Drinks

Sweet Tea and Bourbon Cocktail

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Sweet Tea and Bourbon Cocktail

Sweet tea and Bourbon are two favorite Southern drinks. Put them together and you’ve got a perfect Southern summer cocktail.
Let’s start with the sweet tea. If you don’t already have a recipe try this –
  • 3 tea bags
  • 2 tbs. sugar (or to your taste)
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon
  • A few mint leaves
Fill a 16 ounce measuring cup 8 ounces of boiling water. Add 3 teabags, sugar, lemon juice, and mint. Remove the bags when the tea is good and dark. Fill the measuring cup with ice and when it melts strain the tea into a liter bottle. Top it off with cold water and refrigerate.
Now the cocktail –

  • 1 ½ oz. Bourbon
  • 4 oz. sweet tea
Pour the Bourbon and tea over ice in a rock glass. Garnish with a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint.

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Miscellaneous

Garlic Scapes

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Garlic Scapes

I’ve never heard of ‘garlic scapes’ and don’t know where to find them but here’s a recipe that I’d like to try.  An article in Italy Magazine explains it.

Zolle Sott’Olio | Pickled Garlic Scapes in Oil

by Domenica Marchetti

“Zolle sott’olio ~ pickled garlic scapes preserved in oil ~ are a specialty of Sulmona, a picturesque medieval city ringed by mountains in Abruzzo. The city is mostly famous for confetti, those candy-coated almond confections you see at Italian weddings, and for being the birthplace of the poet Ovid. . .”
See the whole article and recipe here. Garlic Scapes

 

Garlic Scapes

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Sides, Vegetarian

Purslane

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Purslane

Purslane

The West 97th Street Green Market was set up for social distancing. The sidewalk was marked with chalk to indicate where to form lines and keep 6 feet between customers. All of the vendors wore masks and gloves.

Purslane

Purslane

Purslane

I was at the West 97th Street Green Market when I came across purslane, a type of greens I’d never seen or heard of before. It’s common in Spain, Greece, and Italy and is a good source of omega-3 and other vitamins and minerals. Purslane is also known as hogweed, pusley, and fatweed. It’s tender enough to use raw in salads. It also works it in stews and frittatas. This recipe for a simple side dish is the one given to me by the farmers who grew it.
Purslane
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups purslane
  • 1 clove  garlic, smashed
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
  • salt & pepper to taste
Put 1 cup of water and a garlic clove in a frying pan. Turn the heat to medium-high.
Purslane
When the water boils, add the purslane, and reduce the heat to low. Cover the frying pan and keep cooking for 6-7 minutes. If the Purslane has woody stems cook it a little longer.
Remove it from the heat, drain, and season with salt, pepper and a good drizzle of olive oil, Sprinkle with  Parmesan just before serving.
 

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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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Poultry

Pollo alla Potentina

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Pollo alla Potentina

Pollo alla Potentina is a stewed chicken dish from the Basilicata region of Italy. My father’s parents were born there in a town called Laurenzana. The cuisine of Basilicata is typically highly spiced. You can use more than 3 chilis or leave then out. It’s up to you.Pollo alla Potentina
Ingredients:

• 1 chicken cut into 10 pieces
• 3 tsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1large onion, sliced
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 3 bird’s eye or Calabrese chilis, seeded and minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 28 oz. canned whole tomatoes roughly crushed
• 2 tbsp chopped basil
• 2tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Juice of 1 lemon

Brown the chicken in a pot with the butter and oil and remove.
Pollo alla Potentina
Add the onion to the pot and cook until it’s slightly browned. Next, pour in the wine and deglaze the pan. Add the minced pepper, tomato, and salt. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for 1 hour, adding water if liquid gets too low.
Stir in basil, parsley and lemon juice and serve.

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Restaurants

Trattoria il Gusto Wine Bar

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Trattoria il Gusto Wine Bar

After almost 3 months of not eating in a restaurant they’ve finally begun to reopen. We went to one of our neighborhood favorites, Trattoria il Gusto Wine Bar. Even with our masks on the waiters and the manager recognized us when we arrived. We were all glad to see one another after so long. Rather than paper and ink the menu was electronic. And water was served in individual sealed bottles. The only seating (tables 6 ft. apart) was outside but the weather was great so no problem there. They always had a partially enclosed outdoor seating, but they added more tables right up to the curb. The City relaxed its outdoor seating regulations for restaurants.

Trattoria il Gusto Wine Bar

The Digital Menu

Trattoria il Gusto Wine Bar

Gus lowered his mask for a photo.

Trattoria il Gusto Wine BarTomato spread – better than butter.

Trattoria il Gusto Wine BarAppetizers

Trattoria il Gusto Wine BarEntrées

Trattoria il Gusto Wine Bar

Waiting for tables.

Trattoria il Gusto Wine Bar

Trattoria il Gusto Wine Bar
(212) 579 7970
625 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10024

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Drinks

Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri

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Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri

Some friends returned to the city from their summer house with strawberries. I had some with Wheaties for breakfast and now a frozen strawberry daiquiri for lunch.
Frozen Strawberry DaiquiriIngredients:

• 1 ½ oz light or dark rum
• ¾ oz fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1 oz simple syrup
• A few strawberries
• 6 ice cubes
• Lime sugar for the rim of the glass
• A slice of lime for garnish

Add the rum, lime juice, syrup, and strawberries to a blender. Give it a whirl, first without ice. If it doesn’t appear thick enough add some more strawberries. Instead of whole ice cubes, it’s a good idea to crack them first. Wrap the cubes in a kitchen towel and hit them with a pan or rolling pin. Add the ice to the blender and mix it with the strawberries until you get a slushy consistency. Pour into the lime sugar rimmed glass and garnish with a slice of lime.

 

Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri

  • For simple syrup, heat 1 part granulated sugar and 1 part water over low heat and stir until the mixture is clear.
  •  For the lime sugar, you need 1 teaspoon of lime zest and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Put it in a food processor and grate for minute or two. Moisten the rim of the glass with a cut lime so the lime sugar sticks. (Thank you, Martha Stewart)Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri

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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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Poultry

Chicken Vesuvio

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Chicken Vesuvio

Chicken Vesuvio is a standard in Chicago Italian restaurants but I got this recipe from a friend who owns a pizzeria in New York. He calls it Chicken and Potatoes but served in a Chicago tratoria it becomes Chicken Vesuvio.  I used boneless, skinless thighs but you can use any parts that you like.

Chicken Vesuvio

Ingredients:

2 large russet potatoes cut into wedges
5 tbs. olive oil divided
1 ½ tsp. dried oregano divided
5 or 6 chicken thighs
4 tbs. butter
3 thinly sliced garlic cloves
1 cup chicken stock
¼ cup dry white wine
1 can of peas
Salt and black pepper
Juice of ½ lemon
Chopped parsley

Set oven to 425 degrees.
Toss the potatoes  with salt, pepper, ½ tsp. oregano, and 3 tbs. oil until they’re well coated. Spread them out evenly in a baking dish and roast for 30 minutes, turning halfway.Chicken Vesuvio
While the potatoes are cooking, season the chicken with salt, pepper, and 1 tsp. of oregano. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and without crowding the pan, lightly brown the chicken on both sides (about 10 minutes) and remove to a plate. The chicken will continue cooking later in the oven.Chicken Vesuvio
Add the butter to the pan on medium heat. Lightly sauté the garlic (about 3 minutes) and then add the stock and wine to the pan. Simmer and cook for about 5-8 minutes while deglazing the pan.
Pour the butter/garlic mixture over the potatoes in the baking dish and place the chicken over the top of the potatoes. Roast about 20-25 minutes. Add the peas and finish cooking under the broiler for 2-3 minutes.Chicken Vesuvio
Arrange the potatoes and chicken in a serving dish and pour the pan juices over it through a strainer to remove the sliced garlic (skip the strainer if you  love garlic). Squeeze the lemon and sprinkle the parsley over the dish and serve.

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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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Reveries and Recipes