Writing With My Mouth Full

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    • Greek Peppered Lamb Salad

      You can add drained Kalamata olives to this dish.

      Ingredients:
      lamb fillets
      1 1/2 tbsps pepper
      2 vine-riped tomatoes, chopped
      1 small cucumber, chopped
      Greek feta cheese
      3/4 tsp dried oregano
      1 tbsp lemon juice
      salt, olive oil

      1. Roll the fillets in the black pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.
      2. Combine tomatoes, cucumber and feta in a glass bowl. Sprinkle with some oregano and season with some salt.
      3. Heat a frying pan, add olive oil. When oil is hot, fry lamb until tender but still pink, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and allow to cool. Set aside for about 5 minutes. When cool, slice the lamb in thick chunks and toss in the salad.
      4. In a screw-top jar, combine lemon juice, oregano and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Shake well. Pour in salad and toss lightly.

      Related post/s:
      Cool Food at Amazon.com

    • Asian Tofu Salad

      Ingredients:
      16 oz. firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes
      1 red bell pepper, julienned
      1 green bell pepper, julienned
      1 orange bell pepper, julienned
      2 stalks of scallions, sliced diagonally
      a handful of cilantro, finely chopped
      1 1/2 cups of Chinese cabbage, shredded
      1/2 cup peanut oil
      2 tbsps sweet chili sauce
      2 tbsps lime juice
      1/2 tsp sesame oil
      1 tbsp soy sauce
      1 garlic clove, crushed, finely chopped
      2 tbsps fresh ginger, grated1. Combine all vegetables in a bowl.
      2. For the dressing, combine sweet chili sauce, lime juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Whisk in half of the peanut oil and pour over vegetables. Toss to coat.
      3. Heat remaining peanut oil in a frying pan. Cook the tofu until golden with a crispy edge, about 3 minutes each side. Remove from pan and set aside. When cool, add to the bowl of vegetables. Toss lightly.

      Related post/s:
      Cool Food at Amazon.com

    • Deep-Fried Okra

      Ingredients:
      1 pound okra, rinsed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
      1 egg
      1/3 cup of milk
      2 cups dry breadcrumbs
      2 cups corn oil
      a dash of red pepper flakes
      salt, pepper, frying oil

      1. In a bowl, whisk together egg and milk. Use another bowl for the bread crumbs. Toss half of the okra in the egg mixture until coated. Use a slotted spoon to pick up the okra pieces, letting excess liquid drip in the bowl. Transfer okra to the bowl with the breadcrumbs and toss until coated.
      2. Heat a deep skillet. Add oil until hot. In medium heat, add red pepper and fry okra until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove cooked okra with a slotted spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining okra.

    • Sweet Chili Chicken

      Ingredients:
      chicken breast fillet
      2 tbsps sweet and sour sauce
      fresh chilis, chopped
      fresh ginger, grated
      1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
      2 tbsps fish sauce
      2 tbsps olive oil

      1. Combine all ingredients except chicken in a small bowl.
      2. Using a hot frying pan, heat oil and fry chicken until cooked through. I fried each side about 8 minutes. Transfer to a chopping board and slice against the grain while still hot. Toss with the sauce and serve with beets or mixed green salad or mango.

    • Prosciutto and Vegetable Pasta Bake

      Ingredients:
      1 1/2 cups of macaroni
      6 slices of prosciutto
      dried breadcrumbs
      1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
      1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
      half a red bell pepper, chopped
      handful fresh basil, chopped
      1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
      2 eggs, lightly beaten
      3/4 cup milk
      salt, pepper, olive oil

      1. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a round ovenproof dish with a little olive oil and sprinkle dish with 2 tbsps of breadcrumbs to coat the bottom and the side.
      2. Cook pasta until al dente. Set aside.
      3. Add and heat olive oil in a hot frying pan. Cook onions and prosciutto for 5 minutes or until soft. Add pepper and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the cooked pasta, basil and cheese. Toss. Spoon the mixture in the baking dish.
      4. Whisk egg and milk in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the pasta mixture.
      5. In another small bowl, toss breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and some oil. Sprinkle over the pasta mixture. Bake for about 35 minutes until set. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

      Related post/s:
      Cool Food at Amazon.com

    • Chicken with Thai Basil

      Ingredients:
      Perdue Shortcuts honey-roasted chicken, roughly chopped
      3/4 cup fresh Thai basil, finely chopped
      4 cloves garlic, minced
      4 stalks of scallions, finely chopped
      2 tiny green chilis, finely chopped
      2 tbsps fish sauce
      2 tbsps peanut oil

      1. Heat up a large skillet, add oil and sauté garlic until golden brown. Sauté scallions until soft. Add chilis and stir for about a minute.
      2. Add chicken and mix until chicken is hot and coated with oil. Add basil leaves and fish sauce. Cook for less than five minutes.

      Related post/s:
      Where to buy Thai basil
      I love my Perdue chicken

    • Ginger-Mint Citrus Iced Tea

      I used to buy this ginger citrus iced tea from Balthazar’s Bakery in the summer. When we moved offices from SoHo to Chinatown, it was one of the small pleasures I started to miss. Now I make my own. It takes patience to make your own ginger-citrus juice, but you can use any ginger tea bag you like. In Chinatown, you can buy ginger honey crystals from a brand called Prince of Peace. They’re pretty strong and very gingery.

      Ingredients:
      1 large knob of ginger, peeled, crushed
      fresh lemon juice
      fresh mint leaves
      orange peels
      ice cubes

      1. In a small saucepan, boil a pitcher-full of water with the ginger and orange peels. When water is boiling, lower the fire and simmer until water is reduced. Mix in lemon juice and mint leaves. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool.
      2. When ready to serve, strain and pour the cooled ginger-orange mixture into a carafe. Serve with ice. Garnish with leftover mint leaves and orange peels.

    • Angel-Hair Pasta Salad with Mustard Dressing

      Ingredients:
      angel-hair pasta
      Perdue Shortcuts honey-roasted chicken, sliced diagonally
      4 small radishes, julienned
      half an apple, julienned
      2 scallion stalks, chopped
      handful of baby spinach, finely chopped
      half a cup of olive oil
      1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
      1 tbsp lemon juice
      3 tbsps whole-grain mustard
      salt, pepper

      1. Add pasta in salted boiling water. Remove and drain after 10 minutes. Set aside.
      2. In a screw-top jar, combine oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and shake well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
      3. In a big glass bowl, combine all the rest of the ingredients. Pour some of the dressing and toss lightly. Add the pasta and toss again. Add remaining dressing if necessary.

      Related post/s:
      I love my Perdue chicken

    • Peasant

      194 Elizabeth Street between Prince and Spring, New York City
      212/965.9511
      about $150 for two, with two drinks, without tip
      ♥ ♥ ♥

      It’s hard to convince me to try a restaurant dubbed “Best Place to Impress a First Date” but after walking by Peasant one afternoon, I thought of it as the best place to treat my special someone to dinner. The first thing you see as soon as you walk in is the fire from the brick oven in the back where they cook all their Italian fare the traditional way. The dark wood gives the restaurant a rustic feel, but the aluminum chairs add a touch of modernity.

      We split the baked scallops topped with breadcrumbs and the octopus in vinaigrette. The beet and mixed greens salad was excellent. We like it when the waitstaff gives us some time in between courses, but Peasant stretched it a bit too long. The appetizers settled in our stomachs, that by the time the boy’s squab was served, we were already full. We started to slice the bird but had to send it back because it was too rare. Maybe the cooks in the back need more light than the brick oven provides. I also had to hold up a candle to see what kind of beans arrived on our table–fava–and what mushrooms smelled so good–porcini–with my sweetbreads. I’ve never had sweetbreads as a main course before but if there’s a restaurant that takes everything to the max, Peasant is it.

      For dessert, we wished for the peach tart topped with hazelnut ice cream but decided to skip it after we saw that it was more that the size of a big slice. I appreciate big portions for the amount of money they charge, but there are times when I’d prefer a smaller plate rather than a gluttonous one. Fortunately, a smaller space in the basement offers smaller plates.

    • Onera

      222 West 79th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam
      212/873.0200
      about $200 for two, with two drinks, with tip
      ♥ ♥ ♥

      Updated, 2007: Chef Michael Psilakis has turned Onera into cash-only Kefi. He has also opened Anthos at 36 West 52nd Street off Fifth Avenue, 212/582.6900

      My party was forty minutes late but the Onera staff was very accommodating. Perhaps I was already sitting and consuming alcohol at the bar and they had no other choice but to wait for my seven other diningmates. When they finally showed up, our table for eight was situated perfectly in the back of the tiny basement restaurant.

      When my friends wanted to try something different without paying for a ridiculously expensive omakase at a sushi restaurant, I thought of Onera because Greek is not always the first thing in people’s minds when they think of dinner, so it can only be a curious choice. My friends’ filet mignon were all done the way they preferred. A couple ordered pork tenderloin and they were both delicious, served with fennel and toasted garlic velouté. I went off the too-familiar list and started with two dishes from their meze menu, or small appetizers. The sea urchin came on top of pickled beets and cheese. Everyone wanted to taste my uni and unfortunately, I had to give up three out of the five on my small plate. The scallops came with yogurt cucumber sauce and a whiff of anise. I only had three pieces so I devoured them before anyone said anything.

      For my main meal, I divided my attention between the chilled roasted octopus and the crispy sweetbreads. Again, everyone’s forks were attacking my plates and I could not help but scold them for choosing the steak and the pork belly without thinking of the other items on the menu. But even though I did not have enough, the octopus was nice and tarty and the sweetbreads divine. Even with foie gras and sheep milk fraiche, the sweetbreads were not overly decadent to turn me off.

      Onera did not disappoint me, nor my picky friends.

    • The Spotted Pig

      314 West 11th Street at Greenwich Street
      212/620.0393
      about $100 for two, with a few drinks, without tip
      ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

      Updated, 2007: A second floor space has opened, but I still waited two and a half hours on a Saturday even after I put my name down at 6:45pm

      It’s no surprise that one of my favorite chefs, Mario Batali, helped open The Spotted Pig in the West Village. One look at the menu and a wanna-be foodie like me would immediately appreciate the tongue and the kidney, two items that are almost always expected in a restaurant that calls itself a “gastro-pub.” The chargrilled burger with roquefort cheese and shoestring fries in garlic and rosemary is a must-try. Order it meat medium-rare and I can bet it will satisy the carnivore in you, even if you don’t like stinky cheese.

      During my first visit, I ordered the ramps and they came wrapped in pancetta. It’s pretty steep at $14 but if you like ramps in the spring like I do, it’s an appetizer you can’t skip. I also had the rabbit cooked with fiddlehead ferns, a vegetable also only available in the spring. With two of my favorite vegetables on the same menu at the same night, I swore I would return.

      When I finally did, I ordered the poached lamb’s tongue and the pan-fried veal kidney. The tongue was served with lentils and fava beans. The tarragon plus the sour cream gave the dish a little kick and they helped melt the tongue in my, well, tongue. Even though several pieces of the tongue were sliced, I could not help but notice that one was actually a whole piece. It looked like the lamb went Maaah and then the whoosh of the butcher’s knife just sliced it. It made for interesting photo anyway.

      The veal kidney was a little too overwhelming. I understood that another strong ingredient was needed to bring out the offal taste of the kidneys, but I thought prosciutto and mustard sauce were too salty to complement them. The combination was so powerful that they were all competing in my mouth. And this is when the pub’s role comes in. The Spotted Pig has about one hundred different bottles of wine on their list, together with a few pale ales and stouts. Hand-pumped Old Speckled Hen comes in handy with all that offal.

      Visit on a weeknight and expect to wait for an hour. Visit on a weekend and expect to wait for two hours. Everyone in New York City wants to be at the Pig.

    • Chubo

      6 Clinton Street off Houston
      212/674.6300
      about $80 for two, with two drinks, without tip
      ♥
      Update, 2007: The space is for sale

      Chubo’s offerings are familiar but the combination of all of them makes the menu a little confused. The hamachi was served two ways: tartare and the other, glazed with teriyaki. They had foie gras but unfortunately in shumai form. Their steak sits on wasabi-truffle sauce. Our soft-shell crabs were excellent, but I was a bit surprised they came with duck. Perhaps the chef just wanted to offer a little bit of everything, or maybe he just couldn’t make up his mind about which cuisine to concentrate on.