TACO MACHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE

I am a taco machine. I am addicted to tacos (and ice cream, and pizza, and....)
I recently went to check out the new taco place on Smith Street, Oaxaca. The place is cute, brightly colored and cheery. The service was a bit slow but they are just trying to get into it, you know. I got the pescado and the frijoles rolled taco (enchilada). The pescado taco was chilled and delicious but very skimpy. The rolled taco on the other hand...HOT DAMN. Stoked to have tacos within walking distance!

LET ME STAND NEXT TO YOUR FIRE

We made our own fire- works when at our 4th of July BBQ and Ice Cream Social Marty was getting the grill started up for round 2-and KABOOM- Fireball!!!! It was okay just dramatic and yes his beard is still in tact!
So many friends came! Our tiny backyard was filled with bodies eatin', socializin'and making merry. We had Pimento Cheese deviled eggs, Horchata, Burgers, Dogs, SO MANY DELICIOUS SALADS, grilled corn, and of course ICE CREAM!
More pics are at Flickr. Hope you had a great Fourth!!!

DINNER EVERYWHERE

Had two really great dinners that used up some of CSA this week. Tues night was solo din din as SOMEONE had to go see Transformers.
I took a wilting bushel of Kale and made Kale Pesto for gnocchi. It was great except I should have blanched and shocked and then proccesed. The ice bath is a veggies bff, when will I learn this?!
The next night, Marty took over and we used up the Swiss Chard from the CSA and our OWN GREEN BEANS THAT WE GREW OUR OWN SELVES, in lead laden soil no doubt. We had a Chard, Green Bean and Tempeh stir fry with peanut sauce using my favorite Peanut Butter in the land, Koeze Cream Nut. Try that peanut butter and I swear you will abandon whatever PB you now use in an instant. It is glorious. While Marty cooked, I concocted Ice Cream bases for this weekend........more on that coming up!

DON'T NEGLECT PISTACHIOS

I'm having an Ice Cream Social/BBQ this Saturday. I have some ideas for flavors and plan on making some sort of grand centerpiece dessert. I got to thinking about retro ice cream desserts and delved into my cookbooks and old Martha's to see what I could drum up. In my collection I found, "Ice Cream World of Baskin Robbins" published in 1975. The graphics are super feel good and the book is broken up by month using the signs of the Zodiac as jump off points to recipes such as Taurus Banana Split (for the hedonistic bull). February features Lemon Gingerbread Lincoln Log and in May there is a Kentucky Derby Day Sundae featuring Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream and Bourbon. There is even a recipe for ice cream tacos! Which features almond and chocolate ice cream (okay, makes sense) and then sort of nose dives with the suggestion to use real taco shells. Eep. Not sure I would be into that. Even though the subject is something as timeless as ice cream, the recipes really reflect the time period. Shrimp and sherbet anyone?
1975 was the year I was born. Man, who knew it was all pistachios and daiquiris.

IN A GADDA DA VIDDA

Wherein rock and gardening meet. Last night we went off to see Marty's pals Birds of Avalon. They were heavy and fantastic. Due to my lack of ability to read instructions I took sort of pathetic photos that do not give any justice to just how great they were.
PBRs were consumed. I awoke this morning to find.....SLUGS. I think they are babies, it's like Children of the Corn. The slugs are running around back there like they inhabit the garden of some teetotalers! Well I have news for them. There is a bottle of beer in the fridge and it has whatever is the slug emblem equivalent to a skull and cross bones. They have neither obviously so who knows what that could be. Also, some of the leaves on our beans and squash plants have decay. I did spray them with a soapy solution that works fantastic and keeping tiny bugs off tomatoes. I feel like maybe I over sprayed? I need find that Hot Pepper Wax stuff and put an end to the free for all slug fest. I am off to New York City Garden for guidance. The knowledge there RUNS DEEP.

I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS WEEK! WTF!

TERRIBLE WEEK

This week has been pretty gosh darn awful. I try to get my head around it by thinking well, if we don't have really awful times, how do we know it when we are deliriously happy. But that is some B.S.
In honor of Sky Saxon and the others who dearly departed this week.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, GELATO

I make ice cream at home pretty frequently. THIS IS SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
This is the best ice cream I have ever made, ever. This is GELATO. Vanilla Honey Gelato. Every time I have shared it with someone, they take it casually like one accepts anything a host offers in polite society, BUT THEN- in mid speech, they exclaim with wonder, how glorious this concoction is. It just has....layers.

6 egg yolks
2 cups milk ( I used reduced fat non homogenized from Milk Thistle Farms, yes I said reduced fat and it still came out rich like Daddy Warbucks)
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean split with seeds scraped out
2 tblsp honey

In a saucepan combine egg yolks and sugar until thick and fluffy.
Add milk on low to med heat stirring constantly.
Add vanilla bean and seeds pods and all.
Keep an eye on that heat.
When the mixture is glossy and coats the back of your spoon it can be strained into a new container and set to cool.
Refrigerate.
After the mixture is completely cool, put it into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions.
When the mixture starts to look like soft serve, add the honey.

Now here is where personal preference comes into play. When it was time to take my gelato out of the maker, it was still quite soft. I put it in the freezer for about two hours. This length of time in the freezer achieved the most blissful density and texture. After 24 hours in the freezer it developed a slight but noticeable iciness, which was kind of nice.
Next up, FULL FAT milk.

BREAKFAST WITHOUT YOU

An amazing thing has occurred while you have been away. I learned to properly poach eggs! Thanks to Schnick, who tipped me off to the whirlpool/simmer method. I was feeling so inspired that I even got out the mandoline (or as I like to refer to it, 'the instrument of terror').
Even though you remain the breakfast master of the house, I know you would have approved of this brekkie.

CUMPLEANOS FELIZ

This is Molly Nueman. If you have not heard of her she is a total badass. She inspires me like every 5 seconds. After a gigantic career in music she is now embarking on a new food related (!) endeavor. Lucky for all of us! Her tortilla de patata is mindblowing.
Last night we whooped it up in honor of her birthday.
I went home (many Singapore Slings later) feeling so lucky to have her in my life.
Love you girl.

DINNER WITHOUT YOU #19

You leave North Brooklyn for a bit and lo and behold-TACO TRUCK at Union Pool. I guess it's been there awhile, but well you know how we do....
ANYWAY, The Las Palabras show was wonderful. The tacos from EL Diablo Taco truck (Texan ex pat, so you know they are good) were delicious and tangy. The weather was chilly but good friends warm you right up, I find.

DINNER WITHOUT YOU #18

We made Swiss Chard and Tempeh tacos and then busted out some strawberry hand pies! We pulled a radish from the garden! Our first harvest! That was pretty exciting. You can see Schnick modeling it for you. I decided to leave the rest(including the weeds!) till you get back. I don't know where weeds begin and certain unidentifiable plants end. I don't wanna pull out something you were looking forward to. I have not seen any slugs but there were some very sluggish worms and centipede looking things roaming around. The birds have been okay, I think that maybe they are eating (or drugging?) the creatures I mentioned instead of the tomatoes, so that's cool. The zucchini looks unstoppable.

DINNER WITHOUT YOU #17

Last night's dinner was sort of crazypants. It started with one Pacifico . Then at the suggestion of a wildly bearded man at the Union Square Farmers Market, I took a handful of loopy garlic scapes and roasted them in a 400 degree oven after bathing them in salt and oil. Then I ate them, every one of them, stretching them out before me and chomping till I got to the crispy whisps of their ends (I don't have to tell you I was sitting on the couch watching King of The Hill as I did this).
Afterward I still had a bit of a hankering, so I popped a small bag of popcorn and slathered it in THAT ( amazing Greek olive oil from Christophile) olive oil and a healthy shake of Nutritional Yeast.
Like I said crazypants.

TEARING IT UP

This is too good not to share. Junior Brown is STILL hotter than a pistol!

TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY

In the words of Ice Cube, "today was a good day". I woke up, had some breakfast, drank some coffee and went straight to the Big Apple BBQ. It was there I had a killer Pimento Cheese from Jim and Nick's Bar-B-Q, met a fabulous woman , listened to John T Edge and Dale and John Reed talk about North Carolina BBQ history, and finally as if all of that was not blissful enough- watched Junior Brown play for an hour and a half!!!!!

DINNER WITHOUT YOU #16

So while you are at Bonnaroo with all the Hippies and the Widespread Panic fans, bringing home the bacon, I am here trying to feed myself. This is what I came up with tonight. Poached egg on goat cheese topped Pumpernickel Rye bread over lightly sauteed lambs quarters with a side of beet.
You are gonna love Lambs Quarters.

VIRGINIA RECAP

We had a time oh what a time. First we hit up Danville to see Marty's kin. His nephew had just graduated and let me photograph his High School ring. It was awesome. I ate at the Golden Corral. Which aside from one dismal visit to Shoney's for brekkie once was my first experience at a Buffet restaurant. It was salty but I did my best, they had real food there actually so it was easy to make a nice little plate for myself. Complete with grits, which I adore. While we were there we saw The Hangover, which was terrific. You should go see it if you like fun at all. The usher told us as he took our tickets, " I hope you guys are wearing diapers". I will leave it at that. We got to RVA just in time for an impromptu BBQ where I met new RVA folks and drank too much wine. Shenanigans ensued. One of the things I love about Richmond is that even though it's a small city there are always new peeps to meet. They get a lot of that "moved-away-and-now-I-am-back" kind of dweller (HINT HINT MARTY) so I tend to meet new old residents frequently. TedRx were in town so we all went out to catch some of the rock. What else happened? I ate like a king baby. Got graciously driven around in a car without AC. I met a guy who built a tiny house on wheels in Jackson Ward. I had a great time. Lots more pics here

AND NOW A QUICK TACO BREAK

Lately all I have heard about from the universe (as it pertains to Richmond) is tacos. Particularly Nate's Taco Truck tacos. This past weekend I was in Richmond, and I was gonna hunt down these tacos. Fortunately it was easy! It was also delicious. Super, super delicious. You know how I feel about Tacos. I would not throw around that word delicious if I did not mean it. And I mean it, from the bottom of my... taco loving being. The menu had many options, all under $4. I went with one black bean in a flour tortilla (because that is a taste sensation I cannot resist) and one calabacita in a corn tortilla. They were both fantastic but the calabacitas was off the hook. I may have been in a euphoric hallucinatory state but I swear I saw pine nuts in there! Clearly whoever Nate is (that is not him pictured) he and that fellow down there in that truck, are one with the taco gods.

SWEET VIRGINIA

A long time ago I found myself the member of a band of southern gentlemen. These guys, plus one "Bawl'mr"-ean and I went on a mini tour to DC, where I had been, and Bawlmer, where I had been and then to a place I had never been. Richmond, VA. I had driven up and down I-95 my whole life but somehow we never stopped in Richmond, Virginia. We always plowed through to VA Beach or North Carolina instead. So I was excited to check out a Southern city I knew nothing about, with a crew of ex pats to show me the place. I will never forget seeing the Arthur Ashe statue for the first time. The guys said it was absurd but did not tell me why. It is supposed to represent athleticism and learning but instead, due to the gazer's perspective, it looks as though he is beating children away from the books he holds with his tennis racket. (You have to see it to believe it- and that is just one part of the controversial monument). Anyway, beyond Monument Avenue there was this amazing place. Beautiful, historical and tragic all at once, it's character is very complicated. Like a flawed heroine in a period piece, Richmond is full of contradiction, frustration, and allure. I fell for it straight away and since then, I have an attachment to it that I can't fully explain. (It may have to do with having lived in NYC for almost 15 years now!)
Being a real Northerner, born in NYC, raised in MA, one would think I would have deep affinities for those two of the original 13 colonies. Perhaps my love for VA harks to a cross generational unrequited quest of Sir Walter Raleigh (a supposed ancestor of us Langs).
It may not hold it's own against some aspects of cities I have been to (or live in) but that doesn't matter to me. It makes up for it in very subtle ways. The people I have met there make me more fond of the South than I already was. I have had some really wonderful and recklessly fun times there. It always fills me with hope and ambition when I visit. I guess I am just burned out on the greatest city in the world.
Pics from my latest wonderful visit are forthcoming.

RIP KOKO AND CARRADINE

First I heard this morning about David Carradine. Then through my lovely Interweb pal Amy, I got the sad news about Koko Taylor.

Click here to hear my favorite Koko Taylor song, which we put on our wedding mix. It's called Insane Asylum, with Willie Dixon.

DAMN GIRL, HOW'D YOU GET ALL A THAT IN DEM BEANS

Note how black the beans are! This must be a freshness thing. The only time I get beans this black are from really reputable Mexican places or in California (where the beans are usually pinto actually).
These were so delicious we ate them all! No leftover beans! What? I know that crazy but it's the truth. They soaked up the flavorings (I kept it simple using garlic and onion and New Mexican Chile powder) in less than an hour and I only soaked them for an hour. I have been buying fresh dried beans from different sources in the city and plan on only using them from now on. The difference is astounding.
Damn Girl How'd You get all a that in Dem Beans

THIS IS ATTICUS

I was not going to post about my new nephew but I just can't resist! This is why I came back from my trip changed. Because me and Atticus got to pow wow.
Isn't he awesome? I miss him so much!

WHAT TIME IS IT MY LITTLE BEAN

Picked up our first week of The Cobble Hill CSA!
Look! Black Beans! In their shells! As you can imagine, I was greatly excited by this. They will be made into tacos TONIGHT. TACO TIME

I WENT AWAY

But now I am back except I feel a little different than before I went. That is what happens sometimes when you go away, right?
I put before you a couple images from my trip.
Crassostrea virginica,
Pleurotus ostreatus,
Aurelia aurita,

BANANA PUDDING ICE CREAM

Yep. That is what I said. You heard right.
Banana
Pudding
ICE CREAM. Did I mention there is rum in it? We had a last minute Memorial Day hang and I fed them all Banana Pudding Ice Cream. This is what happens when you come visit us! I got the recipe from The Lee bros. Southern Cookbook and now I feel compelled to make every comfort food into an ice cream.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar ( I used turbinado)
2 ripe bananas, sliced in half crosswise and lengthwise
2 tablespoons dark rum, such as Mount Gay or Myers’s
2 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream


Over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar. Cook the sugar, until it's a bubbling mass, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the bananas, and stir until they are well coated and soft.

Pour the rum over the contents of the skillet (it will hiss and pop but soon subside). Let it bubble for a minute or two to burn off the alcohol (which would inhibit freezing). Transfer to a food processor or blender.

Beat the egg yolks lightly with a whisk, then add the sugar and beat until the mixture is a milky lemon-yellow color, about 1 1/2 minutes in a mixer. In a medium saucepan, warm the milk over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer reads 150 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes (do not let it boil). Pour 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the banana mixture in the food processor and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Reserve and let cool.

Add the remaining 1 cup hot milk (slowly and in a thin stream) into the egg and sugar mixture, whisking constantly as you pour. Pour the custard back into the saucepan and cook slowly over low heat, stirring constantly. When the custard reaches 170 degrees F on a candy thermometer (8 to 10 minutes; it should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon), turn off the heat. Add the banana puree to the custard and gently whisk to incorporate it completely. Let the custard cool to room temperature, and whisk in the cream. Transfer to a pitcher or other container and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight until the custard is very cold but not frozen.

Pour the custard into an ice cream maker, and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

I also made an easy and super moist buttermilk cake which I will put on the Dessert Blog. This weekend went by so quickly. I felt like if I don't pay close attention it will soon be September. In garden related news, we transplanted some of our salad greens cos up here in NYC you gotta worry about things like lead in the soil...harrumph.
The lead collects in the plants leaves so we were advised to grow herbs and leafy greens in containers. Oh well, it was just arugula and a half dead rosemary bush in there anyway. Also, adding organic bone and blood meal helps lessen the absorption of lead. YUM!! bones and blood!?
We are so lucky.

HEY HO LET'S GROW!!!!!!

We have been at the new pad for just a bit over two weeks and have almost finished our first attempt at gardening. I have received many tips from all sorts of folks. One, from Kelly down in RVA, (via her Mom) really stuck with me the most: "one for the cutworm, one for the crow and one to grow."
Having been witness to many critters having all manner of bro down back there (like just this morning when I came upon a cat vs. pigeon battle- Go cat!!) I am well aware that I am not the only animal interested in the fruits of our labor.
Last week one of our tomatoes had the top and innards eaten right out of it, still on the vine. Each time I pass the back door I see a Cardinal, keeping a suspiciously close watch on that area, not to mention that tubby Robin! So we invested in some netting and are hoping between that and the fence, we can save at least some of our tomatoes. You hear me you squirrel bastard?

We tried to plant enough to compensate for our lack of gardening mojo, being just beginners and to allow for dirt bandits, but it's not a huge area so we shall see.
My back up plan is the twenty pounds of tomatoes from our CSA share arriving late August- just in case.
BTW- If anyone has any tips on getting rid of pigeons.........

FRUITS OF MY LAZINESS

Rhubarb Lime Rickey (Ok, I put a splash of tequila in there) and Rhubarb compote on thick yogurt. The addition of vanilla bean brought the sweetness to a whole new level but the Rhubarb's tartness tempers it. So, so delicious.

RHUBARB

This is that rhubarb I got from the market cooking up to be
jam for all sorts of treats
and (after straining that jam) syrup for cocktails!
Oh well, I guess you can use syrup for all sorts of treats but over here it is going to be a part of my rhubarb lime rickey.....
tomorrow I will post some results

3 large stalks of rhubarb
1 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
fresh ginger
a tblsp of OJ
one vanilla bean

Everything into a pot and set to a boil. Once boiling set to a simmer until it all breaks down. Let cool. Discard vanilla bean. Once cool, put your mixture through a fine mesh strainer. That is the syrup! Depending on how thick your syrup turns out you can cut it with a bit of water. Take the solids and use in yogurt, on toast, on oatmeal, on ice cream....
Keep refrigerated and use within a week!
YUM

FARMERS MARKET FULL EFFECT

I made a quick trip to the Greenmarket today and look at my beautiful vegetables! I just snapped off a radish and I'm munching on it right now!
I have plans for the Rhubarb but I need some advice on the Hen of the Woods mushrooms. That lil bunch was almost $5 dollars and I want to use them in a way that will really showcase their incredible flavor..any tips? It was gorgeous out there today. Stop by if you can. I need to go back- I forgot to get beans!

SOMETIMES I'M BAD

Today at lunch time, I left to go to Whole Foods and get some grilled fish and maybe some greens. This is what I came back with.
But you know what is worse than this? Trying to buy anything at the Whole Foods in Union Square between the hours of 12 noon and 3pm on a weekday. I had a basket full of groceries that I had to abandon and I HATE being that person. So I treated myself to veggie fajitas slathered in guac and black beans.

PLANTING, PARTYING, UNPACKING

Our first weekend in the new house (not counting the move in) was metza metza.
We ran into major obstacles with shelving, our walls are just not into it. Some day I hope to live in a house with real walls. We are going to have to figure out some other storage situations. On the upside I got the Hoosier! Now I need to strip it and refinish it and actually determine if it is a Hoosier.
On Friday we went to see Star Trek which was fantastic. On the way home there was a super loud police helicopter hovering over the area and tons of lights and sirens at the end of Degraw. I found out this am what the commotion was- A car drove into the Gowanus. I hope no one was seriously hurt!
The Molly's and Alex came over for a last minute grill party on Saturday. I hope to have many of these all summer long and through the fall too!
Sunday was so beautiful (finally!) so we started planting!
There is so much to do yet! Everyday I ask myself how two people can own so much stuff? There will be some stoop sales in the near future, for sure

SLUGGGGGGVILLE

Hi. I feel like a slug. This weather is making me wanna spread all out and just slowly slide around on my belly.
My mind has all these ideas, though. Cooking! Baking! Setting up house! Gardening! But all I can do is crawl home in the rain, make a bit of dinner in our semi operational kitchen and break down cardboard boxes at an alarmingly slow rate.
This lack of sunshine is tapping my energy. You know what I mean? How to combat this?
Any ideas?
Slugs are gross.

HELLO FARMER #2 Cayuga Organic

Meet Tycho from Cayuga Pure Organics Farm.
Man, this fellow, was so sweet! It's great to know there are folks out there like him taking the slow food movement beyond idealism.
Cayuga grow organic beans and grains. A great local source for organic beans, hooray! They are at Greenmarket Union Sq every Wednesday. I will be there tomorrow buying my beans!
Listen to Tycho talk about Cayuga-

NEW NEST

We made it through the move.
We have a little (well, actually he looks pretty well fed!) Robin in our new backyard. He was out in the rain yesterday eating worms, which is a good sign for my future gardening endeavors -I hope.
When I look at him I feel really awesome.

COOKBOOKS ARE MY BAG

I am so thrilled I finally got a copy of The Gift of Southern Cooking! I have it by my desk at work and have been looking through it whenever I get the chance. It's so wonderful. I cannot wait to put it to good use this summer! I have about 50 cookbooks at home but I am attempting to build a Southern Cooking Library (that is a Goodreads link so it may not work, if you are not a member).

I keep a list of titles I need to acquire, here is a sample:

Cooking Up A Storm: Recipes Lost and Found From The Times Picayune by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker

In Pursuit of Flavor by (again, the magnificent) Edna Lewis

Seasoned in The South by Bill Smith

Mrs. Rowes Restaurant Cookbook by Mollie Cox Bryan

Mrs Rowe's Little Book Of Southern Pies By Mollie Cox Bryan ( June 2nd release)

*I found Mollie during one of my (never ending) searches for foods/cooks/ food lore of Virginia- she is documenting great regional food history- please check her out!

Matt Martinez's Culinary Frontier by (the Daddy of Tex Mex) Max Martinez (Out of Print?!)


Southern Cooking by S.R. Dull and Damon Fowler

That list ain't even a quarter of it!
If anyone reading sees any gaping holes above please let me know, I love adding to my list.
If you think it's all collard greens and black eyed peas in these tomes, you'd be mistaken. So many Southern cookbooks hold culinary treasures within! Generations of family cooks pass down their personal methods, their preferred ingredients, and recipes that have been perfected and preserved over lifetimes. Just like an Italian recipe for tomato sauce, any Southern dish has infinite variations that make it unique to the region and to the people (and their specific heritage) who have cherished it and served it to their families for generations- AND I WANT IN ON THAT!

Most of these titles I have found trolling the web, digging around blogs and book sites. It's a quest that will most likely bring me to the same fate as Bonnie Slotnick.
I can't wait!

MAKING DINNER

Last night I made really good homemade sauce from some canned and then some boxed tomatoes. It was delicious.
This is utterly fascinating right? WRONG. Though I was raised on sauce made from fresh tomatoes or canned (ie: never a sauce already prepared, from a jar) and am quite proud of it, being reduced to blogging about making sauce is boring me.
I miss my Cuisinart. I miss all of my cooking paraphernalia. Well, while we are on the subject I miss being able to walk through my loft instead of maneuvering around the stacks of boxes and wrapped up furniture. I am not a patient person and this move is really getting on my nerves. It's keeping me from my kitchen which is where I like to be after work. It's where I wind down. The past few nights, while I have cooked, it's been more about assembling. I used that sauce to make "eggplant" parm sandwiches, which were really satisfying, but not homemade.
I know, it's silly to be irritated about having limited resources during a move and honestly, I am looking forward to Wed and Thurs night which have been designated "take out nights" to save our sanity. I guess what I am saying is that I really need my kitchen and all of it's capabilities in my life. Just being without it for a little while really makes it obvious to me how into making our food I am.
My father, who is the main reason I am so food obsessed, made us dinner every single night. We always had salad too, no matter how simple, with every meal. I had no idea back then how deeply this ritual would effect me in my adult life.

I get so irritated if I don't get to make dinner! It's almost comical. I enjoy eating out occasionally, but when we do get out, I am often looking at my plate envisioning re-creating it at home.
The kitchen is our new home is very tiny. It is almost perfectly square and has a mini oven. Yes, I said "MINI OVEN". Just typing those words together is absurd. But at least it's gas! And......... it also has a door that opens into a backyard!
I plan on making it a Shangri-la. So if you need me I will be there. Most evenings. Making dinner.

TWO DINNERS AND A THREE LEGGED PIG

I am practically monosyllabic from the exhaustion of preparing to move out of our packed-to-beyond-the-gills loft.
So I will keep this short.

Wed night was dinner for one, as Marty was out on a rock trip. Trying to rid the house of our edibles in these last days, I grabbed from the fridge what was looking to get used up.

grape tomatoes that were starting to prune

a couple handfuls of baby spinach

some crimini shrooms, chopped

pitted kalamata olives

a piping hot skillet slicked with olive oil and salt

Moments later, after much popping and sizzling I had a very rich and satisfying meal for myself.
Just add a crusty chunk of baguette.









Tonight's meal was of a different nature.
Spaghetti All'Ubriaco
It was the kind of meal you later refer to as a "revelation". I first saw it on Serious Eats.
Then later our pal made it to outstanding results.
After finding a pasta I thought worthy, we finally got around to trying it tonight in my current skeleton crew kitchen.
All I can tell you, is you must make this as soon as humanely possible. Yes, it IS THAT good. There is no way to describe how utterly delicious this simple preparation is. You just HAVE to make it and see. We lapped it up and went for seconds.




























































The adorable pig you see at the top of this post was a house warming present from our darling neighbors and wonderful friends, Kat and Nic. Before they moved into our building, I never knew the sort of joy that comes from having close friends right across the hall. We will miss them terribly.
That lil guy, a Chilean token of good luck and good will, is known as a "Chanchito".
I know exactly where he will make his home in our new place. It will be in the kitchen, of course, where he can oversee the dinners we will make and share with them when they come over to warm our new place with their presence.

HELLO FARMER

I am starting a feature here on Tentacles, in an effort to gain some actual "food blog" cred. It's called HELLO FARMER! Every once in awhile I will introduce you to one of the fabulous vendors at the Union Square Greenmarket. My favorite farmer's market in the city. I have often wondered how they feel about what they do. What do they like and dislike about their jobs? Today was the first one I did and it's obvious my interviewing technique needs a bit of work, I was a bit nervous and I only had my point and shoot. Wayne of Tremblay Apiaries was kind enough to indulge me. So here, unedited is my short talk with him.
Wayne let me try their Ambrosia, which I can tell you was one of the best foods on the end of a toothpick I have EVER put in my mouth. It was like WOW. Then it was like WHOA. I will be going back for it for sure. Next time you are at the Union Square Greenmarket on a Friday or Saturday stop by and say hello to Wayne and company.

FOOD FRENZY THIS JUNE

I am trying to make a plan for the month of June here in NYC, the city that never stops eating! Good thing I am always hungry.

These are some of the events I am going to try to get to:

June 11th: Discussion of the life of NYT's food columnist
Craig Claiborne at the New School
June 13th and 14th: The Big Apple BBQ
June 13th-19th: Third Annual NYC Food Film Festival

THANK YOU EASTER BUNNY

I looked like an Easter egg! But how hot are those bright yellow heels with those tights?!

UNCROSSED HOT BUNS

Thanks to The Homesick Texan, I tried a new spin on Hot Cross Buns. Honey Soaked Hot Cross Buns!
Like pillowy clouds with faint whispers of cinnamon and nutmeg. Almost donut like.
They were delish and I tell you what, if you want wonderful recipes for real home style dishes with tons of character, check out her blog. I forgot to cut the signature crosses on these babies, but it did not effect how they tasted one bit! They are going to be BFFs with my morning cup of coffee this week.

FEEL THE SPIRIT

EASTER SNEAK PEEK.
I went all out this year.
the aforementioned homemade peeps
egg cookies
bunnie cookies
and a Carrot Cake to end all others, featuring candied carrots! More pics of savory food and fine peoples to come.

NOT AS SAD PEEPS

But stil not satisfactory. Click here for the story.

SAD PEEPS

Last year was my first attempt at recreating Peeps. As the internet is a buzz with Peep reproductions today, I decided to re post my sad looking peeps from last year. Mine were not made from a marshmallow mixture but from meringue. Fussy and temperamental as I am, I did not beat the egg whites long enough. They did not have the glossy sheen they should have had.
My list of items for this year's brunch is growing dangerously longer by the moment but I feel I should attempt my peeps again, this time a marshmallow version, as I have kosher
(veg) gelatin in the house. It will be my own personal Easter challenge!

APPALACHIA A HISTORY OF MOUNTAINS AND PEOPLE

I'm so very excited that PBS will be airing Appalachia: A history of Mountains and People. The first part 'Time and Terrain' airs tonight! It's the first environmental history series ever produced and will focus on the Appalachian Mountains from the physical terrain (which is currently in peril) up to the Appalachia of the 20th century and today. The series is narrated by Sissy Spacek and features a group of authors, historians, scholars and musicians worth their own series!

BREAKFAST AT WORK

All week I have been eating my breakfast at work. It's been:
A bowl of Kashi 7 whole Grain Nuggets
and one package of
Trader Joes Omega Trek mix
in soy or 1% milk

It's really fantastic. The trek mix has pecans, pepitas, walnuts and dried crannies. They come in lil pouches so you can keep one in your bag to toss on anything! The Kashi nuggets are very similar to Grape Nuts but with way more flavor.
I have been eating lighter lunches and have not felt crazy hungry at the end of the day. Word.

APRIL, SPRING, SUMMER AND WEDNESDAYS

Spring is a time for lightness of being. Rebirth, Spring fever and all of that. For me this Spring feels heavy with opportunity, commitment and hard work. Getting down in the dirt. Getting down to business. Creating a place for things to grow. Making a new apartment into home. Renovating yards and objects. Lots of rough and tumble times ahead. Winter has been clinging to these parts and left us covered in a film that needs to be peeled off so we can be clear thinking and braced for the months ahead.
Much like these Ramps, a nice soak and a thorough washing down is in order.
Our apartment is a disheveled village of cardboard boxes and vagrant items, so our enthusiasm is a bit spotty. Our move is but half a month away and the weeks are going by. The work we do now will ensure us all the glories of a beautiful summer...tomorrow is already Wednesday!
It's time to get heavy.

LAST NIGHT I DREAMT

I was bottling my own hot sauce. I tried many different recipes before I made what I thought was the perfect blend. I am looking forward to making this dream a reality this summer! Any tips or suggestions out there? Also I am interested in going on a foraging excursion. I know they have a program at Central Park. Who wants to hunt for mushrooms?

A SOUTHERN FAVORITE, VEGANIZED

I like to try most anything at least once and although I am a "from scratch" type of gal, I'm no snob. When I first heard of chocolate silken tofu from my pal Kat, I was a bit grossed out....but it stuck in my mind. "Hmmmm" I pondered, "chocolate already in the tofu, that cuts out a bit of work" and by work I mean killing the chalky taste of most tofu laden desserts. Don't get me wrong, lactose intolerant folks and those who choose to avoid dairy have every right to delicious creamy goodies.
Let's be honest though, it takes dedication to make a legume taste like an animal fat. So, like I said, having that part done for me definitely had it's allure. After checking out the label; soy milk, cane juice, cocoa, and rice starch, I was feeling less and less repulsed.
After opening and tasting it, it was a done deal.
I was sold.
I am not sure if they offer a regular chocolate flavor, but the dark chocolate flavor I used had a nice cocoa-y depth. A perfect "dessert starter" as the product suggests.
So what did I choose to do with this amazing new marvel for the busy home cook?
I made pie:

As Vegan As You Want To Be Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie:

Your fave 9 inch cookie pie crust
(I used half a pkg of choc wafers and some homemade cookies I had laying about, processed finely and mixed into about 8 tbsp of buttery spread, melted )

1 pkg (1 lb) of silken dark chocolate tofu

2 tblsp of cornstarch

1 cup Cream Nut peanut butter
(I used my fave brand, Koeze -don't sleep, Fairway has it for $4.99 right now!)

1 tsp vanilla

Once I melted the buttery spread, I mixed it with my cookie crumbs and pressed my crust into a pie plate, I baked it for 10 minutes at 350.
Then I set it aside to cool.
Into the food processor went the rogue chocolate tofu and (in my opinion the Hail Mary ingredient of this recipe) the peanut butter.
Add your vanilla and cornstarch.
Pulse until a nice and thick yet pourable consistency is reached.

Pour mixture into your cooled crust.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes at 350-375 depending on how hot your oven is.
Watch it closely.
Take it out when it is puffed, but not super jiggly in the center.
Let cool one half hour.
Then chill for at least 2 hrs.


Now here is where it gets less vegan.

We are a whipped cream household.
It may seem a massive contradiction to top a tofu based pie with whipped cream, but as I said there are many reasons to cut down on/avoid dairy.
For instance, one pound of this tofu dessert product is not low calorie but it is certainly not whole cream either.
So a billowy whipped cream topping seemed appropriate.

If you are not into whipped cream on a tofu pie then I would suggest Hip Whip or solid coconut fat from whole fat coconut milk, (which has been in the fridge for over 24 hrs- for tips on this click here) with some powdered sugar.

Once you have your fluffy topping established, drape it lovingly over your pie. An equal ratio of topping to pie filling is recommended.

At this point, I would do one of two things, regardless of the nature of your topping:
take some peanuts, crush them and sprinkle them atop the pie
or if you'd like to be authentic
blend some peanut butter (1/4 cup) with (1/2 to 1 cup of) powdered sugar and some finely crushed peanuts to make a crumbly mixture and sprinkle atop the pie.
If you have chocolate shavings that would be grand too.
Do to it as you see fit, but please, enjoy.

LAST NIGHT'S DINNER

Or Spring Pizza finally..
The pizza you see here in this blurry image was pretty stupendous. After trying to visualize the contents of my crisper at work, I came home to find a few large heads of broccoli sitting forlornly in the corner of it. (I won't mention the state of the cucumber that was in there...)
So I whipped up some pizza dough and set it to rise. I boiled the broccoli to just tender and chopped it into food processor friendly pieces. In they went along with 4 large cloves of garlic, some Gran Padana and ten almonds. A few pulses and some generous pours of olive oil later, a bright and potent sauce emerged.
A perfect base for a Pizza Primavera.
I topped the pie with asparagus, sweet red pepper, fresh mozz and some tomato paste.
Then I drank a bit too much wine and laughed myself silly watching Jon Stewart with Marty.

THE FIRST THING YOU EVER COOKED?

Inspired by this post over at The kitchn, how about a little show and tell??
The first thing I ever made by myself was most likely banana bread or ricotta cheese pie. These were things made very regularly at my house growing up. Most likely I was 10 or 12 and my Dad assisted. However, the first time I branched out and chose a recipe myself? That is something I will never forget.
I remember that sense of accomplishment and then the realization that "I love making things in the kitchen".
It was a recipe for Fortune Cookies from Martha Stewart Living. It was from the March 1994(95?) issue and Martha was featured on the cover skiing...or snow-shoeing? There was a feature on tea from that issue, that was photographed so beautifully I will never forget it either. I still have that issue today and it has "* fortune cookies" scribbled in Sharpie on the cover in my 18 year old scrawl.
They were a bit difficult at first and I burned the tips of my fingers folding them. I got the hang of it eventually and at the end I had a pile of voluptuous cookies waiting to be threaded with hand written fortunes. That was the start of my now giant library of MSL magazines (which I am currently boxing up to drag to my new home for the umpteenth time) but more importantly it was the moment where I realized that cooking, or more accurately, creating food from scratch with lots of thought and love behind it, was to become a major part of the person I wanted to be.
Tell me what the first thing you cooked was!

SPRING PIZZA...

.....got canceled. I came home to a flour-less pantry. No flour = no pizza dough. This does not happen often and usually I have some back up in the red locker where all my baking stuff resides. While searching, I came upon some organic whole wheat spaghetti! Dinner was saved! A little Gran Padana here, a little red pepper flake there and the destiny of my leeks and asparagus shifted ever so slightly.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON FISH FRY

Marty and I decided to bust out the Sarsons Malt Vinegar and had ourselves a Fish Fry. I let the haddock sit in some buttermilk and cayenne then deep fried it in a cornmeal beer batter. The garlic fries from Trader Joe's came in handy. Afternoon Delight.

2 Haddock fillets about 7 ounces each.
Cornmeal Beer Batter
1 cup cornmeal ( I used Wade's Mill brand from Raphine VA.)
1/4- 1/2 cup flour
1 cold beer, your choice
1 teaspoon cayenne
pinch salt
pinch pepper

Mix all together and let sit a minute. In a deep dutch oven or skillet heat peanut oil to 350. I coated one fillet and dropped it into the oil for around 3 minutes and dark brown in color. I waited in between the two, for the oil to raise back to it's temp.
Drain and serve with fries and ice cold brews.

WELL I'LL BE.......

My darling Kat whisked me into Queens yesterday and it was at an enormous Stop and Shop that I saw something I have never seen before. At the "Weigh It" station, you weigh and price your produce! No more confused cashiers trying to see through bags or accidentally mis-identifying your greens! I know I am very nerdy in my enthusiasm for such a thing, but I had no idea supermarkets had come this far. See what happens when you are kept outside of suburbia for so long?

LAST NIGHT'S DINNER

Black Bean make-it-up-as-you-go-along-Stew-and
Sweet Potato Biscuits.
Looks as good as it sounds, right? Well it was!
I had two previously baked sweet potatoes waiting in the fridge. I mashed em up with like a 1/4 cup of milk. I then whisked almost 2 cups of flour with 2 tsp of baking powder and one of baking soda and a pinch of salt. Then I worked in the better part of a stick of butter and introduced both parties. Set the oven at 425 until they are nicely puffed up and brown like a proud mama duck.
The stew was water, oil, garlic, spices, shallots, carrots, celery, tomatoes, beans, in that order, set to boil for a bit and then simmer.

POPCORN SUTTON DIES

Legendary moonshiner Popcorn Sutton died on March 16th. He was scheduled to go to prison for 18 months and decided to take his life instead.

You can learn more about him on the web here and here.
Even Gourmet has a piece on him.
Just like another outlaw bootlegger he will live on in his region's history.
Rest In Peace Popcorn.

LET'S GO SEE A MOVIE

Christophile just tipped me off to the Philly Film Fest!
These two look good, no?

HOOSIER DREAMS

Dreams really do come true. I have wanted a Hoosier cabinet since I saw one on a trip foraging around down south. They are relics of early 20th century life, particularly domestic life. A time period I feel like I strive to recreate in my own home life. I have never come across one in NYC before, but the very day we went to check out our new home, I found it's first new piece of furniture. Hoosier is a name brand but has also become the name for the style of these cabinets. You can peep some here or over at Flickr.
The specimen here is very special for me because it has a swing out sugar jar (which I had yet to find in a Hoosier) as well as the flour mill. I intend on completely refurbishing it and I will be documenting the process here!
I cannot wait!!!

COOKIES, BALTIMORE STYLE

I made them, go look.

HOW TO BE BAD

Uh boy. Marty and I went into the city to pick up our bounty at the USQ Farmers Market as usual. Suddenly we were both starving and so we attempted to check out Num Pang. It turns out everyone else in NYC who reads Serious Eats every day had the same notion. So we sauntered across the street and ate at Stand-

Cucumber Salad
Onion Rings
Veggie Burgers
Beer

Mine came with Bleu Cheese, which you can see there in the little ramekin next to the homemade ketchup. It comes in convenient liquid form, for dipping!
In case you are wondering, no I cannot button my pants thank very much. I have to say and I know this is much chartered territory -even though I enjoyed this burger, it was a bit bland. The seasoning, which is pivotal in a veggie burger, just was not there. The texture (quinoa) and moisture was great, but I swear I don't even think it had salt in it.
The must haves at this place, for me the non beef eater, are the shakes. However after grazing on all that deep golden brown (yes those ARE fried pickles on that plate) there was simply no room for toasted marshmallow shake.