I always pass by these exotic-looking beans at Agata and Valentina, a fine Italian foods store. But I rarely think twice about them, generally just remarking on their beautiful color. However, I decided to purchase them the other day even though I had no idea what they tasted like or how to prepare them. (And I’ve never actually cooked raw beans).
I found a really delicious recipe to braise these little devils (get it, because they are red!) The cranberry beans tasted very similar to white beans, so I enjoyed the cranberry beans very much. I might even serve them for Thanksgiving.
I know I already blogged about the pasta from Eataly, but seriously, I couldn’t resist writing another short blog post. I purchased some pea ravioli on Sunday (during my mega-long walk). I made a garlic olive oil sage sauce (super easy – I just heated a few tablespoons of olive oil with two garlic cloves which I halved and took out after 5 minutes or so as well, as 3 fresh sage leaves). I also sautéed eggplant, mushrooms, and leeks in a pan with a little olive oil.
I think the ravioli would taste delicious with some braised short rib, or another form of meat sauce. Maybe next time?
Today, I decided to fly solo and explore downtown. My means of transportation – my legs. I ended up walking over 10 miles today. I’m glad I didn’t check the weather forecast because if I saw it would be a high of 97, I definitely would have thought twice about being outdoors for so long.
I had a very eventful day. I passed by two parades, countless street fairs, and almost got run over by a bicycle on the sidewalk. If you were any bit curious, I am the girl who j-walks, sprints across the street when the light is changing against me, but I promise you the bike incident was not my fault.
On a happier note, I came across Dominique Ansel Bakery about halfway through my journey. Dominique Ansel was the executive pastry chef at Daniel, a three-star Michelin restaurant owned by Daniel Boulud. If you are ever downtown, you really should check out this bakery. All of the pastries looked beautiful.
I ordered the little egg sandwich which came on a brioche roll and a little melted cheese. For dessert, I wanted to break out of my chocolate shell, so I tried the honey grapefruit tart with lavender. The juicy grapefruit tasted so good on this hot day, and the honey custard was smooth and slightly sweet. I usually don’t like custard, but this one won me over. Well done, Dominique! I also really liked the mellow note of lavender. It was not overpowering, and it merely enhanced the grapefruit flavor.
I ate outside in their little garden around 11:30AM, so I guess this was brunch, right?
I dined at Bocca for the first time this evening, and it was definitely a pleasant surprise. Though a little pricey for Italian food (and the portions aren’t large), the food was very good. To start with, I split a mushroom and feta crostini which was superb. The crostini was small pieces of toasted bread with sauteed mushrooms, rosemary, and melted feta cheese. I am definitely going to try making this at home. For my main course, I ordered a very tasty lasagna primavera. I literally wanted to explode after finishing it. After all, it was very rich. I also ate the entire lasagna in 5 minutes, no joke! And no, I am not bragging about my very fast pace. But back to my point – if you are looking for a moderately upscale Italian restaurant in NYC, Bocca is a great option.
I also had a bite of the pappardelle al ragu. It’s not hard to satisfy me with pappardelle and meat.
Sesame ginger pork with spicy salmon roll and soba (from Sharaku)
Egg white omelette with baby arugula, tomatoes, scallions and dill (chez moi)
Turkey and avocado tartine (from Le Pain Quotidien)
Belgian brownie (from Le Pain Quotidien)
Pain aux raisins (from Le Pain Quotidien)
Pumpkin Korean pastry (from Tous les Jours)
Today, I was in the mood for focaccia. I usually buy focaccia at one of the speciality food stores near my apartment, but today, I wanted to attempt to make this Italian delight at home with my cousin. I was surprised how easy the dough was to make! (Click here for the recipe I followed, minus the olives).
My cousin and I added caramelized onions, tomatoes, basil, and garlic on top of the rolled out focaccia dough and baked it in my oven for 25 minutes under 350 degrees. (Warning: for some reason, my oven bakes things really fast. I did a little research and focaccia should bake in an oven under roughly 425 degrees fahrenheit).
My brother has been telling me for months how awesome Je & Jo is. Je & Jo is an ice cream store. But not just any ice cream store. All of their flavors have different types of cookie dough ranging from regular chocolate chip cookie dough to shortbread cookie dough.
I finally went to Je & Jo this evening, and it held up to all the hype. I ordered coffee ice cream with spicy chocolate chip cookie dough. The ice cream was more frozen than what I’m used to, but that wasn’t a bad thing. The texture was smooth and creamy, and the cookie dough was really good. I love cookie dough and I love ice cream, so of course I was hooked.
My grandma is in town for a week, and she came over to my apartment for dinner yesterday. This was the perfect excuse for me to bake. She loves strawberries, as do I, so I decided to make a strawberry buttermilk cake. I combined two recipes from smitten kitchen – the strawberry summer cake and the raspberry buttermilk cake (which I made before).
I followed the strawberry summer cake recipe but substituted buttermilk for milk and strawberries for raspberries. I also added a teaspoon of lemon zest to give the cake a little zing. The cake was light, fluffy, and yummy. Happy eating everyone!
I’ve noticed that I really like when a dish has both savory and sweet components. I think that these two different components add balance and complexity to a dish. For lunch today, I prepared an arugula salad with watermelon, red grapes, walnuts, chopped fennel, a splash of lemon juice, a tablespoon of pomegranate vinegar (cider vinegar would be great here too), and a tablespoon of olive oil. To go with my salad (I rarely eat only salad for a meal), I made a chicken sandwich with honey mustard, sliced tomato, and mashed avocado.
Within 5 minutes of arriving home, my mom told me we would have salmon for dinner. This is a recurring theme for the past 3 years – I eat very little fish at school, so when I go back home, I eat so much fish. (I need my omega-3s!)
I was also very excited to get back in the kitchen. Tonight, I made endive salad with diced tomatoes, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I grilled the salmon and served it with a pea “pesto,” inspired by an article I read in Bon Appetit. To make the pesto, I put some cooked peas in a blender with olive oil, a handful of walnuts, and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Some cooked veggies rounded out my meal.
It’s great to be back in the big apple.
Food Follower 