The Forker

2009-02-04T16:37:00.000-08:00

Pork roast and potatoes. We wish you were there.

2008-12-14T05:26:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2008

It was all about the dessert table this year.

2008-11-04T21:21:00.000-08:00

Orient, NY 11/02/08

2008-07-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

Raw Food! This lady has a cameo in the Bronner Movie--you remember her, she used to live in a teepee in the ozarks?

2008-04-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

We're back in LA. In NY we ate well on the streets. We kept Momofuku afloat and drank coffee at Abraco on 7th street in the EV, lots of Angelica's hippy kitchen, many juices at Liquiteria, a bizarre meal at the spaceship Jewel Bako baked eggs at Gemma and tater tots and a hot dog at crif dogs on St. Mark's Place. I also at some mushrooms. From a plastic bag, those kind. At home we ate things like buttery sea scallops and quinoa.

And for the child, egg curds and tiny pieces of whole grain toast. Glad we got to see all of you. Come to California we'll make you a health shake and a ham sandwich.

2008-04-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

Two of my friends/former co-workers just opened a coffee shop and cafe over on 4th Avenue and Carroll in Brooklyn. It's called Root Hill Cafe, and I can recommend the yummy breakfast burrito and the fancy coffee made in the Clover machine. The space is also quite stylish and roomy. So check it out if you are in the area. Afterwards you could get a beer & play some pool with the nice ladies at Catty Shack.

2008-04-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

Just got this email from my father

subject Dinner Alone 4/9/08

Brown diced polish slab bacon in non-stick skillet.
Dice vine ripened tomatoes, add to cooked bacon with a squirt of olive oil.
Melt tomatoes, cover with a lot of coarsely chopped bio-dynamically grown spinach.
Spinach should be drained after cleaned but still retain some moisture.
Sweat spinach until limp. Lightly fold all ingredients in pan.
During this process you will have soft boiled two organic eggs.
Place Spinach bacon etc. in bowl with the broth that has been created.
Top with the eggs.
Eat with large soup spoon and chopsticks.

2008-03-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

Carla and I just got back from Vieques. Had a wonderful time. Here are some treats we enjoyed. A potato ball stuffed with meat, chicken pastelillo (aka empanada),acerola juice. In the other photo are arepas stuffed with shrimp, conch, octopus, peppers, onion, lemon or lime juice...good stuff.
We had the arepas 2 nights in a row.

2008-02-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

according to a scientific study (really!), george costanza was wrong to double dip--germs from your mouth go back into the dip

but the best part of the article was about jerry seinfeld's bit on seedless watermelons:

I asked Mr. Mehlman [who wrote the double-dip episode of seinfeld] what he thought of Professor Dawson’s study on double dipping. “It’s pretty gratifying to know that 15 years later the show continues to exist on the cultural landscape,” he said. “But it reminds me of Jerry’s joke about the scientists who developed the seedless watermelon.”

That stand-up joke opened a “Seinfeld” episode in 1994: “These guys are going, ‘No, I’m focusing on melon. Oh sure thousands of people are dying needlessly. But this,’ ” and here Mr. Seinfeld made a spitting noise, “ ‘that’s gotta stop. You ever try to pick a wet one up off the floor? It’s almost impossible. I’m devoting my life to that.’ ”

For the full article, click here.

2008-01-03T09:26:00.000-08:00

No one made anything to share with the group this holiday? Not one cookie?
I didn't make anything either but I was hoping ya'll did.
Just so I don't sound like a whiner....I made a great salmon fillet last night. Soy, grated ginger and garlic with cilantro. Served with Israeli couscous and butternut squash with Chinese 5 spice and agave. For a, lets see what we have in the house, kind of a dinner I was very happy with it.

2007-11-27T09:06:00.000-08:00

Posting this for Aix en Kelemen, who seems to like emailing better than blogging:

I made a sort of Lotte what the fuck is the name in english...
Stew........... it has corn and onion, tons of garlic, red pepper, and Tasso
a smoked pork product...... probably some other stuff I can't remember without
looking at the pictures.... A small meal for the two of us that we ate while watching a movie.

2007-11-22T08:08:00.000-08:00

happy thanksgiving everybody. my sister is basically live-blogging our family's entire feast preparations from my parent's house, where most of our family traditions, recipes, and wacky photos are now available. two days ago she ate 30 roquefort crackers and almost died. fun stuff.
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/food/

2007-11-03T19:58:00.000-07:00

Who cares what it is, to get those chives on top, which were growing on her deck, Herbs had to battle a Racoon! I AM NOT KIDDING! A RACOON! THIS IS BROOKLYN, NY, YO, THERE AREN'T S'POSED TO BE NO RICKETTY RACKETTY COONS HERE, ESPECIALLY NOT ON THE 4TH FLOOR!
But if you're curious, it is pumpkin cabbage soup. Yes, the pumpkin is from the Union Square Farmers Market. No, I didn't get any nasturtiums for my fruity Hippy salad, nor did I have any hash to smoke. But after the coon incident, some Sherry was certainly had before the rest went into the soup.

2007-10-24T07:22:00.001-07:00

Despite the terrifyingly unseasonal warmth of late, I've been baking fall treats to beat the band! Here's an apple spice cake (with whisky), adapted from Joy of Cooking, that will help to quell any apocalyptic thoughts. This cake is surprisingly versatile, meaning that it can be eaten all day long--before, after or in lieu of any meal.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour an 8x8 cake pan
Whisk together:
1.5 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
Add and stir together until smooth:
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons whisky
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped apples (leave the skins on)

Bake in pan for 40 minutes. Eat constantly.

2007-10-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

Good morning Forkers.
I just wanted to share my breakfast this morning.
Greek yogurt (I like the 0 fat kind), sliced strawberries (yes they are from Chile but I was in the mood for strawberries), sliced almonds and a drizzling of honey.
Clearly this isn't that extravagant but it is just so good I had to share with you.
I took this pic with my phone and I'm eating at work so yes that is my calendar underneath my plastic bowl.

2007-10-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

My wife and I have decided to commit totally to the road of wasting time by creating our own food blogs. She's also joined a blog group of bakers calling themselves, The Daring Bakers. Every month they attempt the same recipe and then post their individual experiences. You'll notice the bakers on sites such as tastespotting when you see 100 different cinnamon rolls on the same day. They are still both works in progress in the design stage and we will be tweaking them as we go. Hers is, the kitchen kitten. Mine is, add an egg. Hopefully, we'll be able to add something to this already overcrowded sea of rambling.

2007-10-15T21:45:00.000-07:00

Kabocha squash soup with candied pumpkin seeds. Persimmon, pomegranate, and pecan salad with marigold flowers. It's fall in Los Angeles too, bitches. Also, we smoked government issued hash on the back steps after the meal. (Presumably it's for European ex pats with glaucoma.)

2007-09-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

WHO: Herbs
WHAT: Banana Plum Pecan Muffins
WHERE: Clinton Ave., Brooklyn (See GQ post, they missed this locale)
WHEN: Started at 7:30 am, eating by 8:30 am on a Saturday!
HOW: Tweaked Banana Bread recipie
WHY: Bananas were heading over the hill. Couldn't sleep. Hadn't baked in a long time. Procrastinating. Hungry for muffins. Thought BF would like. Nice morning. PMS made Herbs want something sweet. Etc.

2007-09-08T11:58:00.001-07:00

This is probably yesterday's news for you guys, but I keep meaning to post about the GQ article I stumbled upon during one of my airplane adventures this summer. It's all about the restaurant offerings in our fair Brooklyn. Special attention given to Mr. Ben Schneider of the Good Fork.
Check it!
Also: How 'bout that Jason Bourne!

2007-09-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

A must read This is from Carla's sister

2007-08-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots of 2 meals in Orient. Spanish mackerel, tomatoes with basil, potatoes with parsley and green vegetables with aioli. A breakfast treat of corn pancakes. I like them with tomatoes but maple syrup and jam seem to be popular. Also shot is a meal at Carla’s parents house in Lakeville CT. Carla's birthday lobster dinner with tomato and cucumber salad and marble birthday cake. That was a big hit.

Here are some of the dishes that I was unable to capture … In Orient we had roasted lamb, a seafood dish with clams, muscles and halibut, a lemon coconut birthday cake and peaches + raspberries cradled in a mind-blowing crust with a peach caramel glaze. In Lakeville I missed a shot of the ribs with a dry rub of fennel seed, cumin and some other spices I can't remember, cole slaw and an avocado, corn and lobster salad. Clams, muscles and tomatoes with pasta and perfect peach pie . It was a special summer.

2007-08-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

30th Something-ish Annual Simko Family Corn Roast.
Western Pennsylvania. 75 ears of deliciously sweet Amish corn.
Hot Dogs and potluck sides.
Fresh garden tomatoes with organic Feta.
Regional high gravity specialty beers and some local swill.
Kids, grandmas, family, old friends and a cat.
Humidity and a really, really, really hot fire.
10 mile country road bicycle ride.
Finally, relaxed.

2007-08-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

Thank you for having me on your wonderful blog. In tribute to my gracious sponsor's burger post below here are some big beautiful bodacious burgers.

2007-08-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

Homemade vampire butter.

2007-08-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

Spot prawn (scrimp) pictured here prior to assassination. Cooked by Marc in a skillet with garlic, chiles, shallots and served with a tomato confit via LUCQUES, SUNDAY SUPPERS. Followed by steak sandwiches that we ate so fast there was no time for photography.

2007-07-30T00:11:00.001-07:00

Here's a delicious wild blackberry pie made by the skillful hands of Grandma Dorie. Consumed on our recent trip to the Pacific Northwest.

And here's the view from Dorie's front porch!

2007-07-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

Christopher Walken cooks

2007-07-27T16:44:00.001-07:00

Here are some ribs my brother made. He boiled them in beer with other mysterious stuff (his secret recipe). He made his own bbq sauce and the ribs rested in it over night before grilling. He was a little nervous about the outcome but they were great.

Sweet, sweet LI corn and a new comer to the Kelemen Ziff household...The Butter Boy. It was purchased in Maine by Leslie. You put butter in it and you can butter up your corn.

Classically delicious tarts by Stephen Kelemen. The best crust you ever tasted and with fresh berries and perserves.
We had the ribs and corn for lunch and the tarts for dinner. Then we turn off the lights for a game of Sardines. I love summer!

2007-07-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

Our friend Marc is an excellent cook, in addition to being both web savvy and web addicted. He has already proved his worthiness to join Forker by a. appearing frequently in our posts, and b. visiting often and posting his own comments. I submit to the group, may we invite Marc Marrie to join? If i don't hear from you by next week I will assume that a. no one visits Forker anymore, and b. its okay with you if I invite him.

2007-07-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Burgers.

2007-07-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Music sent us this. It has to do with cooking.

2007-07-02T12:37:00.001-07:00

Our friend Marc Marrie sent us this. It's crazy.

2007-06-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

We took another shot at re-creating the delicious chicken from San Francisco's Zuni Cafe. It's your basic roasted chicken that's been salted in advance. The real yums come from the vinegary bread salad (toasted bread, pine nuts, golden raisins, onion?), which in our case was tossed with some mustard greens and of course the all-important chicken drippings.

Should add that the other trick of this recipe is a smallish chicken roasted at very high heat, 475 degrees.

2007-06-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

Oooh listen up: its a Foodie Fight. Slow Food honcho Carlo Petrini in yelling match with farmers at San Francisco Green Market!

2007-06-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned lately that I bought a food dehydrator? It sat in our living room for over two months, but finally Leslie Hermanson came over and we moved it into the kitchen and dehydrated some bananas. They were chewy, not crisp, but I found them to be delicious. I bought the food dehydrator because I was inspired by this woman, with whom I dined in Colorado. She is featured as a soap user in the film, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox. You may remember her as the one who used to live in a teepee in the Ozarks.

2007-06-06T07:47:00.000-07:00

Lamb roasted on the bbq, kale salad and potatoes with ghee and onions.
Blueberry and lime curd tart.
Rhubarb curstard pie
a cheese snack

2007-05-29T09:56:00.001-07:00

An Italian cheeseburger, or what some might call a meatball sandwich. Homemade meatballs and sauce courtesy of Ruth. Happy Memorial Day forkface.

2007-05-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

Forkers! We must begin reading Carla's sister's food column in the village voice. Here it is. There will be a permanent link to it on the side of the page! Perhaps we can get her to post something here for us, as a special treat?

2007-05-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

Today Judah's class had restaurant day. His class picked an Indian restaurant as its theme, named Red Palace. The kids made the food them selves and served the food as well. You even had to make a reservation. Super cute but the main factor was the food was good. I had Chicken Marsala with rice. Rico had the Channa Masala he said it was very good too.

2007-05-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

Mother's day lunch.
Black sea bass, kale salad with pumpkins seeds, crudités with aioli, and asparagus with hard-boiled egg. We had left over birthday cake and See's candy for dessert.

2007-05-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

Tea in Orient. Chocolate nut flourless cake and Lemon poppy seed cake.

2007-05-09T18:54:00.000-07:00

Video by Adam Nagata. Title: Hungry Whale.

The whale was eating many different things, but especially crazy hamburgers like the one in the previous post.

All y'all: move to California! You will have a nice life here! Our friends Marc and Tina are very good cooks!

2007-05-07T17:57:00.000-07:00

This is a pancake from a 1966 David Eyre recipe. It's good for breakfast.

Cheeseburger with egg, ketchup, avocado, grilled onion compote, and the four turrets on top ... a quartered hot dog. This from my friend Marc, created just yesterday. It's good for those with low cholesterol.

2007-04-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

One-fifth of a medium avocado, or about one ounce, has 50 calories and contributes nearly 20 beneficial nutrients to the diet. I ate the other half of this one and I feel strong like a small-to-medium sized snapping turtle.

2007-04-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

Sunday night BBQ.
The boys had burgers....we had chicken and sausage.
Nothing fancy but good food and good fun.
OH and on Saturday night Carla hosted a game night. We ate very well that night too but for some reason I didn't take one photo of the food...how stupid. We had scallops (that were like candy) from the farmers market, the best garlic bread I've ever eaten, cheeses and chorizo. Here is a shot of the game before I lost all my $$ and flipped the board over in a fit of rage.

2007-04-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

It is a fantastic "Princess Cake", a traditional Sweedish confection with a blanket of green martzipan on which were 40 hand made martzipan ladybugs, three layers of perfect and tasty white cake between which were sandwiched fluffy homemade creme fresh and berry layers. This magnificent sculptural creation was made recently for Herbs on her 40th birthday by her Sweedish friend, Charlotta, an amazing artist and chef.
Herbs hopes that when you turn 40 you too will get 40 hand made ladybugs.

2007-04-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

We had Easter Ham, Easter Lamb, Easter Fava Beans, and Easter biscuits at Tina and Marc's house. There were almost 20 people there and it was a mighty feast. Toward the end of the party, when Matt was in a white van on the street smoking hash, I found a cozy place in the bedroom and "surfed the internet."

I ate three pieces of Easter Coconut cake. I even took some home. But I felt guilty and threw them away the next morning. You have to draw the line somewhere.

2007-04-03T15:26:00.001-07:00

2007-02-22T18:06:00.000-08:00

Anthony Bourdain slams The Food Network. Check it.

And by the way, are any other Forkers watching his marvelous, angry, funny, chain-smoking show?

2007-02-21T18:42:00.000-08:00

In Prescott, Arizona, where I went for two days to visit my dad, the bushes remind me of cakes that have been dusted with powdered sugar.

Here is what I eat in Prescott, Arizona: pimento cheese out of a plastic container, and sun-dried tomato-flavored wheat thins, featuring exciting image of Rachel Ray on the box.

It turns out that they sell very little pimento cheese in Arizona, and my dad has to look everywhere to find it. This makes me wonder, is pimento cheese exclusively a southern delicacy? Do they sell it in Brooklyn? A little googling reveals the answer.

2007-02-20T11:42:00.000-08:00

So I had another great breakfast...Carla told me about this and I'm going to share it with you. Bob's Red Mill hot cereals. I bought the 7-grain with no wheat one. If you are into porridge it is really good. I enjoyed mine with vanilla almond unsweetened milk and maple syrup.

2007-02-14T07:21:00.000-08:00

I had a breakfast that I really wanted to share. 1 cup Greek low fat yogurt, one mini banana, hand full of walnuts and maple syrup to taste. Sounds like whatever but it is a taste sensation!

2007-01-30T18:55:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow night is the finale of TOP CHEF , and I am interested in knowing if any other Forkers are as into it as we are. We have even listened to podcasts, featuring the kicked off members. We caught on late in the season, so we missed the episode where Mikey served a cheeto penis to Suzanne Goin.

Also, I would like to report another interesting Forker thing: On Saturday I made cupcakes with the 11-year-old girl that I mentor. She had never made cupcakes before, nor had she ever cracked an egg. Together we learned that the best advice for egg-cracking is "Don't be afraid to whack it kind of hard on the side of the bowl." I am not telling you this to brag about my dogoodery, only to let you marvel at the small ways our lives can be enriched by hanging out with young people. You could sign up to be a mentor too.

One last thing, I have already started receiving recipes from my recipe exchange. It turns out that recipe exchanges are fun. Also, I thought it would be tacky to include in the email I sent out inviting people to participate but my friend Samantha said that she sent her recipe to Nora Ephron.

Here is one that Olivia sent me:

Crunchy Nutty Granola:

6 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking or instant)
2 cups (or more) nuts and seeds: sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds and/or cashews
1 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut (optional, but recommended)
1 teaspoon (or to taste) ground cinnamon. Optional alternatives include: a pinch of grated nutmeg, cardamom, and/or mace
Dash of salt
1/2 to 1 cup honey or maple syrup (or to taste)
1 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit such as dried cherries, cranberries, apricots,
etc.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a bowl combine oats, nuts and seeds, coconut, cinnamon or spice, salt and sweetener. Place on a sheet pan and put in oven. Bake for 30 minutes or a little longer, stirring occasionally. Mixture should brown evenly; the browner it gets without burning, the crunchier the granola will be.

3. Remove pan from oven and add raisins or dried fruit. Cool on a rack, stirring once in a while until granola reaches room temp. Transfer to a sealed container and store in refrigerator-will keep indefinitely.

Yield: About 8 cups (at least 16 servings)

2007-01-22T10:35:00.000-08:00

Two apple pies were made at our house on Saturday to celebrate Mateo's 30th birthday.

Apples from the Fort Greene market--Ida Reds and Northern Spies. Peeled (by me) sliced and tossed with cinnamon, sugar & flour.

Luis prefers a Crisco and butter pie crust for its superior flakiness.

2007-01-09T18:56:00.000-08:00

Martha Stewart helped us with these. We used last year's cookie handbook.

After you soak the prunes in brandy for 24 hours, you puree them with bread crumbs and sugar. Then you roll out the dough and spread the mixture into the middle. Cut them into triangles.

Roll em up, like real live rugelach, which is what they are.

When they are properly browned, put them in a box lined with tissue paper and take them with you to Fernando's mother's house in Hancock Park. Then eat too many ham biscuits and scare Leo half-to-death by singing Happy Birthday with the energy of a thousand drunk Santa Clausi.

Even though you are having a marvelous time, slip out without saying goodbye, and try to be in bed as early as possible.

2007-01-07T18:49:00.000-08:00

Delicious Lemon Merengue Pie, made with lemons from the tree outside Casa Jaramillo in Salinas, CA. Recipe from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. Happy New Year Forkers.

2006-12-30T18:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas breads in Orient.
Pumpkin bread with pecans and coconut, banana chocolate chip bread, and the most amazing kringle.

Kringle recipe is on foodnetwork.com.

2006-12-21T07:29:00.000-08:00

I don't think there will be any of these tasty Cranberry-Pistachio cookies left for Santa Claus to eat! Recipe is from the December issue of Gourmet magazine.

2006-12-18T12:29:00.000-08:00

FYI: I can attest to the sure-firedness of Ruth's recipe for hard-boiled eggs, found in the Gourmet cookbook.

I used it to create some delicious deviled eggs for our recent Thanksgiving feast.

2006-11-28T19:07:00.000-08:00

Real life Matt Aselton Fish

VS.

Sunday Suppers at Lucques Cookbook Fish

Also,
some mornings we make juices--

and discuss current events.

2006-11-16T12:16:00.000-08:00

The New York Times article by Bittman about the Sullivan Street bread making technique says it's easy enough for someone with a fourth grade education. Well, as a person with a fourth grade education I can confirm this statement. Now I'm going to put a fire cracker in a frog's butt.

Jalapeno frittatas with sweet potato home fries cooked in duck fat are hangover bonanzas. I don't need no fourth grade education to know that. HOZZLEFISH OUT!

2006-11-08T07:35:00.000-08:00

SERIOUS BUSINESS

Since we care about food here at Forker, please allow me to sincerely urge that you put The Future of Food, a documentary by Deborah Koons Garcia, on your Netflix list and watch it when you have a chance. Its all about cheerful things like genetic engineering and those bastards at Monsanto.

2006-10-29T13:35:00.000-08:00

Wig Party. Involves duck pasta (steam fat off duck first, then roast, then throw in wok with julienned carrots, add raw zucchini). Also involves spicy lemon marinated shrimp (Ruth Reichl page 45), and garlic-green pea puree on sourdough croutes (Ruth Reichl page 35).

Recipe for green pea puree:
2 bags frozen green peas (Ruth says they are better than fresh)
2 heads roasted garlic (wrap in foil and roast in oven at 400 for 50 minutes)
1/2 cup parmesan
salt
pepper
olive oil
lemon juice

Cook peas in a few tablespoons of water until thawed and tender. Blend it all up in food processor and spread on sourdough baguette rounds.

optional: add decorative arugula

And now, a movie, from our recent past:

PS: On Thursday night we (read: Matt) made brisket a la carbonare, page 423. So far, we are loving Ruth.

2006-10-25T11:46:00.000-07:00

The three of us who voted will be cooking out of THE GOURMET COOKBOOK. It is bright and yellow and has lots and lots of recipes so you should never be at a loss. My non-blogging husband and I are away this weekend but when we return, I will be trying out some fall risotto recipes.

2006-10-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

In Los Angeles, enterprising SilverLakers have a secret bake sale.

Two of the founders, Mary Wigmore and Clare Crespo, are people that you may meet someday if you ever come to visit me in Los Angeles. When you see Clare, you can ask her about monkey pops.

It's a for-profit enterprise, and the ladies are clearly making "lots of dough."
(Ba dumbump chhhhh.)

Unrelated note: I am tired of trying to get people to post on Forker. Forget it. I hope none of you ever post on Forker.

2006-10-16T07:28:00.000-07:00

Dear Team Forker,

As a way to inspire tasty, commual Fall Cooking, how about we choose a cookbook, try out various recipes and share the results? I have a list here that has been vetted by the Forker Founders themselves. If would like to participate, please vote by emailing in your preference of book by rank (1-5). Other book ideas are welcome!

Naked Chef 2 – Jamie Oliver
All About Braising - Molly Stevens
Sunday Suppers at Lucques – Suzanne Goins
Simple Italian Food – Mario Batali
Gourmet Cookbook – Ruth Reichl

xo - MissWhisk

matt and luis

2006-09-30T19:53:00.000-07:00


matthew and luis have dinner in LA

2006-09-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

Braised Chicken in Tomatillo Sauce!

About tomatillos: a cousin of the tomato, the species name is aka physalis ixocarpa, which means sticky fruit!

We forgot to take the picture until after we had already eaten half!

2006-09-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

All right listen up everybody--while living like cabin folk in Maine, one has two choices.

The way of The Righteous:

Or the way of the Damned:

Start posting, M*thaf*kas

2006-08-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

Warning: Shameless Plug Ahead.

My friend Sebastian and some others run this fantastic tea business called In Pursuit of Tea, which they sell all over the place. They have recently moved their operation from Williamsburg to an adorable old train station in Cornwall, Ct. Here are some photos from my visit there. He made us tea from a tea cake that looked more like a cow patty.

And here is the website if you'd like to learn some interesting things about tea varieties, how to brew the most delicious cup, and where to go to find this amazing thing they call tea:
http://www.inpursuitoftea.com/

2006-08-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know it, we have thrown up gang signs--some months ago, Matt lobbed several pairs of new balance sneakers over the electrical wires that cut through our back yard.

We have staked our claim to the perfect environment for eating tuna nicoise. Adam Nagata again provided the fish, plucked in its prime from the Pacific Ocean. We drank sparkling wine and dipped bread in olive oil. A weekday lunch--miraculous.

The honorary guest: Hank, son of Cheri and Tom.

Cheri and Tom were also present--less cute, but more talkative.

2006-08-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

Luis and I (and Mr & Miss Whisk) spent last week in lovely Taos, NM, soaking up the humidity-free sunshine. Turns out we didn't actually stay at Julia Roberts' house, but maybe she at some point might have owned the house and its surroundings??
Not-Julia's House in Taos

We ate lots, but sadly we have no photographic proof. But the above New Mexican chile powder, cumin and pine nuts were purchased at various roadside markets. We also sampled some Elk Jerky, which tasted like most other sorts of jerky.

2006-08-15T05:48:00.000-07:00

This is how they do it in Italy. Movie stars like lots of wedding cakes.

Liv and Stef like lots of cafe machiato, especially when it's made the "secret" way at St. Eustachio to promote maximum frothiness of your dallop of milk.

2006-08-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

Herbs forwarded me this, from the fantastic Athena, who does what I call food performance art:

Dear Friends:

In part of Supper Experimentation, On the 19th of
August, beginning in the evening I will be holding a
meal where all who take part must forget their clothes
and be in the nude, or come in embellished
undergarments. A very delicious meal inspired and
deviated from paintings involving nudes and food, will
be served at the table. If you have a particular food,
nude, painting suggestion, comment, story, I would be
happy to hear about it. Please email with your
concerns.
R.S.V.P. by August 17th.
Hope to see you then, Athena

2006-08-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

Yo, homestyle has been doing a disproportionate amount of the posting around here. Either put up or we will be forced to add members from our NEW group of friends, people who live in SILVERLAKE.

2006-07-30T20:59:00.000-07:00

adam nagata brought us a
cooler full of
yellowfin tuna,
yellowtail,
dorado, and squid.
he caught it all in the pacific
on his uncle's fancy boat.
we put most of the sea's
bounty in our freezer,
but, some of it, we sliced up,
and placed on small bundles of white rice.

2006-07-24T06:57:00.001-07:00

This weekend we were lucky enough to have our first celebrity guest. On Friday night we fed him homemade pasta (again?) with shrimp and free topanga market zucchini. On Saturday we fed him pulled pork tacos.

He said, "You know, I love a taco, pork... chicken, steak, ham, doesn't matter. In the Bible, they ate tacos, all of 'em, bunch of well meaning folks wearing burlap sacs out in the sand eating delicious meat wrapped in corn. It's crazy. You know who doesn't eat tacos? St. Paul. Ignorant coward."

Its been crazy hot here and last night a skunk pissed all over our backyard. The smell woke us up at 4 am and we haven't slept since. At first we thought it was an electrical fire and were going to call the fire department. Our neighbors, whom I went to see in a panic around 6:30am, suggested we would be better off calling pest control.

2006-07-15T23:26:00.000-07:00

inspired by clean-out-the-crisper pasta,
we make bacon and onion and
anchovie pappardelle.

how horrible.

afternoon app: heirloom tomatoes with burrata cheese and white balsamic vinegar

blech.

2006-07-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

Clean-out-the-Crisper Pasta
(featuring homemade pasta a la Lidia Bastianich)

Ingredients: Fresh pasta (eggs, flour, olive oil), Asparagus, Baby arugula, Scallions, Shallots, Garlic, Lemon zest, Parmigiano Reggiano, Salt & Pepper, Red pepper flakes

Luis made the pasta, obvi:

I roasted the asparagus, and Luis did some chopping:

It was de-licious.

Summer lovin' to all of you!...M&L

2006-07-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

RAW FOOD POOL PARTY

featuring:

**crudite with almond/anchovy paste, cilantro dip, and horseradish-sour cream

**a Juliano-inspired chopped salad with carrots, papaya, cucumber, ginger, galanga, mint, cabbage, lemongrass, spicy radish sprouts, shallots, red onion, lime juice, orange juice, soy sauce, olive oil, and basil

**garbanzo salad with feta cheese and red onion (this is technically not raw)

**scallop and yellow tail ceviche on leaves of butter lettuce

**fresh margaritas, lillet, and beers

HERE IS A PICTURE OF JULIANO:

Juliano was not at our party though. Present were: Carla, Fernando, Leo, all Music siblings and the Music Matriarch, Adam, Mary and Rob, Mark and Tina, Phyllis and us. We moved the fatboy and a moroccan rug into the yard and put the pacifico in a metal tub full of ice. I took a vicodin and passed out around 7:30.

PROCLAMATION: In addition to prosecco, I am adding anchovies and potato chips to the list of things that are very SUMMER 06. In making this proclamation, I am indebted to Carla (anchovies) and to Virginia (potato chips). Those in Orient are obviously already hip to anchovies--on onions! delicious!

2006-07-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

Hello Forkers,
I leave for Rome and the foothills of Mont Blanc on the Italian side of the Alps next week. Anyone have any favorite restaurants, haunts, friends, thoughts or feelings about Rome they'd like to share with me?
Ciao Bellas!

2006-07-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

The next day, more rain.

2006-07-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

The Works.
Note the Chrystler building and Willy B in background, I don't think they have those in L.A.

2006-07-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

The Interloper, who became intoxicated by the scent of fish.

2006-07-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

The Meal, oh so good! Also had crunchy fish skin stuck to foil, which tasted a bit like bacon. Note: the salad also has herbs.

2006-07-05T19:20:00.000-07:00

Figs! (Not ready yet, I'll keep you "posted")

2006-07-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

The Grill:
Fresh Bluefish stuffed with herbs (see previous photo), squash and zuccini, all caught that same day at the new Red Hook Fairway.

2006-07-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

The Herbs picked from Brooklyn deck:
chives
basil
tarragon
dill
mint
parsley
sage
rosemary
(the name ain't Herbs for nothing)

2006-07-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

The setting: Brooklyn deck following afternoon shower and Viva Italia!

2006-07-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

Purchasing a fish from the fish stand means you have to clean it yourself. This time when Mateo was pulling out the fish's innards, out came 3 little baby fish which were in no way cute and stunk to high hell. Once cleansed of its last meal, the fish was roasted to perfection with lemon, herbs, sea salt and olive oil.

2006-07-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

As of Monday the 26th, I have entered into my third year of marriage. To commemorate the occasion, I intended to suprise the husband with a sweet picnic in the park. Between the heat and some sickliness, the picnic was diverted indoors and we ended up with a nice little air-conditioned picnic. The best part was the champagne. I cheated and bought some sides from Whole Foods which were SUBPAR. These accompanied fishcakes.

2006-07-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Jaramillos, including Ann (mama Jaramillo), who co-baked a delicious cherry pie with Mateo. These cute sour cherries with the texture and patina of grapes, were practically hand-picked from the Grand Army farmer's market. I am a big fan of the covered crust and let's be up front and honest, oleo is a-okay when it comes to pie-baking. Ann has tested the transfat-free Crisco and gives it high marks. This pie was made with 1/2 crisco 1/2 butter.

Another delicious dessert we ate was a flan made by Luis and mama Jaramillo. This is garnished with wild strawberries, also hand-picked from Grand Army green market.

2006-07-04T07:12:00.000-07:00

Black Bass caught that day.

Baby turnips, spring onions, radishes, from the farm stand
thyme to stuff bass. Carla brought pesto divino Lalli.

Fish prep

Zucchini, yellow squash as long as we're grilling.

Tasting raw.

Grill's ready

Delicious raw vegetables w/pesto, salt, anchovy

Grillin'

Slightly charred still raw will never make it to the table.

Onions to go w/fish, superb w/tab of anchovy.

Good heat.

Skin stuck to grill, exactly what we wanted..

Blind baked pie shell, whole wheat flour with ground almonds.

Red & Blue Lloyd gilds the lily with Vanilla frozen yogurt. RedWhiteBlue Homestead security.

Chocolate chip pizza for Judah.

2006-06-30T22:52:00.000-07:00

Col' porter in the house. Yup, two times porter steak deluxe hot style. We're in California holding it down waiting for the Stormtroopers. Eat some meat and celebrate the way GOD wants you to. Get serious though, that's garlic butter and I'm making shakes with the leftovers. Focus.

2006-06-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have already seen this, because apparently it is all the rage on the interweb. Plus the guys who made it are going to be on David Letterman, and have been profiled on NPR also. But in case you haven't been exposed yet to the miracle of mentos plus diet coke, check it:

2006-06-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

If you have some time on your hands:

Read this article in the NY Times about the camera at shakeshack.

Then go to the actual site and see if you can find Carla eating a hamburger.

also, Luis just taught me how to imbed links into my postings. If you want to know how, email me.

2006-06-27T17:47:00.000-07:00

Did you know that gum comes from trees? Here is living proof, found recently on the streets of Philadelphia, PA.

2006-06-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

I was reading City magazine and I found this tid-bit I thought all you Forkers would enjoy.

Q. A simple trick in the kitchen every amateur chef should know?

Jean-George Vongerichten’s answer

Use a coffee filter to make clear broths.

I actually don't make too many broths but my brother has been obsessed with the perfect broth.... this might help him and any of you with this task.

2006-06-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

Hello there. Want to share the most fantastic book I bought the other day. A couple travelled the world and took portraits of families alongside one week's worth of their food. Hear their story on NPR:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5005952

or check out the book on amazon--its called Hungry Planet.

Last night we ate fish cakes and chicken tacos and we played poker. I lost everything, but at the end I was so bored I kind of lost everything on purpose. In attendance were Matt A, Leslie, Adam, and Dr. J.

2006-06-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

ROCK SUNDAY ORIENT EYE BRUNCH
ANTIPASTI INSPIRATAZIONI

PRIMI W/GARNISH

CONDIMENTI

CONTORNI

CONTORNI

CONTORNI

DOLCI MIXTE

BON APPETITE