped bacon to the same skillet after removing potatoes (save)
After the onion has started to clear and the bacon is coming along, add the scrubbed clams
Add a few chopped stems of thyme and then deglaze with white wine, add corn and cover for 5 minutes (clams should open) - reduce heat
After 5 minutes, can add some clam juice or stock to add broth and keep covered on low for another 5-10 minutes (careful not to overcook the clams!)
Serve with browned potatoes on the bottom of the bowl with clams on top and corn on the side - delicious!
Sausage and onion pizza (the HEB version)
- we'll see about the HEB version of pizza dough tonight! HEB or H.E.B. is the main store in San Antonio started by the mother of Howard E. Butt. When he took it over and tried to expand with eventual success, it came to bear his initials. I find it tedious to say three syllables solely in honor of the founder and so opt for one - HEB.
Fresh pesto linguini with salad, caramelized broccolini and carrots
- Good pesto is hard to beat. I took the Silver Spoon (the Joy of Cooking equivalent for Italians) recipe and added garlic, less nuts and slightly more cheese - goodness!
Appetizers:
Prosciutto wrapped papaya
- the papaya was a bit strong for the prosciutto but it was a worthwhile attempt at a variation on the tried and true
Acorn squash, carrot and parmigiano dip
- I've made different versions of this over time, and this was one of the better ones. For posterity:
Bake an acorn squash in the oven for about 30 mins (cut in half) along with a couple of carrots
Scoop the squash out and mash the carrots and squash together or blend to desired consistency
Mix in 1-2 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp mango powder and a dash of cayenne pepper
If you want, you can try other spices though these have worked well - it's a taste game
You can depending on the consistency of your acorn squash either put the mixture back in the shells of the squash or into a serving bowl, put some shaved parmigiano on top and broil for a couple of minutes and done!
Mains:
BBQ'd rosemary pork loin with goat cheese and figs served with cornbread and a summer salad
- read about this in a BBQ cookbook I have and tweaked it a bit, but the pork was wonderful!
Basically just coat a pork loin in salt, pepper, rosemary with olive oil and then BBQ for a few minutes a side until perfect.
Skewer some figs onto the empty rosemary twigs and BBQ those too
Plate with some goat cheese and honey drizzled over the pork and figs and you have yourself a main!
 |
| Train ride with Grandpa! |
Clams with corn, pan seared potatoes, bacon and kale
- tried something a little different this time and it turned out well:
Cook the thinly sliced potatoes in a large skillet with olive oil until browning
Add onion and chopped bacon to the same skillet after removing potatoes (save)
After the onion has started to clear and the bacon is coming along, add the scrubbed clams
Add a few chopped stems of thyme and then deglaze with white wine, add corn and cover for 5 minutes (clams should open) - reduce heat
After 5 minutes, can add some clam juice or stock to add broth and keep covered on low for another 5-10 minutes (careful not to overcook the clams!)
Serve with browned potatoes on the bottom of the bowl with clams on top and corn on the side - delicious!
Sausage and onion pizza (the HEB version)
- we'll see about the HEB version of pizza dough tonight! HEB or H.E.B. is the main store in San Antonio started by the mother of Howard E. Butt. When he took it over and tried to expand with eventual success, it came to bear his initials. I find it tedious to say three syllables solely in honor of the founder and so opt for one - HEB.
Fresh pesto linguini with salad, caramelized broccolini and carrots
- Good pesto is hard to beat. I took the Silver Spoon (the Joy of Cooking equivalent for Italians) recipe and added garlic, less nuts and slightly more cheese - goodness!
Friday, July 13, 2012
First week in Texas
So for our first week of cooking at our new home in Texas, we had some good Southern and Texmex food, and they were mostly winners I must say. Here's some pictures of our beautiful kitchen below along with the recipes:
Fried Chicken with Barbequed Okra, Tomato and Corn Salad and Biscuits
The fried chicken done this way is solid - it's Leah Chase's version who I've given praise to before:
- soak chicken in 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 1/2 cup water and 1 egg (can increase volume as necessary) for about 15 mins while prepping everything else
- put 2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons thyme, 1 tablespoon cayenne/paprika mix, 1 tablespoon salt and pepper into a paper bag (another option is to use half cornmeal and half flour)
- heat oil to 350 or so (really hot)
- put soaked chicken into bag 1-2 pieces at a time and shake about, putting the coated chicken on a dry plate to sit for at least 15 minutes before going in the oil - this is key for getting a good crust
- cook for 10-15 mins usually (outside should be good marker of inner doneness)
The okra, tomato and corn recipe I came up with and people seemed to like (worth making again):
- 1 lb okra sliced lengthwise with ends trimmed and grilled for 15 mins
- 3-4 ears BBQ'd corn
- 3-4 tomatoes sliced in half and grilled for 10-15mins
- you can do all the above basically at the same time, then take the corn off the cob, cut up the tomatoes to more bite size and toss it all with about 1 lime worth of juice, a handful of chopped cilantro and salt/pepper to taste
Scallops with Fennel, Bacon and Mascarpone with Braised Broccoli and Rice
The scallops for this were the diver kind - big, juicy and expensive as all can be. But worth it. This recipe is actually fairly simple and delicious:
- slice fennel lengthwise discarding fronds, parboil for 5 mins
- broil fennel with mascarpone over the top until mascarpone melted and fennel browned
- cook 4-5 slices of thick-cut bacon and chop bacon into smaller chunks
- cook scallops 2 mins a side in the bacon grease
- put together using browned mascarpone fennel as a base with scallop on top with chunks of bacon around and on scallop - basically each bite is unique and awesome
Tomatillo Enchiladas with Squash, Corn and Carrot
Not much to comment on here other than the tomatillo enchilada sauce that I made up:
- 1 lb tomatillos boiled for 10 mins with 6-7 cloves garlic (can roast garlic too for different taste but if in a rush, boiling is easier)
- blend tomatillos with 1 cup or so of chicken or vegetable stock along with garlic, 1/2 bunch picked cilantro, cumin and jalapeno to taste and boom you have an excellent green sauce for enchiladas!
Avocado Soup with Apple, Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad
Erin made this and it was delicious. The soup had more character than I thought it would for sure!
Out to: Koi Kawa - sushi, pretty decent especially given my expectations for sushi in Texas!
 |
| Kitchen central |
The fried chicken done this way is solid - it's Leah Chase's version who I've given praise to before:
- soak chicken in 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 1/2 cup water and 1 egg (can increase volume as necessary) for about 15 mins while prepping everything else
- put 2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons thyme, 1 tablespoon cayenne/paprika mix, 1 tablespoon salt and pepper into a paper bag (another option is to use half cornmeal and half flour)
- heat oil to 350 or so (really hot)
- put soaked chicken into bag 1-2 pieces at a time and shake about, putting the coated chicken on a dry plate to sit for at least 15 minutes before going in the oil - this is key for getting a good crust
- cook for 10-15 mins usually (outside should be good marker of inner doneness)
The okra, tomato and corn recipe I came up with and people seemed to like (worth making again):
- 1 lb okra sliced lengthwise with ends trimmed and grilled for 15 mins
- 3-4 ears BBQ'd corn
- 3-4 tomatoes sliced in half and grilled for 10-15mins
- you can do all the above basically at the same time, then take the corn off the cob, cut up the tomatoes to more bite size and toss it all with about 1 lime worth of juice, a handful of chopped cilantro and salt/pepper to taste
 |
| Corner dining area |
The scallops for this were the diver kind - big, juicy and expensive as all can be. But worth it. This recipe is actually fairly simple and delicious:
- slice fennel lengthwise discarding fronds, parboil for 5 mins
- broil fennel with mascarpone over the top until mascarpone melted and fennel browned
- cook 4-5 slices of thick-cut bacon and chop bacon into smaller chunks
- cook scallops 2 mins a side in the bacon grease
- put together using browned mascarpone fennel as a base with scallop on top with chunks of bacon around and on scallop - basically each bite is unique and awesome
Tomatillo Enchiladas with Squash, Corn and Carrot
Not much to comment on here other than the tomatillo enchilada sauce that I made up:
- 1 lb tomatillos boiled for 10 mins with 6-7 cloves garlic (can roast garlic too for different taste but if in a rush, boiling is easier)
- blend tomatillos with 1 cup or so of chicken or vegetable stock along with garlic, 1/2 bunch picked cilantro, cumin and jalapeno to taste and boom you have an excellent green sauce for enchiladas!
Avocado Soup with Apple, Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad
Erin made this and it was delicious. The soup had more character than I thought it would for sure!
Out to: Koi Kawa - sushi, pretty decent especially given my expectations for sushi in Texas!
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Bike ride and last Ethiopian
Erin's last meal in New York as per her request: Ethiopian from the sweet ladies at 135th. A vegetable combo that was and will be missed - none in San Antonio as far as we can tell. Shiro, gomen and something else. Top notch injera too.
We had a great last meal here at 11 Madison Park as well that was relaxing, divine and extravagant - but none of that fit our time in NYC as much as the Ethiopian food down the corner. But here's some pics for remembrance sake. My favorites were the chickpea and goat cheese lollipops and plantains with bean foam and black-eyed pea reduction but it was all amazing!
Finally, though it's unrelated to food, I'm going to post my memory of my bike commute here as a final goodbye - from here, it's Texas food!
There is little easy about riding a bike in New York. I enjoyed the hell out of it most days as I felt free in a city where so much is constrained. It's not always fun, sometimes dangerous and often messy. But there's a feeling that comes from smelling the streets, having the streets and detritus sprayed on your legs as you course up Manhattan and into the Bronx under the subway dodging people, cars and whatever else New York can throw at you that is compelling. Erin would probably argue that it's compelling to never do again, but I got a kick out of it and saw a lot of New York in the meantime. Here's the description. One more ride tomorrow... 15 miles round trip and I'm done.
It starts out easy enough in some ways, down the five flights and out the door onto 131st St and turn right onto Malcolm X boulevard. Most mornings I would leave early enough to not have to deal with the Harlem traffic but not early enough to have to negotiate all the delivery trucks parked in the right hand lane obstructing my path. Up to 145th street by the basketball courts is easy enough and usually gave me time to wake up, get my bearings, make sure the bike was ok and get a rhythm.
Then over the 145th street bridge and into the Bronx. Many a morning the sun would be coming up and be right in my field of vision crossing the Harlem river, often coursing quietly at that time of day and beautiful really in the morning light. The left onto River Dr was ok when there was no traffic; in traffic it could be a little hairy with cars racing towards me as I made my left across traffic, but I never got hit there. Then past the mall on the left with Babies R Us etc - a tough spot coming back at the end of the day with all the cars parked illegally to load their junk and random cars opening. Up and then down a small hill and into Yankee territory - past the old stadium now long a park and then up past the new stadium (only a problem when games were going - once doored by a drunk dude post-game).
Up a slow hill now under the 4 train and along one of the worst roads I've been on to 167th St where the worst smell of the ride always lurked - the live animal farm they somehow zoned under that stop. The worst smell came from the combination of the hill and the animal feces stench that unabashedly filled my nose without the ability to hold my breath. A gradual right past the police station eased me onto Jerome Ave and then to the intersection at 170th where I was hit not once, but twice by cars turning right.
The trick about riding under the 4 train was the nice lane that I often had to myself that went unused to the right and the fact that cars also knew it was often unused and would turn without notice into the lane either for their turn or to take a break. Hit twice, neither time did anyone stop. So it goes - at least it seemed as though they looked in their mirror to see if I was ok - which I was for the most part. The one time I was not ok was on a different ride I used to take until I got too many flats and broke my ribs - the Harlem River ride.
You can take the west side of the Harlem river up to Fordham road and then over to the Bronx by following a river park with a bike lane most of the way. For some inexplicable reason, there's a ton of glass on the path from revelers I assume either tossing their bottles from their cars or from partying in the park. The fateful day I broke my ribs and my bike I tried to avoid a little family (all short) and ended up twisting my front wheel to the extent it snapped and so did my ribs... hobbled to find a subway and ultimately to have Mili, my partner, pick me up after a breathless call to her (Erin forgot her cell phone that day to her chagrin).
Anyway, back to the usual ride... after crossing 170th, you have run of car lots and repair places before crossing over the Cross Bronx - 'open season' as Erin liked to call it. The number of near misses at that crossing is too many to count. Even though I don't believe, I said the Lord's prayer a couple of times crossing that intersection with its on and off ramps. Don't know if it helped. Mainly the part about walking through the valley of the shadow of death. After that lovely bit, it's a fairly smooth ride until Jimbo's and the hill after that. There was a spot with some really bad potholes and an inexplicable metal thing in the road that was really rough in snow on the way, but the road was largely ok and again mostly random car repair places and the occasional weird bodega/bar. The only tough part was the Dominican car repair guys who were paid probably 8$/hr stand in the road with their advertising signs and often wander into the road creating a mobile human obstacle - perhaps a death wish from the job?
The hill after Jimbo's burgers was the biggest one but my legs were always warm at that point and the only dicey part was if there was ice on the road which makes any hill a challenge. From there, it's a straight shot to Fordham road. Straight shot with a lot of one-way streets that I got into the bad habit of going through if I could see no cars coming - there are lights but they're not timed, so if you wait for each one, you wait forever.... only a couple of times post-call or post-ER did I have close calls there. The west African drivers were always the most effusive in their apologies after the most abusive driving. I stopped trying to communicate my frustration or rage after I realized there was little point and behavior change was not a reasonable goal. The part after Fordham coming the other way was always my favorite coming home because it's all downhill and you can really cruise without a care in the world and just enjoy the night (or the rattling 4 train).
Fordham and Kingsbridge roads are not to be crossed without a green light and even then at your peril. Major and clogged thoroughfares, they attract the best and brightest of the Bronx drivers with their aggression and disregard primed! In the mornings, I usually made it through unscathed. Then into my old neighborhood of Bedford park where a short separation from the 4 train provided some acoustic relief if I was keeping pace with the train and a downpour if it was raining - the other benefit of riding under the train - not having all of the weather coming down directly on top of you.
Bedford park is mellow enough and I could usually really cruise through seeing the students heading to Lehman college early and the Ghanians coming out of their tower at Moshulu Park apartments in their colorful gear. Past that, a right on 210th street leads to Montefiore and work... usually sweaty and slightly bitter, slightly happy and a little grateful to be alive.
Off to Texas and big roads and big cars!
We had a great last meal here at 11 Madison Park as well that was relaxing, divine and extravagant - but none of that fit our time in NYC as much as the Ethiopian food down the corner. But here's some pics for remembrance sake. My favorites were the chickpea and goat cheese lollipops and plantains with bean foam and black-eyed pea reduction but it was all amazing!
There is little easy about riding a bike in New York. I enjoyed the hell out of it most days as I felt free in a city where so much is constrained. It's not always fun, sometimes dangerous and often messy. But there's a feeling that comes from smelling the streets, having the streets and detritus sprayed on your legs as you course up Manhattan and into the Bronx under the subway dodging people, cars and whatever else New York can throw at you that is compelling. Erin would probably argue that it's compelling to never do again, but I got a kick out of it and saw a lot of New York in the meantime. Here's the description. One more ride tomorrow... 15 miles round trip and I'm done.
It starts out easy enough in some ways, down the five flights and out the door onto 131st St and turn right onto Malcolm X boulevard. Most mornings I would leave early enough to not have to deal with the Harlem traffic but not early enough to have to negotiate all the delivery trucks parked in the right hand lane obstructing my path. Up to 145th street by the basketball courts is easy enough and usually gave me time to wake up, get my bearings, make sure the bike was ok and get a rhythm.
Then over the 145th street bridge and into the Bronx. Many a morning the sun would be coming up and be right in my field of vision crossing the Harlem river, often coursing quietly at that time of day and beautiful really in the morning light. The left onto River Dr was ok when there was no traffic; in traffic it could be a little hairy with cars racing towards me as I made my left across traffic, but I never got hit there. Then past the mall on the left with Babies R Us etc - a tough spot coming back at the end of the day with all the cars parked illegally to load their junk and random cars opening. Up and then down a small hill and into Yankee territory - past the old stadium now long a park and then up past the new stadium (only a problem when games were going - once doored by a drunk dude post-game).
Up a slow hill now under the 4 train and along one of the worst roads I've been on to 167th St where the worst smell of the ride always lurked - the live animal farm they somehow zoned under that stop. The worst smell came from the combination of the hill and the animal feces stench that unabashedly filled my nose without the ability to hold my breath. A gradual right past the police station eased me onto Jerome Ave and then to the intersection at 170th where I was hit not once, but twice by cars turning right.
The trick about riding under the 4 train was the nice lane that I often had to myself that went unused to the right and the fact that cars also knew it was often unused and would turn without notice into the lane either for their turn or to take a break. Hit twice, neither time did anyone stop. So it goes - at least it seemed as though they looked in their mirror to see if I was ok - which I was for the most part. The one time I was not ok was on a different ride I used to take until I got too many flats and broke my ribs - the Harlem River ride.
You can take the west side of the Harlem river up to Fordham road and then over to the Bronx by following a river park with a bike lane most of the way. For some inexplicable reason, there's a ton of glass on the path from revelers I assume either tossing their bottles from their cars or from partying in the park. The fateful day I broke my ribs and my bike I tried to avoid a little family (all short) and ended up twisting my front wheel to the extent it snapped and so did my ribs... hobbled to find a subway and ultimately to have Mili, my partner, pick me up after a breathless call to her (Erin forgot her cell phone that day to her chagrin).
Anyway, back to the usual ride... after crossing 170th, you have run of car lots and repair places before crossing over the Cross Bronx - 'open season' as Erin liked to call it. The number of near misses at that crossing is too many to count. Even though I don't believe, I said the Lord's prayer a couple of times crossing that intersection with its on and off ramps. Don't know if it helped. Mainly the part about walking through the valley of the shadow of death. After that lovely bit, it's a fairly smooth ride until Jimbo's and the hill after that. There was a spot with some really bad potholes and an inexplicable metal thing in the road that was really rough in snow on the way, but the road was largely ok and again mostly random car repair places and the occasional weird bodega/bar. The only tough part was the Dominican car repair guys who were paid probably 8$/hr stand in the road with their advertising signs and often wander into the road creating a mobile human obstacle - perhaps a death wish from the job?
The hill after Jimbo's burgers was the biggest one but my legs were always warm at that point and the only dicey part was if there was ice on the road which makes any hill a challenge. From there, it's a straight shot to Fordham road. Straight shot with a lot of one-way streets that I got into the bad habit of going through if I could see no cars coming - there are lights but they're not timed, so if you wait for each one, you wait forever.... only a couple of times post-call or post-ER did I have close calls there. The west African drivers were always the most effusive in their apologies after the most abusive driving. I stopped trying to communicate my frustration or rage after I realized there was little point and behavior change was not a reasonable goal. The part after Fordham coming the other way was always my favorite coming home because it's all downhill and you can really cruise without a care in the world and just enjoy the night (or the rattling 4 train).
Fordham and Kingsbridge roads are not to be crossed without a green light and even then at your peril. Major and clogged thoroughfares, they attract the best and brightest of the Bronx drivers with their aggression and disregard primed! In the mornings, I usually made it through unscathed. Then into my old neighborhood of Bedford park where a short separation from the 4 train provided some acoustic relief if I was keeping pace with the train and a downpour if it was raining - the other benefit of riding under the train - not having all of the weather coming down directly on top of you.
Bedford park is mellow enough and I could usually really cruise through seeing the students heading to Lehman college early and the Ghanians coming out of their tower at Moshulu Park apartments in their colorful gear. Past that, a right on 210th street leads to Montefiore and work... usually sweaty and slightly bitter, slightly happy and a little grateful to be alive.
Off to Texas and big roads and big cars!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Father's Day!
So, it's impossible to get Alex to say what he wants to do for Father's Day 2012.
It's a big deal, the first one, surviving almost 7 months - and more than surviving, thriving! Being a wonderful dad! So Atticus and I want to celebrate him for that... and we're coming up empty.
Which brings us back to what always works best: FOOD.
Alex is more of a lunch/dinner guy than breakfast or brunch, mostly because he hates mornings. Atticus being smiley in the mornings helps, but still, it's a struggle.
So our plan is this (shhh, don't tell him). We're going to let him sleep late. As late as we can muster.
Meanwhile, the two of us are going to try our darnedest to make Eggs Benedict and Eggs Florentine (we don't know which one he likes best). And then we will keep it available for whenever he wakes up! No breakfast in bed, no early morning surprise, just a delicious meal ready whenever he is ready to eat it!
We'll also be going for a second brunch at Katie's apartment, to celebrate my dad. Or Pop, as Atticus knows him. That will be fun.
Alex has requested time spent at the Father's Day March against Stop and Frisk.
http://www.nyclu.org/june17
So we'll do that, then come home and eat again! Hopefully with his help cooking, this time...
I bought a BEE-YOO-TI-FUL steak from Fresh Direct, which was a very big deal, and we'll have it with gorgonzola mashed potatoes and grilled onions, maybe some salad or broccoli rabe, if we still have it around.
We are hoping he likes it, because, to be honest, we have no idea.
It's a big deal, the first one, surviving almost 7 months - and more than surviving, thriving! Being a wonderful dad! So Atticus and I want to celebrate him for that... and we're coming up empty.
Which brings us back to what always works best: FOOD.
Alex is more of a lunch/dinner guy than breakfast or brunch, mostly because he hates mornings. Atticus being smiley in the mornings helps, but still, it's a struggle.
So our plan is this (shhh, don't tell him). We're going to let him sleep late. As late as we can muster.
Meanwhile, the two of us are going to try our darnedest to make Eggs Benedict and Eggs Florentine (we don't know which one he likes best). And then we will keep it available for whenever he wakes up! No breakfast in bed, no early morning surprise, just a delicious meal ready whenever he is ready to eat it!
We'll also be going for a second brunch at Katie's apartment, to celebrate my dad. Or Pop, as Atticus knows him. That will be fun.
Alex has requested time spent at the Father's Day March against Stop and Frisk.
http://www.nyclu.org/june17
So we'll do that, then come home and eat again! Hopefully with his help cooking, this time...
I bought a BEE-YOO-TI-FUL steak from Fresh Direct, which was a very big deal, and we'll have it with gorgonzola mashed potatoes and grilled onions, maybe some salad or broccoli rabe, if we still have it around.
We are hoping he likes it, because, to be honest, we have no idea.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Best...meatloaf...ever!
I know, I know. Meatloaf doesn't inspire poems or songs or hymns to its greatness. It's generally a way to get rid of old meat, stale bread, eggs that have been sitting too long. And that's how I started= we are moving in a week! and our cabinets need to be emptied. But I wanted it to be delicious, too... so I looked on Epicurious and found:
Old-Fashioned Meatloaf
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Old-Fashioned-Meat-Loaf-11676
The reviews were hilarious, mostly because most of the cooks somehow added bacon to this lusty mix of egg, ground pork and beef. I modified the recipe only slightly (no scallions, 2 lbs meat instead of 2.25lbs), and cooked it for exactly an hour. It took awhile for me- I'm not going to lie- because of the chopping and the sauteeing on the cooktop first, and then the mixing, but it was well worth the results. Katie came over for dinner and took leftovers home! I was proud.
The other meals this week will be a Nice Roasted Chicken and this delicious sounding salad:
Sizzling Halloumi Cheese with Fava Beans and Mint
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sizzling-Halloumi-Cheese-with-Fava-Beans-and-Mint-238258
The only flaw here is that I can't find Halloumi cheese in grocery stores or on FreshDirect, so I went with the Internet's recommendation for a substitute- Queso Fresco. I have no idea how it's going to taste or hold up to the cooking process, but if it fails, it will be a big one.
Since the movers will be packing up all of our kitchen equipment except for the bare bones, this is the last real week of meals until we get settled in the new place. I'm looking forward to eating all of our favorite NY restaurant food on paper plates next week: Ethiopian from Abyssinia on 135th, soul food from Amy Ruth's on 116th, sushi from Charlie's Place (125th and Madison), and falafel from Habibi's. We will really miss having such a selection of ethnic and delicious foods nearby. Sigh. There's always something.
Old-Fashioned Meatloaf
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Old-Fashioned-Meat-Loaf-11676
The reviews were hilarious, mostly because most of the cooks somehow added bacon to this lusty mix of egg, ground pork and beef. I modified the recipe only slightly (no scallions, 2 lbs meat instead of 2.25lbs), and cooked it for exactly an hour. It took awhile for me- I'm not going to lie- because of the chopping and the sauteeing on the cooktop first, and then the mixing, but it was well worth the results. Katie came over for dinner and took leftovers home! I was proud.
The other meals this week will be a Nice Roasted Chicken and this delicious sounding salad:
Sizzling Halloumi Cheese with Fava Beans and Mint
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sizzling-Halloumi-Cheese-with-Fava-Beans-and-Mint-238258
The only flaw here is that I can't find Halloumi cheese in grocery stores or on FreshDirect, so I went with the Internet's recommendation for a substitute- Queso Fresco. I have no idea how it's going to taste or hold up to the cooking process, but if it fails, it will be a big one.
Since the movers will be packing up all of our kitchen equipment except for the bare bones, this is the last real week of meals until we get settled in the new place. I'm looking forward to eating all of our favorite NY restaurant food on paper plates next week: Ethiopian from Abyssinia on 135th, soul food from Amy Ruth's on 116th, sushi from Charlie's Place (125th and Madison), and falafel from Habibi's. We will really miss having such a selection of ethnic and delicious foods nearby. Sigh. There's always something.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Ethiopian food in Ethiopia!
It's the real deal. The real injera, the real shiro and gomen, the real kitfo. Not that we haven't had some damn fine Ethiopian food in New York - there's a place a few blocks away where homesick Ethiopians ply their trade that Erin was feasting at with great regularity before we left. But this stuff was good. I mean the injera had a tang to it that I have not experienced here and the shiro in a couple of places had a spice blend that is impossible to both forget and replicate. Not to mention the fact that kitfo snuck up on us on the first day... our driver orders some food for us after a brief discussion and turns out he didn't even know that kitfo would be lurking... we got a hodge-podge and after my first bite after not looking at the plate, I had a novel thought - 'that's raw beef I taste.' Ahhh kitfo. Never again.
It's actually quite hard in some ways to reconcile the generous eating habits of many urban Ethiopians these days with the 1980s images that are stuck in my head of starving Ethiopian children... though it only took about 30 minutes in the hospital to realize that the specter of yesteryear was actually in front of me today.
Sticking to the food... other than the Ethiopian food that we had in abundance, I had some solid coffee place after place. Here's a photo of the meal with the hidden kitfo (we look like hell because we had just flown from NYC-Cairo, spent the day there, Cairo-Addis, then 6hr drive to this place all with 2-3hrs sleep and I was post-call).
Back to the coffee, Ethiopia is where coffee is thought to have originated. Now back here in the states, the respect they pay to coffee in ceremony validates Ethiopia's claim to its origin. You can't grab a coffee to go. You have to sit, they roast the beans in front of you and then go through this whole serving routine with incense and the like. And it's not just a show - literally every person who just orders coffee gets it this way - the leaves are some sort of welcoming/good luck thing (see photos below). The top one is cheap street style but still with the incense and some sort of green leafy thing that I never got a full explanation for. The bottom is the more grandiose display but still pretty common.
We had some great Indian, some decent Italian (the only occupiers ever of Ethiopia) and some good more European/American style food too. And the boy had loads of admirers. Below is the most glamorous of the group but nearly every waiter/waitress held him at some point.
It's actually quite hard in some ways to reconcile the generous eating habits of many urban Ethiopians these days with the 1980s images that are stuck in my head of starving Ethiopian children... though it only took about 30 minutes in the hospital to realize that the specter of yesteryear was actually in front of me today.
Sticking to the food... other than the Ethiopian food that we had in abundance, I had some solid coffee place after place. Here's a photo of the meal with the hidden kitfo (we look like hell because we had just flown from NYC-Cairo, spent the day there, Cairo-Addis, then 6hr drive to this place all with 2-3hrs sleep and I was post-call).
Back to the coffee, Ethiopia is where coffee is thought to have originated. Now back here in the states, the respect they pay to coffee in ceremony validates Ethiopia's claim to its origin. You can't grab a coffee to go. You have to sit, they roast the beans in front of you and then go through this whole serving routine with incense and the like. And it's not just a show - literally every person who just orders coffee gets it this way - the leaves are some sort of welcoming/good luck thing (see photos below). The top one is cheap street style but still with the incense and some sort of green leafy thing that I never got a full explanation for. The bottom is the more grandiose display but still pretty common.
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