Saveur's Must-Read List and Edible Manhattan

So, dear Annie in Wisconsin notified me today that Saveur Magazine included my blog in their list of newest - to them - great blogs to follow. I found myself in pretty amazing company and am once again awed by all the talent and content out there. A few that caught my eye are: Canal House Cooks Lunch, Three to One, and The Year in Food. I can't wait to learn more about each of the blogs listed (wouldn't hurt to have an eighth day each week...)! Thanks for including me, Saveur. :)

In other news Edible Manhattan's most recent issue, Eat Drink Local, includes my image of Spring ramps! Tribute gets paid to one of Union Square Market's finest, Rick Bishop, and his hard work foraging for ramps and other fleeting seasonal delights. Many of the top restaurants and chefs in the city source from Bishop - some even make time to accompany him as he scours terrain in the Catskills for these highly sought after wilds. For us lucky regular folks, he can be found at the market twice a week so we can bring the booty to our tables at home. 

Crock Pot Porchetta

When cooking is done right, there really isn't a more blissful experience than eating the fruits of that labor. My friend Kate had a party not too long ago for which she made all kinds of delectable food; one dish in particular had me returning for seconds and even thirds (perhaps a bit gluttonous, I agree). She described it as a slow-cooker version of porchetta.

Having visited the famous little nook that is Porchetta in the East Village just today, I can verify that the slow cooker version is exactly like the one I feasted on a few hours ago, but here, with the bones left in. When you experience for yourself just how juicy and flavorsome this tastes, I think you will agree every bit with my assertions. I welcome you to prove me wrong, in fact. You cannot mess this recipe up if you have a crock pot and sustainably sourced, good quality meat. And with the leftovers you will have, the gifts just keep on giving. ;)

I bought a bone-in (more flavor in the cooking with those bones left in) pork loin roast from Ottomanelli & Sons, one of the oldest family-run butchers here in New York. They have offered pastured and local prime meats for over 80 years. Go there. It is a wonderful experience and they are such sweet fellows (and will take great care of you!). After slathering it with the pureed herb-spice mixture (see recipe below), I simply popped the roast in my crock pot for a number of hours and tried to find distractions from being driven crazy by the intensely savory fragrance filling my home.

I had enough leftovers to last a few days (yippeeeee!). So, I made two types of sandwiches to see if either satisfied me more, and really, they both were outstanding. First, I pan fried thick slices of red onion in a cast iron skillet and sandwiched them with the pork between the heavenly signature semolina-golden raisin-fennel rolls from Amy's Bread. For the other, I toasted a seeded bun and slathered the buttery meat with the last of my homemade grain mustard, and served pickled watermelon rind to accompany the sandwich. Their crunchy texture and sour kick complemented the juicy meat quite nicely. If you find new variations for your delicious leftovers, I want to hear about it! So many options. So much flavor.

A Feast for Friends

It is actually looking like spring outside! What fortunate timing, as I've been starved for the season's flowers and the fragrance they bring. So with Easter as my excuse (should I ever need one) I bought numerous dainty and bright blooms and made preparations for a meal that would make use of things calling out to me from my refrigerator's stocks... food I think anyone would happily gobble. Made for ease and versatility - and of course supreme deliciousness - shared with friends. Enjoy. ;)

The fragrance from these jonquils permeated the living room!

                                                                                                                                 

 

 

 

As you can imagine, we had a great time. Nothing like catching up with dear people (it seems like far too long in-between each time one or another of us makes arrangements, but then again I guess that's New York). What even better time spent, making a festive occasion of it with flowers celebrating the season, and special-feeling, fantastic food.

Happy Easter & Happy Passover Wishes

Lately I have had quite a busy schedule, photographing for the Hamptons Magazine, Gotham, and BUST, and have been hard pressed to make time for my own work... a great problem to have!

I hope you are enjoying this special day with family or others dear to your heart. It was a beautiful day here today, and I spent it churning the creative juices...I'll be posting a new food story with delicious recipes very, very soon. Thanks for being so patient, and stay tuned. :)

Please Nominate My Blog!

Saveur is hosting their annual Best Food Blog Awards, and I need you lovely people to take a moment to vote here for my blog, for best food photography. You can view my blog's recipes (with oodles of yummy food photography) here, as well as peruse Licking the Plate in general for tasty visual treats. A big THANK YOU for your time and support!!!

 

Satisfying, Simple Eating

I am a big fan of throwing food together in a matter of moments. Sure, I love to go all out with pies, roasts, and other feats in the kitchen, but it is the simple creations that sometimes make time stop in its tracks with their small brilliance. This dish is exactly that. BIG on satisfying flavor, while - after the prepping of the artichokes - taking only a small effort to execute.

Artichokes are one of the esoteric vegetables, right up there with kohlrabi. That isn't to say that I don't enjoy it (because I adore it!), I just mean that I have to prepare with a capital "p" when I want to incorporate it into any dining plans. When I was a child, my mom would make steamed artichokes with an "aioli" for dipping. As part of the new wave of nutrition-minded mothers, she made our aioli out of yogurt, lemon juice, and a touch of store bought mayo. Not bad, actually. I remember relishing the ceremonial aspect of eating this strange & prickly vegetable: layer-after-layer, eating the flesh off the edge of each leaf, and all the discarded leaves piled in square metal saucers my mom would provide. Then came the dramatic finale of digging out the hairy choke so we could indulge in the tender heart. It was certainly eating with deliberateness.

In my recipe I have left the ceremony to the enjoyment of many elements together, like you with your beloveds and some good red wine. I've used baby artichokes (with some modification, you can use regular ones), and after trimming some of the tougher exterior parts and then braising them, you can eat the whole thing....yum!

 

If you like artichokes in any way - from your mother's cooking or recipes of your own - then make this! You will love it. And when all you have left is the braising liquid, use it as a sauce over pasta or add it to your favorite marinara or stew. Every element contributes new bounty - now dig in. :)

Sweets & Spring

A week ago I attended a fun and funky little gathering in Greenpoint, Brooklyn penned as a welcome fest for spring, called the Sweets Swap. Boy, was it ever. :)

Jen and Sarah, the hostesses, encouraged everyone to wear their most divine spring brights while munching on the sugary treats that each participant created, to complement the sentiments of joy and frolicking. Rather than contribute something edible, Jen suggested I bring my camera to show everyone just how much fun a sweet swap can be. Between sips of homemade fresh fruit punch and impromptu games she periodically announced (blindfolded stick-the-candle-in-the-cupcake, anyone?), the space was filled with mounting laughter and the banter of interesting characters.

Not to end anticlimactically, there was even a pinata to whack! Sadly, I had to leave as they strung it up, in the rich sun of the waning day - it was that rich kind of sun that you actually feel warmed by (could it really be spring??).

I can attest, it was a sweetly unique way to spend a Sunday. Thanks again, Jen!

"Funfetti" cookies

My favorites - and they were vegan! chocolate chips + chopped nuts

This Dr. Seuss-looking dessert was tasty: meringue, blueberry mousse, and lemon zest!

Pretty Lisa, editor at BUST, decked in flowers and dots

Erin, at left, creates beautiful illustrations. She made sweet-inspired cards for everyone to take home!

Sweet bunny, lighting the way