Portobello Mushroom Sandwich (with Avocado)

The Assembly

Have you ever had a portobello mushroom sandwich and absolutely hated it? I haven't. But if you are one of the few unlucky ones who have come across a funky funghi, try this uber simple (and healthy!!) recipe.

You will need:
-Really good baguette... I cannot even stress this enough. I discovered Zabar's/Eli's bakery baguette and have been a convert ever since. Obviously, unless you're in the UWS, you won't have easy access so slice off your favorite.

the baguette of all baguettes
-Portobello mushroom
-mesclun greens
-tomato
-balsamic vinegar (I used Zabar's Balsamic Vinegar from Modena, Italy)
-extra virgin olive oil

optional:
-red pepper
-avocado (make sure it's ripe but not overripe or else you will be a VERY unhappy camper.)

-As you would to your shoulder, brush off the dirt of the mushroom cap. Whatever you do, do NOT let water get on this puppy since you will be frying this in an oiled pan
-Slice into 1/2" pieces
-put in a bowl, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, set aside
-If you are using red peppers, slice them, scooping out the seeds, and add to your mushroom.
-lightly oil a pan with Extra Virgin Olive oil, let it warm up before placing your mushroom (and red pepper) slices in there. Because of the vinegar, sparks will fly. Be careful. Wear an apron.
-While they are cooking (getting nice and 'soggy'), prepare your other ingredients... slice tomatoes, wash the greens, cut up an avocado, slice the bread, etc.
-When the mushrooms (and/or peppers) are done, set aside in a bowl. Don't clean off the pan, but a touch more oil and place your baguette, face down and grill for a few minutes til it gets nice and brown. This bread toasts particularly well. I usually press down on them so it gives it that "panini-impression"
-Then you are ready to layer. The order is totally up to you. I did it this particular way: mesclun, portobello mushrooms, avocado, tomato
-Take a minute to gaze at your beautiful creation
-Inhale

☞Again, note the nifty CB2 plate I got for Christmas that matches the bowl in the previous entry.

Sick Day

Happy New Year, Everyone!!

Alas, I am sick in bed with a fever and chills. Last night, I made myself a bowl of chicken broth, somen noodles, scallions and the wontons my grandparents made me. It definitely hit the spot:




and check out the new bowl I got from CB2!! Stephen got it for me as part of my Christmas present/"I'm sorry for breaking your favorite plate, here's another one"-gift (Urban Outfitters unfortunately no longer makes the plate I loved so dearly). He also got me a matching dinner and dessert plate which I'll post another time when I cook something up. Thanks again, Steph!

Today, after I woke up with a high fever (it went to 102.6°F 103.4°F at one point), I called my mom telling her I was sick and being the very loving and generous mother she is, came over from Queens in the disgusting rain to bring me medicine, food and orange juice, among a microplane and chill mat for my laptop. Christmas all over again!

Unfortunately I napped most of the day and couldn't stand up long enough to make anything. Luckily she got me baked Cha Siu Baaus (roast pork buns) and a baguette to munch on, but I did manage to make another bowl of soup with the bok choy and ho fun noodles she brought me. I only added a little hoisin sauce for the wontons, aince I can't eat anything too salty or flavorful

Christmas Dinner 2008

Christmas Dinner = Decadent

Thanks again to my Aunt Bicky and Uncle Mark for a delicious dinner!


The Dish of the night... prime rib, rare.



I made string beans with portobello mushrooms and balsamic vinegar topped with sesame seeds, with the help of my dear cousins.


Aunt Kathy's amazing Chocolate Mousse Cake

Also served, a turkey, aunt kathy's famous rolls, corn, rice and my mom's stuffed mushrooms.

Can't wait til next year!

I ♥ Cheeseburgers

What is it about a slab of ground beef, grilled to juicy perfection, smothered in melted swiss, gruyere, monterrey jack or cheddar, topped with a leaf or two of boston lettuce, sliced tomato, onions, maybe avocado, bacon and/or pickles, adhered on a great soft bun with ketchup, maybe some mayonnaise or mustard that makes my mouth water???

One of life's great mysteries and delights, I guess.

There is no way that I could be a vegetarian. I've tried, and it just ain't happenin'. It is rare that I'll ever order a meatless dish at a restaurant. With that said, I have somehow enrolled myself on A Great Cheeseburger Search with Lauren, Jess and John- all coworkers/friends. It all started last week when Lauren, Jess and myself decided to get cheeseburgers. I suggested my tried and true favorite, Paul's Burgers, but Jess wanted to go to Corner Bistro and I had just gone to Paul's a week before with Will. Also, Lauren had never been to Corner Bistro and I've been wanting to go forever.


photo courtesy of Will Star

The first time I had heard about it was around four years ago when I had plans to get dinner with Eric K and his girlfriend at the time. However, the West Village is tricky, and this was before phones had maps, so after walking around in circles for 40 minutes, we ended up going to Lemongrass instead (far from a burger). Eager to finally step foot inside, we got to the West Village after work and tada! Corner Bistro shone in the moonlight. Unfortunately, about 40 other people had the same idea and the restaurant is tiny. We stood in the very back of the line for awhile before deciding to find another place. Foiled once again.

I tried to think of other burger joints in that area and Pop Burger came to mind. Ian had taken me there on our one and only date three and a half years ago and while I had never been back (nor did we order burgers), I heard they were tasty and recalled the French Fries being some of the best I had ever had.

It was better than nothin'.


two mini burgers come in this box. $6


Surprisingly filling


fries, obviously

The next day I met up with the girls again, along with John, and we went to Fanelli's to get their incredible bison burger. Now you're probably thinking, "Eating cheeseburgers two days in a row?! animals!" and yes, that's true.

While the service at Fanelli's was subpar (long wait, forgot my gingerale, no tablecloth, nice but ditzy waitress), I gotta hand it to them: Their bison burger is amazing. Though honestly, I don't think I'd be able to tell it apart from a cow. Probably with a combination of hunger, flavorful meat and a really good bun made this a delicious lunch. And I was good; I asked for salad instead of fries.

Sadly the lighting was terrible and I didn't want to rig up a makeshift tripod so this will have to do:


Anyway, we have a long list of other places to hit up in the city: One of which was Dumont Burger, which is actually where I got a late lunch today. It is considered one of the best places to get your fix. I went to Brooklyn to see my friend Adam who was only in town for a few more hours. He and his buddy Aaron were staying with Brett who suggested going (conveniently located several blocks away from his apt). He also had the brilliant idea of sharing an order of their mac and cheese. it had pieces of bacon in it. Amaaazzinngg.
The burger was alright. I got it with Monterrey Jack. I thought the bun was too dry... and in my opinion, a soft bun is one of the most important parts to the construction of a good burger. Also, I hate when the patty is smaller than the bun so the first few bites was all bread and no beef (Granted we ordered mini burgers, but still. Flatten it out a little!). The fries were pretty darn good though. I didn't whip out the camera this time, but if you find yourself in Williamsburg, check it out.

Other places worth mentioning:
-Big Nick's on 77th & Broadway. Try their "Bistro Burger" and waffle fries.
-Shake Shack- You no longer have to wait for the summer months to get them at Madison Sq. Park. Grab one year round on 77th and Columbus Ave.
-Blue 9... ignoring the fact it had once been shut down due to health code violation. It's fresh and delicious.

Jook

Rice porridge, congee or what my family lovingly refers to as 'jook' (rhymes with 'hook') is my comfort food of choice. For as long as I can remember, it was a good day if I was eating jook. I think the last time might've been when Ben Harrison and I went to Congee Village over a year and a half ago which is preposterous.
My grandfather definitely made it the best, but luckily my mom makes it the way I like it too. I had some this morning that my mom gave me last night and it was thick and chockful of preserved duck egg and pork just the way I remember it... She also gave me this fried cruller dough (aka "Deep Fried Devils") that my gung gung first introduced to me over a decade ago. You dip it in as you would a piece of baguette in your cream of broccoli soup.

The jook itself isn't pretty, but it's not meant to be pretty, it's meant to warm your insides on a cold Christmas morning... yum.

The Annual Christmas Eve Dinner

Merry Christmas!!

Apologies for the lack of updates; I've been a busy bee.
Just because I haven't been blogging does not mean I haven't been eating or cooking; quite far from the truth actually!
I must admit I am finding it "embarrassing" whenever I whip out my camera before eating, for people just think I'm nuts.
Then I explain, "It's for my food blog" and first timers ask, "Really? You have a food blog??", as if I were just making that up as an excuse to take photos... Sheesh. But usually people think it's cool and let me click away. You know who's your true friend when they automatically wait before digging in so I can snap a shot of their food, or when they ask if I'm going to take one when I just want to dig into my burger. And you know they're your best friend when they start sending you photos of food they have eaten.

But its Christmas and sure it's about spending time with your family, but it's also really a time to wonder why you ate so much. I'm still full from last night. Every Christmas Eve, my Aunt Kathy prepares a traditional Italian seafood dinner for my uncle and luckily my mom and I get to partake. Kristina, my cousin, of course is there too and this year we had a special guest, Sean, her new boyfriend. He agreed to an eating contest in the future, so stay tuned.

Without further ado, feast your eyes on this... feast. Note, I didn't take pictures of all the dishes, but I think you'll get the idea.


tuna salad & aunt kathy's calamari


Kris and Sean's brussel sprouts and Aunt Kathy's coconut shrimp with an apricot and horseradish dipping sauce


my mom's stuffed mushrooms


Kris' Belgian Chocolate Cake


my pineapple coconut cake which I will post a recipe to another day

Afterwards, my mom and I went over to Daniel and Willy's Christmas Eve dinner and while we didn't eat a second meal (Lord knows I wish I had room to though!), we couldn't help but ooh and ahh over the desserts.




Happy holidays!

Stay warm,
N

La Crepe 2 Go

La Crepe 2 Go

It was 1:30am and we had just arrived in Montreal. We checked into the Holiday Inn-Midtown, scoped out our room, washed our faces and headed out for a night on the town. However, we found out that unlike New York City, Montreal's nightlife does not begin on a Thursday night, nor does it last past 1am. Nevertheless, we walked up St. Laurent- a suggestion made by a passing pedestrian, and we'd soon find ourselves on that street quite often. However, that story is reserved for another day. The point is, on the way back from St. Laurent, on Sherbooke, we passed by a little place semi- underground with a sign: La Crepe 2 Go. Stephen said we should try it the next day, but me being the judgemental snob I am, couldn't dream of going to a Crepe place that had a numeral in place of a word. I was also recommended another crepe place so I had my heart set on that. However, it is a known fact that I usually make bad calls on things (longevity of celebrities, fashion trends, movies, boyfriends, etc). We had passed by it again Friday night and a "ferme" sign hung on the door. We looked inside; It was adorable. Presumably, the owner and crepe-maker extraordinaire gestured it was closed; Stephen pretended to cry. We agreed we'd try it in the morning. At long last, a crepe would be had!

Their menu is modest. a chalkboard that listed a few savoury crepes and paninis, the other half listing a few more dessert crepes. Stephen got the Nutella et fraises (nutella & strawberries), Bobby got jambon (ham) and something (his first crepe ever!), and I decided to try something new... fromage et poivre (Cheese and pear!). All delicious. And the owner, Vartan, remembered Steph crying. It was so good Bobby ordered a second one. We went back the next morning.


Cutest little crepe place. Capacity is probably 15 people


Nutella et fraises


Fromage et poivre

This Chicken is Tso-Tso...

It's how I described my dinner tonight.

I made the "Massaman Chicken Curry" (which was delicious) and had some chicken leftover so I decided to make something new and low-maintenance (meaning I wouldn't have go out and get ingredients). I searched and voila! General Tso's Chicken!

Let me just say this... This is not a recipe you should alter yourself.

I half-assed a lot of the measurements, and left out other ingredients.... BUT now i know for the future.

Nevertheless, this "slurry" is really effective. The chicken crisped up nicely and stayed super juicy. The sauce, on the other hand, failed miserably. First off, I didn't have sherry, fresh garlic or red chilis. I also underestimated the power of corn starch and heat. I figured I didn't need the chicken broth and just used water... as soon as it hit the pan. it thickened up instantly into this gooey mess and I couldn't thin it out. I also forgot the sugar so it turned out to be too salty. But I added Hoisin sauce and it was a little bit better.

I made a slammin' pot of brown rice though!