Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

What They Eat in a Week

March 18, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

Here’s an interesting article from My Modern Met by JESSICA STEWART.

Interview: Kids Around the World Photographed Surrounded by Their Weekly Diet

The revolution in diet and sameness of what kids around the world are eating—ultra-processed packaged foods, empty calories. The children I met have distinct personalities and diverse hobbies, yet they’re often eating in eerily similar ways. Compare the diets of Paulo from Sicily and Isaiah from Los Angeles.

The complete article and great pictures here –

Click here for updated GALLERY III

Portfolio and Yelp

Miscellaneous, Pasta

World’s Rarest Pasta

February 26, 2020 robiulo Leave a comment

World’s Rarest Pasta

I came across an interesting pasta article by Chris Colin, originally published in Saveur and republished in Pocket – On the Hunt for the World’s Rarest Pasta.

On the Hunt for the World’s Rarest Pasta

“Delicate and impossible to replicate, su filindeu (or the “threads of God”) is a pasta made of hundreds of tiny strands by a single woman in a hillside town in Sardinia. She’ll make it for you too—if you’re willing to walk 20 miles overnight.”

The complete article here – On the Hunt for the World’s Rarest Pasta

Click here for updated GALLERY III

Portfolio and Yelp

Miscellaneous

Bike MS New York City 2019

October 25, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Bike MS New York City 2019

I’ve been doing the Multiple Sclerosis ( #BikeMS ) charity bike ride every year since 1999. They have a few different routes you can take – 2 of them go from the starting line on 48^th Street and the West Side Highway through the Holland Tunnel to New Jersey but my favorite starts at the same place and goes around the 30-mile border of Manhattan island.

It’s still dark when we start to lineup. They serve a breakfast of protein bars, bananas and water. I have coffee at home. The sky is just starting to brighten when we take off downtown toward Battery Park. NYPD keeps all the roads closed so it’s just you and about a 1000 other cyclists.

After we make the turn at the southern tip of Manhattan the sun is coming up over the East River. Then it’s straight up the FDR and Harlem River Drives to a rest stop at Inwood Hill Park at the northern tip of Manhattan.

Inwood Hill is a great location – including bike repair, porta-sans, water, protein bars and apples. I usually make a stop about a mile before at the Jimbo’s Hamburger Palace on 207^th Street for a ham and egg sandwich and coffee to go.

From Inwood Hill it’s a little over 10 miles to the finish on Pier 92-94 with it’s beer garden and hamburgers.

You can make donations here.

Click here for updated GALLERY III

Portfolio and Yelp

Miscellaneous

The West 97th Street GreenMarket

October 4, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

West 97th Street Greenmarket

There are greenmarkets all over New York City and mine is the West 97th Street Greenmarket. You can get baked goods, meat, seafood, eggs, honey, seasonal produce and more throughout the year and it’s all local.

From flowers to seafood.

One morning’s shopping – semolina bread, corn, peaches, apple pie, mako steaks, blow fish, and black fish filets.

From their website:

Greenmarket was founded in 1976 with a two-fold mission: to promote regional agriculture by providing small family farms the opportunity to sell their locally grown products directly to consumers, and to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to the freshest, most nutritious locally grown food the region has to offer. . .

West 97th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenue

Click here for updated GALLERY II

Portfolio and Yelp

Miscellaneous, Pasta

Tracing the Origins of Pasta

September 18, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Tracing the Origins of Pasta

There’s a very informative and interesting article in L’Italo-Americano about on origins of pasta.

“There are great love affairs that permeate the ages: Anthony and Cleopatra, Rhett and Scarlet, Samson and Delilah…Everyone and Pasta. “

– Click here for full article –

Click here for updated GALLERY II

Portfolio and Yelp

Miscellaneous, Poultry

The Ellis Island Immigrant Cookbook

June 21, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

The Ellis Island Immigrant Cookbook

Hailed as “One of the year’s more engaging cookbooks...” by the New York Times, the book has sold well over 100,000 copies.

“…a one of a kind collection of heartwarming stories and authentic recipes that you’ll want to have for your cooking library…these recipes recall special memories of far away lands or of dearly loved relatives…much more than a recipe compilation, it is a personal journey with stories and reminiscences that will touch your heart.” ~ Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book Club

Arroz Con Pollo – adapted from the Ellis Island Immigrant Cook Book

Ingredients:

3 lbs. of chicken pieces (I used breasts and thighs cut into smaller pieces)
1 lb. ground pork
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper sliced thinly
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded & chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped parsley
2 cups uncooked rice
3 cups hot chicken broth divided
juice of ½ a lemon
1 tsp. saffron
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt

Equipment – You’ll need a large oven proof pan with a cover for this. Mine is 15 inches. If you don’t have one that big, cut the recipe in half.

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 325°. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the chicken until golden brown. Do same to pork and remove.

Sauté the pepper and onion in the drippings until the onions are transparent. Add tomato, parsley, garlic and bay leaf. Mix well and cook until soft. Set skillet aside.

Add the chicken and pork to the pan with the vegetables. Take 1 cup of broth and dissolve the saffron in it. Add the wine and lemon juice to the broth and pour this mixture into the skillet over the chicken and pork. Cover and cook over medium heat about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

Add the rice between the chicken pieces. Add the remaining 2 cups of broth. Stir carefully. Bring to a boil. Cover and place in the preheated 325° oven for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is done. Remove, let stand 15 minutes covered.

Purchase a copy of The Ellis Island Immigrant Cookbook here –

Click here for information on Save Ellis Island’s HARDHAT TOURS.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

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Miscellaneous, Restaurants

Eating in Little Italy

June 7, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Where to Actually Eat Well in NYC’s Little Italy

I came across an interesting article in Eater New York. It’s a list and description of the best places to eat in New York’s Little Italy.

Here’s Eater’s list –

You can find the complete article here.

If you’re in NYC, you might find this list useful, and I’ll help with my opinion on the places that I’m familiar with.

Eating in Little Italy

I’ll start with their No. 1 – Emilio’s Ballato. I agree that it should be No. 1. It’s my favorite Italian restaurant in Little Italy. Not only that, it’s located in the building that I grew up in -55 E. Houston St. I remember the original Mr. Ballato and Emilio has continued his high-quality cooking tradition.

After that, I’d rate Il Cortille and Forlini’s as the same quality. They’re both excellent and stand out from the mediocre red sauce restaurants in the area.

For pizza Lombardi’s is the best. They brought Napolitano pizza to New York when they opened on Spring Street in 1905.

Umberto’s Clam House is pretty good and famous for that Joe Gallo incident but they should have also included Vincent’s, on the corner of Mott and Hester Street. It’s been around for a long time and was always one of my favorites.

Di Paolo’s is a first rate food store on Mott and Grand Street. I’m surprised the equally good Alleva on the then same block wasn’t also on the list. It was my mother’s go-to Latticini e Salumi.

Their only pick that I take issue with is Ferrara’s. It used to be good but not anymore. Instead of trying to educate their non-Italian customer on what good Italian pastry is all about, they dumbed-down their menu and quality. There are much more authentic patisseries in the area. My choices are Caffé Roma – 176 Mulberry St, Caffé Palermo – 148 Mulberry St. and La Bella Ferrara – 108 Mulberry St.

Caffe Roma

Caffe Palermo

La Bella Ferrara

The restaurants on the list that I didn’t mention are new to the neighborhood. Maybe you should give them a try and let me know what you think.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

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Miscellaneous

Peugeot

June 4, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Peugeot

When you hear the name “Peugeot,” cars come to mind. But what a lot of people know them for are high-quality pepper mills. We’ve had 2 of them for a very long time. They’re reliable and make a precise grind. Peugeot didn’t start out a s a car manufacturing company. There was a recent article in FOOD 52 about Peugeot and their exceptional pepper mill.

3 Little-Known Facts About Peugeot & Their Iconic Pepper Mills

by: Amanda Sims

“It hardly matters what’s being served (simply dressed greens, strawberries and cold whipping cream, cardboard)—top a plate or bowl with freshly cracked black pepper from a proper grinder and it will take on an air of sophistication. Become something to sit down to. Wine might appear on cue. . . “

The complete article here –

Our 2 Peugeots – old but still going strong.

Click here for updated GALLERY II

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Drinks, Miscellaneous

Starbucks in Italy

May 28, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Starbucks in Italy

I’ve had espresso from vending machines in Italy that was better than any coffee I ever had at Starbucks. Now they intend to open a branch in Milan.

Here’s an excerpt from an article in L’Italo Americano that deals with the issue.

Does Italy Really Need Starbucks?

By francesca bezzone

” . . . there’s little doubt that Italian coffee remains the best in the world: it’s a typical case of “why should you change or improve something that’s already perfect?” Italian coffee is not a matter of variety, but of extremely high quality: from the selection of the coffee, to the way it’s toasted and brewed, every drop of caffé has to be absolutely perfect. And whoever had coffee in Italy knows it pretty much always is.”

Read the whole article HERE

Click here for updated GALLERY II

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Miscellaneous

Ceramic Fruit

May 21, 2019 robiulo Leave a comment

Ceramic Fruit

They might look good enough to eat but don’t try it. They’re ceramic. Kaori Kurihara’s creations look like familiar fruit but are fantasies.

Article and photos at COLOSSAL

I take inspiration from the plant world with particular attention to forms and their geometric repetition. Every element of nature seems to repeat itself, but in fact there is an infinite variety of it. Then, I have the deep desire to make concrete the fruits represented in my mind and to be able to contemplate them through my own eyes. It is in this idea that I try to create pieces that are both realistic and dreamlike. – Kaori Kurihara

Ceramic Fruit

Click here for updated GALLERY II

Portfolio and Yelp

Here’s an interesting article from My Modern Met by JESSICA STEWART.

Interview: Kids Around the World Photographed Surrounded by Their Weekly Diet

World’s Rarest Pasta

I came across an interesting pasta article by Chris Colin, originally published in Saveur and republished in Pocket – On the Hunt for the World’s Rarest Pasta.

On the Hunt for the World’s Rarest Pasta

“Delicate and impossible to replicate, su filindeu (or the “threads of God”) is a pasta made of hundreds of tiny strands by a single woman in a hillside town in Sardinia. She’ll make it for you too—if you’re willing to walk 20 miles overnight.”

The complete article here – On the Hunt for the World’s Rarest Pasta

Bike MS New York City 2019

It’s still dark when we start to lineup. They serve a breakfast of protein bars, bananas and water. I have coffee at home. The sky is just starting to brighten when we take off downtown toward Battery Park. NYPD keeps all the roads closed so it’s just you and about a 1000 other cyclists.

After we make the turn at the southern tip of Manhattan the sun is coming up over the East River. Then it’s straight up the FDR and Harlem River Drives to a rest stop at Inwood Hill Park at the northern tip of Manhattan.

Inwood Hill is a great location – including bike repair, porta-sans, water, protein bars and apples. I usually make a stop about a mile before at the Jimbo’s Hamburger Palace on 207th Street for a ham and egg sandwich and coffee to go.

From Inwood Hill it’s a little over 10 miles to the finish on Pier 92-94 with it’s beer garden and hamburgers.

You can make donations here.

West 97th Street Greenmarket

There are greenmarkets all over New York City and mine is the West 97th Street Greenmarket. You can get baked goods, meat, seafood, eggs, honey, seasonal produce and more throughout the year and it’s all local.

From flowers to seafood.

One morning’s shopping – semolina bread, corn, peaches, apple pie, mako steaks, blow fish, and black fish filets.

From their website:

Tracing the Origins of Pasta

The Ellis Island Immigrant Cookbook

Arroz Con Pollo – adapted from the Ellis Island Immigrant Cook Book

Ingredients:

3 lbs. of chicken pieces (I used breasts and thighs cut into smaller pieces)

1 lb. ground pork

1/2 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper sliced thinly

1 large tomato, peeled, seeded & chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

¼ cup chopped parsley

2 cups uncooked rice

3 cups hot chicken broth divided

juice of ½ a lemon

1 tsp. saffron

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. salt

Equipment – You’ll need a large oven proof pan with a cover for this. Mine is 15 inches. If you don’t have one that big, cut the recipe in half.

Preparation:Preheat the oven to 325°. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the chicken until golden brown. Do same to pork and remove.

Sauté the pepper and onion in the drippings until the onions are transparent. Add tomato, parsley, garlic and bay leaf. Mix well and cook until soft. Set skillet aside.

Add the chicken and pork to the pan with the vegetables. Take 1 cup of broth and dissolve the saffron in it. Add the wine and lemon juice to the broth and pour this mixture into the skillet over the chicken and pork. Cover and cook over medium heat about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

Add the rice between the chicken pieces. Add the remaining 2 cups of broth. Stir carefully. Bring to a boil. Cover and place in the preheated 325° oven for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is done. Remove, let stand 15 minutes covered.

Where to Actually Eat Well in NYC’s Little Italy

I came across an interesting article in Eater New York. It’s a list and description of the best places to eat in New York’s Little Italy.

Here’s Eater’s list –

If you’re in NYC, you might find this list useful, and I’ll help with my opinion on the places that I’m familiar with.

Eating in Little Italy

After that, I’d rate Il Cortille and Forlini’s as the same quality. They’re both excellent and stand out from the mediocre red sauce restaurants in the area.

For pizza Lombardi’s is the best. They brought Napolitano pizza to New York when they opened on Spring Street in 1905.

Umberto’s Clam House is pretty good and famous for that Joe Gallo incident but they should have also included Vincent’s, on the corner of Mott and Hester Street. It’s been around for a long time and was always one of my favorites.

Di Paolo’s is a first rate food store on Mott and Grand Street. I’m surprised the equally good Alleva on the then same block wasn’t also on the list. It was my mother’s go-to Latticini e Salumi.

The restaurants on the list that I didn’t mention are new to the neighborhood. Maybe you should give them a try and let me know what you think.

Peugeot

3 Little-Known Facts About Peugeot & Their Iconic Pepper Mills

Starbucks in Italy

I’ve had espresso from vending machines in Italy that was better than any coffee I ever had at Starbucks. Now they intend to open a branch in Milan.

Here’s an excerpt from an article in L’Italo Americano that deals with the issue.

Does Italy Really Need Starbucks?

Ceramic Fruit

They might look good enough to eat but don’t try it. They’re ceramic. Kaori Kurihara’s creations look like familiar fruit but are fantasies.

Reveries and Recipes

Inwood Hill is a great location – including bike repair, porta-sans, water, protein bars and apples. I usually make a stop about a mile before at the Jimbo’s Hamburger Palace on 207^th Street for a ham and egg sandwich and coffee to go.

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 325°. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the chicken until golden brown. Do same to pork and remove.