The Skinny Pig

Bites From Sala One Nine

Raise your hand if you love tapas! *Raising hand* Raise your hand if you love sharing food! Ok, I'm definitely not raising my hand there but I am a big fan of tapas and these two things happen to go hand in hand...like shrimp and grilled bread. Mmmm..

The etymology of tapas is still in question, but the actual word means "top" or "lid". In Spain, depending on what region, they will have different meanings for tapas. Some say it came from the slices of bread that sherry drinkers would use to cover their drinks to keep flies away from ther sweet sherry. Others say it was a small plate that was used to cover cups to prevent poisoning in between sips. Yikes. Either way..I assume this is now why tapas is commonly known to us worldly Americans as "small plates" and why most of them are served on bread.

I visited a great tapas restaurant in Union Square last night where the sangria was potent and the food was flavorful and not overdone; Sala One Nine is a nice spot for a date or happy hour with friends. I participated in a simple dinner with Ange, and we shared a few tapas dishes. A pitcher of sangria (they have both red and white), and 4 small plates (but pretty filling) came to $95 for both of us including tip. A little pricey maybe, but the food was good and the portions were actually a bit bigger than some tapas restaurants I've been to.

Shrimp with almond puree and scallions. Succulent, buttery shrimp lightly seasoned on top of crusty bread? Can't go wrong.

SCRIMPS.

Fried. Goat. Cheese. Drizzled. In. Honey. I mean...that's all you need to know. Ok there were caramelized onions too. Drool. So crispy and warm..the tangy cheese melts in your mouth and you get that sweet finish from the honey. Amazeballs.

Drool.

Roasted veggies with a fried egg on top of grilled bread. Good, but nothing mind blowing, and I love eggs but this just felt like someone shrunk my breakfast. I'd pass on it next time.

Pork loin topped with piquillo peppers on...bread! Who knew? It doesn't look like much but the pork was delicious actually - savory, tender and really flavorful. I could have eaten another batch of that but we opted for more sangria instead...dont judge, it was Thursday.

#yumprotein

 

Sala One Nine

35 West 19th Street btwn 5th and 6th aves

Opentable Link: Click here

 

 

Holiday Recipes: Sugar & Spice Walnut Mix

When I woke up on Thanksgiving morning, my apartment just didn't "smell" like Thanksgiving; it smelled like lemon Pledge and Glass Plus because I was cleaning all day previously. So this recipe is a product of my yearning for something crunchy, nutty, and sweet to snack on during cooking - not to mention I knew my place would smell amazing afterward.

This is super easy to make and it will make a great gift if you put it in little party bags with gold twist ties. I brought a bag to my friend Alex's house last weekend because she and her boyfriend threw an amazing dinner party, and far be it from me to show up empty-handed. Turns out she asked for the recipe, so I figured I'd just share it on here. So Alex, this one's for you!

Sugar & Spice Walnut Mix

Ingredients

2 cups whole walnuts, unsalted

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp table salt

4 tbsps light corn syrup

Parchment paper

 

Recipe

Preheat oven to 275

1. Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix around with your hands a bit. 

2. Add the corn syrup and toss to coat evenly with a spatula. This take a minute or two - you should have no loose sugar or spices on the bottom of the bowl when you're done.

3. Spread the mixture onto a sheet pan covered with parchment paper and bake at 275 for one hour, mixing halfway through to ensure nothing gets burned.

Before..

4. Let cool on the parchment paper and break into pieces. Enjoy!

After

Skinny Pig Note: If you want to make more, just double the recipe and use two sheet pans. This makes enough to cover one.

Mmm look at the crunch factor...

I Know It's Not Thanksgiving Anymore

FINE I will update my blog! I'm sorry to those of you who read my blog on the daily (you're awesome, by the way), but I just haven't been eating anything but friggin turkey for the past 6 days, sooooo...I haven't had much room for new content. I did check out Forcella the other day in Williamsburg, the Neopolitan pizza joint, and it was good but nothing mind-blowing. Stay tuned for more on that and some pics. 

In the meantime...I can share one of the things that I made recently with turkey leftovers...but you know what? I wont. Because I guarantee I'm the only one who STILL HAS TURKEY LEFTOVERS. If you do too, feel free to send me an email and I'll send you a recipe. 

Hopefully back in action soon,

TSP

Thanksgiving Countdown: It's Today!!

It's here! The day of feast and merriment is upon us. I stepped away from the stove to wish all of you a happy and fulfilling Thanksgiving! Emphasis on "filling". My cranberry sauce is made, the herb butter is softening, turkey is brining, potatoes are peeled...things are moving along nicely in the Skinny Pig house. I also had the craving for some sugary and spiced nuts, so I made my own concoction of walnuts, oats, shredded coconut, and cinnamon sugar. Uhhh yum. More on that later. Happy Turkey Day everyone! :)

Thanksgiving Countdown: T-Minus 2 Days!

Here's another easy-peasy recipe for Thanksgiving! Can you tell I like roasting vegetables? Enter roasted carrots and parsnips with garlic horseradish butter. Yes, your breath will stink a bit, but that's why this holiday is spent with loved ones who don't judge. You can also omit the horseradish if you're not a fan and just use garlic butter. Mmm garlic butter...

Ingredients

Bunch carrots

2 parsnips

2 tbsps butter

1-2 cloves of garlic (depending on how garlicky you like it)

1 tbsp horseradish sauce (I used Boars Head brand - you can find this practically anywhere)

 

Recipe

Preheat oven to 400 F

1. Slice carrots and parsnips into wedges/sticks about 1 inch in thickness. If they're not all the same size don't worry, but aim for that.

2. Mix 1 tbsp of the butter, garlic and horseradish in a small bowl.

3. Toss vegetables on a sheet pan with the butter/garlic/horseradish mixture and pop in the oven for 30 mins or so until fork tender.

4. Remove from oven and toss with remaining tbsp of butter. Serve hot or warm.

garlic buttery goodness

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Potluck Perfection: Roasted Baby Potatoes with Cippolini Onions

As much as I love the holidays, it is definitely a hectic time of year. So profound, I know, but when you need a simple potluck recipe or side dish, I will get the last laugh! Potlucks are fun, but they can be a bit trying especially if you know that there is no refrigerator or oven on premise. I was browsing Whole Foods for inspiration (doesn't everyone do that?) and these potatoes looked so pretty and cute, I had to pick up a couple bags. Then it hit me...like a sack of potatoes...

Roasted potatoes with cippolini onions, parsley, olive oil, sea salt, and parmesan cheese. So simple, and so tasty. Perfect for a T-giving side dish or a potluck party (aka my office will be eating these today and liking it).

Ingredients

2 bags of baby potatoes (1 lb each)

1 8 oz. package of cippolini onions, peeled (peeling these can be a pain, so if you can find them already peeled, go for it)

1/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsps flat leaf parsley, chopped

1-2 tsps sea salt

pepper to taste

1/3 cup fresh grated parmigiano reggiano cheese (optional, but believe me you want this option)

Recipe

Preheat oven to 400 F

1. Rinse potatoes and pat dry with a paper towel. Add onions to bowl and halve any that might be too big. You want everything to be relatively the same size so they cook evenly.

2. Mix olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper in a small bowl and pour over the potatoes and onions. Toss to coat.

3. Spread out evenly onto 2 baking sheets.

4. Pop in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until fork tender. Mix them around halfway through to ensure a nice brown skin on all sides.

5. Remove from oven and toss with the parm cheese.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Nums

 

Thanksgiving Countdown: T-Minus 4 Days!

A day surrounding feasting, drinking and family (which, in my case, usually leads to more drinking)... I am ALL about Thanksgiving. Last year I cooked thanksgiving dinner here in Brooklyn, and it was such a good turnout that I will be doing it again this year. I don't get older, I just get better...in the kitchen at least.

As I was saying. To me, this holiday should be spent at home, and the ONE time my family decided to go out to eat for Thanksgiving, I put up such a fight you would have thought they were trying to send me to boarding school in Switzerland. Perhaps one day, now that I am incapable of getting away with throwing tantrums, I will give it another shot. Yes. I will force myself to have a grandiose meal cooked by a trained professional. When you put it that way, it doesn't so bad...and when you discover a place that serves deep fried turkey, it sounds even better. Juicy, deep-fried bird without the threat of burning down my home? Something to be thankful for, I'd say. Neely's BBQ Parlor to the rescue!

You know the Neely's - the sugary sweet cooking couple from The Food Network show, Down Home With The Neelys - well they have Thanksgiving covered for you, whether you want to eat out, or eat in without any of the labor. You can order your Thanksgiving dinner (serves 4-5) for pickup for $160, or you can dine in with as many as you'd like and take advantage of the 3-course prix-fixe menu for $29.95 pp. Below is the menu for pickup:

Deep-fried turkey with gravy, Cornbread dressing with country sausage, Mashed potatoes or yams, green beans with bacon, Gina's collard greens, Roasted Autumn squash with tupelo honey, cranberry-orange sauce, Spinach salad with spiced pecans, cranberries and blue cheese dressing, Buttermilk biscuits, and a 10" pumpkin pie for dessert.

Not. too. shabby.

Click here to check out the menus.

SO EXCITED FOR TURKEYDAY! #nums

 

A Week in Sushi: Sushi Seki and Bozu

Sushi from Bozu, BK

If there is one thing I crave like a maniac (besides chocolate), it's sushi. I know, who craves fish? I do! And last week I had two glorious sushi experiences; one from Bozu in Williamsburg, and one from Sushi Seki in the Manhattan. 

Bozu sits on Grand Street between Roebling and Havemeyer in an old industrial space (shock), and their take on sushi is a little different. For instance, what is a sushi "bomb"? Well apparently it's a little mound of rice topped with fish, vegetables, and some form of sauce. We ordered the Mc Low Bomb, which is white rice, tuna, avocado, and wasabi cream sauce dolloped on top. Delightful. I could have foregone the sushi (though that was good too) for a nice selection of bombs. They are the bomb. Is that where they got the name..?

Mc Low BOMB

The sushi was pretty excellent too - the Hamachi roll (yellowtail, scallion, shiso and wasabi) and the AB Crunchy Roll (boiled shrimp, tempura flake, and spicy mayo) were our favorites, and I always have to get a spicy tuna roll, which was good too but nothing I haven't had before. Spicy tuna rolls are never THAT spicy, so I like to mix wasabi in my soy sauce for that extra punch. Fortunatlely for people like me, Bozu gives you three soy sauces: one is plain, one is mixed with a little wasabi, and another is mixed with a lot of wasabi. Delicious, but beware; that last one will sting the nasal cavity. 

numss..

Bozu: good service (albeit not the fastest), trendy, nice spot for a date, awesome bombs, inventive menu. Oh and it's a short walk to Momofuku Milk Bar for dessert...just sayin... Bozu website and menu

Now onto Sushi Seki. My friend Inbal has been trying to get me to come here for the longest time, and we finally made a visit to 62nd and 1st ave for some sushi. First I will point out that their miso soup is really good; miso soup is one of my standard starters, so I've had my share and this was one was great. But now for the real deal..

miso soup

Spicy scallop roll. Not something I would have ordered on my own, but I'm glad she forced me to because it was delicious. A little crunchy, a little spicy, and the scallop almost tastes sweet. I swear it barely needs soy sauce. 

Seared whitefish sashimi and yellowtail jalapeno sashimi were awesome. Seared whitefish! I've never had that before...and I normally don't like whitefish that much. Reminds me of the Jewish delis with that whitefish salad that looks gross. Sorry Dad, but it does. Anyway this fish is mild, lightly crisped and browned, and salty. Again..no soy sauce needed here. 

Sashimi from left: chopped eel with avocado (also very good), seared whitefish, yellowtail jalapeno

Sushi Seki: Authentic feel, good place to catch up with friends or a casual date, really fresh and tasty sashimi and rolls. Click here for menu

If you haven't tried sushi, I suggest you suck it up and get on that. It's so fresh and delicious when made right, it shouldn't taste fishy at all. That's how you know you've got bad sushi if it tastes fishy. I have just given you two very good options to try it out..and some of the sushi is cooked, so you can ease your way into it. Do it. GO FISH!

 

 

Bites From New York Taste

This was my third year attending New York Magazine's New York Taste event, and one thing is for certain: it never fails to draw a crowd! The space at skylight studios in Soho isn't even big enough to contain the foodies from overflowing into the streets from this celeb-chef-studded affair. Francois Payard was handing out macarons, Michael Psilakis was shucking oysters, and this all happens about a foot away from you; up close and personal foodie fun! Spring44 was the liquor sponsor for this event, and they were making delicious cocktails for the occasion too. Below are some of my favorite bites from the evening.

Reps from FCI's International Culinary Center were mixing cocktails...here they are making my Spiced Ginger Apple Punch with Spring44 Honey Vodka

Sepia Carbonara with jamon crisp and quail egg from Bar Basque (Spanish)

Smoked tenderloin and skillet cornbread from Hill Country BBQ (Modern American BBQ)

Oh hello Michael Psilakis... arranging oysters from Kefi (Greek)

Spicy ahi tuna tartare from Lani Kai (Hawaiian)

Grass-fed beef carpaccio with beets and horseradish from Telepan (Modern American)

Fabes beans, pork belly and house-made blood sausage from Tertulia (Spanish)

Duck gushtaba with Fall fruit chutney from Junoon (Indian)

Yellowtail pastrami slider with Tobanjan aioili from Morimoto (Japanese)

And now for dessert...

It's Francois Payard! Arranging lighter-than-air macarons. The salted caramel and cocoa nib were my favorites. (French)

Pumpkin and gingerbread spiced truffles from Gramercy Tavern (Modern American)

Valrhona chocolate-mocha ice box cake and chess pie financiers with butter-pecan whipped cream from Porterhouse New York (Modern American)

 

 

Dinner and Drinks at Allswell in Williamsburg

When I heard the news that Spotted Pig expat Nate Smith was popping up in my hood to open a new gastropub, I was excited and nervous at the same time. What if the deliciousness doesn't translate across the bridge? Will locals and travelers alike find it tasty or pretentious? Fortunately, I can speak for both locals and travelers, and I think Allswell is delicious and humble.

The space sits right on the corner of North 10th and Bedford, which used to house Raymund's, an old Polish diner. Now, it resembles an old grandma's living room, complete with dark wood, candles, whiskey, and quirky wallpaper. I use the word quirky because I'm not sure if tacky is in the dictionary for Williamsburg...I'm pretty sure it's been replaced with "avant-garde". Either way, you'll ignore the wallpaper when you start sipping one of their house-made tipples like the Merrywell, a blend of Overholt whiskey, lemon rind, and bitters. My friend Matt stuck to beer and chose a dark IPA that was pleasantly tasty. I forget the name...blame the whiskey.

"What is Cardoon Toast"? "How about purple yams with Winter Savory"? You will find yourself asking many questions like this at Allswell, because these gastropubs sure know how to confuse you. Cardoon toast, as it turns out, is toast (who knew?!) topped with a spinach, cheese and onion mixture reminiscent of spinach dip. It was good, but if you're going to select something with toast at Allswell, do yourself a favor and make it the foie gras and honey toast. Rich, buttery foie spread on toast and drizzled with honey and black pepper is what I imagine happiness tastes like. It's decadent, it's delicious, it's fat. Just take a bite and don't look back. There are no regrets here. Allswell that ends well...

Delicious foie gras and honey..

Cardoon toast

Sometimes when you have a fatty appetizer, you want to have a lot of meat as your entree to wash it down. No? Is that just me? I got the lamb with horseradish cream and colcannon (mashed potatoes and cabbage), Matt had the skirt steak with Jerusalem artichokes. Why Jerusalem artichokes? Not sure, but they are nothing like standard artichokes. They look kind of like ginger on the outside, but they're similar to a potato in texture on the inside. These little root vegetable bites were a perfect, crispy side to the tender skirt steak.

The lamb was a more hearty dish, and if you scooped up too much horseradish at once you'd get that sting in your nostrils. I never do that. Both dishes could have been a little hotter, but they were still tasty as all hell. 

Mmm lamb...

Still wondering about those purple yams with winter savory?? Purple yams are basically how they sound, except I think they were out of purple yams, because these were not purple. The winter savory is a mix of herbs that you can find in winter. Errrr...what herbs can you not get in winter? Christmas tree pines? I was close actually, since I saw rosemary in the mix...and huge slivers of garlic. Love garlic. And now I love winter savory. 

To kill all that garlic and horseradish breath, we split the lemon verbena semifreddo for dessert with chocolate cookie crumbs. This is a bit hard to describe, but it reminded me of the inside of an old school ice cream sandwich. That processed, white brick that sits between two chocolate sandwich cookies? Yea that. Similar in texture and size, but creamier, tastier and with absolutely zero freezerburn. A sweet treat and a palate cleanser all in one. 

lemon verbena semifreddo

Needless to say, Allswell really does end well..

You knew that was coming.

 

Allswell

124 Bedford Ave (at North 10th street)

347-799-2743