Brunchin' in the 'Burbs - And it's Oh So Good

 

  

  

  

  

 

My sister has been wanting to have us out for brunch in the 'burbs for ages. And not just me and Bryan - she can have us whenever she wants us, but Albert and Stephen too. The editor and the director extraordinaire. Yes, these boys are fabulous, but they are also woefully domesticated and nearly jumped at the chance to hang out in Jersey for a day. That and the fact that we could food shop in the gloriously enormous suburban Whole Foods at our leisure, as opposed to practicing deep breathing while braving Red Hook's Fairway along with every one and their mother in Brooklyn.

We arrived at Aimee's at a somewhat sinful 10:30 - basically midnight by New York brunching standards. But after we were greeted at the door by my 2 year old nephew with "Come see my train table" I immediately didn't care what time it was.  Brunch was lovelyyyyyyyy. We laughed, we drank mimosas, we laughed some more. Finally we made our way over to the table and Aimee proudly displayed a gorgeous tomato and olive tarte and an UNBELIEVABLE onion quiche. Seriously people, it was crack. She had way too much food but we lingered at the table for hours nibbling all morning anyway.  I brought my cranberry orange scones and Aim made some fabulous coconut and fruit cookies. Yes, there was some sisterly competition, but - dare I say - we both won.

Leeky Leeky Boom Boom

 

  

  

  

 

My sister gave Bryan this incredible cook book for Christmas that has turned out to be a gift for both of us. It's called The French Market and I believe she picked it up at Anthropologie (oh, how I love thee). And what's so wonderful about this book is that the recipes are deceptively simple. I immediately shy away from cooking anything with a laundry list of ingredients, it's just not my forte. But this is a clean, very French approach to cooking simple comfort foods that, frankly, who wouldn't love?

So I tried my hand at the appropriately titled Potage Bonne Femme, otherwise known as The Good Wife's Soup. Basically a version of a traditional potato leek soup. Easy enough. However, I've had my fair share of potato leek soups in the past and this left all of them in the dust. I think it's due entirely to the fact that you make a flour rue of sorts that hold the entire soup together ending up with this rich, velvety, thick deliciousness. That and the fact that the recipe literally calls for melting in 2 triangles of Laughing Cow cheese at the end. Formidable!

Here's the basic gist:

Melt a couple tablespoons of unsalted butter in a large saucepan, adding 1 pound of chopped leeks* (only the white and pale green parts), and 1.25 pounds peeled and diced baking potatoes. I like Idaho potatoes for a job like this -they soften up really nicely and have lots of flavor. Once the veggies are softened (not browned!) add 2 tablespoons of flour, stirring and cooking for another minute. Add 1 quart stock (I used veggie and it was more than fine), season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Put heat on medium and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Puree soup (a hand blender works perfectly) and add your cheese! You might have to break it up with the back of your wooden spoon but don't go crazy because trust me - it's unbelievably yummy to be slurping up your soup and happen upon a delicious chunk of soft cheese.
Add some chopped chives for color and serve. P.s. this soups is just as good reheated too!

*Note: regarding the leeks be SURE to wash these puppies thoroughly. I like to slice them lengthwise and run the whole thing underwater. Dirt lurks in all the folds so really get in there. Nothing ruins a perfectly good meal quite like a crunchy grain of dirt. Yuk.

Philly Bound

 

 

 

 

This past Saturday we took a much anticipated drive out to Philly to visit our dear (and displaced) friends Natalie and Ben. Bryan and I have been spending our weekends apartment hunting these days, looking for a bigger space so we can sufficiently stretch our legs, and well, be able to go on the computer in another room. But it's been getting the best of us, and a trip out of town was just what the doctor ordered.

We picked them up at their amazing lofty one-bedroom that costs, ahem, a fraction of what it would in Brooklyn. Blech. Be that as it may it's not Brooklyn, and we spent most of our breakfast at a local eatery talking about how we can get them back to the 'hood. Not that Philly doesn't have plenty to offer. We got a walking tour that afternoon through the beautiful historic district, passing quirky little shops all along the way. We stopped for gelato at CapoGiro thanks to a recommendation from a friend and fellow foodie. She was right, it was delish.  And after wearing ourselves out we decided on drinks and some small bites at Disitro, home of newly appointed Iron Chef Jose Garces. The atmosphere was surprisingly funky (check out that volkswagen table in the window!) and the food was fun and satisfying. My personal fave was the Ceviche Atun - raw tuna with coconut sauce and lime sorbet. What??? The guys preferred this steak taco dish which, I apologize, I just cannot find on the menu. It was seared steak slices with shaved truffle and fried onions on top - which was really tasty. However, I have never met a ceviche I didn't like.

As long as our friends remain in Philly we can at least find comfort that it's a pretty good foodie city to visit. Ben and Nat, how's next weekend?

The Slow Food Movement

 

 

A few years back good ole Mom got me a slow-cooker. I have maybe used it twice in the past and recently the thought of bringing out again had me thinking. Wait a minute, I don't have to cook dinner and I'll have a hot meal waiting for me when I get home?? AND Bryan doesn't have to cook either?? Even better!

That night I was thumbing through my Fix It & Forget It cookbook trying to figure out something healthy and hearty that would be a good starting point. After wading through recipe after recipe containing either Cheese Whiz or a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup (I'm so not kidding) I decided to make something simple and preferably not with 10,000 milligrams of salt. I settle on a basic beef stew.

Two pounds of beef chuck, a sliced onion, carrots, celery, potatoes - all tossed in flour, salt, pepper and paprika went into the pot with a cup and a half of beef stock. Not bad, right? Turn it on low and leave for work. Ahhh, I was already exhilarated.

When I got home I put up some whole wheat egg noodles, all the better to sop up those yummy stew juices with. Ladled hearty portions into two bowls and dug in. Now, truthfully I don't know what I was expecting, but this was just not that great. Not bad at all, by any stretch, but bland. Lacking something. Perhaps cooking anything for 9 hours other than a good pot of sauce just isn't worth the effort (or lack thereof). The beef was a little tough and dry, and the whole flavor lacked that robustness you really come to expect with a good stew. Maybe next time I'll throw in a bottle of red wine - see if that makes a difference. Or maybe next time I'll just cook beef stew the right way.

If anyone has any good and healthy (read: NO Cheese Whiz) slow-cooker recipes please please please let me know. I'm not quite throwing in the towel but I'm just out of inspiration.

A Mother's Love

 

 

Bryan and I are sick. It's that simple. One morning you wake up with a sore throat, and the next three hours you go quickly downhill. Tired, achy bones, sniffling noses - we sound like a Nyquil commercial. So after sufficiently whining to my mother over the phone (doesn't everyone do that when they're sick?) she gave me her very simple, and completely delicious recipe for chicken soup. The same magic potion she's used to nurse me back to health my whole life, that same meal that she would freeze single portions in small ricotta containers for me and drop them off when I was in college. She knows that in that soup is her love. And now I'm spreading it around, like a germ. A love germ.

Okay, I'm delirious. Suffice it to say the soup was REALLY good, I mean really good. I shocked even myself. Here's Mama's recipe:

Rinse 1 chicken in cold water (I used a whole chicken that was pre-cut into parts)
Add 1 large onion peeled and cut in half
Peel and rough chop 2 or 3 carrots
Rough chop 1 or 2 celery stalks
Add a nice helping of kosher salt
Add 10 (or so) whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 crushed garlic cloves
Add enough cold water to cover all ingredients (around 4 quarts)

Bring to a boil and skim off all the scum. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it. Lower to a simmer and cook for 4ish hours with the cover off, skimming the fat every once in a while. When done place all the veg and chicken in another bowl and pour the broth through a strainer into a fresh pot. Separately start shredding the chicken, removing all skin, bones and any yucky parts.  The finely chop all the vegetables (I trashed the onion because I don't like that in my soup) and place back in the broth. Add the shredded chicken and voila.

I cooked some long grain white rice in a separate pot while the soup was simmering, and added a nice helping into each bowl with the soup. Add some grated parm and you're instantly healed. I promise. It's that good.

P.s. whatever you don't eat, freeze!!! Just don't add the rice because it'll soak up all the yummy broth.

We're Back, and it's our Birthday!!

 

 

 

 

I know, I know... I've been gone for like ever. It was only going to be a few days, then it was a few weeks, and then all of a sudden I realized I wasn't cooking or eating anything worthy of a return post. So finally, after a long overdue break from blogging Mangia Vita is back. I hope this is a good enough place to start.

Bryan and I have 11 days between our birthdays, and while we don't like to do anything too extravagant we do like to celebrate with our friends. Somehow we managed to get everyone available on a Friday night (wha what??) so we made a res at the always reliable, and always delicious Otto - Mario Batali's ginormous pizza joint on 8th Street.

We were a party of 7 and ordered a TON of food. Arugula salad, some sort of melted Parmesan cake salad (which was to DIE for), and a grated parm and romaine salad. Monty and Stephen ordered an orgy of delicious vegetable sides for us all to share - lentils, white bean salad, roasted cauliflower, eggplant, braised artichoke stem, and on and on. And for our main dishes we got a bunch of pizzas to share. The hit of all the pizzas was a spicy pie with a fried egg on top. I know, it sounds weird, but truly this was an epiphany. You have to try it to be a believer.

A bunch of desserts were ordered, olive oil ice cream was a hit amongst my friends but frankly, just a little to weird for me. I dove right into Monty's lemon ice though, and pretty much finished the plate. Mmm.

Snack Time!

Home from work, starving, no idea of dinner in sight... need a snack now! Apple - check! Cheese - check! Done, and done.

I am obsessed with this cheese from Cypress Grove called Lamb Chopper that we get at Fairway. It's reasonably priced and outstandingly good. Creamy and firm, it's got just the right amount of tang without being too sharp. It's amazing with fruit, salami, or just on it's own. I love it so much I'm pretty sure I've talked about it before.

Lamb Chopper. Go get it.

The Legend of SMDP

 

 

 

 

About 10 years ago, on the island of Manhattan, a tradition was born. Four single girls, best friends, sisters, and best friends again, would gather on a Sunday night to eat delicious meals, drink plenty of wine, and watch Sex in the City. They would rotate apartments, each of them delighting in hosting - the Upper East Side, Queens, The Upper West Side, The East Village. The size of the apartment never mattered, and thus the name was born. The Super Mini Dinner Party. And no matter where anyone moved to, the tradition was continued.

Sex and the City aired it's final episode and DVD's were brought out. Reruns were enjoyed, discussed, and dissected. Then the movie came out. More dinner parties ensued. Girls moved out of the city and yet, the tradition was continued. Lives became more complicated and yet, the tradition continued.

On Friday night, they gathered again. From all parts of the East Coast - by car, by train, by foot. There were smiles, laughter, clinking glasses of wine, and yes - delicious food. Asparagus wrapped with prosciutto was devoured, followed by a platter of chopped heirloom cherry tomatoes, super fresh Burrata cheese and a balsamic reduction. Finally, a tray of fresh-out-of-the oven mushroom lasagna - an adapted recipe from The Barefoot Contessa only with more cheese. A dessert plate arrived on the table - a gorgeous array of pastries from Zabars.

The hours flew by as there was much to catch up on. With full bellies and smiling faces they departed, happy to ring in the holiday season with such a wonderful and beloved tradition.