Ho Hum...

Ok, I have a bit of writer’s block. I have been in Ireland for about a week now and even though I have experienced so much in the past few days that I have been here, I can’t seem to muster up enough creativity to write a decent blog post. I had a few ideas being thrown around my head though. I would write about potatoes. I just re-read that sentence and it’s been so overdone and is such a cliché of Ireland I could literally die. So in the meantime, while trying to think of some audacious food topic that will shatter your mind to pieces, I have been cooking. Going to the local Galway market, spending literally almost hours rummaging up and down the stalls and aisles, in absolute ecstasy over the fresh food available. Then I make soup. Soup. So lovely and delicate, coating your throat as it runs down and warms your tummy.

I am a lover of soup. We have an illustrious affair, soup and I, one that has its roots in my mom’s kitchen as a child. My favorite homemade dishes include some form of Asopao, a thick rice soup/gumbo style mishmash, where she would throw in the occasional shrimp, chicken, or even traditional gandules, served piping hot with an abundance of garlic bread. So for me there is this connection of home and soup, and home is where I get most of my passion and inspiration for food. So I dedicate this to several outlets that have inspired my soup frenzy: my mum, of course, and Applegates Deli, in Brentwood, where their daily selection of over 15 soups have me to be quite frank, a little homesick :/  But no worries, I have here leeks and eh hem...potatoes… and some other ingredients that create a symphony in my saucepan on those cloudy and chilly summer days In the Isle.  

Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients

• 2 large or 4 small leeks, about 3 cups chopped
• 2 slabs of thick cut bacon, chopped about ½ cup
• ½ cup of onion
• 1/3 cup of green apple
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups of water
• 3-4 medium russet or golden potatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons snipped chives

Directions

Using a sharp knife, halve the white part of the leeks lengthwise and rinse well under cold running water to rid the leek of any sand. Slice thinly crosswise and set aside.

In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter and add the bacon. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is very soft and has rendered most of its fat. Add the apple, onion, garlic, and chopped leeks and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the chicken stock, potatoes, rosemary, thyme, salt and black pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are falling apart and the soup is very flavorful.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender. (Alternately, if you own an immersion blender, puree the soup directly in the pot.) Stir in the creme fraiche and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve immediately, with some of the snipped chives sprinkled over the top of each bowl of soup and a slice of Irish Soda bread with a pat of Irish butter.

Beer Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
• ½ cup finely diced green apple
• ½ cup diced onion
• ½ cup diced rashers, or 2 slabs of bacon
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 (12-oz) bottle ale such as Smithwicks Red Lager
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1  tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups extra-sharp Cheddar (preferably English; rind removed if necessary) grated

Directions:

Cook onions, carrots, apple, garlic, and bacon in butter in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to moderately low and sprinkle flour over vegetables, then cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add milk, broth, and beer in a stream, whisking, then simmer, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, and pepper.

Add cheese by handfuls, stirring constantly, and cook until cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes (do not boil). Discard bay leaf.

Eataly

Eataly, the largest Italian food and wine marketplace in the world is located in the Flatiron District, just skips away from the 23^rd st subway stop. Oscar Farinetti, with a similar location that has taken Turin, Italy by storm, has teamed up with Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, and Lidia Matticchio Bastianich to provide New Yorkers and the like with a 50,000 square foot space that caters to foodies of all sizes, providing them with a mecca of artisanal products.

You can navigate through the cured meats and cheeses, fruits and vegetables, fresh meats, fresh fish, handmade pasta, desserts and baked goods and coffees that occupy the space, though to be completely honest, the place was so massive, I felt a little overwhelmed and found things somewhat difficult to find. The selection seems endless. I grabbed a shopping basket and found it full in just a few minutes. Some advice: definitely take some time to shop around, I know you probably want to buy a little of everything, but trust me patience will not leave you disappointed.

You walk into the market and are greeted by aromas of espresso, cream, and sweet pastry. Chef Luca Montersino, shares his sugar filled vision in Pasticceria. His recipes use less butter, unrefined sugar and rice flour to create satisfying flavors.  You can find an assortment of Golosotti (spoon desserts), Verrine (pastries in small glass cups) and Mini Dolci (small cakes); and while you thought your eyes have feasted on enough sweets to give you a stomachache, you pleasantly welcome the Gelateria, where Luca uses Organic Whole Milk from NY Milk in Rochester and high quality ingredients like fresh fruit, Hue Hue Slow Food Presidia Coffee, hazelnuts from Piedmont and Pistachios from Bronte, Sicily to create bold flavors of Italian gelato on a daily basis.

Make sure to stop by Café Lavazza on your way out and try their famous Bicerin, a blend of thick hot chocolate, espresso topped with a layer of fresh whipped cream.

In the main quarters of the market, you find yourself in a symphony of flavors and food, but my first stop was at La Piazza. La Piazza resembles the casual eateries of Venice, where you can purchase and eat your finds at high top marble counters and standing tables. This seems to be the only real place to eat what you buy without being seated at one of their restaurants. I found this a little bit of a problem as well. The tables and counters fill up fast, and when we were seated in Il Pesce, the eatery that serves some of the freshest seafood I have ever had in NYC, we were told we couldn’t indulge in the prosciutto, olive bread, and pears we had bought in the market. Sad face. :(

Il Pesce is one of the six restaurants situated in Eataly’s quarters. You can sit down to a Neapolitan style pizza or a bowl of freshly made pasta at La Pizza & Pasta, sip a crisp beer at Birreria, or indulge your senses in the bounty of locally sourced produce made into utterly delicious dishes at Le Verdure.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Eataly. These types of establishments hitting the streets of the Big Apple are becoming more and more of a trend, but a much needed one at that. The term organic is simplified best into meaning “basic” or “natural”. At Eataly, we see organic at its most primitive level. You see meat that is actually being butchered on site, eateries that have open kitchens where you can see everything that is going on, and when you order something off of one of their many menu’s you can ask, ‘Where does this Black Bass come from?’ and the answer appeases your heart… ‘Oh you see that stall 10 feet away? It was caught from the bay this morning and driven there.’ It is really no surprise that all you see on the faces of fellow shoppers is always pleasant and relaxed. You don’t have to wonder how long that pork loin has been sitting there, if their cream really is cruelty free, or if the fish fillets are fresh, all while sipping back a fruity glass of fruilo. Mangiare bene

Do drink the water

So, New York City, or just simply "the city" as I call it, was home for me for many years. My parents struggled to raise two kids in the mean streets of various boroughs before being transferred to Saint Louis. Those close to me know my relationship with the two places. Living in the Midwest for almost 11 years, I yearned for the big city life, the diverse cultures, and most of all the colorful cuisine. Though, recently I have fallen in love with STL’s hidden international food scene and culture, and really believe “those who seek, will find.”

I frequent the city at least once a year, and while I tend to dive into the newest trends in food fare, there are always a few things I simply HAVE to have. A hot dog with bright ruby red onion relish, a knish dipped in tons of mustard, and of course a slice. Saying NY pizza is a staple is an understatement. Cheese so hot and melty it burns the roof of your mouth (every time), sweet homemade tomato sauce, and that crust that is thicker and crunchy around the edges and chewy and slightly charred in the middle. No matter where you are, or more importantly what time, a folded slice is the perfect end, beginning, and middle to a night out on the town.

They call me the carb queen. I live for the crust. I die for the crust. So please, please, please help me God. New york crust is like none other. In 2007, the Food Network's Serious Eats, host Mathieu Palombino, the chef/owner of Motorino, put six different pies, in front of a carefully selected panel of pizza lovers. The opinions varied somewhat but the only real (but not surprising) conclusion was that the "overall enjoyment of pizza crust is strongly related to how crisp it is." No one likes a soggy pie (well not me anyways), that’s why I have always had a hard time eating a certain large chain “St. Louis style” pizzeria pizza that specialize in large, super thin crust pie with tons of sauce and even more than a considerable amount of local cheese.

Ok before all of you St. Louisians jump down my throat, let me clarify. I don’t even really love Chicago style pizza. I grew up in NYC and what is it they say, “a tiger can’t change its stripes”? Well call me Tony.

Ok, back to the point. So on the show, the six different pies only differed in one aspect: the type of water used in the pizza dough. Seriously. I’m not kidding.They used different brands of water, including Dasani, Evian, and most noted, New York City tap water. Which one fared the best? Hands down, the local NYC tap pie.

My cousin actually told me about this the other day. I had never heard of such a thing. The water that comes out of our bathroom faucet makes or breaks a pizza? But not just any water; rumor has been circulating for years about the magical properties of NYC tap water and the quality of pizza dough. One commenter was quick to add that a popular pizza joint in Tampa, Florida claims to import the water for their dough directly from NY. This may be a growing trend; last summer we reported that a Florida bakery had recreated the NY water purifying process in their own restaurant in an effort to make the perfect Brooklyn bagel. This is gaining popularity, states like California and Texas are “importing” the water from the Big Apple and using it to make “real” NY pizza.  

New York City drinking water is world-renowned for its quality. The Department of Environmental Protection performs more than 900 tests daily, 27,000 monthly, and 330,000 on an annual basis from up to 1,000 sampling locations throughout New York City. This work is in addition to 230,000 tests performed in the watershed. Each day, more than 1 billion gallons of fresh, clean water is delivered from large upstate reservoirs – some more than 125 miles from the City – to the taps of nine million customers throughout New York state. The success of the program is one of the main reasons why New York City remains one of only five large cities in the United States that is not required to filter its drinking water.

The purity of the water and it’s mineral content helps out the pizza dough in numerous ways. It provides a clean reaction with the yeast, and allows the crust to be chewier on the inside while allowing for charring and caramelizing of the crust while its baking. If you don’t believe me, check out the DrinkingWater Supply and Quality Report provided by the New York City government in 2010.

Jeffrey Steingarten’s wrote an insightful piece about the history of Roman breads  and how they differed in the chapter titled “Flat Out” in his book It Must Have Been Something I Ate:

“In the shower, the shampoo refuses to lather. This means that Roman water is high in minerals, which can be good for the color and texture of bread, but slows fermentation and tightens the dough. I reach for my scuba diver’s underwater writing slate, as seen on Baywatch, indispensable for recording those flashes of insight that so often strike one in the bath. We must test the water of Rome.”

So the idea is this: minerals dissolved in water (mostly made up of magnesium and calcium) can help proteins in the flour bond together more tightly, forming a stronger gluten structure, the network of interconnected proteins that give dough its strength and elasticity. So the higher the mineral content of water, the stronger and chewier the dough. Pretty simple right?

Well the best way is to see for yourself. Tap’d NY has come up with an ingenious idea of actually BOTTLING the water that comes out of NYC pipes. So instead of paying for water that comes out of France or Southeast Asia, you can buy American; but NYC tap water. Democracy at its best, I say. And, once you click here and buy yourself a few cases of the stuff, try out the age old tale. Does low mineral, high purity water really make a better dough? You can make a pizza yourself, with this recipe, or try out a loaf of bread. Then induce yourself in a carb coma. J

An Oldie but a Goodie Relights the Trend in Queens

Beer garden or "Biergarten" is an open-air area where beer, other drinks and local food are served. The concept originates in the 19^th century and is most common in Southern Germany, mainly in Bavaria. The biergarten was originally was brought about about 500  ago, where experimentation led to the  discovery that  if brewers made beer in the winter months rather than the typical summer months, fermentation would be slower and deliver a different kind of beer. So when this was realized, different styles for summer and winter brews developed. While summer beer was a relatively light beer to be consumed within days, winter beers were comparatively stable and could be kept for few more months.

The beergarden helped solve the mystery surrounding fermentation. Brewers found out where to build cellars that would stay cool even in summer. The ditches were made deep in the ground in the banks of the Isar river, which allowed them to keep the beer cool. In order to further reduce the cellar temperature, the banks were covered in gravel and chestnut trees were planted. As these trees not only shadowed the cellars below them, but the big surface of the leaves evaporated lots of water, thereby effectively cooling the surroundings in summer.

Because of the cool temperatures and beautiful landscape,tables and benches started occupying their space, turning it into a garden, where the locals can enjoy fresh brew and tolerable weather.

Beer gardens in metropolitan cities today are the cheap and convenient way of spending a weekend in the shade and enjoy the cityscape, avoiding expensive restaurants in the city. In addition to beer, beergarden food fare that blends traditional bar sustenance with spicy flair.

Hirschgarten in Munich, is the worlds best and the largest traditional beer garden, where more than 8000 people can dine together with Bavarian food and a glass of beer.
Today, many countries around the globe have drinking establishments with an attached beer garden. In Austria, the beer garden is called Gastgarten (guest garden). In Japan, outdoor beer gardens are enjoying increasing popularity, with many found on the roofs of department stores.
In the United States one of the earliest, and most popular, beer gardens was Castle Garden on the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York. It has a rich history, which has housed a fort,theater, the first immigration station (before Ellis Island), a public aquarium, and finally as a national monument.

A notable and historic Beer Garden is Bohmeian Hall. Open since 1919, it located in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, and accompanies a bar and catering hall. The Beer Garden at Bohemian Hall officially sits 800, though often entertains more during festivals and other events.

The Garden at Studio Square, located in Long Island City, Queens, is a fresh update to the traditional beer garden. Orthodox Wood benches and tables decorate this immense space, but its modern Jumbo Tron and blaring house music make this spot a must see. Offering over a dozen of craft, domestic and imported  beers on draft, the surprise of my visit to the establishment was the house sangria. It is served out of a tap, and for $25 dollars for a 60 ounce pitcher, makes this a pretty great bargain. Fresh fruit is added right before it is served, and they sangria itself was refreshing and not too sweet, with a nice balanced finish.  I didn't get a chance to sample the food, the menu is organized very functionally, and offers small plates that pack spice and heat to homemade sausages and burgers. Below is a promotional video highlighting the delights of Studio Square :)

Beer gardens are a commonplace notion in Saint Louis, because of its rich German heritage and history. But the revival of these unpretentious spots in the Big NYC makes one yearn for the the familiar, and Studio Square hits it right on the head.