SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
D1 January 1–7, 2016
Mission Impossible Pan-Asian on
D6
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Goodbye, sweet toppings. Instead try olive oil, za’atar, and pine nuts.
By Annie Wu | Epoch Times Staff
I
t’s a new year, and after all that celebratory feasting and imbibing, it’s time to explore the health merits of one of the oldest food traditions in human history: yogurt.
Unlike in the United States, where yogurt is mostly eaten as a sweet breakfast or midafternoon snack, the fermented milk product is a staple part of people’s diets in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and other dairy-loving regions—as a savory food. Yogurt is rich in nutrients like protein and calcium and probiotics that keep the digestive system healthy. But large manufacturers tend to smother their yogurts in sugary jams, cream, and preservatives, offsetting those health benefits. Luckily for us in New York state, there is a
growing number of local small-batch companies that are making fresh yogurt without those additives. The yogurt company Sohha, for example, makes only plain yogurts flavored with sea salt. Co-founder John Fout said the recipe came from his wife’s family, who are Lebanese. It’s a family tradition to make labneh, a Middle Eastern thick strained yogurt, typically eaten with pita bread and olive oil. “It would never occur to them to put fruit on their yogurt,” Fout said.
See Yogurt on D2
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January 1–7, 2016 www.EpochTaste.com
CULTURE: AN AMERICAN YOGURT COMPANY
TRIMONA YOGURT
WHITE MOUSTACHE
YOGURT CULTURE A SAVORY TRADITION
Yogurt continued from D1
“The strained yogurt is more robust and compatible with different toppings. It’s like when you choose a hearty bread to make a sandwich. From a nutritional standpoint, the strained yogurt has more protein as well,” Suzuki said, because the straining process concentrates the nutrients. The strained yogurt is served with either a mix of olives, cucumbers, and tomatoes, or sun-dried tomatoes, strained tomatoes, and mint leaves.
In keeping with the savory approach, Fout and his wife created topping mixes to go with their yogurts, which they bottle and sell by the jar. One topping is za’atar, a classic Middle Eastern spice blend of wild thyme, sesame seeds, and sumac, a berry with a citrusy taste. “Sumac has a nice brightness that matches well with a slightly sour yogurt,” Fout said. He says yogurt also makes a great marinade for meats. “It breaks down the protein, because it’s acidic, but it doesn’t cook the meat the way citrus does.”
Venture Into Thailand’s
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at
ESANATION Authentic Thai cuisine sure to delight your adventurous senses!
• 14 types of unbelievable Som Tum (papaya salad). • Gang Om soup that pulls a straight punch to the throat. • Whole Cornish hen, fried to a golden crispiness, with the most addictive dipping sauce. • Yentafo Noodle soup, an authentic standout.
Yogurt on Every Table In Iran, where Homa Dashtaki, was born, yogurt is a condiment on every kitchen table, to be added to the meal. “You’ll add salt to it, and it has a nice, lemony tang. You have it with rice, bread, as a midnight snack before you go to bed. It’s also a drink, what we call doogh [typically flavored with mint], which helps you digest food,” Dashtaki said. As co-owner of White Moustache, a small batch yogurt company, Dashtaki makes strained yogurts according to her family recipe, passed down from her grandmother. Their fruit topped yogurts are still their best-selling products, but Dashtaki hopes more people can embrace savory yogurts, in the same way she associates that tangy kick with delicious comfort. “[Growing up,] every time you had a tummy ache, you would have plain rice and yogurt. I’ve had that so many times. Even now, when I have it, I feel like everything’s going to be okay. It’s like the way people think of chicken soup,” she said.
Freshest Tasting Culture’s highly strained process results in a robust yogurt with a granular texture, great for mixing into food. I tried putting it into soup, ate it with roasted vegetables, and mixed it into some Mexican rice and beans. The yogurt readily improved each item with its creamy goodness. The highlight is its fresh and clean aftertaste; the tartness disappears as the yogurt melts in your mouth.
Origins Yogurt, it is said, goes back to the ancient Greeks, who first discovered the straining method when they let yogurt sit in unglazed clay pots and saw how the liquid whey seeped out naturally, said Aki Suzuki, the manager of Greecologies, a Greek yogurt shop in SoHo. Greecologies makes two types of yogurt, strained and unstrained, using milk from grassfed cows at a small farm in Middletown, N.Y.
$3.50–$5, cultureny.com
SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
Chef Wanlapha Techama was the sous chef responsible for Esan specialties at Queens restaurant Zabb Elee when it received a Michelin star last year.
ESANATION 750 9th Avenue # New York, NY 10019 (btw. 50th & 51st streets) 212-315-0555 # esanation.com
Everyday Cooking Gino Ammirati, owner of Culture: An American Yogurt Company, has lots of ideas for how to incorporate yogurt into everyday foods. During the winter, Culture sells soups at its retail stores with a dollop of yogurt, to add more tang and substance. At home, Ammirati adds yogurt to chili, spreads it over bagels, and generally substitutes it for any dish that uses sour cream, milk, or mayonnaise. Yogurt not only contains more protein per ounce than milk and lots of probiotics, it’s also substantial enough to make you feel full. Now that I’ve extolled the virtues of eating yogurt as a savory food, here are the locally made, small-batch yogurts I think you should try (check websites for retail locations; prices vary according to retailer):
For Chef Maria Loi’s Greek Yogurt recipe, see EpochTaste.com
Funkiest If you’re the type who loves funky cheeses, this yogurt will delight your taste buds. Trimona Yogurt was founded by Atanas Valev, an agricultural engineer from Bulgaria who missed having yogurts like back home when he first came to work in the United States, and thus spent the next 18 years perfecting his recipe. Valev explained that an authentic Bulgarian yogurt is unstrained (so as to keep all the nutrients in the whey), and tastes tart yet light. When you first taste Trimona yogurt, the initial note is a distinct fermented taste that’s reminiscent of cheese, which then gives way to hints of sour. A colleague from Russia tried it and remarked that the taste was similar to the sour cream that his grandmother used to make. Valev said that homemade flavor in part comes from the combination of live cultures that he selected
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BLACK SHEEP YOGURT FROM OLD CHATHAM SHEEPHERDING COMPANY
SOHHA SAVORY YOGURT
BLUE HILL YOGURT
COURTESY OF RANDOM HOUSE
RECIPE SIMPLE SEASONED YOGURT, SOUTH INDIANSTYLE (MOSARU PACCHADI/PERUGU TALIMPU) This is the simplest of generic South Indian yogurt relishes. At the Windflower Resort in Mysore it appears on the table with all orders of Indian food.
Serves: 4
from Bulgaria (fun fact: Bulgaria is the natural habitat of a particular strain of yogurt-making bacteria, named Lactobacillus Bulgaricus). The other factor is the milk, which comes from only pasture-grazing cow breeds: Jersey, Guernsey, and Swiss brown. These cows produce milk with A2 protein, which is good news for people who are allergic to the A1 protein found in the milk from conventional Holstein dairy cows. $5.39–$6.99, trimonayogurt.com Perfect for a Dip White Moustache’s signature Persian yogurt has a consistency that’s less viscous than sour cream, but has that same silky texture. It makes a fantastic alternative to the rich, heavy chip dips we’re used to eating. For a more subtle version of sour cream and onion, get the moosir version, with an Iranian shallot called Leopoldia. The shallots are pungent, with a tinge of bite, but the cool yogurt mellows out everything. Dashtaki said a quintessential Iranian comfort food dish is potato chips smothered with moosir.
You have [yogurt] with rice, bread, as a midnight snack before you go to bed. Homa Dashtaki, co-owner, White Moustache
Pucker Up Black Sheep Yogurt is high up on the sourness scale. Made with sheep’s milk from a sheep dairy farm in upstate New York, the Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, the yogurt might make some wince from the sourness but those who prefer their yogurt to be tangy and with a punch will love this. The texture is thick and smooth. $3.25, oldchathamsheepherding.com Creamiest Sohha Yogurt wins for the creamiest, custardlike consistency. Sohha makes two kinds of plain yogurts: original and tangy. The original has a light, pleasant tartness that grows more intense as it stays in your mouth, while the tangy flavor dominates your palate with a sharp dose of sour. Fout explained that he created a tangy version to suit customers who wanted a more intense flavor. I thought the original made for a perfect cup of plain yogurt to eat on its own, its piquant quality inviting spoonful after spoonful. $3.99, sohhayogurt.net
$5.49, thewhitemoustache.com COURTESY OF GREECOLOGIES
• • • • • • •
1 cup plain yogurt 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon olive or peanut oil 1/2 teaspoon urad dal or yellow split peas 1/4 teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds 2 hot dried red chilies 5–6 fresh curry leaves
DIRECTIONS From the Windflower Resort and Spa in Mysore 1. Put the yogurt and salt in a serving bowl. Beat lightly with a whisk or fork until smooth and creamy. 2. Put the oil in a small pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, add the dal. As soon as it changes color, add the mustard seeds. When they pop, a matter of seconds, add the chilies, rolling them until they darken all over. Quickly add the curry leaves (take care, as these will splutter), then pour the contents of the pan over the yogurt. Do not stir—leave the seasonings on top as decoration. Excerpted from “Vegetarian India” by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2015 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Most Creative Blue Hill Yogurt comes from Blue Hill Farm, the same place that gave rise to chef Dan Barber’s Blue Hill restaurants. All the flavors are vegetable-focused: sweet potato, beet, tomato (OK, that’s a fruit), and carrot. As a chef would do, the yogurts are infused with spices, honey, fruit, and other ingredients to bring out the natural essence of each vegetable. I especially loved the ones that drew an artful balance between sweet, savory, and tart, like the beet flavor, which included red wine vinegar and raspberries to give a subtly sweet aftertaste; and the sweet potato, enhanced with some sea salt, molasses, and maple sugar.
Light and Barely Tangy If you like your yogurt to have a gentle flavor, Greecologies is your choice. Its barely there tang makes a great companion to the savory toppings of vegetables, herbs, and olive oil. The combination also makes it an ideal meal replacement. This will keep you satisfied and nourished. Greecologies makes its yogurt the way it’s done traditionally in Greece: milk is strained using cotton bags (as opposed to the centrifuge machines that big manufacturers today use), and if you eat in, the yogurt is served in clay pots.
$1.47–$2.99, bluehillyogurt.com
$7.25, greecologies.com
Greecologies yogurt topped with sun-dried tomatoes, strained tomatoes, and mint—a delicious combination.
OUR PURPOSE: TO SATISFY THE PURISTS TOSHIO SUZUKI, SUSHI ZEN
108 West 44th Street, New York | (212) 302-0707
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January 1–7, 2016 www.EpochTaste.com COURTESY OF QUALITY EATS
The New Umami Experience Bara is an attempt to find common ground in tavern culture through the east and west by combining the wine bar tradition of Paris with the Japanese izakaya. The word bara has many meanings, as the restaurant Bara has many faces. Our sensibilities are wild, with a passion for unsulphered wines, spontaneously fermented beers, sour doughs and kimchi, but are also restrained with clean presentations and an attempt to always make clarity of flavor our number one priority.
stuff to eat and drink around town
QUALITY EATS BRUNCH MENU The latest steakhouse from restaurateur Michael Stillman is now serving a brunch menu. Dishes include the French Toast with spiced fruit and Gjetost cheese, A La Minute Quiche, and Grilled Nueske’s Bacon with peanut butter and jalapeùo jelly. Saturdays & Sundays, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Quality Eats 19 Greenwich Ave. qualityeats.com
Quality Brunch Monkey Bread. COURTESY OF QUALITY EATS
COURTESY OF QUALITY EATS
58 E. 1st St. (btw. 1st & 2nd avenues) 917-639-3197 - bararestaurantnyc.com
CLASSICS with FLAIR
Fried Egg with Bavette Steak.
Short Rib Hash with Tabasco Hollandaise.
COURTESY OF ROBERT PARKER WINE ADVOCATE
MATTER OF TASTE WITH ROBERT PARKER
Fine French cuisine in a romantic and elegant setting, be sure to visit Madison Bistro in Murray Hill, and enjoy Master Chef Claude Godard’s updated traditional bistro fare.
MADISON BISTRO
238 Madison Ave. (at 37th Street) madisonbistro.com
Wine expert Robert Parker and his team of reviewers at the Wine Advocate are hosting a grand tasting event at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. They have selected more than 150 of their favorite wines from around the world, including from Château Pontet-Canet (Pauillac), Verite (California), Cayuse (Washington), Cullen (Australia), Fontodi (Tuscany), and JJ Prum (Germany). Winemakers will also teach master classes on the history of their estates. $180 per person ($120 if you are a member of The Wine Advocate at eRobertParker.com). Saturday, Feb. 20 2 p.m.–6 p.m. Mandarin Oriental 80 Columbus Circle a-matter-of-taste.com
MIGHTY PIE AREPAS The pie stand at Union Square Park is now serving arepas, the Venezuelan stuffed bread filled with all manner of meat and vegetables. Offerings include the Gisela Bolanos with shredded beef, queso fresco, sweet plantains, and black beans; the Sofia Silva with bbq pulled pork and housemade coleslaw; and the Marisol Alfonzo with shredded chicken, avocado, chipotle mayonnaise, and shredded cheese. Mighty Pie 20 Union Square W. mightypienyc.com
FREE
When you taste the Japanese food at Momokawa you will know it is the real thing. Each ingredient and every detail ensures the most authentic experience.
Momokawa Prix Fixe Menu Small Course (service for two or more) 6 Appetizer 6 2 kinds of Sashimi 6 Choice of Sukiyaki or Shabu-Shabu (SautĂŠ meals cooked at the table)
6 %00%/1
$48/per person A L SO AVA IL A BLE:
Momokawa 157 East 28th Street | (212) 684-7830 | momokawanyc.com
COCHON555 IN NEW YORK CITY This annual pork feast visits 20 major cities in North America to raise awareness and money for socially responsible pig farming. In New York City, five chefs—Justin Smillie of Upland, Angie Mar of The Beatrice Inn, Hillary Sterling of Vic’s, Danny Mena of Hecho en DUMBO, and Mike Poiarkoff of Vinegar Hill—will engage in a friendly competition to prepare the best pork dish from locally raised heritage breed pigs. The winning chef will advance to the finale in Aspen, Colorado, in June. The festival starts on Jan. 22 with a multicourse dinner served by participating chefs, followed by the Late Night Asian Speakeasy, with food inspired by Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Japanese after-hours bars. On Jan. 23, a three-hour dinner will be served with wine pairings. The main competition will be held on Jan. 24. $125–$258 per person. Friday, Jan. 22–Sunday, Jan. 24 Chelsea Piers, Pier 60 23rd Street & West Side Highway cochon555.com
Authentic Japanese
Attendees at the San Francisco Matter of Taste event in November.
COURTESY OF SEAMORE’S
SEAMORE’S BRUNCH MENU The Lower East Side casual seafood restaurant is now serving brunch. Dishes from the ocean include the RAD, a Russ and Daughters bagel with whitefish spread, poached egg, and pickled peppers; the Smoked Bluefish Benedict with hash browns and salad; and the Breakfast Burrito with spicy squid adobo. There are nonseafood options too, like Lemon Ricotta Pancakes and Avocado Toast with spicy mango and tomatoes. Wash it all down with a Mezcal Bloody Mary. Saturdays & Sundays, 11:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Seamore’s 390 Broome St. seamores.com
Seamore’s RAD open-faced bagel.
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January 1–7, 2016 www.EpochTaste.com MICHAEL TULIPAN
ĺ–„
鍔銗文人墨厢的 čŠŠćƒ…é›…ć„? ( äşŒć¨“ )
瞎
ĺ“ ĺ‘łćœ?鎎王ćœ?çš„ 瞎味佳餚(三樓)
Experience Firsthand the Romantic Life of Korean Dynasty South Korea’s top chef, Sunkyu Lee, cooks authentic Korean Royal Court Cuisine
Faro’s Rye Spaccatelli.
FARO The seasonally focused restaurant in Bushwick, Brooklyn, is serving hearty dishes like Local Grain Porridge with black burgundy truffles, sunchokes, and whey; Gnudi tossed with pulled rabbit leg meat stewed in tomatoes, onions, and herbs; and Dry-Aged Duck Breast, glazed in honey butter and served with green wheat, sautĂŠed sweet potatoes and leeks, kabocha squash purĂŠe, and fishsauce-spiked Thai caramel.
Faro 436 Jefferson St. farobk.com
Totally different and distinctive cuisines and interior designs on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors.
PAUL WAGTOUICZ
212-594-4963
Fung Tu’s Vegetarian Curry Pot Pie.
FUNG TU Chef Jonathan Wu has a new lineup of winter dishes at his ChineseAmerican restaurant, including Skatefin Soup with Ham and Wood Ear Mushrooms, inspired by the classic Chinese shark fin soup; Potato Gratin with sliced Russet potatoes in a beurre blanc sauce made with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sherry vinegar; Vegetarian Curry Pot Pie with a coconut milk stew of celery root, cauliflower, Chinese broccoli, pearl onions, and Yukon Gold potatoes; and Braised Char Siu Beef Short Ribs with Broccoli Rabe and Koshihikari Rice, with an updated char siu sauce made of honey, maple syrup, hoisin sauce, Chinese five-spice powder, and fermented tofu.
10 W 32 St, New York, NY 10001 www.misskoreabbq.com Open 24 Hours
Fung Tu 22 Orchard St. fungtu.com
thai
the modern experience MICHAEL TULIPAN
THE BEST NORTHERN THAI IN THE CITY!
TIMNA The modern Middle Eastern restaurant has new dishes on the menu to keep us warm in the winter. They include Oxtail Ragout, red-wine-braised oxtail with root vegetables, chanterelles, shimeji mushroom, and fresh corn polenta; Chestnut Soup with vanilla butter-braised enoki mushrooms and quail egg; Ravioli of Moroccan Harira Stew, housemade ravioli filled with sheep’s milk ricotta and spiced pumpkin purÊe; and Lamb Shishbarak, chef Nir Mesika’s take on a classic Lebanese dish, featuring tortellini stuffed with spiced ground lamb and dressed in yogurt sauce.
4 STARS ON YELP! & GOOGLE
Timna 109 St. Mark’s Place timna.nyc
Timna’s Chestnut Soup.
FREE DELIVERY
10 BLOCK RADIUS
BEER, BOURBON, AND BBQ FESTIVAL For the seventh year, this national festival is bringing Southern food and drinks to the Chelsea neighborhood. Enjoy an unlimited sampling of beer and bourbon, in addition to barbecued meats from Dinosaur Bar-B-Q, Virgil’s Real Barbecue, Tres Carnes, and other Southern American restaurants in the city. There will also be a baconeating contest and seminar classes by brewers, distillers, and barbecue pitmasters. Saturday, Jan. 30 Noon–9:30 p.m. The Tunnel 608 W. 28th St. beerandbourbon.com
EAST VILLE DES FOLIES This Prohibition Era-themed festival will keep the drinks coming with four floors of rare whiskeys and beers from around the world. The venue, Webster Hall, will be transformed into its original 1920s look. Entertainment includes live swing jazz music and circus performers. A portion of the proceeds will go to Variety the Children’s Charity of New York, a charity for underprivileged children. Saturday, Jan. 16 1:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m. Webster Hall 125 E. 11th St. websterhall.com
Compiled by Annie Wu/Epoch Times Sta
ALL YOUR FAVORITE Thai classics, plus a few unique V{iv} style twists NEW SAT & SUN BRUNCH at V{iv} Hell’s Kitchen location! 12 - 4 pm. Includes free soft drinks, coee/Thai Ice Tea ALL DAY HAPPY HOUR on Mon & Tues, 12-8 pm on Wed - Sun AMAZING PARTY EVENT SPACE, great place for a date or a fun night
v{iv} Bar & Restaurant
HELL’S KITCHEN .( /' $.0+ .( .( . 3 /)/+2% %,* MIDTOWN EAST .( $.0+ '1 -& 3 /)/.(#) %,*
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2.
1.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
3. 1. (L–R) Volcano sushi roll, Thai Green Curry, and Citrus Salmon Carpaccio, with soup and salad.
PAN-ASIAN
Whether you crave Thai, Japanese, or Chinese food, Arbor Bistro has you covered.
2. Tangerine Crispy Chicken. 3. Thai Basil Chicken. 4. Spicy Mango Salad. 5. The Volcano sushi roll.
This article will self-destruct in five seconds Arbor Bistro
226 W. Houston St. 212-255-7888 arborbistronyc.com Hours Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Saturday & Sunday Noon–11 p.m.
sushi rolls, the Volcano Roll packs a punch in every mouthful, with rice wrapped around shrimp tempura, topped with slices of mango, spicy lobster salad, and black tobiko caviar ($15). For drinks, Arbor Bistro has a new sake menu. In addition to dry sakes, it oers fun sparkling sakes and jello sakes (sakes with pieces of jello inside), in flavors like Champagne and yuzu, perfect for a light alcohol pairing. And just in time for winter, there’s a buy-one-get-one-free deal for hot sakes after 4 p.m. daily.
4.
Deliciously Sponsored
It’s like “Mission: Impossible� to find a PanAsian restaurant that executes well a great variety of dishes from Asian cuisine, but Arbor Bistro delivers on the challenge. Located across the street from the Film Forum in Greenwich Village, Arbor Bistro is a great option for theatergoers who need to fill up before or after a screening—or for a casual lunch. Its long menu of classic Thai, Japanese, and Chinese dishes will satisfy any cravings for the bright flavors of Asian cuisine. As an appetizer, try the Citrus Salmon Carpaccio ($9). Slices of salmon sashimi are dressed with garlic and black pepper, then blow-torched around the edges for a hint of char, and drizzled with citrus-wasabi sauce. The mix of spicy and tangy is a fantastic way to open up the palate. There’s plenty to choose from among the entrees. The Tangerine Crispy Chicken, a take on the Chinese-American dish, General Tso’s Chicken, is every bit of deep-fried goodness, but with a glaze that’s not too starchy or syrupy ($9.75). There’s a substantial hit from the chili peppers, and tangerine peels are added to inject some tang. If you order this during lunchtime (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.), it’s also served with a soup, salad, spring roll, and rice. Craving Thai food instead? The Thai Basil Chicken will entice you first with the beautiful fragrance of basil ($14), but when you bite into the chicken, you’ll feel the spicy chilies dancing on your tongue. If you’re more in the mood for Japanese
5.
Authentic Cajun Flavor
DON’T MISS OUR BOTTOMLESS WEEKEND CAJUN BRUNCH!
We specialize in authentic New Orleans food—seafood gumbo, jambalaya, and Cajun seafood boil. We serve incredible Northeast steamed lobster & seafood and have an amazing selection of raw items—oysters, clams, shrimps and chilled lobster, king & snow crab legs.
Wide selection of draft beer
Find us on FaceBook, Instagram, and Twitter
Steamed King Crab Corn + Potato
$1Oyster Happy Hour 5pm - 8pm, everyday
Cajun Bake Special
$19.95 Whole Steamed Lobster Corn + Potato
All Day, Everyday 32 W 33rd St (between 5th Avenue & Broadway) near Empire State Building
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STRUFFOLI Makes 6 to 8 servings
Christmas dinner is over. You have been eating for about 24 hours straight, starting with the Feast of Seven Fishes the night before. Dessert has come and gone, and you swear that you cannot eat another bite. And then, one of your aunts or cousins brings out a plate of her homemade struffoli, little balls of fried dough, glazed with honey, and you find that you can nibble just a bit longer. These go down very easily with an espresso or a glass of sweet wine, such as Marsala. (These can be—and often are—served for The Seven Fishes, too, because they don’t have any butter in them.)
Out-of-Town Chefs Make Mark on New Orleans’s Restaurant Scene Chef Nina Compton of Compère Lapin.
9 9 9 9 9 9 9
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 3 large eggs ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup honey Vegetable oil, for frying and oiling the serving dish 9 Nonpareils (colored sugar sprinkles), for garnish 9 Maraschino cherries, for garnish
By Brett Anderson
M
3. Cut the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, roll the dough into a ¼-inch thick rectangle. Cut the dough into ¼-inch wide strips. Roll each strip under the palms of your hands on the work surface to make long pencil-thick ropes. Cut the ropes into ¼-inch pieces. Transfer the dough pieces to a large rimmed baking sheet. 4. Line another large rimmed baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels. Pour enough oil into a large wide saucepan to come halfway up the sides and heat over high heat to 350ºF. In batches without crowding, add the dough pieces and deep-fry, turning them as needed, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a wire skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer to the paper towels.
1. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and, one at a time, stir in the eggs. Add the vanilla and mix well to make a soft dough.
5. Lightly oil a round serving dish. Heat the honey in a large skillet over medium heat until warm and fluid. Add the fried balls and stir until completely coated. Spoon the balls onto the baking sheet to shape into a wreath shape. Garnish with the nonpareils and cherries. Let cool. To serve, break off clusters of the struffoli with your fingers.
2. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Wrap
This recipe can be found on page 179 of my new cookbook “Patsy’s Italian Family Cookbook.”
Recipe from
Patsy’s Italian Restaurant. Cocktails and bites at Compère Lapin in New Orleans. which opened in the Warehouse District earlier this year. The menu blends New Orleans and Caribbean influences, the latter a natural for Compton, who was born in St. Lucia and rose to prominence working in Miami. The stylistic marriage allows Compton to own her food and pay allegiance to New Orleans cooking without trying to compete with dishes locals have eaten all their lives. “That’s why you’ll never see gumbo on the menu,” Compton said with a laugh. “I will not go there. I don’t want people to think, ‘Here’s this TV hot shot.’” She added, “When you grow up with that stuff, it’s a very personal thing.” Jack Murphy and Susan Dunn came up with the idea to open Paladar 511 over repeat trips to visit Ed Dunn, a longtime Marigny resident and New Orleans restaurant professional, as well as Susan Dunn’s brother. “It’s just a place we felt comfortable,” Murphy said of New Orleans. Murphy and Susan Dunn had built a success with Pizzetta 211 in San Francisco. With Ed Dunn already entrenched in the local restaurant scene, and ready to sign on as a business partner, the trio saw an opportunity to fill a niche with a more expanded menu of seasonally focused, California-style cooking here in New Orleans. “There are a lot of great options for higherend fine dining in this town, and a lot of great po-boys, but there aren’t a lot of options in the middle,” Murphy said. The transplanted professionals behind restaurants like Paladar and its ilk are fueling the growing diversity of dining options in New Orleans, where the notable opening of traditional remoulade-and-meunière places has slowed considerably in recent years. Their arrival mirrors the city’s altered demographics. According to the Public Policy Research Lab at Louisiana State University, more than 25 percent of New Orleans current residents have arrived since Katrina. And judging strictly by trends in the local restaurant scene, those numbers don’t appear likely to reverse anytime soon. Both Dawes and Josephs continue to make regular trips to New York to look after their business interests there. (Murphy also makes return visits to San Francisco to look after Pizzetta 211, but less often.) Josephs still operates Maysville in Manhattan, along with chef Kyle Knall, who does double duty as chef and partner of Kenton’s here in New Orleans. But Dawes and Josephs, who welcomed a third child to their family two years ago, are enjoying the easier life in Dawes’ native city. Dawes’ mother lives close by, and Josephs’ parents are in the midst of an extended stay. “Now they’re starting to think they want to live here, too,” Josephs said, referring to his parents. “Everyone is getting sucked into the New Orleans dream.” From The Associated Press
Our only location 236 W. 56th St. 212-247-3491 www.patsys.com
✁
ani Dawes and Sean Josephs started to seriously consider leaving New York City five years ago. The birth of the couple’s second child triggered a reappraisal of their living quarters: a two bedroom, fourth-floor Manhattan walk-up. “You have to schlep everything up and down those stairs, your kids, your groceries,” Josephs explained. “Eventually, we had a car, but you couldn’t park in front of our building.” Josephs paused. “I’m not saying any of this in a complaining way,” he said. “It’s just that it’s a challenge. And here, we have a driveway.” “Here” is Uptown New Orleans, walking distance from Dawes and Josephs’s restaurant, Kenton’s. Open for just a month and a half, Kenton’s belongs to a growing genre of New Orleans restaurants. Members of the tribe are united not by cuisine type but by owners who established themselves in other markets before deciding to open up shop here. The restaurants range in style from Caribbean-Creole (Compère Lapin) and punkishly inauthentic Chinese (Red’s Chinese) to California-Italian (Paladar 511) and Southernaccented New American (Kenton’s). Next year, Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, successful chef-restaurateurs from Memphis, will open an Italian-focused restaurant in the new Ace Hotel in New Orleans. “New Orleanians are always looking for a great meal at a great restaurant,” said Dawes, a New Orleans native who built her professional career in New York with Tia Pol, a 12-year-old Spanish tapas place in Manhattan. “We just felt that that is a contribution we could make (in New Orleans), that people could come to (Kenton’s) and get those things.” Of course, New Orleans has always attracted nonnatives. It’s how the city became home to so many hyphenates (French-Creole, Creole-Italian, NOLA-Vietnamese), and to a dish (gumbo) often held up as multiculturalism in a bowl. New Orleans also has served as a launching pad for plenty of chefs born elsewhere, most famously Emeril Lagasse, a native of Fall River, Massachusetts. And transplants are hardly strangers to the ranks of chefs and owners connected to the Top 10 restaurants in New Orleans over the years. Until recently, however, modern history offered relatively few examples of culinary professionals moving here to reproduce success achieved elsewhere, especially without first earning stripes working in the kitchen or dining room of a traditional New Orleans restaurant. Celebrity chefs have never been as attracted to New Orleans as they are to other tourist hubs, notably Las Vegas, and perhaps for good reason. Remember Riche, the Todd English restaurant that opened in Harrah’s New Orleans Hotel in 2007—and didn’t last a year? How about Belle Forché, the pan-Creole restaurant opened in the Marigny by a hard-driving chef from Sante Fe (with financial backing from Robert DeNiro) in 2001? Rick Tramonto, a James Beard winner from Chicago and co-owner of Restaurant R’evolution, and Aarón Sánchez, a multiplatform chef-personality from New York and partner in Johnny Sánchez, have both ingratiated themselves with locals. They’ve also both partnered with name-brand Louisiana chefs: John Folse in Tramonto’s case, John Besh in Sánchez’s. Nina Compton fell in love with the city while a contestant on “Top Chef: New Orleans” for many of the same reasons as long-tenured transplants: the joie de vivre, the festivals, the po-boys. “It’s just packed full of personality,” is how Compton described her adopted home. Compton is aware that unofficial local custom calls for nonnative chefs and restaurant operators to gain the imprimatur of an established chef or business before striking out on their own—the path of John Harris (Lilette), Justin Devillier (La Petite Grocery), and Michael Stoltzfus (Coquette), to name a few. Compton and Larry Miller, the chef’s husband and business partner, kept in mind the local reverence for tradition, and for the local folks entrusted with upholding tradition, while conceptualizing Compère Lapin,
the dough in plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
A big, warm, beautiful Italian cookbook with full color throughout, Patsy’s Italian Family Cookbook is a great book for those who know the restaurant and love classic Italian dishes.
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D8
@EpochTaste
January 1–7, 2016 www.EpochTaste.com COURTESY OF CLAIRE THOMAS/THE KITCHY KITCHEN
Spiced Persimmon Cake With Cinnamon Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting. Sevens’ Mixed Grill
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MYSTERIOUS PERSIMMON
CASTILIAN SPANISH CUISINE at el Pote
Hearty, Wholesome Food from Old Spain
Chef’s Favorites Sweet Sangria
By Annie Wu | Epoch Times Staff
Rich Paella Valenciana
Persimmons are a mysterious fruit to many Americans. How do you eat them? What’s the difference between a squat persimmon and a pointed one? These bright orange-colored fruits are in season during the late fall and winter months, but are often overlooked in favor of more familiar fruits like apples and pears. The persimmons we commonly find in supermarkets are the fuyu and hachiya varieties. They are native to Asia, but cultivated stateside in California. Fuyu persimmons are eaten when firm and crunchy, while the hachiya variety must be fully ripe and mushy to the touch before consuming—otherwise, be prepared for the astringent pulp to suck all the moisture from your mouth. Darrin Nordahl, author of the cookbook “Eating Appalachia: Rediscovering Regional American Flavors,” thinks more Americans should be eating and cooking with persimmons because they are such an incredibly sweet and delicious fruit. “A really ripe persimmon has almost no acid. [Whereas with] oranges, strawberries, or grapes, there is always a slight tang on the tongue, even when they’re ripe,” he said. Nordahl said hachiya persimmons are
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In any salad, you can drizzle [persimmon pulp] on top. It’s just scrumptious. Darrin Nordahl, author, ‘Eating Appalachia’
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perfect for making vinaigrettes because their sweetness makes an excellent complement to the acidity in the dressing. More simply, you can extract the gooey pulp via a chinois, then just mix it into your salad dressing. “In any salad, you can drizzle [the pulp] on top. It’s just scrumptious,” he said. Actually, there is an American variety of persimmon, Diospyros virginiana, that grows abundantly along the south of the Appalachian range, in South Carolina, northern Tennessee, and Mississippi. They are not widely available, but some local farmers markets in those states do sell them. Similar to the hachiya but smaller in size (about the size of a ping-pong ball), its pulp has notes of nutmeg and cinnamon, Nordahl said. In traditional Appalachian cooking, people would collect the American persimmons by the bucketful, then incorporate them into all sorts of baked goods like puddings, cookies, and pies. “It takes the consistency of pumpkin pie and is very dense,” Nordahl said. To cut through the sweetness, he likes to garnish persimmon-infused treats with kiwi and lime. Here, Nordahl and Claire Thomas of the blog Kitchy Kitchen share their recipes for persimmon-laden treats.
RECIPE SPICED PERSIMMON CAKE WITH CINNAMON BROWN SUGAR CREAM CHEESE FROSTING Colin Hagendorf, a New York native, sampled every slice of pizza in Manhattan for his blog. All 375 of them.
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Pizza Suprema 413 8th Ave,
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Unassuming but subtly delicious, applesauce adds moisture and sweetness to baked goods and is a staple in vegan cakes and pastries. I took applesauce cake as a jumping off point, and created a spiced persimmon cake. Dense and rich, it’s perfect served with a hot cup of coffee on a fall afternoon.
• • • • • • • • • • • •
2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon cardamom 1 stick unsalted butter, softened 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 large eggs 1 1/2 cups persimmon pulp 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped (plus more for garnish)
For the Frosting • 3/4 cups unsalted butter, softened • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt • 1 cup powdered sugar
DIRECTIONS Heat oven to 350 F with rack in middle. Butter an 8- or 9-inch square cake pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in persimmon pulp. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined, then stir in walnuts. Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Cream the cream cheese in an electric mixer until light and a little fluffy, add the butter, beating for 1–2 minutes, or until combined. Add the brown sugar, pinch of salt, and vanilla extract, and beat until combined. Turn the mixer to low and add the powdered sugar. Turn the mixer on a low speed so it doesn’t blow out everywhere. Spread on the cake and coat the edges with chopped walnuts. Top with cinnamon. Recipe from thekitchykitchen.com
D9
@EpochTaste
January 1–7, 2016 www.EpochTaste.com
RECIPE
RECIPE
BROWN SUGAR PERSIMMON JAM WITH GRIDDLED CROISSANTS
PERSIMMON-KIWIFRUIT SUNSHINE
Simple pleasures are the best when they also take under five minutes to prepare. By using the already “jammy” persimmon pulp and giving a little bit of texture to an otherwise “meh” croissant, you’ve got the perfect breakfast with coffee or a snack with some tea.
I like to pair foods that are at their peak of ripeness at the same time of the year. This is easy during the summer, because so much is available to so many throughout the United States. But folks are often flummoxed during the winter months, especially when trying to create fresh fruit dishes.
Serves: 4 • • • •
That is why I like persimmon, because its bright color, creamy texture, and sweet flavor work well with other, more tart winter fruits, like kiwifruit and citrus.
2 hachiya persimmons, fully ripe 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar 4 croissants 2 tablespoons butter
Serves: 4
DIRECTIONS
• 1 large Valencia orange, juiced (about 3.5 ounces) • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup • 2 ripe hachiya persimmon • 2 ripe kiwifruit • 16 rounded teaspoons mascarpone cheese • 16 toasted pecans • Mace
Scoop out the pulp of the persimmon with a spoon and using a fork, chop it until it is the same smooth texture (some lumps are fine). Chuck it in a bowl and add the brown sugar, stir to combine. Congrats! Your jam is done. Meanwhile, slice your croissants in half lengthwise and spread each side with butter. Heat a pan over medium heat and add the croissants, butter side down. With a spatula, press the croissants until brown and crisp, about a minute.
We, at Hatsuhana, realize that it is rare to find a “no gimmicks, no frills” approach to sushi. Sushi is a conceptually simple cuisine. Ironically, its simplicity also makes it complicated. Hatsuhana salutes the centuries-old methods used by prominent sushi restaurants and chefs in Japan. P H O T O S : E DWA R D D A I
Obsessive Attention to Detail
DIRECTIONS Over medium-low heat, reduce orange juice and maple syrup in a small saucepan until a syrup consistency is regained. Also over medium-low heat, toast the pecans in a dry skillet, shaking the pan occasionally until desired toasty-ness is achieved.
Spread with persimmon jam and enjoy! Recipe from thekitchykitchen.com COURTESY OF CLAIRE THOMAS/THE KITCHY KITCHEN
T
he single inspiration that lead to the establishment of Hatsuhana was nothing more than the desire to introduce unsurpassed sushi and sashimi to New Yorkers. Since the first day we opened our doors in 1976, we have been a sushi specialty restaurant. This has helped us maintain our focus exclusively on sushi cuisine.
Meanwhile, slice persimmon and kiwifruit crosswise into 8 slices per fruit. (So you should have 16 slices of persimmon and 16 slices of kiwifruit. The skin on the kiwifruit can be left on if you like ... it is thin and quite edible). Lay 4 persimmon slices on a plate, then add sliced kiwifruit, then mascarpone, and top with a single toasted pecan. Using your fingers, carefully dust the mascarpone with mace. Not a lot, as a little goes a long way. Complete the dish with a drizzle of the maple-orange syrup.
212.355.3345 www.hatsuhana.com 17 East 48th St, New York (btwn. Madison & Fifth Ave.)
Recipe from “Eating Appalachia: Rediscovering Regional American Flavors” by Darrin Nordahl (Chicago Review Press, 2015, $19.95)
RECIPE PERSIMMON PUDDING It seems everyone in the South had a grandmother or aunt who made a signature persimmon pudding. No two recipes are exactly alike. Some prefer to add lots of spice, such as cinnamon, but sometimes cloves as well. Other recipes call for more sugar than persimmon pulp. I’ve seen recipes that blend sour cream into the persimmon pudding, and one that adds baked sweet potatoes. But ripe American persimmons are so sweet and lush, I find the addition of too many ingredients muddies the ethereal flavor of the fruit. In the case of persimmon pudding, less really is more.
Wet Ingredients • 2 cups ripe persimmon pulp (I prefer our native American persimmon, but hachiya persimmons also work well. Just make sure the fruit is very ripe.) • 2 eggs, lightly beaten • 1 1/2 cups whole milk • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Dry Ingredients • 2 cups all-purpose flour
• • • • • •
1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Accompaniments • Whipped cream or mascarpone for topping • Sliced lime or kiwifruit for garnish
DIRECTIONS Heat the oven to 350 F and grease a 9 x 13-inch cake pan. Mix the wet ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, sift the dry ingredients and then stir into the pulp mixture. Stir in the melted butter. Pour the mixture into the greased cake pan and bake about 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let pudding cool, then slice and top with mascarpone or whipped cream, and garnish with a slice of kiwifruit or lime. Recipe from “Eating Appalachia: Rediscovering Regional American Flavors” by Darrin Nordahl (Chicago Review Press, 2015, $19.95)
COURTESY OF DARRIN NORDAHL
Top with mascarpone or whipped cream.
Nearly four decades later, our mission remains unchanged. Obsessive attention to detail should be the norm for sushi restaurants, not something to strive for. The complexity associated with creating the ideal sushi rice. The fragrance of freshly ground wasabi. The freshest fish from around the globe. Please come by for lunch or dinner and let us show you what real sushi is like!
D10
@EpochTaste
January 1–7, 2016 www.EpochTaste.com AP PHOTO/MATTHEW MEAD
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Niu Noodle House Chinese Featured Dish: Pork Soup Dumplings 15 Greenwich Ave. (btw. 10th & Christopher streets) 212-488-9888 | niunoodleny.com
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Ready for Breaded Cutlets of a Different Kind? Cauliflower! By Sara Moulton Let’s say that one of your New Year’s resolutions is to eat healthier and lose some weight. Join the crowd, right? In practice, what we probably mean—among other things—is that we plan to eat more vegetables and less meat. It’s a challenge. But if you try this dish—a wonderful vegetarian version of breaded veal (or pork or chicken) cutlets swimming in a marina sauce—you will see how easy and satisfying it can be to turn a resolution into reality. You start by slicing a whole head of cauliflower into cutlets. The idea is to end up with thick slabs of the vegetable. One easy method for doing this is to cut the head in half down the center, then turn each half on its cut side and cut the halves into 1/2-inch-thick slabs. There will always be a few loose bits from the ends, but those also can be breaded and cooked as described below. You’ll want to take care with the breading, too. It’s a three-step process: dust the steaks lightly with cornstarch, coat them well with an egg mixture, then finish them with a layer of breadcrumbs. This is standard operating procedure among culinary pros. The three layers provide a more substantial crust than any other single coating or combo of coatings. Now it’s time to brown your vegetable cutlets. You could do it in a skillet—just as you would a breaded meat cutlet—but that would require a ton of oil (those breadcrumbs just soak it up). And remember, it’s the new year and you’re on a new path. So we bake them instead, which requires a lot less oil. The key is to place the cutlets fairly close to the heat source. In my electric oven that’s the top of the stove. If they’re not properly browned at the end of the prescribed cooking time, just leave them in the oven a little longer. Then dig in. The biggest flavor is going to come from the marinara sauce. Your brain likely won’t care at all whether the cutlet is veal or vegetable. But your body will thank you. From The Associated Press
RECIPE
BATTERY PARK
SPEEDY MARINARA
Malaysian Kitchen USA Malaysian Featured Dish: Hainanese Chicken 21 South End Ave. (btw. W. Thames St. and the Esplanade) | 212-786-1888 alaysiakitchenusa.com
Prep & Cooking Time: 35 minutes (10 minutes active) Makes: 2 1/2 cups
BROOKLYN Pasar Malam Southeast Asian Featured specials: Malaysian food and roti station 208 Grand St. (btw. Bedford & Driggs avenues) Williamsburg 929-267-4404 | pasarmalamny.com
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• • • •
2 large cloves garlic, smashed 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Hefty pinch red pepper flakes 28-ounce can plum tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted), chopped • Kosher salt
DIRECTIONS In an unheated medium saucepan, combine the garlic and the oil. Turn the heat to medium and cook, turning over the garlic several times, until it is just golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and a hefty pinch of salt, then bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook at a brisk simmer until the sauce is reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard the garlic. Season with salt.
RECIPE BREADED CAULIFLOWER CUTLETS WITH MARINARA Prep & Cooking Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes (45 minutes active) Serves: 4 • • • • • • • • • •
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 large head cauliflower 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1/2 cup cornstarch 1 3/4 cups panko breadcrumbs 1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese 1 1/2 cups speedy marinara (recipe below) or store-bought marinara, heated
DIRECTIONS Heat the oven to 400 F. In a small bowl, combine the oil and the garlic. Set aside. Pull off any leaves from the stem end of the cauliflower and trim off just enough of the stem so the cauliflower stands flat on the counter. Slice the cauliflower head in half down the center top to bottom. One at a time, set each half onto its cut side. Starting from one end of each half, slice crosswise to create 1/2-inch-thick slices. This will yield 3 to 4 cutlets from the center of each half, with the small ends being chunks. The chunks can be prepared as the cutlets, or reserved for another use. In a shallow bowl or pie plate, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, 3 tablespoons of water, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. On a sheet of kitchen parchment, combine the cornstarch with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, stirring the mixture with a fork to combine. On a second sheet of parchment, combine the panko with the cheese, stirring with a fork. One at a time, coat the cauliflower cutlets (and trimmings, if using) on both sides with the cornstarch, knocking off the excess. Next, dip each in the egg mixture, coating them on both sides and letting the excess drip off. Finally, coat them with the panko mixture, patting the crumbs on well. Set aside. Strain the garlic oil through a mesh strainer, pressing hard on the garlic to get out all the oil. Discard the garlic (or reserve for another use). On a rimmed baking sheet, spread half of the oil in an even coating. Set the baking sheet on the oven’s top shelf and heat for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and quickly arrange the prepared cauliflower on it in a single layer. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, drizzle the tops of the cauliflower evenly with the remaining oil, turn them over, then bake for another 15 minutes. Divide the cauliflower among 4 serving plates, then serve topped with marinara.
D11
@EpochTaste
January 1–7, 2016 www.EpochTaste.com ALL PHOTOS BY MATTHEW MEAD/AP
Want to Eat Healthier? Move Sides to the Center of the Plate By Melissa d’Arabian Like millions of you, I am a home cook. I get dinner on the table for my family day after day. I plan the main dish, the vegetables (I always serve two so any pickier kiddos have a choice) and the sides. And if you’re anything like me, your default is to spend your creative energy on the protein or main dish. The sides and veggies? Afterthoughts. A steamed this or roasted that. Whatever. But what if we spent more of that energy on trying new and more interesting vegetable recipes, and let the protein be the simple (side) dish on the table? I’m a firm believer that one of the best ways to become a healthy eater is to make vegetables in a million dierent ways, thereby making them more interesting and appealing. What a great way to bump up your vegetable consumption. One of my favorite ways to mix things up and make my vegetables more interesting is to par-
One of the best ways to become a healthy eater is to make vegetables in a million different ways.
cook (partially cook) them, then sautÊ them in a small amount of aromatic fat. Traditionally, this calls for blanching the vegetables—boiling them briefly, then plunging them into an ice bath—then sautÊeing them. However, my weeknight hack is even simpler. I just briefly steam the vegetables in a covered dish in the microwave, then uncover them, drain them, and pop them into a skillet. I showcase this technique in today’s recipe. I microwave green beans, then sautÊ them in a little olive oil flavored with garlic, red pepper flakes, and (your new favorite ingredient) anchovies. Anchovies are the surprise that add saltiness and savory umami to your veggies. For a vegetarian version, you could use miso paste or soy sauce. Either way, expanding your veggie repertoire and letting the meat take second seat will help you break out of your dinner rut in a healthy way.
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&
Parmesan cheese • Chopped fresh parsley, to garnish • Ground black pepper
Prep & Cooking Time: 15 minutes Serves: 6
DIRECTIONS
•
Black Garlic Ramen
100% VEGAN RAMEN
Healthy Natural
GREEN BEANS WITH ANCHOVIES, PARMESAN, AND PINE NUTS
• • •
Hinata’s Special
From The Associated Press
RECIPE • • • •
ALL NATURAL ORGANIC YOUNG CHICKEN BROTH NO MSG•EVERYTHING HOMEMADE
HINATA RAMEN
HinataRamen.com 159 East 55th St. (b/w Lex. & 3rd ave) , 212.355.2974
In a microwave-safe dish with a cover, combine the green beans with 1/4 cup water. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Let sit for 1 minute, covered, to steam, then uncover and drain the water.
1 pound French green beans, trimmed 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 anchovy fillets, minced, and pressed almost into a paste (or 1 tablespoon anchovy paste) Pinch red pepper flakes 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted in a dry skillet until golden 3 tablespoons grated or finely shredded
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Meanwhile, in a large sautĂŠ pan over medium, heat the oil. Add the garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes and cook until very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the drained green beans and toss to coat well (be careful, as they may splatter a bit from the residual water on the beans). Cook for 3 minutes, then add the vinegar and pine nuts, then toss again. Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with Parmesan, parsley and pepper.
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Easier Weeknights With Chicken, Chipotle, and a Slow Cooker By Katie Workman One of the greatest secret weapon ingredients I know is chipotles in adobo sauce. These are smoked jalapeùo peppers that have been stewed in a sauce of tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, salt, and various spices, such as cumin, oregano, and paprika. Imagine doing all that yourself! No thanks! Luckily, the whole thing—peppers and sauce—is sold in tiny cans at just about every grocer. The easiest way to use these peppers and sauce is to purÊe the whole thing. I just dump the contents of the can right into the food processor or blender. Then I store the puree in a sealed container in the fridge. Whenever a soup, stew, or a chili (or anything that calls for a little touch of smoky heat) needs a little something extra, in goes a tablespoon or two of the purÊe. Speaking of secret weapons, one of the best appliances to earn that description is the slow cooker. For many of us, this handy kitchen cooker takes up permanent residence on the counter during the colder months. The unparalleled pleasure of walking into your home at the end of a long day to be greeted by the scent of a cooked meal is hard to overstate. In this chili, these two secret weapons join together to turn juicy and moist boneless, skinless chicken thighs into a somewhat spicy and couldn’t-be-easier chili. I often make chili with ground chicken or turkey, which we all love, but it was nice to change it up with real cubes of chicken. This one is a definite weeknight keeper. From The Associated Press
RECIPE SLOW COOKER CHICKEN CHILI Prep & Cooking Time: 4–6 hours on high, 6–8 hours on low (15 minutes active) Serves: 8 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
330 8th Avenue • SongkranKitchenNYC.com
NO MSG
Serious Hot Pot Seriously Addicting
Authentic Sichuan “mala tang� will leave you craving more and more. Your secret weapon: chipotles in adobo sauce.
1 cup chopped yellow onion 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons pureed chipotles in adobo sauce 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juices 2 tablespoons chili powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin Two 15 1/2-ounce cans black beans, drained 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces 2 scallions, trimmed and chopped Juice of 1 lime Kosher salt Shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend Sour cream
DIRECTIONS In a large slow cooker, combine the onion, carrots, garlic, chipotles in adobo, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, and beans. Stir to combine, then add the chicken and stir again. Cook in the slow cooker on high for 4 to 6 hours, or low for 6 to 8 hours. Stir in the scallions and lime juice just before serving. Taste, then season with salt. Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream on the side.
SONGKRAN Homestyle Thai Kitchen
The PERFECT Lunch Spot Customize your Hot-Pot with meat or seafood. We also offer a spicy Dried-Pot stirfry. Not a fan of spicy? We have a soup for you! Now you dont have to go to Flushing for a taste of Sichuan flavors. Check us out in Midtown
Manting
150 W. 49th St. 646-921-7777
Limited Time Only Ends Dec. 15th Hiroshimayaki + Soup + Pumpkin Obanyaki + Tea / Coffee + Special Present +
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CASUAL DINING CAFÉ & SHOP
746 Tenth Ave. (between 50th and 51st Streets) 212-765-0197 Mocu-Mocu.com
A $31 Value Only $23
This traditional Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is not to be missed!
Epoch Times, January 1–7, 2016
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