Tiny Urban Kitchen: October 2009

Have you seen such beautiful, colorful carrots before? I saw these in the Farmer's Market last week and could not resist buying them.

When cut open, the red ones look like the orange ones we are used to, but with a dark, red outer layer. The yellow ones are yellow all the way through. I tried a piece - it tasted pretty similar to normal carrots. Without an orange one as comparison, I was not sure if I could tell the difference or not. The red carrots are high in lycopene, just like tomatoes. The yellow carrots derive their color from xanthophylls, a yellow pigment from the carotenoid group. All of these carrots are very nutrient rich - just in slightly different ways.

I decided to make carrot ginger soup out of the yellow carrots. In general, the fall makes me yearn for thick, hot, blended soups made from in-season root vegetables. This carrot ginger soup is delicious. The ginger provides a rich backdrop for the sweet carrots and sauteed shallots. It totally warms the soul on a cool, autumn evening.

Of course, you can use regularly carrots and onions to make this dish and it will taste just as good. I just happened to have these colorful carrots and shallots on hand.

Ginger Carrot Soup
serves 2 (total time: 45 minutes)
For a printer friendly version, please click here:

Ingredients
1 T butter
5 small shallots (can substitute with 1 onion), peeled and chopped
3 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 pound carrots, sliced
1 T grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Saute shallots in butter and cook, over medium high heat, until the shallots are translucent and limp.

Step 2: Add broth, carrots, and grated ginger.

Step 3: Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until carrots are soft and tender when pierced (about 20-25 minutes).

Step 4: Remove from heat. I used my trusty immersion blender (for a picture of the immersion blending process, check out this post). You can also blend in batches with a blender. Be careful not to fill the blender up too high, otherwise the hot liquid may splatter. Puree to your desired consistency.

Step 5: Return to the pan (if using a blender), and add 1/2 cup heavy cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

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Mike's Pastry

>> Monday, October 26, 2009

As I have mentioned time and time again, I love going to the North End in Boston. If we are hosting visitors from out of town, inevitably we will take them to the North End. For example, this past weekend, we took the in-laws, who were visiting from California, to Prezza and Mamma Maria (on separate days!!) to try some of the best Italian food in the North End.

Of course, we never order dessert when we dine in the North End.

If you have ever been to the North End, you know there are three places that will have a HUGE line in front, without fail. Pizzeria Regina's, Giacomo's, and Mike's Pastry.

This Italian bakery, situated right in the heart of the North End on Hanover Street, is definitely the most well known pastry shop in the North End. They are especially known for their cannolis, a deep fried pastry shell filled with sweet ricotta cheese.

They also make a wide variety of Italian cookies, pies, cakes, and gorgeous marzipan.

It is always super crowded, and often there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the line. Well, from what I can gather, there really is no exact system. There are several people working the counter, so technically there should be several lines. However, sometimes it just looks like a big crowd inside with one long line snaking out the door. Many in line are tourists, and thus have no idea what is going on.

The best thing to do is to find the shortest "line" if you can find one. If it's really hard to figure out what's going on, just keep walking in (if there's room inside), and find your way up to the counter so you can order. The "line" (mob) moves pretty quickly. Anyway, you may be so overwhelmed by all the choices that you might just prefer that the line take a little while so you can figure out what you want to order. :)

I always get a few cannolis - my favorite is the plain one, although I agree with Bryan that the chocolate covered ones keep a bit longer. The cannolis get soggy within a few days, so it's best to eat them as soon as possible. Nothing beats a fresh cannoli with a crunchy exterior and a beautiful creamy center. Yum.

I also like getting the ricotta pie, which has a filling that resembles that of the cannoli, but less creamy and less sweet. Really nice in a different sort of way.

It's an age old debate whether Mike's Pastry or Modern Pastry (just down the street on Hanover) makes better cannolis. Modern pastry fills their cannolis on the spot, whereas Mike's Pastry pre-fills them. This supposedly means that the ones at Modern are more fresh.

I've had cannolis from both places (although not side by side), and I like them both. I don't think I have ever noticed Mike's cannolis being any less "fresh," but then I do devour the cannoli soon after purchasing, so they taste pretty fresh to me. Some say that the cannolis at Mike's tend to be sweeter, with a filling that's denser, smoother, and creamier compared to the more textured, less sweet filling from Modern's cannolis.

From personal experience, I have found that the cannolis from Mike's Pastry keep longer. The shells seem to stay relatively crunchy for at least one whole day (overnight), whereas the Modern Pastry cannolis get soggy in less than 24 hours. This could be because the Modern shells are smaller, lighter, and more delicate than the heftier, cookie-like shells from Mike's.

Both are delicious, and I think you can't go wrong going to either one. In fact, you really can't go wrong just by visiting the North End while you are in Boston. It's such a vibrant neighborhood, the food is fantastic, and the cannolis are unbeatable.

Mike's Pastry
The North End
300 Hanover St
Boston, MA 02113

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Recipe Index

>> Sunday, October 25, 2009

Hi everyone,

I have finally created a library of recipes in a more organized fashion. Hopefully this will make the recipes a bit easier to nagivate. Please explore and check out some recipes from the archives! I will be making a similar index for restaurants soon as well.

At some point I may make a visual directory of all the recipes. For now, please check out either my TasteSpotting Gallery or my Foodgawker Gallery for ideas.

Enjoy!

Special Series
Photo Gallery of Chinese Recipes
A Culinary Tour Around the World - Sous Vide Style
8 Ways to Use Up Your Farm Share Veggies
Chinese New Year Recipes

Soups
"Creamy" Kabocha Soup (with a kick!)
Maple Butternut Squash Soup
Spring Pea Soup

Celeriac Apple Potato Soup
Wild Mushroom Soup
Golden Carrot Ginger Soup

Asian soups
Quick Winter Melon Soup
Fritallaria (Chuan Bei Mu)
Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup
Winter Melon Soup
Daikon Pork Bone Soup
Ro Gen Mian (Ban Genh) - Pork, Bamboo, and Mushroom Soup
Mung Bean Soup

Appetizers / Small Eats / Sides

ASIAN
Taiwanese Rice Dumplings (Asian "tamales") (Zhong zi / Batzang)

Chinese Pumpkin Cakes (Nan Gua Gao)

Traditional Pork Belly Buns

Homemade Baos (Steamed Buns)

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Taiwanese Meat Sauce over Rice (Lo Ba Bng)

Bawan: Taiwanese "Meat Ball"

Tea Eggs

NON-ASIAN
Guacamole
Grilled Halloumi Cheese with Meyer Lemons with Spring Greens
Spicy Potato Bacon Bites
Kaddo Bourani (Afghan Baked Sugar Pumpkin)
Duck Fat Fried Potatoes (Pomme Salardaise)
Egg Tempura (deep fried hen egg)
Pico di Gallo
Potato Blinis
Toaster Oven Roasted Potatoes

Pasta & Noodles
Garlic Chicken with Golden Noodles (Liang mian huang)
Pasta with Sausage, Kale, and Tomatoes
Char Kway Teow (Malaysian Stir Fried Rice Noodles)
The Art of Hand Pulled Noodles {VIDEO + recipe}
Hand Pulled Noodles {VIDEO + recipe}
Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
Tomato Pesto Pappardelle
Spaghetti Carbonara with Sous Vide Egg
Gnocchi with Summer Roasted Tomatoes
Fusilli with Morel Mushrooms, Aparagus, Fresh Peas, and Corn
Squid Ink Pasta with Parsnips and Pancetta
Mochi Gnocchi with Red Sauce
Kabocha Squash Gnocchi
Kabocha Squash Gnocchi with Meat Ragu
Pappardelle with Arugula, Tomatoes & Blue Cheese
Pappardelle with Pork Bolognese Sauce
Pappardelle with Hot Italian Sausage
Pasta with Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Basil
Pasta with Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce
Super Easy Pan Fried Rice Vermicelli

Rice/Grains/Carbs
Hainanese Chicken Rice
Pizza Flags
Chinese Sticky Rice (Nuo mi fan)
Quinoa
Homemade Granola
Savory Asian Style Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Wheat berry Salad
Totoro Rice
Paella (Rice with Mushrooms, Squid, and Artichokes)

MEAT

Beef
Beef Cheek Boeuf Bourginion
Momofuku 48 hour Sous Vide Short Ribs
Sous-vide Steak
Filet Mignon for Hot Pots
Oven to Pan-Seared Steak
Japanese Hamburger (Domo-Kun)
Wagyu Beef - the Kobe of America
Korean Bulgolgi

Veal
Milanese Veal Osso Bucco

Seafood
Grilled Salmon with Mint Honey Mustard Sauce
Homemade Gravlax
Grilled Copper River Salmon
Sous vide Scallops (Bacon Wrapped Scallops)
Slow Roasted Salmon with Dill
Tuna Tartare
Homemade Chirashi
Sous-vide Salmon in a Magic Cooker
Fried Fish Tacos (Baja Style)
Grilled Fish Tacos (Baja style)
Citrus Marinated Salmon
Salmon with Scallions and Bacon
Microwave Steamed Fish With Black Bean Sauce (Chilean Sea Bass)

Pork
Lion's Head Casserole

Poultry
Sous vide Chicken with Pesto
Duck Confit Salad (Thomas Keller)
Duck Leg Confit
Oven Roasted Chicken

Asian Vegetables
Spicy Water Spinach (Kangkung Belacan)
Spicy Minced Pork with Sour String Beans
Dry-Fried Eggplants
Sauteed Hollow heart Vegetable With Chinese BBQ Sauce
Asian Crunchy Broccoli Stem Salad
Stir Fried Baby Bok Choy
Preserved Salted Mustard Greens with Garlic
Spicy Tofu (Vegetarian Mapo Tofu)
Jo Tsai (Chinese Chives) with 5-spice Tofu
Korean Style Spinach Salad

Cold Asian Cucumber Salad

Non-Asian Vegetables
Kohlrabi Crunch Salad
Oven Roasted Golden Beets
Romanesca Cauliflower (Broccoli)
Watermelon Radish
Frisee Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
Genoa style Pan Fried Potatoes
Summer Salad Lyonnaise (Frisee aux Lardons)
Convection Oven Roasted Potatoes
Italian Rainbow Chard Salad
Radish Crostini with Herb Butter
Fava Fennel Mint Salad
Sauteed Beets and Radish with Dill
Fiddleheads
Oven Roasted Kabocha Squash
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Truffle Roasted Cauliflower
Green Mango Salad
Roasted Fennel, Zucchini, Carrots, Parsnips
Sauteed Beet Greens
Oven Roasted Beets
Corn, Avocado, and Pepper Salad
Ratatouille
Roasted Eggplant, Summer Squash, and Garlic
Sugar Snap Peas
Pan Grilled Asparagus
Corn in the Microwave

Fruits
Meyer Lemon
Dragon Fruit

Sauces, Condiments, and Bases
Basil Pesto
Red Wine Vinaigrette with Duck Fat
Herb Butter
Gremolata
Smoky Tomato Salsa
Chili Mayo Sauce
Simple White Bean Dip
Citrus Vinaigrette
Mala Broth (spicy) for Sichuanese Hot Pot
Sofregit

Allioli
Preserving Tomato Paste
Frozen Garlic Balls
Easy Homemade Hummus
Homemade Croutons

Sushi
Inarizushi
Keroppi Cucumber Maki Rolls
Tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet)
Homemade Chirashi

Snacks
Oven Baked Taro Chips
Sunchoke Chips
Over Roasted Kale "Chips"
Homemade Kettle Corn
Oven Baked Sweet Potato Chips
Oven Baked Pita Chips

Sweet Things / Baking
Olive Oil Semolina Cake
Easy Homemade Mochi
Fresh Strawberry Pie with Balsamic Reduction
Inside Out Apple Pies
Thousand Layer Spiral Mooncakes
Pumpkin Mochi Cake (Nian Gao)
Rice Crispy Critters and Sushi {VIDEO}
Chinese Egg Puffs
Read Bean Mochi Cake (Nian Gao)

Æ bleskivers or Takoyaki?

Hi Rise Vanilla Loaf

Homemade Buttercream Frosting

Chinese Egg Tarts

Cookies
Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Homemade "Oreos" (TKO's)
Homemade Hob Nobs
Italian Biscotti
French Macarons

Rice-based Sweets
Mochi Maki Rolls
Mochi Nigiri Sushi
Totoro Rice Crispy Treats
Hello Kitty Rice Crispy Treats
Sushi Marzipan Rice Crispies

Chocolate
Keroppi Chocolates

Frozen Sweets
Avocado Ice Cream
Olive Oil Ice Cream
Frozen Yogurt (Froyo) Popsicles
Toasted Black Sesame Ice Cream
Simple Lemon Ice Cream
Frozen Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches
"Pinkberry" Style Frozen Yogurt

Drinks
Pomegranate Martini
Lychee Martini

click here to check the glycemic index of common ingredients

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Eat Drink And Be Fair

>> Thursday, October 22, 2009

I had the wonderful opportunity of attending Eat, Drink, & Be Fair, a “Top Chef Masters”-style cook-off between four of Boston's prominent chefs last night. The chefs were Richard Garcia from Tastings Wine Bar and Bistro, Will Gilson from Garden At the Cellar, (one of my favs), Peter McCarthy from EVOO, and Jay Silva from Bambara. I love Garden At the Cellar, so when I found out Will Gilson was going to be one of the chefs, I was totally there.

Green Mountain Coffee organized this event in celebration of Fair Trade Month (October). At the event, we sampled various dishes all made with fair trade ingredients. As an interesting twist, all the chefs had to incorporate coffee as one of the ingredients.

Local, Sustainable, and Fair Trade
While the chefs were preparing their cook-off entrees, we sampled food from local caterers and vendors. We tried some fair trade Moroccan tea mojitos, sustainable Mahi Mahi, local butternut squash arancini, and Rotini Basilica made with fair trade olives. Additionally, local vendors, such as Cabot Cheese and Ben & Jerry's from Vermont, also provided food. All very good.

Meeting the Chefs
I had a chance to talk to some of the chefs and learn a little about fair trade and sustainable foods. While chatting with Richard Garcia from Tastings Wine Bar and Bistro, I learned that Maine sea urchins are almost extinct, yet Massachusetts sea urchins are quite sustainable. Chef Garcia incorporated local sea urchin into a parsnip cappuccino soup that he served at the event.

We all got to sample a tiny cup's worth of the sea urchin cappuccino. I think people were a bit scared of the sea urchin, because there were many cups left on the table. I actually liked it so much I drank three cups of it! The soup was mild, sweet, and creamy. I loved the combination of parsnips, sea urchin, and coffee. The coffee added a smoky richness to the soup, while the sea urchin added a briny depth.

I also had a chance to talk to Will Gilson from Garden At the Cellar. Will Gilson tries really hard to focus on local ingredients, and you can really tell by looking at his menu, which is constantly changing. Out of curiosity, I asked Will where he liked to dine when he was not working. He said he liked to eat at his friends' restaurants, which include Craigie on Main, Toro, and Sel de la Terre in Boston.

We asked him about the tasting menus that they used to have (2 summers ago). He admitted that it's harder to offer tasting menus when the place is so packed all the time. However, they are considering offering some sort of tasting menu, maybe on Monday evenings. He also said they were going to start offering brunch soon, which is exciting.

The Cook Off!
As the evening continued, the chefs worked busily on their entrees. Each chef, together with his sous-chef, worked feverishly, doling out tiny, beautifully presented portions of their contest dishes so that everyone attending the event could sample a few bites.

I was quite impressed with the food. Remember, they all had to incorporate coffee into their dishes! We received menus at the event, but silly me, I forgot to take a copy home with me!!!! Boo hoo, so I'll just try my best to capture these dishes from memory and photographs. If I do get a hold of a menu, I'll update the blog.

Upper Left: Sea urchin cappuccino made with parsnips, Massachusetts sea urchin, and coffee topped with a vanilla froth by Richard Garcia from Tastings Wine Bar and Bistro.

Upper Right: Dark Roasted Coffee Marinated Hudson Valley Mouillard Duck Breast with Verrill Farm's Parsnip Purre, Pete's Picked Pumpkin, Gala Apple, and Espresso-Vanilla Chimichurri by Peter McCarthy from EVOO.

Lower Left: Bacon wrapped coffee rubbed Pork tenderloin over mashed sweet potatoes with a coffee demi-glace sauce by Jay Silva from Bambara.

Lower Right: Grilled Steak with coffee nibs (from Taza) and banana and sunchoke puree by Will Gilson from Garden At the Cellar.

The chefs also prepared special versions of the dishes for the official judges. For example, the sea urchin cappuccino was served in a spiky sea urchin shell.

And who shall be crowned the Fair Trade Master Chef??

Peter McCarthy from EVOO! Green Mountain Coffee donated $1000 to The Food Project, which was the charity of Peter's choice. Another exciting fact, for me at least, is that EVOO will be moving to Cambridge soon! Kendall Square to be exact. Can't wait!

But Peter McCarthy was not the only winner last night. They had a raffle for lots of different great prizes, and Bryan won one of the best prizes of the evening!

Can't wait!!!! That sea urchin cappuccino was so good!

Other interesting facts . . .
We found out that Boston is on track to becoming a Fair Trade city, maybe even as early as next year. In order to obtain Fair Trade certification, a city's local schools, workplaces and businesses (1 organization per 10,000 people), must use fair trade products. Furthermore, the city must pass a resolution supporting Fair Trade.

Over all, I had a great time at the event. Not only did I get to sample some truly excellent cooking, I was also able to meet some great people and learn more about fair trade and sustainable foods. Thanks so much to Green Mountain Coffee and all the other sponsors of this event.

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Celeriac Apple Potato Soup

>> Tuesday, October 20, 2009

I enjoyed a lovely meal at the Monday Club in Harvard Square this weekend. One of the soups they have on their fall menu right now is celeriac apple soup. Because I had just picked up celeriac and apples at the Farmer's Market on Monday, I decided to try the soup myself.

If you don't know what celeriac is, check out the ugly, sort of hairy knobby root on the left (see picture above). Celeriac, also known as celery root, is a type of celery grown for its roots. Unlike most root vegetables, celeriac is low in starch and high in water and fiber. It is a good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin B6, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese, and an excellent source of Vitamin C and Phosphorus. It tastes quite similar to celery, and can be prepared like other root vegetables such as rutabagas, parsnips, and carrots.

This soup recipe is quite flexible, and as long as you have the basic ingredients (some sort of aromatic + root vegetable + stock), you can make some version of this soup. For a printable version of the recipe, please click here.

Ingredients
1 celeriac root (peeled and chopped)
2 medium sized Idaho potatoes (peeled and chopped)
1 large apple (peeled and chopped)
1/2 onion, diced (leftover from my chicken pho the other day)
1 Qt chicken broth
1 T butter
1 T oil
1/2 tsp dried Thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions in butter and oil under medium heat for a few minutes until browned and translucent. Add the celeriac and potatoes. Saute for about 8-10 minutes until they are cooked. Add broth and apples. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender or, if using a blender, blend in batches in the blender. Garnish with toppings of your choice and serve!

Garnishes
You can cook some bacon, pancetta, or proscuitto in a pan and crumble a small amount on top of the soup.

Another variation by Gordon Ramsey adds a splash of lemon for tartness and crumbled stilton.

You can also consider chopped chives, croutons, or blue cheese.

There's really a lot of room for creativity here. You can easily make this soup vegan by omitting the butter and the bacon. You can also thicken it up by adding a bit of heavy cream to the soup.

Experiment, and enjoy!

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Restaurant Reviews Index

>> Friday, October 30, 2009

Golden Carrot Ginger Soup

>> Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Mike's Pastry

>> Monday, October 26, 2009

Recipe Index

>> Sunday, October 25, 2009

Eat Drink And Be Fair

>> Thursday, October 22, 2009

Celeriac Apple Potato Soup

>> Tuesday, October 20, 2009

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