Boriqua Blog

That quote is from the poet, John Donne, and it has never rang truer to me than after reading an article in the New York Times Dining Out Section this morning. Fellow food aficionado, computer tech guardian angel and good friend Jason Perlow was featured in the article “The Fat Pack Wonders if the Party’s Over”.

Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times

Jason Perlow, a blogger, was over 400 pounds and now diets.

 Click on the link to read the full article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/dining/19fat.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

I applaud Jason’s efforts to enlighten his audience and readers on the concept of healthy eating, and the fact that you do not have to sacrifice taste when watching your health (notice I didn’t say weight!), and I think it absolutely ridiculous for people to negate the danger of excessive eating, or eating without a conscience. I’ll go on to say that no one loves a good piece of pork belly, tocino, or short ribs more than me, but I know enough not to eat like that everyday, and when I do eat it, I exercise moderation in my intake. To state otherwise when having the ear of a multitude, is both irresponsible and unconscionable. Kudos to Jason, Drew and Joe B. for bringing this issue to light!

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 *EDIT* A warm and heartfelt CONGRATULATIONS to Alejandro and his lovely wife on the arrival of their new Princess Melina Vita Cantagallo.  Bienvenida Princessa y que Dios te bendiga!

It’s been two months since I’ve returned from Buenos Aires, but I’m still heavily infatuated with the food of Argentina. I set out to find an Argentine butcher, because my sons are so besotted with Argentine chorizo and the sandwich called Choripan, and well, because I wanted to recreate the culinary experience that we shared in Argentina back home. Armed with a name and a borough, I hopped on Google until I found what might be a good match. There was, however, a small fly in the ointment, as there were two different addresses listed. I found the phone number, and Miggy called to check the address, saying what a cute accent the man on the phone had. We punched the address into the GPS in my car, and away we went. I drove all the way to Jackson Heights with visions of Argentine chorizo and morcillas dancing in my head.

Imagine my surprise, when upon walking into the store I was met by none other than Alejandro Cantagallo, a culinary student at NYC School of Technology’s Culinary Program, and one of my regular kitchen ninjas at venues like the James Beard House! The shop belongs to his dad, and it is a treasure trove of all things Argentine for your kitchen.

Alejandro “Blu” Cantagallo at Don Francisco’s Meat Market in Jackson Heights, Queens

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My family and I found ourselves in sunny Philadelphia yesterday for Arcadia University’s production of The Tempest, which just happens to be my son Marc’s Senior year production. Shakespeare always makes me hungry, so after such stellar thespian performances, we decided to stop in town for a nice dinner before we headed back home to Brooklyn.

Marc as Antonio in The Tempest (on the far right)

Where to go? Philadelphia offers such an array and variety of fabulous restaurants, but nothing quite says comfort food to me quite as eloquently as Jones Restaurant in Central Philly, one of Stephen Starr’s “theme” eateries in town. The fact that Executive Chef Steven Petrecca is married to that doyenne of fabulosity known as Jennifer Cohan, might have influenced my decision to go there, but no argument was as compelling as this:

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the incomparable Luca Petrecca! There is no way I can even start to tell you how wonderful and delicious this baby is! But I digress…

Chef Steven sent out some extraordinary mac and cheese that was so inviting, I never got a chance to take a picture. My family descended on those two bowls like a hoard of beasts, I’m sorry to say, but I can guarantee you that the mac and cheese alone was worth the trip. When the following apps of Cobb Salad, Chicken and Rock Shrimp Dumplings, and Seared Tuna Tacos, I warded them off long enough to get the picture, before those, too were devoured.

Cobb Salad (The blue cheese in combination with the bacon is what makes me wax poetic about this salad!)

Chicken and Rock Shrimp Dumplings with Sweet Soy and Chile Oil

Seared Tuna Tacos

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• Half a recipe Puerto Rican Black Coffee
• 4 cups milk
• 1 cinnamon stick, optional
• Sugar

Makes eight ¾ cup servings

Make the black coffee. While it is brewing, bring the milk and cinnamon stick to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat.

When the milk is ready, skim off any “skin” that has formed on top. Pour ¼ cup of black coffee in your cup, and add ½ cup of milk. Sweeten to taste.

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• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup butter, plus more for the pans, softened
• 4 large eggs
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup almond flour (see note below)
• ¼ cup AP flour, sifted
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• Confectioners’ sugar

Makes 2 9 inch cakes

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease two round 9-inch pans.

Beat the sugar and ½ cup butter in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer) on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each. The batter should be light yellow, and foamy. Add the grated zest, and the vanilla and almond extracts.

Fold the flours, baking powder, and salt into the batter with a rubber spatula one-third at a time. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely.

Dust liberally with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Almond flour is sold in specialty stores and baking supply stores. Or you can make your own. Start with blanched (peeled) almonds. Grind them, no more than 1 ½ cups at a time, in the food processor until powdery. Stop before the nuts become oily. Starting with chilled nuts helps avoid oiliness.

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• 1 5lb boneless leg of lamb
• Fine sea salt or koshersalt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons Achiote Oil
• 1/4 cup canola oil, or as needed
• 5 stalks celery, trimmed and roughly chopped
• 3 carrots peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 large Spanish onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 7 cups beef broth, homemade or store-bought (or lamb stock if you have it)
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch rounds
• 3 potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 cups diced celery root
• 1 cup green peas, frozen or fresh (cook fresh peas in boiling water for 2 minutes before using)

Makes 10 to 15 servings, as part of a larger meal

Trim the excess fat and sliver skin from the leg of lamb. Cut the meat into cube of 1 inch, tossing them into a large bowl as you go. Season thelamb with salt and pepper, drizzle cooled ahiote oil over it and toss to coat.

Heat 1/4 cup of canola oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add as much of the seasoned lamb as fits in the pan without touching. Cook, turning, until lightly brown. Remove to a bowl as they are done and replace with more lamb. Adjust the heat throughout so the little brown bits that stick to the pan don’t burn.

When all the meat has been browned and removed, check to make sure that you have at least two tablespoons of oil left in the skillet. Add more canola oil if necessary. Over the same medium-high heat, add the roughly cut celery, carrots, onion as well as the farlic, thyme, bay leaves and cloves. Cook, scraping up any bits that have formed at the bottom of the pan until the vegetables start to caremelize and are fragrant.

Add the tomato paste, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir to coat the vegtables. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the tomato paste from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, reduce the heat to very low, and cook, stirring constantly for a few minutes until the flour is well incorporated and no white remains.

Pour in brandy, increase the heat to high, and scrape up any bits that remain on the bottom of the pan. Boil until the brandy has almost completely evaporated, then stir in the broth. Bring to a boil and then adjust the heat so the sauce is simmering. Cook for 30 minutes, skimming off any foam that rises to the top. Strain the sauce and wipe out the Dutch oven.

Place the meat and the strained sauce in the Dutch oven and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Adjust the heat so the sauce is simmering and cook for 45 minutes.

Add the carrot rounds and the celery root and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the potatoes. Check the potatoed for doneness after 10 to 15 minutes. When the potatoes are tender, stir in the peas and cook just long enough to warm through, about 2 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper if you like.

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• ¼ cup Achiote Oil
• ½ cup Sofrito
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Two 8-ounce cans Spanish-style tomato sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large eggplant (about 20 ounces), stemmed, peeled and cut into 1 ½ inch chunks
• 3 pounds salt cod, soaked, cooked and flaked
• 1 cup water, or as needed
• 3 leaves culantro, torn into rough pieces or ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Makes 8 servings

Heat the achiote oil in a heavy 5- or 6-quart pot over medium heat. Add the sofrito and cumin and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated. Add the tomato sauce and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Stir in the eggplant until coated with sauce, then stir in the salt cod. Tear the leaves of culantro, if using, into the pot and pour in the water. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat so the sauce is simmering and cover the pot. Cook until the eggplant is very tender, about 45 minutes. Check the pot from time to time to make sure there is enough liquid to barely cover the eggplant. If not, top off with a little water. Serve with white rice or tostones or with crusty bread as a light supper.

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Lion or Lamb…What’ll It Be?

The suspense is killing me! March has to be one of the most difficult months for me, because I am all pent up with the anticipation of Spring and all of the wonderfulness that comes with it! We are weeks away from Spring lamb, and soft shell crabs, and morels… .fiddlehead ferns, briny shad roe, and fresh fava beans from the Fairway!! Come to mama!
This is going to be a great Spring for celebrations in our family, too. Marc graduates Arcadia University this May (wait! Did I just say that Skeets is graduating??!), Erik hears from his med school applications (send us a prayer!), David discovers where he’ll be doing his Junior Year Abroad (Dublin? Barcelona? Buenos Aires?), and Angela? Well, Let’s just say that Angela is giving us a good glimpse at the amazing young woman she’s growing into. God is good, for sure, and Spring is as good a time as any to give thanks for all we have and the reawakening of all things green.
Spring is synonymous with lamb in my home, but lets face it… there is still a chill in the March air, so this month’s recipes include Estofado de Cordero, or Lamb Stew, and Torta de Santiago or Almond Cake washed down with a delicious Café con Leche. Tastes like Spring to me!
I will be cooking at The NY Times Travel Show this Sunday March 2nd at the Jacob Javits Convention Center at noon, making some season sensitive Bacalao Guisado con Berenjena served with Tostones, so make sure you drop by and say hello. The New York Times is so cool that they will be serving a taste of what I make for everyone, so besides my fabulous company, you get fed as well!

Here is a picture of the show we did in Boston last Friday, February 22 at the Boston Seaport:

Here’s the view from my vantage point:

Much fun was had by all, thanks to the NY Times staff and emcee, Doug Duda, and I’m really looking forward to the sister event here in The Big Apple, so be there or be square!
I’ll also be working on the Spoons Across America Dinner Party Project with Marc Twain Intermediate School again this Spring. Every Monday I will assist the group of 7th graders and their Home Economics teacher, Karen Silverman, to plan and execute a dinner party to which the children will invite their families. We will work together every week, and hold our dinner party on April 14th. I will be sure to keep you posted on our progress.
Well, I have some Easter baskets that I have to get to, so I’ll wish you all a lovely Holiday, and look forward to seeing you over on Boriqua Blog.

Lamb or lion, it’s all good! Buen Provecho!

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