A Chicken In Every Granny Cart

I promised you a borscht-off, and a borscht-off you shall have!

(Insert Rocky music here).

In this coooorner we have the undisputed, never defeated, world famous Christmas Borscht from VESELKA!

And in this cooooorner we have the newly discovered upstart with the impeccable pedigree, Clear Borscht with Mushroom Uszka from POLONIA!

Now that you’ve met the soups, it’s only fair to introduce you to the judges which are me and the boy. We feel we make excellent judges for The Great De-Beet because we love beets, borscht, mushrooms and soup. Nuff said. Let’s get down to the judging.

Point No. 1 ~ Prettiness.

I was taken by the shapeliness of Polonia’s uszka and their plump, sensuous nature and turned off by the slight film of oily-ness floating on the surface of the soup. The boy was taken by the gorgeous, deep, intense ruby-red color of Veselka’s broth and how clear it was; you could see all the chunky-bits hiding shyly beneath the surface. I grudgingly agreed.

Point No. 1 winner? VESELKA.

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Point No. 2 ~ Aroma.

It’s funny, having the two borschts right next to each other brought out aspects of the Veselka borscht I had never noticed before, like it’s overwhelming perfume of beef stock. Polonia’s soup smelled mysterious, exotic, earthy, sweet and redolent of unseen spices.

Point No. 2 winner? POLONIA.

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Point No. 3 ~ Taste (broth only).

Just as the two soups had wildly different aromas, their flavors were polar opposites as well. Veselka’s is a manly broth; salty, beefy, spicy, chunky, garlicky, vinegary and well, delicious. Polonia’s is utterly feminine; sweet, beety, earthy, subtle and well, also delicious.

Point No. 3 winner? A TIE. I preferred Polonia’s, the boy, Veselka’s.

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Point No. 4 ~ The Dumplings.

POLONIA.

VESELKA.

The pictures do not lie. This decision was as easy to make in person as it is to make over the Internet.

Point No. 4 winner? No contest. POLONIA.

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Point No. 5 ~ Ease Of Procurement.

Polonia.

Walked in waited for 5 minutes next to about 10 Polish men of every generation doing shots of vodka at 1 in the afternoon. The lady behind the counter told me she didn’t have any borscht to sell me as I hadn’t ordered it a month (!) in advance and that she might have some for me on Sunday (this was on Saturday just before we headed Upstate to celebrate Christmas with my family). I guess I put on a pretty good pout when I told her I wasn’t going to be around tomorrow because she agreed to sell me a small container. It was $4.50.

Veselka.

Walked up to the branch on 2nd Ave and E. 9th St, decided it might be more prudent to get the borscht from Little Veselka at 1st Ave and E. 1st St as it’s closer to home and would be warmer. Walked over there, walked up to the window, placed my order, paid $4.25, got the soup, walked away.

Point No. 5 winner? Hands down. Veselka. (But if you like a little color, go with Polonia).

And In Conclusion?

Yep, we have a tie!

If I were the only judge Polonia would be our winner. I preferred the broth and the uszka and I love the, *ahem* charm, associated with a trip to Polonia.

But, this was a team effort and while the boy preferred Polonia’s uszka, the wait made him cranky and he vastly preferred Veselka’s broth.

So, I say unto you, there are no borscht losers!

Unless you really hate beets.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Click the kittie for a little present from me to you.

I hope you like it and that everyone has a lovely, peaceful, enjoyable holiday!

It’s that time of year.

Nothing is quiet. Nothing is calm. Round yon corner hides your mother-in-law. Holy terror toddler screaming for TMX Elmo. “Cook” in light-warp-speeeed! Eaaat in light-warp-speed.

Granted, I have no mother-in-law, nor a screaming toddler in my own apartment (thank god), my shopping is done and all I have to do is show up at my mom’s house on Saturday, but in New York City, we live in very close proximity to others, and walking around, I can feel the rising tidal wave of panic as last minute shoppers and menu planners scurry about.

But listen up! Allow my voice to be heard over your increasingly shrill inner monologue.

You still have to eat.

So my offering to you is this simple, festive, nurturing pasta that I dreamed up a few weeks ago on a night where I got out of work late, hungry and un-inspired.

You need: Spinach flavored linguine, two heads of Treviso radicchio (the larger, elongated red variety), some garlic, some mint, olive oil, butter, a little stock (if you have it) and some leftover red wine (or a glug from the bottle you’re drinking from).

Sweat the garlic in some olive oil. Cut the radicchio into ribbons, wash and then braise, with the garlic, in enough red wine and stock to cover until tender, about 10 minutes. Cook the linguine. When nearly done, drain and transfer immediately to the radicchio. Toss to coat. Season with salt & pepper and finish with a knob of butter. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with a liberal amount of chopped mint. Dig in. (I’d imagine a light blizzard of grated cheese would taste divine on this as well).

Sit back, relax. Allow the panic to ebb. And if the red wine isn’t helping you ignore the sugar-rushing, Elmo-crazed children in your life, might I recommend switching immediately to the good stuff.

Happy holidays everybody, happy holidays!

Have I mentioned the kind of weather we’ve been having here in New York City? Yesterday, I went out in a sweater. I mean, I was wearing pants and shoes and a tee-shirt, but other than that all I wore was a sweater. On December 17th; no coat, no scarf, no hat, no gloves. This is weird people.

Usually around this date (a date I remember every year as it’s my mother’s birthday) we’re freezing, sometimes knee-deep in snow. The thing is, it may be warm, and yet, only one week away from Christmas, I’m craving serious wintertime food. Venison, boar, rabbit, polenta, gnocchi, breads, root vegetables, pickles, wine sauces, dried fruit. So despite the warmth, it was time to scratch that December itch.

After a full day of Christmas shopping I met up with the boy to forage for dinner. I was hoping for venison, which they had, but only in a stir fry pack. I used to go deer hunting with my father. We used to have venison nearly year-round in the freezer (one thing to note though is that the venison never came from our hunting trips, if you know what I mean), but it was always in big cuts, never little ones like this. I wanted a rack or a loin or a steak, not little slivers of meat!

So, rather than getting something I wanted in a way I didn’t, we settled on a mini-boar roast from Dartagnan. The recipe on the back of the package was complex, stupidly complex, to the point that we nearly didn’t buy it for fear that we wouldn’t be able prepare it properly. Luckily, we did, and when we got home, I checked their website and found a far more agreeable recipe, Slow-Cooked Wild Boar Roast, that had good technique, but not exactly the flavor profile I was looking for.

So, I did what I do best and improvised. I had some dried fruit, some leftover wine and fresh thyme. And on the side? Polenta and french fried carrots. French fried carrots? Yep, completely by chance I figured out a way to make roasted carrots even more awesome.

The meal was incredible, better than some game meals I’ve had at really expensive restaurants, perfect for two people craving a taste of winter.

So, even though it’s beginning to feel a lot like a California Christmas outside, we’re feeling very New England inside our tiny Lower East Side apartment.

Head below the jump for the recipes for Unboring Boar & French Fried Carrots.

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I’ve only ever met one curry I didn’t like. It was Malaysian, and to me, it tasted like dirt.

One of the best curries I’ve ever had was in London, it was a balti and tasted like heaven.

London’s curries might be better and more authentic than New York’s, but I’d bet we’d win a curry-off based on variety alone. Yes, London has wonderful curries from every part of India and the sub-continent, but we’ve got curries from everywhere else.

In my neighborhood alone we have Vietnamese curry stew, French curried mussels, Chinese curry congee, Thai curry tapas, Japanese curry comfort foods, Pan-Asian curry hot pots, Hipster chicken curry wraps and yes, finally, Indian chicken curry.

I’ve sampled most of these dishes and many others, all variations on the humble garam masala. So when I woke up a few Saturdays ago craving a homemade Indian-spiced cauliflower curry, I was a bit daunted. Do I use a curry paste? A curry powder? Do I adhere authentically to the curry of one region? Or, do I go it alone, combining all those strong, single-minded spices into one harmonious, aromatic stew of my own invention?

Of course I chose the last option, but I needed help. I began with a Google search that returned 682,000 choices, the majority of them rather run-of-the-mill. I wanted something with a bit more pizzaz, so I turned to Madhur.

I knew I wanted to use curry leaves, green cardamom, black mustard seeds, kalonji, ginger, hot peppers and paneer so I looked for a recipe that was close, I knew I wouldn’t get all of them. I settled on “Spiced Buttermilk with Coconut and Scallions” as my skeleton recipe. Why? I had no intention of using buttermilk (I’ve done that before), or coconut, or even scallions, but it had most of the right spices, and I liked the method.

So, how was it? Awesome! The spices were well integrated, the heat pleasantly piquant, the texture was a little mooshie, next time I’ll add the cauliflower a little later in the process so it doesn’t break down quite so much, but other than that I’d happily serve this to my friend Ruth from Kerala. (Hi Ruth if you’re reading!)

And what of this world’s easiest side dish?

Head below the jump for the dish and the recipe for Cauliflower Curry.

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Oh joyous day!

Christmas Borscht has arrived at Veselka for it’s once yearly appearance!

Just like I said way back during the dog days of August, for the last week or so my walk home has been a little less ambling. It’s had more purpose. Every night it has taken me to the southeast corner of 2nd Avenue and East 9th Street. Finally tonight, it was fruitful.

This is my Number 1 Thing To Eat Before You Die. So, New Yorkers, I implore you, if you have any room in your heart for beets, a wee frosting of dill and luscious mushroom dumplings, today’s your day! Get out there! Call for delivery! Or stop by and bring some home for someone you love.

As the sign over the counter says, “Only 19 More Borscht Days ‘Til Christmas!”

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I have a new condiment crush.

See her hiding back there, all coy-like behind Cupley? (Yes, I named my tea cup, I also have a coffee mug named Mugley. You’ll meet him one day and understand why).

That’s Granja San Francisco Rosemary & Lavender Honey. Apparently she’s Spain’s #1 Brand! Lobstersquad, confirm? Deny?

And what is it about this honey that has caused me (and apparently others) to fall so madly and deeply in love with a plastic bottle of bee-spittle? It has got to be the amazing, no drip bottle. Seriously, it’s amazing! It doesn’t drip! No stickiness on the outside! This is a revolution in food packaging!

Oh, and the honey is delicious! It’s perfect stirred into both tea and creamy, strained Greek yogurt. I found mine first at a little candy store down on Hester St. in the LES called The Sweet Life, then I also saw it at Kalustyan’s this past weekend, but judging from that Google link above, it’s also readily available online.

And oh! There’s other flavors too! There’s a generic Blossom flavor, but also Eucalyptus & Linden Flower which I wanted so badly! But the boy, logical as ever, reminded me that we’re running out of room in our already over-stuffed cabinets. *sigh*

So, if you’ve got a honey lover on your Holiday shopping list, this here honey is the gift for you! It would also be great for that tea-lover you got in your office Secret Santa draw!

And don’t worry about me, I won’t be jealous.  You, and your friends can date her too.  It’s okay.

That the Iranians love dill?

I love dill too. Perhaps I could help broker a more perfect peace, based totally and utterly on a mutual appreciation for the beautifully feathery, horribly misunderstood herb.

And how is that I know that Iran has a love affair with dill? I woke up on Saturday with a powerful craving for cauliflower curry. I looked on the Internet for a recipe, but gosh darnit, if cauliflower curry isn’t popular! There were so many recipes, all so similar… I wanted something more, well, unique, a curry to call my own (more on that later).

So I stepped away from the computer and looked to my bookshelves, and wouldn’t you know, but I only own one cookbook with curry recipes, and not only that, it’s a relic from my misguided days spent as a vege; Madhur Jaffrey’s World-Of-The-East Vegetarian Cooking.

And you know what else? Rascally Madhur that she is, doesn’t call any of the dishes in this muti-culti book curries! Like, she actually makes you read the recipes and stuff, and thumb through and goggle at all the amazing variety of the cuisines of Asia, the sub-continent and the Middle East!

So there I sat thumbing, putting together a recipe for curry in my head when I stumbled upon a recipe called “Cauliflower Pickled With Dill” from Iran. Pickled? Cauliflower? Can we get a “Hell yeah!” in the blogosphere? I sure got one in my living room. Trying to convince the boy to let me make pickled cauliflower is like trying to get Homer to eat a donut. In other words, not that hard.

We tromped to Kalustyan’s for supplies, then tromped to the greenmarket for some cruciforms, and here I must issue a warning. People. Fresh cauliflower season seems to be on the wane! Get out there and grab a head! Make this recipe now!

Okay, thanks for letting me get that off my chest. So make the pickles I did. Hands down, easiest pickles ever. No noxious fumes, no processing, no sealing. The hardest part is waiting the 12 hours before eating them. But it was totally worth it! They’re slightly hot, lusciously garlicky, pleasing, puckeringly vinegary and of course utterly dilly.

So, to the IAEA, the UN and all other concerned parties I say: Let there be peace through pickles. Go on, give it a go, what can it hurt? Nothing else’s worked so far.

I think I’m going to make up some bumper stickers.

Head below the jump for the recipe for Iranian Cauliflower Pickles With Dill.

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