2.28.10
Have you been to Txikito yet? As its name indicates (a Basque version of the Spanish “chiquito,” which means tiny), this Chelsea restaurant has only a few tables, and you’d be lucky to grab one on any night (or at lunch). Chefs and owners Eder Montero and Alexandra Raij turn out some wonderful regional Spanish food that takes me back to the years I spent in that beautiful country. My father was a professor of Spanish literature and, every seven years, would take his sabbatical there. I attended the 4th and 10th grades in Madrid, and went back for two semesters off when I was in college. I fell in love with the place, the people, the food, the language. Some of the dishes at Txikito work upon my memory in the way that Proust’s madeleine did his: the fat, silky white asparagus of Navarra; the crisp croquetas with their centers oozing creamed cod or chicken; the boquerones, subtly saline white anchovies; but, most of all, the ensaladilla rusa. (Little Russian salad, supposedly invented by a Russian in the late 19th century.) I used to eat this delightful version of potato salad, a classic Spanish tapa, almost every Sunday morning when I lived in Madrid in my twenties. They served it at a little café right on the edge of el rastro, the big flea market. The most outrageous punks would go there, flaunting their sky-high mohawks, tight leathers and scary piercings. I remember feeling super cool, kicking the sawdust on the floor, smoking my Marlboro reds and taking leisurely bites of this rich, creamy salad. Txiquito’s version—potatoes, peas, carrots and bits of green olive bound together with homemade mayonnaise and mounded atop a salty layer of oil-cured tuna—takes me right back there. Read the rest of this entry »
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2.27.10
Ever since that dinner at Il Buco a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been thinking about the wonderful coconut-lime sorbet I tasted there. So creamy and rich, yet so tart and refreshing. Once I started experimenting in the kitchen, I went off on my own tangent. What I came up with is different, a bit more exotic, but I think just as delicious. It’s SO easy—did you get your ice cream maker yet? This recipe does call for a couple of unusual ingredients: deeply flavorful jaggery, which I showcased here, and those beautifully perfumed wild (kaffir) lime leaves, which I also recommended for this curry. If you have trouble finding the lime leaves, you can substitute some lime zest, though the flavor will be quite different. I have seen them on occasion at Whole Foods, definitely at Kalustyan’s, and at any Thai market. I’ve also come across them dried, but have never tried those. (Someone once asked me to do a post about how to stock your pantry, and I will attempt that soon, but what I consider to be basic essentials may seem rather arcane.) Just because this is called sorbet, by the way, doesn’t mean it’s especially low in fat. Coconut milk is actually rather high in fat—how else could it be so unctuous? But supposedly this vegetable fat is more easily metabolized by the body. It contains lauric acid, which is also found in mother’s milk and has been shown to promote brain development and bone health. Coconut milk is considered very healthy in Ayurvedic medicine, where it is used to heal ulcers. Read the rest of this entry »
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2.26.10
photo by george billard
Not sure how many of you read New York magazine, but I wanted to point out that we scooped them this week! (Did I say “we”? I guess I mean me, and of course, you, gentle reader.) They featured a round-up of salts that followed on the heels of mine, and I was pleased to note that food critic Adam Platt’s favorite is the same: Maldon sea salt. This whole round-up idea seems to be a hit around here, so I will plan to offer more. Next up, sometime in the near future: vinegars.
Of late I have been obsessed with the notion of creating a miso-butterscotch pudding. You can imagine just by looking at that photo of miso, above, how these two luscious flavors might go well together, right? I need an afternoon to putter around in the kitchen and develop this recipe; hopefully some time will free up soon. I’m betting most of you don’t eat much miso, but I think you’d really like it. It’s produced by fermenting soy beans (or rice, barley, buckwheat and even hemp) with salt and a fungus (koji), and the resulting flavor is variously described as salty, sweet, earthy, fruity and savory. (Hello, umami?) There are different types of miso—red, white, yellow, mixed—and they are all subtly different. Generally, yellow miso is slightly sweete; red miso is stronger and saltier; and white, commonly used for miso soup, is the most delicate. Apparently some of the nutrition in miso—including zinc, phosphorus, manganese, protein and copper—is destroyed through cooking, so it’s often stirred into dishes late in the game. I’m sure you’ve had miso soup, right? A dashi broth with the paste stirred in at the end. Recently on Food52, someone submitted a recipe for oatmeal with miso stirred in after cooking. There are quite a few ways to incorporate this versatile seasoning—spread it on a sandwich, mix it into salad dressing, into rice, even into mashed potatoes. I recently posted a recipe for short ribs with miso. It’s actually quite versatile, and can lend its earthy, salty goodness to many foods beyond Asian cuisine. Stay tuned for the miso-butterscotch pudding, but meanwhile here are a couple of easy ways for you to try it.
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2.25.10
Just managed to push the door open and pop outside to document this incredible snowfall. As you can see, huge branches have come down from the weight of the snow which has been accumulating since early this morning. It’s already past my knees! I have never stepped into such deep snow. What a feeling of sinking—sort of scary but thrilling!
I think I have to go outside and properly clear the doorway so I don’t get snowed in. I’ve already brought in a load of firewood in case the power goes out again. What a week for G to be away! I am butch-pilgrim-chick! Frontier woman! Too bad cooking for one is such a lonely enterprise because this is chicken-&-dumplings weather! Maybe I’ll treat myself to some pasta…
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2.25.10
photo by george billard
Despite what they may look like (withered breasts? moldy mushrooms?) these are actually dried persimmons—hachiyas, I think, because of their pointy ends. I picked them up at Mitsuwa, the Japanese market in New Jersey. Having recently snacked on some delicious dried persimmons from the farmer’s market in Santa Monica, I was inspired to experiment with these. Right now, they’re gently simmering on the stove with some dried tart cherries in a broth of orange juice and honey. (Spiked with a little cardamom, of course.) I’ll let you know how they turn out. In the meantime, I’m having my breakfast of creamy sheep’s milk yoghurt with some poached prunes and a few of those candied kumquats that first made their appearance alongside the burnt-orange ice cream. I am in heaven. I have loved prunes since childhood and fail to understand why they have been relegated to the geriatric set. The California Prune Counsel even started this big campaign to call them “dried plums.” Which is, of course, what they are, but still. What’s not to like? Prunes are essentially raisins, only bigger, meatier and more deeply flavorful. But even if you don’t care for prunes, this is the season for delicious compotes made from dried fruits. Rather than buying flavorless, out-of-season fruits from Chile or wherever, consider turning to the more local dried bounty: apples, nectarines, apricots, cherries, prunes, raisins, dates, figs, etc. Any combination of these, poached in water to cover, reconstitutes into a soft, luscious tangle of sweet flavors. Read the rest of this entry »
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2.24.10
photo by george billard
Any number of the recipes I have shared with you call for stock of some sort—as the base for soups and sauces, to baste with or cook rice in. I’m sure most of us are regularly reaching for those shelf-stable boxes, maybe some cans or even the odd bouillon cube. But I’m here to make the case for cooking your own stock, thus giving yourself much more control over the flavor and the quality. I see you rolling your eyes and throwing up your hands—who has the time?! Maybe you don’t, and maybe you do. Are you making time to care for, to nourish and to nurture yourself and your loved ones? I hope so. Take stock of what really matters to you, and then perhaps consider devoting a few hours to making a couple of batches of stock to keep in your freezer. (I’m actually not being facetious. I really believe that the beauty of life, the real quality stuff, lies in these little details.) As you can see from the photo above, itcan be frozen in ice cube trays and defrosted as needed. If you’d rather just read about making stock, that’s fine, too. You’ll get no judgment from me. Read the rest of this entry »
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2.23.10
photo by george billard
I know I posted about citrus sorbet within the last month, but this is really the time for it. How better to bring an infusion of sunshine into this season of overheated rooms and grey skies? (For those of us on the East coast, I mean.) I have been working so hard, writing so much, that my forearms are sore. Today I ventured out to the screened-in porch to jump rope for half an hour. It was therapeutic but so cold I could barely break a sweat. Can’t wait for the local yoga teacher to return from vacation. I need to get back into my practice. With our trip to Turks and Caicos looming on the horizon, I shudder at the thought of pouring my lumpy white carcass into one of my many overpriced Eres bathing suits. But let me dispel that image with thoughts of icy refreshment, a blast of tart grapefruit tingling with ginger and spiked with mint. Read the rest of this entry »
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2.22.10
from left: hemp, soy, rice and almond milks photo by george billard
If you do, you may also have gas, bloating, sour stomach or frequent breakouts, especially around your chin. This is another of my “alternative round-ups.” I already raved about goat’s milk to you here, but I’d like to tell you about some other options in case you’ve got the dairy blues. All four milks you see above—hemp, soy, rice and almond—are available in organic boxed versions that are conveniently shelf-stable and thus easy to keep on hand. (They are vegan, too, but don’t let that put you off if it’s something you equate with Birkenstock-wearing, hairy-armpitted hippies. I grew up in Santa Cruz, so I don’t share your hang-ups, man.) I usually have one or all of these milks open at a time, and I rotate them and use them in different ways. Have I mentioned the important of consuming a rich diversity of foods? That habit of eating the same thing, day in and out, even if it’s “healthy,” is not smart. Variety in all things (except your sex partners, maybe) is optimal. Read the rest of this entry »
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2.21.10
photo by george billard
These are the cans of Maesri Thai curry paste that I have written about before. They save you so much time and you’ll sacrifice scarcely anything in terms of flavor or quality. They are free of artificial ingredients and preservatives, and their 15 varieties very faithfully replicate both traditional and more unusual curries, from green to red. (The masaman curry paste, for instance, contains garlic, sugar, soybean oil, dried red chiles, tamarind juice, shallots, salt, lemongrass, coriander, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, galangal, cloves, kaffir lime and citric acid.) My friend Andrée recently appealed to me for some advice on the menu for a dinner party she was hostessing for 10 friends, and a delicious masaman curry was my first thought. With sticky rice and a sweet-tart cucumber salad, this dish makes a simple but slightly exotic meal that few can resist. For dessert, I suggested an easy and supremely refreshing combination of fresh pineapple with grated ginger, chopped mint and lime juice. Read the rest of this entry »
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2.20.10
photo by george billard
Just wanted to update you on how my saag paneer turned out. Maybe you’ll be inspired to go back and try the recipe. If you can’t face the (incredibly easy and satisfying) task of making your own paneer, you can look for it at a local Indian market (try upstairs at Kalustyan’s if you’re in New York City) or even substitute cubes of firm tofu. Now that I think of it, maybe you could try farmer’s cheese which is basically the same thing and which I often see at Fairway or Whole Foods! Anyway, this is a lovely dish and an exciting delivery system for healthy greens.
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