combustication

Sorry about the lack of posting, but it is holiday time and I’ve got the NYC Transit Strike to contend with. After a horrific morning commute on Monday - Phil and I tried to take the LIRR from Jamaica, Queens to Penn Station like half of Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, we headed for the hills of Westchester. Coming in via Metro North has been pretty much a stress-free way to get into work, but I am so glad to hear that transit workers are planning to return to work soon. I am not made for suburbia and I miss my apartment.

However, I did manage to make a huge pile of cookies and mini-loaves of banana bread to give to my bosses today at Phil’s parent’s house and hopefully a picture of the mountain o’cookies will be put up soon.

Rock-n-roll and happy holidays!

Stuck in the kitchen for 3.5 hours on a Saturday and all I got was:

-Some amazing Toasted Pecan Toffee
-Mini-Loaves of Cranberry/Toasted Coconut Bread (recipe and pics later)
-Gingerbread Guitars, Men and Dreidels…and one guy who couldn’t handle his sugar and who is now the spokesman of the Phina Estate

Last night, Phil and I trekked through the bitter cold of Manhattan to see The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. It shouldn’t have been that difficult, but I kind of forget the theatre was on 23rd Street, not 14th, which we soon discovered as we hit 9nth Avenue. After a crappy subway ride (surprise! You’re on the express train, not the local), we made it to the movie and got good seats and everything. The movie was pretty good. Not everything I wished it could be, I really loved the books and there were some additions in the movie for dramatic effect, but the feeling was almost right. Some of the images were exactly how I imagined them while reading: Narnia in perpetual winter with tree branches drooping from the immense weight of snow and icicles, the image of the lantern post, the thrones at Cair Paravel, and Mr. Tumnus, which was cool. A good movie to see with maybe some younger family members during the winter holidays – give them the book too.

The real reason for this post is actually the “Turkish Delight” scene in the movie. I came across this article revealing the awful truth that I found out when I went to England a few years ago: Turkish Delight is NOT delicious. The article is hilarious and I believe it true. When I was studying abroad, I got my hands on some Turkish Delight and remembered how amazing that candy seemed in the book. I couldn’t believe I could actually purchase this candy that was in the Narnia! There was a sweet shop/deli place on the way to class that sold it and I happily put down a pound or whatever it cost and eagerly bit into it on my walk to class…I spit it out a second later. It tasted like shite. Gummy, not flavorful and just plain nasty. Childhood illusions about candy were thrown out the window. However, I did have a bite of the Wonka bars that were being peddled when Charlie and the Chocolate Factory came out and that was good. Maybe things aren’t lost afterall.

Allow me to introduce you to one of the tastiest spreads ever: Garlic Rosemary Jelly. It may sound a little odd, but this little baby can perk up Sunday morning eggs, tofu (as well as a good glaze for pork, lamb and chicken, I’m sure), avocado sandwiches, mushrooms…wherever!

I first encountered this jelly at the Union Square Market, or maybe Phil brought some home from there - I don’t remember, but I do remember that I was a little bit afraid. I took a taste of it and was hooked. The garlic is there, but it’s not overpowering and the jam is sweet with the herbiness (is that a word?) of rosemary in the background. Completely delightful, but pricey. An 8oz jar cost about $6 or $8. After the succes with Lazy Apple Butter, I decided to try and jell. Trying to find Pectin in Brooklyn supermarkets was proving to be a pain in the ass, but I persevered at the Key Foods located almost next door. Good to know. I also got to ask someone at my favorite wine shop for a good, cheap white wine to use to make jelly, which was a first time for a request for vino for jelly. Making history people. The jelly itself was quick and easy to put together, although I agonized for hours over whether it was jelling or not. I kept running to my kitchen cupboard, scrutizing the jars, and running back out of the kitchen to declare the whole process a failure. This is where I learned that reading instructions can be a good thing. The instruction book that came with the pectin said things usually start to jell after 24-hours and it did. No more $8 jelly for me!

Garlic Rosemary Jelly*

Ingredients:
1 3/4 dry white wine
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup finely chopped garlic (I got one of those packages from the store where they are already peeled - lazy!)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp butter
1 3 oz. package liquid fruit pectin
4 sterilized 1/2 pint mason jars and lids (go here to learn how to do that>

To Do:
Put the largest pot you’ve got on the stove and fill it up with water and start boiling. You might also want to boil water in a kettle on the side, just in case you need it for later.

Now, in a large nonstick pot stir together wine, vinegar, garlic, rosemary and sugar and bring mixture to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. If the mixture is foaming, add the butter to help reduce the foam. Stir in the pectin quickly. Keep stirring and bring mixture back to a full rolling boil for one (1) minute (follow these instructions from the pectin instruction packet). After a minute is up, remove from heat.

If any foam remains, skim it off and ladle jelly immediately into jars, filling to within 1/4 inch from top. Wipe rims with dampened cloth and seal jars with lids. Place the jars carefully in that big pot of water that should be boiling water by now and make sure that all of the lids are covered by at least an inch (preferably two) of water and boil for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let jars sit in the water for 5 minutes. Remove jars and place in a cool, dark place. It will start to be jelly-ish in 24-hours - don’t be scared!

*Based on this recipe from Recipe Gal.

Last night I was in the mood for some comforting food that wasn’t too terrible for you and thought…risotto! Delicious, creamy, kind of like an Italian mac-n-cheese and the best part is drinking wine while you cook it! This recipe was kind of thrown together haphazardly, but I’m taking a crack at writing it out because the flavors melded really well with eachother and provided a yummy meal.

Citrus Risotto

Ingredients
1.5 cups arborio rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable stock
1.5 cups dry white wine
1 cup orange juice
1 bunch of asparagus, cut into small pieces
1 cup brocoli florets
7 mushrooms, chopped
zest of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste

To Do
Heat up 1.5 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot and add onions and garlic. Turn the heat down and let the onions and garlic get golden, stirring occasionaly - about 7 minutes. Add the rice and stir it around to get it completely coated with the oil. Let it hang out for a minute and then start adding your liquid.

The key to risotto is adding about a half a cup of liquid and then stirring the rice until the liquid gets completely absorbed, and then adding another half cup, continue the process until you’ve used up all of the stock, wine and organge juice. [This makes for a lot of time standing over a pot and stirring, but if you pour yourself some of that extra wine and put on some good music, the time flies by and you get a meal at the end of it! ] I mixed up the order a bit - first, I used some stock, then wine, then a bit of the orange juice and just kept repeating the process until all the liquid was gone.

In the meantime, steam the brocoli and asparagus and sauté the mushrooms with the rest of the olive oil. Add the brocoli and asparagus to the mushrooms and give it a good stir.

When the risotto is just about done and looking creamy, add the lemon zest, vegetables and salt and pepper. Stir it up a couple of times and taste. The rice should have a bit of bite to it, but if it’s a bit undercooked, just add some more liquid - wine, stock, orange juice, whatever! All you have to do is keep stirring.

Place in bowls, grate some parmeson and add some more lemon zest to serve. I like having some crusty bread along the side.

Yum!

Good lookin, tasty and simple. I made these for my boss as part of my “Secret Santa” gift.

Mmmmmm. I kinda want to eat them.

As a Park Slope resident and as a patron of Patio (a bar across the street from my place), I found this manifesto from barkeep Andy which is hilarious and true. I like kids and babies, but not at a bar!

Further details can be found here.

I just wrote this whole stupid thing out and I don’t know what happened, but it’s gone. Blarg. A recap:

Man in Gray’s final show of the year is tonight at the fantastic Rothko. It’s gonna rock and the next time we’re playing is February 24, 2006, so come out tonight and give me a hug or a shot of whiskey.

Details, details…
8pm@ Rothko
116 Suffolk Street (Corner of Rivington)
w/ the Swedes, Spielerfrau, Man in Gray, Foreign Islands.
plus DJ ULTRAGRRRL

We’re on at 10…be there!

A while back, I contacted the editor for Digs Magazine proposing an article on homemade food gift giving and they accepted! I proceeded to bake, mix and package a whole lotta foodstuffs way back in early November and it all paid off - you can read the article here. Pretty nifty and just in time for people to try their hand at gift baking.