TAKE TWO







Due to the fact we had a lot of leftover ingredients from last night, we decided it was probably in our best interest to keep with the pizzetta theme. We felt confident that although we went big last night when Dan was over, we could probably whip up some decent new options (and repeat some old) on a random Thursday. Here's how we attacked the flour tortillas tonight:

* Round 1, The Italian - A repeat, I know ... but I mixed it up just a smidge:
- balsamic reduction
- field greens
- white onion
- prosciutto
- parmesan

* Round 2, The Reuben - Another repeat, but this time done much better:
- sauerkraut
- thousand island dressing
- swiss cheese
- corned beef
- honey mustard
- dried oregano

* Round 3, Classico - I feel like that means classic in Italian or something, but I'm not really sure. I'm only calling this one a classic because it's more or less the standard for us. This one just always feels right:
- anchovies
- fresh mozzarella
- tomato sauce
- field greens
- prosciutto
- pepper

* Round 4, Chinese Delivery - This one came out of left field. I found some sichuan sauce in the fridge and just let my imagination roll:
- corned beef
- sichuan sauce
- toasted pine nuts
- parmesan
- sesame seeds
- sesame oil
- spinach
- white onion

* Round 5, Three Cheese - This one was just sorta the last one and I had some cheese around. I know it's typically a quattro formaggio with four ... but I only had three on hand. I mean, I guess I had cream cheese in there somewhere, but who wants that on their pizza? Not me, I want:
- bleu cheese
- fresh mozzarella
- parmesan
- tomato sauce
- balsamic vinegar

Now I know what you're thinking ... dudes must be massive if they're eating all this pizza. WELL, you're wrong. About Meena. But honestly, it's not a ton of food. These things are like maybe 4.5 inches in diameter or something? And we just use about a handful of each ingredient across the entire spread. Often even less. Like, with those pine nuts I toasted, I think there were about seven of them before they got chopped. So it's not really a ton of food and we're not gorging ourselves. It's just a bunch of delicious little bites. Lots of flavor in one sitting. Wonderful.

JUST LIKE OLD TIMES







Dan came by after work this evening and following some email chatter earlier in the day, Meena and I agreed to a) cook for our friend and b) go the pizzetta route. And although the pizzettas are different every time based on ingredients that are around and what sounds good, I feel like we stick to a couple standards ... the barbecue, the tomato based and the pesto (toppings vary). Tonight I thought I'd mix it up just a bit a try a couple new ones that may or may not become standards.

* Take One, The Reuben - This one was envisioned by Meena and created by me. Due to cravings based on a delicious Midwest appetizer she recently sampled, we made the following:
- swiss cheese
- sauerkraut
- thousand island dressing
- corned beef
- flour tortilla

I know I typically review them all at the end, but there are many this time and I feel the need to break it into little feedback bites. So the Reuben ... In theory, this one was really good. The only problem was the ingredients. Our kraut wasn't up to par and the thousand island was pretty terrible. Although everyone seemingly enjoyed this first take, I think it could be improved with higher quality stuff.

* Take Two, The Italian - This one was made with Dan in mind. I don't really know why, but it just sounded like something he would enjoy. It contained:
- balsamic reduction
- field greens
- prosciutto
- parmesan
- garlic
- flour tortilla

I know I haven't told you about the others yet, but this one went down as the clear fan favorite. The reduction really made this one. It was tart and sweet and the ham and field greens brought just enough salt and pepper to even it all out properly. This one will, without a doubt, make a return to our table.

* Take Three, The Steakhouse - I'm not sure why I went with this one, but I couldn't come up with a bistro or thai option no matter how hard I thought. So I just went with some "typical" steakhouse elements and ran with it:
- horseradish cream
- mushrooms
- corned beef (we had it from the other, so I just used this rather than a roast beef)
- crispy onions
- bleu cheese
- flour tortilla

This one was a winner, but I'm not sure it was perfect. I'll have to work on it a bit if it makes a return to the table. It was really creamy and rich and the bleu cheese gave it a nice bite. Two points for creativity ... I just need to refine the flavor.

* Take Four, The Extra - Although the first three options were well received, we were a house full of hungry people. So I went back to the stove and whipped up one more steakhouse (without mushrooms for Dan) and a random salsa option. It featured:
- black bean salsa
- pine nuts
- fresh mozzarella
- field greens
- pepper

The final creation was really just a garbage operation. Meena liked it quite a bit. Dan thought it was a bit too full of salsa flavor. I agreed. But it wasn't bad ... just a final shot to make sure everyone went home full.

The only other thing I wanted to mention was this wonderful Malbec we started buying when Grant and Sara were here. Again, I'm not going to get into the habit of listing wine, but this one is so good. We've tried lots of Malbecs that are more (and less) expensive and this one is far and away our favorite. For 13 dollars, it's a little pricey for a Wednesday, but it's just so good. And I can't forget that nice bottle of Coppola Merlot Dan picked up.

Wonderful evening!

JACK BAUER IS MY HIRO






I know. I've made that Hiro joke one too many times. But we finished season five of 24 last night ... so I had to throw it out there. But I promise, I'm done after this.

Anyway, I was feelin' a little under the weather last night and because it was Tuesday (an ideal day for sushi from what I'm told) we dipped into the archives and reached out to an old favorite.

And I know I switched up the status quo last time and got crazy on a couple hand-picked rolls, but I decided to go back to my now traditional maki combo A. It was just that kind of night. And I was hungry.

Meena did the:
- shrimp shumai
- chicken tempura roll
- spicy tuna crunch roll

Alec switched up the usual with:
- miso soup
- maki combo A featuring spicy salmon roll, california roll and tekka

Food was great. Bauer was an American hero. As the Jay-Z track goes ... "What more can I say?"

Well, one more thing at least. I don't normally post about wine or beer specifics, but tonight was a stand out. Meena ordered this Joel Gott Zinfandel and it was beyond great. I'm a big zin fan to begin with ... but this little 2005 from California was big and delicious. Again, I don't normally post about wine (partially because I don't feel like I'm knowledgeable enough to really provide much value to anyone actually reading this), but this one is HIGHLY recommended.

COMFORT FOOD WITH CHEESE, PLEASE




So Miss Meena came home sick from work today. At first we thought it was due to the funk that took over Manhattan, but it seems it was just a little 24-hour bug. At any rate, gourmet didn't sound appealing and delivery wasn't really doing it. So when Meena suggested the ultimate comfort throw back, the tuna melt with store bought soup, I knew we had to do it. And of course, I'm always looking for a way to update a classic ... so I hit the store and got to work with a healthy mix of purchased staples and simple ingredients.

We started with a nice store bought soup:
- campbell's select red pepper and black bean soup
- pepper
- sour cream

Simple cherry salad (to try and finish off those cherries!):
- iceberg lettuce
- pine nuts
- parmesan cheese
- olive oil
- red wine vinegar
- salt
- pepper
- cherries
- chili pepper paste
- green onion
- garlic

And the menu's hero ... tuna melts on whole grain english muffins:
- english muffins (whole grain)
- canned tuna
- white onion
- dill pickles
- cajun spice
- low fat mayo
- american cheese slices

Everything was pretty rad. The store bought soup was wonderful and enhanced by the sour cream. The salad was sweet and salty ... just what I needed. Meena was really happy with the tuna melt. I thought it didn't get quite as melty and toasted as I would have liked, but it worked. We were both happily full and ready to watch some Bauer Hour at the end of it.

LATE NIGHT SNACK




So I'm not saying that D's wonderful sausage roll wasn't enough ... but we did drink a couple brews and we had a few hunger pangs when we got back from Brooklyn. And because I wanted to use up the remaining two salmon fillets from the fridge, I thought I'd whip together a quick dish with some of those cherries from Chinatown.

About forty-five minutes after we got home, we dug into a couple salmon fillets with a balsamic/cherry reduction. It included:
- salmon
- cherries
- garlic
- green onions
- balsamic vinegar
- sesame seeds
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper

Now, I know what you're thinking ... not much different from the Saturday night special. Well ... you're wrong. Because Meena really liked this one. It was just sweet enough without being over the top. And there was just enough reduced vinegar bite to make sure it was bursting with flavor. I don't normally toot my own horn, but toot, toot. This thing was fantastic and it'll definitely make another trip to the dinner table in the near future.

GREAT SAUSAGE, UNFORTUNATE PIGSKIN




Meena and I did a little dual purposed visit to James and D's last night ... I went for the Giants game, she went do a little pre-engagement party fashion show. I guess D is looking for a dress and it's a well-known fact that Meena has a dress or two in her closet.

Anyway, after a dress had been selected and in the midst of a disappointing Giants loss, we were treated to one of the finest things to happen to a football game since beer - D's famous sausage bread.

From what I can tell, this delicious baked good features:
- pizza dough from the local pizza place
- sausage
- cheese (D says the cheaper the better ... the good stuff just doesn’t come out right)
- garlic
- onion
- assorted herbs?
- marinara sauce
- an egg

So I'd knocked back a couple Molson’s and the complete ingredient list escapes me, but I think that's the important stuff. It's really super easy, too. Roll out that dough (D had James, a former Dominoes employee work this one over), drop in the filling, fold over a couple times and seal up the ends and bake. Oh, I think she gave this thing an egg wash as well. The dough was all shiny and beautiful, so I'm guessing that's the case. Anyway, it was amazing. Especially the little marinara boats. SUPER! Except for the game. That was sad. Sorry, James.

GARBAGE BREAKFAST



Meena often jokes about my garbage breakfasts ... but I think it's really a compliment. I think that being able to take all the leftovers from the fridge and whip up something wonderful first thing in the a.m. is a nice talent to have in your arsenal. And it always helps when you keep good stuff in the fridge. I think that's why I love Jacques Pepin so much ... dude is always just grabbing stuff and cycling through his superhuman cookbook-brain to think of something to throw together at the last minute.

So this morning we did a little cherry salad with a little seafood cake benedict variation.

The salad featured:
- boston lettuce
- cucumber
- cherries
- red wine vinegar
- green onions
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper

The benedict featured:
- english muffin
- eggs
- leftover seafood cakes
- green onions
- not-at-all hollandaise, hollandaise sauce (sour cream, olive oil, chili pepper paste, maple syrup and soy sauce)

I think everything was really yummy. I had to reshape the seafood cakes from last night (they broke down in the fridge a bit) and the sauce was just so, so, but other than that, I think we both really enjoyed it.

I'M NOT BITTER




Yesterday was ... I don't even know. It was some sort of global warming fueled miracle. It was 70 degrees and sunny in New York City on the sixth of January. Insanity.

So before the Colts game and while Meena was having some brunch with friends, I made a trip down to Chinatown for some random ingredients. The salmon looked pretty fresh, so I picked up a few fillets. In the midst of giant piles of previously frozen shrimp, I found a mountain of fresh ones, so I picked up a half pound of them. All the locals (that's a misnomer because technically, I'm local, but in this case, I simply mean all the Chinese folks) were going bonkers over the cherries, so I decided I would too. It was crazy. They were selling two pounds for two dollars. I knew I didn't want that much, so I just went with a single pound.

So after the Indy victory, we got started with some shrimp/salmon cakes with a little chili pepper remoulade:
- remoulade (chili pepper paste, mayo, vinegar, olive oil)
- panko
- shrimp
- salmon
- egg
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- green onion
- sesame seeds

And then the main course was a baked salmon dish that had:
- cherries
- toasted pine nuts
- green onions
- salmon fillets
- garlic
- guinness reduction (guinness pint, balsamic vinegar, honey)

So I thought both dishes were really good, but they had their strengths and weaknesses. The little seafood cakes were super delicious, but the remoulade might have been a touch spicy. Which I personally love, but I know Meena might have been on fire. I just have this superhuman tolerance for heat and spice.

The salmon was wonderful. The bitter reduction with the sweet cherries, creamy salmon and fragrant pine nuts? Fantastic. The only thing I would have changed would have been using about half as many pine nuts. I went over the top. Too many. Meena wasn't a fan of reduction (too bitter) so I think if I make this again, I'll use a lighter beer. I like that hint of bitter, but she's probably right. The guinness, when cooked to its essence, might be a little too dark. Anyway, it was a really nice Saturday evening meal.

PUB CRAWL


Last night we went WAY out to that OTHER city around here called Brooklyn. An epic journey, I assure you.

Just kidding. Dan and Steve were recently laughing because I made it sound like they practically lived in Brooklyn, Wisconsin in one of the previous posts. It's a 10-minute cab ride. Not another state. So my bad. FYI.

Anyway, we went to this quiet little bar called the Park Slope Ale House for a little din. We wanted to try something new and because it was such a beautiful night, we didn't mind walking a bit. So we cruised down 5th avenue until we'd played out all the nouveau thai and french bistros (which all looked good, BTW. Park Slope's cuisine scene is pretty nice), and cut over to 6th avenue for this "family" favorite.

The place is really dark (thus, the photo) but it was so right for us on this slightly rainy Friday night. We had tons of good beers from their copious taps and some pretty decent pub food.

Dan had the:
- crabcake sandwich with sweet potato fries

Steve had the:
- mac and cheese with a steamed veggie medley that consisted mostly of broccoli I think ...

Meena had the:
- fish and chips with french fries

Alec had the:
- angus burger with mushrooms and onions and sweet potato fries

The verdict is that this place has great beer, really nice people and a fantastic atmosphere. The food ... well, I think the thing about the food is that you just need to stick with the staples and you'll be fine. Seems they do all the standards really well, but I'm not sure how great they are when it comes to more adventurous endeavors. I think Meena thought that's what she was doing with the fish and chips (as pub as pub food gets, right?) but she struck out. She had the one misstep. I think everyone else had some great grub. And again ... some great beer.

MY HIRO





You’ve seen it all before. Honestly, I don’t think there's any way to even spice this up. Well. I take that back. I did switch up the order tonight. Meena stayed strong and hung in there with her usual. I decided to throw caution to the wind and abandon the maki combo route. I guess I'm just unpredictable like that (NOTE: That's actually completely untrue. I'm very predictable.).

Anyway, Meena did the:
- shrimp shumai
- chicken tempura roll
- spicy tuna crunch roll

Alec mixed it up with the:
- miso soup
- spicy tuna roll
- yellowtail and scallion roll

I can't lie - Hiro is pretty solid. I was really high on this other sushi delivery spot for a few months when we first moved to the East Village, but my allegiance may have shifted. My spicy tuna wasn't a mishmash of spicy mayo and tuna bits (which is typically the norm). My yellowtail was as good as it has ever been. I'm not sure why, but I was more impressed with Hiro last night than I usually am. Maybe it's because I was fresh from the gym and just ... ravenous. Who knows.

BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD






Dan and Steveo stopped by last night after work! We hadn't seen them since the holidays, so it was a nice surprise to have them in Manhattan for a minute. Due to the fact nearly all of us had very recently eaten Indian and we'd been on the Korean kick, the neighborhood pizza joint seemed in order.

Now, Lil Frankies makes a big deal out of being your "neighborhood" pizza joint, but it's more than just that. I mean, it is really comfortable and as advertised, you could probably read a book and drink coffee there, but it's not just a pizza joint. The pizza is excellent and the pasta is always strong. Cheap wine and beer, good (albeit loud) music (heard Priestess and Tribe Called Quest in the same sitting, FYI) and friendly people ... you can't ask for a whole lot more. Anyway, it was just what we wanted.

Dan and Meena had the:
- Rigatoni with baby meatballs

Steveo had the:
- Le Piadine Caprese with tomato, basil, mozzarella, & arugula

Alec had the:
- Pizza Marinara with tomatoes, sliced garlic, oregano, E.V. olive oil and a little peperoncino

As always, everything was rad. Meena and Dan were both huge fans of the pasta. Meena gets it every time without fail and I think Dan may have just joined the club. I think our resident veg head, Steve, was feelin' the caprese concoction. It was like a pizza with all the traditional caprese salad elements folded into sandwich like bites. The running joke is that I order that pizza marinara every time and they ALWAYS remind me there is no cheese. I'm apparently a guy who looks as if he needs more cheese in his diet because they always offer to add it. I always decline. It's really good without. The place is so dark, so my apologies for the photos turning out like they have (I do like the photo of Meena's empty bowl though. Very nice). I nabbed some from their site so you get a better idea of the joint. Anyway, I think a great time was had by all.

EXPERIMENTAL KOREAN




The other night we finally went to the Momofuku Ssam bar in the neighborhood and it was fantastic. I guess it's more or less a Korean burrito, but if you ask me, way better. I mean, it's similar, don't get me wrong. But the ingredients are way more complex and usually of better overall quality. Anyway, I got the urge to try it at home (with the bibb lettuce rather than the pancake) and this is how it went.

- marinated sirloin
- some leftover cajun spiced chicken
- grilled onions
- cucumbers
- sesame seeds
- red kimchi (store bought, of course)
- leftover pork fried rice
- boston lettuce
- korean barbecue sauce (basically regular barbecue sauce with a little more spice and soy sauce)

The result was OK. I mean, it was my first time and I was making it up. The beef was so, so. Meena wasn't impressed, but at least it wasn't tough or anything. The chopped kimchi was awesome with it though. And I think I nailed the sauce. But I'll have to work on the other elements. I can for sure see this one coming back at some point.

THE MEATBALL DROPPED AT MIDNIGHT






Ok, so this is coming a little bit late ... but better late than never. Now, the reason this wonderful menu (sorry, D) didn't pop up immediately was due in large part to the fact my brain got saturated in booze and I didn't remember any of the proper ingredients from the menu. And I didn't want to mess it up ... so I didn't post. And I also didn't have any photos (sadly, because it was beautiful).

Anyway, just to give you a little background, we went to James and D's house in Brooklyn for a very wonderful, very low-key New Years Eve celebration and it was exactly what we wanted. Excellent food ... lots of wine ... wonderful friends. So that photo up there of Times Square ... that's just to show you that our evening was the exact opposite of that.

Anyway, D was polite enough to send the menu and here it is:

Starter #1:
- Phyllo cups with brie, raspberry and toasted almonds

- Phyllo cups with brie, apples, honey and toasted almonds

Starter #2:
- Orange/Lemon shrimp and scallops with (terrible - not crispy because I was drunk NOTE: D's words, not mine) pancetta, garlic spinach and rice pilaf

Salad
- Romaine with caramelized pears, chickpeas, toasted almonds and a pear honey vinaigrette

Main
- Orechiette with baby meatballs and chicken sausages

Dessert
- Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding with fresh whipped cream

So yeah. It was mad serious. We ate and ate and ate and ate. And it was so, so, so good. D was unhappy with the pancetta, but I was pretty pleased with all of it. Meena and I have honestly been salivating over that bread pudding for about ... every single second since we ate it. I'm for sure going to make an attempt at replicating it soon. Believe. Anyway, D is an amazing cook and even if you can see photos, I think you can pretty much tell from this insane homemade spread detailed above.

Oh, nearly forgot to mention ... before the festivities, there was a little Indianapolis Colts game. And when the Colts are playing, we always feel like nachos are necessary. So we kept it mostly traditional, but threw in a little jalepeno and lime grilled chicken rather than the old-school ground beef. Anyway, I had a photo of it so I thought I'd throw it in.

HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN





So it's been a minute without a post and I know everyone out there was missing my food commentary over the gluttonous holidays, but alas, Meena and I weren't together (boo!) and I thought a little private eating was probably necessary.

My momma had a bit of surgery on her eye while I was home, so cooking duties actually fell on my shoulders a few times whilst in Indy. One of the nights I snapped some cell phone shots and the other I did not. At any rate, just to make up for the lack of posts, I'll run through one of the many meals I had over my wonderful break.

We started with a bit of white bean dip with some baked ciabatta bread slices
- olive oil
- white beans
- lemon
- garlic
- salt
- pepper
- ciabatta

We then had a baked red anjou pear with bleu cheese
- red anjou pears
- bleu cheese
- garlic
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- white balsamic vinegar
- honey

We also had hickory planked salmon with a chipotle peach glaze
- chipotle peppers
- peach preserves
- white vinegar
- olive oil
- atlantic salmon
- hickory plank
- dad's grill

And the salmon was served with some baked brussels sprouts
- applewood smoked bacon
- honey
- walnuts
- brussels sprouts
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper

Everything was really, really good save the sprouts. Which were PRETTY good, just a touch dry. A point my dad made very sure to make. But he was right. They would have been stronger tossed in a bit of oil and vinegar or something after coming from the oven. But that wonderful grill flavor and the subtle heat in that sweet salmon glaze? Wonderful. And the pear was really delicious. I was trying to remake the Ivo & Lulu favorite ... and I think I nearly got it!

LOST AND FOUND






After the gym and before the Colts game, we thought we might run out and try this Italian place on 2nd and B, but I guess it's not open on Mondays. After wandering around the vicinity we ducked into this little spot we'd been by a bunch of times called In Vino. On an ambiance scale of 1-10, the place is easily a 9.5. It's adorable. It's a little like a cave with these curved ceilings, dark wood and little candles. Oh, and the food is pretty good, too.

We started with:
- meatballs in ragu sauce

Meena had the:
- cannelloni with spinach & ricotta in tomato sauce

Alec had the:
- MAX meat lasagna

Although we didn't really need the meatballs, they were really good. The sauce was really thick and nice. Meena's was really nice. The cannolloni was homemade and that spinach and ricotta was just right.

Now to the lasagna. So I was already pretty full when that thing came out. And when they dropped this dish on the table in front of me ... I was pretty much overwhelmed from the get go. It was not only huge, it just looked ... intimidating. I mean, it looked great, don't get me wrong. Just ... serious. So I ate about 1/3rd of the thing and brought it home. It was decadent as hell and very much not something I would normally order, but you know ... moderation.

oh, btw. if you're in these photos and you need me to take them off of here or something, I will. I nabbed them from the site. just don't sue me, cool?

TIRED AND HUNGRY





I'm only writing this on Monday night, but I can hardly remember what we did on Sunday. Oh ... we shopped a lot. So after we messed around in SoHo for far too long, we came home with Chinese on the brain. But when it came right down to crunch time, Meena went with delivery and I decided it might be in my best interest to just hang in there with the old school favorite ... pizzetas. Meena picked up her standards from another New York Chinese (Grand Sichuan) spot that is more or less the exact same as any other. I'm not saying she didn't enjoy it ... I guess I'm just commenting on Chinese in general. It's never really terrible. It's consistent. Nearly always.

So Meena had the:
- beef with broccoli
- vegetable lo-mein

I made the pizzetas with:
- yellow pepper
- onion
- mushrooms
- flour tortillas
- parmesan
- tomato sauce
- barbecue sauce
- dried basil
- ham
- slice of cheddar

Everything was pretty solid. I really liked the pizzetas tonight. I usually use some fresh mozzarella and honestly ... it's probably too much cheese. I really liked the little bits of grated parmesan. And the little bits of grilled ham went well with the veggies that just happened to be cooked really well.

Meena liked her beef with broccoli, but she didn't eat a ton of it. And she usually does the same with the lo-mein. She just liked enough of it to get a taste. Which is fine because that stuff is so cheap. Anyway, nice lazy dinner for a Sunday night.

LEFTOVER GOURMET





I don't normally post breakfast items, but I know I'm not going to cook tonight so I figured I'd update with something. Meena and I had a little wine last night, so I didn't really feel like running out first thing this morning to buy breakfast ... or even more groceries. So I was left with the stuff in the fridge and I think everything turned out pretty well.

We started with some turkey and portabella rolls:
- leftover homemade turkey burgers
- portabella mushroom
- red pepper
- store bought salsa
- mixed greens
- flour tortillas
- onions cooked in red wine

We moved on to a couple ham, egg and cheese sandwiches:
- english muffin
- egg
- gruyere
- mixed greens
- onions cooked in red wine
- ham

I used a sauce for both that featured:
- red pepper sauce
- maple syrup
- olive oil
- soy sauce

In an odd turn of events, everything managed to look and taste quite good. The little rolls didn't look quite as pretty as I would have liked and they fell apart a bit (I should have wet the tortillas before I rolled them), but Meena's reaction was enough to ensure this one will pop up again. The egg, ham and cheese was nice but a little bit dry. I only had one egg, so I had to split them between the two sandwiches. The sauce really helped though. I'm totally full and ready to get to some serious holiday shopping.