Two Dinners and a Cake (by Mari)

I have been meaning to write about some of the meals I recently cooked and post them in separate entrees, but with time passing by and the projected entries accumulating, I decided to bunch them together into one post.

Chicken in White Wine Sauce

I don’t have a specific recipe that I follow for this one, I wing it to taste, but here are some of the ingredients that I use:

 

1 whole chicken breast

5-7 button mushrooms

small package of grape tomatoes

a few leaves of fresh basil

white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)

salt

olive oil

I cut up the chicken into bite size pieces and sautéed them in a pan with a bit of olive oil.  I sliced the mushrooms and some of the tomatoes and put them in the pan once the chicken was mostly cooked.  I decided to cut some of the grape tomatoes in half so that they would give some of their juice off into the sauce, but left some of the tomatoes whole so that we could have that satisfying little burst when biting into them.  The veggies gave off some juices and I topped it off with the wine, eyeballing the amount.  I put the salt in twice, once when I was first cooking the chicken by itself and then again to the sauce, to taste. Then, when everything was cooked and nearly ready for plating, I topped it off with some chopped fresh basil (we grow our own basil in a flower pot in the kitchen and it definitely comes in handy.)  I had also made some thin spaghetti to go with this, although I would have preferred angel hair pasta because with something as thin and delicate as a wine sauce, I feel like thicker pasta just doesn’t absorb as well.  So we had the chicken with veggies and sauce over the thin spaghetti with a glass of Pinot.  It was good, if I do say so myself. 

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

This is something I came up with during Passover when I couldn’t use breading on the tilapia.  Usually, I did a mix of breadcrumbs and parmesan, but when I omitted the bread crumbs and doubled the parmesan during Passover, Craig really liked it and thought I should just make it that way from now on, hehe.

 

Tilapia filets (other fish filets would work too)

Enough grated parmesan cheese to cover the amount of tilapia filets

The following spices, to taste:

dry dill, oregano, and basil

salt

pepper

garlic powder

olive oil for frying

I mixed the parmesan with all the spices on a large plate.  I coated the filets in the mixture on both sides, pressing it in to the parmesan to have it stick a bit better, and then put it right into the pan with a bit of olive oil.  I let it go, not moving it, until I could tell that the parmesan got to a golden brown color and then flipped it.  Same thing on the other side, until golden brown.  This actually turned out to be the perfect timing for the fish too, it was flaky but moist, not overcooked at all. I really liked how the parmesan made a slightly crunchy crust on the fish, it was a very nice texture contrast to the fish.  When I did just half parmesan and half bread crumbs, it didn’t crisp up like this.

 

I served this with some white rice.  A little while after that though, I made a salad that could go well with this fish too, I think.  It’s pretty easy, tasty, and actually gets better the longer it stands in the fridge.

Beet, Carrot, and Apple Salad

1 can of beets

2 medium size carrots

1 large Granny Smith apple

a couple of spoonfuls of mayo

salt

I cut the canned beats into long thin strips.  I used the mandolin slicer with a julienne setting to slice up both the apple and the carrots.  I mixed the apples, beets and carrots together in a bowl and added the mayo and salt while mixing.  It was a very crisp and fresh salad, a bit of a sweet and sour flavor.  It only gets better the second and the third day.  Craig wasn’t a huge fan of the salad; he ate a bit on the first day, but then didn’t really go for the leftovers later.  So there was enough salad for me to have as a side dish for dinner for 3 days.  By the third day, the veggies were slightly softer, but the carrot and apple still had some definite crispness to them and the flavors have melded very well together.  There was also no separating of the mayo and juices that sometimes happens to veggie salads when they stand, all the juices were totally reabsorbed.  I got the idea for this salad from a Russian restaurant near us “Da I Net” where they serve it with some Potato Chip Sticks on top for an added crunch. 

Almond Cake

This is a recipe that my mom has used for many years at Passover and it comes from one her Passover cookbooks.  But it’s so good, I’d eat it any day.  My mom usually makes this in a bundt pan, but I made it in a loaf pan, so it came out more like a light and fluffy bread, rather than a cake.  But it’s still soooo good.

8 eggs

2 cups of finely ground almonds

1 cup of sugar

Separate the eggs.  Beat the yolks with half the sugar. Beat the egg whites until foamy.  Add the other half of the sugar to the egg whites gradually while continuing to beat them with a mixer until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold the egg whites into the yolks, don’t stir.  Then gently fold the almonds in.  Again don’t stir, but fold thoroughly and carefully so that the almonds are throughout the mixture.  Then pour into a greased pan (bundt or loaf pan, both work) and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  You can test for doneness with a tooth pick.

I forgot to grease the pan, so it didn't turn out too attractive after inverting.

It comes out very light, fluffy and delicious.  You can have it for dessert or for breakfast, both work well. 

Sammy’s Noodle Shop and Grill (04/09/11)

Yes, we do eat at home and we do cook, frequently.  We don’t eat all of our meals out nor do we constantly order take out.  But with Craig’s new job, which keeps him away from home and the cooking of dinner several days a week, and our newly increased spending budget, we have let loose just a little bit.  We promise, there will also be recipes and home cooked meals described in this blog.

We were out enjoying the great weather in the village on this particular Saturday and this place looked interesting enough to check out.  It was very busy, which is usually a sign that the food is at least decent, if not great, but they were able to seat us right away.  Mari felt a bit of disappointment after inspecting the menu as she expected something different, more choices in noodles, less choices in traditional Chinese fair.  There were a few additional noodle items on the menu that aren’t found in most Chinese restaurants, but the majority of the food choices were very common.  Our choices wound up being rather unadventurous also – Craig ordered roast pork lo mein and Mari ordered a chicken pad thai.  Craig also decided to try a new beer with his dinner.

The food was delicious; we both enjoyed our meals very much.  Mari’s pad thai came with a lemon wedge, which was something new, neither of us have ever been served lemon with this dish, but it complemented the noodles very well.  The sweat and sour sauce mixed into the noodles was very light and not at all spicy (even though the dish had a little red pepper next to it on the menu.)  It was well spiced, flavorful, just didn’t actually have spicy heat to it.  The peanuts were served on the side, rather than over the top of the noodles and Mari enjoyed that (although peanuts contribute an important flavor to pad thai, they also get stuck in her teeth.)  Chicken was plentiful and there were also thinly cut slices of tofu mixed in as well, which was something different too.  The amount of food was very generous and Mari got a whole another meal out of the leftovers.

Craig’s roast pork lo mein was good too.  The name basically says it all.  The pork was roasted.  There were noodles, vegetables, a brown sauce…  Quite tasty.  The roasted pork brought something special to the dish: a kind of smoky subtleness missing from your average pork lo mein.  It took what would have been a satisfying yet standard dish to the next level.   The Tsingtao beer wasn’t bad either.  Light, crisp and refreshing, it was just what was needed after walking around Greenwich Village on a cool spring day.

We both enjoyed our meals and neither of us regretted stopping at this place to eat.

Italia Pizza (4/03/2011)

 We’ve been trying to find a decent pizza place in our neighborhood to order from for the past 8 months that we’ve lived in this area.  And there are A LOT of pizza places around here (borderline between the Bensonhurst and Gravesend neighborhoods.)  So far, we haven’t found one that we really loved. 

We stopped at Italia Pizza on a whim, get a quick lunch while out running errands.  And it was promising.  Craig had a Hawaiian slice and a mushroom slice and Mari had a chicken roll.  The food was good, the sauce was flavorful, the pizza crust was very thin and the roll crust nice and fluffy, the cheese wasn’t too stringy and didn’t pull off the slice/out of the roll.  This place definitely deserves another try, a whole pizza next time.

Frank’s Pizzeria and Restaurant (04/08/11)

In our previous review of a pizza place we realize we should have mentioned that besides looking for delicious pizza, we are also looking for a reasonable price.  We do know of a great pizza place not far from our house (within delivery distance) but a large plain pizza goes for about $18 there.  We think that’s expensive.  But so far, with the cheaper pizza we’ve tried, we haven’t had much success.  So we are now looking for an affordable and delicious pizza.

We decided to try Frank’s because we got a coupon in the newspaper.  A large, one topping pie was offered for $9.99, which is a much more reasonable price.  We ordered a pepperoni pizza.  Craig reported that the person answering the phone was very polite and courteous and also the delivery was timely, within the half an hour that they promised.

The pizza was very good and really, all the components of the pizza were excellent.  The crust was thin, but not as thin as at Italia Pizza, the crust on the edges was fluffy, the sauce was delicious and the amount of pepperoni was generous.  The only thing that we thought was slightly off on this pizza was the sauce to cheese ratio – there wasn’t a lot of cheese on this pizza, but there was quite a bit of sauce.  It was juicy.  We are both cheese lovers and so we would have liked to see more, but the sauce was very flavorful and we definitely enjoyed it.   We would probably order from there again, but we are not settling just yet.

The Summer 2011 Great Hot Dog Tour

One of the great things about living where we do is our proximity to Coney Island.  And of course, the greatest thing about Coney Island these days is that icon of America: Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs.  Sure, you can get them in the supermarket, or from a chain franchise, but there’s nothing quite like getting one at the original location.

We love our hot dogs.  Maybe a bit more than we should.  When buying a package in the market, there’s almost always a small discussion or debate over brand and style.  And it got us thinking: what is the best hot dog out there?  Living near Coney Island, we have a natural predilection for the historic Nathan’s.  And having grown up in the NYC area, there’s always something special about a Sabrett’s.  Craig, growing up in New Jersey, can’t help but feel the greatest dog must come somewhere from the greatest state (incidentally, both Sabrett’s and Nathan’s, paragons of NYC both, are actually made across the Hudson in the much-maligned Garden State.)

So, we’re announcing the 2011 Great Hot Dog Tour.  This spring and summer, we’ll be making trips around the NY/NJ area to sample hot dogs, wieners, frankfurters, rippers, and whatever else we can find.  We’ll be announcing tour stops and dates as we figure them out, but things will kick-off at Coney Island’s own Nathan’s Original.  Along the way, we hope to visit Papaya King, Gray’s Papaya, Rutt’s Hut, Hot Grill, and maybe even a dirty water dog cart or ball park.  If you feel there’s somewhere we should go in order to find the hot dog that best embodies vkusnyatina, let us know and we’ll meet you there!

The ChipShop (3/26/2011)

So, for our first vkusnyatina find, we thought we’d describe our most recent trip to one of our favorite eateries: the Atlantic Ave. ChipShop right here in Brooklyn.  We’ve been there a few times before, and have never been disappointed.  This time was no exception.

Now, we don’t go here too often, because it’s basically Brooklyn Heights, which means no parking so we’ve got to take 2 trains to get there.  But, Craig just started a new job, and we decided a celebration was in order.  Plus, it was Restaurant Week, so we got two 3-course meals for $25.

Of course, since it was Restaurant Week, the place was packed.  I mean PACKED.  ChipShop is as close to an authentic British Pub as you’ll ever find in NYC.  This means that when there’s a football match on (read: soccer) the bar will be filled to capacity.  And when there’s a great deal like this going on, people come from all over.  So we waited for a table.  And waited.  And waited.  For over an hour.  Outside.  In the cold.  At night.

You may be asking: was it really worth it?

Yes, it was.  It always is.

ChipShop’s main claim to fame is that they will deep-fry anything you bring in.  And they do mean anything, as long as it will: a) fit in the fryer and b) not dissolve and foul the oil.  Typical items on their menu: 3 types of fish and chips, chicken fingers and chips, battered shrimp and scallops and chips, fried macaroni, deep-fried burger, deep fried pizza, deep fried Mars bar, Twix, Snickers, Twinkies…  When we were there, there was a special on deep-fried Cadbury eggs.  There are also various Shepherd’s Pies and macaroni dishes.  Craig especially loves their impressive selection of imported and craft beers and a very respectable whisky list.  There are normally 16 beers on tap, plus 2 cask ales.

Because we went specifically for the Restaurant Week special, our choices were somewhat limited.  Craig went with deep-fried macaroni and cheese for starters, moved on to battered cod and chips, and washed it all down with a nice Tetley’s Ale from Yorkshire, England.  The deep fried mac ‘n cheese was as awesome as it sounds: a delightful ball of breaded and fried down-home comfort food.  While eating more than one a month will probably result in an infarction, it’s well worth the risk.  As the name implies, fish and chips are ChipShop’s signature dish, and the cod and chips do not disappoint.  While some claim to prefer the available haddock, Craig can’t tell the difference between the two.  The fish is battered and fried to perfection, crispy and golden on the outside, warm and flaky on the inside.  The chips (french fries, for those who don’t speak Brit) are a nice balance between the thicker cut preferred by Brits and the thinner style favored on this side of the pond.  Served with malt vinegar and a very tasty English ale, it’s enough to make you think you’re in a centuries-old pub in Worcestershire instead of decades old building in Brooklyn.  The Tetley’s Ale was not quite as hoppy as he would have preferred, but Craig still found it a nice compliment to the meal.

Mari started with fish fingers and tartar sauce and then tried a Shepherd’s pie, along with a very strong Dry Blackthorn Cider.  The fish fingers were crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside and definitely felt like pieces of fish rather than a ground up mixture.  The tartar sauce they came with was tart and tangy, thin rather than chunky, and very delicious.  Mari actually briefly considered what else she could dip into the sauce so as not to let it go to waste.  The Shepherd’s pie was served with lots of melted cheese on top and a side of green peas.  It was incredibly hot and remained incredibly hot for a very long time.  Once each forkful was allowed to cool to consumable temperature though, it was very flavorful yet totally simple.  Meat, mashed potatoes and cheese – simple.  Totally recommendable and repeatable.  The cider is very different from what some of the American Ciders are like.  True to its name, it’s very dry but not sour, not sweet either, and is reminiscent of Granny Smith apples. 

We both had a rhubarb crumble with custard for dessert.  We agreed that it would be a dish perfect for breakfast.  It was served in a large soup plate and can be described as similar to a cobbler covered generously in a sweet and creamy custard cream.  It was a wonderful blend of sweet and tart, smooth and crumbly. 

Everything was delicious.  After our meal, neither of us felt like we could get up from the table.  Portion sizes were as generous as ever and even though they were so packed it was a fire-hazard, service was still friendly and fast.