To Market, To Market, To Market We Go

This morning I attended a mandatory meeting in order to become a Greenmarket Tour Guide at the Union Square Market. The program is a part of Spoons Across America a foundation that educates children on food and nutrition. I was very excited about volunteering for the program and using some of my down time for a good cause. As a tour guide we would work with students from nearby elementary schools and introduce them to the farmers market, encourage them to ask questions to both myself and the farmers and at the end hand them each a dollar to buy something at the market that they may have found tempting or interesting. The purpose of it all is to encourage them to eat locally, and appreciate fresh, healthy, organic food.

After hearing about the program I was excited to walk around the market and think about the places the children will find interesting like the fruit stands, the herb stands and the honey stands which show their bees in action. After meeting my friend we were off to hit the stands and I picked up shallots, ramps, arugula and apples for dinner and dessert that night. Along our culinary stroll we saw a very familiar face: Iron Chef Mario Batali, owner of Otto and Babbo. I was in shock! I mean, I know all true chefs shop for the finest, freshest ingredients, but just seeing him in person happily shopping as I was doing made me excited. So not only did I join a program with a great cause, did some leisurely food shopping with a dear friend, but I met a celebrity chef who I greatly respect. A very fruitful day indeed! (Thank you Ling for taking our photo!)

Btw, my first Greenmarket tour will be held this Wednesday morning, I will definitely keep you posted.

A Guilty Pleasure

I must admit after becoming a chef I have become a bit more critical on meals I consume. Even at places I once loved, I realize it no longer provides the punch it once did. But with fast food it's different. We know its not the best for you, we have all seen films like Super Size Me and Fast Food Nation, but I must admit it's predictable and thus reliable and sometimes that just works.

Don't get me wrong, I try to stay away from the popular fast food establishments, but there are some very decent and delicious franchises that I absolutely love: California Pizza Kitchen for its delicious Sante Fe or Roasted Peppers with Goat Cheese Pizza (along with a full side Waldorf salad with blue cheese dressing and I am complete); Gray's Papaya for when I truly feel like a New Yorker and need a walk and eat type of treat (although tempting, I can pass on the tropical drinks--no offense)and of course Johnny Rockets!

Stumped on what to eat one lazy afternoon we headed for Johnny Rockets and had the Rocket Single with Half Half (french fries and onion rings) and a coke! Juicy burger and hot perfectly salted sides! Just delicious. So while these aren't fast food establishments, neither are they "healthy," but they definetly offer a level of comfort and consistency that sometimes you cant get at a restaurant. Sometimes you want to eat something that you know how it's going ot taste regardless to who is preparing it and that is simply okay with me.

Making the Leap

A few weeks ago I did the My Secret Identity blog, well my secret is out! I no longer work for the firm, after 10 years my journey has ended and a new one has begun! Naturally, it feels weird and scary at times that I no longer have the safety net and level of comfort I had for the last decade. But, I am by far ready to embrace my new life! A life that is actually focused on what I sincerely feel happy doing.

Fortunately, I had already been working as a chef instructor in a few fantastic places and now have established certain bonds that I couldn't picture life without. Through these relationships I have gained confidence, received advice and gained strength. These people became family. Coupled with the constant and unconditional love I get from my actual family, makes me unstoppable. So as I plunge into the culinary world head first, and continue teaching others what I love, and learning about myself both in the kitchen and outside it, I thank everyone and God for the direction that my life has turned. Life is far too short to go through it doing something that you are truly unhappy with, or something that you have already peaked at and now can not continue to grow. It's beyond seeking financial gain, rather the search is for self gratification. That's what I have now. So as I embark on my dreams I look forward to teaching, cooking, and enjoying life by the day and wish you the same inner happiness, peace of mind and warmth in your heart and stomach.

Fondue-licious

I am constantly looking for new ways to enjoy food with friends, so when a friend suggested Simply Fondue located at the Atlas Mall in Queens, I thought it was the perfect place to go with dear friends. According to the menu, the restaurant not only offers a great place to eat, but it provides an experience. And honestly, that is exactly what each one of us got!

We were 2 couples, so each pair had the choice of 2 salads, 1 choice of cheese fondue, 6 selections of meat, fish, or veg to dip into your choice of cooking style (sangria, grilled or broth) and a choice of a chocolate fondue. Alex and I ordered the Strawberry and Spinach salad (for me) and a Classic Cesar for him; the Traditional Swiss Chalet; and while we chose numerous entree selections, the most memorable where the coconut shrimp; beef tenderloin, pecan crusted mahi mahi, lastly for dessert The Chocolate Bliss. Fortunately, my friends picked completely different dishes and we all happily sampled and dunked things into each others fondue pot family style. Unlike most restaurants where sharing is usually discouraged (as is playing with your food) here we were able to taste, sample and play. The food was amazing, and so very simple and fun--just skewer what you wanted to sample, remember not to touch the fondue pots as they are very hot, and open your mouth and enjoy!

Simply Fondue was simply delicious and definitely kept true to its word, its not just about fondue it is an experience where you must come with time on your hands, good company and an open mind and stomach. Happy Dunking!

The Times

These days the poor economy is on every one's mind--and with good reason. The economy plain and simply sucks. From everyday conversations, to actually feeling a bit of the struggle oneself, it is a constant reminder of how bad it really is. Even the media has restructured their strategy in order to reach us--their audience. No longer pretending that the world is fine (although we were slowly reaching bottom some time ago) we now hear ads that flat out say we are in a recession, even if they don't mention the R word.

As a loyal Food Network viewer, it's interesting to see how a lot of the shows are now themed on how low cost ingredients can come together to make delicious meals. Quite interesting to witness the change. There is no sense of shame with this concept. Rather, in so little words they are clearly admitting to the fact that we are in a recession. I must admit I prefer the new realistic approach. Everyone is trying pinch pennies one way or another. But what is equally emphasized is that our quality of life is important now more than ever. Months ago the emphasis was placed how bigger was better and fancy ingredients were all the hype and thus, in demand. But now we learn to reevaluate what is truly necessary.

Naturally, we all desperately await for the economy to bounce back--and the return to indulgences like caviar, specialty cheeses and foie gras for foodies like myself. Hopefully we will one day appreciate the time were we had no choice but to embrace inexpensive food items like iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli as opposed to frisee, heirloom tomatoes and broccoli rabe. And this will be remembered as a part of history where the times brought us all back to the basics.

West 4th for Foodies

Perhaps it was too cold to sit in the park and have a picnic. But it's late March and the desire for spring to come made us chance it anyway. Not knowing what to do this particular Saturday we decided to explore West 4th. For some time I have been wanting to explore the wonderful shops the location offered, so when my husband offered this as a suggestion it was perfect!

First stop Murray's Cheese. A space filled with cheeses, cured meats and wonderful little additions. I felt like a child in a candy store. Needless to say we got pretty excited shopping and ordered prosciutto, four different stinkingly delicious cheeses and marinated olives. We then hopped next door to Amy's Bread and got a baguette. All we needed was a small bottle of wine, but we washed it down with orange Pellegrinos instead. As we sat in the park and munched on our goodies we were reminded that it was a bit too cold to sit out for too long, but it also reminded us that the most simplest things made life worth while: Fresh, simple food, nature and wonderful company. We tried to stay in the moment for as long as we possibly could, but then thought it was best to head inside. Fortunately, we found warmth at Rocco's Pastry Shop where we helped ourselves to cappuccinos and shared a strawberry cheesecake. I must confess while I was certainly full, I was tempted by another diner and decided to grab a mini chocolate chip cannoli before heading out. Absolutely delicious!!! A very sweet ending to a wonderful food filled day. And while we we certainly pushing for spring, we did embrace fall, as we fell in love with a wonderful community that offered great shops worth stepping into which to our great fortune as New Yorkers is all accessible by train.

Otto This World!

Like a lot of New Yorkers I absolutely love pizza. It's cheesy, saucy, comforting, (ok fattening) but always reliable. At times I feel I could eat pizza every single day. Were it not for my loving husband, I probably would.

This weekend Alex and I went to Otto--the pizzeria in the West Village that is owned by the Iron Chef himself--Mario Batali. I was so excited to go! First, it was an excuse to eat one of my all time favorite comfort foods and two, it served as a perfect date night! There was a bit of a wait (which is fantastic, considering the economy), but fortunately you have the option of ordering a glass (or bottle!) of wine while you wait. Twenty minutes later and bingo, we were ready to be seated! At first glance there are only a few menu items, but the combinations of the ingredients definitely gain your interest. Truly it isn't your ordinary pizza shop! I ordered Pane Frattau--tomato, Pecorino and a sunny side egg. Alex, a more traditionalist, ordered Spaghetti Alla Carbonara. In a word--Amazing! For dessert, we couldn't refuse homemade gelato. Again wanting to try everything we ordered three flavors: Crème Fraiche, Hazelnut and Salty Caramel. All I can say is that we entered Otto's with high expectations and left with them met.

Recall that I said this "weekend" we went to Otto.....well, I truly meant it. We returned on Sunday-this time inviting my mother in law. To start we ordered a cheese platter. The cheeses were accompanied with 3 little plates each adorned with a delicious surprise: black cherries, poached apricots and lastly, a healthy sampling of clover honey with shaved truffles. Main course? Well considering that I have a hard time letting go of favorites--I ordered the same delicious pizza from the night before. Alex ordered Buccatini All'Gricia (pig cheeks) and Alex's mom the Margherita D.O.P pizza. All of us were completely satisfied with the simplicity and flavorfullness of the ingredients. Magically each ingredient complemented each other and together created a spectacular meal, especially when accompanied with a lovely bottle of red wine. Room for dessert??? But of course! Again longing to try even more flavors--we replaced the Crème Fraiche with Olive Oil (divine-!) and chocolate in place of the Salty Caramel, and good old reliable Hazelnut remained.

Both evenings were nothing short of perfect. I was able to share a great dining experience with people I love and had the opportunity to relive my love affair with pizza (twice in a row!) What more could a pizza lover possibly ask for!