May 2007
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Month May 2007

Entries 5 Total

Pasta with Baby Octopus

May 31, ’07

This recipe was adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Babbo Cookbook, from one of my favorite chefs, Mario Batali. He used bavette, a thin, ribbon-shaped pasta, but I substituted spaghetti instead because it was all I had handy. He also used jalapeño pesto, but I doubled the amount of red chili flakes from what I would normally add to give it that kick without the hard work. I did make my own basic tomato sauce though, because, well, I usually do.

If you can’t find fresh baby octopuses, you can certainly used the frozen ones. Those are already cleaned. If you buy the fresh ones, all you have to do to clean them is to turn the head inside out and wash the entrails. Then pull out the eyes and remove the mouth which is found at the center of the octopus where the tentacles meet the head and body. It’s as easy as cleaning fresh squid. If you can only find large octopus, cook that longer until it’s tender and just slice it in smaller pieces before tossing with the pasta.

Ingredients:
2 pounds of baby octopuses, cleaned, washed, drained
1 bundle of spaghetti
2 cups basic tomato sauce
12 fresh mint leaves
3 tbsps red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
red chili flakes
olive oil, salt, pepper

1. Using a large pot, cook pasta al dente in boiling salted water for about 8 minutes. Remove and drain. Set aside. You will cook the pasta more later.
2. While cooking the pasta, cook the octopuses. In a large saucepot, combine octopuses with the red wine vinegar and just enough water to cover. Cook uncovered and immediately remove from heat as soon as the octopuses change color. Drain and set aside to let cool.
3. In a large skillet, heat some olive oil. Sauté the garlic until golden brown. Add the tomato sauce and chili flakes and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes. Add the octopuses and the pasta. Toss over high heat for about a minute with the mint leaves. Season with salt and pepper.

Related post/s:
Deluxe Food Market sells fresh octopus some days of the week
Make your own tomato sauce
Or for the squeamish, try cooking squid first
The Babbo Cookbook at Amazon.com

Comments (4)

Roasted Duck and Plum Salad

May 30, ’07

I first served this roasted duck and plum salad from delicious. Magazine last summer when I invited about ten people from work over for dinner. I prepared several dishes to accommodate even the vegetarians, but this one was my favorite. It’s even easier if you just buy the roasted duck from Chinatown.

This is a great salad to celebrate the beginning of the summer because plums are readily available in the market. In New York City’s Chinatown, a pound of bean sprouts cost 50 cents. You can get plum sauce from the Asian aisle in your grocery store. I’ve used two small packets of Chinese takeout duck sauce as an alternative, too. Another time, I found a jar of orange marmalade in our fridge and used two tablespoons of it instead.

Ingredients:
half of a roasted duck, chopped into small pieces
6 plums, halved and seeds removed
a handful of bean sprouts
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1/3 cup white sugar
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small red chili, finely chopped
2 tbsps plum sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
a handful of basil leaves
a handful of cilantro
salt, pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Place plums, anise, cinammon and sugar in a baking dish with 1/4 cup of water. Cover with foil and roast for 35 minutes until plums are soft. Remove from the oven, drain and save the juice. Set the plums aside to cool. When plums are cool enough, peel and slice into smaller halves.
2. In a small bowl, make the dressing. Combine the plum juice with the garlic, chili, plum sauce and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Using your hands, shred the duck meat off the bones. Combine the duck and the peeled plums in a large salad. Toss with sprouts, basil, cilantro and sprinkle with the dressing.

Related post/s:
I buy my roasted duck from Deluxe Food Market
Or I roast my own duck

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Sripraphai

May 29, ’07

64-13 39th Avenue between 64th and 65th Streets, Woodside, Queens
718/899.9599
about $45, without drinks, with tip
♥ ♥

Sripraphai is the kind of restaurant you have to visit again in order to really get a good feel for its Thai cuisine. Dining with a large group would help because sharing is encouraged in order for you to taste more than two dishes. Because it was just me and the Dr., we could only order three. Out of
those three, only one was solid.

The mango salad with crispy dried catfish to me was what makes Thai cuisine good. It was salty, hot, sour and sweet all the same time. The red onions, cilantro and chili peppers woke my taste buds up. It reminded me of the Filipino daing, only saltier and spicier, and perfect with a cold bottle of beer.

The dishes over rice were safe and less flavorful. I should have known better when I read that the pork came with “special house sauce.” The Dr.’s duck was a little bit better with the small, round eggplants I rarely see in any other dishes I eat in New York City. It also reminded me of the Filipino pakbet. Both came with a generous plateful of rice we couldn’t finish.

We didn’t have enough room for dessert, but we swore we’ll be back to order the other specials on the menu. Next time, we’ll skip the rice dishes and bring an army of friends with us.

Related post/s:
As long as you’re in Queens
Bring your own bottle with your Thai food in the city

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Kampuchea Noodle Bar

May 29, ’07

78 Rivington Street on Allen
212/529.3901
about $50, without drinks, with tip
♥

It was a balmy, summer evening. We thought ordering a bowl of noodles was just appropriate. Upon entering Kampuchea Noodle Bar, I surely felt like being in Asia. It was hot and humid, but a faint breeze coming from the outside made everything comfortable inside. The restaurant details, from the glass mugs to the dim lights, romanticize everything on the menu. That’s a good thing because the food can’t hold its own.

We started with the crisp pork belly. They were a little sweet for my taste, but it’s hard for me to turn down fried fat. It reminded me of Fatty Crab’s better-executed version, served with chunks of watermelon. The pickle plate was very spicy but addicting at the same time. It made me wonder if there was a Korean back in the kitchen. My bowl of vermicelli was good enough to satisfy an Asian taste craving I was having, but the Dr. hated his bowl of duck soup because it was too oily. We both felt that the noodles needed some more love because their consistency felt like they were prepared carelessly.

The wooden communal tables and the mostly beautiful diners reminded me of Momofuku but with a sexier address. In terms of food, however, Momofuku it wasn’t.

Related post/s:
Fatty Crab has better fried pork belly
David Chang uses Berkshire pork, too, but Momofuku has better noodles

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Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

May 28, ’07

646 West 131st Street and Twelfth Avenue
212/694.1777
about $60 for two racks and eight sides, without drinks, without tip
♥ ♥

Update: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is moving to 125th and Twelfth Avenue after Columbia University takes over

People have been talking about Dinosaur Bar-B-Que since it opened in 2004. I just didn’t have a clue about how many people. Jase and Mia came down from Brooklyn to eat barbeque with the Dr. and me one weekend. I was surprised that only a 9pm table was available for four people but I was flabbergasted when the restaurant was crowded. Sure, it was basketball night, but this is uptown and way above 14th Street. Where did everyone come from? I felt guilty that I was the last one to make an effort to visit. And I live about fifteen blocks away!

When we were finally seated and the the live band started playing in the other side of the room, we ate our fried green tomatoes. We also ordered two of the Sweetheart plates: a full rack of pork ribs plus four sides. Soon enough, our table was covered with macaroni and cheese, French fries, coleslaw and cornbread. Mia is almost vegan, but she politely watched the three of us devour our meat while she ate her iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing. (I told Jase that she was a keeper after he finished one of the racks all by himself without her glaring.)

I’ve gone through lengths to eat a good barbeque. I once spent $70 for a round-trip cab ride from the Houston airport to find Burn’s BBQ after an Anthony Bourdain episode. I’ve even smoked my own 8-pound pork shoulder. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que makes eating good barbeque in New York City easier for fanatics like me. Their kind of barbeque is my favorite. The meat is moist and falls off the bone with a dainty touch of the fork. There’s a very faint sweet taste which makes the burnt ends even better. Everything else on our table was icing on the cake.

Related post/s:
Head downtown for R.U.B.
If you have the patience, smoke your own pork shoulder

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