foodie nyc

Curried Scallops, Mint Tapioca, Green Onion Sauce

Tapioca, when boiled and mixed with butter, cheese and/or milk, has a savory yet sweet taste that goes with almost any seared dish. Better yet is the whole, al dente texture of the tapioca as a counterpoint to the buttery scallop.  Here, I boiled it for about 5 minutes until soft yet still firm.  I drained it and immediately added it to a pot with some chunks of unsalted butter. I added salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon and a handful of mint.

I then set it aside and dried large, meaty fresh scallops with paper towels.  I salted, peppered and dusted ground curry powder on each side.  After getting a pan very hot with a shallow coating of olive oil, I seared each side for about 2 minutes each.

The green onion sauce was a soup I made for a Gothamist recipe, which you can find below - it's basically a milky onion broth mixed with a puree of blanched, green onion tops.

Beefy Red. $10. Buy Now.

This is an over-the-top Spanish red that appeals to the Bobby Flay taste buds in me. 

You know. Big bold flavors that are satisfying, but almost unnecessary.  If you were eating at Mesa Grill for instance, you'd ask yourself if two sauces on a plate are really necessary beyond being showy.  Don't two huge sauces compete with each other on a plate?

This Castano 2002 from Yecla, Spain has the same issue.  But at $10 a bottle, who cares?

It just tastes great, and even better at that price.

Here's where I bought it in NYC.

Sea Bean, Porcini, Walnut Salad

I've been hearing raves about sea beans for a while.  I blanched the sea beans by placing them in boiling salted water for about 1 minute and then shocked them for another minute in a bowl of ice water. 

After straining and drying, I began to pan roast some fresh porcini mushroom I found at Fairway.  I roasted them on medium heat in butter and a touch of olive oil, salt, pepper for about 4 minutes.   A touch of white wine degalzed the mushrooms.  When tender, I added the sea beans and some chopped raw walnuts.  You may need a squeeze of lime to balance the acidity ,along with some more pepper. Lay low on the salt, as the sea beans have a natural sea taste.  Some shaved Parmiggiano Reggiano here would be a worthy addition, but considering the salt issue, a crumble of goat cheese would be even better.

Cilantro Lime Steak

I'm not big on sauces with my steak.  Salt.  Pepper. Stop.

But someone ordered a steak to share at Spice Market recently.  I did a double take to see a perfectly seared steak covered with a loose, bright green type of pesto, sans the nuts.  I was appalled.  It was fabulous.  I did a take of it for my Gothamist column last week. 

I am a convert. A thick spread of cilantro and lime juice on a charred and crusty steak? Yup, it works.  This version was great and worth experimenting with...

Check out the full recipe via Gothamist....

Almond Cake, Pea Risotto

I love risotto straight up and on its own, but I wanted to add a textural contrast to the creamy dish.  My obvious inclinations were towards meat and fish, but I just wasn't in the mood for either on this particular night.  I had a ton of almond paste on hand, so I thought I'd alter an almond cake recipe by deleting much of the sugar to make a savory cake.  The cake added an explosion of almond flavor, which matched well with the creamy risotto and the sweet peas.  The key to injecting pea flavor into the risotto was done by folding in a pea puree to the rice just before serving.

Check out my full recipe over at Gothamist....

Buttered Popcorn and Citrus

We recently enjoyed the 2003 Neyers Chardonnay Carneros during a recent meal at BLT Fish here in NYC.  I then tracked it down at PJ Wine for about $25 a bottle, which I find to be well worth it.  To me, this wine has a rich, buttery taste (tastes like buttered movie theater popcorn) that is balanced with a nice citrus zing.  Robert Parker, in giving this wine a 92, raves about the citrus and long finish as well.  I just stocked up on this wine, as I know I'll enjoy it with my home cooking over the summer.

It's All About Charcoal...

....except when it's grilling with wood, which I don't get to experience as often as I'd like. Here are some pictures from Memorial Day grilling with the family.

        Margarita Marinated Chicken & Grilled Hen of the Woods Mushrooms

 

                              

                              

                           

                              Grilled Asparagus & Grilled Jumbo Scallions

 

                        

                

               

            

                 Grilled Bell Peppers and Eggplant and Marinated Flank Steak