cia – Page 117 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Achara, Filipino Pickles

I don’t really use a food processor because one of the things I love about cooking is the actual process of getting all the ingredients together and preparing them for the actual cooking. But for this Filipino pickles recipe, or achara, I was thankful that my mother owned one. I chopped the papaya and the carrots in smaller chunks and passed them through the machine to grate. Just make sure that you squeeze out excess water after grating them using a cheesecloth. The pickling juice should be the only liquid in your jar.

To make this even more Filipino, I bought a small flower cookie cutter for the carrots. (Filipinos love playing with their food!) The red bell pepper and the onions were chopped by hand. I don’t have exact measurements for the vinegar or the sugar. Start off with enough vinegar to cover the vegetables in the pot, but it’s all up to you to balance the sweet and sour taste in the end. Season with a little bit of salt to taste. Heidiologies, this is for you.

Ingredients:
1 green papaya, grated
2 medium carrots, some grated, some cut into flowers
1 red bell pepper, julienned
a handful of pearl onions, peeled, sliced thinly
half a head of garlic, minced
1 large knob of ginger, peeled, sliced thinly
vinegar
white sugar
salt

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and let simmer until carrots are soft, about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool before transferring to a jar.

Where to eat in Princeton, New Jersey: Olives

I never thought I’d eat the best Reuben sandwich in Princeton, New Jersey. We drank until 4am during the reunion party, so we were naturally hungry after only a few hours’ sleep. We stopped by Olives to look for breakfast but instead we salivated and bought a big lunch.

A Reuben sandwich is made of grilled rye bread, corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing. It doesn’t sound much–Thousand Island dressing? That’s so 1980s!–but Olives made their version look so good that we had to order it for our first meal of the day. The bread was grilled with butter which made it even tastier. It remained crunchy and toasty until we had our last bite. The Swiss cheese melted as we split it in two. Melted cheese in a grilled sandwich always brings back pleasant high school cafeteria memories. The corned beef? Superb. I could only think of Wylie Dufresne’s corned beef carpaccio as I devoured my half.

The dolmades, or stuffed grape leaves, were also delicious, especially with the orzo with grilled vegetables and pine nuts. I wasn’t exactly in the mood for Mediterranean food, but then again, I also wasn’t aware I could find a satisfying meal in Princeton, New Jersey. Sometimes, life is full of nice surprises.

Olive’s Deli & Bakery is at 22 Witherspoon Street in Princeton, New Jersey. There are no tables inside, but you can call 609/921.1569 and order ahead for pick-up.

Rib-Eye Steak with Red Onion Pickles

Tony tore a page off his psychiatrist’s copy of Departures magazine before he got kicked out of her office. The page had a steak recipe on it. And after the bloodbath in The Sopranos last night, I could only think of eating a thick rib-eye steak for dinner. After an hour of push-ups, lunges and sprints in Central Park, I walked to the Fairway supermarket to pick up a $26 rib-eye steak. I will never know what recipe Tony wanted to replicate, but maybe Carmela will put these red onion pickles on the side.

Ingredients:
1 pound rib-eye steak, excess fat trimmed
2 cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil, salt, pepper

For the red onion pickles:
2 large red onions, peeled, sliced into thin rounds, separated into rings
1 bunch of red beets
1 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
salt

1. Pickle the red onions ahead of time. In a saucepan, cook the beets in boiling water until tender, about 30 minutes. When the beets are cooked, remove from the pan. Save 1/2 cup of the beet juice in a large bowl. In this bowl, combine the red wine vinegar, sugar, salt and 1 cup of water. Add the onions to the bowl and make sure they are completely submerged in the pickling liquid. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
2. Rub salt and pepper all over the steak. Drizzle with some olive oil. Using a knife, make several slits on one side of the steak and insert garlic pieces. Set aside until ready to cook.
3. Heat an oven-proof frying pan. When the pan is hot enough but not smoking, sear one side of the steak for about 8 minutes. Slowly lift with a pair of tongs and turn over to cook the other side for another 6 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and broil on high for another 5 minutes or until medium-rare.
4. Remove the steak to a chopping board and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice against the grain when ready to serve. Top with red onion pickles.

Skirt Steak with Grilled Endives

I love endives in the spring. It may feel like summer in New York City, but the spring vegetables are still available in the market. When I’m in the mood for beef, I can’t help but serve a medium-rare steak with grilled vegetables. It’s too hot to be using the oven for longer than ten minutes so adding them to the same pan your steak is grilling is just perfect. If you are without an outdoor garden like me, use a dependable Le Creuset frying pan to get the handsome grill marks.

Ingredients:
1 pound skirt steak, excess fat trimmed
4 Belgian endives, quartered lengthwise
3 sprigs of rosemary
3 sprigs of thyme
half a bunch of parsley, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil, salt, pepper

1. In a large baking dish, combine all the ingredients except for the steak and the endives. Place the steak in the dish and turn to coat both sides with the herb mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
2. When ready to cook, heat an oven-proof frying pan. When the pan is hot enough but not smoking, sear one side of the steak for about 8 minutes. Slowly lift with a pair of tongs and turn over to cook the other side for another 8 minutes. Save the marinade.
3. While the other side cooks, brush the endives with the remaining marinade and place on the same pan. Turn when one side is charred enough. 4. Remove the steak to a chopping board and let rest for about 5 minutes. Slice the steak on the bias about 1/2-inch thick and divide slices among serving plates. Serve with the endives.

Salsa Verde

All the herbs in this salsa verde, or green sauce, recipe is available in the spring and early summer. Wash them thoroughly and you can make almost two cups. I put mine in a small glass jar my father picked up from Ikea and stored it in the fridge for up to a week. It’s a great side with steak.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, washed
1 bunch of mint leaves
1 bunch of basil leaves
1/2 cup of capers, drained and rinsed
2 salt-packed anchovy fillets
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
olive oil, salt, pepper

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine everything except the oil, salt and pepper. Pulse to form a coarse purée. While the motor is running, drizzle in the olive oil to form a smoother purée. Season with salt and pepper.