Anticipation

When the weather starts to warm in early Spring, I get excited for the coming months.  Grills start to make more of an appearance, and with them, the charred and smokey flavors that make me feel like a caveman.

In anticipation of grilling season, I was rooting around for some sauce recipes and some things to keep in mind when the first plumes of smoke drift from my backyard.

I found Saveur's BBQ season article.

The recipes I am most excited for would be Brunswick stew, pickled watermelon rinds, both Carolina sauces, DR. Pepper sauce, and all the RIBS.

Don't worry guys, it will be time before we know it.

For now, enjoy the corned beef and cabbage. (I love cabbage, almost as much as I love corned beef.)

Bonus Shots

Keep an eye out for posts titled Bonus Shots.
It will be an ongoing series of leftover pictures.
Pictures inside markets of bulk bins, exotic fruits, vegetables and ingredients, buzzing storefronts, or that one sandwich that never made the blog, but lies in my photos, waiting for its moment to shine.'


This first set of Bonus Shots is from a recent trip to Brighton Beach.

 Look at all this candy! This place is awesome.

 This is buckwheat, I thought the shape of the kernels was interesting.

Korean Firsts

Sometimes I think that I post too much about Asian stuff, but quickly dismiss myself because I remember how much I am in love with all of the food (the girls are cute too!)

I went to Koreatown on W. 32nd st. because I had never been. There were several foods on the agenda, Korean Fried Chicken, for one, because I've heard a lot of people buzzing about it, and various other things, including, but not limited to: kimchi, delicious snacks, noodles, and spicy any-thing.

Let's just say, mission accomplished.

Korean Fried Chicken is delicious. Double fried for fantastic crispiness, tossed in a garlic-soy sauce, these wings are really good, and definitely worth repeating, but with plenty of beer next time.

These particular wings came from Bon Chon, but it's not the only name in the game.

There are three places for Korean fried chicken in this short stretch of streets: Kyochon, the L.A. chain and originator of Korean fried chicken; Bonchon, producer of the wings pictured and claim to five NYC locations; at last but not least, Mad for Chicken, which is supposed to be delicious but at least a 30 minute wait for wings after ordering.

The fries at Bonchon were really good too. We also ordered the kimchi coleslaw which had just enough of the characteristic tang and spice of kimchi but rounded out with mayo.  Sweet dance music was playing.

This is definitely a place I will go back to as the bar looked formidable and the chicken was damn good.

I'm getting ahead of myself. Before the fried chicken spot, I wanted to go to a food court to properly whet my appetite.

 I started off with onions and noodles in black bean sauce. This was supposed to be pork and onions in black bean sauce, but there were barely half a dozen stamp size pieces of the protein I hold so dearly. It was good though, and came with pickled daikon and kimchi. I only ate about half of this, as I knew there were many more things to come. The joy of sharing!


Next up, I had to try this "Chinese Tamale," as it was advertised, because I pretty much knew what I was getting, and I like to set my self up for success.

This was good, and had so many things in it that I love! A strip of sweet Chinese sausage, half a shittake mushroom, a shrimp, some roast pork, beans and onions all call this rice-stuffed banana leaf home. I put hot sauce on and chalked it up as a win.





Here's the 'tamale' split open, revealing it's delicious innards. It's pretty much lo mai gai, but bigger, and with beans and peas and such.

If you're going to go to Koreatown, I would definitely suggest going to H Mart, a well stocked Korean and Asian grocery store. This place has all sorts of cool stuff in it, as well as hot snacks and weird sodas!

Handheld Series 4

The Handheld Series is back!

The handheld food item is greater than the sum of its parts. Crispy, fried, baked, cold or hot, handheld food is always welcome. Something to be savored and devoured, it makes you think and makes you feel. It can be a simple pleasure, or a fabulous indulgent delight.

It is; handheld.

As my outside food adventures lend themselves to Chinatown, many handheld foods are devoured in these neighborhoods. The culture is also geared to many handheld items. Just visit a bakery in an Asian neighborhood and you'll see what I mean.

See this leafy gem? Vietnamese spring rolls.
A fantastic contrasting flavor and texture distinguishes these finger-thick snacks from the fat, dumpy egg rolls and spring rolls of less desirable Chinese restaurants.

Filled with diced shrimp, onions, cabbage and pork, these are hauntingly addicting.
Fresh and hot from the fryer, they are served with big leaves of romaine lettuce, mint, cucumbers and dipping sauce. Wrap them up, nestled next to mint and cucumber, dip them in fish sauce and chilies, and enjoy one of the more wonder-filled handheld foods available. Don't skimp on the mint.

I'll tell you where I like to go for my favorites after the next handheld.

This next delight is a play on an old favorite. The pork bun.
This porky, flaky triangle is unlike the steamed or baked buns that I've spoken of before.

With a sweet, flaky exterior, and a savory pork filled center, these are excellent for breakfast with hot milk tea or for lunch with a cold bubble tea.
Also great after a night of drinking!

These are available at most dim sum restaurants and most Chinese bakeries.


Where to get them

For Vietnamese spring rolls, go to Nha Trang Palace in Brooklyn. I love this spot, and they have a number of dishes that are certainly worth ordering. Get spring rolls, of course, crispy fried squid, and any grilled pork. This place rocks.
For Vietnamese spring rolls in Manhattan, I go to Nha Trang One, on Baxter st. near Whiskey Tavern. The dish to order here is the sauteed shrimp with okra, perfect after several crispy appetizers.

For flaky sweet pork buns, I go to Fay Da Bakery in Manahattan Chinatown, which also has my favorite milk tea of almost any place around. Also worth trying is the chocolate walnut bun.

Poetry Corner

From my Bacon Haiku Series

I have one question,
Is all that bacon for me?
Cause I ate it all.

Goat Head Soup

Now this looks like a hearty soup.

Fat, handmade, doughy dumplings bob among roots, tubers, plantains and goat pieces in this Jamaican specialty available on Fridays at C&J Jamaican restaurant and bakery.

This soup is more accessible than you may imagine, and neither overpowers nor disappoints, providing a smooth, silky ride that fills you up and keeps you coming back for more.

This is one of the irregular shaped dumplings.

The thick and fatty broth is wonderful and full of deep goaty flavors. The kind of soup that may just win people over for more goat in their lives.

This is one of the plantain slices. The first time I had this, I couldn't figure out what it was, thinking it was a strange tuber or root vegetable, of which there are many in this soup.

The tubers, roots, and starches all thicken the broth, adding creaminess to the body that plays well with the meatier flavors from head meat. This soup fills your mouth with flavor.


The goat pieces are tricky, but delicious. Go for the ones with obvious meat on them. Some are just fat and connective tissues and such, and should be enjoyed with caution as it can be quite an overpowering flavor alone, but the slow stewed tender meat strewn throughout is more than worth the trouble.

The goat head soup is only available on Fridays. Show up on a random day and you may be sipping on some chicken foot (delicious) or some cow foot (not so much).

The other food is really good too, but the place is really small and always crowded (because it's good).

It's always a fun time in there, as the cast of Brooklyn characters and Caribbean accents fill the small handful of booths and tiny front end, everyone waiting for their number and a spot to sit. Most people get the food to go, but I've eaten in there every time, except once, when I had some goat head soup in my car the very first time, skirting back to my seat to enjoy the fascinating meal and splendor of exotic eats.

Do not be alarmed if there is a very small hair or two, about the size of an eyelash; chances are, it is one.

Throwback

Check this out!

I'm sure some of you out there will feel some nostalgia over this one.

It looks fun, and probably makes a pretty slamming grilled cheese. I bet it would also be really good with french toast and caramelized apples! (Topped with ice cream of course)

Citrus Close

I never officially ended citrus week. I got caught up in all the fruit and juicing and vitamin C.
I would have liked to post about a few more notable fruits, Cara-Cara oranges, for instance, and maybe kumquats and some other things.

It was fun, why would I want it to end?

The good news, is that now that this super-long week is ended, I can post a bunch of citrus pictures as a wrap up.

These are kumquats, and they're delicious. These little guys are weird and unlike any other citrus. The juice is sour, and the skin is sweet. You pop them whole into your mouth. When I let people try these for the first time, it takes some encouraging for them to keep chewing until the sour dissipates and the sweet skin takes over. They are delicious in stews or braises, and cooking with them can be a lot of fun.

These are a Jamaican specialty called "Ugli Fruit." They appear to be a grapefruit hybrid. The more I look into citrus, the more everything looks like a hybrid. The taste was subtle and not sour. There is a slight tang finish and a lot of juice. The Ugli fruits were good, but not remarkable. I would much rather eat a navel orange. They were also really fibrous and made for some strange snacking.

I really like this picture, and the food that was made with these ingredients was delicious and easy. The two oranges in the background are sour oranges. They had an incredible amount of seeds. The scotch bonnets were pretty big, and were also super cheap (ten for a dollar!) The halved fruit is a Meyer lemon. A sweet, seasonal lemon, without all the fuss and bite of a regular lemon. Some people are obsessed with them.
Anyway, I made crispy Caribbean pork with these things plus some other ingredients. Basically chop up a whole pork shoulder and then marinate in a bunch of spices and citrus juice, then put it in the oven and let it fry itself crispy, turning occasionally.


And now, I say goodbye to citrus week, as a continue to enjoy the bounty of this wonderful family of fruits.

Citrus Week: Charted Territory

Check out this awesome Venn Diagram of the Citrus Family

AWESOME!

Also, I got some Sour Oranges today, a.k.a. Seville Oranges.
Keep a lookout for a post about their Caribbean and British uses, and perhaps a recipe for famous Seville Orange Marmalade.

Citrus Week Day Four: Honey Tangerines

Honey Tangerines!

I love tangerines. Their characteristic tang and high sugar content make them a very enjoyable snack.

Honey tangerines are delicious, and exceptionally sweet when in season. I picked these up just browsing through a store. I can't pass up good citrus.



These two came from the same store, but had different stickers - indicating different groves.

It was cool to compare the fruits, but really the main difference was the overall appearance. The Heller's Bros fruit was noticeably cleaner and sharper in appearance. It's a good thing it's the taste that matters!

I have no problem buying ugly citrus, as long as it smells good and feels heavy.

Try out honey tangerines if you like a sweet juicy tangerine with more flavor and heft than a clementine. The skin is thin and easy to peel. There is little pith, but some stringy pieces may stick to the segments. There are often seeds, but seldom many.

Overall it is a wonderful fruit, and worthy of a day on Citrus Week.