STIR THE POTS

A fig grows in Queens

A few weeks ago one of the employees was walking out with a branch that was protruding from a clear plastic gallon milk container with water and the plants roots, curious I asked what it was. A fig branch I was told, so I unabashedly asked if I could get one too, intending to plant it surreptitiously in my mothers garden. Last time I tried that,it was a strawberry bush that  I planted. My mother later  uprooted it  and translplanted into the front yard under some trees. My mother is very territorial about her jardin! Needless to say those strawberries flourished like weeds. When I mentioned my new garden project mother quickly forbade my idea, so without any other solution I dug a hole in the front of my building, where some of the neighbors had recently started a garden, bringing the country life to our city digs. Voila, a few weeks later I find some huge leaves growing, and the sweet little branch getting bigger and bigger, taking on a certain tree quality. A fig tree grows in Sunnyside! I can't wait for the fruit next year!

BBQ

 

Usually  I would make some overtly political message regarding Memorial day.Not just that I am a veteran, but it's an election year.  Rather then blow a lot of hot air, I say thanks to the women and men deployed around the world away from family and friends enjoying the beginning of summer at home.Not forgetting  those times when I was stationed overseas and I would of rather been at home.

Thanks for your service.

As is tradition every year we head out to my mom's in Connecticut for some grilled food and lots of side dishes, this year was no exception, we had friends and family and I cooked not only the food but the top of my head in the sun! Not so bad, I had cool beer and utensils at my side along with my camera for some food porn.

My meats were purchased at no other than the fabulous Sunnyside meat market from my friend Jonel,(aka Johnny) who lately has got some press in the NY Times!

Fruits de mer with Romesco sauce

Pork kebabs, sausages

 

 

Mango salsa

Smokin pork ribs

Corn on the cob

Jerk Chicken and grilled duck breast

Grilled cranberry marinated duck breast

Grilled black sea bass

Afterwards a walk on the jetty by the shore, we spied a furry little critter and a very intent admirer.

 

Mitsuwa Market

Think Japanese food around New York City, and most of us would first think of sushi, probably in mid-town. But within a 10 minute bus ride from 42nd Street, Edgewater, New Jersey has attracted a growing Japanese population, creating some great food opportunities. Below are are a few pictures I took at the really interesting Mitsuwa Market. Just across the Hudson, it's a great place to visit.  When I went, my first focus was the food court. For $14.00, I had pork cutlet with rice and egg, some pickles, and a salad with a sesame dressing. Not your typical fast meal at a food court. No indigestion or fumes from some greasy paper wrapped gray burger or deep fat fried fries! But the main show is the grocery that is stocked with some great quality food products from Japan, including a huge beer and sake section. Don't forget to get some gyoza while your shopping or maybe some sushi?

Here's the address and more details, along with photos.
595   River Road, Edgewater, NJ 07020, (201) 941-9113, newjersey@mitsuwa.com

Joe Ades, Union Square's Peeler Man

When I went to Union Squares green market Saturday to do some food shopping, I ran into a familiar figure on the corner of 15th and Broadway. Joe Ades is a fellow with a dapper suit whose equally charming spiel, spoken in fine Cockney meter, sells  a five dollar Swiss-made peeler. Joe has the routine of a quality English street barker, which makes sense as he's originally from Manchester in Great Britain. 

Actually, he likes to describe himself as a "grafter," a British term for someone "who works hard." And that he does, or at least he works hard at capturing and entertaining a crowd. He's awfully good. The man has has been written about frequently, from profiles in Vanity Fair to articles in the New York Daily News, the latter about which he boasts, in between his sales of peelers. Having caught his speech in the past, initially I was about to forgo it on this visit. But then his Carey Grant demeanor, as well his  banter with kids in strollers, and chatting with the parents pushing them, captured my attention.

In Howard Kaplan's Vanity Fair article, he talked about days of fine meals and sipping Veuve Cliquot at fancy city restaurants, and his pleasure when other glamorous diners asked him how he spent his days, he'd tell them "I sell peelers." Apparently, the handsome old Mancunian (apparently, the terminology for folks from Manchester), he lives with his wife in an apartment on Park Avenue. The peelers, according to Joe, are all stored in the room once reserved for maids. Times change but Joe Ades remains to deliver New Yorkers his words, charm and peelers.

Féte accompli

Just as I was nodding off in front of the television on Christmas Eve my wife prodded me awake, "lets go!" Off we went to go celebrate Christmas at my sister in-laws house, still a bit hazy and feeling a bit verklempt by the fact that my mother hadn't arrived yet! When I called to find out why she was late in arriving at our house. I realized that she had made a mistake and thought the invitation for dinner was for Christmas day, rather then Christmas Eve! She told us to go without her because it was late. We were going alone and I felt a bit sad she wasn't celebrating with us like every year!

Our dinner this evening was a suckling, nothing to whine or squeal about, eh? For our appetizer we had a mix of Atlantic oysters, Beau Soleil's from Canada, Wellsfeet and Flowers. I made a spicy mignonette sauce and we started with a prosecco which was fabulous pairing with the briny oyster juices, vinegar, shallots and the bite of the black peppercorns in the sauce! Are baby suckling pig was anointed Benjamin? No idea why but it was a good way to make some jokes about midnight snacking of my niece who felt bad for the little oinker! I suggested that when she would be sneaking some pieces out of the fridge at night and her mother would ask who she was talking with in the kitchen,her response would be, "I'm talking to Benjamin mom!" It was sort of sad and we commiserated the poor little porkers demise none the less we devoured him! Perhaps we should of sang a song or something to the spirit of Benjamin, we always forget to thank the animals rather then some idol or whatever? Accompanying the little pig, we had a wonderful array of traditional Ecuadorian corn dishes, mote (hominy), tostaditos (corn nuts, that are toasted and salted), some avocados as well some more traditional side dishes, like braised red cabbage, a stuffing made of veal and rice and so on. A real pig out you could say! The wines were organic, from Australia, France and Spain, the best was the one from down under a very fruity Syrah, Rams Leap. Finally our piéce de résistance, Büche de Noel that I made in record time consisted of genoise with Italian meringue butter cream, a gianduja spread, cocoa nibs and of course the ubiquitous mushrooms made of French meringues!

Pigging out!

Last night was our annual Christmas party, one of those traditional buffet deals with a turkey dressed in chaud froide and covered with vegetable designs! When I first took over the duties of making this piece I had never thought about how really old school it is, but while reading Marco Pierre Whites book, he mentions the hams that they would make in a hotel he worked in the 70's! So I guess there is still a place for it and this year I really took my time to make a real Matisse,as one of the cooks called it! When we finally hauled the food up onto the table to be laid out. We caught our breaths, that is when I suddenly realized that it was only Wednesday and we had another two monster events in the next two days! I surveyed the tables from behind the bar, chatting it up with our bartender, when a member of the board saluted me. He asked how I was hanging on for the duration, I told him we would make it through, no problem! No matter that we were overbooked and the waiters were screwing up the service at lunch today, no,no problem!

Since I haven't really had a minute to snap pics of exciting dishes I would leave this one as an idea of how I feel about this gluttonous time of the year! Ho,ho,ho!
Thats all folks!

Food for thought!

London England.

Bier und brezel!

I used to go to a restaurant when I was soldiering in the 80's in Germany. This particular place was a homey restaurant owned by an policeman and his Yugoslavian wife. It was my escape from spam or jello at the mess hall where I worked and I could enjoy a healthy meal and a beer. The name of this establishment was the bier und brezel, so when this last august I was invited to a wedding with my sisters family, I was actually hoping just to relax at home and skip it, wedding buffets are really not my thing! We got stuck in traffic and the ceremony had already begun, children squirmed in their seats,and my stomach was ready for something! Finally the wedding couple got there blessing, a kiss and we made our way to the exits. A line was made to shake hands where we finally got to the bride and groom. I turned around to snap a photo of the handshakes when I caught site in my cameras view finder a site so lovely and inviting that I snapped a picture to record it's beauty, a brezel stand! This was not just one brezel but many, stacked on a pole with pegs and shiny with small bits of salt. We were invited to the buffet tables where it looked actually like a nice spread, I noticed a barrel of famous Ueli bier, dark and light varieties. On the other tables were crudites and little  brotchen with cheese and ham , my kind of party for sure! There was even a guy wearing an anti-bush shirt, so when I started saying I was the millionaire uncle from America, everyone laughed! My brother in-laws former boss suggested I lay off the bier and get something to eat, I concurred, that bier is strong! The guy pouring the bier asked where I was from and told me had studied in New Jersey, in some town I didn't even know where it was I thanked him for the chat but pleaded for a bier, "you don't want a budwiser?" he said jokingly! I guess buffets aren't that bad, especially with bier und brezel, I suppose you need to go to Switzerland for that sort of wedding?

Hey look, a boulangerie for rent!

One morning on our way to buy some breakfast in the town neighboring our campsite on the shores of Lake Leman, I admired the  boulangeries  breads and assorted pastries in front of us, I asked sheepishly if I could take some pictures, the  owner sort of smiling relented and I got in some bread porn. I grabbed the bags of croissants and pain aux chocolat as we made our way down the cobble stoned streets,the town was so quiet we looked through windows of the closed shops, the boucherie with fabulous sausages and meat neatly arranged,and so clean! I needed to get some of that later I thought, when right in front of me was a shuttered bakery, the for rent sign was staring me in the face! I didn't hesitate, I snapped a picture and told my sister jokingly to call my Mother and tell her I was setting up shop! Hey you can dream can't you?

Those favorite things, like liver cheese (leberkase)!

I remember years ago when I was a younger man, my fathers wife told us about a  restaurant serving a German delicacy, leberkase! My brother was the first to try it and made it known to me that we would be headed to this place ASAP! If your wondering what I am talking about well It's a pork liver meatloaf with crisp top and pink meat inside it's center, literally translated as liver cheese?
Fidelisback Backerei in Wangen is an institution, one of the seven food wonders of my culinary world!
Back in the day we would ride our bikes along the hill country of Allgau and meander to Wangen for a slice of this meatloaf, served with some mustard, a basket of incredible breads and some seriously monster beers! After partaking somewhat full and  feeling light headed we rode off into the hills licking our lips with satisfaction! Just this past August we had been visiting a town close to the border with Germany, I hadn't even considered leberkase, when we entered a butcher shop with some really swell looking sausages,pates and assorted good things, blam! Right there in front of me on the counter was a specimen of leberkase, I had to have it before I salivated all over the beautiful showcase window! Yes there were jaegerwurst, another favorite, but I can get those here in NYC, leberkase is something completely different!
Grabbing a loaf of 100% rye we made our way to a local park, bio bier in hand and that steaming hot leberkase, calling me till we reached some picnic tables! My sister cut pieces with a swiss army knife, and we smeared our mustard on the bread, then without hesitation I slapped a piece of this succulent beauty onto my rye and took my first bite, god I love this stuff! Next visit if I can afford anything, I am off to Wangen, first stop!