Monday, October 23, 2006

Anything But Regular


I had a latte at my favorite cafe in Park Slope, Cafe Regular, with Jeremy Brown and Vale last Friday. The place has about ten seats and is decorated like something out of Paris in the 1950s with goopy red paint and a minimalist menu written on a mirror behind the bar. Every time I've gone, there's been this surly Irish guy making the drinks. I'm curious if he made millions and is living out his life's dream of serving espresso or if he's just doing a job. If anyone stops by and has the courage to ask, would you let me know? You can find Martin on 11th St. just east of 5th avenue in Brooklyn.

Friday, October 20, 2006

Katz's Deli


Last weekend I went up to NYC--just to visit some friends who live in Williamsburg. For dinner we went to Katz's on Houston, and I had the best Reuben ever! (On a different note: If you'd like to get something to drink and have some good time with friends, check out Tom and Jerry's pub right off Houston on Elizabeth Street.)

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Chicken-chorizo stew

This was my friend Ken-ichi's dish for last week's installment of my iSchool supper club. It was delicious (and beautiful, but I don't have a digital camera). I would've liked more chorizo, and I recommend letting some of the orzo crust up on the bottom of the pot.


Ingredients

  • 6-8 chicken thighs (enough to cover the bottom of a large saucepan)
  • 7 grams Spanish chorizo, sliced (the hard, smoke-cured kind)
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2-3 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 large red bell pepper, deseeded and sliced
  • 24 oz chicken stock or water
  • 6 oz green beans
  • 2.5 oz black olives
  • 1 lb orzo
1. Skin the chicken and trim the fat. Heat a few tbsp of olive oil in the bottom of a large saucepan, and brown the chicken (watch out for spatter). They don't need to cook all the way through, just long enough so they're nice and golden and have left nice golden chickeny bits sticking to the pot.

2. Remove the chicken and remove all but a few tbsp of the remaining fat and oil (or leave it; fat == deliciosity). Add the chopped onions and saute until soft. Add the garlic, bell pepper, paprika, and chorizo and cook a little while until you start smelling that chorizo. Add the stock (or water) and simmer, covered, for 30 mins.

3. Add the green beans, olives, and orzo, and simmer uncovered until the orzo is cooked and has absorbed most of the liquid, about 15-20 mins.

NOTE: You can use other hard, smoked sausages, and even things like brats in place of the chorizo here and it'll still taste good (if not the same), but I don't recommend fresh sausages or Mexican chorizo. I tried the latter once and was unpleasantly surprised.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

More Luscious Than Locke


I got a suprise visit from Matt Connors last night. So I ditched my reading for chicken paprikas, parsleyed potatoes, red russian kale, pickles, and some red zinfandel. For dessert we had some rugelach from Zabar's that my parents brought.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Brazilian Peasant Brunch


Hil threw together this brunch last Sunday: fried eggs, corn tortillas, sauteed kale, fried plantains, black beans and yogurt. Otimo!

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Dinner on Federal Hill


Hil and I had a large rectangular pizza at Caserta's. The mushrooms were rubbery and clearly from a can but not unpleasantly so. Our five leftover pieces are in the freezer.