cia – Page 107 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Yellow Eel with Chives

I saw these slimy suckers swimming in a large tub in Chinatown when the Dr. and I met up to buy groceries. Can we buy that? I asked. What are you going to do with it? The Dr. wanted to know, even though my asking does not really mean anything. I was already signaling to the lady behind the counter to get me one. It cost about $5.50 for one, cleaned, but head intact.

Back at home, the eel was washed with salt and water because it was so slimy. We chopped it up in four pieces–a sharp knife was needed as the spine was pretty tough. The Dr. thought braising it in tomato paste would be ideal, but since I didn’t have it available, we just coated it in salted flour. We threw it in hot oil with some chives and scallions and the snake-like critter made some good eatin’! The meat was tender, and no kidding, tasted just like chicken.

Ingredients:
1 yellow eel, cleaned, chopped in 4
3 stalks of scallions, roughly chopped
2 stalks of chives, roughly chopped
1/4 cup of flour
chili flakes
lemon juice
oil, salt, pepper

1. Combine flour, salt, pepper and chili in a small bowl. Coat the eel pieces evenly.
2. In a deep sauce pot, heat some oil and sautÃ© the leeks and chives for 1 minute. Remove immediately to a paper towel-lined plate.
3. Then slowly drop the eel pieces. Fry until golden brown on all sides. Use tongs to make sure they are cooking evenly on both sides. Do not cover. Remove fried eel to the same plate when cooked.

Famous Fish Market

corner of 145th Street and St. Nicholas
212/491.8323
$12 for two fish and chips, take-away
â™¥

Harlem is teeming with fish and chips stores, and living in the neighborhood has taught me that the longer the line outside, the better the food will be. (It doesn’t work the same way downtown.) Case in point: Famous Fish Market on 145th Street and St. Nicholas. I got out of the A train and noticed the long line outside this hole in the wall even while the rain was pouring. I asked the lady what the line was for. Fish and chips, she said. I asked if it was any good, and there was no hesitation in her voice when she answered in the affirmative. I had no choice but to join the queue. When my turn came, I ordered the regular fish and chips. I tucked the brown paper bag under my arm and ran home in the rain to eat.

I like the English fish and chips as much as the next person, but what’s different with Harlem’s version is that the fish is mostly, well, fish. There is no art involved in the making of the batter–it’s just all fried fish! I like Devin’s Fish and Chips a block away, but I think I’ve found a new place to stop by on my way home.

Related post/s:
Devin’s Fish and Chips

Cockles in White Wine Sauce

The Dr. requested seafood for dinner in exchange for his accompanying me to Roosevelt Island. While preparing for our meal, I entertained him with a smoked salmon appetizer. With a roasted branzino stuffed with lemon slices, I also served cockles in white wine sauce.

Ingredients:
1 bag of cockles, cleaned and scraped off
1 cup dry white wine
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
a handful of flat parsley, chopped
olive oil

1. In a large pot, heat some oil and sautÃ© garlic and shallots. Add the cockles and toss until a majority of them open up. Shake the pot to be sure that all the cockles are getting equal heat. Add white wine and cover for about 3 minutes to let the wine simmer.
2. Drain the cockles into a large bowl, saving the liquid. Discard unopened cockles. Return the liquid to the pot and bring to a boil. Add chopped parsley. Pour this sauce over the cockles and serve immediately.

Roosevelt Island

It took a lot to convince the Dr. to take the tram to Roosevelt Island with me–like a homemade lunch and dinner kind of a promise–but he finally relented one hazy Saturday. From 59th Street and Second Avenue, we boarded the tram using our Unlimited Metrocards. The tram runs on a much slower schedule on weekends, but the ride took less than fifteen minutes.

We stopped by the visitors’ center to pick up a map to help us canvas the surroundings. From there, we walked south through the park and stopped in front of the Renwick Ruins, also known as the smallpox hospital constructed in 1856 when the epidemic was responsible for a lot of deaths in New York City. (James Renwick was its architect, the same architect responsible for St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan.) Because of the highly contagious nature of the disease, the island setting was considered ideal. It was turned into a nursing school residence when they transferred the patients of the hospital to another location. Today it is the city’s only landmarked ruin, covered in ivy, gated to keep trespassers off and lit at night.

We passed the Strecker Lab next to the ruins. It served as the pathology building for the hospital. We continued our walk to the southern tip of the island where there was, surprisingly, a bed of daisies. The Manhattan skyline was hazy from there, so we turned back and walked towards the north where the view of Long Island City in Queens was more pleasant.

A working hospital now stands behind the Roosevelt Island park where we saw a lot of patients on wheelchairs enjoying the view of the Manhattan skyline. The scene was a little eerie to me because, even though they have a nice view of the city, I felt that they were still isolated from the rest of the Big Apple. Residents who are more mobile live in some of the newly-built condos on the island. If not the tram, they take the F subway to get to Manhattan.

An interesting tidbit: Roosevelt Island appears in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby as Blackwells Island when Nick and Jay drive into Manhattan via the Queensboro Bridge.

Korean Bulgogi and Bibimbap

What possessed you? the Dr. asked as he cleaned off his bowl of bibimbap. I’ve always done Korean kalbi at home but have never done bulgogi, so I guess it was just about time. I haven’t had Korean food in a while and I was craving that sweet meat flavor.

In Korean, bulgogi is “fire meat” because rib-eye or sirloin is traditionally grilled. Bibimbap is translated as “mixed rice.” A bibimbap bowl consists of warm white rice topped with sautÃ©ed vegetables, the bulgogi and a fried egg. Kochujang, a spicy Korean condiment made of fermented soy beans and chilis, is served with it. You mix everything together just before eating.

The Dr. said my version tasted “just like the real thing.” I even think it looked like the real thing! I think I deserve some points.

Ingredients:
1 small carrot, julienned
1 bunch spinach, thoroughly washed
4 shiitake mushrooms, dirt rubbed off using a dry paper towel
1 egg
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 tbsp sesame oil
Korean kochujang paste

For the bulgogi:
1 pound rib-eye boneless beef steak, sliced in 1/4-inch thick pieces
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 Asian pear, grated with juices
2 tbsps finely chopped garlic
1 small white onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks scallions, roughly chopped
1 small knob ginger, peeled, grated
2 tbsps light brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsps sesame seeds, toasted
2 tbsps sesame oil
a pinch of ground red pepper
black pepper

1. Whisk together all the bulgogi marinade ingredients in a large baking dish. Add the thinly sliced beef and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. When ready to prepare bibimbap, heat a stove top grill to high. Grill marinated beef for 1 to 2 minutes per side without overcrowding. Remove to a plate.
3. In the meantime, using a frying pan, heat some peanut oil and sautÃ© spinach. Season with some salt. Remove to a plate. Using the same pan, add the mushrooms and sautÃ© by adding in sesame oil. Remove to the same plate. Keeping the same frying pan, add a little more peanut oil and fry the egg over easy. Remove to the same plate.
4. To serve, put a serving of cooked rice in large slightly shallow bowl. Place bulgogi on top to one side. Cover the rest of the rice by adding the vegetables and mushrooms. Put egg on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with kochujang paste on the side. To eat, mix well.