So, yesterday I attempted for the first time to get to Acme Smoked Fish company's "Fish Friday", in which the factory / warehouse opens a sales counter to the public (smoked fish at a wholesale price) on Friday mornings from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. This trip is a challenge both for cars (parking in Brooklyn is scarce at all times, this neighborhood is more challenging than many) and pedestrians (the closest train has many many stairs). From my neighborhood the ride took two hours yesterday--I think a drawbridge over Jamaica Bay held up the A train. This is not frequent but it is frustrating. When I tried to get to the western corners of Nassau Street getting off the G train I found a warren of stairs and iron fencing leading over the tracks, I think (seven or eight stairs up, over, seven or eight stairs back down before reaching the exit steps). Walk towards / past Lorimer Street on Nassau, a few blocks later bear right on N. 15th Street. A few blocks after that, bear right on Gem Street and there you are. I think the warehouse takes up the entire block, but the entrance is near the western end of the block (from Gem Street you can see Manhattan--that's west), where they have placed a helpful sandwich board sign proclaiming simply "Welcome To Fish Friday". I arrived by the skin of my teeth and was grateful to find the door still unlocked. It really is a warehouse. There's a roped-off walkway leading to a large doorway with thick, clear plastic streamers where the counters are. It's cold in there.
*CASH ONLY* This will be your only warning 8)
By the time I got there, much of what might otherwise be on offer was being put away for closing. The chief attraction for me was their kippered (baked) salmon. I can get perfectly good lox (for my taste) at Costco for an acceptable price. I could buy the kippered salmon at !Localmarket for approximately an arm and a leg, and Costco no longer carries the baked smoked salmon upon which it got me hooked many years ago. I scored a pound and a half for about a dollar an ounce. ZOMG SO FRESH OM NOM NOM. They also carry a variety of types / flavors of lox (yesterday there was a sign promoting "spicy jalapeno", reviewers have mentioned lemon pepper), trout, herring and whitefish/chubs. According to the Yelp reviews I've read, the average price for the lox is about $18 / lb.
http://www.acmesmokedfish.com/
It was warm, so I stashed the fish in a lunch cooler with several freezer packs and looked for a place to eat lunch (I had no way to open the salmon nor any way to wash my hands if I did). My wanderings took me past a place (turned out to be a popup) within a rescue mission called Holy Ground BBQ (they looked not ready to open for business although the smell was divine). A little websearching revealed a story of a barbecue chef on a mission and plans to open a restaurant in TriBeCa this fall:
http://www.ahotellife.com/holy-ground/
I also passed a chocolatier (Cacao Market, associated with Mariebelle chocolates) I may want to revisit. Their website is currently under construction, but I found both a Gothamist article and a Yelp page, which mention offering light meals in addition to the confections, gelatos / sorbets and hot chocolate drinks. The "menu" in the window didn't list either any food offerings or any prices for what they were promoting. Reviews call the place "a little pricey". The New World-inspired chocolate drinks look interesting.
http://gothamist.com/2015/04/22/cacao_market.php#photo-1
https://www.yelp.com/biz/cacao-market-by-mariebelle-brooklyn
I also passed by another restaurant with no visible menu (perhaps Manhattan has spoiled me) called Pretty Southern of which I made a note to research. Definitely want to revisit here--$5 for a biscuit is kind of a lot, but they offer gluten free and it wouldn't be bad to try, once. Apparently the owner was a Top Chef semi-finalist.
http://prettysouthernbk.com/
Finally, I chose Frankel's Delicatessen partly because they had a window menu and mostly because they offered potato latkes. I had mine (they were substantial) with a portion of (what else?) kippered salmon, and listened to a resonant conversation from two improvisation comics / actors down the counter. Apparently People's Improv Theater is still going strong and offers drop-in classes as well as "adjacent" type shows with clowning or scripted pieces.
https://frankelsdelicatessen.com/
https://thepit-nyc.com/
This is why I put up with the other stuff 8)
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Friday, August 18, 2017
FOOD LAB--GF POT STICKERS, CATCH-UP
I've been making these for a while, but hadn't made either a Food Lab post or a link here to the recipe that inspired me, so I'm catching up now.
I fell in love with the convenient, inexpensive (pork) pot stickers from Trader Joe's last year, and wanted to be able to make a GF version so that I wouldn't be risking eventual indigestion on a regular basis. (Sooner or later, if I consume "normal" amounts of wheat, I get stomachaches. Pasta accelerates this, but more than trace amounts of dough or bread do the same thing more gradually.)
Fortunately for me, Trader Joe's also regularly sells ground pork 8)
The first recipe I found was on a website called BrokeAss Gourmet.
http://brokeassgourmet.com/articles/gluten-free-potstickers
There are ingredients I don't use in their recipe (corn starch and vinegar), and it's possible to substitute finely chopped kale or even Brussels sprouts for the Napa cabbage. Because I don't always have either the time or the energy to both produce the filling and manufacture the dumplings at the same time, I have experimented with frying up the filling ingredients ahead of time (and even freezing them) and found the results equally good. Meat, cruciferous goodness, onion, sesame oil, tamari, ginger, what's not to like? (Don't answer that. I have friends with allergies to soy and / or cabbage and all its relatives)
Gluten Free Proto-Potstickers
1 lb. ground pork (the packaged version from TJ's is an 80/20 lean /fat mix)
2 cups finely chopped or shredded Napa cabbage OR kale OR Brussels sprouts
1 bunch green onions, chopped
4 tsp.minced ginger (I'm working my way through a proportionately large bottle of ginger paste)
6 cloves garlic, minced (can also be shredded on a box grater)
6 T. soy sauce or tamari (check labels, as many soy sauces contain wheat)
4 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. black pepper
Rice paper wrappers / pasta (large rounds)
1-2 T. Whichever kind of oil you prefer to use for frying
The original recipe calls for salting and letting the cabbage sit for a while, then wringing moisture out of it. I omitted this step because I didn't see it when I first read the recipe. Since I often pre-cook the filling, I continue to omit this step.
I mix everything but the wrappers together in a large bowl and cook it, semi-crumbled, over medium heat. I cover the pan for a few minutes until the cabbagey goodness has cooked down to its final size. Since it's a filling, the meat needs to be cooked but doesn't need to be browned, and this also gives me a chance to cook down some of the moisture which would otherwise make the dumplings leak. The original recipe called for corn starch in the filling as (I imagine) a sponge for that moisture. You can use a potato masher to break up larger chunks of the cooked filling if needed (thank you Rachael Ray for the tip). When the moisture in the pan looks like more / mostly oil / fat and not much water / juice, it's ready to come off the heat. If you're freezing the filling for later, spoon the cooled filling into your storage container / bag of choice with all the pan liquid--it keeps the meat moist. You need to thaw the filling before making the dumplings so that you can scoop it into the wrappers.
MAKING THE DUMPLINGS:
If you've never worked with rice paper wrappers before, they come out of the package dry and stiff, and you run them (ONE AT A TIME--don't ask me how I know that) under water until the whole thing has had contact with the water. The original recipe talks about doubling them and cutting out circles by tracing a small bowl, which will make them look like traditional pot stickers. I am somewhat lazier. I fold each wrapper in half right after wetting them, and let them soften like that. Then I spoon the filling (no more than two tablespoons) onto half of that half-circle, then fold in half again for a rather larger, but very efficient, 90-degree quarter-circle shape. You will need a plate or other surface to put the wrapper down while it softens, and then again after you fill the dumpling and press the edges together. Fry the pot stickers on one side until a little brown / crispy-chewy, then turn over, add water, and steam for a few minutes. The original recipe I linked above has good instructions about the fry-then-steam process, with photographs.
Serve with condiments as desired.
I fell in love with the convenient, inexpensive (pork) pot stickers from Trader Joe's last year, and wanted to be able to make a GF version so that I wouldn't be risking eventual indigestion on a regular basis. (Sooner or later, if I consume "normal" amounts of wheat, I get stomachaches. Pasta accelerates this, but more than trace amounts of dough or bread do the same thing more gradually.)
Fortunately for me, Trader Joe's also regularly sells ground pork 8)
The first recipe I found was on a website called BrokeAss Gourmet.
http://brokeassgourmet.com/articles/gluten-free-potstickers
There are ingredients I don't use in their recipe (corn starch and vinegar), and it's possible to substitute finely chopped kale or even Brussels sprouts for the Napa cabbage. Because I don't always have either the time or the energy to both produce the filling and manufacture the dumplings at the same time, I have experimented with frying up the filling ingredients ahead of time (and even freezing them) and found the results equally good. Meat, cruciferous goodness, onion, sesame oil, tamari, ginger, what's not to like? (Don't answer that. I have friends with allergies to soy and / or cabbage and all its relatives)
Gluten Free Proto-Potstickers
1 lb. ground pork (the packaged version from TJ's is an 80/20 lean /fat mix)
2 cups finely chopped or shredded Napa cabbage OR kale OR Brussels sprouts
1 bunch green onions, chopped
4 tsp.minced ginger (I'm working my way through a proportionately large bottle of ginger paste)
6 cloves garlic, minced (can also be shredded on a box grater)
6 T. soy sauce or tamari (check labels, as many soy sauces contain wheat)
4 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. black pepper
Rice paper wrappers / pasta (large rounds)
1-2 T. Whichever kind of oil you prefer to use for frying
The original recipe calls for salting and letting the cabbage sit for a while, then wringing moisture out of it. I omitted this step because I didn't see it when I first read the recipe. Since I often pre-cook the filling, I continue to omit this step.
I mix everything but the wrappers together in a large bowl and cook it, semi-crumbled, over medium heat. I cover the pan for a few minutes until the cabbagey goodness has cooked down to its final size. Since it's a filling, the meat needs to be cooked but doesn't need to be browned, and this also gives me a chance to cook down some of the moisture which would otherwise make the dumplings leak. The original recipe called for corn starch in the filling as (I imagine) a sponge for that moisture. You can use a potato masher to break up larger chunks of the cooked filling if needed (thank you Rachael Ray for the tip). When the moisture in the pan looks like more / mostly oil / fat and not much water / juice, it's ready to come off the heat. If you're freezing the filling for later, spoon the cooled filling into your storage container / bag of choice with all the pan liquid--it keeps the meat moist. You need to thaw the filling before making the dumplings so that you can scoop it into the wrappers.
MAKING THE DUMPLINGS:
If you've never worked with rice paper wrappers before, they come out of the package dry and stiff, and you run them (ONE AT A TIME--don't ask me how I know that) under water until the whole thing has had contact with the water. The original recipe talks about doubling them and cutting out circles by tracing a small bowl, which will make them look like traditional pot stickers. I am somewhat lazier. I fold each wrapper in half right after wetting them, and let them soften like that. Then I spoon the filling (no more than two tablespoons) onto half of that half-circle, then fold in half again for a rather larger, but very efficient, 90-degree quarter-circle shape. You will need a plate or other surface to put the wrapper down while it softens, and then again after you fill the dumpling and press the edges together. Fry the pot stickers on one side until a little brown / crispy-chewy, then turn over, add water, and steam for a few minutes. The original recipe I linked above has good instructions about the fry-then-steam process, with photographs.
Serve with condiments as desired.
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Food Lab--Cold Sesame Noodle Edition
As promised, here is my experience trying to re-create the remembered-with-love Cold Sesame Noodles from Marnie (Henricksson)'s Noodle Shop, courtesy of Henricksson's book "Everyday Asian" (see last post for link).
Oddly enough, the hardest thing to find on my trip to the (Woodside) Chinese market was the sesame paste. I went up and down four or five aisles before spotting it. I'm not sure where I expected it to be, but it wasn't there. Oh well ::::shrug::::
COLD SESAME NOODLES A LA MARNIE
(For 4 servings)
1/2 cup Chinese sesame paste (or tahini, "if that's all you can find". Henricksson says the Chinese version will have a nuttier flavor). Stir before measuring, to re-mix any separated oil.
6 T. soy sauce (La Choy was what I had on hand. Don't judge me, man.)
2 T. chopped ginger (I used a paste from a squeeze bottle obtained during a warehouse club visit. I will need to make many ginger things to get my money's worth from this purchase. The bottle is about the size of a large-ish mustard bottle)
4 garlic cloves, minced (I used my box grater)
4 t. sugar (I only had turbinado. I cut it down to 1 T. because I find the sugar flavor a little stronger than plain white sugar)
4 T. sesame oil
4 drops chili oil, or more to taste (I only used the four drops because wimpy tongue)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large cucumber
1 pound thin Chinese egg or wheat noodles, or thin spaghetti (I got thin rice noodles. Years ago when I enthused to Henricksson about the thin noodles, she said she used angel hair pasta.)
1 t. sesame seeds (optional. I opted out)
1. In a small bowl, or a medium large bowl if, like me, you fear spillage / overflow, combine the first seven ingredients, mixing with a fork. Add 1/4 cup water and keep stirring until sauce is smooth.
2. Poach the chicken breasts. The recipe says to use 3 cups of water in a frying pan. Bring to a boil, add chicken, lower heat and cover. When done (about 10 minutes), remove and cool, then slice into 1/4 inch pieces.
I usually have all or part of a warehouse club rotisserie chicken in my fridge or freezer, so I used the breast meat from that for two servings' worth of chicken. This may be a place where those turkey tenders I failed to cook last year would work, poached.
3. Peel and seed the cucumber, then make 1/4-inch slices.
4. Cook your noodles, drain and rinse in cold water.
5. Plate the noodles with the chicken and cucumber, pour half the sauce over all, and serve the rest of it on the side for people who want a bit more (you will!).
Marnie's was the first cold sesame noodle rendition I ever tasted, and I remember strong notes of the soy sauce with the nutty sesame being a bit more recessive. Sesame noodles from another restaurant years later were a big disappointment because they tasted / smelled so much like peanut butter to me. This version, with the Chinese style (roasted) sesame paste was nuttier than I remember, but it came closer to my remembered taste than anything else I've had. I may experiment with tahini next, since Henricksson mentions that the sesame seeds in tahini are raw and so the flavor is less nutty.
I made this batch, 4 servings, and had two servings before I had to go away for a week. My next Food Lab experiment was to freeze the sauce, and I will see this weekend if it froze well.
Wishing you good findings 8)
Oddly enough, the hardest thing to find on my trip to the (Woodside) Chinese market was the sesame paste. I went up and down four or five aisles before spotting it. I'm not sure where I expected it to be, but it wasn't there. Oh well ::::shrug::::
COLD SESAME NOODLES A LA MARNIE
(For 4 servings)
1/2 cup Chinese sesame paste (or tahini, "if that's all you can find". Henricksson says the Chinese version will have a nuttier flavor). Stir before measuring, to re-mix any separated oil.
6 T. soy sauce (La Choy was what I had on hand. Don't judge me, man.)
2 T. chopped ginger (I used a paste from a squeeze bottle obtained during a warehouse club visit. I will need to make many ginger things to get my money's worth from this purchase. The bottle is about the size of a large-ish mustard bottle)
4 garlic cloves, minced (I used my box grater)
4 t. sugar (I only had turbinado. I cut it down to 1 T. because I find the sugar flavor a little stronger than plain white sugar)
4 T. sesame oil
4 drops chili oil, or more to taste (I only used the four drops because wimpy tongue)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large cucumber
1 pound thin Chinese egg or wheat noodles, or thin spaghetti (I got thin rice noodles. Years ago when I enthused to Henricksson about the thin noodles, she said she used angel hair pasta.)
1 t. sesame seeds (optional. I opted out)
1. In a small bowl, or a medium large bowl if, like me, you fear spillage / overflow, combine the first seven ingredients, mixing with a fork. Add 1/4 cup water and keep stirring until sauce is smooth.
2. Poach the chicken breasts. The recipe says to use 3 cups of water in a frying pan. Bring to a boil, add chicken, lower heat and cover. When done (about 10 minutes), remove and cool, then slice into 1/4 inch pieces.
I usually have all or part of a warehouse club rotisserie chicken in my fridge or freezer, so I used the breast meat from that for two servings' worth of chicken. This may be a place where those turkey tenders I failed to cook last year would work, poached.
3. Peel and seed the cucumber, then make 1/4-inch slices.
4. Cook your noodles, drain and rinse in cold water.
5. Plate the noodles with the chicken and cucumber, pour half the sauce over all, and serve the rest of it on the side for people who want a bit more (you will!).
Marnie's was the first cold sesame noodle rendition I ever tasted, and I remember strong notes of the soy sauce with the nutty sesame being a bit more recessive. Sesame noodles from another restaurant years later were a big disappointment because they tasted / smelled so much like peanut butter to me. This version, with the Chinese style (roasted) sesame paste was nuttier than I remember, but it came closer to my remembered taste than anything else I've had. I may experiment with tahini next, since Henricksson mentions that the sesame seeds in tahini are raw and so the flavor is less nutty.
I made this batch, 4 servings, and had two servings before I had to go away for a week. My next Food Lab experiment was to freeze the sauce, and I will see this weekend if it froze well.
Wishing you good findings 8)
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