cia – Page 140 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Frankie’s 457

457 Court Street off 4th Place, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
718/403.0033
about $150 for four, with a bottle of wine, without tip, cash only
♥ ♥

Update, February 2009: I had a lovely weekday lunch here with gnocchi and meatballs. Both were in tomato sauce that had their own tastes. (It wold have sucked if they used the same sauce for two different dishes, no?) The salads–fennel, celery root and arugula with mozarella–were brightened by a squeeze of lemon juice and good olive oil. They were simple and just made me very happy.

We walked in Sunday night for an early dinner and Frankie’s was already packed. We were seated in the restaurant in the back, a separate space mainly used for private parties. The main dining room seemed homey with guests eating sandwiches and crostinis, but the back felt more comfortable with only five tables. After they turned down the music volume in the back, we felt like we were having our own small dinner party at home.

Frankie’s menu showcases the same comfort food I’ve gotten used when dining in Brooklyn. There were no seafood selections, which disappointed me a bit, because I was in the mood for fish after celebrating Thanksgiving. The home-made cavatelli with hot sausage and browned sage butter was excellent. The roast loin of pork with broccoli rabe and pine nut polenta was hearty and filling. The desserts could use a little excitement though, because sometimes tiramisu, creme brulÃ©e and cheessecake just don’t quite cut it.

Turkey Tacodillas

For Thanksgiving this year, we had two roasted turkeys, one ham, five black sea bass, lumpia, or Filipino spring rolls, and three different kinds of salads to serve to eighteen people who celebrated with us in the apartment. We thought there would be a lot of leftovers but we were wrong. Our guests were good eaters and they cleaned everything off their plates. With the small amount of turkey meat left, I made some tacos and I made some quesadillas for lunch the next day. After eating a couple of them, I thought, why not mix them together? I call them tacodillas.

Ingredients:
leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat, off the bone, shredded
soft flour tortillas
Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 tomato, chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
cilantro, finely chopped
lime juice
flaming cock hot sauce

1. Cut a tortilla in half. Prepare on a skillet. Lay one half of the tortilla and add some cheese and turkey meat, then follow with the rest of the filling. Cover with the other half of the tortilla.
2. Turn the heat on to medium. Using a heavy but smaller pot lid, press the tortilla to flatten. The heat will melt the cheese inside and make the two tortillas stick to each other. Turn and brown the other side using a wooden spatula or a flat spoon.

Pomegranate Meatballs with Tomato Mint Salad

Tyler asked me where he could buy pomegranate molasses. I’ve had Pom juice before but I’ve never heard of pomegranate in molasses form. I Googled and found out that it’s typically used in Mediterranean dishes. He found it for $8 at Dean and Deluca and used it to make some sort of appetizing tapenade. A few days later, I found a $4 bottle in Chinatown sans the pretty burlap packaging. I slathered the molasses in meatballs to give them that sweet and sour taste and served them with tomato mint salad.

Ingredients:
pork and beef ground meatballs
cumin seeds, grounded
coriander seeds, grounded
turmeric powder
red chilis, crushed
3 tbsps pomegranate molasses
tomatoes, chopped
mint leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Make meatballs. Dip in pomegranate molasses and then gently roll each ball on cumin, coriander, turmeric and red chilis.
2. In a deep skillet, heat some oil and fry meatballs until golden brown in medium to low fire. The molasses will burn faster than the meat so keep them bouncing in the hot oil using a strainer ladle.
3. Make tomato mint salad by combining tomatoes and mint in a bowl, dressed with red wine vinegar, olive oil and some salt and pepper. Top with meatballs.

The Red Cat

227 Tenth Avenue off 23rd Street
212/242.1122
$102 for two, with three beers, without tip
♥ ♥

The red and white wooden paneling didn’t fit the stereotypical Chelsea mold. The laid-back staff made me completely forget I was in New York City. It was a Friday night and all the tables were booked but the maitre d’ politely told me over the phone that I can easily sit at the bar before 7:30pm. For the next two hours, people slowly filled the place with a buzz. We weren’t at all rushed by the bartender even though a few other couples stood at the door waiting to be seated. Where was I? I was at The Red Cat.

It was also the day after Thanksgiving and at The Red Cat, there were plenty of non-fowl choices. We ordered the fried oysters served with creamed spinach. The spicy tuna tartare came with mustard, scallions and potato chips. The grilled octopus with zucchini and prosciutto. The lamb sausage was heartier than the others with white beans and watercress. A couple of pints of Old Speckled Hen pushed everything down and a lemon tart closed our tab.

None of the dishes made my eyes roll back but they were delicious and safely executed. I visited The Red Cat and left all my expectations at the door. Do the same and you’ll also be pleasantly surprised.

Related post/s:
Tia Pol is also in Chelsea

Drunken Romanesque Salad

My first reaction was, What the hell is that? The sign at the farmers’ market said romanesque, a hybrid of a broccoli and a cauliflower. It was so pretty and it made me so curious, I picked up one for myself for $3. It reminded me of a small piece of coral. Before cooking it, I actually let it sit on my table at work as a conversation starter. The spikes are as tender as cauliflower. If you apply enough pressure, they break easily and crumble. But it’s as sturdy as a broccoli. I was able to take it home in a plastic bag without damaging it. I could have made a stir-fry dish but I just wanted to taste it on its own without any sauce or dressing.

I reluctantly cut up the pretty-looking romanesque in smaller pieces and salted and steamed them for 12 minutes. I shocked them in ice water to stop its cooking, drained and put them on a plate. I had leftover umbriaco cheese in the fridge and it was like a jackpot tasting them together. Adding prosciutto was also a nice touch.

Ubriaco means “drunken” in Italian and the hard cheese I got from Di Palo’s is made from cow’s milk soaked in red wine. A stripe runs through the middle to give it a nice touch of color. It actually has a plum taste to it, a little bit sharp and tart.

Ingredients:
1 romanesque, cut in smaller pieces
Umbriaco cheese, shaved (or any hard cheese will do)
prosciutto
salt

1. Steam romanesque for 12 minutes, salting them halfway through. When done, shock them in ice water and drain to a plate.
2. Sprinkle shaved cheese and serve with prosciutto.