Fear not intrepid, occasional, junk food fans! Your Twinkie-less existence is about to improve markedly. Hostess, which went bankrupt last year, was bought and is now being managed by a private firm. The legendary sponge cake with vanilla filling will return to shelves beginning July 15th along with Ding Dongs, cupcakes and other tasty treats.
Source: Vanity Fair
Blueberries, Raspberries, and Strawberry Season
It’s raspberry, blueberry, blackberry and strawberry season! In the Northeast U.S from June till mid-July, these melt in your mouth berries are at their prime. So get off the computer and stop by your farmer’s market. (Then please come back because it’s hot outside and you really enjoy this blog). What are your favorite berries?
Here is a helpful site to help find a local farmer’s market
Fesenjan is a Persian dish made with pomegranate molasses and walnuts often served on special occasions such as weddings. I had a chance to try the dish at an area restaurant and wrote about it in this post. While Ravagh’s version overpowered me with it’s authenticity, I found myself craving that tangy combination soon after.
In the excellent cookbook “New Persian Kitchen” by Louisa Shafia, there is a perfect version that provides the same tart and sweet but without going overboard. The only changes I made were to substitute lamb for chicken; cooked beets for fresh; finely crushed walnuts instead of coarse. For a vegetarian version she recommends using tempeh. We tried one with tofu which was excellent – post coming soon. Next time I’ll probably use chicken because the lamb became too tough.
Note: Pomegranate syrup/molasses can often be found in Middle Eastern stores by brands like Cortas. If unavailable in your area, pomegranate molasses can made by reducing the juice and adding sugar as in this recipe. (Skip the lemon juice).
Note2: This dish doesn’t photograph well but is delicious.
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45-60 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb lamb for stew
1 onion chopped small
½ cup walnuts, chopped fine
½ cup pomegranate molasses
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup chopped beets
Oil a pan and turn on to medium high heat. Salt the lamb and cook until browned on each side (6-8 minutes). Set meat aside. Using the same pan saute onions over medium heat until caramelized (12-15 minutes).
Add in the walnuts, pomegranate molasses and stir well. Next add in the stock and bring to a boil. Bring the heat down to a simmer and add meat back in. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes. Stir in beets and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
Fesenjan – Bad picture, but tasty
Happy news gluten free folks! After months of testing, the huge chain Dunkin Donuts just made a big announcement:
The breakfast chain said Wednesday that it plans to offer a pair of new gluten-free items — cinnamon-sugar donuts and blueberry muffins.
Donuts are still not good for you but it’s always nice to have options. See the original article here.
Most every city these days includes at least a couple of Middle Eastern restaurants serving items like falafel, hummus, shawarma – food of Arabic speaking countries. Less on the radar though are Iranian AKA Persian restaurants. So when my Persian friend Amir came to town I wanted to check out a restaurant called Ravagh. Tucked away on an unassuming street the restaurant was dim but welcoming. The walls display pictures of beautiful places in Iran like Shiraz and of course Tehran.
We ordered two appetizers on Amir’s suggestion. The first, Must Masir, is yogurt with shallots. The yogurt was plain, sour yogurt. The shallots while creating acidity seemed out of place. Quietly I wondered if this dish was created by accident.
Line cook 1: Whoops! The shallots fell in the yogurt!
Expediter: We’re busy. Lets just serve it.
The second, much more familiar appetizer was Babaganoush. The Ravagh version is actually made with mayo in addition to eggplant and tahini. While it did give us pause, it did make it extra creamy tasting.
Reading “New Persian Kitchen” by Louisa Shafia, I knew immediately what I wanted to get for an entree. Unlike say, Indian food which readily loves spice, Persians are more appreciative of sour flavors. Case in point, fesenjan. This lamb dish’s sauce is made with pomegranate syrup and walnuts. It’s not the most photo ready food but it is unique. After trying it, Amir commented that it’s not as tart as they make at home but that it’s very authentic. I couldn’t imagine more tartness. Perhaps my palate wasn’t ready for this level of authenticity. The sweet and sour is extremely intense, almost like a punch to the face. The saffron rice provided alongside helped to mitigate the flavor though. It’s definitely a great idea for a dish.
I’ll post up a variation of the recipe from New Persian Kitchen soon which was amazing and fits the American palate. I would definitely go back to Ravagh but would probably try something safe such as the dozen or so kebab options (lamb, chicken, beef, seafood, vegetable).
Ravagh Restaurant
11 E. 30th (5th and Madison)
New York, NY
212-696-0300
Subway: N, R to 28th, 6 to 33rd
Taro Leaves Roll
I’d never seen a taro leaf based snack at an Indian grocery before. When opening the package, the aroma of chili powder and amchur (dried mango) stings the nostrils. Inside the “rolls” were actually larger than expected (probably the diameter of a golf ball). The dried taro leaves are covered in gram (chickpea) flour and then fried to golden brown. They’re rolled tightly and make a neat patten (pictured below)
Despite a deep fry the product isn’t oily, though it is very, very crunchy. The amchur flavor is very enjoyable but the spice that hits at the end of the bite might be too much for some people. Having never tried taro before I couldn’t figure out where the taro ended and the flour/spices began. Normally I really enjoy products from Garvi Gujarat, but probably will not be buying this again. Purchased: Patel Brothers Price: $2.49. No gluten listed in the ingredients.
Taro Leaves Roll
Domty
Oh happy day! Awhile back I wrote about an unrequited love for Britannia and Amul cheese spreadz. While those products still aren’t available in the U.S, I’ve discovered one that is just as good. And such panache! Described on the package as “Creamy Cream Cheese Spread” there is no mistaking the confidence. After all if they weren’t confident, would you sell it in a package perfectly shaped for the cup holders of most cars? For when you need spreadable cheese on the go?
The spread is amazing on rye and white bread with a little pepper on top. It lives up to the expected creaminess. The cheddar flavor provides a moderate sourness. This product was purchased at a Middle Eastern store in my area called Fertile Crescent located at 570 Atlantic Avenue ($2.50). While I’ll always carry a torch for Amul and Britannia Domty is working out great right now.
Frozen Chickoo!
Chickoo is an excellent source of iron, fiber and calcium. Found in mostly warm, tropical climates it’s popular throughout South Asia and Latin America. They have a circular shape with a rough feeling skin. The fruit’s color on the inside varies from orange to near brown. The flavor can range from very mild and creamy to candy like sweet. This pre-sliced bag of frozen chickoo was purchased at Patel Brothers for $1.79. Note: You’ll see name variations at Asian grocery stores such as chikoo, chiku or sapota.
In the recipe below, the frozen chickoo provides contrast to the banana by adding a pleasant graininess not unlike pear, a touch of sweet and almost a malty (some say chocolate-y) taste. It’s a great addition to my regular post-run smoothie.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
“Cook” Time: 1 minute
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
1 large banana (peeled and broken into a few pieces)
2.5 chickoo (10 quarters: frozen is pre-sliced)
8 oz milk (I prefer almond or coconut)
6 ice cubes
1 scoop protein powder (I used vitamin shoppe soy protein powder, non-gmo)
Optional: Add sugar, agave, or honey if desired
Method:
Pat yourself on the back for completing your run. Throw ingredients into blender. Liquefy until blended well. Pour into 2 tumblers. Enjoy.
Potato Pancake Recipe
Potato pancakes are a fun, very customizable snack and a great to use leftover mashed potatoes. The recipe below is non-traditional but very tasty. They’re enjoyable served with ketchup, apple sauce, or chutney. I’ll post up a cousin to this, the Aloo Tikki very soon as well.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 palm size patties
6 medium potatoes, chopped small. Leave skin on if desired.
2 oz almond milk or your favorite non-dairy
2 T butter substitute (I prefer Smart Balance)
1 T garlic powder
1 t paprika
1 t mustard
1 scallion, chopped small
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste
2 oz cornmeal or chickpea flour (for mixing)
2 oz cornmeal or chickpea flour (for coating)
Method (for mashed potatoes):
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add in chopped potatoes and cover. Allow to soften. If knife can be stabbed into potato easily, they’re done. ~10 minutes. Strain out water. Add all ingredients except the 2 oz of cornmeal flour for coating. Mash potatoes together and mix well. Adjust seasoning as desired. In a separate bowl place the 2oz flour for coating. Form the potato mixture into roughly palm size patties (or size as you like). Dip each size of the patty into the 2 oz of cornmeal/chickpea flour. Now heat a pan with a little oil. Once heated (medium), add patties. Cook each side until golden brown, usually 3-4 minutes per side. Serve with apple sauce or with tamarind and coriander chutney (as pictured).
For the belated June song of the month it seems appropriate to choose Ice Cream Truck Songs. The weather is getting warmer. While that means sweaty days are coming, it also means it’s ice cream truck time. Growing up in a Tennessee suburb, the trucks came on an irregular basis – sometimes once a week, sometimes every few days – maybe it was meant to keep up our anticipation? We were lucky in that the subdivision was a big loop so when the ice cream truck drove by, in 15 minutes there’d be another shot. My favorite was always the rocket one since it was three flavors (red=cherry, white=lemon and blue=blue raspberry). It was more Italian Ice tasting than ice cream though. The other go to was the chipwich (still a favorite today). Honorable mention: Strawberry Shortcake. What were your favorites?
Mister Softee was “originally written for an ad agency by Les Waas in 1960.” The first version featured lyrics but later was turned instrumental and limited to 20 seconds.
Mr. Softee with Lyrics
Mr. Softee without Lyrics
The Hello Ice Cream Truck
I always loved this ice cream truck jingle because it ends with a very wacky “hello!?”
