packaging genius?

Came across Biofeel this afternoon at our local grocery store. Great to photograph, as I am a total sucker for bizarre packaging, but I can't say I'm necessarily dying to try it. Hmm.

San Gennaro, 2011 edition

This year my wife and I made sure to get to one of our favorite September events in the city, the Feast of San Gennaro. Down in Little Italy for roughly two weeks every September the feast is a celebration of all things Italian. The streets are alive with food and drink, sweets galore, tons of other vendors offering everything from cigars to leather goods, games and performances, truly the quintessential Italian New York street festival. So you gotta come down and get roped into the madness and stroll Mulberry street, take in the sounds and smells and faces.
The Zeppole is the Italian version of that universally favorite dessert of fried dough tossed in powdered sugar. They're these nuggets of yum that are worth every calorie, and clearly a street fair must.
"Water Gun Fun" consists of a bunch of loud, chain-smoking carnies in your face as you try and shoot a gun with no water pressure in order to win one of these ridiculous Rasta Banana stuffed... things. It's a hysterical scene. Needless to say we opted to pass. ...but you gotta love it!
My waistline should be very thankful that we don't live closer to Little Italy. Gelato is like ice cream but with lower butterfat content and typically higher sugar content (thanks Wikipedia!). But just the same gelato is often made in smaller batches and is so creamy and delicious you are so psyched.
Torrone is something you see signs for all over during the feast and then you see most people are startled because they have no idea what they are looking it. Torrone is a basically a big block of white nougat with toasted almonds (or other nuts) mixed into it. It starts as a brick and pieces are broken off and sold by the pound. You can get a good torrone at Vinny's Nut House, and apparently a funny look from this guy. Hey, I'm Vinny, Vinny Baggadonuts! How you doin?!? The people watching is without question one of the best parts of the strolling around.
My wife had only been talking about getting her sausage and pepper fix all month so she was all over the smart menu the Mulberry Project was offering that day. We enjoyed their version of classic sausage and peppers, Tuscan truffle fries, and killer berry-based red sangria.
Not to mention their quaint little backyard space where we were invited to eat was such a welcome bit of down time from all the madness out on the street to which we would soon return.

"This is how I like my fruit, soaked in alcohol" joked the cute one.

But after the myriad of cannoli stands, when it really comes down to it, and you want to know who has the best pastries and sweet confections around, that would be Ferrara's, hands down.
Every year we have to treat ourselves to cannolis from Ferrara's, and this year in the box happened to fall another dream of a treat, a lobster tail! Fine layered pastry stuffed with rich custard created in this beautiful fan shape it was our first, and not likely to be our last. Because of a terrible stomach virus I had at the time I knew I couldn't handle zeppoles but a little cup of Ferrara's homemade chocolate gelato? Miraculously it went down just fine.
Every year we do a comparison of a different San Gennaro staple in order to figure out the better, if not the best. So this year we decided to pick sausage and peppers. After our slightly more "hipster" sausage and peppers at the Mulberry Project we had to get back to the where the real die hards flocked, places like Lucy's.

Here is a young zeppole master in training. Oh, the temptation, so dangerous.
The guys at Cha Cha's were jammin'!
"Get your sausage here!"
Of course in the end the more traditional street-style sausage and peppers would win the taste test. One little stand (not pictured) had a sweet sausage and pepper on a homemade baguette that took top prize. I tell ya, these guys and gals are magicians!
And speaking of guys and gals, take a look at these two. Geez, what can I say?
VIVA ITALIA!

Carver, the Manhattan Land Trust, and Farming Concrete

The other evening I got to visit one of my favorite spots in Harlem, a community garden named Carver. Carver is a wonderfully quiet and unassuming little oasis tucked just a block away from the main metropolitan vein of 125th Street. From the blocks of retail monsters, street vendors, and masses running from one gritty location to another you can turn and find a simple chicken wire fence and look in to see raised planter beds and in the back a covered gazebo.

Carver is one of the 14 community gardens in Manhattan maintained by the Manhattan Land Trust. The Manhattan Land Trust is a nonprofit organization established by gardeners to support and sustain community gardening throughout Manhattan. Our collective mission is to preserve, improve, and promote community managed open spaces for the benefit of all. As a member on their Board of Directors we have been working hard over the last number of years to transfer the ownership of these gardens to the gardeners themselves, and in such a way that these locals can ensure for themselves and their future generations the preservation of these vital green spaces in New York City. Victorious, as the gardens deeds were formally transferred from the city to the MLT in June of this year, it's been a great year for the MLT and our gardeners.

This evening there was an operations meeting. I arrived before the other board members and garden representatives from around the borough to find the gate unlocked and a man busy working in the gazebo. I walked up and reintroduced myself to a staple of the garden, a quick-witted and kind man named Jimmy. Jimmy was doing a little canning of his favorite veggie concoction which included a little bit of everything harvested from his plot here in the garden. Luckily he hadn't yet added the vinegar so he let me have a taste. Laced with a hot pepper or two he warned me it had some heat to it, and ooh wee, was he right! But so good, just the right mix to get you through the cold winter months to come.

Before the meeting got started I poked around a bit and checked out what people were growing. Here are a few shots from Carver.

The cantaloupe was still small and green but the different squash were taking shape and ripening up beautifully.
Look at that perfect butternut squash hiding under that big, wonderfully textured leaf, and the zucchini below, nearly the size of Erica's arm!

This evening was sensational for a couple reasons. Of course it was very inspiring, as my trips to the MLT gardens always are. Determined to maintain community and health and well-being in the face of this urban jungle and all it's seemingly backwards development I love, admire, and value these gardeners and their gardens more and more with each passing season.

The second reason for my elation this particular evening was due to the fact that Erica Packard, dear friend and Executive Director of MLT, was introducing us all to another genius nonprofit called Farming Concrete. Ray Figueroa joined our little circle and explained his organization, which works with community gardens all over the city to properly document the amount of food produced in these different open spaces. As he so eloquently put it, "...because we're not just planting food, we're planting social responsibility". With an extremely smart and systematic approach Farming Concrete helps New York City gardeners by giving them the scales and forms to easily document all that is grown in their gardens, from greens in spring to veggies in summer, to fruit and nuts in the fall. Banning together and producing this Crop Census city-wide we can show to the folks in City Hall and up in Albany exactly how much good we are growing in these unassuming little lots. As Ray reminded us this evening a healthy diet is the best preventative medicine in the world. Thanks to Farming Concrete and their plan we can show with precision the numbers, the solid proof of the work being done and the successes within different communities, some of which are quite needy of course. Not to mention by showing the pounds per square foot produced, or pounds per square acre, we can then show the potential of other gardens and open spaces and why it is essential that we continue to find ways to return to the earth instead of cover it over with blacktop. Last year calculating the quantity grown in New York City and it's estimated value Farming Concrete showed that a million dollars of food was grown by local communities for local communities throughout the five boroughs. Isn't that amazing?!? I might even imagine it was even more than that, but to have a million dollars of food clearly documented that is quite a feat.

Wouldn't it be so fabulous to have that number continue to increase year after year as urban gardeners continue to ban together and organize for a greater good? Oh, you know it!

happy hour

With one of the most stressful weeks of the year done, (having survived my work's largest fundraiser of the year) it was time to celebrate Friday right. The consensus was drinks and tapas type snacks at MexiQ on 30th Avenue in Astoria. For happy hour they offer five dollar margaritas and their menu has lots of delicious options. We've been a few times now and my wife and I would definitely recommend it if you happen to be hanging in Astoria. One night after dinner we chatted with one of the owners for a while and really enjoyed his company and our conversation. Anyway, Happy Friday - we made it!!!
cheers,
arborboy

slow cooker cook books

Hey McB,
I have to admit I don't remember where we got these so I have no idea if they are hard to find. But we have a few slow cooker cookbooks and with a little tweaking we've gotten a bunch of good meals out of all of them. For the most part there are two cookbooks that we go to when we want to have an easy day in the kitchen. This first one is awesome because it has slow cooker recipes and other non-slow cooker (fast cooker? oh, nevermind.) recipes and they all rock. There is a regular stove top pork, white bean chili that is so easy and so yum. And of all the slow cooker beef stews we have tried this one is up there. Anyway, here is number #1:
Slow Cooker Casseroles & More, Publications International Ltd., 2002
ISBN 0-7853-7619-4

The second is much simple and therefore at times much more our speed. Less ingredients, less complication and less involved assembly, that's pretty much why we got slow cookers, right?!. This one especially we found had great ideas, great foundations for good dishes, and with a little tweaking could be made really dee-lish with relative quickness and ease. I've altered slightly their creamy seafood chowder recipe and it's the bomb, ...seriously. serious. chowder. Anyway number #2:
Fix It Quick - Favorite Brand Name Slow Cooker,
Publications International Ltd., 2004
ISBN 0-7853-9681-0

Hmm, both have this "Favorite Brand Name" moniker or whatever you call it. I wonder if that might be a help. Anyway, happy eating!
Cheers,
flip

Pasghetti and Meatballs

This is for my friend Jill in Brooklyn...

Having grown up in a big Italian family one of the first things I learned how to cook was a tomato sauce. According to my mom there were a few things you had to know how to cook, so I'd say by the age of 14 I knew how to put together a decent tomato sauce, roast a chicken in the oven, whip up various side dishes, and so forth and so on. However it would be many years later until I would finally attempt meatballs. My grandma, Florence Pizzi Feleppa, would make the most unbelievable Sunday feasts of pasta and sauce and meatballs with sausage, all but the sausage made from scratch. So when my girlfriend gave up her vegetarian ways to rip back into the glorious world of pork and beef I figured it was time I stepped up to the plate and honor Grandma Flo. I am sure it can and will be adjusted and improved upon but here's a good straight forward recipe for tomato sauce with meatballs. So roll up your sleeves, sharpen your favorite chopping knife, get a bottle of red wine and pour yourself a glass, throw on your favorite Louis Prima record, and start thinking like an Italian.

Ingredients:

- 1/3 - 1/2 lb. ground pork
- 1/3 - 1/2 lb. ground beef
- 1/3 - 1/2 lb. ground veal
(usually you find the three packaged together in your grocer's meat department advertised for making meatloaf, that's the package you want. somewhere between a pound and a pound-and-a-half total weight is good)
- 1/2 cup breadcrumb
- 1 egg
- 1 can (28oz.) whole peeled tomatoes in basil (I use Progresso)
- garlic (at least three good-sized cloves)
- parsley
- oregano
- basil
- salt
- pepper
- crushed red pepper
- any other Italian spices you enjoy
- grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
- sundried tomatoes (optional)
- capers (optional)
- black olives (optional)

Directions:
You are going to be cooking for a good 30-45 minutes at least and the general timing goes like this. Begin with the forming and browning of the meatballs. About halfway through the browning you will begin the sauce, and when the meatballs finally go into the sauce then you can turn that down and turn on your pasta water on. At that rate your sauce will be at a good place when your pasta is ready.

In a mixing bowl combine the ground meats, egg, 1/2 cup of breadcrumb, maybe a little parsley and oregano, pepper. Work mixture with hands until homogeneous. Because of the egg your mix is going to have some moisture to it but will not be runny or oozy, or at least you certainly don't want it to be. I make my meatballs about 2" in diameter and I think that is a good size, and this size recipe tends to create 6-8 meatballs, or dinner for three in our house. Using your fingers scoop the meatballs into even portions and roll them in your hands, working them until there are no major cracks or creases. Once formed begin a heavy duty pan on medium to high heat with a drizzle of oil to coat the bottom. Your goal for the browning is just that, to brown, not try and cook the meatballs through. The meatballs will sizzle and brown and with thongs you will continue to rotate until you get all sides evenly dark brown.

While you're browning the meatballs prep your sauce. Peel and chop finely at least three healthy cloves of garlic, and always err on the side of more than less. This is also where all those optional ingredients come into play. If you have sundried tomatoes around slice then chop about 8 of them so that your pile is a little bit larger than that of the garlic. If I have black olives or capers in the fridge I will chop a small handful (olives) or a few large tablespoons (capers) and have them ready on the cutting board too. Be experimental with your amounts of different ingredients and learn from your successes or failures to create your own signature sauce. It's all good stuff so it's not like you can mess this up. For me I have to admit I don't actually measure anything, I just have played enough that I know what works without being too much in one taste direction or another. Have fun with it.

Your meatballs should be looking pretty good by now. The pan is probably spitting a little bit but don't pay it too much mind. Don't panic and turn the heat down, remember, you're not cooking, your browning. If the meatballs seem browned before you have had a chance to begin your sauce that is fine, don't stress, turn them off and let them sit while you get the sauce going.

A few tablespoons of olive oil (more or less) to coat the bottom of your medium/large sauce pan. Heat on medium to medium-high. When warm throw into the oil your garlic. Toss garlic and let everything get hot and smelling good, without letting the garlic get too dark in color or burned. Add any "optionals" and a pinch or two of crushed red pepper. Saute everything hot and fast while you open your can of tomatoes and pull out a colander or strainer. After a few minutes of the flavors amalgamating pour the tomato juice from the can into the saucepan holding the tomatoes themselves in the can, and stir the pot. Using your hands or a small paring knife stab and break the tomatoes and mush them until you have a mix of the pulp and the rest of the tomato juice. Using a colander over your cooking pot pour in the rest of the contents from your can of tomatoes. With your hands or a large flat spoon strain all of the tomato juice into the pot and discard the leftover pulp. If you want a chunkier sauce you can add the pulp, which I sometimes do, but the other is the way my brother learned from grandma and if he swears it makes the sauce a million times better I believe him. Add a teaspoon or so each of oregano, basil, and parsley and stir well. Let the sauce get to a boil.

Once the sauce is at a boil add your meatballs and turn down to low or simmer. Get your pasta water going. Stir the sauce occasionally and let all those flavors meld, rotating the meatballs if not completely submerged in the sauce. (insert photo above) When your pasta is almost ready you can turn off the meatballs and sauce and let that sit for a few minutes. We find that three meatballs with sauce over a plate of spaghetti covered in a healthy dose of grated Parmesan and another glass of vino you are well on your way to being very full and very happy. Enjoy.

(photo here shows the tomato sauce with pulp btw)

Ode to the Slow Cooker: Navy Bean Bacon Chowder

So, for those of you that don't know us personally, Krissy and I are major devotees of the slow cooker. Braving this urban lifestyle and enduring physically demanding jobs, the ability to know that we can still come home to a warm place and smells of home cooking is like a dream come true. Not to mention it has been our pleasure to preach the good word of the slow cooker to our dearest friends and get them on board as well. So this entry is for Jody and Bob.

Today we are testing out a new recipe. Navy bean bacon chowder. Need I say more?

This comes from a book my future mother-in-law hooked us up with some Christmases ago. I don't know where she got it, likely a good ol' fashion country yard sale, but we haven't been let down yet. Thanks "Fix It Quick Favorite Brand Name Slow Cooker" recipe book courtesy of Publications International, Limited, 2004! (and new awesome Dell scanner!)

Pictures of the yum to be posted later I hope.

meringue mushrooms!

At my work we have amazing volunteers and friends who have been stopping by and bringing sweets in all forms to get us through these cold and busy work days pre-holiday. The best came last Friday. While cleaning up the snow around the garden Sara H. came through and had me open up the office so she could drop off some goodies for us. What she created were meringue mushrooms, complete in their own compost and mushroom box. When we got it the box was full, so I knew I had to get these shots off before this spectacular rare species becomes extinct. So creative, not to mention delish!

shopping for Friday dinner

I'm going to take this loaf of bread, and oh, maybe one of your beautiful tarts....
I was hoping for one with raspberries, but ok, we'll take this one.
The bread and the tart, anything else?
No, that'll be it, thank you.
That'll be $55.
(heart attack)

Really? You must be kidding? Honestly, what has become of my hometown?!?

...of course, I must admit, it was delicious, and we ate every penny!

Happy Fourth of July!