STIR THE POTS

My summer eats

Just some things I've been making to eat lately....enjoy!

Purslane, tomato and mozzarella salad.

Flounder filets a'la plancha with corn,jicama, black bean salsa

Grilled tuna salad Niçoise

 

Falafel salad

 

 

Momofuku pork belly buns...just had to have some!

 

 

Pistachio, almond, and cranberry cantucci

Salt and Fat

For years, my New York City neighborhood of Sunnyside has been a culinary wasteland. As part of Queens, it is home to wonderfully varied ethnic populations. But unlike Brooklyn, whose great parks and public green space - as well as a blocks and blocks of small scale housing - have attracted gentrication, Queens is its less glamorous cousin.

We've had our share of boring diners, cheap Sushi, basic Thai, bad Tex-Mex and lots of bar food. Well, the sun has come to Sunnyside with the opening of Salt and Fat, a newly opened restaurant sporting small bite fusion oriented kitchen. Simply presented and well priced, with nods to Asian, Latin and Americana comfort food favorites, it both reflects and brings out the the best of what this geography offers, unpretentious cultural richness. 

 

 Here's a plate they serve of yellow tail tuna with speck,pickled jalapenos and citrus

 

Braised pork belly taco's,pico del gallo,kimchi salsa,queso fresco

 

Korean BBQ wraps, hanger steak, daikon radish,seasoned miso

 

Rice Krispies and marshmallow ice cream

 lychee panna cotta and Yuzu buttermilk ice cream

 

 

Pasty

Looking through the weathered pages of my The New International Confectioner book recently, my eyes fell on a recipe for Cornish pasty. The origins and history are interesting, as being a basic dish of British miners, they included specific fillings that included "beef, potatoes and rutabaga (rutabagas were referred to as "swedes"). Recently the pasty has been designated "PGI," which stands for protected geographical indication. Whatever, these egg washed meat pies have ancient origins, and legend has it that miners would eat the ends, saving the middle half for later meals.  

My own introduction to this British staple came visiting England, finding them in a London kiosk during a walk. On that typically British wet and windy day, I found warmth and cheer in a "Guinness filled pasty," a huge flaky creature filled with beef morsels and a dark gravy.

 Pasties are great comfort food, and so this weekend - seekng comfort, I used that concept to prepare a batch, filling them with lamb rack trimmings, onion, diced potatoes, and a range of spices including, mace, mint, coriander, pepper, salt, and sumac. If you want to keep it simple, go with curry and add some vegetables.

 

Crimped edges are characteristic of basic pasties. That said, they are usually usally aso crimped in the middle. The tuck-and-weave is very similar to empanadas,so I had no problems turning out the model for a perfect pasty. Mind you, as I used duck confit and foie gras fat in my dough, it was richer than the basic miner's variety. .These pasties were rich, flaky, and simultaneously reminded me of strudel and a South American empanada. 

 

Actually, it seems the world has many variations on this type of food; pastel, pâté en croûte, empanada,burek, or samboosa. There are endless sources for a great meal, but I'll call this one a pasty.

 

Tapioca with Five spice, ginger-roasted peaches and cranberries

To me, tapioca has always sounded like the idea of a great desert - for a a hospital! Or something served by one's grandmother. Comforting but not particularly interesting. Still, having some in the cupboard, and seeing some fabulous seasonal deserts using rhubarb and pistachios, I decided to give it a try in a summer infused parfait.  

I started by blanching peaches in water. Then I cooled them in ice to remove the skins. And then pan roasted them with ginger and "5 spice" powder, along with a home made simple syrup of honey and agave. Letting carmelize and cool, I put them aside for later along with some dried cranberries to add tartness to the sweet.  

In the same caramel and peach juice pan, I added a bit more water and cranberries, reduced till they were plumped and full of flavor. Then I cooled it all off along with the peaches, and then added tapioca. Delicious and pretty, too. 

 

 

 

Tapioca Pudding, Check out my friend Sandra Kavital of Le Petrin I based my parfait on her recipe.

 

From what you've told us, Julia rules!

At least according to those who have participated in our survey, so far.

In a crowded field of over 20 chefs, the favorite so far is Julia Child, followed by Jaime Oliver. Other folks who ranked tops were Jacque Pepin, Bobby Flay, Ana Sortun, Nigella Lawson, Rick Bayless, Anthony Bourdain, Thomas Keller, Daniel Bouloud, and Daniel Humm.

Most interesting to me was when it came to a wish for more articles in specific areas, "local food" was a favorite. And nobody expressed major interest on more coverage of ethnic food personalities, cultures or techniques. 

And while Paris came in as favorite food city, followed by New York, San Francisco led in being third and fourth choice. Other notable favorites, Oaxaca and Mexico, Singapore, Stockholm, London, Melbourne, and Sydney. 

So far as generators of interesting cuisine in the future, Ireland came up several times. 

Anyway, the month is not over. If you have not participated, we'd love to get your input. Click this link to participate. It should not take long and, again, all results will be shared soon.

 

 

 

Revisiting M. Wells - Honest food

When I was a kid, "diners" were the epitome of plain unfettered food joints where people could eat cheap but honest food. But at some point, diners seemed to lose their "Mom & Pop" intregrity, outsourcing their muffins and pies, and over-dressed, overcooked hamburgers becoming their main claim to authenticity, the most authentic quality excess oil. 

Blame it on the late 1970s, when the Saturday Night Live "Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger"" monologue served as an emblematic brand for the category, distorting something that was unpretentious but satisfying into something ambitiously downscale. America's joyously accessible "greasy spoons" somehow lost their grease, perhaps because they also lost the elegant craftsmanship of trained short-order cooks. 

Today, there is a new breed of diner. M. Wells in Long Island City. I've been twice, it's a leader in this movement. As my previous review suggested, I love the place, even if the doughnut recipe wasn't set and they were still being re-made as I watched. Returning recently, I was met with servers offering home made biscuits and ruhbarb jam. I also had a piece of maple pie, which I can only best describe as damned good.

 

What amazes me about this place is the friendly, comfortable family feel. As you eat, you can peruse the spice rack of what's going on the food, and even watch prep being done in front of you, making whole experience even more rewarding!

 

The food pays hommage to old favorites that will never lose their charm, just be tweaked here and there.

Mind you this isn't an ordinary diner. Still, it's not a fussy, over-complicated gourmet diner, either. It's just honest food, celebrated with nuances and nods from the eclectic mind of Chef Hugue Dufour and the inviting staff.

 

 

 

Buckwheat galette

I finally made Galette Breton. I've been wanting these since  posting about buckwheat pancakes, buckwheat's mystery grassy flavor both interesting and satisfying.   

I started a day before, mixing buckwheat crepe batter to rest over night. The next day, I seared some Polish kielbasi, then greased up a cheap, non-stick pan, and fired up some lacy crepe batter.

Be warned... buckwheat galette aren't pancakes. They bubble and can be a bit tricky to turn as they don't have the gluten characteristics in a pancake batter. The ratio of white flour to buckwheat is miniscule, and the hydration level is a lot higher, with a mix of milk, water and egg. There isn't any rising either, these are light honey combed lacey but oh so good.

Whatever you call them, crepe, galette, or blintzes, these flat and delicious griddle cakes make for a break from the usual, cereal, slice of toast, bacon and eggs worth it!

 

Got to bake

Foaming to bake lately but out of levain... I finally had some time to feed the levain, and let that foam. The result is below. 

     

The loaf I baked was something modeled after a bread from Bouley Bakery from my time working there with the baker I remember just as "Marc." Cut around the circumference, it had a mushroom cap sort of look and a generic name "Italian bread." It was a straight up hybrid dough with some malt, and olive oil. It's a loaf good enough for wiping up sauce or with a bit of salsicce and formaggio!

 

Adjusting to use a protein rich spelt with a slight adaption of Luc Martin's spelt sourdough spelt (he uses white spelt exclusively with a yogurt spawned levain) I mixed white wheat and some white spelt in the levain build, then half whole grain and white for a more rustic and healthy version of the high rising levain!

 

The Little Owl - a quick review

Finally, after interviewing owner/chef Joey Campanaro, I made it down to his Greenwich Village restaurant The Little Owl to go enjoy his food. His restaurant is an intimate place, filled with small tables and chairs. It's well lit and lacks the annoyance of loud music that can distract from great food. The menu is market oriented with a nod to the chef's signature dishes like the ubiquitious, but personal sliders, all damned good. What I like the most was the simplicity of the presentations. Maybe just three items grouped to enhance and compliment each other, all simple and good.

Skillet calamari, lardo croutons and spinach and basil broth (this was tomato?)

Big eye tuna, oysters, bibb, avocado and cucumber.

 

Special of the day, Grilled stripped bass with corn, poblano chilies, red onions.

 

Sauteed skate, spinach, leeks, lobster and caper beurre noisette.

We passed on dessert, not that it wasn't interesting, but we enjoyed the appetizers and mains so much we wanted to savor the flavors with a glass of wine, simple and good!

Stir the Pots Survey

In the next few months, Stir the Pots will be running a series of audience surveys.

This month, we will run our first survey. It has questions on Food Culture, looking for reader input on favorite food regions, personalities, and media. 

The survey should take 5-10 minutes to complete and is designed to be thought provoking and hopefully fun.  

 

Click this link to complete this month's survey.

We promise to share the results on the blog at the end of the month. Thanks for taking the time for completing it. Enjoy.