Posted on

Eat the Web, January 14, 2014 – Grain-Free Crackers, Kale and Sausage Soup, Delta Tamales and More

bobs-red-mill-product-bounty

An amazing selection of Bob’s Red Mill products at a local market.

I made this classic Moosewood dish, African Pineapple Peanut Stew this weekend and it was fantastic.

You can this class—either just audit or take it for a certificate—called Food For Thought. It offers “a scientific framework for understanding food and its impact on health and society from past to present.”

Braised Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Olives from Tasting Table sure sounds really good right now.

Before I read this Southern Foodways Alliance article, I had never heard of Delta tamales. Now  I want to eat a whole plate of them! Two major differences—these are made with cornmeal and are simmered, as opposed to being made with masa and cooked by steaming.

The big local kefuffle over new Mayor De Blasio eating NYC pizza with a knife and fork.

These grain-free crackers from Zen Belly sound really good. I might use cumin seeds in them, too.

Glad to see an injera recipe made with 100% teff from Yum Universe! Looks easy to make, and would go good with Nom Nom Paleo’s recipe for Doro Wat.

These vintage food-oriented posters are a lot of fun.

Food52’s version of an M. Wells’s brussels sprouts salad also looks pretty good.

This Kale and Sausage Soup from Holistic Squid looks like a terrific winter meal.

Food Republic’s Onion Tart is the kind of recipe that encourages me to buy the good puff pastry at Whole Foods. Or learn to make it myself.

My recent meal at Mu Ramen, which was a delight.

I love this Chowhound thread on hole in the wall places in NYC. Not surprising, a lot of them are in Queens (and are awesome).

Posted on

Delicious Food at Mu Ramen

chandelier-tin-roof-mu-ramen-lic-queens

The other day I decided it was time to check out Mu Ramen, a pop-up ramen spot in Long Island City, Queens, so I met a friend there Wednesday night. By day the space is Bricktown Bagels, and at night on Tuesdays through Saturdays it transforms into an intimate ramen joint. They serve a couple kinds of ramen, a couple kinds of buns, a few appetizers. The menu is simple and the food is amazing.

dining-room-mu-ramen-lic-queens

The folks behind this venture, Joshua Smookler and Heidy He, started things up a couple of months ago. Joshua Smookler, who has worked at places such as Per Se and Nobu, starts working on the food each evening around 5 p.m., and they start taking reservations after 6 p.m. There are only 14 seats available, and they fill up pretty fast; we hear the busy time is between 7 and 9 p.m each night. I was happy to be there at 6:30.

short-rib-buns-mu-ramen-lic-queens

We started with the short rib buns, which were meaty, rich, and delicious. Continue reading “Delicious Food at Mu Ramen”

Posted on

The Joy of Pudding Cake, Meyer Lemon Edition

meyer-lemon-pudding-cake-in-pan

The other day while strolling around Facebook, a post by the Lemon Ladies for a Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake appeared in my Newsfeed. It looked really good, and I had some Meyers in the fridge so I investigated further. To my delight, I had all the ingredients here at home! Score! It was a done deal.

Pudding cakes are like magic to me. How else do you explain how a single batter splits in two, yielding a light as air cake atop a creamy pudding. Well… science. Continue reading “The Joy of Pudding Cake, Meyer Lemon Edition”

Posted on

Eat the Web, January 7, 2014 – Mu Ramen, Red Lentil Dal, Socca, and More

fantastic-roast-chicken

I roasted this monster of a chicken this past weekend and it turned out amazing!

Here we are with another installment of Eat the Web! It’s a delicious world out there, friends.

We Heart LIC and Heart of Queens showed us what you can expect at Mu Ramen, a pop-up ramen shop in LIC. I plan to check it out soon.

My friend Tamara shows us how to make a bangin’ kale salad, which I want to eat right now.

Viennese restaurant Steirereck im Stadtpark has put together this list of “condiments” (ingredients). I am particularly enamored with the citrus fruits.

Food52 introduced me to this delicious sounding red lentil dal.

David Lebovitz has a terrific recipe for Galette des Rois, perfect for Epiphany (yesterday) but looks good enough to enjoy all year.

One of my goals this year is to learn about traditional foods of Arkansas, and I’ll start with this article.

101 Cookbooks created a recipe for silver dollar socca, which sound amazing. I’m fond of the additions of buttermilk and mustard seeds.

Gorgeous chopstick redesigns featured on Fast Co Design.

The Latin Kitchen shares six slow cooker recipes, all with latin flavors. Sounds like a perfect combination!

I’ve heard good things about Georgian restaurant Marani, which also happens to be glatt kosher, located in Rego Park, Queens. They boast a “farm to table” approach, which intrigues me. I’ll be trying it this year.

Posted on

Hoppin’ John and Happy New Year

hoppin-john

Happy New Year! It’s 2014, a new year, and a new start… actually I made some changes before the first day of 2014, but January 1 still feels like a new start anyway. For the first time in years, I stayed up ’til midnight and saw the Times Square ball drop (on TV), and I’m glad for that. The next morning I took a walk to the park and made sprouted spelt pancakes for breakfast, along with coffee and mimosas. Watched the Rose Parade. And later that day I made Hoppin’ John.

Hoppin’ John is known as a traditional Southern New Year’s dish, supposedly one that brings good luck for the year, especially if you eat it with greens (green = the color of money). I’ve read that it has origins with Southern slaves, and—new to me—that it has even deeper origins with the Jewish community, 2,500 years ago. It was first written down in The Carolina Housewife, a cookbook from 1847.  Continue reading “Hoppin’ John and Happy New Year”

Posted on

13 in 2013 – Good Eats in Queens (and Brooklyn)

This year I ate at a lot of restaurants, but didn’t write about them here—sometimes I didn’t blog about them at all. I’ve been meaning to do a roundup of some of these places and the dishes that thrilled me the most this year, so I figure an end-of-year summary seems appropriate. So, here are thirteen of the tastiest things I ate in 2013.

Achat at Savory Cafe

achat-savory-cafe-astoria-queens

This past Fall the first restaurant serving Malaysian food opened in Astoria, Savory Café. They also serve American food, but for me their Malaysian dishes really stand out. In particular, I loved this achat—crunchy pickled vegetables like cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers, marinated in a vinegary homemade dressing that was nice and tangy, with a little bit of heat and sweetness. It’s quite a large portion, served in a bowl, and topped with toasted crushed powdery peanuts and lightly toasted sesame seeds. I loved how refreshing this was and found that it was a great way to start the meal. 47-12 30th Avenue, Astoria  Continue reading “13 in 2013 – Good Eats in Queens (and Brooklyn)”

Posted on

Tourtières at M. Wells in Long Island City in Time for the Holidays

A Tourtiere, which is a meat pie traditionally made in Quebec

Photo credit: Jesse Winter

I got an email newsletter today from M. Wells, the source of all French Canadian food goodness in Queens, updating subscribers on what’s going on with their restaurants—M. Wells Steakhouse (open!) and M. Wells Dinette (new menu!). They also mentioned they are offering tourtières:

The 10-inch pies are filled with an array of birds, brisket, pork, potatoes, spices and draft beer. Each comes with a jar of cranberry ketchup and serves 4 to 6 people.

I have to admit, it sounds delicious. I wanted to learn a little bit more about the tourtière. Turns out it’s a traditional French-Canadian meat pie served during a réveillon, which is a big, long meal traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The fillings vary in different parts of Québec (it’s also eaten in New England here in the US), with coastal areas using fish and inland areas using pork, beef, and wild game (sounds like the ones from M. Wells are more like the inland pies). The name of the dish is based on the vessel this pie was originally cooked in, the tourtière.

Well, I am sorely tempted to order one of these tourtières. They are $45 a pop, and can be ordered by phone (718-786-9060) up until noon Saturday, December 20th (I think they mean the 21st). Pickup is at M. Wells Dinette on Sunday and Monday. It comes frozen (directions come with how to heat it up), which adds a level of convenience. I’ll report back if I buy and eat one.