Where Have I Been?

brunch in Kingston

more brunch - classic American breakfast 

 

Well, let me  just start out by saying that I'm an Aries.  Aries rules the head.  So, I'm head, strong.  I'm under the impression that the whole time that Aries is the featured constellation is time for celebration - or sloth.  A cosmic excuse for not doing all that needs doing.  Somehow I wind up doing lots anyway.  I've just wandered a bit from usual routine. 
I celebrated my actual birthday with the same group of friends with whom I've feted it for the past 8 years.   It was a fine time with lunch, shopping, drinks, and dinner in Hudson, and brunch the next day in Kingston which luckily for us took place on the most beautiful weekend that we've experienced this spring.  Luck is often a factor in the life of an Aries.

I entertained an old friend, the painter, Robert Cronin  who kindly lent me a few of his fabulous paintings (and, over the years, has gifted me with some too) to enlivened the atmosphere of my home.  He just seems to know what I like.  We had a nice lunch together.
I made grilled lemon chicken:
.  boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 1/2-inch strips
.  marinated in lemon zest and juice, minced garlic, a dried herb such as oregano or thyme, hot pepper flakes and olive oil - overnight, or 4 hours before grilling.
.  add salt and grill, or sear in a piping hot cast iron skillet for 90 seconds on each side.
 and farro salad with:
 chopped olives, crumbled feta cheese, chopped fresh mint, olive oil toasted pine nuts, and few drops of apple-lingonberry vinegar (thanks IKEA).
.  tossed local salad leaves and a selection of local cheese - all blooming rinds made with cow's milk, goat's milk, and sheep's milk - (I threw away the labels and can't remember their names - after all, I'm a year older)
.  a few chocolates, some dates, and some almonds.
Which gave dear Bob the strength to hang the paintings he brought.

There was a nice day in NYC.  Lunch with Aries friend, Louise Fili at Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria about whom, and which I've waxed rhapsodic many times on this blog.  Dinner with another Aries friend, Roy at Takahachi - along with Rita and David.  I've talked about this Japanese restaurant too.  I seem to be provincial when it comes to restaurant choices.  I stay with what I like.

Joanne Rossman Purveyor of the Unnecessary and Irresistible



sweet and sour fried oysters with pineapple sambal, market greens, Myers and Chang

wok action at Myers and Chang

 

counter at Sofra

That is until I went to Boston last weekend.  Yup, Boston on April 20th.   I had a longtime engagement and as long as the city was open, I had no intention of staying away.  So I signed some copies of my book, a translation of an Italian culinary guide, "Italy Dish by Dish" at Joanne Rossman, Purveyor of The Unnecessary and Irresistible .  Joanne then guided me through the culinary delights of her adopted city. And, oh my, go to Boston for many reasons, not the least of which is to EAT.  In this city, dominated by women chefs, we sampled the establishments of two of the most celebrated; Joanne Chang at Myers & Chang the Asian fusion (but heavily Chinese) restaurant that she owns with her husband, Chris Myers in the city's South End, ice cream at Toscanini in Cambridge where I let the taste of their renowned burnt caramel flavor linger until I could no longer find it, and  breakfast at Ana Sortun's Sofra bakery and café in Cambridge which was slurpalicious - you can't even begin to imagine. 
I wrote all about my Boston experiences for my column in the Register Star - it will appear on Friday the 26th April.  Go to the paper's site, click on columnists then scroll down until you find me.   As a matter of fact, you can go to some of my older columns for some real recipes.  I've been at my column even if I haven't been here!

SUSANSIMONSAYS:
SATURDAY, APRIL 27th I'll be at the Hudson Public Library at the Friends of the Library's colossal cookbook sale from 11am - 1pm to answer cooking questions - or just meet you and talk food!

Easy dinner - when you've been shopping at Russ and Daughters in NYC and come home with some salmon roe.  Baked very sweet, sweet potatoes from Miller's Crossing at the Hudson Farmers' Market, slit open, filled with crème fraiche then topped with salmon roe.  This dish has it all - and it's healthy.

 

Some Of The Things That I Miss About NYC

There are many things that I like about my new home in the Hudson Valley and I can tell that those situations  are going to multiple the longer I stay here.  (That commitment is about to become an earnest endeavor with the acquisition of a home - oy!).  However, there are some things that just need a city the size of New York.
While there is an abundance of fresh-from-the-farm produce and products in my neighborhood - you've heard me go on about them non-stop - there isn't really good Japanese food (among others), and I'm talking mostly sushi and sashimi, within miles and miles and miles of here.   I have an incessant hunger for raw fish that tastes like the ocean and unusual varieties of seafood that are flown in daily from Japan.   I was spoiled silly when I lived in the city on the same block with the illustrious Jewel Bako restaurant and a mere 4 short blocks from the city's landmark sushi restaurant, Hasaki.
When I was in the city recently I was introduced to another Japanese restaurant that's situated just a few blocks east of where I lived for decades but never went to - because that's just how much of a prisoner of my immediate neighborhood I was.  So provincial. 

 

 

My friends, Rita and David - and Rita's sensei - maestro -Mr. Mutsuo Tomita (she studied ikebana - a way of considering the art of the flower - with him for years and they have remained good friends) dined at Takahachi (East Village location).  I was in salt water heaven with my chirashi - a big bowl of sushi rice covered in at least 6 varieties of raw fish, cooked eel, egg custard and shredded daikon radish.   Mountain yams cooked in white miso,  seafood dumplings, kushikatu (deep fried skewers); okra and bacon, tofu, and shrimp, and hen of the woods tempura completed the meal.  It not only thoroughly sated me but also made me miss this way of eating even more.

 

 

I like a good book party.  I like one even more when a friend's book is celebrated.   Louise Fili's magnificent monograph, "Elegantissima" was feted at Sfoglia restaurant, one of Louise's clients.  The place closed its doors to diners and turned itself into a party space.  Tables were laden with a selection of cheese, cured meats, olives, bread, house made; grissini, ricotta, wine crackers, jam and bean salad. Waiters dressed in black passed mini arancini (saffron rice balls filled cheese), lamb meatballs sitting in spicy tomato sauce and skewers loaded with grilled eggplant and mozzarella.

Excuse me for the  out-of-focus photo of Louise and some of her staff - just about all of them from past years who helped create the images in the book - attended the party. 

I just like walking around my old neighborhood, looking at the statue of Vladimir Lenin posing as as the Statue of Liberty (?) atop a building naturally called "Red Square", and bumping into people that I haven't seen in months.  They greeted me like it was yesterday that we last saw each other - it hasn't even registered that I moved away.   That's how time flies in the city that's in perpetual motion.   Oh, "Hi, how are ya'?"   I love that some things stay just as if I never left.  

SUSANSIMONSAYS: For your consideration:  Nancy Sharon Collins' new book.  This is a detailed, illustrated history of engraving.   As Collins' says, "It parallels the history of movable type and letterpress printing."

 

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NOT TO BE MISSED

 

 

At HuMP- Hudson Museum of Photography at  552 Warren Street:

 

MOONMAN images by Stephen Johnson

 

 

Saturday Serendipity

Sometimes things just happen like that.  Snap.  Could be serendipity - a little good luck - or an accidental discovery.  Serendipity is how I would describe a recent Saturday dinner that was meant to be here on the right bank but wound up on the left bank.  I'm talking about the Hudson River banks - not the Seine.

I had invited some new Hudson friends to dinner and thought they would mix well with some old Kingston friends - and then, I thought I'd add in a fairly new Kingston friend.  He readily agreed, but with an offer.  "Why don't you bring the whole dinner to my house," he asked.   Well, it was an offer not hard to refuse.  This friend, a painter of some renown, lives, from time to time, in a very eccentric Second Empire house complete with a concave slate roof, iron roof cresting, a columned veranda, and a jaw-dropping view of the river.  The lavishly painted and decorated rooms change every time one visits.   Houses are this man's avocation.  There are others - not just the Ulster County perch.

We began our trip to the Left Bank with a drinks stop at the old friends' mid-century modern home - also fairly eccentric - in Kingston.   James and Mark call their place, Ringtop Ranch after the street on which it's located.    They served their summer of 2012 signature drink, the Ringtop Blackberry Breeze. 
Mark makes the base for the cocktail with:
1 1/2 cups simple syrup
1 pint blackberries (or blueberries)
a handful of fresh mint leaves

Blend 1/2 cup simple syrup with the berries and mint.  Strain into the remaining simple syrup.  Pour into a pitcher and chill.
Make the drink by adding ice to a capacious glass then the guest's choice of gin or vodka - or another clear spirit such as white rum or tequila - mix in an equal amount of the blackberry mix.  Float the top with tonic or sparkly water.  Garnish with fresh mint. 

The drink looks spectacular in their vintage gold-embossed Gucci glasses.

After drinks we caravaned down to the other end of Kingston and our host's home, Cordts Mansion.

Remember, we catered dinner.    I made chicken tonnato.  This is my kinder and gentler version of the classic northern Italian summertime dish, vitello tonnato - veal with tuna sauce.   I poached the chicken - place the breasts in a saucepan and cover with chicken broth and white wine, bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer - until the flesh seems tender and springs back into place when you press a finger on the thickest area.  Remove the breasts from the pan and place them in a dish with sides.  Soak some paper towels in the broth and cover the breasts with them.  Let cool until ready for slicing.   Meanwhile puree a can of olive oil-preserved tuna (Italian, if possible) - drained - with a few capers in a food processor.  Remove the puree to a medium mixing bowl.  Make a mayonnaise in the same, unrinsed food processor with 1 egg (or two) the zest and juice of a lemon.   Run the processor until the mixture becomes pale and frothy, then slowly drizzle in a mixture of canola oil- or another neutral oil, and olive oil - until a loose mayonnaise is achieved. Combine the mayo with the tuna puree and  reserve.
To serve:  Very thinly slice the chicken breasts against the grain.  Arrange the chicken slices like cascading dominoes up and down a large serving platter.   Smoothly, and generously cover the top with the lemon-tuna mayo.  Sprinkle capers over the top to garnish.  You might want to frame the platter with lemon slices or wedges as well.

I also made a roasted eggplant dish.  I used the slender Asian eggplant from Blue Star Farms.   I cut them in half and then into quarters.  I rubbed them in olive oil and roasted them in a 400 degree F. oven until they were golden brown on all sides - about 15 minutes.   While they were cooking I made a mixture of goat milk yogurt  ( R &G, from Cheese! at The Hudson Farmers' Market), extra virgin olive oil, chopped fresh dill and mint, sea salt and a bit of chopped fresh hot pepper.  As soon as the eggplant came out of the  oven I dumped it into the yogurt mixture and tossed it to coat and let the eggplant absorb the flavors.  Serve at room temperature with fresh herb garnish.

James made a delicious panzanella. The bread and tomato salad is having its season right now due to the abundance of heirloom - and other - tomatoes overflowing market bins.  He also made a just-right corn and potato salad.

Mark made what is my personal favorite summertime dessert, peach crumble - his is particularly melt-in-your mouth because of the way he manufactures the seemingly simple dish.  The rich flavor  comes from letting the sliced peaches macerate for a bit in sugar and lemon juice. They are topped with mixture of oatmeal, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt which is added to softened butter  and mixed together until small clumps form. Cover the fruit with the clumps and bake in a 350 degrees F. oven until the top is golden and the sides are bubbly - 45 -50 minutes.  The whole wheat flour and brown sugar give the crumble topping an almost nutty taste.
Mark reheated  the crumble and served it with  pomegranate molasses, and blackberry ice cream from Lick brought to the party by the Hudson contingency.

Like characters from a Victorian novel we moved from room to room in the grand house in order to find just the right spot to eat our meal.  We began on the veranda but were soon covered in mosquito bites.  Then we tried one parlor after another 'til we found the coolest one - temperature and setting.

Never refuse a last minute suggestion.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:   "Elegantissima" Louise Fili's monograph has just been published.  For those of you who love design, food, all things Italian and a good story need to get a copy of this book SUBITO - immediately.  As you look and read through the book you will delight at her designs for book covers, food packaging and restaurant logos that you recognize.  Although this is Louise's work to date - I hope that she is now busy filling her files with new work for monograph part II.

Tri-State Day Trip, and A Welcome Gift from a Stranger

With each day spent living in Hudson I've grown more smitten with its location.  It's practically tucked into the point where New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut meet. Adventures abound.  The other day, in 50 short minutes I drove through two states, New York and Massachusetts, to reach my final destination in the third, Connecticut.  It's uncanny, but true that although these states are attached to each other with no visible boundaries the character of the landscape changes as soon as you pass by the individual state's "Welcome to..." sign.  This is most decidedly evident when you enter Connecticut from Massachusetts.

I was invited to visit my friends, Louise Fili and Steve Heller (his daily newsletters, The Daily Heller and The Nightly Heller are endlessly entertaining and the information within will make you feel smart and informed) at their lush Litchfield County property.  Their house had its start as an Agway corrugated metal barn and all new additions were built to appear as if they were part of the original, including the silo shaped two-story master suite - designed by the late architect, Mark Foster.

The property is filled with Louise-designed flower gardens, a vegetable garden (mostly enjoyed by the chipmunks) a small orchard and the center-piece/ conversation piece, the GLACIAL ERRATIC - the rest of which has slipped down to "somewhere in Long Island" according to Steve.  It took me a few minutes to get it.  Here is this remaining bit of the ice age where, according to my friends, the property's former owner used as  wine-making platform.

Louise, besides being the world's best designer of food packaging and restaurant logos - you must check out her website just to see her latest, and stunningly beautiful, designs for chef Marcus Samuelsson's new line of tea - is a wonderful cook in grand Mediterranean-style.  Louise is an ardent - no, not a strong enough word - is an uber-Italophile. In fact part of our friendship is based on the fact that we speak Italian to each other - and sometimes play Scrabble in that language.   Her choices for the lunch that we shared were the just the kinds of things you might eat on a warm summer afternoon under a pergola in the country outside of Florence, Rome, Genoa, Venice, or Milan - you know, anywhere in Italy. 

Sweet, winy fresh figs wrapped in salty-sweet prosciutto; tender, saffron-laden risotto cakes - made with Marcella Hazan's recipe for risotto alla Milanese which  were formed into patties, covered in breadcrumbs and a few fresh thyme leaves, then gently sauteed in a bit of olive oil; a insalata Nizzarda - Louise's version of the classic salade Nicoise made with freshly poached tuna, cucumbers, tomatoes (from her garden), olives and hard-cooked eggs; and Marinated Eggplant from one of everyone's favorite cookbooks of the 1980s , Viana La Place & Evan Kleinman's Cucina Fresca.  And, all the way from Hudson, The Red Barn's sweet potato chips.  We finished the meal with strawberries macerated in red wine and a bit of sugar served with "bird food" (mixed nuts and seeds held together with honey) bars.  Beverages included sparkling water water, sparkling pink lemonade and chilled Campari - we each made our own versions of a mixed drink with different combinations of the selection.   Beautiful rosy drinks - all of them.
I'll bet you didn't even notice that this whole meal was lactose-free and gluten-free.  And who missed anything?  To the contrary.   Deliziosissimo!

MARINATED EGGPLANT  from Cucina Fresca (Harper & Row, 1985)

Serves 4

1 eggplant
coarse salt
olive oil for frying
1 bunch fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
 Cut a slice off the stem and blossom ends of the eggplant. Cut length-wise into thin slices, about 1/4-inch thick.  Lay out the eggplant slices on paper towels and salt generously.  Let stand until beads of water appear on the surface.  Dry the eggplant with additional towels.  Heat a non-stick skillet over high heat.  Pour enough oil into the skillet to just cover the bottom.  Fry the eggplant slices at moderately high heat a few at a time to avoid crowding the pan.  The slices should brown quickly so that they do not get mushy.  As the slices brown, remove them from the pan and place on paper towels to drain.
In a glass or enamel baking dish, make a layer of eggplant slices.  Sprinkle some of the basil, garlic and vinegar over the eggplant slices.  Make another layer of eggplant slices and repeat sprinkling with herbs and vinegar.  Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for several hours, preferably overnight.  The marinated eggplant will continue to improve in flavor for several days.

The day before the heavenly Connecticut adventure I was, as is my habit, pursuing the Saturday morning Hudson Farmers' Market - and keeping an eye on the Book Tent's (see link for future schedule) author  - when a stranger, to me, a man, approached me with a bouquet of vegetables wrapped up in damp newspaper (the Arts section of the New York Times - if you were wondering) and a printed sheet of paper somewhat describing the most unusual selection of the group.  "I want someone who appreciates food to have these," he said.  "They're from my garden".  I unwrapped the paper to find frisee - a highly-flavored, slightly bitter salad leaf, purple and green string beans, and the mystery ingredient which my donor called "strawberry spinach".  Thank you.  As soon as I got home I Googled "strawberry spinach" and found hundreds of recipes for salads with strawberries and spinach - but nothing that resembled the misshapen little red globes attached to sparsely-leafed branches that I was gifted.   I referred to the sheet of paper that was part of the gift and found the botanical name of the  plant is chenopodium capitatum which is more commonly known as blite goosefoot.   Yeah sure, when was the last time you bought a bunch of blite goosefoot?  Further exploration led to the discovery that quinoa, the high-energy grain is also chenopodium (quinoa).  Feeling confident that this was truly an edible plant I popped a few of the berries into my mouth.  They were surpringly pleasing.  Dare I say they tasted like fresh, juicy quinoa?  But what to do with them?   I didn't dare cook them for fear of loosing their saturated red-orange color and perhaps disintegration of their shape and flavor.  So, I made my own kind of salade Nicoise because the other ingredients suggested it to me.   I thought about adding tuna, as in the real version - but when I thought about those berries - there was all the protein you might need.

I made a dressing with a bit of prepared mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and fresh lemon juice to contrast the bitter leaves.  I added blanched beans - the purple ones turn dark green when cooked - and tossed everything together with some chopped Kalamata olives. Garnished it with tomato wedges and covered the salad with the strawberry-like fruits and enjoyed one of the most unusual, and unusually good salads that I've eaten in awhile.  Thank you stranger  - whose name I later discovered is David.  He pulls up his station-wagon every Saturday on the south-east side of market offering the harvest of his garden.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:  There's plenty to do in Hudson this coming weekend.  Two outstanding events include Severine von Tscharner Fleming signing copies of a book that she edited, "Greenhorns: 50 Dispatches from the New Farmers' Movement" in the Book Tent at the Hudson Farmers' Market. 10:30am - 12:30pm.

and a wine and chocolate tasting from 5 - 7 pm, #1 Warren Street next door to The Chocolate Bar.  Fortunately these two events don't compete. You can do both.