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......

Cranberry Beans

Some cookbook I read had a bit where the author waxed rhapsodic over fresh cranberry beans, so when I saw them at Fairway, even though I had no idea what to do with them, I bought a pound. This recipe from Epicurious convinced me they'd be tasty with a basic vinaigrette. They were a joy to shell and it took <10mins to cook them, so even though it was a late weeknight, I still had a tasty nibble at a reasonable hour.

I have all the ingredients to follow the Epicurious recipe and I might do that with the other half. For tonight's nibble though, I tossed them with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, olive oil, and sherry. To me they taste like a cross between white beans and chickpeas; it doesn't matter much if it's healthy and fast, right? Read More......

Best Entree Ever

Fairway is now selling a "chard mix" in the bagged salad section: the reds and greens make it irresistible, so I made this lentil recipe from Epicurious for a second time.

The first time I had French lentils but no carrots; this time I had carrots but red lentils. As we previously learned, the type of lentil makes a difference: while last month's batch was picture pretty, this batch looked like a yellowish mush. I like this batch better though: the carrots add a hint of sweetness that makes it extra interesting, particularly with the sausage flavors and the extra garlic.

This might be my new favorite dish to cook - in slightly more time than it would take for Indian food delivery to arrive, I have a tasty and healthy entree. Seriously: I peeled and chopped a carrot and an onion. I browned the sausage, added the carrot, onion, and 2 minced garlic cloves. 5 minutes later, I added 1.5c of lentils, a bay leaf, a teaspoon each of fennel seeds and rosemary, and 3c of water. I brought it to a boil, then let it simmer for 20 mins. Then I steamed the chard on top for 7 mins and mixed it with a large spoon. Yum! In 360 calories, with 7g of fat, I have a meal that contains >50% of the RDA for iron, with both the heme and non-heme varieties, combined with a third of a day's supply of vitamin C for extra-absorption goodness. Hurrah! Read More......

What's the Chinese for sustainably fished?

It was pouring when I got out of my appointment in Chinatown on Saturday, so I decided to skip my usual farmer's market outing. There are many food stores between the subway and my appointment, so I stopped in to buy my favorite dried plums. I also stopped at the fish store. I could've bought tuna or salmon fillets, but I would've felt ridiculous asking if they were sustainably fished. There were some small silver fish and Bottom Feeders generally recommends eating fish low on the food chain, but I had no idea what kind they were or how to cook them. One of the guys there asked, in reasonable English, "Can I help you?" I asked, "What kind of fish are those small ones?" "Small fish." *head slap forehead*

I think I'll stick to my usual fishmonger, thanks. Read More......

I think we have a winner

"What's good this week?"
"We don't usually have the mahi mahi and you haven't had that one yet."

The fishmonger remembered me! And she was right, I hadn't had the mahi mahi and according to Seafood Watch, it's a good fish to eat.

It also tastes good. I pan fried it with a little pepper and olive oil, just a few minutes on each side. It went perfectly with the tabbouleh my mother left behind yesterday. The combination of flavors reminded me of fish tacos, which are one of my favorite foods, except healthier and more interesting. I think this will have to go into the rotation. Read More......

Mmm... tomato season

I was supposed to make an omelet for my post-run breakfast this morning, but as I was cutting the tomatoes, they were so tasty I couldn't bear to cover the flavor. I wish I'd taken a picture for y'all, bc they were so pretty all lined up on my spoonrest: the grassy-flavored yellow-green one and the thick umami flavor of the vermilion one. I've never had such delicious tomatoes in my life - and I can't wait to get more. Read More......