Kohlrabi: Expect Great Things

Went to the Union Square market today with nothing particular in mind. Thought I'd pick up some tomatoes and corn (to support my roots -- Jersey) and ended up buying kohlrabi, a vegetable with a funny name that I had tried many lifetimes ago, but haven't made recently. In case you're not familiar, here's the 411 on kohlrabi: it's light green bulb is similar to a turnip, with very big leaves attached (think kale or collard greens). Both the bulb and the leaves are edible, though I don't think you'd want to eat them raw.

The taste of kohlrabi is one I can't quite put my finger on. It's got the crunch of raw fennel, but the taste is mild, similar to cabbage or brussel sprouts (but not as stinky when cooking, thank God). The leaves are a little bit bitter, which makes for a nice contrast, and they're stalks are thin enough to cook and eat, but hearty enough to stand up to some stir-frying. So that's what I did. Here's my take on kohlrabi and tofu stir-fry:

-Cut kohlrabi into two sections: stalks and leaves, and the bulb. Chop the stalks and leaves into 2-3" pieces, not too small, but don't leave the leaves whole. Reserve.
-Cut kohlrabi in half and then slice into half-circle pieces, about 1/4" thick.
-Take some tofu (1/2 lb.), squeeze the water from it, and marinate for a few minutes in soy sauce, a little bit of sugar, some rice wine vinegar and powdered ginger.
-Chop a 1" piece of ginger and set aside.
-Slice 1 Cippolini onion and 1 large garlic closve and set aside as well.


In a skillet or wok, add 2T. oil and heat. Add the sliced kohlrabi bulb, the tofu and the onion and cook on medium high 4-5 minutes. Stir in 1/2t. thai chili sauce. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for another two. Finally, add the kohlrabi leaves/stems and cover. Cook on low for another 4-5 minutes until the leaves wilt a bit.

It's tasty, healthy, and sublime. Served with some rice and a crisp lager, it's a tasty meal.

Here's an Australian kohlrabi (yeah, Australian, that's what I said)

Russian Salad, courtesy of Spain

On my day off last week, I was pining for something fresh but filling. And as it's FINALLY starting to seem like summer, I thought potato salad would be a nice idea. But not just any 'ole potato salad (the kind with no taste and too much mayo? yeah, not that type). This is a tried-and-true, absolutely delicious staple from the days when I lived in Spain (1,825+ days, fyi).

See, in Spain, they do things different. Spain is different. España es diferente. And one of the simplest and ubiquitous "tapas" or "raciones" you can order, especially in the summer, is "ensaladilla rusa". Literally, this translates to "little Russian salad".

"What's Russian about it?" you ask? Nothing! But that's what it's called, so just go with it. Pate and brie on baguette, people. Go with it.

This recipe is super easy to make, especially if you use frozen mixed vegetables (which 99% of the Spanish population uses, so don't feel bad about taking this shortcut). And this is the basic, traditional recipe:

The ingredients:

• 3-4 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
  
• 3-4 cups of a mix of: peas, cubed carrots, string beans, corn
• 1/4 c. mayo
• 1 T lemon juice
  
• 1 can of tuna packed in olive oil.
  
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• salt/pepper
• 1 chicken or veggie bullion cube *optional
  

Boil a big pot of water, add the optional bullion cube, and add the potatoes. Cook about 5-6 minutes, then add the frozen or fresh vegetables. Continue to boil for another 5-8 minutes, until everything is tender (but ideally, not mushy. mushy is bad).

Strain the veggies and potatoes, put in a bowl and let cool.

Cut the hard boiled eggs into chunks (I like to cut in half cross-wise, then in quarters). Add to vegetables, and stir. Add drained tuna, mayo and lemon juice. Mix well, season with salt and pepper.

Refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve!

**Alternatives:

• Add 1 T. each of chopped fresh basil and parsley before serving.
• Add 1 T. dijon mustard
• Substitute crab or surimi for the tuna.

This can last for a few days in the fridge, is easy to make, and as you all know, a big crowd pleaser.

Oh, and listen to this while you make it. It'll kick up your summer a notch or two:

amaral - son mis amigos - Publimetro
son mis amigos video clip de amaral

Palabras clave:mis amigos

Vídeo de pmaldacena

Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto

So much cooking lately, don't know where to begin. I guess I'll start with the most interesting:

1. Rolling Sushi
2. Stuffed Mushrooms
3. Pork Chop alla Pizzaiola
4. Watercress Jicama and Orange Salad with Edamame

Yes, I rolled sushi. I've been wanting to do so for quite some time, since I find that I eat sushi rolls at least once a week. Why not do it myself? I tried this once before, as a senior in college. I bought my mat, my sushi rice, my nori, and got to work. This was before youtube, so I had no friggin' idea what I was doing. Needless to say, it turned out to be a goopy, sloppy mess. The rice was undercooked, the nori torn, and the avocado and crab stick falling out of either side. I guess I was so disheartened that I packed up my roll and said sayonara.

Until now.

I'm a big believer in second chances, and why should wonderful, marvelous sushi be an exception? I got a mat (makisu) and wooden rice paddle (shamoji) at the epicenter of all things Japanese, Bed Bath and Beyond (I'm kind of embarrassed to say). The brand is Asian Fusion (my dad's favorite phrase) and sells for $3.99.

Armed with my tools, I headed over to 3rd Ave. and 11th St., where my favorite Japanese market (and now basically ONLY option since JasMart on 23rd St. closed) M2M was awaiting, doors open and humidifier blasting (they always have one at the entrance. No idea why). How do I love M2M? Let me count the ways: they carry produce, prepared foods, random Japanese beauty products, 10+ kinds of rice, every random fermented and/or dried vegetable/soy product/fish/seafood variant you could need, crazy Japanese candy, lots of tofu, frozen food, and beer (yay!)

And their prices are decent for Manhattan.

I picked up a hefty bag of sushi rice, 10 sheets of nori (I was inclined to pick up the 50 pack, but decided I should actually prove to myself I was capable of rolling sushi before going all out), a tub of pickled ginger, black sesame seeds, and some funky dried wasabi pea/carrot/unidentifiable vegetable mix, and was on my way.

Earlier in the week, I had edumacated myself on rolling sushi. Like I said, last time I tried, I was living in the Dark Ages, circa 2001. Thanks to the internets, I got some tips here and here (ok, so not there, but if I learn to roll sushi, what other things might I be able to do?!)

So, then. I cooked my rice. Very sticky, indeed (and that's a good thing). I spread it on my nori, added some cucumber, sesame seeds, and pickled jalapenos. Rolled to perfection as that kind Australian/British/Belgian/South African/Canadian/whatever woman showed me on the internets and voila!






Ok, so the cutting part was actually harder than the rolling. The knife MUST be wet. It MUST be sharp. Another tip, the longer the ingredients (crab, cucumber, radish, carrot, avocado, tuna, whatevs) the better. Otherwise, when you try to cut the roll, the fillings will fall out.

Not so bad for a second timer. Hopefully with practice, I'll be churning out dragon rolls in no time.

Oh, and here's some music to listen to while you try it:

Mi Casa, Tu Casa. Michelada, Tuchelada

Cinco de mayo has come and gone, with countless chimichangas and fishbowl-sized margaritas consumed throughout the city (a friend of mine was actually rather annoyed at the fact that his favorite 5dM spot - Chevy's Fresh Mex - downsized their usually hefty margarita). And while I don't necessarily understand America's love for a holiday that is virtually unrecognized in Mexico, I'm all for drinking something festive on a normally uneventful Tuesday.

Over at food2, 5dM was in full swing, and I was happy to read an article about their favorite beer-based cocktails. One, in particular, stood out to me. First, because I like saying the name: michelada. Say it. michelada. You like it, dontcha! I also liked it because it doesn't mix beer with some hard liquor like vodka or bourbon. In my experience, mixing beer + liquor is a rather dangerous and risky mix.

This drink calls for few ingredients: beer, lime, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and salt. You can see the recipe here or just scroll down. My version is hot pink because I used Magic Hat Wacko beer, which is colored with beet juice (*note: it does not taste like beets, thankfully) and has a pretty light taste (perfect for pairing with lime). It was also on sale for $6/6-pack at Whole Foods. Andale, indeed! Other beer that would probably work with this is, as Food2 suggests, Negro Modelo, or Dos Equis Lager.




Michelada Recipe
Squeeze a lime wedge around a tall class and dip the rim in salt. Squeeze in 3 or 4 quarters of a lime, a shake of Worcestershire, two shakes of hot sauce (something like Cholula, Frank's, Tabasco or Crystal). Mix it up. Add ice. Slowly pour in your beer, give it another stir, turn on some Ozomatli, and drink up.

It's a nice combo of refreshment and satisfaction. The Worcestershire gives it a Bloody Mary feel, but the lime keeps it crisp. All in all, an original and smoother approach to 5dM.

Michelada recipe (c) 2007 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved.

A Tasty Trifecta

So my last post was about the perfect pairings. And while one may be the loneliest number, three doesn't have to be a crowd. In fact, there's a Spanish saying, "no hay dos sin tres" (literally there aren't two without three, but basically meaning good things come in threes).

A mirepoix consists of three ingredients. Bread also consists of three. As do countless cocktails! And one of the best things about working in the West Village (along with having the Hudson River Park at my disposal), is the plethora of mom and pop shops and old standby's. Fish, produce, imported cheese, meats, salamis, olives, tomatoes, lobster, I could go on...

But with that said, I introduce you to the Holy Trinity of Bleecker Street:

1) The Lobster Place (252 Bleecker Street)
I like to call this the Lobster PALACE because, though it may not look like much, they are the self-proclaimed Lobster experts, the largest purveyors of live lobster in all of New York City! Yuh-huh! Granted, you might not be regularly dining on lobster in times like these, which is why I love the fact that they carry a large selection of fresh fish including Mahi-Mahi, Wild Salmon, Dorade, Escolar and Arctic Char, as well as clams, shrimp and crab. PLUS they prepare fresh sushi to-go. I mean, hello! Do you need more of a reason?! www.lobsterplace.com

2) Murray's Cheese (254 Bleecker Street)
One of my favorite movies has a line in it that goes, "There are no cats in America, and the streets are paved with cheese!" and while I would love to imagine a world with fewer cats (hat tip to my mom) and streets paved with gruyere, manchego, queso fresco and brie, I'll deal. And here's the thing about cheese: HOW could you not love it?! I mean, if I had to have a last supper, I might skip the filet mignon, and skip right to the cheese course. Just a big 'ole plate of cheese. Mmm mmm.... Ok, enough dreaming. Murray's. Not much to say: it's a cheeselover's heaven. Domestic, foreign, soft, hard, strong, sublime, Murray's has it all. One of the few stores I never leave empty-handed from. www.murrayscheese.com

3) Faicco's Pork Store (260 Bleecker Street)
Faiccio's is one of those places you walk into and immediately know is special. It makes me sad to think that 50 years ago, neighborhood pork stores/butchers/meat experts existed all over the city, and it's becoming harder and harder to find a well-rooted, community-revered pork and meat store in Manhattan. Luckily, Faicco's is the real deal and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. They make their own sausage and brasiole, they import pasta, roasted peppers, tomatoes and canned products from Italy, and have all the fixins for your December 24 Vigilia (dinner of seven fishes). One guy even posted a mouthwatering pic of their stromboli (**warning: not for the faint of heart)

And with countless other neighborhood darlings like Rocco's (their cannolis are TDF), Amy's Bread (to go with all that cheese), Ottomanelli's (another fantastic butcher) and John's Pizza (arguably the best pie in NYC), why not stick around??

Ricotta Scrambled

Eggs and cheese. I mean, how can you go wrong? It's one of life's best pairings (up there with peanut butter and chocolate, beer and pizza, Sonny and Cher), and this morning, I indulged by not only making my new favorite style of scrambled eggs. Oh, no, we took it up a notch and added some nitrate-free,antibiotic-free, uncured bacon from Whole Foods.

While I toyed with the idea of frying the bacon, then chopping it and adding it to an egg and chive mixture, I ultimately decided to serve them separately. No cream or milk is added to the eggs, simply whisk them with chopped chives, salt and pepper, and cook slowly over medium heat. When they start to solidify, about a minute or two before you'd take them off the stove, throw a few dollops of ricotta cheese in. Don't mix the eggs, simply fold the cheese in, so that you still have noticeable lumps of ricotta. The idea is to be able to taste the ricotta in any given bite, but not have it be so subtle as to seem indiscernible. Got that!?

Serve with toasted country bread and some fruit salad, accompanied by Manu Chao, Liquits, Julieta Venegas and Cafe Tacvba.

Calexico...Qué Rico!

So you know when you get a craving for something spicy, fresh, sweet, and, oh yeah, cheap? I get that craving a lot. Probably too often. Thankfully, I don't have to turn to Taco Bell. There's a little street cart on the NE corner of Wooster and Prince Streets (SoHo) called Calexico, that serves up some badass tacos. "Street meat," you ask? Yes, street meat. But don't be fooled. This ain't your mama's street vendor. None of that greasy, overly-pungent, overly-spiced mystery "animal product". Calexico is run by three brothers from Southern California, who can even boast (and they do) of having won a prestigious Vendy Award in 2008.

Their menu is simple, fresh, and ridiculously tasty. Tacos, quesadillas, burritos, and a few sides. No fusion. No nouvelle-cuisine. No crème fraîche or truffle oil. Just real Tex-Mex. So the next time you're in SoHo, stop by Calexico (even if there's a mile-long line, it's worth the wait) and happily pass by the suckers who just spent $9 on a "fancy" sandwich.

You can visit them online at Calexico Cart