NYC the place to be! Part 2

So continuing on from my last NYC post, we stumbled across some street markets in Chelsea. They looked like your typical weekend market so I didn't really go for a walk through (hmm...maybe I should have).

We spotted this crepe stall on the corner selling fresh lemonade and err crepes! The crepes were so good and the stall holders were French which for me, re-enforced the crepe's authenticity. The batter was thin and nicely coloured on the outside. I had mine with mushroom, baby spinach and of course cheese (hey, we are in America here everything comes with cheese!).

"I only make crepe for da woman" The dude forgot to make a 2nd crepe.

We walked several blocks when I spotted a Pinkberry. The line was out the door. Then we noticed this:

It's one of the trendy food vans which will only tell you their location if you follow them on twitter. Very en vogue in the U.S these days - am waiting for this to catch on in Aust. Maybe in another 2 years - haha! This particular van is a popsicle van - they had many yummy flavours like grape, pineapple etc. I had a pineapple one and it had frozen pineapple chunks inside! Yum! And as they say in real estate "location, location, location". This van was parked between a playground and pinkberry. Very clever!

I can't remember what day it was but we were just walking around mid-town and feeling hungry but didn't want to go into Maccas, TGI Friday's etc. We saw a decent looking cafe and thought 'yeah that'll' do.

I ordered a turkey baguette which came with a side salad. At this point in time I needed to eat a salad - it's all carbs and meat here! When you think of a side salad, it's usually lettuce, tomatoes, maybe some cucumbers and grated carrots. Remember what I said about carbs? Here's my 'side salad':

It's a freakin' PASTA SALAD?!?!?! Oh yeah, that frothy drink is supposed to be a cappuccino and that is not chocolate on top - its cinnamon. What the?!?!

As you can gather, the food is bad - ok that's a bit extreme ... not very good. Or maybe we are spoilt in Australia with our fresh seafood, fruit and veggies. If you are vego/vegan /coelliac - come with your own meals packed.

The museums are amazing. The vendors must have sensed the hunger that visitors ignore when they visit the place because you can find them everywhere down on the Museum mile. It was hot, we spotted soft serve. Mine was chocolate (should have opted for the cherry coating) and yeah it was huge.

I was half way through

Still have a few more pics to load but I think it's back to work for me. Peace out! Btw: apologies for the inconsistency of the font - blogger is going funny on me.

Pierogi

In a nut shell Pierogi are Polish dumplings sort of like the Chinese gow-gee in shape. One of the traditional fillings are made up of mashed potatoes, quark (kind of like a cross between Greek yoghurt and cottage cheese) and onions. You can also fill them with buckwheat, sauerkraut or mushrooms.

The dough and filling is fairly easy to make but the rolling and the filling is a bit more time consuming. It took me 2 hours, standing in the kitchen rolling, cutting and stuffing dough. If you suffer from back pain/sore neck, my advice is to grab a seat. Use a large round cutter or glass (once again think the size of gow gees).

Tips:

1. Have several large plates lined with baking paper ready to place the pierogi. Make sure they are dusted with flour and not touching each other or else they will stick.

2. Mash the potatoes the day before and put it in the fridge. It will make the filling less wet and easier to fill.

3. Divide the dough into quarters. Makes it easier to roll.

4. Roll quickly – the more you play with it the hard the dough will become.

5. The dough is very elastic, it shrinks back quickly.

6. Quark be found in special grocer or organic food store. If you can’t find quark use cottage cheese. The amount of quark to potatoes is 1:3.

7. Over season or else it will taste very bland.

8. Be prepared to clean up!

Dough

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour

½ tsp salt

2 egg yolks

2 tsp vegetable oil

½ - ¾ cup of warm water

Method

1. Combine flour and salt. In a large bowl or kitchen bench. Make a well in the centre for the wet ingredients.

2. Place egg yolks and oil in the centre. Using one hand start mixing the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.

3. With the other hand, slowly pour the water in the dough until combined.

4. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic (don’t over knead).

Filling

Ingredients

6 large potatoes

1 white onion, grated or chopped very finely to almost mince like

Quark

Plenty of salt and pepper to season

Method

1. *Do this the night before* Boil the potatoes with the skin on until cooked. Remove skin, mash and store in the fridge.

2. Gently caramelise the onions. Add to the potatoes.

3. Mix with Quark and heavily season.

To assemble

1. Roll dough out until it is 1-2mm thick.

2. Using a large round cutter, cut into circles.

3. Place 1 tsp of filling in the center of the dough.

4. Fold the dough in half. Seal the filling by pressing the edges together and pushing any air bubbles out.

5. Crimp the edges with your thumb or you can use a fork to press down on the edge.

6. Set a side until ready to cook.

To cook

1. Boil a large pot of water and drop the pierogi in making sure not to overcrowd.

2. They are ready when they rise to the surface.

You can eat them like that or...

3. Drain the pierogi on a paper towel. Heat a pan with a little oil and pan fry each side until golden.

NYC the place to be!

Well not so much in terms of food.....but still good for shopping!

Food in general is fairly expensive for what you pay for compared to Sydney and don't forget the 20% tip. It is also fairly simple - you get what you read on the menu. For example: Beef burger with cheddar and pickle. Will be exactly that in NY, whereas in Sydney it would contain some salad/tomatoes. Yes, portion size is BIG. Breakfast would last me until mid afternoon, where we then had a late lunch/early dinner.

All in all, the food we had was nice enough. What I loved most is the iced-teas! I mean brewed black tea, served in a glass with ice and slice of lemon. None of this lipton from the bottle stuff. Snapple also found its way into our hearts along with Root Beer. The homemade root beer was particularly delicious when we visited an Amish town (funnily called Intercourse).

I guess because it was summer - our appetite just wasn't there but here are a few high sugar/high fat/high carb highlights.

The Ritz Diner (cnr 1st & 62nd) was just two blocks from the hotel. This was where we started off our day for most of the duration in NYC. Prices were cheap $5 for breakfast and filtered coffee (don't get me started on their coffee). Most days I would have 2 x poached eggs with whole wheat toast. Accompanying this selection was home fries. These lightly grilled (on a flat grill I assume) potatoes with capsicum, onion, paprika and sour cream goodness was the star. Mind you, the eggs were always beautifully cooked. I have since struggled with the idea of making these for breakfast when I got home (carbs vs. low carb, potatoes vs. just eggs and toast, big breakfast vs. a light breakfast). I was later told by my travel companion this was an Eastern European thing (not the eating them for breakfast part) using leftover potatoes. Maybe I'll make them this weekend, maybe I'll make them for dinner..

The 2 slices of toast was accompanied by butter and either Grape Jelly or Strawberry Jam. "Too much sugar" I thought "Ekk" everytime I looked a the Grape Jelly. I now wished I had tried it.

On most days, my companion had scrambled eggs and bacon....

...or fried eggs sunny side up with sausages.

I felt adventurous one morning and decided to try the Griddle Cakes (pancakes) with Syrup and Bacon - when in America I say. The plate arrived with 3 perfectly cooked, large pancakes topped with strips crunchy bacon and a bottle of syrup (no, it wasn't maple). I was surprised how tasty it was. Everything seemed to work together perfectly. The light and fluffy pancakes, the crunchy bacon, the saltiness of the bacon and the sweetness and moisture of the syrup.....

Like a child, I poured the syrup with glee

No matter how delicious it was - only managed to eat half and almost all the bacon.

Face of fulfillment?

Commenting on the coffee just reminded me how horrible the coffee was. Ok, I accept most place have filtered coffee and I expected the coffee flavoured/coloured water that arrived in my mug every morning. That's ok. I'm fine with that. But a cappuccino with half foam, mostly milk and fraction of coffee taste?!?!?! Are you serious?

One morning we ventured out from the safety of our Ritz Diner and found the franchise of Le Pain Quotidien. (Well I obviously don't live in the inner-city and Eastern suburbs because I just looked at the website and they have franchises in Sydney.) I knew we should have stayed away when the word 'franchise' and the phrase 'recommended in the lonely planet guide' came up. For triple the price, I got: 1 soft boiled 'organic' egg, 3 varieties of bread, 1 chocolate croissant and a 'cappuccino'. The food was nice but I can find something similar in Sydney for a fraction of the cost. The let down was the cappuccino or maybe it was more of my expecting of receiving a cappuccino but it was NOT a cappuccino. No wonder they think Starbucks is proper coffee.

The said cappuccino

More to write ... little time to write. Until next episode - peace out!

Cavolo Nero

Ever since I glance upon the Cavolo Nero chapter of Maggie's Harvest by Maggie Beer I wanted to cook something with Cavolo Nero (also known as Italian black cabbage or Tuscan cabbage). Until now, I have never tasted it or even seen it at the local grocer but my stomach told me something good was going to come out of it.

Wondering around a larger grocer last week, I spotted my Cavolo Nero. Quickly, I abandoned the stalk of celery in my hands and with concealed excitement I stuck my hand out to reach for the leafy dark green vegetable.

I am not sure how many uses this vegetable has - I am sure there are many that I don't know of - I was planning to make minestrone anyway and this will be perfect (with a bit of speck and parmigiano reggiano). There is not a strong 'cabbagey' flavour, so if you don't like cabbage you should try this, there is some texture even after cooking the minestrone for 1.5hrs so it made a nice addition to the normal 'cubes of veg' found in the soup.

Minestrone with Cavolo Nero and Speck

I still have half a bunch left over, I think I will try it with some pasta later this week.

Star Spangled Cupcakes

How hard is it to find blue sprinkles?! The answer: very hard.

I wanted to use blue sprinkles on these cupcakes but failed to find any. Actually I couldn't find any blue lollies. I almost gave up after 1.5 days of searching when I spotted some at one of those lolly kiosks in the shopping centre.

Happy be-lated 4^th of July!

Cherry and almond Cake

Ahh...it is mid June already and work ramping up which explains my lack of posts. But that doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. I have been making plenty of yummy comfort food during these colder months, usually on a Sunday where I can slow cook and eat the leftovers on Mon & Tue.

What have I been making I hear you ask? One week it was vegetable stew, the next meatballs, then beef bourguignon (yes I had to look up how to spell that!), then osso bucco. I think last week was the only weekend when I didn't make comfort food. Which reminds me I have ox tail lurking in the freezer (I intended to cook it last week but didn't manage to).

God bless my cast iron dish! I didn't take any photos because I was always too hungry and if I lingered about the food will get cold. Plus I don't have a fancy SLR so the shots will most likely turn up a blur.

I did end up baking cake one weekend and yes I did take a photo.

Cherry and almond Cake

Ingredients
100g butter
½ cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g almond meal
½ packet of frozen cherries
¼ cup milk

Method
1. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time until combined.
2. Into this mixture sift the flour, baking powder and almond meal. Add cherries and milk, and mix.
3. Bake in a 160c oven for approx. 45mins or until golden.

Seriously, this cake is easy. Also in true me style, as in 'one that never follows a recipe', I've found a basic almond meal cake recipe and added a few bits and pieces to call it my own.

Homemade Gnocchi

Gnocchi is fairly simple to make. You don't need to follow the exact quantities, do it by eye. You can also boil the potatoes - but because of the higher water contain (less moisture in gnocchi, the better) you might need extra flour.

Ingredients (makes 3 servings)

4 med potatoes

1 cup plain flour (approx.)

pinch of salt

1 egg

Method

1. Roast the potatoes in a moderate oven for approx. 1 1/2 hrs or until cooked. Cool the potatoes to the touch.

2. Peel and place the potatoes into a large bowl and mash.

3. Make a well add a 3 tablespoons of flour, egg and salt. Mix until combined. If it's too wet add more flour and mix until ready.

*The dough is really when it forms a ball and springs back to the touch

4. Refrigerate for 30mins-1hour.

5. On a floured table, divide the dough into quarters. Roll each quarter into a thick log and using a floured knife cut the log into rectangles (doesn't matter how big or small it is). Using a floured fork, press it gently on the gnocchi.

6. To cook. Put a large pot of water to the boil and drop the gnocchi in (not too many at a time). They are ready when they float to the surface.

Peach and Yogurt Cake

Ingredients

150g butter

¾ cup caster sugar

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon rind

3 eggs (room temperature)

1 cup plain flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted

¼ cup natural yogurt

3 peaches (can also use nectarines), sliced

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160c.

2. Cream the butter, sugar and lemon rind until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Add the flour, baking powder and yogurt and beat until just combined.

4. Line a cake tin with baking paper and pour the mixture into the tin. Top with the peach slices and bake for 1 hour or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

Fennel Risotto

This recipe is just like any other risotto recipes. You finely slice the fennel then sauté in butter on a low heat until transparent, do not let them brown, then set aside. For convenience’s sake I used frozen peas – just run them under some cold water in a colander.

Add a finely diced shallot to the pan with some oil, cook until transparent then add the rice and repeat the stock-stir process. Add the juice of half a lemon or ¼ verjuice. When the rice is almost cooked add the fennel and peas (and season), you should do this at the very last minute as you don’t want to overcook the peas and make the turn grey. Add some grated parmigiano reggiano and serve.

A tip: Must serve with parmigiano reggiano because the tartness of the lemon juice/verjuice and the aniseed flavour of the fennel will seem overpowering. Believe me, it won’t taste good.

Manuka Honey Cookie

Adapted from Donna Hay.

This is such an easy recipe for instant gratification. I like manuka honey for its distinctive

taste but you can use any type of honey. Icing hearts - option. I just used icing sugar mixed with some colouring and piped the hearts onto cooled cookies.

Ingredients

150g butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

/4 cup manuka honey

1 egg

2 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla paste

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 160c.

2. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until combined. Then mix in the honey and vanilla.

3. Mix in plain flour and baking powder.

4. Using your hands roll out a teaspoon full of cookie dough at a time and place it onto grease proof paper on the baking tray.

5. Bake for approx 15-20mins. Or until golden.

Pea Soup with Parmesan Toast

Adapted from the Bathers' Pavilion Cookbook. They've used cream but I went for a lower fat version and used milk. Be careful not to cook the soup for too long or else the peas will turn grey.

Ingredients

Butter

2 eschalots, roughly chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 large potato, peeled and diced

1 bag of vegetable stock

500g frozen peas, defrosted

1/2 cup milk

Method
1. In a large pot, on low heat, cook the eschalots and garlic with a little butter until transparent.

2. Add the stock and potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are soft. Remove from heat and process in a food processer. Cool the liquid.

3. Add peas and process until smooth. To heat the soup, return the soup to the pot and heat on low. As soon as it boils, add the milk and turn the stove off. Season with salt and pepper.

For Parmesan Toast

Pre-heat the grill. Shave some slices of Parmigiano Reggiano over buttered bread and toast until golden and cheese has melt.

Corn Fritters with Tomato Salsa

To make this light and fluffy I whisked the egg whites until stiff and folded it into the mixture. I did this by hand (c'mon it was only two egg whites) till I got all vein-ey and my arm nearly fell off. I would recommend using fresh corn off the cob but a large corn of corn will suffice. Remember to keep the cob and use it for stock or something else later, you don't want to waste it.

Ingredients
2 large ears of corn or 4 small ones

1/2 red onion, finely diced (reserve a tsp for the salsa)

2 eggs, separated

1-2 tbsp plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp paprika

oil for shallow frying

salt and pepper

Method

1. Cut the kernels off the cob. Put into a bowl, add the egg yolks, onion, 1 tbsp flour, baking powder, paprika and season.

2. Whisk egg whites until stiff peak. Gently fold in corn mixture. If the mixture is too runny add second tsp of flour.

3. Heat oil and using a tablespoon, dropped the batter into the oil. Fry until golden and drain on some paper towels.

4. Serve with the tomato salsa.

Tomato Salsa

Cherry tomatoes

1 tsp finely diced red onion

1 tsp olive oil

2 tsp verjuice or white wine vinegar

1. Quarter some cherry tomatoes, put into a bowl and sprinkle with some salt. Refrigerate while you make the corn fritters.

2. When ready to serve, mix in the rest of the ingredients and spoon over fritters.

I added salt to the tomatoes then refrigerated them in order to get the juices out. I wanted to serve the fritters with a bit of a 'sauce'.

Pan fried Kingfish and Israeli Couscous with Celery & Spinach

This is very quick and easy to cook. The total cooking time is approx. 15mins.

Put some plain flour on a plate and season. Put the skin side of the Kingfish (you can use any fish) into the flour until the skin is covered in flour. Pat off any excess flour. Heat oil in a pan, when the oil is very hot carefully put the fish on the pan skin side down (careful as it might spit). Season the other side of the fish and fry until the skin is crispy. Then turn over to fry the other side until cooked, more oil or some butter might be needed. Rest the fish.

Meanwhile make the couscous. For the couscous, you will need: Israeli couscous, 1 clove of garlic - finely chopped, 1/4 of an onion - finely diced, several stalks of celery - finely diced, baby spinach and chicken/fish stock. In a saucepan, add a knob of butter. Once melted, add in garlic and onions. Cook until transparent. Then add celery and cook for 3mins. Add the couscous and season, stir to distribute all the ingredients. Add in chicken stock until it has covered the couscous. Cook until tender - approx. 10mins. When cooked, stir in spinach and season again if necessary.

Chocolate & Cranberry Cake

Ingredients
100g Butter
100g Dark Cooking Chocolate
3 Eggs, light beaten
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Self-raising Flour
1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 cup Almond Meal
3/4 cup Caster Sugar
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180c or 160c fan. Line and grease a cake tin.

2. Melt butter and chocolate in a small saucepan on low. Stir until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.

3. Mix the eggs and sour cream until combined. Then pour into the butter and chocolate mixture. Mix well.

4. Put flour, cocoa, baking powder, almond meal, sugar and cranberries into a large mixing bowl. Mix until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Pour in chocolate mixture and mix until combined.

5. Bake for approx. 30-45mins.