cia – Page 157 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Summer 2006 Getaway Part 1: Bedford, New York

Let me sleep until 10am and I will drive you wherever you want, was the only request from the Dr. on Saturday night. To honor this, I quietly got out of bed at 8:30am on Sunday, cooked the leftover paneer cheese in the fridge from the Newar chataamari recipe last Friday and concocted an egg breakfast with it and bacon. I made iced coffee to complete. At exactly 10am, I returned to the bedroom, jumped on the bed and woke the Dr. up like it was Christmas morning.

Scrambled egg with crumbled paneer

We’ve talked about using his car this summer for quick getaways until he has to ship it back to Los Angeles but we haven’t been able to plan a weekend together. I’ve been wanting to hike somewhere close by now that Vermont is no longer at the tips of our fingers so I’ve been gathering some driving directions for him to look over during his free time. (I’m the planner, he’s the driver!) He graciously woke up after I made a racket, shot down my idea of a 2-hour drive to Saugerties but agreed to the half-hour drive to Bedford, right along the Connecticut border.

After finally realizing where he parked his car–the Dr. usually has spurts of memory loss when disturbed from a deep sleep by a Filipina girl–we started the drive to the Mianus River Gorge Wildlife and Botanical Reserve. The day started out cloudy but after noon, the sun started to peek in through the tall trees. It was an absolutely gorgeous day for a walk in the forest.

Off the trail was the Havermeyer Falls

The Mianus (plenty of Jackass jokes, I know) River Gorge Preserve was the first Nature Conservancy Project back in 1953. Hemlock, beech and oak grow in the highland areas and mushrooms multiply abundantly. The ground was soft and the moss was all shades of green. We walked about three miles to the top where we were rewarded with clean, fresh air and this view of the gorge:

We continued down half a mile and reached the end of the trail. The water seemed pretty high because of the recent rain but nevertheless, it was a peaceful sight. A total of five miles later, we were back in the parking lot. It wasn’t the green mountains of Vermont but upstate New York served us well.

Formed by the rushing waters of the Wisconsin glacier about 15,000 years ago

Back in the city, we decided to eat a late lunch in the Bronx since we already had the car out. Unfortunately, the market on Arthur Avenue was closed so we ended up eating tacos from a Mexican dive on Crescent Avenue. They were delicious with our Negra Modelos even though the waitress, the owner and the cook were all standing in front of us while we ate at the bar. (They were curious as to what brought two Asian people in their restaurant.)

When we finally made it back to Harlem, we decided to stop by the Fairway on 12th Avenue to stock our fridge with fresh summer produce. I can’t believe I’ve never been there before! Like the other Fairway in the upper west side, the aisles are tight and claustrophobic but the main reason to go is the meat and seafood freezer room where you have the option to wear a jacket to protect yourself from the cold. You push your cart along the rows and rows of nicely cut meat. I had brain freeze just deciding which cut of veal to buy. Unfortunately, the seafood counter is small and they didn’t carry live crabs but every other cut of a cow and a pig were in there.

All kinds of steak; take a pick!

Cheese? How about some cheese?

The summer produce was equally nice. None of the fresh herbs soaked in a pail of water. No showers to make the fruits look shiny. Just in-season fruits and vegetables. I found some beautiful golden beets and haricots verts and remembered a Gourmet magazine terrine recipe back at the apartment.

The Dr. grabbed a bag full of arugula, nectarines and pears and helped me select a shoulder of veal for five dollars. Dinner later that night was delicious. I used this recipe and replaced the frisée with the arugula and substituted the walnuts with crushed hazelnuts. The veal took about eight minutes per side right under the broiler. A bottle of white wine was the perfect match.

Arugula with pear and mustard-sherry vinegar dressing

Veal shoulder tastes like offal because of all the blood running through that part

All of a sudden, waking up before 11am during his rare day off from the hospital was worth it. I can’t wait to make another racket next weekend.

Summer Vegetable Terrine

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

Ingredients:
a handful of haricots verts, trimmed
4 golden beets, trimmed with1/2-inch of stems intact, cleaned off dirt
fresh chives, cut in shorter pieces
2 small envelopes of gelatin
2 medium carrots, cut in small pieces
3 stalks of scallions, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 sprig of rosemary
2 sprigs of thyme
1 cup dry white wine
whole peppercorns
oil, salt and pepper

1. Roast beets. Preheat oven to 450Âº. Wrap beets in heavy-duty foil and put in a shallow baking pan. Roast for about 1 hour and a half. Let steam in foil for an extra 10 minutes outside the oven. When cool enough to handle, gently squeeze to peel off skin. Cut into wedges and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Make the gelatin mixture. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil with white wine, shallots, scallions, peppercorns and salt over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Add rosemary, thyme and half of the chives and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour stock through a fine mesh and discard solids. Save 2 1/2 cups of the stock.
3. Make the gelatin. In 1/4 cup of water, stir in gelatin powder and let stand for a minute to soften. Add to the gelatin mixture and stir until dissolved. Set aside.
4. Prepare haricots verts while roasting beets. Boil in salted water for about 7 minutes. Blanche in ice water to stop cooking. Drain and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
5. Assemble terrine. Lightly oil a nonreactive terrine or loaf pan. Line the bottom and sides with Saran wrap while smoothing out the wrinkles and leaving overhang around the pan. Pour about 1 cup of the gelatin mixture and quick-chill in freezer for about 20 minutes. When the first layer of gelatin is set, lay some of the haricots verts over, sprinkle with some chives and top with some of the beets. Repeat layering until all vegetables are used leaving some space between them for the gelatin to fill and hold them together. Stir the remaining gelatin mixture again and pour over vegetables except for 1/2 cup. Make sure all the vegetables are covered with the gelatin mixture. Chill in the refrigerator, uncovered, until the top is set, about 2 hours. Stir the remaining gelatin mixture and pour over set terrine. Put the terrine back in the refrigerator and chill until firm.
6. When ready to serve, run a thin knife along the sides of the terrine. Invert on a plate and gently pull off Saran wrap to help unmold. Carefully slice and transfer on a plate using a spatula. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Fish Fumet, Concentrated Fish Stock

Whenever I buy a whole fish, I ask the fish monger to have it cleaned but I also ask to keep the fish head and the bones. If I’m lucky, Blue Moon Fish from Mattituck, Long Island at the Union Square farmers’ market gives them away for free. My dad especially likes using them for Filipino paksiw, which is a fish soup made less fishy by adding a lot of ginger. For a non-Filipino recipe, I use my own fish stock to make an accompanying sauce for the fish itself.

Fish fumet is the French version of a concentrated fish stock. Because it’s such a classic, I turned to my Larousse Gastronomique to find a solid recipe.

fish heads and bones, rinsed well
4 stalks of celery, chopped
1 leek, thoroughly washed, chopped
1 large red onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
salt, pepper

1. Put all the ingredients in a pot with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower the fire. Skim impurities carefully and let the stock simmer, without boiling, for about two hours.
2. When the stock has reduced to about 75%, strain to a container. Let cool before storing in the fridge.

Nepal: Stuffed Chataamari

Ubin gave me a lecture about the Newar people of Nepal when he gave me this recipe. They are the indigenous people of Kathmandu and the largest ethnic group according to the 2001 Nepalese census. He grew up eating chataamaris–what he would translate as rice crepes–and drinking San Miguel beer to match. He claims that Newari food is the best cuisine in Nepal but grounding the rice and lentils was laborious. I can imagine that a powerful mixer or blender would have been beneficial to use instead of my old-school mortar and pestle.

Dal is what the Nepalese use to refer to lentils, split and skinned. But they also use the term for all peas and beans that go through the process. Split lentils don’t hold their shape well, so they’re usually used for purÃ©es. I bought a package of black beluga lentils from Whole Foods. Even though the instructions said I didn’t need to soak them, I did anyway to follow the recipe. I also found a block of paneer cheese at Whole Foods. I also found it easier to make the chataamaris separately and serve the stuffing on the side instead of making them empanada style like the recipe originally suggested. We ended up tearing the chataamari and eating it like bread, scooping and soaking up the chicken while we ate.

Ingredients:
2 cups long-grain rice
1 cup black dal or lentils
1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted, crushed
4 pieces of boneless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
1 cup paneer cheese, crumbled
3 stalks of scallions, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small knob of ginger, peeled and crushed
2 fresh chilis, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
clarified butter
oil, salt, pepper

1. For the chataamari, soak rice and black lentils in water overnight. Rinse the soaked rice and lentils mixture thoroughly. Using a mortar and pestle, ground mixture into a smooth batter-like paste, one small batch at a time. Pour into a large mixing bowl and add cumin seeds and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly and add more water as necessary to keep that batter consistency. Let the batter rest for at least six hours, covered, in the fridge.
2. When ready to prepare, take out the batter from the fridge and let it come down to room temperature. Make the stuffing. Heat oil in a skillet and sautÃ© garlic and ginger until light brown. Add chicken with some salt and pepper. Brown the meat under medium-heat. Add chilis, tomato, cheese and scallions. Stir for a few minutes in low heat until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. To assemble chataamaris, heat a tablespoon of clarified butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Pour in some batter and spread out into a paper-thin crepe. Cook until the bottom has crisped up. Scoop some of the chicken stuffing and add on top of one side of the chataamari. Using a heat-resistant spatula, turn over the other half of the chataamari to cover. Turn and cook the other side until crispy. Repeat until you finish the batter.

Casa Restaurant

72 Bedford and Commerce Streets
212/366.9410
about $125 for two, with two drinks, without tip

Whenever I am in the West Village, I always stop by Casa and look in. I tell myself that I should get Brazilian food next time. One Saturday night, all the surrounding restaurants had an hour-long wait so we ended there and were seated promptly.

With our caipirinhas, we started with four appetizers to share. The beef carpaccio with watercress and hearts of palm was pretty good but I prefer my parmesan shaved rather than grated. The lightly breaded squid was overcooked and extra chewy so we barely finished it. We also shared the salada completa which convinced us that the hearts of palm was from a can. The greens needed a healthy drizzle of good olive oil to be resuscitated.

Our one consolation was the Brazilian sausage with sautéed onions. It was spicy and salty but finally hit the spot. I had high hopes for Casa but how can I ever order from the main courses when they can’t even get the most simple appetizers right?