Me vs. The Menu

smorgasbord (most...links...ever)

( image taken from living-language.org )

Webster's defines "smorgasbord" like so...

Main Entry: smor·gas·bord
Pronunciation: \ˈsmor-gəs-ˌbord\
Function: noun
Etymology: Swedish smörgåsbord, from smörgås open sandwich + bord table
Date: 1879
1 : a luncheon or supper buffet offering a variety of foods and dishes (as hors d'oeuvres, hot and cold meats, smoked and pickled fish, cheeses, salads, and relishes)
2 : an often large heterogeneous mixture : mélange

With that in mind, let's catch-up on a few things...

First, I won the yearly Cinco de Mayo guacamole contest at work.  More clear, I tied.  Even more clear, I cheated.  Well, not exactly "cheated" more like "campaigned for votes in a effort to draw attention to my obviously superior recipe in an attempt to garner support."  Is that really cheating?  I thought so too; so I stepped down from the champions' podium and allowed the real winner to bask in office culinary glory.  It was deserved...who would have thought a great guacamole recipe would come out of New Jersey?  Anyhow, here is the guacamole recipe I used.

Second, who doesn't love cast iron cookware?  I know I can't live without mine.  Mostly I use a plain old fashioned 12" skillet by Lodge .  I got mine years ago, but I think it's finally coming into form.  I use it constantly - on the grill (at least when we were in Texas), on the stove top, and in the oven.  The best part - it's super easy to clean.  Just don't use soap.  Warm water, scrub it down, and pop it in a warm oven for fifteen minutes to dry.  Finally, a lite coat of olive oil keeps it ready for the next use.  Now, I know these have become increasingly popular and there are a variety of options out there, but I've got my eye on this one by Fjorn.  By the way, check out Fjorn's philosophy against "throwawayism."

Third, several months ago I came across a recipe for Momofuku Milk Bar's compost cookies.  This unusual recipe features a foundation of crushed potato chips and pretzels. Throw in a good mix of whatever you deemed best in cookies and you have a fantastic treat.  They were devoured at both the wife's office and mine as well in minutes.  About David Chang - he opened his first restaurant, Momofuku Noodle Bar in the East Village in 2003.  According to his website, momofuku means 'lucky peach' in Japanese; it could also be a reference to Momofuku Ando the inventor of instant noodles.  In the years that followed, Chang opened Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Momofuku Ko (a 12 seat restaurant that takes reservations in advance, online only, on a first-come-first-served basis, without regard to social status or income.  I'm still gaming to get into this one), Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar, and recently the French-Vietnamese inspired Má Pêche inside Midtown’s Chambers Hotel.  As a cookie recipe with chips would seem to suggest, Chang has a penchant for recipes with odd ingredients.  If that sort of thing interests you, there is a cookbook available and this interesting blog which features the recipes geared for two.

Fourth, I've been on a Breaking Bad marathon recently.  If you haven't seen this show and you love really tense, engaging, uncomfortable, character-loving-then-character-hating dramas check it out.  iTunes - get it.

Finally, and so I can give you more links than anytime before, here are a few recipes I have lined up in the queue:

Lemon-Scented Pull-apart Loaf

Brussels Sprout and Pancetta Pizza

Chocolate Bourbon Truffle-Turtle Tart

Baked Falafel

Flaky Cheddar and Ham Biscuits

Raspberry Buckle

Lemony Risotto with Asparagus and Shrimp

Orange Chicken

Sopa de Lima

Fa la la la la, la la la lafel!

One of the best things about moving to New York is the opportunity to try all types of food I've never had before, much less even heard of.  One of the things I had never experienced before moving was falafels.  Well, now I'm head over forks for them - between my many visits to Crisp, and my vegetarian experiment, I can't get enough of them.  I've even got a famous street vendor near my place in Queens ( King of Falafel ) and a co-worker highly recommends ( Mamoun's Falafel Restaurant ).

  

(tonight's dinner - falafels with feta cheese, pita, and store
bought tzatziki.  Don't fear the store bought stuff - saves
time and money.)

Here's an easy recipe:

Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
·  one 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained
·  one medium onion, finely chopped
·  one tablespoon minced garlic
·  two tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
·  one teaspoon coriander
·  three-quarters teaspoon cumin
·  one-half teaspoon salt
·  two tablespoons flour
·  oil for frying (canola or vegetable)

Preparation:  Combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper (to taste) in medium bowl.  Add flour and combine well.  Mash chickpeas, ensuring to mix ingredients together.  You can also combine ingredients in a food processor. You want the result to be a thick paste.   Form the mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball.  Fry in 2 inches of oil at 350 degrees until golden brown (2-5 minutes).

Yes, I read REAL SIMPLE; what of it?

I read it for the occasional organizational tip and the recipes - like these Lemonade recipes.  Enjoy and maybe you'll read Real Simple now too - you know you want to check it out while you stand in the grocery check out line...go on, grab it and take it home.  You can even get a free preview issue.  Bet you find something helpful too.  That doesn't make you a softie, just a well informed organizationalist (or something).

Vegetarianism Day One

Today saw the start of the three week journey into the wide world of Vegetarianism.  As one might expect, one day abstaining from meat was pretty simple.  I prepared for the day today by making something simple for lunch - I made a corn casserole with a side of mac-n-cheese especial.  Tonight for dinner I found a simple salad which turned out to be a hit.  Here's a quick recap and some recipes:

Corn Casserole

2 can of sweet whole corn
2 jalapenos - seeded and diced
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
4 heaping tablespoons of cojita cheese
6 oz. grated white cheddar (queso blanco)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Combine first six ingredients into casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes.  Top with cheese and bake for another 15 minutes.  Done.

Be warned:  Greek yogurt not only has a foil topper, but a white plastic topper as well.  If you're in a hurry, it might end up in your casserole and you might not find it until the following day at lunch -

Mac-N-Cheese Especial

1 box Kraft Mac-N-Cheese
8 oz cubed yellow cheddar cheese
2 oz grated white cheddar
Panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Prepare Mac-N-Cheese as directed by box.  Combine M-N-C and yellow cheddar cheese into casserole dish, top with grated white cheddar and bread crumbs.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Avocado Tomato Salad

1 c fresh mozzarella, cubed
½ cucumber, seeded and diced
1 large ripe tomato, diced
¼ c red onion, diced
1 avocado, diced
several tablespoons olive oil
dash of salt

Toss the cheese with the various vegetables, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and serve immediately.

The results:  (looks simple enough, but tastes great)

Follow the Bouncing Subject Matter

The wife introduced me to Mexican Grilled Corn during a recent trip to Papatzul.  Since that day, we've been making this treat at home with a simple recipe we found online.  We've even learned to remove the corn after grilling and makie a casserole-style version off the cob.  It's a great side we've made to accompany our ginger BBQ ribs and with several chicken dishes.

By the way, I've found that substituting orange juice for the lemon juice in the ginger BBQ recipe helps to heighten the ginger flavor.  Also, the flavor of actually basting the ribs on a charcoal grille can't be beat; access to a grill is something we sorely miss.  We are going to use the BBQ sauce on grilled shrimp wrapped in bacon next and I'll report in on the outcome.  Not that any thing could go wrong with the combination of BBQ sauce, shrimp, and bacon.

Saw this advert during a walk this morning; it turns out that the plural of shrimp is "shrimp" and "shrimps."  Who knew?

Biggest Loser

I've been in mourning for two reasons recently - one, I wrecked my bike; and two, I lost the annual office guacamole contest on Cinco de Mayo.  As one of the few Texans at the office, and the only one competing, I felt like I could win running away.  I didn't even place...or get honorable mention.  I think I made a few critical errors.  First, I made three different recipes.  This step most likely split my supporters because which of my three fantastic recipes would they choose? Turns out, none of them.  Second, I got too fancy with my guacamole.  Tried to jazz them up and make something different; if the audience had been a bunch of Tex-Mex freaks who always got the same guac, then maybe...but since it was a bunch of New Yorkers, they wanted the traditional stuff.  Finally, I should have garnished better.  One of the recipes had bacon in it; but unless you knew that, the greatness of guacamole AND bacon was lost on you.  All in all it was a good time; I'm just a bitter loser.  I've since mailed my Texas Citizenship Card back to Austin, Texas.

Here are the three guacamole recipes along with the recipes Sangria and Green Sauce I brought along for the ride:

Creamy California Guacamole

1 (8 ounces) package Cream Cheese, softened
2 cups Nonfat Plain Yogurt, drained
4 ripe, medium Avocados, peeled, seeded and mashed
1 cup Salsa Verde (green salsa)
2 to 3 teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice
2-4 large Jalapenos (seeds removed)
1 teaspoon Sea Salt

Preparation:

1.  Mix softened cream cheese with nonfat plain yogurt in a medium-mixing bowl until smooth.
2.  Fold in mashed avocado, salsa verde, and fresh lemon juice with cream cheese mixture.
3.  Add jalapenos.
4.  Season with sea salt.

Green Salsa de Me vs. the Menu

2 lbs. tomatillos (cleaned, husks removed)
2 large onions
10-20 cloves of garlic
4-6 Jalapenos (seeds removed)
1 bunch of cilantro (bottom of stems removed)
2/3 cup white vinegar
3 tablespoons salt  (more to taste if you prefer)

Preparation:

1.  Quarter tomatillos and onions spreading on a baking sheet.
2.  Add garlic and jalapenos.
3.  Roast near broiler on high for 15 minutes or until desired tenderness (it’s alright if slightly burned).  Alt:  cook the veggies on the grill (outdoors of course)
4.  Blend everything.  Blend again.
5.  Let refrigerate for at least two hours.

Quick & Easy Sangria

2 liters of red wine (tempranillo is outstanding! but it really doesn’t matter)
1/2 cup of brandy
1/3 cup of sugar
2 cups of ginger ale
2 limes, juiced
2 lemons, juiced
1/2 cup orange juice
1 pint of strawberries
1 red apple
1 green apple

1.  In a large container, mix red wine, brandy, sugar, and ginger ale.
2.  Add juice of limes and lemons.
3.  Add orange juice.
4.  Shake until your arms hurt.  Be sure lid is closed first.
5.  Taste.  If it “needs” more brandy or sugar add that now.
6.  Dice remaining fruit and add to container.
7.  Shake again.
8.  Taste again.
9.  Let refrigerate overnight.  Yes, you must wait…a small glass won’t hurt but it will be better tomorrow.

Bacon Guacamole

5 medium ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and mashed
1 large tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
5 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, drained and crumbled
salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
dash hot pepper sauce, to taste

Preparation:

1.  Fold avocados with tomatoes, onion, garlic and bacon.
2.  Season with salt and pepper, and a dash of hot pepper sauce.

Internet Guacamole

* Me's note:  I had several not-quite-ripe avocados, so I decided to use them all in one recipe.  I choose this one after I blended the still firm avocados and the result was a coucous consistency.  I thought it was a successful and creative approach, but what do I know?

3 haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced

Preparation:
1.  In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated.
2.  Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash.
3.  Fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic.
4.  Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice.
5.  Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

Risotto Made Easy (and Cheap)

I recently came across a risotto in the box at my local bodega.  I didn't know what to make of it, only that I wanted to make it.  We finally got around to trying one of the flavors I bought tonight and it was BRILLIANT!

Lundberg is the brand and it comes in nine different flavors - four in organic, and five in eco farmed.  I'm told Eco-Farmed means the product is produced using ecologically sustainable practices with minimal ecological impact.  All you need besides the box is olive oil and water.  EASY.  We followed the directions and the risotto came out perfect.  We even added a spicy italian sausage for a little protein.  The portion size isn't overwhelming; it could easily feed two normal adults or one super-sized McAdult.  A great deal and ready in twenty minutes.  The kicker - it was only three bucks!  Check out the prices at Amazon. Add wine and you're golden or a lush depending on the amount of wine.

How to Make Monday Better

Why do Mondays get most people down?  Well, because it's not Friday or Saturday or even Sunday.  But there's a sure fire way to make Mondays better - BBQ. 

Tonight we decided to make some ribs we had in the freezer (that's right, our freezer is generally filled with meaty delights like ribs, chicken breasts, and even ground beef).  The wife found a recipe on the trusty internet.  The inspiration was an appetizer we love at a 24 Prince here in New York.  Surprisingly we had most of the ingredients on hand except for the lime juice.  No worries, we decided to substitute orange juice instead.  PERFECTION.  Another change we made was a simple trick I picked up in my carnie days - substitute beer for water in the bottom of the shallow broiler pan.  Did I mention PERFECTION?

 

Add sides of mashed potatoes and corn on the cob, and any Monday becomes a Fun-Day!

Bread Pudding Round 2

I made another go at a bread pudding this weekend. After my first attempt, my Uncle let me know my Grandmother would regularly make a bread pudding with currants, raisons, and dried pineapple. Grandmother's twist - she would let the dried fruit soak overnight in a bowl filled with Brandy. It didn't take much arm twisting to convince me to give it a try. So, yesterday after cubing the bread, I soaked the fruit in just enough Brandy to cover the top of the fruit. I did substitute apricots for the pineapple, but otherwise I honored my Grandmother's passion for using Brandy and I shared in the delicious results. I'm quickly becoming a BIG fan of bread pudding. It's no longer hard to see why my mother would always stop down for some bread pudding, no matter the occasion or the previous meal. She always seemed to leave room for bread pudding.

By the way, here's a easy way to make dried fruits on your own.

Never Too Early

We're not even through the first month and I can tell you what I'm already thinking about...Girl Scout Cookies.  With our move from Texas to Queens, I'm not even sure where to stock up.  I'm sure someone at work with a daughter will be making the rounds with a list, but what do I do until my cookie order arrives?  In Texas, we would simply go to the grocery store and usually a troop would be outside ready to sell me however many boxes I needed on the spot...but who know around here.  I'll survive and probably find plenty, but what kind of bums me is the news there will actually be fewer cookies in every box.  Seems the economy is even hitting the Scouts.  Well, when I finally get my cookie fix, I think I'm going to make this fantastic and super-healthy treat.

Cookie time can't get here fast enough!