October 2009
11 posts
4 tags
Every night is frite night at European Republic
Are french fries my favorite food? Perhaps. Are friteries my favorite specialty food shop? Yes. My heart jumps when I see a sign for one. I will make special trips for them. So I was very, very excited when I heard European Republic was opening in Old City.
Paper cones of twice-fried belgian-style fries…. need I say more? Well then, how about this — they’re open late! ...
4 tags
Burgertime at Union Trust
What a difference 22 cents makes! When I had the $6.95 burger special at Butcher and Singer, they were practically beating people away from the door. Union Trust’s $7.17 lunch special has a tasty, tasty burger, plus two other options for your non-red-meat-loving friends, and there were plenty of seats available today when Niki and I walked in.
To me, this was a better burger than...
2 tags
Steak, the photo recipe
Looking for a fast, simple dinner to get your week started? Steak is shockingly easy to get right, and you already have everything you need (except the steak) in your cabinets right now.
Preheat your oven to 500. Put your all-metal (including the handle) pan on the floor of the oven. When the oven has finished pre-heating, take the pan out, and put a thin layer of kosher salt on the bottom...
2 tags
Tackling Tacconelli's
There are some Philadelphia traditions that, after not taking part in for many years, start to seem like you will never experience. (Jenn, for instance, has never seen the Mummers Parade live.) For me, that was Tacconelli’s Pizza.
(pizza and pitchers of soda, aka everything you need for pizza happiness)
For the uninitiated, Tacconelli’s is a Port Richmond pizzeria that frequently...
2 tags
Greensgrow CSA Week 23
Brussels Sprouts - Lancaster County, PA
Collard Greens - Flaim Farms, Vineland, NJ
Bosc Pears - Three Springs Fruit Farm, Aspers, PA
Spaghetti Squash - Lancaster County, PA
Red Onions - Porter Farms, Tuscarora Organics Co-op, PA
Sweet Potatoes - White Swan Acres, Lancaster, PA
Raw Colby cheese - Swiss Villa Dairy, Lykens, PA
Gotta have my eggs!
Smoked Turkey Breast - Koch’s...
2 tags
Savory butternut squash soup
Butternut squash is one of my all-time favorite soups, and I take it very seriously. (I have a long-time grudge against Sabrina’s for serving me a truly repellent butternut squash soup once.) It can’t be too sweet, and it can’t be too thin.
Also, it should have bacon bits. And those bacon bits should come from (just one!) slice of Whole Foods butcher counter bacon. ...
2 tags
Stocking up: mozzarella
I love cheese in all its forms. I definitely consider a cheese board and baguette to be a valid dinner. But, I acknowledge that a hunk of brie is maybe not the most flexible cheese for a beginner cook.
Enter mozzarella.
Mozzarella balls, the kind they sell in water, are a beginning cook’s best friend. They will last a week or two in your fridge, with no significant decline in flavor. ...
2 tags
Greensgrow CSA Week 21
Apple Cider - Three Springs Farm, Lancaster County, PA
Zucchini - Lancaster County, PA
Carrots - Flaim Farms, Vineland, NJ
Onions - Lancaster County, PA
Butternut Squash - Lancaster County, PA
Greensgrow Bucks - Greensgrow Farms, Philadelphia, PA
Cream Cheese - Hillacres Pride, Peach Bottom, PA
Dairy Option - 1/2 Gallon Hormone-free Milk, for real this time (I accidentally got...
2 tags
The Next Iron Bartender: Village Whiskey
I’ve seen reports of 2 hour waits to eat at Village Whiskey, so let me just put this out there. Village Whiskey is a bar, and a somewhat small one at that. It’s a bar with a very good bar menu, but it is a bar menu, with bar snacks and sandwiches (including the oft-mentioned foie gras-topped Whiskey King), not meals.
There are indoor tables for about 12 (bar height, of course.) And...
2 tags
Aw, shucks - CSA oysters are back!
When I was debating rejoining the Greensgrow CSA this year, last year’s oyster share definitely figured into my decision-making process. That being said, as much as I enjoyed those oysters, there is a serious downside. You had to pop them open yourself. Shucking is a bear. I think I may have actually only eaten 10 of my 12, because I mangled the shells of the other two so badly that I...
3 tags
Roast your own peppers
All summer, I’ve been struggling with what to do with my CSA peppers. This week, I was merrily prepping roasted turnips, onions, garlic and potatoes to go with the poussin (which looked eerily like a headless lady) when I nearly kicked myself. Of course. I will roast them.
Like all my favorite recipes, roasting peppers turned out to be dead easy. You throw them in the oven at 500, and...