Writing With My Mouth Full

recent posts

    • Cooking The World: Global Gastronomy

      So I need your help. Starting July 2006, I’m going to be cooking. A lot. More so than I do now. The idea is to cook a traditional family recipe from someone’s country. I’d like to represent as many countries as I can. I want to learn more about other cuisines but at the same time, I also want to go in search of new ingredients in New York City. I don’t have a name for the project yet so I could use some suggestions for that, too. Send me an email with your family recipe and I’ll add it to my list. If you can attach your personal story with it, that would be great. I’d like to understand where it’s coming from.

      Update: Thank you for all your suggestions and recipes so far. Keep them coming!

      A lot of you suggested naming this project The World on a Plate but after some Googling, I found out that the name is already being used. I also like the Around the World idea but I’m keeping the category name to group the entries under it as Cooking the World–for now–because I wanted the verb “cook” in there. Someone else suggested Global Gastronomy and even though gastronomy is such a huge word, it gave me an idea to add my own notes and research to each of my entries. I’ll be studying and learning at my own pace throughout this project, too, so I think all the interdisciplinary activities involved in gastronomy might apply.

      I honestly don’t know where this will go but join me as I search for recipes from all over the world and listen to the stories attached to them through friends and acquaintances.

    • Del Posto

      85 Tenth Avenue on 16th Street
      212/497-8090
      $810 for six, with a few drinks, with tip
      ♥ ♥

      The latest from the Batali-Bastianich empire, Del Posto’s staircase, marble floors and plush seating all scream money. You walk past the valet (!) through the lobby and it’s like you’re in someone’s mansion outside of New York. Its 18,000-square-foot space is larger than any of their other New York City restaurants and showcase extravagance, if not gaudiness. The menu prices scream dollar signs, too.

      The antipasto misto of cheese, olives and prosciutto cost us $66 and the bis, two pastas also divided in six servings cost us a whopping $126. My squab was too rare for my taste but I held back in telling the kitchen because the accompanying wine, Feudi Taurasi 1999, made up for it. The pork chop had just the right amount of sweetness with the figs and caramelized onion on the side and I must say that the lamb loin was very good. The cod was meaty and perfectly tender.

      The food could have been from any other high-priced restaurant in the city. Nothing really stood out for me to exclaim, This is so Batali. My lamb sweetbreads were a delight and the calf’s liver–unfortunately served as a main course–were so light and tasty. But where were the lamb’s tongue and the pig trotters I’ve been hearing about? They were probably in the $100 tasting menu we passed up or maybe they were the specials our server forgot to tell us about.

      But for an early 6:30pm table of six women, the service was exemplary. Our sommelier needs to be commended for helping us pick champagne (a Philipponnat) and two bottles of red wine without flinching at our budget ($60-$65 per bottle). When we started with the bubbly, we mentioned that we’re celebrating a birthday. At the end of our meal, they brought one of our desserts with a candle without us having to request it. Needless to say, the birthday girl was quite pleased.

    • Kofta, Lamb Tagine

      Adapted from delicious. Magazine

      Ingredients:
      2 pounds ground lamb
      2 large onions, 1 finely chopped, the other grated
      2 tbsps flat parsley, finely chopped
      2 tbsp coriander, grounded
      1 can chopped tomatoes
      4 eggs
      1 garlic clove
      2 tbsps cilantro, finely chopped
      1 tbsp cumin, grounded
      a pinch of saffron
      juice of 1 lemon
      olive oil, salt and pepper

      1. Make the spice paste: pound garlic to a purée with a pinch of salt using a mortar and pestle. Add cilantro, grated onion, cumin and saffron and work into a paste. Stir in lemon juice. Set aside.
      2. In a glass bowl, mix lamb with chopped onion, parsley and coriander and salt and pepper. Make meatballs with your hands.
      3. In a large and deep skillet, heat oil over medium-heat. Brown meatballs, remove and set aside. Add paste and stir for a minute until aromatic. Return meatballs, add tomatoes and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes until meatballs are cooked and sauce thickened.
      4. Crack eggs on top for the final 5 minutes. Top with cilantro leaves before serving.

      Related post/s:
      Chicken tagine

    • Watermelon and Arugula Goat Cheese Salad

      Adapted from Cameron

      Ingredients:
      watermelon, cut into small pieces
      goat cheese, crumbled
      arugula greens
      olive oil, salt and pepper

      1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve!

    • Zucchini Carpaccio

      Adapted from chocolateandzucchini.com

      Ingredients:
      1 large zucchini, sliced thinly
      goat cheese, crumbled
      2 tbsps sherry vinegar
      2 tsps fresh thyme
      olive oil, salt and pepper

      1. Arrange the zucchini slices on a plate in a circular pattern, each slice overlapping the next. Drizzle with olive oil and sherry vinegar and sprinkle with goat cheese, thyme, salt and pepper.

    • The Little Owl

      90 Bedford Street on the corner of Grove
      212/741.4695
      $100 for two, with two drinks, with tip
      ♥ ♥ ♥

      We told ourselves we will find another place in the West Village if the wait for a table at The Little Owl was unbearable. Thankfully, we were seated right away when we walked in at 7pm because I would have missed the soft-shell crab and asparagus, the sardines with green beans and the hamachi with coleslaw. Match that with a bottle of chilled white wine and you wouldn’t have gone anywhere else either.

      Flash-frying soft-shell crabs are hard because cooking them a second over will give you mushy but chewy meat. Here, they were just the right amount of crispiness. The beans balanced the saltiness of the sardines. I could have done without the coleslaw but I must say that the pink inside of the hamachi gave me joy together with the light onion rings.

      What used to be Chez Michallet is now an even sweeter space with white-washed walls and chef Joey Campanaro behind the glass-covered kitchen. Sitting at the bar gave us a peek of the action in the tiny kitchen. Our server was very attentive and never let us see our wine glasses empty. Our orders were always split in two so there was no awkward sharing. It was almost ninety degrees outside but it felt very comfortable inside.

    • Day 4: Bye-bye Florida

      Our last full day was spent at the club house, poolside. We didn’t want to drive anywhere since we have to catch our flight so we sunbathed at the pool with all the gossip magazines we could pick up. I got more tanned there under a couple of hours than I did in Honduras. I devoured a medium-rare burger with my dark beer while Lauren enjoyed the chicken wrap with her Heineken Light.


      Cheers!

      It was sad to leave Florida. The S’s have been so nice to me. It was a bummer to end our long weekend together.


      I think Sonny and I finally got along

      I wish we knew there was a storm approaching New York City though, so we didn’t have to sit in the plane on the runway for several hours. Thank goodness for satellite TV and my trustworthy Bosse headphones, I got to catch up with Anthony Bourdain in Indonesia (El Bulli feature in two weeks, people!) and a really cool documentary on Tokyo.


      Grouchy-looking Sonny but he was really excellent

      Sonny was the best dog ever even with the four-hour delay. He would just take a peek from his bag and check if his mommy was still around. When he had that confirmed, he would just go right back inside; no whining and complaining like the two women behind us who gave the flight attendants a hard time. It took six hours to get back to Harlem instead of the expected three but I was very content with my weekend.

    • Day 3: West Palm Beach, Florida

      Sunday was still muggy but the clouds looked very angry. The sun stayed hidden so we spent the rest of the morning at a place the locals call Downtown. I wanted to cook for the S’s so we drove to Publix and bought the necessary ingredients. (I love supermarkets outside of Manhattan!) The produce looked nice even though they didn’t have Brussels sprouts. I had to rework the menu that I was initially thinking about. We went to yet another mall after that but this time to lazily check out the merchandise on sale.

      The rain finally stopped some time in the afternoon so we all decided to go to the beach and take a walk. It was the only beach which allowed dogs so Sonny and Freddy came with us. The surfers were out because the winds earlier in the day brought some nice waves in. There were all sorts of dogs on the beach, big and small. I kept thinking of California while I was enjoying the scene.


      My gracious hosts

      Back at home, I started preparing for dinner. We all hung out in the backyard while I grilled portobello mushrooms, squash and asparagus. The oven in the kitchen was broiling bacon and apples. I made my favorite summer salad to start and we opened the bottles of Reisling I brought with me. I threw the pork tenderloin in the oven for a quick roast and put together all the vegetables.

      Dinner was good and complete.

    • Day 2: Peanut Island, Florida

      I can only imagine how bored meteorologists must be in Florida if it isn’t hurricane season. Good morning! It’s hot out today! I was packing my beach bag while the TV was on and all I could think of was, No shit. It wasn’t even 9am and it was already sweltering. And the central air was on!


      The water at Peanut Island

      After breakfast, we drove to the dock and took the ferry to Peanut Island. We donned our snorkeling gear before the tide started to rise for lunch time. I was pretty much satisfied after I saw a barracuda frowning at me. It was feeding time and all the small fish were out and about. There were flying fish, too. I just sat out the rest of the afternoon with ocassional dips to save my skin from melting.


      Pretty nice looking man-made beach

      When it got unbearably hot, we took the ferry back and ate lunch at Tiki Bar and Grill. The conch salad was a fresh starter and it only got better with fish and chips and a cold, cold glass of lemonade. (Beer would have been better but I didn’t have my I.D. with me!)


      Conch salad with crackers

      On our way back, we stopped by the turtle sanctuary to see this big guy:

      His shell was cracked by a boat propeller and he was being rehabilitated before he will be set free in July. I pretty much passed out back at the S’s home after that. Late in the afternoon, we drove to City Place for dinner. It reminded me of Los Angeles’ The Grove, live band, fountains and all. Dinner was Cuban food at Cabana and boy, was my craving for pork ever fulfilled!


      Mmmm-mm chuletas!

      We also shared the ceviche mix, the plantains and the beef served with yellow rice and black beans. Two pitchers of red sangria were consumed.

    • Day 1: West Palm Beach, Florida

      My first reaction upon arriving in Florida was, Oh, my god. Can it be any hotter than this?

      When Lauren mentioned several months ago that she was visiting her newly-retired parents in West Palm Beach, she extended the invitation to me since I’ve never been to Florida before. For a $145 round-trip weekend fare, I had no reason to refuse.


      Palm tree galore: while driving from the airport

      We arrived on Friday just before sunset. It was so hot I thought of Central America. The only difference was that it was spotless and all nicely set up–like the private communities in Las Vegas. It felt wrong to be there. Water sprinkles were spraying all over the manicured lawns. The air conditioning was blasting in every car, every room of the house, every restaurant and shopping store. It made me wonder how much energy a place like West Palm Beach uses each day.


      Sonny all tired from the flight

      After settling in, Mr. and Mrs. S gave me a tour of their lovely home. The ceilings were high, the kitchen fully-equipped, the garden…well, there was an actual garden! We also took a walk around their neighborhood and visited the club house with the pool. I’m not a big pool fan but I made a mental note to stop by before flying back to New York City.


      Welcome to the neighborhood!

      Sonny was nervous during the flight but as soon as we were on steady ground, he was the usual spoiled sweetheart. Freddy is Mr. and Mrs. S’s dog and he seemed bothered that there was another poodle in the house. He was less snotty throughout my stay but he made it known he was still king. (He would shake his fur after I would try to touch him.)


      Freddy and Sonny minding their own businesses

      For dinner, we drove to the Reef Grill and ordered several seafood appetizers. Everything had the Florida essence in it, from the tuna to the shrimps, the scallops to the swordfish. It was an absolutely beautiful night even though it was muggy. There’s nothing better than stepping out of a restaurant with a full stomach in a place I’ve never been before.

    • Chung Moo Ro Barbeque

      10W 32nd Street between Broadway and Fifth
      212/594.4963
      about $60 for two, with two drinks, without tip

      I like Chung Moo Ro because there’s no queue outside when I just want to eat a bowl of yuk kae jang and skip the barbeque. They don’t have dining booths so expect to smell like kalbi because of their open space–it’s unavoidable at the other places anyway.

    • Moules Marinieres

      I love making this mussels dish because it only takes a splash of white wine and some herbs I usually have handy anyway.

      Ingredients:
      1 bag of mussels, about 2 pounds, beard and barnacles cleaned and scraped off
      1 cup dry white wine
      2 shallots, chopped
      2 tbsps unsalted butter
      a handful of flat parsley, chopped

      1. Put the shallots and white wine into a large stainless steel pot. Add the mussels and cover. Steam them over high heat until the mussels have opened, about 5 minutes. Shake the pot to be sure that all the mussels are cooked.
      2. Drain the mussels into a large bowl, saving the liquid. Discard unopened mussels. Return the liquid to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the butter and chopped parsley. Pour this sauce over the mussels and serve immediately.