Combining Colors

 

I love my turkey feathers. 

I've never understood the rule against wearing black and brown together. The two colors occur together naturally and beautifully all throughout the wild, so why deny ourselves the privilege of combining them--why limit our wardrobes? 

Really, one can wear any combination of colors (within reason), the key is wearing accessories that tie everything together. When I wear black and brown together (as I often do--I do what I want!), I wear my buffalo bone necklace from India whose colors fade from black to brown to white and my bracelets from India and Tibet that match it (all pictured above, though you can't really see the necklace). I'll usually throw in some feathers as an accent piece too, but that's just my thing.

So don't limit yourself, just be creative. Clothing is the most immediate form of expression, use it to make a statement.

Super Quick and Tastey

I got the idea for this meal from A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain while he was in San Sebastian, Spain.

"A few moments later, I had a pungent mound of searingly hot sauteed wild mushrooms in front of me, crispy, golden brown, black and yellow, with a single raw egg yolk slowly losing its shape in the center."
--Anthony Bourdain, A Cook's Tour.

I used portobello, shitake and white mushrooms, but you can use any kind you prefer.

Chop up the mushrooms, however thin or thick you prefer.

I usually prefer mine thickly cut, that means more flavor and I'm a big fan of flavor.

Saute the mushrooms in olive oil (or butter, whatever you prefer) until golden. I went simple with the spices; salt, pepper, and "Grill Mate's" Montreal Chicken Seasoning.

 

A little bit of kale never hurts.

For a small side, I baked some tiny brussel sprouts with Cajun and Creole seasoning at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

I also made some acini de pepe in chicken stock. You can use couscous if you'd like, I just didn't have any on hand.

Finally, the moment the mushrooms hit the plate, add the egg yoke.

My mushrooms were not searingly hot as Anthony Bourdain's were, but honestly, it made no difference. The combination of flavours was perfect. 

 This is also a super easy meal to make and takes less than thirty minutes to make. 

Enjoy!

Why I love my neighborhood #1

#1 in a series.

I've said it before and I'll probably say it a million times more. I love Astoria. We have (in my opinion) some of the best food in New York and it's everywhere. I walk a block or two in any direction and bam! A foodie's wet dream (I know. I'm lame).

And, of course, the fact that there are multiple authentic (or almost authentic) Mexican places certainly doesn't hurt.

These guys are beef and spicy pork tacos from our taco truck on 36th Street. They use mainly cilantro and onions (which I pick out. Yes, I don't like onions. Please don't kill me). We've gone often enough that they know us and wave as we walk past.

Recipe for Paprika Chicken in Portobello Mushroom Sauce

This is another of my favorite recipes. It's particularly hardy dish, so I save it for days during which I've eaten small meals. I usually serve the chicken over garlic potatoes or rice, since they go best with the portobello gravy. But if you prefer something a little more healthy, the chicken and sauce are lovely on their own. Be creative with the ingredients, if you feel you need more or less of something, go with your gut! After all, that's what food is all about. Have fun! Don't take it too seriously. 

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Approximate Ingredients

3-5 Large red potatoes

3 tbs garlic powder (you can use 1/3 clove of garlic if you'd like, I tend to find it somewhat over powering--especially since the chicken is already a very tasty dish)

3 tbs sour cream

1/2 cup milk

6 cups water

salt, pepper and butter to taste

1) Start the Potatoes first, since they can take much longer than the chicken. Bring 6 cups water to boil.
2) Slice potatoes into eighths and boil for 45 minutes or until soft.
3) In a large bowl, mash the potatoes with all the remaining ingredients until creamy and delicious.

Paprika Chicken in Portobello Mushroom Sauce

Approximate Ingredients

4 Large chicken breasts

1.5 cups portobello mushrooms, sliced

5 tbs paprika

1.5 cubes chicken bouillon

2 tbs black pepper

2 tbs basil

4 cups water

1 cup milk

1/3 cup flour

1) Start with the Chicken Stock. Boil the bouillon in the four cups of water in a shallow pan, mix well and bring down to simmer.

2) Slice mushrooms. Cut Chicken breasts in half to allow for more flavourful end product. Of course, if you prefer them thickly cut, leave them that way!

3) Coat the breasts in the paprika, basil and pepper. Pat or massage the chicken to make sure the spices stick. No naked spots! Keep those babies covered.

4) Place chicken in chicken stock. As I turn the chicken, I tend to add little pinches of the paprika, basil and black pepper, since the spices tend to fall off while boiling.

5) After about 20 minutes, add the mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes more--or until the chicken is cooked through.

6) Once the chicken is cooked, remove. In the remaining stock, add milk and flour. Stir until slightly thickened. The basil and paprika that inevitably come from the chicken are what really make the sauce. Otherwise, it would not be nearly as good.

7) Serve chicken over potatoes and enjoy!

This recipe is about four servings. It's not a quick meal, but the end result is well worth the effort.

It's is not as veggie friendly as the others, one must be very creative. Theoretically, you could use tofu instead of chicken and veggie stock instead of chicken and it should still be just as tastey since the spices are what really make this meal.

If anyone has suggestions on how to make this more veggie friendly, do let me know :O)

I wish I Could Travel the World and Eat...

Anthony Bourdain is the only celebrity from whom I'd ever ask an autograph--I think I've watched each episode of No Reservations several times. For some reason, though I'm a huge bibliophile (I try to read a novel every one to two weeks), I've never bought any of his books.

Now I own two!
I'm so excited to read these!

Loved too Much

Mexican food is, of course, my all time favorite, so you can guess how excited I was to find tamales at Whole Foods. I was even more excited, yesterday, when I decided to have them for lunch. Even now, despite how I would spend that night, my mouth waters looking at them. Delicately, I removed and threw away the corn husk and immediately began eating. The tamales were a little hard from spending the night in the fridge, but the hot sauce and beans were still delicious. I devoured them.

My euphoria, however, was very short lived. Sitting, watching TV in our room, I began to feel queezy. I assumed my vitamins were disagreeing with me and decided to lie down. But the upset in my stomach became unruly and realized I was going to throw up. In moments I was violently ill.

I've only ever had food poisoning once before (also, coincidentally from Mexican food) and could not believe how quickly and forcefully my body rejected the meal. Suuuch a bummer.

Nancy's Pig Heaven

Beautiful cuts of perfectly cooked meat hanging in the kitchen window.

I just wanted to eat it all.

How I felt looking at the beautiful duck. Yum.

I wish we could afford the duck.

The tiny kitchen with a huge cutting board, marinated in juices from countless pieces of meat.

Cumumber and bok choy seasoned like kimchi.

Spicy Pork.

Lo mein with bean curd.

Nick, our dear friend Tessa and I went to a place called Nancy's Pig Heaven on the Upper East Side last night. The entrance to the restaurant had a quaint little country deck and, as we walked in, a very sweet, older Asian woman (who we later found out was Nancy, herself) greeted us. The restaurant was decorated in a funny mix of modern minimalism and old time country.

On the way to our seats, we passed a table filled with pig figurines and statues that reminded me of my Grandmother's house. I wish I had thought to get a picture. Past the pig table was a room decorated with large, modern, turquoise coloured lamps and past that was our seat in a paneled room painted pink with pigs all along the walls. I felt like I was back in Southern California.

Across form us was the kitchen where beautiful pieces of meat hung, waiting to be consumed.

We were not particularly adventurous on this trip. We ordered spicy pork and lo mein with bean curd. My favorite part was the appetizer which was cucumber seasoned (possibly fermented) with spices similar to those used on kimchi.

Here's their website.

Tea in the Park

This is probably what I would consider a perfect afternoon; a glass of tea and food outside. There isn't much that makes me as happy as being outdoors with my loved ones enjoying food together.

That little piece of deliciousness is a tiny turkey and pepperjack sammich from Whole Foods.

Lunch 05/12/2012

Yesterday, I had lunch at Tuck Shop in Chelsea Market. It's an Australian meat pie kiosk that one might not even notice. I had the pulled pork pie with their brussel sprouts and, of course, my (unsweetened, no water) black iced tea from Starbucks.

If you are hungry and happen to be in the neighborhood, try it out. It's delicious.

"Tiny Fish"

Flushing is one of my favorite parts of New York. It's a vast amalgamation of just about every Asian culture you can think of. Last year we went on a Flushing adventure (as we do from time to time and might do again on Monday) for my friend Jihae's birthday. She took us to an authentic Korean restaurant deep in one of the residential neighborhoods. The name, printed in small, red, Korean letters above the door, escapes me.

Jihae did the ordering since the servers spoke little, to no English. Because part of Korean cuisine is something called "on the house," the meal took up the entire table and was constantly being changed and added to. I'll post more pictures of the actual feast another time (Probably tomorrow).

What sticks out most in my mind was a small dish of what I thought was a fried mix of spices and nuts. Not until towards the end of the meal did I notice that they were fish. I'm not sure what species they were, when I asked Jihae their name she said "tiny fish." I'm thinking they may be a kind of sardine or anchovy (A reference to yesterday's post? Why yes! It is!).

They were delicious little salty fish with hints of rosemary, peanuts and Korean bbq sauce. Probably one of my favorite parts of the meal.

Apothicary Bottles

I remember the first time I tried Anchovies. My dad and brothers ordered a pizza with the little fellas as a topping (or perhaps they had the anchovies in the pantry?) and I did not want them anywhere near my mouth. I was less adventurous back then. I did try them, though. I expected them to be slimy and ultra fishy/gamey, but I was surprised by their saltiness, they did have a sea-like flavour, but it was more grainy than fishy. And I discovered I liked them. I discovered I liked a lot of things after that year.

I found these beautiful jars in our local Organic Market (which is surprisingly a lot cheaper than our normal grocery store). I did not buy them, but I assume these particular fellas are, in fact, slimy. I just thought they were so lovely and I love that the fillets look kinda like eyeballs.