Thursday, March 23rd: Oni Sauce Pop-Up in Manhattan

March 16th, 2017 § 0 comments § permalink

Yes, if you love down home, authentic Japanese cooking this is the culinary event of the year. Vicki Freeman and Marc Meyer are doing five pop up restaurants at 33 Great Jones Street right next door to their celebrated Vic’s Restaurant. Vicki thinks her sister-in-law Maiko Sakamoto aka Exquisite Maiko is the best Japanese chef in New York and HG agrees. There is no other chef HG/BSK would rather dine with. Maiko’s stand–Oni Sauce– is one of the stars at Brooklyn Smorgasburg and Vicki has been pleading with her to do a tasting menu of all the wonders she’s tasted at Maiko’s Brooklyn home. Maiko relented and now you’ve got your chance. Maiko and Oni Sauce will be doing a 12-course tasting menu on March 23. There are two sittings: 6:30 PM and 9:00 PM. Limited seating, so act fast. Expect among many other delights: Sake steamed clams. Fluke carpaccio. Mackerel tataki. Pork belly and daikon radish stew. Reserve at Eat@onisauce.com . Cost is $75 per person. Much cheaper than air fare to Tokyo or Osaka (plus hotels, etc.). You’ll leave the Oni Sauce experience with a happy, enlightened appreciation of what Japanese cuisine is all about.

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Choucroute At Home

March 12th, 2017 § 4 comments § permalink

Surprisingly, HG has never had good choucroute in Paris. For the uninitiated, choucroute is an Alsatian dish of simmered sauerkraut topped with a variety of piggy parts: Pork knuckle, smoked pork chops (kassler ripchen); frankfurters, bratwurst, thick cut bacon, sausage, etc. At Brasserie Boulingrin in Rheims, HG was occupied by butter drenched sole meuniere while a waiter walked by with a sumptuous, huge platter of choucroute. HG will certainly order it when (hopefully) HG/BSK get back to Rheims. Choucroute at two Paris stalwarts. Chez Jenny and Brasserie Balzar, lacks zest. Last night was chilly in New Mexico so dinner was hearty. BSK answered the dining challenge by constructing an estimable choucroute. BSK simmered the sauerkraut in a base of olive oil, sliced apples and white wine. Killer kraut. Cut up a Smithfield Farms Polish Kielbasa and let it heat with the kraut. Topped it with boiled all beef frankfurters. Accompanied the dish with small boiled potatoes. Three kinds of mustard on the table: Super hot Keen’s, Maille Dijon, Maille Whole Grain. Kosher dill pickles. Bass Ale. Let the winds blow. All is merriment in the HG/BSK household.

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Don’t Mess With Sikhs

March 8th, 2017 § 2 comments § permalink

The neo-Nazi regime of Der Trumperer and his guru, Steve Bannon, has given energy to the Alt-Right aka Nazis, America Firsters, nativists and violent haters. An Indian man was killed and another wounded by a crazed bigot recently. Waves of anti-Jewish bomb threats are a daily occurrence. And, a few days ago, a Sikh man was shot by an assailant who told him to go back to his own country. As you may have gathered from a recent post (“Langar”), HG is very fond of HG’s Sikh neighbors who live in an ashram a few miles from HG/BSK’s New Mexico home. Sikhs, for centuries, have combined their spirituality, peacefulness and striving for righteousness with a ferocious fighting spirit. In North America, Africa and England Sikhs have been prominent in providing security services. When HG/BSK resided in Vancouver, B.C., Sikhs guarded all of the fast growing city’s numerous building sites. Sikhs are totally non-agressive and do not provoke physical combat. They operate under three rules. One: Take up arms and resort to physical violence only as a last resort. “When all other means have failed, it is just to resort to the sword” Guru Gobind Singh. Two: Never strike first. Three: Use only proportionate force. Bigots take heed. Sikhs will fight back. Ferociously and effectively.

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Friday Is Fish Day

March 7th, 2017 § 2 comments § permalink

Whole Foods always has fish specials on Friday. HG takes advantage. Last week HG bought a thick piece of swordfish for Friday dinner and a pound of good looking Pacific sole for Saturday. Total for finny treats was $21. Not bad. HG had the fish clerk cut the swordfish in four thin horizontal slices. HG dusted the slices with flour and sautéed them quickly in olive oil with plenty of lemon juice. When done, gilded them with capers and melted butter (and more lemon juice).BSK stir fried some asparagus and boiled tiny potatoes. Wonderful meal. Saturday the sole was prepared a la Exquisite Maiko, HG/BSK’s talented chef/daughter-in-law. The sole was steamed over baby bok choy in a mix of white wine (BSK sometimes uses sake), sesame oil, soy sauce and garlic. This was served with Vietnamese rice noodles flavored with sesame oil and Vietnamese fish sauce. Sriracha on the side. El Yummy.

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Fregola Sarda

March 6th, 2017 § 0 comments § permalink

Fregola Sarda is a Sardinian pasta that is similar to Israeli couscous but with a nutty flavor that has overtones of kasha (buckwheat groats). Fregola Sarda is produced by using semolina flour to make tiny balls and then toasting them. It’s delicious in a variety of breakfast dishes (served with a lump of butter and grated cheese plus a dollop of sour cream) or for dinner. A Sardinian favorite is a hearty soup of fish stock, tomatoes, Fregola Sarda and clams. HG/BSK will prepare this on Prince Edward Island this summer (anticipate digging up the clams in the waters of St. Mary’s Bay). No clams last night. Just Fregola Sarda with onions, mushrooms and a sofrito of olive oil, garlic and chopped flat leaf parsley. A cup of steaming chicken bouillon to moisten. Grated parmesan and fiery red pepper flakes on the table. Sardinian comfort food deluxe. Never find Fregola Sarda on the menus of Italian restaurants in USA. Strictly a home dish. You can find the good stuff at Whole Foods (sometimes) or through Amazon, of course. Give it a try.

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Langar

March 2nd, 2017 § 0 comments § permalink

HG/BSK and pal/neighbor Karen K. had Sunday lunch at the Sikh ashram in nearby Espanola Valley (a 10-minue drive from HG/BSK’s Jacona home). The lunch is an Indian Sikh tradition called Langar, a meal that is offered free to ashram members as well as outsiders. Sikhs believe it is a blessing to serve good food to everyone–needy or not. HG/BSK and Karen K. were invited to the Langar by Siri-Gian, a resident of the ashram and a very effective member of the activist group (which BSK and Karen K. are part of) that is battling to prevent environmentally destructive electric towers from being built in the the Pojoaque and Espanola Valleys. Sikhs are vegetarians and the Langar consisted of two delicious curries (vegetable and a grain and vegetable mix) plus salad, fruit drink and a dessert of chocolate truffles. Beautiful, serene atmosphere with most of the Sikhs (wearing traditional turbans and robes) dining while seated on floor mats. HG sat on a bench and was joined by Kulwant, a handsome, articulate Sikh woman. Graciously, Kulwant responded to HG’s many questions about the Sikh religion. She was very enlightening. If HG was not a Jew and a confirmed atheist (no, that isn’t contradictory) HG would think about living in a Sikh ashram. Vegetarianism, however, might be a major impediment for gourmand HG.

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Andre R.

February 28th, 2017 § 0 comments § permalink

Andre R. was a very eccentric pal of HG/BSK during HG/BSK’s long ago summers on Fire Island. A Swiss-born “futurist” (whatever that job entailed), Andre was perpetually stoned on weed. He would arrive every summer at HG/BSK’s dune house (as he would get older, the women accompanying him would get younger). Upon arrival, Andre and his youthful female friend would remove their clothes (to the delight and amazement of the little kids present) and leap into the sea. Upon their return, Andre would cook a splendid dinner and give HG/BSK some very high grade marijuana. Happy days. On a particularly steamy August day, Andre stopped at Schaller & Weber (the famed German butcher in the Yorkville section of Manhattan) and brought to Fire Island a pork knuckle, a big uncooked sausage and kassler rippchen (smoked pork chops) plus, of course, sauerkraut. HG/BSK were dubious about eating such heavy food at the end of a steamy summer day. Andre simmered it in a pot with onions. He boiled potatoes. The sun went down. Appetites were sharpened by weed and icy vodka. Hot mustard, pickles and plenty of cold beer. A memorable feast. HG thought about Andre last night as HG/BSK and visiting grandson Handsome Haru devoured a flank steak a la Andre. This was a flank steak barbecued after a long bath in a marinade of soy sauce, garlic and honey. Andre scored the steak with a sharp knife before putting it in the marinade. The honey in the marinade would caramelize the surface of the meat. Cooked rare and sliced on the bias, this was consumed with many ears of in season corn on the cob. No corn last night. Just BSK’s sublime smashed potatoes.

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Kasha Redux

February 26th, 2017 § 0 comments § permalink

Always a good move to cook an abundance of kasha. It reheats nicely and can be used in many ways. HG ladles it into steaming chicken broth (sometimes adds a beaten egg). A pleasant winter lunch. Good for breakfast with melted butter and a side of sour cream or Greek yogurt. Last night, BSK served left over kasha varnishkes with fall off the bone short ribs. BSK cooked them with onions and spices in BSK’s wondrous new Instant Pot. The result was lush, savory. The kasha soaked up the juices. HG gave the meal a slightly middle eastern tilt by mixing a bowl of Greek yogurt with garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, sumac and zaatar. Harissa on the side. BSK/HG drank joyously, enjoying a bottle of Argentine malbec. Tequila on the rocks with lots of freshly squeezed lime juice was HG’s pre-dinner beverage. Unconventional post dinner drink: Canadian whiskey with a bit of maple syrup, In his maturity, HG does not ration alcohol.

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Ominous Lookalikes

February 22nd, 2017 § 0 comments § permalink

In 1942, Germany’s Der Fuhrer was given new powers by the dummy Reichstag. Der Fuhrer was given discretionary powers in the administration of justice. In other words, no judicial restraint. The Reichstag made it clear: “At present in Germany there are no rights, only duties.” Does this seem similar to Der Trumperer’s view that Der Trumperer can do anything in the name of national security without regard for constitutionality or judicial restraint? Joseph Goebbels commented on Der Fuhrer’s new powers: “The bourgeois era with its false and misleading notion of humaneness is over.” Lackeys Spicer and Kellyanne haven’t gone that far. Yet. Marie Vassiltchikov (who worked in the Nazi bureaucracy 1940-1945) commented in her “Berlin Diaries”: “If people only knew how inefficiently this whole machine works under the semblance of a well-oiled bureaucracy, they would be amazed.” Der Trumperer told a press conference recently in reply to questions about his administration’s stumbling: “We’re running like a fine tuned machine.” Indeed. Also, please tell me me how Der Trumperer’s craven rubber stamp Congress differs from Der Fuhrer’s Reichstag? As for Der Trumperer’s disgraceful omission of Jews from his Holocaust statement and very belated response to questions about the escalating attacks on Jews in the United States, this is a nod to Der Trumperer’s ardent supporters, the Alt-Right aka Nazis. Obviously, Bannon is working like a “fine tuned machine.”

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No Kasha? Oy Vey!!!

February 19th, 2017 § 0 comments § permalink

That’s right. Whole Foods in Santa Fe no longer carries kasha (buckwheat groats). HG used to find this excellent food in the bulk section, the hot cereal section and the “international” section where Wolff’s boxed kasha would snuggle against vaguely dusty jars of gefilte fish and matzo ball mix. (More woe on the Santa Fe grocery front: Trader Joe’s no longer carries Belgian Butter Almond Cookies.) HG did some Google research and found a Santa Fe kasha source: Natural Grocers on Cerillos Road. Big, well organized market. HG bought two bags of dark brown organic kasha. They also carry white kasha. Have never tasted it but in future will try it as a breakfast dish. Filled the HG cart with many other natural and organic products. Will come back with BSK to examine their wide array of nut butter, jam, honey, granola, dried fruit, etc. Mystery: Why do customers in “health” stores look so unhealthy?

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