Strange Fruit

Why is it that breakfast joints, even some otherwise good ones, insist on serving "Mixed Fruit" jelly? Guess it's cheaper, especially the no-name foodservice brands like Sysco.

Why do they think people want mixed fruit jelly? Do we buy it at the store? No!

A diner in northeastern Pennsylvania is attached to a grocery store. They don't sell Mixed Fruit Jelly in the store. So why do they think the same customer wants it when he dines out?

C'mon, restaurants, please serve real preserves, and spend the extra two cents to give us a decent name brand like Dickinson, Knotts Berry or Smuckers at least, OK?

In Denver

Just over six months since my last post and the move to Denver. Hey, I've been busy. Denver is a great city, and I love being in a major city again where you can get just about anything. Here are some highlights so far...

• I've been to 3 of the 5 Jewish delis, had great corned beef flown in from New York, and at another, a great brisket sandwich. And that one sells black & whites.
• You can buy Batampte pickles from Brooklyn (half sour or garlic dill) in several places. I didn't expect to find them, or any brine pickles, out here.
• In season, you can buy fresh roasted chiles at farmers markets and roadside (and there's a farmers market a block away from my house). I've been using them on sandwiches, but plan to make chile verde (green chile sauce with pork).
• Dim Sum (Chinese finger foods). There are several places but the one we've gone to is The Empress. At noon on Christmas the place was packed -- 95% Chinese, 5% Jewish.
• Enzo's End Pizzeria -- best Northeast style pizza I've had outside of New York/New Haven/Boston
• The Mexicans stew short ribs that are butchered the same way as flanken, so I bought some and made flanken for the first time. A taste right out of my childhood.
• What they call "mild" here easteners call "medium."
• The Savory Spice Shop - this wonderful store grinds its own spices and makes its own blends and rubs. There are tasters for just about all and the prices are reasonable.
• A bunch of restaurant chains are based here, but my favorite is Chipotle Grill. Simply the best quality and best value in fast food. Others are Qdoba, Quiznos, Red Robin and Heidi's Brooklyn Deli.

Moving On

Buckhorn Exchange

In 3 days, I'll be leaving the South -- a place I never thought I'd live -- to move to the Rockies -- a place I never thought I'd live. Just goes to show, you can make all the plans you want, but sometimes life takes over.

Living in Virginia made me aware for the first time of Southern cuisine, although I've barely begun to explore it. My farewell Southern meal was a full pork picnic shoulder pulled barbecue I made in the Western North Carolina style along with fixin's for my friends Micah And Ricky. Like me, they're very Reform Jews.

Now I'm wondering if there is such as thing as Rockies cuisine. I think game meats such as buffalo and elk are part of it. One great place to enjoy them is the Buckhorn Exchange. It's the oldest restaurant in Denver and is decorated with lots of taxidermy. Another great one, in nearby Morrison, is The Fort. I also look forward to exploring the many taquerias and carnicerias in Denver.

Jewish-Style Deli Without Nitrates-Nitrites

I'm sensitive to nitrates or nitrites -- not sure which one, but they generally go together. All the processed cured meats such as ham, bacon and salami you buy in regular supermarkets have them. I think they're not good for anyone, but in my case I would get cranky and mean every time I had a Hebrew National salami sandwich. Not what I was looking for. An alternative medical practicioner I go to told me my body doesn't want these substances, and I believe her.

I do some of my shopping at Whole Foods, and they carry a variety of nitrate-nitrite-free products, but I hadn't found any to replace my Jewish-style deli products until recently. Wellshire Farms makes a hot dog and salami that come pretty close to the taste I'm looking for. They also make corned beef and pastrami, but those are not carried at my store so I haven't tried them yet. The specific products I like are: The Premium Beef Frank and Sliced Old Fashioned Deli Style Beef Salami.






I have been hankering for Jewish salami for so long it was a revelation to taste it again! Wellshire also makes the Primo line of Italian deli meats and they are very good.

When we were kids, my friend Carl's mom introduced me to the joys of fried salami sandwiches. It's simple: slice the salami, fry it until it crisps up a bit, and have it on bread with some mustard.

I take this a step further and make open-faced fried salami Reubens. Spread some Russian or Thousand Island dressing on your bread, cover with fried salami, cover that with sauerkraut and more dressing. I sometimes cover that with thinly sliced tomatoes. Cover all with thin swiss cheese and put under the broiler (I use a toaster oven) until the cheese starts to brown. Eat with fork and knife.

A Toast to New Orleans

I know it is too soon to write an obituary for New Orleans. Having made my fourth visit there this past spring, the fresh memories of a great city compound the sadness I feel seeing it under water and its people in despair. There is much I love about the city, but for me, New Orleans is more than anything about the food.

In one week in April...
...I took a culinary history walking tour of the French Quarter
...had beignets and coffee at Cafe du Monde 5 times and
...a big, greasy breakfast at Mother's another morning and
...atmospheric dinners at Broussard's, Arnaud's and Court of Two Sisters and
...not so fancy red beans and rice, jambalaya, gumbo and shrimp creole at the Gumbo Shop and Bon Ton Cafe and
...a shrimp po-boy and Abita beer at Bruning's overlooking Lake Ponchartrain and
...a muffaletta from Central Grocery

Of course there were the evenings drinking at the Monteleone's carousel bar, and listening to the incredible Zydeco accordianist Duane Dopsie and inveterate blues singer Big Al Carson on Bourbon Street.

There are many New Orleans cookbooks. The one I own is by the Gumbo Shop. While the restaurant itself is dependable but not exceptional, the cookbook is excellent; beautifully designed, with great photography, and the recipes are fabulous.

Broussard's

Arnaud's

So here's to New Orleans. I know I'll be back.

Fried Clams

I lived in Maine for 18 years, and one of my favorite native foods was fried clams. My friend Janis Jaquith, another New England ex-pat, has written a great essay complete with recipe for our local paper, The Hook. Janis, now we need your recipe for tartar sauce!

Churrasco Estilo

Skirt steak, or Churrasco Estilo, is one of my favorite cuts of beef for grilling. Unfortunately, in many parts of the country it's difficult to find. Best bet is a Latino market. I get mine in Northern Virginia when returning from Washington. I like to buy steaks that are about 2 to 2-1/2 pounds each. Skirt is often used to make fajitas. But I put a mojo marinade on it, grill and serve with a chimichurri sauce.


skirt steaks
Churrasco Estilo recipe

Mojo Marinade reci
pe
10 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour orange juice*
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 teaspoon oregano
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Mash the garlic and salt into a paste using mortar and pestle. Stir in the juice, onion and oregano. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil to near boiling and remove from heat. Whisk in the juice mixture until blended. This will be enough marinade for up to 6 pounds of meat.

*Sour orange juice is available in Latino markets, or as a substitute combine two parts orange juice to one part lemon and one part lime.

Marinate steaks in the refrigerator overnight and then grill on the barbecue. I recommend serving rare to medium rare. Since heat and steak thickness will vary, start by grilling 4 minutes on each side. Then take the temperature with an instant read meat thermometer. Monitor every couple of minutes, and remember the meat will continue to cook a bit once off the grill, so take it off when it's not quite done to where you want it. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let rest, covered with foil, for ten minutes. Slice against the grain 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick. Arrange on a platter and cover with Chimichurri, or put the sauce in a gravy boat or bowl and let diners apply to their own taste.

Chimichurri

8 cloves garlic
1/4 cup white vinegar
juice of one lime
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup onion
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems removed*
dash of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Put everything except the oil in a blender and "chop" until you have a thick mixture. Transfer to a bowl and whisk (do not use blender!) in the olive oil. Taste and add more salt, pepper, vinegar and lime juice as desired.

*Cubano style would call for cilantro, but I prefer the milder flavor of parsley, favored in Argentina.

This recipe adapted from Three Guys from Miami.

Fiesta Rice Salad

I made up a Mexican-influenced rice salad this weekend to go with grilled St. Louis pork ribs with Two Trees sauce, savory chicken drumsticks and green salad.

Fiesta Rice Salad recipe

Cook 2 cups of white basmati rice (yields about 10 cups cooked) and spread out on a platter to cool. Put in a large bowl and mix in:

1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 15 oz. can corn, drained
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 teaspoons minced cilantro (optional)

Make a dressing with:

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
black pepper
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons lime juice
slowly drizzle in 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil while whisking to make an emulsion

Stir the dressing into the rice mixture, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

The flavor was pleasing but (intentionally) mild, so you may want to add more spice, or even some heat. I suggest you taste it and adjust as you are moved to do!

We had a lot left over, so the next night Bella added fresh tomato chunks and cheddar cheese to make it into a great one-dish meal.

1888

Two great institutions were founded in 1888. One is the one I work for, The National Geographic Society. The other is Katz's Delicatessen on New York's Lower East Side.

I first enjoyed the pleasures of Katz's with my friend Barry when we were teenagers more than 35 years ago. I visited again last week and invited some industry friends to meet me there. It is set up cafeteria style. You go to the counter, and a counterman makes your sandwich. Tipping, once done on the sly, is now encouraged. A sign dating to W.W.II urges you to "send a salami to your boy in the Army" (in New York, that rhymes).

I always have a hard time choosing between corned beef and pastrami. Since Henry and I got there early, I had a hot dog appetizer while pondering the selection. Once our friends had arrived, they lined up behind me. I went for the pastrami, piled high on rye with mustard. The counterman gave me a generous plate of sour and half sour pickles and pickled green tomatoes. I helped myself to a plate of sauerkraut, and bought some potato knishes and fries for the table. Sipped first on a Dr. Brown's Cream soda, and still thirsty, followed with a Dr. Brown's Black Cherry. Regina enjoyed something I hate, but Barry always loved, Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray. Yup, celery soda.

Regina brought the table a classic New York black & white cookie to share. On Seinfeld, Jerry said, "Oh look Elaine, the black and white cookie. I love the black and white. Two races of flavor living side by side. It's a wonderful thing isn't it?"

This was Shane's first dinner ever in New York. I told him he hit the jackpot -- few places are more unique to NY than Katz's. He unwittingly had a taste of tongue. I think he found it "interesting." I find tongue too rich to have by itself, but sometimes have a combo with corned beef.

I'll forgive Sandy for having a hot dog with relish and ketchup instead of the de rigeur mustard and kraut.

If you saw the movie When Harry Met Sally you've seen Katz's. Meg Ryan might have been faking it, but I've seen people with this look there:



"I'll Have What She's Having"

Molto Mario

In New York on business, I was with a colleague who went to high school with chef Mario Batali. He contacted Mario to get a reservation at his flagship restaurant, Babbo.

This was an amazing meal, and thanks to my friend Dan, three of us were treated to Mario's company during dinner and some great extras he served us.

Every element of every dish was exquisite, each new flavor a revelation, beginning with bruschetta topped with chick peas. Then Mario brought us two plates of salume, each with six or more types of cured meats. One plate had his creations and the other his father's. Mario's included a delicious salad of carmelized onions, Cipolle Modenese.



Armandino Batali's Mole
Antipasti we ordered were: Marinated Fresh Anchovies with Watermelon Radishes and Lobster Oil, Grilled Octopus with "Borlotti Marinati" and Spicy Limoncello Vinaigrette, and
Roasted Beet Salad with Ricotta Salata. Mario also brought us mozzerella with tomatoes and basil. This was not your everyday insalata caprese. The cheese was the most tender and flavorful ever, and there were several varieties of basil. Mario topped this with his own olive oil.

For our Primo, we shared Beef Cheek Ravioli. But since we had been talking with Mario about how gnocchi tended to be heavy "bombs", he insisted we try his, which were light as a feather.

For our Secondi, Dan and I each had Brasato ai Borolo (melt in your mouth braised beef). Charlie had a signature dish, Spicy Two-Minute Calamari Sicilian Lifeguard Style. Evidently a particularly "spicy" lifeguard was Mario's inspiration. These were accompanied by wine from Mario's vineyard in Italy.

A selection of digestives was followed by espresso and Chocolate Hazelnut Cake, Warm Blueberry Crostata, an assortment of Gelati and Sorbetti, and raspberries and figs over mascarpone.

It was fun to listen to Mario and Dan catching up after nearly 30 years while enjoying the meal of a lifetime.