Archive for January, 2007
January 10, 2007 at 7:22 am · Filed under Brooklyn
 
Markouk, or village bread, is a thin, round Lebanese bread traditionally made on a concave outdoor oven. As large as 24 inches in diameter, it’s served hot or cold with a mezze platter and is a great pita alternative for scooping up hummus, wrapping around shish kebobs or containing any sandwich filling. When dried out, it’s the main component in the classic Syrian and Lebanese fattoush salad, made of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, mint and a lemon vinaigrette with pieces of the dried bread. The word “markouk” means Read the rest of this entry »
January 9, 2007 at 7:30 am · Filed under Brooklyn
Most people don’t view chocolate and tea as a typical flavor combination, but the two have some things in common. Both have served as the basis for caffeinated beverages for several thousand years. Like red wine, both chocolate and tea contain bioflavinoids which have potent antioxidant properties known to improve hypertension and reduce inflammation. Both the tea and cocoa plants were introduced to European palettes in the 17th century thanks to newly sustained contact with areas such as Mexico, the Middle East and China. Still, we’re more likely to see chocolate and coffee together (mochachino anyone?) than chocolate and tea.
Nevertheless, chocolate and tea are harmonized in sweets such as tea-infused chocolates, green-tea and chocolate ice cream, and sophisticated tea menus are increasingly offered at dessert in fine dining restaurants. However, Read the rest of this entry »
January 8, 2007 at 7:51 am · Filed under Brooklyn
Ranging from the size of a Munchkin to that of a softball, the Sicilian croquette, arancini di riso, can be found in many authentic pizzerias and Italian specialty food shops from Williamsburg to Bay Ridge. Served warm as an appetizer or snack, these rice balls are made with saffron-scented arborio rice and are filled with some combination of ground beef, ham, shrimp, peas, cheese, or mushrooms. Eggs help to bind the cooked rice balls, which are coated in fine breadcrumbs and fried until golden brown. Arancini di riso are typically served with lemon wedges or tomato sauce.
When the Arabs ruled Sicily in the tenth century, they introduced rice to Sicilian cuisine. Arancini have been a Sicilian staple ever since. They get their name from arancia, meaning orange in Italian, Read the rest of this entry »
January 5, 2007 at 7:10 am · Filed under Brooklyn
The Orchard, a specialty produce store, has exotic fruits, vegetables, nuts, preserves and chocolates. Like a boutique, The Orchard is intimate, and has careful arrangements of breathtaking fruits and vegetables. (You won’t seeing large, precarious pyramids of watermelon halves in plastic wrap here). It’s the only produce store I’ve ever visited where someone offered up their assistance. In fact, the staff at The Orchard was probably the friendliest I’ve encountered in all of Midwood. I had heard that a small bag of fruit can easily run you sixty dollars in this place, so I thought I’d select just a couple things to try.
My first selection was a purple Florida passionfruit. This egg-shaped tropical fruit has a brittle, wrinkled purple-brown rind enclosing flesh-covered, edible seeds in a gelatinous goo. Read the rest of this entry »
January 4, 2007 at 7:31 am · Filed under Brooklyn
A comfort food that reminds many of family and holidays, chopped chicken livers are a Jewish delicatessen staple. This popular spread is usually enriched with schmaltz, a rendered chicken or goose fat that makes it shiny, delicious and awful for you. (One of my best chicken liver experiences was at Sammy’s Roumanian, where I enjoyed their chicken livers, prepared on the sweet side, even more than their signature steaks). This comfort food, usually made with onions (the more caramelized the better), eggs, schmaltz, garlic, cream sherry and spices, is usually served on rye bread, bagels or crackers. Done right, chicken livers kick foie gras’ ass.
I picked up a container of chicken liver spread at Gourmet on J, which also has a nice selection of meats, kugels, Read the rest of this entry »
January 3, 2007 at 6:09 am · Filed under Brooklyn
I stopped by Oh! Nuts in Midwood for their bright, mellow and inexpensive dried Turkish apricots, and to try the kabukim, a roasted peanut trapped in a fortune cookie-tasting shell, sometimes coated with sesame seeds. Kabukim, also known as “botnim amerikain” (American peanut) can be purchased in bulk or found in trail mixes at Oh! Nuts. The spicy version of kabukim is similar to wasabi peas, but without the gasoline aftertaste.
Oh! Nuts
1503 Avenue J
Originally published on Until Monday: BrooklynÂ
January 2, 2007 at 7:07 am · Filed under Brooklyn
A shawarma is a popular fast food throughout the Middle East. In a shawarma, meat such as lamb, chicken, turkey or beef (or a combination thereof) is slowly turned on a skewer and shaved off with a knife to order as part of a sandwich or platter. It’s a similar concept to the Turkish doner kebab or the Greek gyro. The spices differ from one culinary tradition to another, but most begin with a meat marinade that includes cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, lemon juice and yogurt.
As part of my impromptu Jewish Christmas adventure in Midwood, I visited Olympic Pita, a dine-in and take-out Glatt Kosher Israeli-style restaurant. Their specialties center around the thick upright rotating meat tower made of chicken and turkey. I had the shawarma (also known as the Arabian taco) on a laffa ($9.99) which includes Read the rest of this entry »
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