Philly Foodie

Spring/Summer Wrap-up, Part 2

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:21:00 -0400

Check out the Spring/Summer Restaurant Wrap-up, part 1 for my 10 second reviews on Adsum, Koo Zee Doo, Paesano’s, and more!

Hardena: You really can’t beat a place that serves up a mountain of food for $6. They also had a fish curry that I absolutely gobbled up, and I am not typically a fish fan. Follow your instincts on what looks good, or let the guy guide you. Or bring a friend, and try 6 dishes for $12. Thanks, Mark, for the rec.

M Restaurant: It’s an incredibly cute space — a quiet courtyard, set off from the street, with a little garden. Now that it’s cool enough to consider sitting outside without getting heatstroke, it would be a great place for drinks and snacks. None of the food was memorable in any way when we were there, so I’m happy to hear they’ve changed chefs and menus. Let me know what you think if you go by!

Amis: I seriously never recommend Italian places. So, take this with all due seriousness. I have recommended it to people, and I would go back. This probably translates, if you normally dig Italian, to: you will find this restaurant mind-blowingly delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed everything we ordered (the rice balls were my particular favorite.) Also, the people-watching was great. I was very amused by the guy sitting next to us bragging to his date about how he was a regular, and knew all the best dishes, and she should just let him order for her. Then he ordered exactly what we had gotten.

El Rey: It’s fun. It’s kitschy. The chilaquiles were good. The enchiladas were delicious. It was cheaper than El Vez, but even louder. How loud? My waitress repeated my order back to me, and it was loud enough that I couldn’t hear her confirm that she had heard me wrong. Oh well. The carnitas tacos I ended up with were tasty enough; if you actually had the gorditas, tell me if I missed out. I’d probably go back if I were nearby, but wouldn’t make a special trip for it.

Maru Global: Oh, Maru Global, I wanted to like you so much. I love takoyaki! I want so badly for there to be non-sushi Japanese restaurants in Philly! But after you made me and my co-workers wait FORTY minutes from ordering to food on the table, at lunch no less, and offered up not so much as an apology, I will not be back.

Greensgrow Week 13

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 22:29:03 -0400

This week’s share contained:

Niagara White Grapes - Linvilla Orchards, Media, PA
Watermelon - Lancaster County, PA
Heirloom Tomatoes - Reineer Family Farms, Lancaster, PA
Red Bell Peppers - Lancaster County, PA
Collard Greens - Flaim Farms, Vineland, PA
Golden Zucchini - Landisdale Farms, Jonestown, PA
Organic Beets - Lancaster Farm Fresh, Lancaster County, PA
Hot and Sweet Peppers - Lancaster County, PA
Red and Yellow Onions - Lancaster County, PA
Herdsman Cheddar-Style Cheese - Cherry Grove Farms, Lawrenceville, PA
Eggs, eggs, eggs!

First off, nothing like half a BILLION eggs being recalled to make you feel good about your CSA eggs. I will be enjoying my over-easy eggs with extra relish for the next few weeks.

This week also had a couple of major YUM! moments. Bryan’s comment on the grapes: “These grapes are delicious. They don’t even taste like grapes!” The Herdsman cheese called to me as soon as I saw it, and man, sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. Delicious. So buttery and rich.

But the preggie blues are getting to me. I had to divest myself of the collards, beets and zucchini; I just know I’m not going to have the energy to do something with them. Even the peppers are wearing me out. So you know what that means — share some recipe ideas (preferably ones Bryan can make for me!)

Spring/Summer restaurant wrap-up

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 23:58:00 -0400

I cannot tell a lie. Being pregnant has definitely reduced the number of places I write full-on reviews for. But I do leave the house, more often than you might guess from the posts of late. Here are some 10-second reviews of spots I’ve hit this spring and summer.

Adsum: Their foie gras poutine sparked a heated debate over which was the superior over-the-top fry dish, that or Village Whiskey’s short rib fries. (Me: poutine, Bryan: VW.) The fried chicken was tasty, but Rick Nichols had me expecting mind-blowing. The pickled watermelon is the distillation of all things summer, so go grab a drink and snack at one of their outdoor tables!

Sampan: Their pan-asian fusion food was fine. Maria Valetta from Sips, Bites and Sites raved about their ramen, which I am hot to try when it returns to the menu come fall. But none of the dishes created a burning desire for a return trip, and the world’s most overly solicitous waiter made me feel like my dinner for two was fast on its way to a dinner for 3.

Koo Zee Doo: This was the last place Bryan took me for a date before our wedding, which may have burnished its glow, but I thought this place just had such a warm and wonderful vibe. They were doing lively trade with couples, larger groups… I even saw a few kids there. Being portuguese, the menu is fairly fish-centric, but the Bife à Portuguesa (steak, fried eggs, potatoes, yum!) was on at least a third of the tables, so I don’t think I missed the ultimate experience dining with my seafood-hating husband. Seems likely to get a return visit post-pregnancy.

Sketch Burger: Everything was very tasty, but we had a burger, salad, fries, shake and a soda, and spent more than $30. I probably will not be back.

Image of the Arista, courtesy of Robyn Lee

Paesano’s: OMG. Everything you have heard about Paesano’s is true. If you haven’t heard anything, let me spread to you the glorious word. Their sandwiches are amazing, and I can’t believe I waited this long to go there. Warning: No human being could eat a whole one at once. Their magic: We reheated them in the oven for dinner, and they were JUST AS GOOD as hot at the shop. I might almost say better, because amazement is such a delicious side dish.

A couple of weeks later, I heard someone at Reading Terminal complaining about some lackluster sandwich they had just eaten, saying, “And I could have spent that money getting a sandwich at Paesano’s!” I am with you 100 percent, sir. If they got Paesano’s to open a location in Reading Terminal Market, it could truly seize the title of sandwich mecca. Kick that sushi bar out of center court. Reading Terminal, your destiny is waiting!

For more 10 second reviews, check out my Winter Wrap-up (Part 1 and Part 2).

Greensgrow CSA Week 11

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:12:29 -0400

Nectarines - Beechwood Orchards, Biglerville, PA
Cantaloupe - Lancaster County, PA
Zucchini - Lancaster County, PA
Spinach - Graiff Farms, Newfield, PA
Kale - Flaim Farms, Vineland, PA
Heirloom Tomatoes - Rineer Family Farms, Lancaster, PA
Cabbage - Lancaster County, PA
Red, White and Blue Potatoes - Lancaster Farm Fresh, Lancaster, PA
Fresh Basil (and it’s purple!)
Fresh Mozzarella - Mancuso’s Cheese Shop, Philadelphia, PA
Eggs

Last week, we hit the point where every single dish or meal I ate was enhanced by some fresh CSA goodie. Let me particularly rave about the Boltonfeta, which found its way into salads, pastas and my hand. It was excellent! Seek some out if you can; Greensgrow is pretty good about stocking the CSA cheeses in their dairy case for all to buy. Also, I think basil is my favorite CSA herb. Not only is it nice to drop in all kinds of things, it makes a lovely little nosegay on your counter — makes your kitchen smell so summery!

This week, I have reached the zen of CSA. Whatever Bryan suggests sounds good to me. He sees potatoes, he wants a roast chicken. Sure, bring it on! Mozzarella and tomatoes for a pizza? Love it! I guess I’m saying I’m out of creative juices for using my basket. Except, of course, kimchi. I love it, and I have no other real interest in cabbage. If it’s a total bust, I’ve lost nothing except possibly a layer of skin due to chili powder contact. Please offer me your advice or your Korean mothers now. I bet I need it.

The Politics of the Plate

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:47:00 -0400

Like many of you who have an interest in food, I read lots of food blogs. I love seeing different people’s takes on local restaurants, different dishes, things to try. But my favorite food blog nowadays isn’t about the how-tos, it’s about the whys. Barry Estabrook’s Politics of the Plate is, in short, about the ethics of what we eat.

Estabrook was a contributing editor at Gourmet magazine, and has written for all the biggies. He won a James Beard award this year for his article about labor abuses in the Florida tomato industry. From the obvious topics like overfishing and superweeds, to more esoteric choices like natural corks for wine bottles (he’s for them), his twice-weekly posts always make me think about the issues behind the food.

Even if your RSS reader is oversubscribed in the food department, this is is not your typical food blog. I’d definitely recommend checking out The Politics of the Plate, or following Barry Estabrook on Twitter.

Greensgrow CSA Week 9

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:23:45 -0400

When does the summer share hit its stride? When I have a big bowl of stone fruits constantly on my counter!

Shiro Plums - Beechwood Orchards, Biglerville, PA
White Freestone Peaches - Beechwood Orchards, Biglerville, PA
Tomatoes - Linvilla Orchards, Media PA
Cucumbers - Lancaster County
Eggplant - Viereck Farms, Swedesboro, NJ
Basil - Flaim Farms, Vineland, PA
Yellow Onions - Lancaster County
Green Bell Peppers (a substitution for Jalapeños - Lancaster County)
Pasta - Superior Pasta, Philadelphia PA
Boltonfeta Feta Cheese - Hidden Hills Dairy, Everett, PA
Amish-style butter

Bryan and I were at a fab wedding this weekend, so Bryce and Stephanie were kind enough to grab our share. Stephanie offered to swap, and I happily offloaded my eggplant. In return, I got 2 bell peppers, 4 plums, one tomato and two peaches. When Bryan heard, he said, “I thought you like Steph. Why are you taking advantage of her like that?” Though she had a good reason (travel), I did feel like I was making out like a bandit on that swap!

Gloria sent a sack of homegrown jalapeños today, so I didn’t have time to get too sad about this week’s substitution. The bell peppers are headed for roasting, though. Like Marisa, I’ve hit my limit on crunching through raw peppers for this summer. Meanwhile, Bryan’s in CSA hog heaven — dill pickles last share (which inspired me to make my own pickles from the carrots and zucchini), and fresh cucumbers this one! We may never kiss again.

Zavino Pizza and Wine Bar

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

I lived on 13th Street for 5 years, so I feel a warmth in my heart every time another great neighborhood spot opens. I may not live there anymore, but it still feels like my own. Zavino is a far cry from the greasy tables of Mama Angelina’s and the 13th St. Pizza counter of my day.

The menu has 4 sections: veggies, seasonal specials, meats and cheeses, and pizza. It being the height of the season right now, both the veggies and seasonal specials are wonderful. They love to pair a vegetable with a fruit (as do I) and that is perfect at this time of year. Most of the seasonal specials I have ordered involve mozzarella. Last week, this was pillowy slices of burrata, for those days when fresh mozzarella isn’t quite indulgent enough. If you are cheese resistant, the specials usually include at least one pasta dish daily, pizza specials, salads, and other little things they feel like sticking in there. (all veggies $6, specials $6-$15)

(Kennett pizza. I can only apologize for the quality of this photo; the light was fading.)

The pizzas are my preferred crust type — not paper-thin, practically a flatbread; not overly-thick, “did I get a fancy Boboli?” — but a thin crust, with a nice bit of chew on the ends. The oven is hot, hot, hot, as you will discover heading to the bathroom, so there’s a nice blackening bubbling going on with the crust. All 3 pizzas I have tried have been lovely, but I think the Sopressata, with pickled onions, olives and Claudio’s mozzarella, is my favorite. ($9-$14)

On my last visit, I also saw several of their meat/cheese/veggie tasting boards ($18) go by, and was regretful each time that I had not ordered one. But, I’ve found that for two people, a veggie, special, and pie were the perfect amount of food. If you’re feeling ambitious, I did see several pizza fans finish off their own!

They have plenty of wine choices, all available by the glass, and their seasonal cocktails looked tempting. (Root beer float with ROOT and cream soda? Um, yum!) But Zavino, you won my heart with one simple move.

This is one of Zavino’s tasty housemade sodas. It is $5, a perfect size for sharing, and available flavors vary by day. The lemon-lime is wonderfully tart. The strawberry had nice fresh strawberry flavor. None of them are super sweet. Trey Popp informed me (via Restaurant Club) that they even fizz the water in-house. You know what stinks about being pregnant? Ordering iced tea all the time. You know who feels my pain? Zavino. On behalf of the preggie sisterhood, I thank you for your delightful non-alcoholic options.

Zavino
112 South 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107-4532
(215) 732-2400

Zavino is open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week; late-night Friday and Saturday.

Cowboy Cake

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 00:28:00 -0400

After poaching apricots last week, I confess. I was turned around on apricots. Though I’m still not a fan of eating them straight out of hand, they were quite delightfully tart and juicy when cooked. So, when the week 7 basket had more apricots, I was actually pretty excited.

Rewind to last summer. I made peach upside-down cake, then promptly remade it with apples instead. The peach cake was yummy, but in case you didn’t already know this about me, I mostly eat cake for breakfast. (That is: It’s not the only thing I eat for breakfast, but that’s when I’m most likely to eat cake.) The peaches and brown sugar were just too tooth-achingly sweet first thing in the morning.

The tartness of the poached apricots made me think they would be a perfect substitute. And I wanted to look for alternate upside-down cake recipes that didn’t involve beating egg whites separately. Call me a sucker for a gimmick, but when I saw this recipe for an apricot cake in a cast iron skillet, I immediately announced to Bryan, “I’m going to make a cowboy cake!”

It’s really, insanely delicious. The salt in the brown sugar really highlights the caramelly aspects of the topping, and the apricots are exactly what I’m looking for in a sweet-but-not-too-sweet cake. And it’s so cute! (Bryan has declared to me that no cowboy worth his boots would make this cake, and that just because something is cooked in a cast-iron pan does not mean it could be made on an open fire. He is no longer invited to eat my cowboy cake.)

Cowboy Cake (Apricot Upside-Down Cake)

adapted from Gourmet Magazine’s Fresh Apricot Upside-Down Cake

For topping

1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
10 to 15 small fresh apricots, halved lengthwise and pitted
1/2 tsp kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)

Preheat oven to 375. Melt the butter in a 10” cast iron skillet over medium heat on your stovetop. When foam has subsided, mix in the salt. Mine never really dissolved, but stir it up for a while. When you’re satisfied the salt is evenly distributed, lower the heat to low, and sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter, trying to achieve a uniform layer. After 3 minutes undisturbed, arrange the apricots around the pan.
For cake

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup buttermilk

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then beat until mixture is creamy and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes.

Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat until just combined.

Gently spoon batter over apricots and spread gently to make an even layer.

Bake cake in middle of oven until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 45 minutes. (Mine was done really quickly!)

Wearing oven mitts, immediately invert a large plate over skillet and, keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together, invert cake onto plate. Carefully lift skillet off cake and, if necessary, replace any fruit that is stuck to bottom of skillet. Cool to warm or room temperature.

Greensgrow CSA Week 7

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:55:00 -0400

Oh yum! Oh heaven! Look at this beautiful array, with nary a kale leaf or beet in sight!

Apricots - Eden Garden Farm, Lancaster, PA
Peaches - Fifer Orchards, Wyoming, DE
Blueberries - Columbia Farms, Hamilton, NJ
Zucchini - Flaim Farms, Vineland, NJ
Tomatoes (from a selection of 5 choices)
I swapped my golden beets for those lovely looking carrots!
Corn on the Cob - Lancaster County, PA
Green Peppers - Viereck Farms, Woolwich, NJ
Pickles - Greensgrow Farm
Daisy - Calkins Creamery (from a selection of at least 10 cheeses)
Eggs

It was POURING rain and miserable when I went to pick up the CSA, so three cheers for the staffers who were out there manning the stand, keeping the bins full and the tents up.

But woe to the CSA members who showed up without their flood gear. Thankfully, I invested in a pair of wellies a few months ago, so I was cool with the monster puddles in high traffic areas, but that “waterproof” jacket I was wearing? Today reconfirmed my need for a replacement. :)

This week also was a test of the substitution emergency response system (did that ever get used on TV? I hated those tests!) that Erik mentioned when we spoke last week. The weather is playing havoc with crops — we have corn already! So, carrots got subsituted with a selection of carrots, turnips, radishes, eggplants and tomatoes. Talk about a grab bag for everyone. I just got swap box lucky to come home with my two top picks, carrots and tomatoes.

So, now that my heart has been warmed to apricots (at least in their cooked form), who has a recipe to suggest for the 20 or so I brought home this week?

Poached Apricots

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 23:59:13 -0400

One of my favorite things about being a CSA member is the freedom to experiment. When I get something in the basket that is not a particular favorite of mine, I think, “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about how it turns out!” If the dish is delicious, great. If it’s terrible, well, I didn’t like it that much to start with! (See: roasting peppers, watermelon salad and watermelon limeade)

I have strong feelings when it comes to fruit, and clearly ranked preferences. To me, apricots don’t make the cut. They just aren’t juicy. Thus, I was free to cook with abandon! But the lack of love also meant I wasn’t interested in tackling a tart. Enter poaching. It takes 5 minutes. I had the ingredients. (Oh, who am I kidding? This is always my recipe selection process, whether I like the main item or not.)

In the name of science and your taste buds, I made two batches. One used simple syrup. One used fabulous Egyptian honey, courtesy of Cybèle! I was originally inspired by this recipe, which features greek yogurt. Since I love yogurt and honey, I was sure that one would be the tastier. In the end, my personal preference? I’d use the simple syrup. Turns out I like my honey straight.

Poached Apricots

4 or more apricots (just don’t crowd them in the pan)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar or 1/4 cup honey
half a vanilla pod, scraped
4-8 lightly smashed cardamom pods (optional)

In a small saucepan, heat water, sugar/honey, vanilla and cardamom pods on medium-high heat, until all the sweetener is dissolved. Halve the apricots, removing the pits. Reduce the heat to a light simmer, and put the apricots in the pan.

Poach for 2 to 5 minutes, turning once. Don’t overpoach! (The apricots will fall apart if you do.) How do you know how long to poach for? The drier the apricot, the longer you should go, I noticed.

Remove the apricots from the poaching syrup. Raise the heat again, and reduce the syrup until it’s at least twice as thick. Pour some of the thickened syrup on the apricots. (Put the rest in a jar. Use it to make yourself cocktails.)

Eat warm, or stick it in the fridge and eat whenever. Try not to drip syrup all over yourself when you do. And now I’m actually kind of looking forward to the apricots coming in this week’s basket!

Greensgrow CSA Week 5

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:27:00 -0400

Update: Erik from Greensgrow gave me a call, and let me know that they had not “run out” of blueberries — he made an executive decision to substitute the apricots, because they have a much shorter growing season (and said he would email about substitutions in the future.) Also, the spring mix was not the last box, just needed to get restocked from the back. Thanks for the update, Erik!

OK, I’m getting ticked. Greensgrow, do you not know how many people you have in your CSA?

Week one, they were out of eggs. I will accept this, because we got there around 12:30. Still almost 2.5 hours to go in pickup (and the guy at the farm said they had been out since 10:45), but…. Week 3, they were out of sugar snap peas. Week 5, they were out of blueberries! Blueberries that I had specifically not bought at RTM on Friday because I was getting them in my share the following day. And we snagged the last box of spring mix. This is getting there before 11 for both weeks 3 and 5. Who knows what you get if you show up at 2?

This week’s basket actually contained:

Spring Lettuce Mix - Blue Moon Acres, Buckingham, PA
Peaches - Fifer Orchards, Wyoming, DE
Apricots (a replacement for blueberries)
Kale - Greensgrow Farm
Garlic Scapes- Greensgrow Farm
Green Beans- Lancaster County, PA
Beets - Flaim Farms, Vineland, NJ
Cilantro (p.s. Bunched Herbs implies there will be a selection, not just cilantro)
Potatoes- Lancaster County, PA
Cheese -1841, Calkins Creamery, Honesdale, PA
Eggs

I will note they only seem to run out of what I would deem “the good stuff”. There was an endless supply of beets yesterday. Ditto kale. I don’t know if the Thursday folks are helping themselves to the Saturday folks’ share, or you’re just underestimating, but I want my blueberries, and apricots are not really the same.

In less complainy news, I’m going to take a stab at pickling the green beans. Wish me luck!

Salad days

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:42:33 -0400

Every cook has their bête noire - the item, against all logic and rational decisions, you just can’t convince yourself to make. I do the lion’s share of cooking in my house, but when Bryan and I first started dating, I started the campaign to make his official cooking duty “salad dresser”.

He is a voracious salad eater. Me, not so much. His toppings of choice: raw everything — carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes. Mine: Anything that covers up the taste of lettuce, and the more the better — cheese (please!), fruit (dried, fresh or cooked), nuts, roasted veggies, meat, herbs, grains, basically anything you can pick up with a fork other than raw vegetables.

I know I should eat more fresh, raw veggies, so I thought it was a good thing when he started stocking salad greens in my fridge. Imagine my horror when it was revealed that his favorite kind of salad dressing, the only one that he would even consider at the store, was one that turned my stomach. The culprit? Newman’s Own Light Italian.

Sounds innocuous enough, I know, but it is also my parents’ salad dressing of choice, and I associate its taste with one too many greens-only, slightly wilty salads. That was the moment when I started selling the virtues of DIY salad dressing.

“It’s so easy! It only takes a minute!” “You can make it however you want — add anything you like.” “It’s so much cheaper, and fresher tasting, too!” They all sound a little hollow when the speaker has never once been witnessed making her own salad dressing.

The passage of time changes all things, though. Whether it was the wrinkling of my nose every time the Newman’s Own came out, or the effusive praise I heaped on any early attempt at creating a dressing, Bryan has fully embraced his role as salad dresser. In fact, he’s asked me several times when I am going to blog about his salads. So, in celebration of my lovely husband, who exuberantly takes over the odious kitchen tasks of my life, I present his dressing recipe.

Bryan’s Own Salad Dressing

olive oil
one lemon
3/4 tsp mustard powder
salt
pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic or some shallot

Note: This is truly a “to taste” recipe — measures above are approximate, and ratios are based on nothing but how Bryan likes his salad to taste.

The rule of thumb for oil to lemon juice is typically 3 to 1, but in nearly every case, you have lots and lots of olive oil, and a finite amount of lemon juice, so start at 2 to 1, and add oil to taste.

I find it easiest to squeeze the lemon directly into a measuring cup, so you know how much you’re working with. For us, a lemon will dress approximately 8 salads.

Start seasoning! Bryan likes plenty of salt, pepper and mustard, a moderate amount of cumin, and a little chili powder and cayenne pepper to spice it up. Feel free to adjust those measures to your own taste. Go crazy; add a second garlic clove if you love it.

We pour ours in a jam jar, for easy shaking. If you’re making it all in the measuring cup, use a fork to mix it all up, and give it a taste. Adjust as necessary. If you are like Bryan, make it first, before you start prepping your toppings. Then stick it in the fridge, to get the desired salad dressing chill.

The dressing will keep for at least a week, so make more if you want it. Note that all the flavors will get stronger over time.

(My other campaign, still underway, is to make him the bread maker — specifically, the baguette guy. I am keeping my fingers crossed!)

Greensgrow CSA Week 3

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:55:00 -0400

This week’s basket contains:

Strawberries - Lancaster County, PA
Sugar Snap Peas - Lancaster County, PA
Cremini Mushrooms - Bo-Ka Specialties
Green Beans - Lancaster County, PA
Yellow Squash- Viereck Farms, Woolwich, NJ
Choice of Kale or Swiss Chard - Greensgrow Farm
Spring Onions - Lancaster County, PA
Carrots- Flaim Farms, Vineland, NJ
Cheese -A choice from a variety of LaRaysville cheeses, LeRaysville, Pennsylvania
I better get me some eggs this week, or heads may roll.

I snapped some sugar snap peas right out of Jenn’s garden tonight, and it totally whetted my appetite for this week’s CSA basket. Add mushrooms, strawberries, spring onions and carrots, and there are some mighty fine meals heading my way this week.

But, this week also has a choice of kale or swiss chard - ooh, talk about Sophie’s choice! If this keeps up, I may make it far enough down Gloria’s recipe list to get to kale soft serve. In case you also got the Greensgrow newsletter, and were wondering how the kale chips they suggested last week came out:

In the immortal words of Fidel Gastro, why did I eat this? I felt like I was being punished for some past crime by my tongue. They tasted exactly as good as they look.

But seriously, folks. Can any of you recommend a place that makes really good kale or swiss chard? Like, good enough that a lifelong greens hater might be turned around? This is basically the method I have used to change my opinion on nearly all vegetables, so I’m all ears. Tell me where to go and what to order — maybe kale and I just need the right matchmaker!

Frög Burger at the Franklin Institute

Mon, 31 May 2010 22:45:00 -0400

I am not a sucker for the over-the-top burger, generally. But it’s like the folks at Frög Burger peeked into my secret heart of hearts, and devised the over-the-top burger guaranteed to melt me into a puddle of joy.

The LOVE Burger is a burger with grilled cheeses for a bun. A patty in TWO grilled cheeses! How has this not already swept the country? How has an abomination like the Double Down preceded the grilled cheese bun burger to the national stage? It matters not. Now you have access to a grilled cheese bun burger, and, well, the rest of the country can just fend for itself. In the dreamy future, I hope they offer an option with bacon in those grilled cheeses. But the LOVE Burger has already stolen my heart, and I expect to eat more than a few this summer. (With a buddy, though — it is 3 sandwiches in one, people.)

Not already drooling at the thought of the LOVE Burger? You’ll still want to get over to Frögburger right away. These dudes hanging out? They have just figured out early what many will soon know. This is the perfect spot for summertime hanging out — you’re right on the edge of Logan Circle, with the grass under your feet, and the breeze off the Parkway in your hair. Frög Burger is serving beer, wine and sangria, and if they get the guy busking with cowbells on the steps of the Franklin Institute to find a new haunt, it will be a terrific place to while away a summer afternoon.

Minor complaints (and I’ll note this was their first day): There was definitely too much special sauce on the LOVE Burger; it took me 7 napkins to eat it. The cheese fries were eh — they were cheesed too soon so it was congealing by the time I got them, and the cheese is just whiz. I found the lemonade too tart. (A personal preference. Bryan said that’s exactly how he likes his lemonade.) The half and half was fine, but both drinks were $2.50, which I think is pretty steep, considering the size of the cups and the $4 Yuenglings available. Also, where were the “Killer Cake” Bars? Tempt me, folks. Put them out where I can see them!

For the burger-haters out there, they are also serving turkey burgers, hot dogs and a Chesapeake “crab roll”, and a bunch of interesting veggie dishes, too. You can check out the full menu on Mealticket’s writeup. Then, make plans to show off this new spot to your friends, before they want to show it off to you!

Frög Burger
in the shadow of the airplane in front of the Franklin Institute
20th and the Parkway
Philadelphia, PA, 19103

Greensgrow CSA Week 1: back in action!

Sat, 29 May 2010 14:30:00 -0400

Lettuce Mix - Greensgrow Farm
Strawberries - Fifer Orchards, Wyoming, DE
Kale - Autumn Blend Organics, Lancaster, PA
Asparagus - Fifer Orchards, Wyoming, DE
Scallions - Jacob Youder, Dover, DE
Zucchini - Viereck Farms, Woolwich, NJ
Radishes - Jacob Youder, Dover, DE
Cheese - A choice from a variety of cheeses from Shellbark Hollow Farm, West Chester, PA
Dairy Option - CHOOSE ONE: 1 dozen Free-Range Eggs, 2 Pequea Valley Yogurts, Tofu, Seitan or 1/2 lb. Amish-style Butter

It’s back! Summer is here, and so is the CSA. The first week of the new season is always interesting — no more meat this year, and tofu and seitan in the “dairy” option.

The dairy option that was out of my beloved eggs (by 11 AM, they said!), and so I am crying into two little yogurt cups instead. I am not a fan of the butter, so I think I will have to venture into the tofu/seitan universe. I actually thought I might give the seitan a shot this week, but when I saw it, I just couldn’t imagine what I was going to do with it. Clearly, this will require more planning and research.

I got the sharp chevre from Shellbark on Jenn’s recommendation — I was very pleased to see they were offering up more varieties this year beyond the fresh and the chive. And the produce options definitely seemed a little larger this year. A quart of strawberries instead of a pint. 4 zucchini instead of 2. 2 heads of lettuce instead of one. We’ll see if I still think this is a good thing 10 weeks in!

Bobby's Burger Palace

Sun, 23 May 2010 21:14:05 -0400

Initial reviews of Bobby’s Burger Palace had not been so good, so I had more or less ruled it out (who wants to trek out to West Philly to wait a long time for a meh burger?) But one of my co-workers told me he really liked it, and it’s open late, so I swung by one night at 10:30 to give it a shot.

I promptly found myself there TWICE more in the following two weeks. Were the burgers just that good? I actually had chicken sandwiches every time. They are tasty enough, and I really liked the fries, but it was two other elements that brought me back.

1) I love the number system. You go place your order at a register, and they give you a number. Take a seat — they’ll bring you your food when it’s ready. I first encountered this ordering system in Australia, and I thought it was genius from the get-go. There’s no negotiating your bag, your coat, whatever, with a tray in your hand, with its accompanying undertones of your high school cafeteria. Want more food? Stand up and order some more. Want to leave? You paid when you walk in, so you can walk out whenever you want.

2) It’s well suited for solo dining. Bryan was away for a couple of weeks, so I had more opportunities than usual to dine alone. I think my criteria for solo dining is pretty standard — mostly I’m looking for somewhere bright enough to read, with non-hovery wait staff as a plus. Bobby’s is not only delightfully well-lit, but a good third of their seating is at a long serpentine bar, perfect for the solo diner. With a regular flow of wait staff around the bar, I could always find someone if I needed something, but overall, they were pleasantly chit-chat free as I tried to read.

As you can see above, in addition to the fries, I sampled their onion rings and the Bobby’s signature item, the crunch burger (or the crunch chicken sandwich.) The onion rings were of the thick and oniony variety, with 6 or 7 in an order. They were fine, I suppose, but I don’t really consider myself an onion ring lover. I’d get the fries again, or try the sweet potato fries next time. And I cannot tell a lie — I really dug the crunch burger. But I also put Doritos in my hot dog buns as a kid, so take that for what you will.

I will also give them credit for offering their wide variety of burger options as turkey burgers and chicken sandwiches. If you’re in the market for a chicken sandwich, this is actually one of the best selections in town. And the lines have dwindled substantially from the first few weeks. It never took me more than a few minutes to take a seat.

There are a lot of tasty burger options in Philly at this point, ranging from Five Guys/500° to Barclay Prime. Bobby’s may not have blown me away with their food, but they managed to carve out a place on my dining card by differentiating on service style.

Bobby’s Burger Palace
3925 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215.387.0378

Strawberry shortcakes

Thu, 13 May 2010 21:18:00 -0400

It is time. Today. Go get yourself at least one pint of local strawberries. Don’t go to Superfresh. Go to a farmer’s market. Go to Reading Terminal Market and hit up the Amish or Fair Food. Yes, they cost more. If there is one form of produce worth the outlay to get fresh and local, it is berries. They do not ripen after picking, but they are fragile (read: do not ship well cross-country) when ripe. You will taste the difference.

Now, I will share with you the most important lesson I learned from my french exchange host family. There is no such thing as a strawberry too sweet and ripe to sugar. I learned to embrace the indulgence. Just add a teaspoon or so, to really bring out the flavor. Slice them up, sugar them, and eat in 5 minutes. You will eat the whole bowl.

Repeat. After you have done this 3 or 4 times, you may be ready to move on to the strawberry shortcake recipe below. You may not. That’s ok. It is perfectly fine to worship strawberries in their primal form first and foremost. But this recipe is pretty good, too.

Strawberry Shortcake

a half batch of biscuits (add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the dry ingredients when making)
1 pint strawberries
1/2 pint heavy cream
1 tablespoon of sugar (plus more for the berries)

Make your biscuits (you can use this recipe, but any basic biscuit recipe will make a tasty shortcake.) When you’ve put the biscuits in the oven, slice your strawberries, removing the stems. Sprinkle the berries with a teaspoon of sugar, or more to taste. Set aside.

When the biscuits come out, set them aside to cool for a bit (or they will melt the whipped cream.) When they are warm, but not hot, make whipped cream.

If you aren’t already the sort to make whipped cream fresh, I strongly encourage you to try it. It’s faster than this description makes it sound, and it is worlds better than store bought. If I were going to cheat making strawberry shortcakes, I would definitely use Pillsbury poppin’ can biscuits before I used canned whipped cream.

I have been informed that some people have the capability to whip cream by hand, but you will want to use a mixer. I have also been told there are many schools of thought about how one should progress through the speeds when mixing, but I have never noticed a difference in my cream, so I’ll just tell you the fast way. Start with your heavy cream in a large clean bowl. Take the mixer through the speeds until you are at the second-fastest speed. Whip the cream until it starts to hold slight shapes. Then, mix in your tablespoon of sugar (and a splash of vanilla extract, if you want.)

Continue mixing until the cream holds in peaks. At this point, if you like a soft, slightly runny whipped cream, it’s done. If you want dollops that sit firmly where you put them, turn the mixer down a notch, and keep going until it gets to the consistency you like. Aren’t sure? Stop the mixer, and taste a swipe!

Usually, for cakes and sundaes and other very sweet things, I barely sugar my whipped cream (maybe a teaspoon of sugar.) For strawberry shortcakes, though, the biscuit is savory(ish. buttery, at least.) The strawberries are tart. So, the cream should definitely be sweet on the tongue. Again, if you aren’t sure, taste it! You’re just whipping air into the cream, so the sweetness won’t really change much in the whipping process.

Put it all together, and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in yum.

Garlic yogurt

Tue, 04 May 2010 11:42:00 -0400

There are two kinds of people in this world: people who love garlic, and … um, actually, maybe there is only one kind of people in this case. If you think that everything could be improved with the addition of a little (or a lot) of garlic, then this is the recipe for you.

Savory flavors may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think yogurt, but try not to think of this in the same vein as a Danon fruit-on-the-bottom cup. This is more like garlic aioli, but much, much simpler. It takes about 60 seconds to prepare, and is an awesome hit of garlic to add to just about anything. I love to use Fage greek yogurt to make it, because it’s extra thick and creamy (watery yogurt is one of my pet peeves), but you could use any plain yogurt to make it.

I love it with chicken or roasted root vegetables of any kind, or as a dip for carrots, or heck, just bread! It also makes a kickin’ replacement for mayo in sandwiches, or a tzatziki stand-in for any other cucumber-haters out there. 60 seconds to punch up any meal. Try it.

Garlic Yogurt

8 oz. yogurt (one little container or 3 scoops from a big container)
1 large clove garlic
1/4 tsp. kosher salt, or to taste

Smash/slice/mince garlic, depending on how much garlic flavor you want. The finer your garlic, the more garlic flavor. Mix the garlic and salt into the yogurt.

Try to make it at least 20 minutes before you eat, and stick it in the fridge to let the garlic permeate the yogurt. Again, the longer it sits, the more garlicky the flavor.

from Bill Granger’s Sydney Food, one of my very favorite cookbooks

In praise of wedding cupcakes

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 22:55:34 -0400

Hey, folks, I’m back! Super tan (ok, not really), super rested, and married! Before I jump back in to our regularly scheduled posts, now complete with stand mixer (ooey gooey butter cake, prepare to fall before me), I wanted to share one of the smarter choices, besides the groom of course, I thought I made for the wedding. It’s cupcakes.

I know that cupcakes are a wedding supertrend, but I’m here to tell you, it’s not just because it’s cute or Martha Stewart features them on her cover. I am nothing if not practical, and there are several logical reasons for choosing cupcakes over a traditional wedding cake. Your experience may vary, but, in general:

1. It’s cheaper. Wedding cake tends to start at $1.50 a slice for the very basic options, and go up from there. And it can go up fast. The average expenditure on wedding cake is $543. The most expensive quote I got was $150 less than that, and we ended up spending under $200, total.

2. They’re fresher. It makes sense. A big elaborate cake takes time to bake, put together, and decorate. That means the base, the cake, had to be made a couple of days earlier. Cupcakes are little, and cool quickly, so they’re just fresher!

3. More flavors = more happy. We had 5 flavors of cupcakes — vanilla with vanilla buttercream, chocolate with chocolate ganache, chocolate with vanilla buttercream, chocolate with peanut butter, and red velvet. Additional cost for variety? $0. Ease of selecting your chosen flavor? High. Additional happiness from this? Priceless.

4. You don’t have to think about what your cake is going to look like. You may think this sounds silly, and if dreams of weddings bring to mind spectacular visions of fondant, this may not hold true for you. But if your imagined response to a baker saying, “what should it look like?” is, “I don’t know; I just want it to taste good,” then cupcakes are a great choice for you.

5. No cutting, no waiting, just eating. You’re at a wedding. It’s time to cut the cake, yay! The cutting happens. Then, the cake gets wheeled away, and the music starts up again, and 20 minutes later, cake appears at your seat, or on a table in the corner, and if you aren’t looking for it, you may very well miss it. Let’s get real, actually eating the cake is frequently an afterthought to looking at the cake. This seems weird to me — it’s food, not an ice sculpture! With cupcakes, you take a bite of cake, then tell everyone else to come on down. The cupcakes were half gone within 5 minutes.

6. They can be easily weaponized. Let’s say someone shouts out, “Smash it in her face!” (Yes, this happened.) You can throw a cupcake at said person. (This did not, but it could have. Watch out, Melissa.)

We got our cupcakes from the cupcake truck. Bryan took care of ordering them, and said it was delightfully easy. They just showed up, complete with stand, and they were a huge hit. I had two red velvets, so I thought they were the most popular, but I’ve gotten props on the vanilla/vanillas and the chocolate/peanut butters, too. Sadly, no one saw them being delivered, so I missed my chance to get a picture taken with the truck. Ah well. Maybe for our 10th anniversary or something.

Lemon Granita

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:11:00 -0400

Do you like to eat ice? Not water ice, or ice cream, just pure ice? I love to, and, believe it or not, it’s because I was anemic during my pregnancy. I didn’t feel anemic, but a friend pointed out that the new ice-eating habit I had picked up was a side effect of my anemia. I could and would consume two or three cups of ice in a few hours. I ate it as a snack and as a dessert and as a movie-going treat. Yum!

While pregnant and eating ice cube after ice cube, I wondered how I could do so without seeming like a giant freak. Finally, I hit upon a dessert my mother-in-law had made one night pre-pregnancy — granita. It’s perfect. It’s icy, crunchy, flaky deliciousness. And better yet, to my pregnant tastes which had demanded citrus twenty-four seven, it could be lemon-flavored.

Now, nearly two years later, I’m still in love with ice, citrus, and lemon granitas. I regularly make granitas and eat them all up all by myself. With summer coming up, it’s time to share my recipe!

I would caution about making this as the sole dessert for a dinner, however. A friend I have calls this a faux dessert. While I still count this currently honeymooning individual as a friend, I now know that for them, granita is either a palette cleanser or a part of a bigger dessert.

By the by, my granita recipe is not that sweet. If you like really sweet desserts, you might want to consider adding a few tablespoons of sugar to it. If you like really tart desserts, either take out about half a cup of the water or add a lemon or two.

Lemon Granita

From: combination of several online recipes

3 lemons
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar

1. Get the water to boiling in a small pot. Is it boiling? Good! Add your sugar and stir!

2. Turn the burner off, and get our your zester (or Microplane) and zest up your washed lemons. I just zest directly into the pot of hot sugar water. Put your zested lemons off to the side.

3. Roll the lemon under your palm against your counter or cutting board. What you’re doing here is softening it up, because I don’t believe in using a juicer to get juice from lemons. Cut the softened lemon in half and using a fork, juice the lemons into the pot, seeds and pulp and all. Really, just dig the tines in for all that they’re worth.

4. Mix that all up and let it sit until the mixture has cooled to room temperature and then strain it into a glass pan that you can stick in your freezer. I hope you have enough room in your freezer. I always have to push over all the meals my husband makes for me that I never reheat.

5. This is so super important — every twenty minutes promptly (and possibly a little more often near the end of this step), go in to your freezer, and stir up the granita with a fork. Scrape the ice down. When you near the end, try your hardest to break up the ice bits with your fork or you’ll not be eating flaky ice, you’ll be eating ice cubes. Once your granita starts to look more like fluffy snow than frozen ice, you’ll be good to go!

6. At this stage, I get out a bowl and I scoop several spoons of granita into it and top the whole thing off with raspberries or candied lemon slices. Then, I eat it as rapidly as possible and go back for more.