Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

Hot Chocolate and the Pirate

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Hot Chocolate and the Pirate

From a article in Atlas Obscura –

A Pirate Botanist Helped Bring Hot Chocolate to England

William Hughes was a buccaneer with an early recipe for “the American Nectar.”

by Reina Gattuso


“. . . If you had met him the year his famous book was published, you might have mistaken William Hughes for a mild-mannered gardener. By that time, he had settled into his role at the country estate of the Viscountess Conway, a noblewoman and philosopher, and had published a book on grapevines. But the old man was more than a tottering plant enthusiast. When his treatise on New World botany, The American Physitian, dropped in 1672, its contents revealed a swashbuckling history. . .”
Hot Chocolate and the Pirate

Complete article here.Hot Chocolate and the Pirate

 

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Miscellaneous

Tough Time’s Dishes

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Tough Time’s Dishes

Necessity is the mother of invention. When you can’t get the ingredients you need for a special dish you can improvise.

Tough Time’s Dishes

From an article in Gastro Obscura – Even More Historic Dishes Born from Tough Times to Make at Home
By Luke Fater

“While most sheltering-in-place restrictions remain in effect and frugality is paramount, here’s a new batch of dishes from bygone tough times like these. World War rationing and Great Depression resilience gave birth to unthinkable concoctions like an apple-less apple pie and a chocolate cake without butter, milk, or eggs . . . “

For the complete article on Tough Time’s Dishes click here. 

Tough Time’s Dishes

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Miscellaneous

Foraging in New York

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Foraging in New York

There’s plenty to eat in New York City’s parks if you know where to look according to an article in Mold.
WHAT TO FORAGE IN NEW YORK CITY RIGHT NOW
by Ellie Plass
“New York looks very different than it did, even just a month ago. COVID-19 is at the forefront of everyone’s minds and concerns, and is changing the way we think about leaving our homes. Even so, the seasons keep coming, and Spring is upon us. Although, most of the time, we may be experiencing it from our open windows, the extra time you may have on your hands can be good for learning a new skill. The parks here are absolutely full of forageable greens and edible plants that can still be safely harvested while maintaining a safe distance from your neighbors. . . “Foraging in New York
See the compete article here. 

Foraging in New York

 

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Miscellaneous

COVID-19 Pasta Drama

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COVID-19 Pasta Drama

Penne with lines to hold the sauce

From an article in MOLD. (Things like this mean so much to Italians. Try to understand. )
SMOOTH VS RIDGED PENNE, A COVID-19 PASTA DRAMA
by Elizabeth T. Jones
“. . . Less than 24 hours after Italy announced a COVID19 outbreak in Lombardia in Northern Italy, photos of barren Italian supermarket shelves were posted on Twitter. The subject of the social media buzz centered around one of Italy’s most favorite topics: pasta. Lonely bags of smooth penne pasta, penne lisce, remained perched on ravaged aisles. All of the penne rigate, ridged penne, was gone. . . “

COVID-19 Pasta Drama

An Italian Tweet – Continuo a guardare questa foto fatta prima al supermercato e penso al fatto che il grande sconfitto da questo virus sono le penne lisce che agli italiani fanno cagare pure quando sono presi dal panico e si preparano all’apocalisse.
Translation – “I keep looking at this photo I took earlier in the supermarket, and I think the biggest loser of this virus is penne lisce. Italians think it’s shit, even as they panic and prepare for the apocalypse.”
Read the complete article here –

COVID-19 Pasta Drama

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Miscellaneous

Lemons and the Pandemic

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How the Influenza Pandemic Popularized Lemons

I came across this pandemic related article in Gastro Obscura –

“In the fall of 1918, as influenza spread across the globe and the world clamored for a cure, the price of lemons skyrocketed. From Rome to Rio to Boston, residents desperate for any small measure of protection hoarded the yellow fruit, which was said—by whom it was, even then, unclear—to be both a prophylactic and a remedy for the deadly virus. Newspaper articles promised the citrus was a “flu foe,” and advised, “If you are not a flu victim deny yourself that glass of lemonade.” In New York, the Federal Food Board stepped in to prevent price gouging. . .”

Lemons and the Pandemic

For the full article click here.

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Meat, Miscellaneous

Mercato

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Mercato

If you live in New York you’ve probably heard of Schaller and Webber. It’s an old-fashioned German butcher shop but really more than that. In addition to fresh cut meat they also have a variety of wursts and smoked meats, quite a few salads, and imported European groceries and beer.
It’s on the Upper East Side and we live on the Upper West Side, so it isn’t close. We still manage to shop there at least every 6 weeks. Since CORVID 19 we’ve been using a service called Mercato for some of our shopping. You order on their website and they arrange purchases at the best independently owned food stores in New York and delivery it to you within a day or so. So, here’s our most recent delivery that made a great dinner.Mercado

Mercado

MercadoMercado

Mercato’s website here –

Schaller and Weber’s website here –

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Miscellaneous

Curious Ingredients

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Curious Ingredients

I came across this article in PLAIN. I’ll let it speak for itself.

“. . . We’re absolutely enamoured by the latest print campaign shot by London-based photographer Annie Collinge for Luncheon Magazine. Titled Table for One, the food-themed shoot revolves around a quirky character posing as various fruits, vegetables or snacks… or is it the other way around? “

Curious IngredientsThe complete PLAIN article here.

 

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Miscellaneous

Quarantine Garden

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An interesting article about seeds from Gastro Obscura – 

Quarantine GardenStrawberry Spinach

These 7 Companies Ship Unique Seeds for Your Quarantine Garden

BY REINA GATTUSO

“In 1944, at the height of World War II, 20 million home gardeners across the United States dug deep to support the war effort. As the country poured the bulk of its resources into the conflict, Americans grew Victory Gardens to bolster the domestic food supply. . .”Quarantine GardenBitter Gourd

See the whole article here.Quarantine Garden

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Miscellaneous

Seven O’clock Thank You

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My posts have been a little irregular for the last two weeks. It had nothing to do with the corona virus. Two weeks ago I spilled a glass of wine on my keyboard. You should try  to never do that. It killed my laptop. The was nowhere to quickly get it  fixed or buy a new one.  Bridget had an old one which I’m now using and although it took a while to gather all of the programs I needed to produce them, Reveries and Recipes blog posts are back. (Although I’m still having trouble with the new post notification email.)

Every night at 7 pm New York opens its windows and with 2 minutes of applause and cheers, thanks the medical and other essential  workers.

https://www.facebook.com/robert.iulo/videos/10222354828849702/?t=5

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Miscellaneous

Forks

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FORKS

Caterina De Medici introduced the fork to the French in the 1500s when she became queen of France.

There are all kinds of forks . . .

FORKS

tuning forks,

FORKS

bicycle forks,

FORKS

garden forks,

FORKS

bar forks,

FORKS

pitch forks,

FORKS

 and forks in the road.

. . . but since this is a food blog, here’s what I’m talking about.

FORKS

This is from an interesting article in Italo-Americano about forks .

Italian Inventions: The Utilitarian Table Fork

by MARIELLA RADAELLI 

“In most western households, forks are a basic part of a table setting — unless you’re all eating is soup. The relationship Italians have with the fork is certainly crucial. How could we eat spaghetti without one? When I was a kid, my dad spent hours teaching me how to twirl my fork so that not a strand of spaghetti hung down as I lifted that incredible tool to my mouth. He also taught me you don’t use a fork and a spoon to eat pasta. Twirling spaghetti against a spoon is for children and at a certain point I had to grow up . . . “

Complete article here.

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