So yes there is wild game in New York City and right here in Brooklyn is the best! A small restaraunt serving seasonal and local fare with an amazing wine menu to boot. They are an extremly popular place with the locals and tend to have a wide variety of wild game meats on thier menu and even have a Wild Game Festival. This place is certainly worth the visit and it’s simple Brooklyn feel is perfect for a wild game dinner, the Herb Crusted Elf Chops are divine!
One of the greatest failures that exist in “my” world is the lack of consciousness that still fills our neighborhoods in regards to healthy eating and living. Children are crucial in this quest for creating healthier people and a heather planet. Educating children about sustainable food systems is at the core of our existence, we understand that the little ones turn into big ones and so on and so on. We are always happy to encounter more local folks on that same path. We recently discovered Butterbeans and we think you should too!
Butterbeans is essentailly a healthy lunch company, offering healthy lunch programs in schools all over NYC. They not only offer amazingly healthy school lunch options for exceptionally reasonable prices, but they offer the schools wellness education programs both in and out of the classroom. they use local, organic seasonal goods and pack nutrition into every bite! Their meals are filled with whole grains, legumes, seasonal fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, sustainably raised meats and poultry and are well balanced in colors as well as raw versus cooked ratios. their lunches and thier mission are making up for the failure that we have currently in schools when it comes to food.
Check them out, pass the word on and lets get them into more schools here in our own backyard, lets make Brooklyn’s food failure a success in the upcoming year!
As I repeat often, the uncanny nature of timing, seems to present itself yet again. Tamar is a soft and quiet woman at first glance, uber talented and quiet lovely in general this magical women and friend, has a new book out that has a direct role in my recent life changes, outlook and direction. Sure its sounds dramatic at first but back to the uncanny nature of timing, time is everything and Tamar’s book came about at a time for me, when I needed not only to read it but to understand, witness and see another woman move the process of book writing which I am about to do. A woman who I think has immeasurable passion for what is essentially the lost art of cooking. She is an incredible writer with extreme eloquence in her prose, which for me is also fascinating as the idea and recognition that a great food writer is essentially also an excellent cooker! She exudes patience in her writing and cooking which has been fascinating to watch and see in her book. Her book is not your everyday book, which for me was extremely alluring, her recipes or one could say lack of them also sparked a great deal if curiosity and fervor in me and the simplicity of the cooking and the techniques were like a revealed secret that has been locked up for way too long. This book and this woman have captured the real spirit of the kitchen while pairing it with life and the learning one receives while out there learning. Her exotic world travels seep into all angles of the book and fit comfortably in even the most conservative of recipes or techniques. Her book both inspired and allowed me to see the kitchen differently, again the timing of my eyes viewing differently due to my own recent growth, fits perfectly into this path she has laid for me with the basics that we so often forget. Her book for me was essentially a metaphor for life, in that it is relatively simple but does require a few tricks, techniques, order, creativity and above all a bit more salt and oil!
Her book came to me at a time I am embarking on my own book which I can only hope shows my readers who I essentially am as much as hers did for her. I am quite a busy lady and find myself getting bored easily with many of the food books and cookbooks out there on the market these days, most are regurgitated versions of the same thing, most come from a place where money was the object of desire not passion for food, so I found her book refreshing and wished it was longer. She proves that being incredibly talented and creative both in and out of the kitchen is possible with focus, determination and above all a graceful patience that I am extremely envious of!
Buy the book, it is incredible and essential for every foodie’s library!
Sahadis (Finest Middle Eastern Grocer In Brooklyn!) 187 Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11201 718-624-4550 www.sahadis.com
Middle Eastern cooking is exquisitely easy for the most part and specializes in fresh produce with the use of a lot of spices. Spices that can be hard to get for the average persona and we can’t all smuggle our spices in after our worldwide journeys. I have given a lot of my Israeli and Middle Eastern recipes to friends all over the country and many are not as lucky as we are and have some problems finding what basic ingredients here are in Brooklyn and NYC. At Sahadis they have truly everything you need and you can often find chefs and specialty food makers shopping there for some hard ot get items. Whether it be prepared foods or ingredients for fresh, they have it all, whether cooking homemade delicacies from scratch or partaking in delicious prepared foods a trip to this clean and stylish gourmet marketplace, which was founded in 1948 and is stocked to the rafters with everything you could ever need from the Far and Middle East is an experience not just an errand. In addition to coffee, cookbooks, nuts, dried fruits, candies, jams, a plethora of spices and canned specialty foods (among them, grape leaves, Imam Bayeldi and roasted peppers), the grocery offers a selection of freshly prepared foods that are authentic and delectable. For holidays and other special occasions, shoppers can pre order these delicacies and special orders are also a norm here. One of the spices I am often running to Sahadis for is sumac! Loads of fresh olives and fresh baked Middle Eastern sweets this spot is really a place for all.
As we have witnessed in all the sections of this month’s blog, authenticity of Italians and food go hand in hand. Witnessing this food artistry mastery for myself was inspiring on many levels as I have shared and for me most importantly it has allowed me to seek out the similar in my own surroundings, wherever that may be. I first learned of The Italian Culinary Academy through an instructor who taught for Ger-Nis Culinary & Herb Center and I was fascinated by this place as most the culinary schools that I had known about, heard of and experienced were about technique not about authenticity, tradition, culture and the artisanal spirit that is so often found in authentic cuisine. Italy exudes this and The Italian Culinary Academy actually believes in teaching it. I was elated to know that there is a place that can evoke the yearning to dig deeper into food and get to the roots of the cuisine that is being studied, first hand and through immersion. I am fluent in Spanish, have been since I was 12 years old and I have retained it and I can read and write and speak at a pretty advanced level. I learned Spanish by the immersion method, or shall I say, when we were on the lamb in our custody and kidnapping expedition, “Flight & Fight For Family Freedom”, we were plunked into Central America for three and a half years. No Spanish speaking abilities before that and no cultural knowledge, just some kids for So Cal! It was intense to say the least and it was the late 80”s so the Iran Contra thing didn’t make it any easier, but we (my brothers and I) emerged from it with the kind of cultural knowledge that you can’t learn without existing in it. I have traveled throughout Central America, Mexico and South American ever since and thus retained and built upon that original immersion, as is what happens, so as a believer in the immersion method I am elated to see a culinary school out there that believes in it.
The Italian Culinary Academy not only gives its students the Italian style cookery skills both modern and traditional, but it embeds in its students the details of the history and traditions that shaped the cuisine itself.
“The Italian Culinary Academy at The International Culinary Center in New York City offers aspiring Italian cooks at all levels the most well-rounded and authentic Italian culinary training available anywhere. Designed and overseen by acclaimed author, restaurant owner, and Master Chef Cesare Casella, our programs offer several exhilarating Total ImmersionSM schedules — including an exciting option to train in Italy.”
“Our Italian Culinary Experience program offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to train on both sides of the Atlantic, learning in our kitchens in New York City and at ALMA in Parma, Italy. This 29-week course also includes Italian language training and a chance to put your new skills to the test during an internship in the kitchen of one of Italy’s top restaurants — making it ideal for anyone who wants to eat, drink, live and breathe Italian cuisine, language, and culture. Students can get a smaller — but just as delicious — taste in an 8-session Essentials of Italian Cooking class.”
This unique one of a kind culinary school is designed to create top chefs with the skills they need to succeed in a saturated market, especially when it comes to Italian cooking and specialty. Students emerge form this school not only experts in Italian cuisine, the techniques, history, and tradition but they have more opportunities than the average culinary graduate as they are equipped with more than just technique, they are equipped with passion for their art and the back up to prove it!
Get Me Outta That Box, Come Inside & Get to Know Montauk What You See is What You Get , Get Bikes, Beach & Picnics
I have lived in New York for nine years now, the longest I have ever lived anywhere. I have enjoyed living here to the extreme however I have not yet begun to experience all there is that New York has to offer. So I have taken the advice I received long ago from a close Israeli “friend” of mine, who said to me that I MUST BE A TOURIST IN MY OWN LAND. For those who know me or read a bit on my blog, youa re aware that my fruit and vegetable company is on a stand still, maybe even forever, who knows and that I am focusing solely on the culinary business I have instead. This has created two major shifts in my life which has allowed me to actually be a tourist in my own state of New York. First I am no longer traveling to see growers all over the world so I am here in New York more often, in fact way more often, so the when in Rome saying is true only I say, when in New York! Secondly I have time and the mind space to both seek and appreciate being a tourist. My phone is no longer ringing all night long with problems and calls from the Dutch, the Israeli, the Mexican and the Peruvian. My days consist of things that I can make happen on a much more achievable level so therefore the stress has dissipated a great deal. Therefore I have started, albeit slowly, to discover New York. One lawyer later and an invite out to Montauk to stay with a family who spends many summers there, I discovered a world that I was truly bummed I hadn’t discovered long before.
Montauk, Long Island is the furthest tip out on Long Island. Long Island is the largest and longest island in the United States. A large body of water, the Peconic Bay, splits the eastern end to form two narrow peninsulas, commonly referred to as two forks. At Montauk, the extreme tip of the South Fork of Long Islands forks, the northern side opens to the waters of Block Island Sound with the Atlantic Ocean on the southern side. Montauk is a laid back naturalistic type of place that from what I discovered attracks a diverse and interesting mix of normal folks who want to enjoy the summer and the beach. I had never been out to the Hamptons as I knew it wasn’t really going to be my cup of tea and driving through there I realized it wasn’t! But in Montauk, I came across a little village of what was reminiscent of surf towns all over the world. Montauk is famous for some incredible surf breaks and thus a large population of east coast and New York surfers and their families and friends conglomerate out there year round really, but it he summer it attacks even more. The village itself doesn’t feel too crowded and the folks again are laid back, casual and really it’s a flip flop and bathing suit place. There are lots of restaurants and coffee shops and beaches galore, all kinds, nice sand family beaches, small quaint bays and even a fresh water lake which is where I stayed. The beaches are uncrowned for the most part and its just people enjoying themselves.
One of the greatest aspects of Montauk that I witnessed was all the picnicking that people do there. There were people all over the beaches with picnics of amazing food and wine, I loved it and it made me realize what an awesome place Montauk was. Laid back days at the beach with good food and wine!
If you haven’t been to Montauk, go, go, go, get outside the box today immediately before the summer passes you by! There is a little fishing wharf out there as well where you can eat all locally caught fish and clams and it’s truly a delightful place and only a few hours away from the city!! Bring your surfboard or rent one there…….
Here are a few of my best picnic recipes that are simple enough for us Montauk type folk but snazzy enough to impress even the Hampton crowds……..
Italian Antipasti Plate
Serves 10
Ingredients
2 red bell peppers, roasted & peeled
2 yellow bell peppers, roasted & peeled
2 medium red onions, quartered and roasted
9 cloves garlic, roasted
20 cherry tomatoes yellow and red, roasted lightly
2 cans artichoke hearts, halved
1 cup black brine cured olives
½ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
½ cup fresh basil leaves halved
¼ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon red chili fakes
1 tablespoon lemon zest
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Maldon salt
Crusty Italian Bread
Directions
Arrange all the vegetables on a platter, top with olives. In a small bowl whisk together herbs, lemon juice and zest, chili flakes, and olive oil. Drizzle a top the antipasto and season with salt! Serve over crusty bread.
Herbal Lemony Iced Tea (Italian Style With Prosecco)
Makes 1 pitcher
Ingredients
1 cup basil leaves
1 cup parsley leaves
1 cup sugar
2 cup water
½ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 lemon sliced in rings
1 bottle prosecco
Directions
In a medium sauce pan add basil, parsley, sugar and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 8 minutes. Turn off heat cool and blend, strain. Add the lemon zest and juice and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Mix with a bottle or two of prosecco.
Empellon means to push and there is no argument that to travel to beyond the limits of extraordinary one must push. Alex Stupak is an amazing example of the idea that beyond the limits of extraordinary is a very unconventional almost surprising and most often alarming to others type of place. That is why when Alex decide to leave his prestigious and high accomplishment job at WD-50 many people were floored, especially the “critics”. I stumbled upon Alex as I stumbled upon much of my valuable information today, a facebook post by a fellow friend, noting an article written by a “food critic” and a response that Alex wrote on his own blog in somewhat of an answer to that critic and others like him. It’s interesting as I believe that in the ordinary lies the critics and in the extraordinary lies those who want to journey beyond ordinary or regular. I think in this case the difficult part was that the work that Alex was doing at WD-50 and the work in general that has come from that place and the talent pool associated with it, is indeed already extraordinary and certainly no question beyond the limits of ordinary. But the reality is for those who are always venturing beyond that point of ordinary, there is no point of sinking into comfortability, or ordinary really. Ordinary is a complacent nature of sorts and regardless if you are creating innovative desserts that few others could every create, the work for him became ordinary and non challenging to what was inside him. So he decided to leave which that on its own was enough to make the critics cringe, but what he decided to do was the problem for most of the food critics which for me was hard to understand.. He opened his own upscale modern Mexican restaurant, Empellon. The critics were not so good to him, basically saying that he took not one but a few steps down. I was amazed to see such response at first glance but then it dawned on me that the critics who are again typically the ordinary, would not begin to understand, nor do they truly understand the food world to begin with or extraordinary talent. Without those willing to push the limits and travel to what suited their souls and passions food would be bland and boring, some take many steps beyond the limits of ordinary and then stop, at point some become complacent and move back to ordinary, that is okay, but there will always be those traveling farther beyond the limits of ordinary. I believe Alex is one I look forward to watching him prove that Mexican food is as unique and special as any cuisine out there and as someone who has spent a great deal of time in Mexico, the critics could learn a lot from what they may call “ordinary” people cooking food. The extraordinary remember are not solely those we give awards to and recognition, some never get any recognition and all extraordinary people don’t need any!
Kudos to Alex for being a reminder of just when you though there was nowhere farther to reach, that the quest beyond the ordinary there in is just beginning of the quest!
Let’s face it, it’s still a man’s world and despite the amazing advances women have made and the progress that continues we have constant reminders in all levels of life and professional sectors about the injustices and the inequality. I grew up with all men and thus had a very male centric way of looking at things my entire life. I like to describe my man centric ways through the analogy of my dog Sadie who lifts her leg when she pees despite her womanhood! But the reality is that during her puppyhood, I had a very macho male dog, Buddy, and with all her time with him she just started to lift her leg, and to this day she still does. So I like to think that many of my male centric ways are just a derivative of living among men for so many years! As I have aged, I have seen my femininity come out more and more and I have begun in the last several years to crave more feminine centric ways of living. When I found the NYWCA, I didn’t know really what to expect. I had been in business for some time and was used to most companies being run by men, where most of the women were simply the “workers” (the hard workers no less!). What I found from the start was that this was a group of women who were running companies, creative companies, moving through with ideas and succeeding in their professions. Their ability to help guide the younger generations was unbelievable to me. Free advice with a heartfelt truly caring approach? Hell yeah. It was the first time I felt I belonged to a woman’s club and loved it. I’ve been filled with power through the compassion and kindness and skill sharing as well as an amazing amount of creativity present through the alliance. This club and the connections and friends that I have made through it have been immeasurably beneficial on my quest for filling my life with sustenance!
The New York Women’s Culinary Alliance fosters networking, education and cooperation for women in the culinary and beverage fields in the NYC area.
The Alliance provides members with continuing educational opportunities by sponsoring ongoing food and wine tastings, hands-on workshops, field trips and business-related seminars. Our goals also include the preservation and sharing of culinary information through member-generated programs.
The Alliance assumes a dynamic role in community affairs, particularly through outreach programs and fund-raising for women’s health and nutrition issues. Additionally, we work with adults and children in need to teach them the basics of nutrition, food buying and healthful meal preparation
25 Layfayatte Avenue (Ashland Place)
Fort Greene, Brooklyn
718-222-5800 www.berlynrestaurant.com
Look no further when indulging your inner German than at Fort Greene hotspot Berlyn. Under its change of ownership a few months back, the restaurant went through a rebirth project bringing it deeper into the realm of authentic, regional German cuisine with a distinctly Brooklyn touch transforming the dishes into higher quality, more visually appealing versions of themselves.
Applewood
501 11th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-768-2044
www.applewoodny.com
Leaders in sustainability and fine dining, Applewood is among a select few in the NYC area that practices what they preach to absolute perfection and detail. Many restaurants these days preach sustainable, organic, local, and all of that, but very few make the effort to make sure their entire offering is indeed just that. Applewood is no longer a well kept secret weapon in the restaurant scene in New York. For those of us who are in Brooklyn, and specifically the Park Slope area, we just simply cannot believe that one of the city’s finest food and eating establishments is right in our own backyard! Applewood’s passion for food and sustainable agriculture combined with making intimate connections with the food they use and serve both through their relationships to the growers and the purveyors is a rarity in the world today. While many restaurants advertise the use of local, organic, and sustainable ingredients “whenever possible,” Applewood makes that possibility a daily reality, and they do it with ease and eagerness. Their support of local farmers year round, their exclusive use of hormone and antibiotic free meats and poultry, and their use of only wild fish are all commendable in a world where talk is cheap. The farmers are credited at monthly farmers dinners where the public can come meet and learn about them as well as enjoy an excellent dining experience. Everything on the menu is explained and questions about where and how food is grown seem to get quick and detailed responses from the staff.
Their wear a seasonal style, focusing on simplicity and respect for the inherent flavors of the wholly natural, organic, local, and sustainable products they use.
We are fans, not only for their amazing ability to impress us every time with delicious taste and flavor, but also for their usage and incorporation of fresh herbs in almost everything they do. It is truly a rarity in the restaurant world today. Their unique use of herbs as an everyday ingredient impresses us totally. When you walk in, you first see little vases with fresh herb sprigs on every table. Then, you open the drink menu to find drinks like the tomato basil martini, or the tarragon Tom Collins. The appetizers can include things like heirloom tomato salad with English peas and purple basil syrup, and the entrees include grilled cobi, golden zucchini, and fennel with honey herb broth. Their decadent desserts are filled with herb concoctions like fresh mint ice cream sandwiches.
Applewood is a truly delightful experience that should not be missed whether you are a local or just visiting the New York area. There is so much in Brooklyn that is to not to be missed, but Applewood truly tops the top of the list!!
