Hobbit Day!

Any major holiday with my family is a hobbit day, but Thanksgiving is even more so. While I didn't cook for this holiday, I'd be a poor food blogger if I didn't at least acknowledge the holiday.

The meal started later than usual this year - I got pre- and post-meal naps. Appetizers were surprisingly healthy - there were veggies and honey mustard horseradish dip and fewer unhealthy options. My mother went over the top with sides this year, making stuffing, turnips, green beans, and homemade cranberry relish. I liked her stuffing more than I have in some years past, possibly bc she's started putting sausage into it. I wasn't crazy about the turnips or green beans, both of which were simply cooked with a little (similar) flavoring. I was surprised by the cranberry relish - my mother usually doesn't make anything that can be so readily purchased - but it was delish with a bright flavor that contrasted well with the other dishes.

The star of the day was her sweet potatoes. My sister had written me a piteous text earlier in the week about my mother's refusal to put marshmallows on the sweet potatoes, but after tasting this year's recipe, I'm okay with that. My mother says we're too old for marshmallows and apparently that means butter, brown sugar, and rum. I called dibs on the leftovers immediately.

I was very excited to have turkey leftovers for paleo goodness this week, but while the 12 of us didn't eat that much at the meal, we gave some to my grandparents such that all remained after lunch on Saturday was half a breast. oops.

After the traditional Thanksgiving movie and naps, we moved on to my uncle's lasagna and flan. I used to be a purist when it comes to lasagna, but after eating his, I've decided sausage, chicken, and spinach belong in lasagna. I'm never a big flan fan, but the caramel at the bottom of the pan was incredible, with smokiness that never made it into the dessert. I think I got the better end of that deal.

I wish I'd paid more attention to the cooking of the day though, bc I'm buying a dining table today and will have seats for 10 next year, which may well mean I'll be hosting next year. EEK! Read More......

A Meal Fit for a Princess

I hope I don't lose my foodie card for failing to visit Salumeria Rosi for so long, bc it's just that good.

Their wine list is the perfect size: a thoughtful, representative collection of Italian wines that does not overwhelm the casual drinker. Their list of meats on the other hand is very broad. Fortunately, we had an excellent server who had clear, concise recommendations on both: we had an off-list nebbiolo, finocchiona, and prosciutto toscano grigliato. The finocchiona was delicious - the fennel gave it a very pleasant flavor and I nibbled it with a little of the rosemary that is part of the place setting. I found the prosciutto to be surprisingly ham-like; not unpleasantly, but not something I need to have again.

We'd originally planned on going for tapas last night, so the small plates were perfect. We had lasagna, brussel sprouts, costina (Tuscan short ribs braised in a tomato sauce), and butternut risotto. Everything was delicious, but I particularly liked the sweetness of the butternut in the risotto in contrast to the pumpkin seed garnish.

How wonderful was our server? When we asked for a cheese recommendation, she noticed we still had a little wine left, and suggested we save it to go with the ubriaco, a drunken cow cheese. Yum! The best though was our dessert: a campari semifreddo. It had the perfect amount of campari-bitterness to match the sweetness of the other ingredients. I'd go back to Salumeria Rosi just to see what other desserts their chef creates. Read More......

With a little help from some pepper

Today my fishmonger said, "Well, if you've had the bass, it's been a while, so why don't you have that this week?" Sure. I bought both the fillets she had left and cooked one with a little butter in the skillet, with olive oil, black pepper, and salt on the fish itself on both sides. Maybe I'm just hungry, or maybe it's just tasty: either way, I'm contemplating getting the other fillet out of the fridge and cooking it too.

It's no longer heirloom tomato season :( but I have sugar snap peas I bought at the supermarket a few days ago. I tossed those in the oil-pepper mixture remaining in the skillet after the fish. I added a little ground ancho to add another dimension to the vegetables, which was absolutely the right choice. So good. Read More......

With a side of burgers

I'd heard of The Spotted Pig, but not only had never been, I didn't know what they were famous for, so when my brother suggested we go for burgers, I readily agreed.

Even at 4pm on a Sunday, we had to wait half an hour. (Ah, the Village...)

We shared an apple salad as an appetizer. It was so good and so unusual, I was apparently wolfing them down (ah, dining with family) because my brother moved the plate to the other side of the table. The salad was mostly chopped apples with a vinaigrette and a negligible amount of cheese and greens as garnish. The flavor was so unusual, I asked the server what was in it and she duly told me there was cider vinegar, prune juice, apple juice, and a bunch of other ingredients I cannot remember. How I wish I'd written them down, despite my siblings' mocking!

I'd tried to substitute beets & greens for the shoestring fries that come with the burger, but they wouldn't let me... so I had both. (At my brothers' insistence I might add.) The beets and greens were very nice - the greens were more black than green, but the whole side had a nice flavor.

I've never had such delicious fried potatoes in my life. The shoestring fries were thin, which meant extra crisp. Apparently they fry them with rosemary and garlic IN THE FRYER so every helping comes with a healthy dose of fried rosemary and garlic slices. Genius! Fried rosemary is so tasty!

The burger itself was disappointing to me. Adding a healthy dollop of blue cheese to an already juicy burger is gilding the lily and while a few bites justified the paroxysms from the foodie press, mostly it was just too greasy. If I went back, I'd get the apple salad and the beets & greens - and steal someone else's fries. Read More......

Quiet vs. tasty

By the time we got to Tia Pol after work Weds night, it was so packed, we couldn't even walk in the door. Rather than fight the hordes of yelling twentysomethings, we went to a related restaurant at 24th and Ninth.

We had no trouble getting two seats at the bar at El Quinto Pino, but it gave us a view into the kitchen. I say but because it meant we could see how small the kitchen was.

We started with the pincho of the day, a seafood salad on bread. My favorite dish there was the anchoas de ondarroa, or anchovies marinated in tomato sauce: the salty fish tasted of summers spent at the beach. The chickpeas w/spinach were good too: I particularly liked the texture, which was creamy between the lumps of chickpea. Our third round was Spanish-style cracklins and fried salt cod. The former was about what you'd expect, with the intense flavor you get with European hams. My companion described the fried salt cod as upscale Long John Silver's.

They have four sherries on the menu, generically described as a manzanilla, a fino, an amontillado, and an oloroso. Our bartender David was eager to share his patter about them, but at the end of the day, I found them dull. Yes, I tried them all. The first two were crisp and dry, nothing thrilling. The biggest disappointment though was the amontillado: I've had some great ones and if you're going to affiliate yourself with the only Spanish wine store in Manhattan, shouldn't you have something more interesting than Tio Pepe at least? I found the oloroso was also drier than I'd have preferred.

Overall, I found it took the edge off my desire for tapas, and I'd return if Tia Pol was too busy. I'll have lower expectations next time though. Read More......

Recent Breakfasts

I ended up taking the other half of the cranberry beans the next morning and mixing them with diced tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. What a yummy breakfast!

And then a few days ago, I took the rest of the chard mix and wilted it in a pan with a slice of rendered Niman Ranch bacon, with a little white wine. The touch of white wine (which I was mostly using to steam) was the perfect amount of acid to cut the bitterness of the greens and the unctuousness of the bacon. Incredibly filling with crazy amounts of nutrients. Hurrah! Read More......