Writing With My Mouth Full

Barça 18

225 Park Avenue South between 18th and 19th Streets
212/533-2500
$130 for three, with a few drinks, with tip

A last-minute decision after a much-needed downpour led us to Barça 18 off Union Square for some stiff drinks and small plates of Spanish food. The spicy chorizo hit the spot and left us hungry for more. We ordered the dry cured pork loin and the Catalan Garrotxa cheese ($4 for two small pieces) before we shared the crab pizza topped with tarragon and roasted peppers, the octopus with sweet pepper confit and the lamb skewers in red pepper chutney which interestingly tasted just like the chorizo. A small pan of paella negra with mussels and shrimps in squid ink sealed our night.

Catalan pizza with crab pieces and parmigiano

The bar is at a first come-first served basis but a larger dining room takes reservations. The waitresses, as soon as you get their attention, are more alert than the busboys because a couple of plates meant for the small table next to us came our way. Suits from the investment banks in the area swarm Barça 18 but for an Eric Ripert-Brian O’Donohoe partnership, I can let that, and some sinewy lamb, slide.

Thailand: Ka Prow

Pritsana manages to cook and cater for about thirty people when she’s not busy designing print materials and Web sites for non-profit organizations and for-profit companies. Now, if only her mother would believe that she can actually cook.

Parents are always looking out for their children, so whenever Pritsana would visit them with dishes she cooked, they refuse to eat them because they’re thinking that she needs to eat more than they do. Sometimes, parents never realize that their children can get food without their help.

Ka Prow translates to the Thai holy basil, one of the staples of Thai cooking and the main spice to this dish. (You leave off the R when you pronounced the prow.) We used chicken here and Thai locals would refer to it as Ka Prow Gai in which gai is the chicken.

You can find kaffir lime leaves at a well-stocked Asian grocery store. They usually have them in the freezer so ask one of the clerks to make sure they’re not hiding the goods from you. There really isn’t a perfect substitute for them, but if you can’t get them dried, try using lime zest. You can also get Thai holy basil at the same store, but you can substitute the tinier, more purple sweet basil. Italian basil will do, too, if you don’t have access to Asian produce. You can also use brown sugar instead of the palm, and less soy sauce if you’re not using the semi-sweet kind. Thais cook this dish with ground pork and I can imagine you can use shrimps as well. Top with fried egg and you’ll be smiling.

Ingredients:
8 pieces of boneless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
1 bunch of Thai holy basil
2 Thai chilis, seeds removed
2 kaffir lime leaves
half a red onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced and finely chopped
semi-sweet black soy sauce or kecap manis
1 tbsp palm sugar
a splash of fish sauce
2 tbsp peanut oil

1. Heat some oil in a heated large wok. SautÃ© garlic until light brown and cook onions until translucent. Add chicken and enough soy sauce to cover half of them. Cook chicken while stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
2. When chicken is almost done, stir in the rest of the ingredients and cook for another 5 over medium-low heat or until basil leaves are wilted.

Natural Tofu

34 West 32nd Street between Broadway and Fifth, 2nd floor
212/564-8200
about $100 for two, with two drinks, without tip

Their business card says Seoul Garden Restaurant but you might know it as Natural Tofu. People come here for the tofu chigaes, boiling hot woks of spicy broths with seafood or pork, all with tofu and bean sprouts.

Meant to be shared between at least two people, it’s the ultimate food for those who are just winding down their night of drinking.

What I come to Natural Tofu for, however, is their gae jang, raw crabs stewed in a hot soy sauce. I get into these moods where all I want is raw seafood and if I don’t mean sushi, I go for crabs Korean style.

Cauliflower Pilaf

Adapted from delicious. Magazine

Ingredients:
cauliflower, cut into florets
3 cups of basmati rice
4 tbsps of curry powder
3 cups of vegetable stock
1 onion, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
a handful of cilantro leaves, finely chopped
oil

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Cook onions until soft. Add cauliflower and rice and cook, while stirring, for 5 minutes. Add curry powder and cook for another minute. Add stock, bay leaves and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 15 minutes, or until rice is cooked and all water has been absorbed.
2. Fluff rice with a fork and sprinkle with cilantro.

Grilled Squid with Parsley and Caper Salad

Adapted from a delicious. Magazine recipe using caperberry

Ingredients:
4 squid hoods, cleaned
1 small bottle of capers
a handful of flat parsley, finely chopped
1 preserved lemon, sliced thinly
red wine vinegar
croutons
olive oil

1. Rub the squid all over with olive oil. Heat a chargrilled pan and cook for 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat, drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with some of the parsley.
2. Combine the rest of the parsley with the lemon slices, capers and croutons. Toss with red wine vinegar and serve with the squid.