Spicy Sriracha Wings

Anyone who has spoken to me in the past week knows that I have developed an obsession with sriracha, the absolutely delicious traditional Thai hot sauce that was brought overseas to the USA, refined and popularized by a Vietnam-born entrepreneur of Chinese descent named David Tran whom you can read about here. So, instead of introducing this with a wordy pre-amble. I will say just one word: YUM.

Go forth. Below is a recipe that I adapted from four different recipes that I found in the internet. I'm still playing with the ratios of the sauce to refine the final product, but what follows is pretty darned close to amazing. So good, these will make you want to crow like a rooster. teehee.

Image originally from White on Rice Couple

Spicy Sriracha Wings
Serves 2 - 3 (but in this case, just me)
My take on sriracha chicken wing recipes featured in: Food & Wine, White on Rice Couple, Serious Eats and Mike's Table.


Ingredients:


5 cups Canola or vegetable oil (approximately)
3 to 5 lbs of chicken wingettes, separated
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup Sriracha Rooster Sauce
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. soy sauce
Cilantro (a frozen cube from Trader Joe's trays)
Cumin (a dash)
Fried garlic flakes (a pinch)
Juice from 1 lime
3 - 4 celery stalks
3 - 4 carrots
Marie's premium super blue cheese dressing


Prior to cooking, read all four recipes and conclude that the one author who truly understands the joy of Buffalo wings is Mike from Mike's Table.  Why? Because the other three suggest BAKING the wings and then pan frying them. What?!?! I attended the University at Buffalo for two years... if I learned one thing from those two years, it was that Buffalo wings are NOT baked. They are DEEP FRIED.


1. Heat oil in a deep pot so that wingettes can be submerged and deep fried (yeah, baby).  Allow oil to boil rapidly for 10 minutes so that the temperature is even throughout.
2. Rinse wingettes and pat dry with paper towel.  In a dry bowl, mix together flour, pepper and seasoned salt.
3. Coat wings with flour mixture, in batches.  Once fully coated, gently lower wings into the hot oil using tongs. Long tongs... as long and as sturdy as possible. Hot oil is no joke.
4. Let the wings fry for about 3 to 5 minutes or until fully cooked through. Fish one out and cut it through to the bone to check it's done-ness. Meat should be white and separate easily from the bone.
5. While wings are frying, rinse and peel carrots and celery.  Munch on carrots and celery sticks and dip them into Marie's blue cheese sauce, which is absolutely divine.
6. Swap batches as necessary. Coating and frying, batch by batch. Drain wings on paper towels. Resist the temptation to taste them before the entire batch is cooked.
7. In a large bowl, mix together ingredients for the mind-blowing sriracha concoction that will coat the wings. Combine sriracha, melted butter, cider vinegar, soy sauce, cilantro, cumin, garlic flakes and lime juice. Feel free to pop concoction into the microwave for 30 seconds to melt together all ingredients (that is what I did).
8. Once all of the wings have been cooked, toss them in the sauce.  Upon a taste test, the wings/sauce should be spicy, garlicky, vinegary and yummy all at once.
9. Serve wings with blue cheese, celery and carrot sticks..


YUM. Eat leftovers for lunch the next day.

Photo credit: ilovememphis

I made quiche, capiche?

"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm currently in a period of great opportunity and change and insane busy-ness. It is crazy. And scary. And requires a lot of work. And focus. And dedication. And excellence. Everyday. All of the time.


I spent a small part of the evening feeling exhausted by things I could not control and awaited news about an event with which I had no involvement. I questioned whether or not I was investing my time doing the right things, whether I was taking the right steps, whether I am on the right path. I made phone calls and listened to the voicemail greetings of those who didn't pick up. I sent text messages but never knew if they were delivered. I searched the internet for answers, but even Google could not assure me that all would be right.


My approach wasn't very productive or helpful. So, in order to change my mindset completely, I decided to distract myself by spending time in my spotless kitchen (thanks to Today's Maid, my beloved cleaning service).


I made an old fall-back recipe that I can do with my eyes closed. I made quiche. Two to be exact. Becoming reacquainted with an old recipe, one that I was able to re-create with just the ingredients I had at my fingertips, brought me comfort in knowing that when all else changes, there will always be quiche.


Fall-Back Quiches (and Brussels Sprouts)
My take on Mushroom & Spinach Quiche from Vegetarian Times.

Ingredient List

Each quiche serves 8, this recipe serves 16

Pie Crust:

• Two frozen deep dish pie crusts (or you can choose to make the crusts from scratch, by why bother?)

Filling:

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 4 strips bacon (nature's best creation)
• 5 new potatoes, diced
• 3 cups greens, maybe kale (these were from my farm share so I am never sure)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 can evaporated milk (or 1.5 cups regular milk)
• 1.5 tsp. Dijon mustard from France (yum!!)
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese

Snack for munching while cooking:

• 1 stalk Brussels sprouts, florets rinsed and halved
• Fried garlic flakes

Directions:

1. Decide to make a mushroom and spinach quiche. Notice that you have neither mushrooms nor spinach nor milk. Preheat oven to 400F and do it anyway.
2. Start with bacon because everything starts with bacon. Heat bacon in a large skillet. Allow to snap, crackle and get golden, about 5 minutes. Flip. cook for another 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.
3. Add Brussels sprouts to the bacon grease, cut side down (total detour - note that you are making a quick snack to munch on as you are making quiche); cook 3 to 4 minutes, checking occasionally until the cut side is slightly charred. Saute and stir, 5 minutes or until the sprouts are a bright green and soft to touch. Remove sprouts, place in bowl, sprinkle friend garlic slices over it and eat with fingers. The sprouts will taste like bacon...um, I mean, heaven.
4. Place greens and garlic in skillet; cover, and cook 5 to 6 minutes, or until greens are wilted. Add diced potatoes and continue to saute for a few minutes. Remove from heat. See that the filling will be enough for two quiches. Decide that you can have everything you want in life... and then some.
5. Search for a viable milk substitute. Taste soy milk. Too sweet. Consider whipped cream. No way. Find can of evaporated milk and read on label "the baking milk." Score!
6. Use your amazing mathematical skills to adjust the rest of the recipe to accommodate the 12oz of evaporated milk. Manhattan GMAT, you'd be proud.
7. Lightly whisk four eggs in mixing bowl. Whisk in evaporated milk, Dijon mustard, pepper and salt.
8. Sprinkle 1/4 cup grated cheese over bottom of pastry. Bake 2 to 3 minutes to melt cheese. Eat Brussels sprouts.
9. Spread vegetable mixture in pastry shell. Sprinkle with half of remaining cheese. Slowly pour in egg mixture, then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 30 - 35 minutes, or until golden brown and slightly puffy. Transfer to wire rack, and let cool 15 minutes before serving. Catch up on Mad Men episodes, while munching on Brussels sprouts.

For whatever reason, completely forget about the quiches and allow them to sit in your kitchen for a few hours until you realize that you're about to post to your blog without even tasting your good work. Cut a slice and be completely amazed at how the savory flavors of the bacon and Gruyère dance on your tongue. Come to realize that your fall-back recipe has been perfected through years of practice and familiarity. Tonight, your own ability to completely change the ingredients resulted in a masterpiece, illustrating that progress is impossible without change. And with that lesson, you forge on.

Farm to Table: Pesto Vegetable Lasagna

Okay, so I totally can't sleep due to my consumption of fine beverages at Culture Espresso Bar and I've decided to finally update this blog which has been very neglected over the past months. I have continued to experiment with weekly recipes - not all worth posting - so although my blogging may have trailed off, happily my cooking has not.

For the past month or so, I have attempted to omit meat from my diet (I use the word "attempt" because bacon is still and forever will be one of my weaknesses). Being somewhat pescetarian allows me to eat more healthy things - like vegetables. My weekly source of fresh, organic vegetables is through my farm share which I love and I wrote about here. The farm has been providing beautiful, ripe tomatoes as well as yummy swiss chard - a perfect culinary combination. Last Sunday, I invited my family over for dinner and planned to make some vegetable lasagna. Well, the family never made it to my apartment due to the torrential rains, but the lasagna did make it in and out of the oven - despite a minor accident resulting in Strawberry Shortcake band-aid triage - and it was delicious (the lasagna, not the band-aid).

Lasagna made with Pesto and Farm-fresh Veggies

An adaptation of several recipes from the Joy of Cooking (the best cookbook in the history of cookbooks)
Serves 1 - 2 hungry people over the course of about 3 days

Ingredients

12 super ripe, hierloom tomatoes: quartered and then totally smushed

1 tbsp. tomato paste

Sugar to taste (balances the acidity of the tomatoes)

Garlicky homemade pesto from farm-fresh basil (leftover, in fridge)

3 garlic cloves, crushed with knife

4 scallions, diced, white and light green parts only

1 lb. swiss chard: rinsed and cut into strips

Ronzoni oven-ready lasagna (cuts the cooking time in half, says the box)

15oz. ricotta cheese

1 large egg

1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Nutmeg, a dash

Mozzarella cheese: shredded says the recipe, sliced messily says me

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking pan with foil.

  

2. To make sauce: place quartered tomatoes into a medium stock pot. Admire the beautiful orange colors of the fruit. Decide that you can either stew the tomatoes slowly, which will take hours, or crush them up with your hands and then bring to a boil which would yield a similar result... choose the latter. Smush and mush the tomatoes between your fingers like Play-Doh. Giggle with glee! Create fun shapes. Indulge in playing with your food. After tomatoes are well-mushed, juices released and pulpy, place pot onto a medium flame.  Stir in tomato paste and some sugar. Taste. Bland. Decide you will need a heck of a lot more kick for this sauce. Open fridge and see leftover pesto which was overly garlicky when you made it a week ago, but perfect for giving flavor to fresh tomatoes that are fated to be a sauce. Bingo! Stir in pesto. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, stir occasionally and taste often.

3. To make vegetable base: While the tomatoes are "getting happy" with the pesto and garlic and sugar and such, heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Add in crushed garlic cloves and listen to the sizzle. Feel the urge to add an onion-y flavor and find scallions. Dice four scallions at once like a pro. Add scallions to pan. Lightly saute for 1 minute. Toss in strips of swiss chard. Gently toss until the leaves begin to wilt. Then add remainder of pesto. Bam.

4. Check on tomato sauce which is a bright orange color.  Amazing.  Stir and taste.  Add sugar, salt and pepper as needed.  Once the flavors are perfectly balanced (and they will be eventually!), remove lid from pot to allow sauce to thicken.  Ragu would be proud.

5. Return attention to the chard, which should be completely cooked and a dark green color. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes. While veggies are cooling, pick up the fresh ball of mozzarella you bought from the market and prepare to shred the cheese. After 30 seconds of shredding on your Microplane, remove the mozzarella from the now completely gunked-up and backlogged grater. Great... curse the stupid soft cheese and the too-small holes in the shredder. Decide instead that you will slice the mozzarella - it all melts anyway, right? Eat a few slices to ensure that the cheese is of the highest quality.Test again. Maybe try some from the grater. Yeah, okay, now you're good.

6. Bring your attention back to the chard. Stir in the ricotta, egg, and Parmesan. Mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper. Want to perform a taste test, but get a bit freaked out by the thought of ingesting a raw egg in light of the salmonella scare, so instead sniff the mixture. The smell reminds you of spinach dip... which always tastes better with...what is that spice? Oh yeah, nutmeg! Add a few dashes of nutmeg. Sniff again. Move on when it smells about right.

7. Give the now bubbling, bright and beautiful tomato sauce a few final stirs. Shut off the flame and prepare to fill lasagna pan. Grab the box of Ronzoni and read directions.

8. Decide that Ronzoni has no concept of how many layers of lasagna can fit into a pan because you certainly have no room for four layers. Start filling the pan and agree to stop whenever you reach the top. Start with one layer of tomato sauce. Cover with vegetable/cheese mixture. Blanket with slices of mozzarella. Layer with three oven-ready lasagna sheets, allowing enough space for expansion. Repeat - sauce, chard mixture, mozzarella slices (ok, chunks, who are we kidding?), lasagna sheets. Do this about three times or until your pan is about to overflow. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

9. Cover pan with foil. Hobble over to the oven and place carefully on top rack. Bake for 35 minutes.

10. After you've done whatever you're going to do for 35 minutes (I can't remember what I was doing), return to the oven and remove the foil from the pan. Be careful not to burn your forearm while doing so, otherwise you will flinch, scream really loudly and need to wear a band-aid over the burn mark for days (I am still wearing one as I type this). What's worse, you might end up with a scar (yet to be determined, sad face).

11. Bake for another 10 minutes until cheese on top is bubbly and brown. Ice down your burn while you wait. Whine about it. Seek solace and compassion. Seek Neosporin and a band-aid, finding only the Strawberry Shortcake ones. Once cheese is perfectly golden and lasagna is ready, wisen up and ask someone else, like a boyfriend perhaps, to help you to remove the lasagna from the oven. (Burn victims should not have to lift heavy things or do the dishes, especially burn victims wearing Strawberry Shortcake band-aids. Any doctor would agree.)

12. Allow lasagna to cool for a bit and then serve on plates. Enjoy the wonderfully savory flavors of the fresh tomato sauce, the garlic and basil from the pesto, the perfectly melted mozzarella, the soft pasta and the delicious chard - as you listen to the rain outside. Feel a little bad that your family missed out on such a yummy meal, but there will be other times and other fresh veggies from the farm.

*In case you're wondering, when the meal was over, the burn victim didn't lift a finger or a forearm.

Childhood Favorites

Today was my birthday, which makes me a year older and presumably a bit wiser. And tonight, I was treated to a delicious home-cooked meal by a very special person in my life.   I believe that food is love and this meal made me feel very, very loved.  This is my interpretation of what transpired in the kitchen and in some ways, a representation of our roots and who we've become.


Caribbean-style Blue Fish with Chinese-style Sugar Snap Peas and a Boiled Egg
an adaptation of childhood favorites
Serves two halves of a whole
Pair with leftover champagne and finish with chunks of fresh Parmesan cheese


Ingredients:

• 2 blue fish fillets ordered from FreshDirect (6 - 8 oz each)
• 2 organic eggs from Horizon (because he is brand loyal)
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp. seasoned salt
• Freshly ground tri-colored pepper
• Lemon juice
• Pinches of dried spices: parsley, thyme, garlic, red pepper flakes and likely whatever else he found in my cupboard
• Olive oil for frying
• 1 lb sugar snap peas from FreshDirect
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 additional egg, after birthday girl mentions that she needs to eat one
• Fresh Parmesan cheese from FreshDirect
• 2 glasses of flat champagne, leftover from a previous night

Directions:

1. Him: Remove fillets from refrigerator and rinse.  Pat dry with towel.  Stare at fish.  Listen to birthday girl jabber as she takes other items out of the fridge and walks in and out of kitchen.  Focus. Remember how mom makes a delicious snapper.  Feel inspired.  Say aloud, "Okay, I got this!"  Get a quizzical look from birthday girl.  Step on her toe (literally) and then politely ask her to remove herself from the kitchen because you're about to start cooking.
2. Her: Hobble over to the fridge to remove a bag of sugar snap peas.  Wonder aloud how you are going to prepare them.  Walk over to bookshelf and grab The Joy of Cooking.  Tell story about how you received it as a birthday gift years back from your friend who is a chef and it's the best cookbook in the world.  Blab on and on.  Flip to page about peas.  Ask aloud, "Should I make these with garlic and butter?  What do you think?  What did we get from the farm?  I wonder if I can do something with peas and onions or peas and mint."  Listen for response, but barely pause for breath.  Read about how the sugar snap stems and strings need to be removed.  State aloud, "Wow. I never knew that it was mandatory..." Realize that you are talking to yourself.  Look up at the guy in your kitchen, who is humming and singing and about to...
3. Him: Crack two eggs in a bowl.  Beat lightly. Look for flour.  Ask birthday girl who is engrossed in gaining pea insights from her cookbook bible where the flour is located... and the olive oil... and the garlic powder.  Pour flour onto a plate.  Add seasoned salt.  Look for ground pepper.  Realize that the pepper canister is empty at the same time that girlfriend says, "Oh, I don't have any left."  Ask, "If you know that, then why do you keep this in your cupboard?"  Toss empty canister into garbage.  Listen to more commentary about peas.  Use grinder full of tri-colored peppercorns.  Remove the most colorful spices from the cupboard and sprinkle them over the fish.  Say, "Hmm. Should I call my mom?" but think better of it.  Dredge and coat fish in egg, then in flour.  A few minutes later remark, "Wow. This is going to be good..."
4. Her: Smile and say, "I can't wait to taste it!" Look up at the progress that the boy is making and realize that your pea reading is making you lag way far behind.  Rinse peas and start de-stemming and de-stringing.  Be reminded of how grandpa would do the same thing every day in his restaurant.  Come to the decision that if he is making a family-inspired dish, then you will make Chinese-inspired sugar snap peas.  After all, they are almost like snow-peas, according to The Joy of Cooking.
5. Him: Heat oil in a large pan.  Look over at birthday girl and ask, "How are we coming along there?" knowing that the peas will never be ready in time since she keeps jabbering.  Remark on how yoga has helped with your cooking skills and life skills in general.  Joke with birthday girl about how Alan Finger learned photography through meditation.  It's probably true.  Wait for oil to heat thoroughly and then gently slide each fillet into the pan.  Listen to the sound of...
6. Her: "Ahh...the perfect sizzle," you say as you hear the fish hit the pan.  Feel genuine pride for his ability to replicate his mom's cooking and his own favorite dish.  Remove stems from the last peas, feeling the crunch between each thumb and forefinger.  "They're done."  Admire a job that grandpa would likely approve.  Ignore the pain under your nails from pinching off the stems.
7. Him: After placing lid on pan, allow fish to fry on each side for about 5 minutes.  Admire the smells and aromas.  Be told that the birthday girl needs to eat a boiled egg for dinner because it is a Chinese birthday tradition. Okay. Find a pot, fill it with water and begin to boil an egg as she chatters about how to bring the water to boil, remove the pot and let it sit for 6 minutes to make an egg perfectly soft-boiled and yet she says she wants it hard-boiled.  Women.
8. Her: Feel thankful for the man in your kitchen who is frying up some fish and boiling an egg because of some random tradition and making this birthday completely worthwhile.  Remark on how you wish you had some wine in the house.  Remember the champagne in the fridge.  Watch him fill up two glasses with champagne that now looks like chardonnay.  Flat champagne is better than no champagne. Ahh. Decide that you should probably start to cook those darned peas. Remove the boiling egg from the stove top.
9. Him: Remove the fish from the pan and set on plates.  Watch birthday girl try to re-use the pan to sauté her peas. Say, "If you do that, the peas will taste like fish."  Watch her sulk and pull out a different pot. Women.
10. Her: Melt butter in a large pot. Add three cloves of garlic. Watch it foam.  Add the sugar snap peas and stir with spatula until all peas are coated with butter. Yum.  Sprinkle with salt and cover with lid.  Agree that you should both start eating the fish now before it gets cold.  Sit down at table.
11. Him: Light a candle and watch birthday girl close her eyes to make a wish before blowing it out.  Clap. Make a toast.  Taste the fish, which has turned out delicious.  Mom would be really proud.  Finish the fish and most of the wine.
12. Her: Walk back to the peas which are now bright green and fully cooked, almost like they have been stir-fried.  Decide to make the peas a bit more Americanized and add fresh thyme, give it a stir.  Serve on plates which have now been licked clean from the fish.  Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan to give it a different kick.  The boy has two helpings.  Decide that the Parmesan is so good that you cut off a few pieces for dessert.
13. Her: Several hours after the food coma has worn off, find yourself back in your kitchen, searching for that boiled egg, needing to eat it before your birthday is over.  Gently roll the egg on the counter, the way grandma taught you how to peel an egg.  Try to do it in one shot like she always did, but fail and do it your way.  Remember how mom used to make the best soft-boiled eggs when you were a little girl.  Smile.  Eat all of the egg whites and decide that because you're a year older, you will forgo the yolk this time.
14. Her: Savor the moment, realizing that we are who we are because of our roots and no matter what, those lessons and traditions will always be a part of you - even intuitively - and can be shared in the form of fried fish or sautéed vegetables or boiled eggs. And realize that the potential to experience different backgrounds is at our fingertips, sometimes simply in the form of flat champagne or grated Parmesan.  Feel grateful that you live in a time where different cultures can come together on a plate and different people can be connected through their similarities. Realize that  you really have come quite a long way this year. Sit down to blog about it. Happy Birthday to me.

Recipe of the Week: Double Whammy

I've been so busy with my travels that I have not had time to update this blog or think of pithy ways to represent my culinary adventures, however I still have had the time to experiment (somewhat) with recipes.  Below are two recent and straightforward ones - both were served at girlfriend brunches that I hosted in my apartment in the past weeks. Enjoy!


Puffy Baked Pancake With Cinnamon-Maple Syrup
from the Tasting Table Mother's Day Brunch guide
Serves 4

Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Confectioners’ sugar, for serving


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Place the butter in a 9-inch round pie
plate and heat in the oven until just melted, about 5 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla extract
until smooth. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and
granulated sugar. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and
whisk until incorporated (the batter will be slightly lumpy).
3. Pour the batter into the pie plate over the melted butter. Bake for
15 to 18 minutes, until the pancake edges are puffed and golden-
brown.
4. Meanwhile, whisk the syrup and cinnamon together in a small
saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat until small
bubbles form on the surface and the syrup has thinned, about 7 to
10 minutes. Keep warm until the pancake is ready, whisking just
before serving.
5. Cut the pancake into quarters, dust with the confectioners’ sugar
and drizzle with some of the syrup. Serve immediately with the
remaining syrup on the remaining syrup on the side.


Lucid Food Tortilla Espanola & Sautéed Leafy Greens
Serves 4Prep time: 20 minutesTotal time: 35 minutes
Original Recipe on NoTakeOut.com

Shopping List

• 1-1/2 pounds potatoes
• 4 scallions
• 1 bunch leafy greens such as Swiss chard, collards, kale, spinach
• 1 lemon
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 pound Havarti or other mild cheese

Pantry Items

• Black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Garlic
• Red pepper flakes
• Sea salt

Game Plan:

• When you walk in the door
  • Preheat the oven to 400F
  • Get out Pantry Items
  • Get out Tools
  • Assemble the ingredients
  • Open the wine
• Prep
  • Peel and quarter the potatoes, cut the quarters into slices 1/4 inch thick.
  • Trim the root end any damaged leaves from the scallions, thinly slice them.
  • Trim the stems from the greens.  Coarsely chop the greens and clean them thoroughly (Submerge the greens in cold water.  Swish them around with your hands to remove any dirt, then transfer to a colander.   Repeat if still gritty).
  • Peel and mince 2 cloves garlic.
  • Break the eggs into a medium bowl.  Lightly beat them.
  • Finely dice the cheese.
  • Squeeze half a lemon through your fingers into a small bowl.  Measure 1 tbsp. juice – use any remaining juice for another purpose.
  • Cut the other half of the lemon into wedges.
  • Get someone to set the table – you won’t have time!
• Start Cooking
  • Heat a large oven proof skillet over high heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  Add the potato slices and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
  • Decrease the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until a fork sinks into the potato slices easily.  Remove the potatoes from the pan and set aside.
  • Return the pan to medium heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add the scallions and sauté until tender and lightly caramelized.
  • Decrease the heat and add the potatoes.  Season with salt.  Spread the vegetables evenly across the pan and pour the eggs over the vegetables.  Sprinkle evenly with the cheese and bake for 15 minutes.
  • While the tortilla is baking, cook the leafy greens.  Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tbsps. olive oil.  Add half of the greens, sauté them for 30 seconds until they’ve shrunk a little, then add the remaining greens.  Sauté until the leaves are tender but still bright green, about 3 minutes, adding a dash of salt as you cook.
  • Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.  Turn off the heat and stir in the red pepper flakes if you’re using them.  Drizzle the 1 tbsp. lemon juice over the greens and season with freshly ground black pepper.
  • Check the tortilla.  The surface should be firm and springy – if it is, remove it from the oven.  Loosen the edges from the pan with a knife and flip the tortilla onto a plate to serve. (You can also let it cool and flip it – it is good hot or at room temperature).  Slice into wedges and sprinkle with pepper.
  • Arrange the greens on one side of a platter, the tortilla wedges on another.  Garnish the greens with the lemon wedges and take it to the table. Don’t forget the wine!

Being Gentle on the Earth

Aprill 22 is Earth Day.  That would be today.  It almost passed me by.

I did partake in one Earth Day activity: the Origins face wash exchange where I went into an Origins store, traded in an empty face wash bottle and in return, got a full-sized Checks and Balances frothy face wash for free.  Being "green" does have its perks, especially on Earth Day.

I wouldn't consider myself to be a "green" goddess, but I do try to be gentle on the earth and it's quite easy.  Here are five simple things that you can do as well:

1. Use a recycled aluminum water bottle, such as a SIGG (I like their fun designs). Plastic water bottles are horrible for the environment and are contributing to the notion that water is a commodity. Water is free. Everyone should have access to it.  If we continue paying for it, companies will continue to sell it and only those who can afford it will be able to get it.  A downward spiral, if you ask me.
2. Use power strips for your electronics and shut them off when you leave the house. This has saved me mucho dinero on my electric bill.
3. Recycle. Paper, plastic and metal. All the cool kids are doing it.
4. Reuse. I have a cabinet full of takeout containers that I use as Tupperware.  Plastic is horrible for the earth. Did I say that already?
5. Reduce. Quit buying stuff. Or if you're going to buy stuff, give something away to someone who needs it. Or re-sell it at PPF Consignment (my sister's store). And when you do buy stuff, bring your own bag with you.

One of my favorite "green" activities is my farm-share, otherwise known as a CSA or Community Supported Agriculture.  What is a farm-share?  Well, it's quite different from a timeshare or a Hamptons share, although it does take place over the summer.  A farm-share a community that financially supports a local farmer and in return, CSA members receive a share of the crops that are harvested from the farm.  My CSA has a membership option for people who use food stamps.  I really, really value the notion that fresh, organic produce should be affordable/accessible and am happy to be subsidizing the membership cost for lower-income folks.  Goodness knows that Hampton summer shares are not built this way!

In my CSA, the farmer's name is Zaid and he owns Norwich Meadows Farm in Norwich, NY.  From June through November, Zaid and his team harvest crops for the CSA as well as local NYC Greenmarkets, like the one in Union Square.  Each week, Zaid delivers a portion of those crops to my CSA pickup location.  So, during harvest season, I get a weekly share of fresh, organic veggies from the farm.  I stop in at the location, pick my own vegetables, weigh them and bring them home with me. Cucumbers, kale, tomatoes, squash, onions, potatoes, carrots, fava beans... It's like a weekly culinary adventure because I never know exactly what I'm going to get.  Sort of like ChatRoulette with produce.  Horrible joke.

Being a part of the farm-share has allowed me to experiment with new recipes and familiarize myself with vegetables I have never heard of (like purslane) and would never have the courage to cook on my own.  A few years ago, I was extremely intimidated by eggplant and now I can pan-fry it like a pro.  In the coming months, you will be seeing many of my farm-share goods featured in future recipes.  Yum!

Please allow me to step onto my soapbox for a moment, I will be quick. CSAs are good for the earth and for you because it reduces your carbon footprint in many ways: local vegetables don't need to travel as far to make it to your dinner plate, organic farming reduces the amount of harmful chemicals in the atmosphere and because you're picking up the veggies from a central distribution point, there is no need for storing or warehousing inventory.  Most importantly, the nutritional value of the produce is much higher because the crops you receive are seasonal and literally, fresh from the farm. Okay, I'm done. If you'd like to learn more about CSAs in the NYC area, please visit JustFood.org

Happy Earth Day everyone!  We all share this space.  Let's be good to it and let's be good to each other.

Guest Blogger: Chronicles of the DC

The beauty of having this blog is that I can invite people to write about their own cooking experiences. My dear friend whom I will call Tagz moved from NYC to China and now has a blog of her own to document her adventures behind the Great Firewall. Tagz is today's guest blogger in the creation of a delicious fatty pork dish.

A few years ago, I visited Tagz in Shanghai and she was kind enough to host me. Upon my arrival at her apartment, Tagz was leaving for work but gave me strict instructions to stay put, as she did not want me wandering the streets alone. At first, I was fine with these instructions. I was extremely jetlagged and decided to take a long nap. But a few hours later, I woke up and realized that she had left me in her tiny studio apartment with nothing but bread and Nutella. I was not allowed to leave her place nor did I have a way to contact her or call for takeout. When she finally returned in the evening with a few of her colleagues (J and M who she references below), the first thing out of my mouth was "FEED ME!"

Since then, Tagz has come a long way, learning not just to feed her guests, but also mastering the art of authentic Chinese cuisine. Hope you enjoy her entry!

東坡肉 - Five Layers of Fat (Happiness)!

My first encounter with 東坡肉 (dong po rou) was during orientation week at SHSID in 2007.  I remember sitting in the cafeteria with J and M and biting into the juicy, succulent piece of fatty pork.  To the other foreigners, it was a disgusting block of fat, jiggling in the middle of our trays and oozing with oil.  But to those of us who grew up eating chicken feet, thousand-year-old eggs and beef tripe, this piece of pork was simply divine - it melted in our mouths and the sweet soy sauce coated our lips.  Mmmm...

Recently, I watched Anthony Bourdain travel to Harbin, China in his show No Reservations.  His travel buddy took him to a local Chinese restaurant that served 東坡肉, in which Anthony described it as "5 layers of happiness."  As I was watching the two men devour the pork, I decided to make it myself.  After all, my mom has been lecturing me about why I should cook Chinese food instead of fattening my waist line with cakes and macarons.

So here we go - I'm going to fill my tummy with pork belly instead.  I went to the Bookworm (a foreign library/book store/cafe) yesterday, bought the cookbook The Food of China: A Journey for Food Lovers (btw, it's an awesome Chinese cookbook), walked over to our local Chinese supermarket, Jingkelong, and picked up the ingredients.  Here's the recipe (and a picture of my dinner!) -

Dong Po Pork (東坡肉)

Ingredients:
1 kg of pork belly, rind on
2 TB of oil
6 spring onions, sliced
8 slices of ginger
100 g of rock sugar (I used slab sugar from my cupboard instead)
2 1/2 TB of dark soy sauce
2 1/2 TB of light soy sauce
1/2 cup of Shaoxing rice wine

Scrape the pork rind to make sure it is free of bristles.  Blanch the pork in a pan of boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain well and dry thoroughly.

Heat a wok over high heat, add the oil and heat until very hot.  Add the pork to the wok.  Run across the kitchen and hide when the oil pops and the pork explodes from intense heat.  Cook the pork until well browned and the skin is crisp and brown.  Drain the pork.

Put the spring onion, ginger, sugar, soy sauces, rice wine and 1/2 cup of water in a clay pot.  Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.  Add the pork, cover and simmer for 2 1/2 - 3 hours, or until very tender.  Remove the pork and drain, straining the liquid.

Enjoy the pork with a bowl of steamed white rice.  Break the pork into small bite size pieces and let it melt in your mouth.  Don't forget to drizzle your rice with the sauce!

And btw, did I mention M (To)Fu made ma po tofu tonight?

Dinner is served!

Streetball, From Us With Love

Tonight, I saw a film. It was incredible, amazing, riveting... It featured true stories of hope and heartbreak captured by stunning images, punctuated by beautiful music. The documentary is called Streetball and it screened tonight at the NY African Film Festival. It will be screening again on Tuesday at 1pm, if you want to catch it for yourself. I highly recommend that you do.

Streetball follows the lives of eight South African guys who are homeless - ex-convicts, former gangsters, orphans - and who find themselves in a position of representing their country through sport, in the 2008 and 2009 Homeless World Cup soccer games.

Rather than me telling you all about it, you can view the trailer for yourself:

Streetball - Trailer from Demetrius Wren on Vimeo.

What struck me the most about the film was its ability to powerfully convey universal human truths - our innate desire to find our place in this world, the desire to be loved and accepted, the desire to be part of something bigger than ourselves - through the voice of the homeless, who often do not have a voice in society and certainly not one that is openly heard.

In the film, we watch as these guys train for the Homeless World Cup, develop friendships and are inspired to change their lives. We watch as they travel to Melbourne, Australia and then to Milan, Italy to meet and play against other soccer teams from other countries - all of them also homeless, all of them also representing their countries, all of them in this together through sport.

Photo from Streetball Personal Stories

I am particularly moved by the film because it was created by a crew of two 25 year olds.  One of them is my amazing friend and former colleague, Tina Ghubril, who only two years ago began working on this project after leaving our company. Watching her labor of love on the big screen made me so utterly proud of her. She is truly changing the world.  She has inspired me to do the same.

On my way home from dinner, I did something that I often do - I gave my leftovers to a homeless person on the street. But tonight, I looked the person in the eye, smiled and said, "How are you doing?"

Photo from Streetball Personal Stories

Thank you, Tina and Demetrius, for helping me to see a perspective that I never would have had the courage to see on my own.  Thank you also for giving me a bit more faith in humanity and more importantly, a bit more faith in myself.

Streetball is sponsored by From Us With Love, a nonprofit organization that uses football (soccer) as a means of involving children and youth that live, work and sleep on the streets in positive activities that will assist them in moving off the streets to better lives. In the Q&A panel tonight, it was very apparent that From Us With Love is in need of funds and resources to sustain their program. Please visit their website to learn about how you can get involved or to contact them to offer your services.

And again, definitely check out the film at the NY African Film Festival on Tuesday at 1pm or in future film festivals.  It truly is a masterpiece.

Recipe of the Week: GOOP

One of my all-time favorite role models is Gwyneth Paltrow. We have a lot in common.  She is slender (as am I). She loves yoga (as do I). She's attends Coldplay concerts (as have I). She was once engaged to Brad Pitt. (Okay, I wrote a lot in common, not everything in common).

I am an avid reader of Gwyneth's blog, GOOP, not only because I want to be just like her, but also because it's filled with really fun, creative ideas, solutions and recipes. In her last post, she featured Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (as did I). Coincidence? Or proof that perhaps my aspirations are attainable? I'll let you decide.

In channeling my inner Gwyneth, I stayed pretty close to the original recipe and I am so glad that I did. After all, this woman does know what she's doing...

Spicy Moroccan Stewed Fish with Couscous
Serves 2 (or 1 Gwyneth wanna-be who enjoys leftovers)
Original recipe and interview with Jamie Oliver

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup quick-cook couscous (leftover from previous meal)
• olive oil
• 2 lemons
• sea salt and freshly ground
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 fresh red chili
• a bunch of fresh basil (reserve leftovers for pesto over eggs this weekend - yum!)
• I teaspoon ground cumin
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 x 8-ounce salmon fillets, skin off and bones removed
• Handful of Trader Joe's frozen langostino tails (um, if you forget to buy shrimp too)
• 14 ounces, or half a can, of Trader Joe's whole plum tomatoes (reserved tomatoes can be used in egg/pesto dish too)
• 2 handfuls of frozen French cut green beans from Green Giant

INSTRUCTIONS:

Take an amazingly great yoga class. Appreciate life. On your way home, realize that nearly a week has gone by and you have not yet conducted your weekly culinary experiment and will therefore be lagging behind with your blog. Recall an interesting recipe that Gwyneth sent earlier in the week. Take out iPhone and pull up her newsletter, which informs you of ingredients needed. Use iPhone as your shopping list as you peruse your local gourmet market. Briefly wonder how you ever functioned without an iPhone.

1. In a tea kettle, bring water to boil. Put the couscous into a bowl and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Halve the lemons and squeeze in the juice from two of the halves. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour in just enough boiling water to cover the couscous, then stir and cover the bowl with a plate. Let stand.

2. While couscous is soaking, take out your iPhone again to reference the recipe. Peel and finely slice your garlic. Finely slice your chili. Pick the basil leaves off the stalks. Put the smaller ones to one side and roughly chop the larger ones. Enjoy the amazing aromas of the fresh basil. Mmmm... make a mental note to register for your CSA so you can continue to get fresh basil from your farm this year. Yum. Decide to make fresh pesto with the remaining basil leaves. Double yum.

3. Get a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add a couple of lugs of olive oil to the hot pan. Add the garlic, chili, basil, cumin and cinnamon. Give it all a stir and put the fish fillets on top. Read the recipe and notice that the next step says, "Scatter over the shrimp." Crap. Notice that you did not purchase shrimp and that you do not have shrimp! Open your freezer. Grab the langostino tails. Decide that they look like shrimp. Decide that they probably taste like shrimp. Scatter two handfuls of frozen langostino tails into pan. Exhale.

4. Add tomatoes and use spatula to break them up into chunky bits. Notice that canned whole tomatoes are so much more fun to cook than diced tomatoes. Add two handfuls of frozen green beans. Notice that frozen beans are never fun to cook. Squeeze in the juice from the two remaining lemon halves. Put a lid on the pan. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 8 minutes.

5. While fish is stewing, return to your iPhone. Send a few WhatsApp messages. Check email. Check Facebook. Try to figure out the hype about iemoji. Feel genuine gratitude for the best device ever. Wonder if Gwyneth has an iPhone too and venture to guess that perhaps that is how she keeps it all together. Re-read her newsletter and sign Jamie Oliver's petition to save cooking skills and improve school food. Feel like you can contribute towards the greater good just by cooking and being in your own kitchen, thanks to your iPhone.

6. Check to see that the fish is cooked through and flakes easily. Taste, and season with salt and pepper. Fluff couscous with a fork. Wonder if you will ever truly be able to make couscous the way it tastes in Morocco. Spoon the couscous on to a large dinner plate. Top with the fish, vegetables, and juices from the pan, sprinkle with the reserved basil leaves. Savor its aromas and flavors. Be amazed that this dish took no more than 15 minutes to make. Be inspired by Jamie and Gwyneth.

Optional step: Place iPhone on your sound dock and put on some Coldplay to truly create a Gwyneth and Chris Martin-inspired atmosphere in your home. Realize that the stew is very hearty and that you'll have ample leftovers, being able to extend this experience for another day. Wonder if Gwyneth and Chris will be able to extend their marriage as well.