Winter Stews

It's no secret that stews are freaking awesome.

Stews can be incredibly complex or wonderfully simple: stretching ingredients or reducing them down; layering flavors or creating single notes.

In addition, stews are generally one-pot meals and crowd-pleasers.  Approachable to all walks of life, and a member of low-brow, high-brow and everything in-between, they make your house smell good, and can bring everyone back to Earth.

So, here is a collection of some recipes that I think are wonderful for the cold winter months. December is behind us, and with it, recollections of candy-canes and pine trees, latkes and menorahs. The wreaths and trees of most peoples' festive holiday are in the street, waiting for the chipper to turn them to mulch.

But we don't have to forget that it's still freaking cold, and we can sit around watching Netflix, drinking hot chocolate and making stew to warm our souls and fill our stomachs.

I'm going to skip more traditional stews and offer only the really cool, or mind-blowingly amazing ones.

First up, a stew that most people have never had: Mafe.
A stew of African origin, it can be as simple or complex as your cupboard. A strong base of tomatoes, chilies, meat and peanuts, it makes for a wonderful meal and a great introduction to more ethnic stews.

These three recipes are essentially the same. I will point out their differences so you can more easily choose the one you like. Or read them all and decide for yourself.


Mafe - food network: This recipe is a great introduction to Mafe. It is super easy, without a ton of ingredients. It will give you a feel for the stew and has plenty of room to improvise. For instance, if you don't have carrots, use another root vegetable or squash. Often times farmers markets will have a discount section or grab-bag of roots and such that you can get cheap and are perfect for this application.

Mafe - senegal: I like this recipe because it uses a lot of winter vegetables like squash and 'roots and tubers' and cabbage. However, it is lacking in the tomato department. If you don't have lamb, lean beef will work too. if you don't have beef you can use chicken etc. etc.

Peanut stew - nytimes: Now that you're familiar with Mafe, step it up a notch and make this version which includes whole chopped tomatoes and okra (I love okra). Perfect food for a cold winter night with rice or fat, thick egg noodles. (this page also has a bonus fish stew recipe)


So you've got the African stew down, or maybe you're allergic to peanuts. Either way, here is another stew with loads of flavor that is pretty wonderful with nice Italian bread, a nice Southern Cornbread (corn and mushrooms go really well together), or simply on its own with a bowl and spoon.

Pork and Mushroom Ragout - Food and Wine: This recipe brings out some really amazing earthy flavors. Mushrooms are one of my favorite ingredients for anything, and the meaty, umami-rich flavor they impart really pairs well with slow cooked stews.

Also, really simply stewed mushrooms are one of my favorite things to make. Pretty much just butter, mushrooms, fresh herbs and a little stock go a long way in terms of flavor.

Maybe your house doesn't see enough curry. Or maybe you don't make enough fish at home.
Here is a recipe with fantastic results and minimal heavy-fish odors. Anytime you mix curry and coconut milk, you're hard-pressed not to produce a winner.

Groan Curried Fish Stew: Make this stew. It's awesome. I know you don't make a lot of fish curry. I know it. Like they say, make a lot of rice to serve this with. Or, make lots of rice noodles or glass noodles and serve piping hot.

Here are some other fantastic stews to try when you're ready for some "adventurous" eating (ie. bored of the regular stuff and want to try these other cool stews)

Kimchi Stew: This bad-boy right here includes 3lbs of skinless pork belly. If spicy amazing kimchi isn't reason enough to try it, the pork belly should put you over the edge. If you really need a starch to eat this with, do I even need to mention what? Yeah, rice. Not a fan of rice? Try it with boiled Yucca (cassava) or big red potatoes; or just eat it as is, because it's awesome.

Red Chile and Pork Stew: This Carne Adobada is crazy good. Use Guajillo chilies if you can't find the New Mexico ones, or use a mix and follow the general recipe. It will be good. I promise. This stew doesn't need rice, but serve it with corn tortillas (not flour). It makes a difference, trust me.

Like something more involved? How about making Meatballs! Yeahhh meatballs!

T'fina Pkaila - Tunisian beef rib and meatball stew: This stew right here! Yes it is more involved. Yes it has more steps. Yes it is delicious. A little bit of spinach, some white beans, meat. It's got all the stew parts you want in your life. All of them. Cilantro. Beef ribs!

So there you have it folks. Various stews from around the world to keep you busy and full in the winter months.

When your house smells this delicious, you can be sure that your neighbors will "pop-in" to borrow something, only to fawn over the wonderful smells (and would you share!)

Cheese Me! Please Me!

It is no secret that I love cheese. I work in a cheese shop. Yes I eat awesome artisan American cheeses. I also still love Polly-O string cheese. String cheese forever.

A friend of mine, we shall call him Andrew to protect his identity (his real name is Andrew), also works at a cheese shop.

I went to visit him on my day off. Because what could be better on a day off from my cheese shop but to visit a different cheese shop?!

He works for Saxelby Cheesemongers at the Essex Street market. For those that haven't been to the Essex Market recently, it's a great place to visit if you like to look at a lot of old Hispanic folks, need to get some Heritage Meats, or generally enjoy markets.

There are several awesome things about this market.

One of which is Saxelby. They have great cheese. They did not pay me to endorse them.

Their shtick is only stocking cheese from the North East of AMERICA. Yeah that's right, suck it European cheese. (except Parmesan, you sir, can stay)

Anyway I got this frickin' grilled cheese and it was awesome.

Yeah, you see that?
Yes. This is three pictures of the same grilled cheese sandwich.

That's how good it was to eat. You should see the pictures I took that didn't make the cut. Naughty stuff.

 

In general, Saxelby is a great place to get great cheese. You're going to pay for it. It will not be cheap. But it will be better than any other cheese. This sandwich costs seven dollars and is worth it.

 Now I'm off to make my own grilled cheese with Kraft American singles and Campbell's tomato soup. Cause what could be better after a grilled cheese, but more grilled cheese.

Bytes and Sites: T-Giving

Every dining section, food blog, website and more are stuck in a full-on nose dive towards Thanksgiving.

We can't help it. 

It's the food holiday above all others. 

Sure, some of us still talk about what we are thankful for, and probably more so after this Sandy debacle, but for the most part, people just want somewhere to eat the meal they look forward to all year.

Here are some resources to make this all easier.

This little gem is from the NY Times' archives from 2009. It should also be said that this doesn't have to just be Thanksgiving ideas. A lot of these would be really easy and delicious for everyday life. Make some. Try it.

101 Head Starts on the Day

Bittman has a good point; most of the issues are from not enough space on the stove. 

So plan ahead peoples.

Here is a good way to plan ahead:

Saveur's 9 Complete Menu Ideas

It includes some pretty useful ideas, like Thanksgiving for Two and Vegetarian Thanksgiving, as well as some pretty awesome menus like Elegant French and Chesapeake Bay Thanksgiving.

Maybe you just want to read through some of these for ideas.

Please read this article from Bon Appetit. Please read this. Please.

How to Carve a Turkey

Because whether you're doing it or not, everyone should know how to carve a bird. A turkey is just a large chicken anyway.

Now, I just need to say:

We're having goose this year.

I'm excited.

For The Love of Meat

Meat! For the love of Meat!
Smoked meat.
Cured meat.
Sliced meat.

You don't have to go to Greenpoint for awesome Polish deli's full of smoked sausages you've never heard of. If you've been to a Polish deli without a translator present, you know what I mean. Too many szc and kw combos to even try and pronounce. Point to things. It's probably your best option. If something looks really dark, it's probably double smoked. If it's thin, it's probably dry. If it's available, get it. Invite some friends. Tell them to bring mustard.

Jubilat Provisions, at 608 5th ave (and 17th st), provides those of us in the middle of Brooklyn with the kielbasa and double smoked pork that fulfill our desire for smoked meat and homemade stuffed cabbage, head cheese, dense bread and pickles galore.

Thank you Jubilat for making this kind of spread available.

I make trips to this little deli when I get the hankering for cheap awesome pork. I've talked about it before, when fish was available, but recently it's been all meat and stuffed cabbage, polish donuts and Lithuanian bread. (Awwwesome.)

I love this place. I want this place to continue on. I don't see enough people in here and I want to change that. I want people to go here for great sandwich meat; out-of-the-ordinary amazing meat. I want people to go here and buy a big fat kielbasa and make sauerkraut and sausage at their house. Start a new tradition. Get meat from someone who smoked it themselves.

Go out and get some. FYI this is smoked, rib-in pork belly that is deep fried and then sliced for your convenience. I ate it with mustard, blanched string beans and thick rye bread.

PB&America

This article immediately caught my attention, and judging from its place at the top of the "most emailed" list, it seems it caught many other people's attention as well. I need to share.

Because Peanut Butter and Pickle sandwiches exist.

I definitely have had bacon parties before, constructing the ubiquitous Elvis as part of the fun. But now it seems it's time for a Peanut Butter party.

(I've had pickle parties before too!)

I'm going to make a Peanut Butter Party. You can be sure of it. I'll announce it too. And you can RSVP to it. And bring a friend.

Duck egg

With an increase of fresh produce and seasonal goods from farmers markets, comes availability of some limited goods. Like duck eggs for instance. You may not see duck eggs throughout the year. But come summertime, when farmers are pushing all their wares, an opportunity will present itself.

There you'll be, face-to-face with duck eggs.

What better way to enjoy it, than simply fried and sandwiched.

Shaved Pecorino, homemade mustard, onion pocket, and very soft backyard lettuce with a fresh fried duck egg.

You don't need a recipe for this one. Just make your favorite breakfast sandwich.

 

Assembled and delicious. Of course I salt and peppered the egg, and buttered the roll.

 

Yeah, you see that yolk? All up in that Pecorino. A nice long burn from the strong mustard is offset by the sweetness of the onion roll. It all comes together.

Took like 5 minutes. Go make a sandwich. Don't pass up the duck eggs next time.

Ducks!

Haitian Patty

Heard of Jamaican beef patties? I'm sure you have. The yellow dough meat pies are a staple of Jamaican bakeries and a quintessential handheld street food; but they aren't the only patties in town.

Forget them. Let me introduce you to a Haitian beef patty.

Haitian patties differ from their Jamaican counterparts primarily in the dough. The Haitian style have more of a pastry dough feel to them, as their dough is layered and flaky. The technical term is laminated - the dough is covered in fat and then folded on top of itself and re-rolled until the baker has reached a level that he likes. A technique undoubtedly influenced by the French, who colonized Haiti.

I stumbled upon Ultimate Bakery, a Haitian bakery, while out enjoying Caribbean Flatbush. (I can still explore and find new things even after 15 years!)

This self described "American Haitian Baked Goods" boasts cakes, pies, tarts, patties, croissants, and daily baked fresh bread.

No frills and straight to the point, this bakery left a lot to the imagination. A basic white sign and store front, very little product in the window, and only biscuits visible from the street led me right past this bakery.

Then the smell hit me.

I immediately turned around and stepped inside the tiny store. Middle aged Haitian men and women made up the total 5 people in this bakery; and three of them were employees.

The dough was flaky and crisp with a nice chew and pleasant, well-rounded springiness. It was no problem at all that it took two or three bites to get some filling. The beef was spare, but was lightly and thoughtfully spiced with a very soft mouth feel. The patty was fantastic overall, and only cost $1. It was a great start to my morning, and would have gone very well with some strong hot coffee.

I was constantly snapping pictures of this patty but before long I was only holding crumbs.

Rocco's Calamari

Jamaican, Mexican, Vietnamese, Russian - I've eaten it. I've photographed it, and I've shared it.

Now it's time for some real Brooklyn Italian fare.

Funny, I know just the spot. Rocco's Calamari.

This casual Italian restaurant has it all. The kind of place where people dressed up fancy sit at a table next to thick accents and football jerseys. Where I've come with my family for over a decade, sitting next to grandma's, plumbers, and suits, listening to the old familiar Rocco call out his patrons as they come in, welcoming them as he has for years.

The kind of place you've got to try hard to order a dish over $10. The kind of place that you overhear "one butcher's sandwich," only to find out it's a huge Italian loaf stuffed with eggs, sausage, cheese, bacon and home fries. I've had a few of those in my day too. (Did I mention I was chubby in high school?)

But this time, I went with my sister for some early Brooklyn nostalgia and a meal I won't soon forget.

Check out the menu here, but keep in mind some of the prices have changed.

Potato croquettes and rice balls were a dollar each, worth the price, but I gladly would have paid more for a better filling - or any filling really.  Hot, cheesy, and full of rice, they were certainly enjoyable, but I'd like to see some seasoned ground beef and peas in there, or chunks of ham and cheese, something.

Escarole with beans, $5 for this size, $8 for a large.

The escarole was exactly what it should have been; delicious. Garlicky and full of slightly bitter, juicy greens, soft but not mushy beans, this dish kept me grounded as I tore through my main course. A great dish to share.

My sister got her old standby, penne a la vodka, $8. This is one of the more popular dishes on the menu, and for good reason.

I ordered my favorite menu item, mussels in red sauce, $10. It never lets me down, it always fills me up, and I always clean my plate. I opt for no pasta underneath, because I like to use the semolina bread as my vehicle for sauce, and the empty shells as a spoon.

 

These mussels were fat, sweet, and meaty. The red sauce has a nice bite to it, but is not overly chunky nor too thin. It coats the mussels well, and sops up perfectly with bread. Also available with a white sauce, I've never ordered it, but I hear good things.

Perhaps I am obligated to mention that the calamari is fantastic. My sister abstains from seafood of all kinds, so ordering the calamar' would have been a little overkill this time around. When I have ordered it, the rings are thick and lightly battered, cooked through but not chewy. I love tentacles. When we eat calamari, I pick out the tentacles first. I love the way they fry up and hold sauce. Served with marinara sauce in varying degrees of hotness and a wedge of lemon, it's sure to please all those involved.

The pasta has always been delicious at Rocco's and the eggplant parm is supposed to a real winner. I suggest that you order what speaks to -or ask Rocco, you'll recognize him.

Fresh Italian semolina bread studded with sesame seeds, ice cold water with lemon, and $25 dollars later - I needed a nap.

Snack Attack! Bonne Bouche

Sometimes I just get a snack attack, and I have to eat something. It doesn't have to be awesome or clever, or even particularly good. It just has to satiate me for the time being. A whole bag of chips or a hard boiled egg, half a plate of leftovers, whatever.

Sometimes I think ahead and make snacks, or buy things that will make for an impressive snack; these will be the ones that I share with you. I can imagine you don't want to see a picture of cold pizza or an empty bag of Terra Blues.

Recently, I had a snack attack of one of the best snacks ever. Cheese and bread. Throw some slow roasted tomatoes in there and you've got yourself a quick, easy, and deceptively simple snack with maximum results.

These are slow roasted tomatoes on the left, and a cheese called Bonne Bouche on the right.

The cheese is the real star here; the way that it pairs with the sweet and savory tomatoes, adds depth and flavor and makes a regular snack something special.

Bonne Bouche is made by Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery. It is a goat cheese, that is both ash-ripened and a bloomy-rind. I will explain.

This cheese is covered in vegetable ash, which is why it has that blueish-grey hue, this has some subtle flavor characteristics, but does not make it taste smokey.

Bloomy-rind cheeses are covered in a mold that ripens the cheese from the outside in. Cheeses that have a bloomy rind will have a cake-y center and a gooey outer layer. Ones that may be familiar are Humboldt Fog, or St. Andre.

In this close-up you can see the fuzzy parts of the rind. That is mold growing on the outside of the cheese. It is not harmful mold, and may be eaten along with the inside of the cheese (recommended!) I also enjoy the way this cheese looks.

Bonne Bouche have a unique flavor that is fantastic. It is an incredibly complex tasting cheese. It is earthy and sweet, it has some funk, but is not overly pungent or aromatic. It is gooey and delicious, but also maintains some cake-y integrity in the middle. It has the characteristic tang of goat cheese, without all the acidity of fresh goat cheese. At room temperature this cheese is almost unbeatable.


Anyway, Snack Attack right!?

 The Perfect Bite

This combo is so good.
I find this particularly good on a baguette, or a nice soft sourdough loaf.

Fruit of the Loin

If you know me, you are probably aware of my love for all things pork. It is an intoxicating food. My favorite cuts are the long cooking ones like spare ribs, shoulder, pork belly...  Any true pork lover also loves the other cuts, and celebrates the whole animal, from accessible pork chops to adventurous head cheese. 

Just one thing I have to say when pork is involved.

Gotta make dry rubs!

I always rub my pork down with a nice dry rub; sugar, salt, whatever feels clever.
I wanted to get some pork and rub it down. So I got myself a tenderloin.

This particular tenderloin got a healthy dose of dried toasted chilies and raw sugar.

The chili aspect was an almost even mix of ancho and guajillo, with a generous amount of chili arbol, and some small deep red torpedo-shaped Japanese hot peppers.  The rest was salt, sugar and magic.

What else could I fry these lovely little nuggets in besides the greatest fat in the world; bacon fat.

The chilies in the rub lent a wonderful orange hue to the fat. I also fried some garlic next to these delicious little pork nugs. The combination was awesome. Soft, fried garlic is a great vegetable note that holds serious flavor and doesn't overwhelm with a sharp bite.

Pork in the pan, ladies and gentlemen.

Some quick sauteed onions and a piece of bread, and this meal is complete. Check out the cross section on this tenderloin. It had a wonderful crust and a juicy, soft inside. The chilies added a really nice long burn, that was not as intense as eating a fresh hot pepper, but with a slow burn that really made you salivate. That garlic up front shows how much color and flavor the chilies lent all the ingredients.

It was delicious and easy.
It was fun and porky.

Leftovers will certainly be appreciated.

Leftover Revamp

I cook a lot of food a lot of different ways.

I don't always share it. But there is almost always left overs (the bane of one-person cooking!)

When I make something particularly delicious, I like other people to try it so they can share my joy of wonderful flavors. This is especially true when I make a lot of something. But if you caught me making something delicious, and there is only enough for me, you will be lucky to get more than one bite. I often offer said bite, warning that it will be the only one.

Recently I made something that was entirely new for me, but delicious and well executed. It had the added bonus of using up some leftover things. It is also complete peasant food; and delicious!

First, I had lots of carrots I needed to get rid of, and earlier in the week, I made some burger patties to take for lunches and I still had two left. Leftover pinto beans had to make their way into this as well. Necessity is the mother of invention.

It reminds me of an Indian dish, although I've not really had anything like it before.

Finely shredded carrots and onions slowly stewed with ginger, applesauce and star anise. In the last leg of cooking I added some chopped cooked hamburger meat (if it was truly Indian, it would be lamb). I thought of this as a way to stretch the meat and use up the carrots.

The flavors were amazing, and I served it with meaty, soft pinto beans, and some rye bread with caraway.

This was really a warming wintertime dish. Perfect for a chilly day, and full of December ingredients: root vegetables, leftover meat and beans, rounded out with flavorful bread.

Here is the recipe for the carrot dish. It would be fine without the meat for those vegetarians out there (especially paired with the beans)

4 whole carrots (use more if no meat)
two small yellow onions (sweet onions would work well too)
2 inch ginger knob
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup applesauce
one whole star anise
teaspoon red chili flakes
tablespoon neutral oil like grapeseed or vegetable
salt to taste
about half a pound cooked meat rough chopped

Dice the onion as small as possible. Grate the carrots using a microplane or the smallest holes on a cheese grater. Grate 1/2 the ginger (don't bother to peel) using the same small holes.
Over low heat, add the grapeseed oil, and when hot, add the star anise, chili flakes, and the other half of the ginger.
Add the shredded mixture, applesauce, orange juice and water, stir. Bring to a simmer and cover. Let this simmer for about 30 - 40 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the chopped meat and a teaspoon of salt. Let this simmer, covered, an additional 15 minutes.

The carrots should be super soft and the meat well incorporated. Serve in a bowl alongside soft pinto beans and with some slices of rye bread with caraway seeds. If you don't have rye bread, any crusty warm bread will do. Although the caraway in the bread compliment the carrots really well. The beans can be mashed or mixed in (I did both!) Use the bread to scoop up the mix, and treat yourself to a hot, warming lunch. I also added some more chili flakes because I like the heat.

The addition of a nice chutney would make this a top notch dish, but I didn't have any, so I used my hot, sweet, pepper relish which was pretty fantastic.

Enjoy!

Gobble Gobble!

Is that a turkey on my loaf of bread!?

Why yes, yes it is.

(Props to Pain D'Avignon for the loaf)

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!