Madison&Mayberry

Pretty in Red

So it's Day 8 of the NaBloPoMo and so far it hasn't been too painful posting every day. I thought it would be hard finding ideas to write about but no such luck, mainly due to the mass collection of food photos on my camera. It's harder just sitting down to write, mainly on those days when I don't feel particularly like writing. Like today. I'm moody for no particular one reason and yet a bunch of reasons that I can't quite pinpoint, if that even makes sense. It's cold out. I want Pinkberry but am too lazy to actually venture out to one. And, yes, it's not rational at all that I'm both cold and craving frozen yogurt.

I wrote this post about cooking with wine. It's not great. But I have to post one a day so I don't really see an alternative to not posting it. So read at your own risk. And don't waste wine cooking with it. Just drink it.

You know you can put a little wine in pasta sauce.. but how about cooking the noodles in wine? Micheal Chiarello (can you tell I've really been enjoying his cooking show lately?) had an episode where he parcooked spaghetti noodles five minutes, finishing them in a boiling red wine.

Now, I probably made 3/4 pound of the spaghetti instead of the pound the recipe instructs. And it wants you to cook the pound of pasta in a whole bottle of red wine. All I could think was, "If this recipe is awful, do I want to have wasted an entire bottle of wine on it??" That's a negative. So I cooked my pasta in half the bottle of wine and then we drank the rest of it with our meal, which I found a nice compromise.

We just had broccoli rabe the night before so I added spinach instead, along with spicy turkey sausage I found at the Union Square Greenmarket.

The recipe is good but it's hard to tell how much the red wine really affected the taste of the pasta. Now, you could see the difference in the color of the pasta. If I tried concentrating on it, I could tell in the taste too. But maybe only because I was trying to rationalize the waste of the half bottle of wine. But, if you want to impress people with some reddish-tinted pasta, this is the way to go.

Red Wine Spaghetti with Broccoli Rabe by Michael Chiarello 

1 3/4 pounds broccoli rabe, thick stems discarded
1 pound spaghetti
1 bottle red wine (750 ml - preferably Zinfandel)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped (2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Cut broccoli rabe into 1-inch wide florets. Blanch in a 6 to 8 quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, 2 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to a large colander to drain, reserving broccoli-cooking liquid in pot, then transfer broccoli to a bowl.

Return cooking liquid to a boil and cook spaghetti, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes (pasta will not be fully cooked). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain pasta in colander and return empty pot to stovetop. Add wine and sugar to pot and boil vigorously 2 minutes until liquid is reduced a bit. Add spaghetti and shake pot to prevent pasta from sticking. Gently stir with tongs until coated and boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 6 minutes (pasta will be al dente). Immediately after adding spaghetti to wine mixture, cook garlic and red pepper flakes in the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over moderately low heat, shaking skillet occasionally, until garlic is pale golden, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water.

Pour broccoli into skillet with the spaghetti mixture and carefully toss with tongs to combine (skillet will be very full). Cook while stirring, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, season with freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Stir in the grated cheese. Serve immediately.

Random Thanksgiving Questions

-- Why do I get excited about watching the Macy's Day Parade only to be bored with it 10 minutes in?

-- Why do we eat stuffing/ dressing at Thanksgiving and not so much year-round? (Ditto on the cranberry sauce.) I know I am guilty to this, at least. Stuffing is one of my favorites to eat and there are so many ways to vary it up, as well as numerous meats to stuff. So from now on, I make a solemn vow to cook (and eat!) stuffing/ dressing year-round.

-- Why do a large majority of Northerners have their Thanksgiving meal for dinner while Southerners have it mid-day? (This is based on my completely random and biased survey on the matter.)

-- Why do I spend all day refusing to eat much (just a little cheese and crackers) to save room for more turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes? But it's not like I can eat any more than when I've actually eaten meals through the day.

-- Why can I not make it through an important meal without spilling something on myself?

-- Is it too soon to be sick of turkey yet? An annual meal of turkey is all I really need. (Hint, hint, Mom. Can we have ham for Christmas?)

Guess that Meat!

I'll eat just about anything. I'll give something a whirl at least once and usually return for more visits. I was lucky enough to visit Italy with a family I work for and their two daughters (ages 10 and 14)-- both of whom are rather picky when it comes to food. At dinner one night, we found ourselves devouring  bread and a meat spread set out on the table. We asked for the meat's name but it took some time for an English translation (that's when you know you're in trouble!). Finally, one came -- spleen. Instead of curling up their faces in disgust like I was sure they would do, the girls looked at each other and said, "I looooove spleen!" They have since asked for it again, but unfortunately, it is not in my cooking repertoire.

The point being, I am rather open-minded when it comes to unusual meats. But a visit to Chinatown last weekend had me and my friend, Jennie, wandering around a grocery mart. I was a bit shocked at what I discovered. So, here it is, my friends. Time for a game of "Guess That Meat."

1.

2.

3.

Alright.. Are you ready for those answers??

1. pork uteri

2. pork snouts

3. beef penis

Okay.. I have to admit I add pork feet into my collard greens and black eyed peas. Would pork snouts be the same thing? But I absolutely draw the line on pork uteri and beef penis. So maybe I'm not really all that adventurous, huh?

Stuffing versus Dressin'

               

Photo courtesy of Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

It brings me pleasure when Northerners warm up to Southern ways of cooking. Here's a quote from Mark Bittman's "The Minimalist" column in the Times last week -- "Stuffing, as I've been informed by friends from the South, is properly called dressing when you cook it outside the bird. So I'm officially a big advocate of dressings." (Note to Mark Bittman -- We really just say "dressin' " I'll forgive you this once.) His logic is that stuffing can absorb too much of the cooking juices from the bird, making it too soggy.

I've always assumed dressing as being cornbread based too. I don't think there are many Southerners making dressin' minus the cornbread. Another reason that I'm a huge fan is that you can make a large pan of it and have plenty of leftovers. Make the cornbread a day or two ahead of time for less stress. My only real failure was the Thanksgiving where I made the cornbread, accidentally omitting the cornmeal for the recipe. Genius, I know.

On "Good Morning America" today, each of the four anchors brought in their own family stuffing recipe for a dueling contest. One was made with tons of veggies, another included creamed corn and was rolled into stuffing balls, one was loaded up with sausages, dried apricots and dates, and the other was filled with cornbread, Kentucky style (whatever that means?!). They brought in an audience member who was heavily blind-folded to taste-test the recipes. The poor girl could barely get the stuffing onto her fork, but she did declare the cornbread one as the best. In fact, she couldn't stop eating it all the way into the commercial break. So, I am totally biased, but I believe cornbread-based dressin' is the way to go  on Thanksgiving.

Here are a few recipes:

Emeril Lagasse's Cornbread and Andouille Dressing Southern Cornbread Stuffing from Paula Deen

Cornbread and Squash Stuffing from the New York Times

Sam Champion's Country Cornbread Stuffing from "Good Morning America"

Epicurious' Herb and Bacon Cornbread Stuffing

Sushi Challenge?

You call this a sushi challenge? I stumbled across this video on Yahoo chronicling one man's quest to eat 52 pieces of sushi in 20 minutes, so his sushi gorging would be on the house. I am really not so impressed. Challengers are allowed to pick their own sushi combinations. The man in the video has a large selection of the omelet sushi, which I don't think really should count. Re-do!

If given the opportunity, I think I could down 52 pieces of sushi in the given time. But wait! Women are only required to eat 32 sushi pieces. What luck! I could do that in a heartbeat. In fact, I think I've already come close to that number. But am I getting too caught up in the winning aspect of this? What's the point of eating sushi if you're inhaling it? I do feel the need to have my picture posted on their wall of winners though. Watch the video and let me know your thoughts. 

Led Astray By the Amateur Gourmet

When a recipe is labeled "Best Cookies of Your Life," there are high expectations involved. The Amateur Gourmet used a Martha Stewart recipe with a higher butter-to-sugar ratio, said to make the cookies soft in the middle and crispy on the outside, ensuring such a title.

There are two types of cookie camps -- those who like 'em chewy and those who are partial to crispiness. I'm a chewy kinda gal. But I can handle a little crispiness. So the thought of cookies that could accomplish both tasks was mouth-watering.

Miranda, one of the girls I nanny for, had Tuesday off from school due to the elections (I don't ever remember getting that off from school!). So I thought it would be a perfect time for us to test out the cookies together. Part of the reason I dislike baking so much is that I am not so precise about the measuring aspect. But when I have Miranda around, the 10-year-old volunteers to measure the dry ingredients (It's child labor, I know.), while I handle the wet.

I wanted to make Martha Stewart proud (and the AG, for that matter) and strived for the measurements to be exact (As quoted on "Top Chef" on Wednesday, "baking is a science"). The dough was a bit dense, so I quickly quizzed Miranda.

"How much flour did you put in?"

"4 cups," she said.

"Are you sure? Because the dough is really thick." I was worried already. And I was eager to redirect the blame.

I chopped up all the extra chocolate Halloween candy to add to the dough, along with the chocolate morsels.

We placed the cookies on the sheet trays and baked for the recommended time.

When they came out of the oven, their softness quickly turned into crispiness while sitting on the cooling rack. Where was my soft center? And they were flattest cookies I have ever made. They looked like they had spent a day being squished in someone's backpack.

I quizzed Miranda again. Certainly none of this could be my fault.

"How much baking powder did you put in?"

"Two teaspoons."

I checked the recipe. She was right. What had gone wrong? I reread the Amateur Gourmet's instructions. Then I came to a sentence, "if you make them well, they come out chewy in the middle and crisp on the outside." Hmmm. Apparently, I can't make cookies (or at least these cookies) well. And all this time I had been blaming poor precise Miranda..

So here is where the problem was, I think. The recipe says to cook the cookies for 18 minutes. I kept taking out each batch earlier and earlier, but it wasn't early enough apparently. Depending on your oven, I think the cooking time needs to be somewhere like 12-13 minutes. As soon as the cookies are remotely golden, get them out  of the oven.

Alas, it's too late for my batch, but this tip may save yours. But as it is, I am left with two tins full of hard chocolate chip cookies. Any takers?

Take Leftover Roasted Vegetables...

And make Roasted Vegetable Soup....

You know that sparse amount of leftovers you always get after a meal? What do you do with them? I never know. It's never quite enough to serve for another night's dinner but small enough to still take up room in the fridge.

Well, "Everyday Food," -- my new favorite food magazine -- gives recipes and then ideas for the leftovers. For the "Roasted Fall Vegetables" recipe, leftover suggestions were vegetable ricotta pizza, spinach salad with roasted vegs and roasted vegetable soup.

For the soup, I blended the vegetables with chicken stock (or water) and salt in a Cuisinart (or blender) until desired consistency. Then I added a dollop or two of creme fraiche and finished it off with a sprinkling of scallions. Voila!

Under $20 for 2 in Chinatown

  What's there to do on a relatively nice Saturday than wander the streets of Chinatown looking for a good food at a good price? Ryan and I were in the area because I had one of those sudden cravings to return to the Halloween of my childhood and be scared into a screaming frenzy at a haunted house. (And for the record, I've been more scared trying to kill a spider than at the haunted house. Oh, well.)

  Using the Amateur Gourmet's trek with Calvin Trillin as a guideline, we hunted the area for cheap eats. Here are the discoveries of how we ate for two in under $20.:

1) Calvin Trillin's Green Sandwich, corner of Forsyth and East Broadway

  Here I am in my bright red jacket just salivating to take a bite during the whole five seconds it took to take the picture. What could be so appealing about a green sandwich?? Well, here's Trillin's description of it from The New Yorker: "What caught my eye was a sandwich, tightly wrapped in clear plastic. It consisted of an ordinary Western-style bun—what I assume the Chinese would refer to with some word that translates literally as "the sort of bread foreign devils eat"—and something green peeking out of the middle. I risked a dollar for a taste. Inside the bun was a chopped vegetable that might have been bok choy or mustard greens, flavored with something that tasted like horseradish. I loved it."

  So basically it's chopped  greens, slathered in sesame oil and a little horseradish or wasabi all on a sesame bun. It's unlike any sandwich I've ever had and even this hardcore meat-lover was amazed by it.

  I am still unsure as to what the greens are though. It could have been bok choy; it had a similar taste. But I expected more white stalks in with the greens for bok choy. I thought I had tracked down the mysterious greens at a nearby stand but had no clue as to the name the vendor owner gave to them. So maybe I don't know quite what's in the sandwich, but I do know it's surprisingly good.

Total cost: $2 for two sandwiches

2) Fried Pork Dumplings at Fried Dumplings (original name, huh?), 106 Mosco Street, between Mott and Mulberry Street.

   This is another one from the Amateur Gourmet's Trillin tour recap and I saw it creep into a post at Gezellig-Girl just the other day. It's a small shop and you can see the women rolling and shaping out the dough for the dumplings. The pork-veg dumplings are pretty good, just what you expect from Chinatown. But when you factor in that they are 20 cents each, their market value skyrockets.

Total cost: $1 for 5 -- count 'em-- 5 dumplings

3) Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, 65 Bayard Street

  Ryan was lured here under the promise of avocado ice cream. This must be the off season for avocado ice cream, as well as the wasabi that was listed on the website. But we did find the offerings of black sesame, taro root and lychee. I sampled the durian and despite numerous people around us ordering it, I found it had a lingering sour aftertaste (to say it nicely).   Ryan ordered almond cookie, red bean and wild blueberry while I had ginger and green tea. The best of Ryan's scoops was the almond cookie, which was loaded up with amaretto and cookies bits. My ginger ice cream was also spectacular, with little bits of ginger mixed in.

Total cost: This was our most expensive venture at $9 for all five scoops of ice cream.

5) New Beef King, 89 Bayard St

  I took a bite of the beef jerky before the pic -- I promise it didn't come like that. New Beef King's beef jerky is based on an old family recipe where the meat is oven-baked slowly, opposed to dehydrating. We tried a piece of the Oyster Flavored Beef Jerky that had a sweet, almost cinnamon-like taste. Their best seller is the Spicy Flavored Beef Jerky.

Now, I'm a lover of the beef  jerky. What's better than chomping on a snack of dried meat if  you can't dig into a whole piece of beef? I loved the beef jerky -- it was softer than I was used to and I adored the sweet, spicy taste of the beef. Ryan wasn't much of a fan. But I can't wait to go back and try their Pork Jerky.
Total Cost: 68 cents for a piece of jerky.

6) Shanghai Cuisine, 89 Bayard Street at Mulberry Street

  The above restaurants had pretty cramped corners, so we kept grabbing food and then walking to a nearby park to eat it. Well, we kept passing Shanghai Cuisine. The restaurant's windows were plastered with articles raving about their Shanghai soup dumplings, including one from Gourmet where Ruth Reichl proclaimed their soup dumplings as the best. Where Ruth goes, I follow..

  There's a whole method to the eating of the soup dumplings. You  have to delicately puncture the dumpling dough, suck the broth out and the pop the dumpling into your mouth. The broth escaped my mouth once, but I was a soup dumpling pro by the end.

  I loved the soup dumplings but have to give a warning here -- they were so sticky. As in, could-be-used-as-glue sticky. Next time I'll order an extra batch of dumplings just to test out as new type of Super Glue.

Total Cost: $4, six dumplings

The cost of the entire adventure: around $19 for two. Try and beat that..

Pizza, Take it or Leave it?

 

Confession time. I've discovered I'm not really much of a pizza person. There. I said it. Let the outrage begin.

In the South, your pizza choices are limited to Pizza Hut, Domino's and Papa John's (I was partial to the extra sauce on the Papa John's creations, as well as their garlic butter dipping sauce). The pizzas have thicker crusts and you order them loaded with toppings. My friend Melanie got me into ham and pineapple, while I also enjoyed the ones topped with all types of meat (aka meat lover's pizza). Since moving up here I've discovered the garlic, artichoke, bacon combination, as well as cheddar, jalapenos and bacon (are we seeing a pork theme in my choices?). I refuse to eat pizza unadorned with toppings.

I am having trouble making the transition to these thin-crust pizzas with less sauce, cheese and  toppings. This past week, I've hit two popular pizza places, with the same results. First was Lazzara's Pizza Cafe, on 38th street, between 7th and 8th ave. Ryan was intrigued by the square pizzas here and we opted for two halves -- the Lazzara's special of prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes and olives and the classic Margarita. Ryan, who is a pizza enthusiast, deemed the pizza as good, not blown-away great. I deemed it, "okay." And I don't think I am such a fan of the square slices. Here's a pic of our pizza.

Then on Tuesday I had a get-together at Arturo's, on 106 W Houston St. Here's how an anonymous poster on menupages describes the pizza: "If you grew up eating New York Pizza you will love it...If you grew up eating Domino's you will think you died and went to heaven!" I did not think so. What is wrong with me? Anyway, I arrived a bit late to Arturo's and the group had already order three pies each with one topping -- mushrooms, sausage and eggplant.

I felt the need to sample all three. I did really like the eggplant one.. the eggplant had been coated in bread crumbs and fried before placed on the bubbly cheese. Yum. But overall, I was not impressed with the sausage and mushroom pizzas. I needed more crust, toppings and more sauce! I am totally unappreciative of the thin crust New York pizza. As a foodie, I am almost ashamed of myself. But this does spring a debate -- is the pizza eating experience all about the toppings or all about the sauce and crust? What is the definition of a truly spectacular pizza?

The Sandwich: The Most Popular Dinner Item?

Check out this article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. According to a survey, sandwiches are the number one dish for dinner.  I love sandwiches, but I have to admit that I don't make them for dinner at all. I must be alone on this, according to these results. Here's the article:

Tired of cooking dinner? You're not alone.The most popular main dish served for supper in American homes is a sandwich, according to Eating Patterns in America, a survey out  from the market research firm the NPD Group. The lunch favorite has been a dinner hero for years, getting edged out of the top spot just once, by chicken, in 2005. Now it's back. "Is there an easier meal?" says Harry Balzer, an NPD vice president.

And simple matters. When researchers asked 50,000 meal preparers how they decided what to cook for dinner, here's what they said most frequently:

• Required little effort or easy to make: 53 percent

• Took little/no planning: 50 percent

• Made with foods that are on hand: 39 percent

• Everyone would like: 35 percent

• Easily cleaned up: 34 percent

• Looking for a healthy, nutritious meal: 30 percent