WHAT'S COOKING IN STATEN ISLAND

When it comes to New York City, Manhattan is the center. It's only one of five boroughs. The other boroughs are Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island and referred to as "the outer boroughs". Staten Island a bridge or ferry ride away is what I would call, "The Outer-outer Borough".

I decided to do some local press trips on this forgotten island and came across an Italian Cultural Foundation, Casa Belvedere (house with a beautiful view), a NYC historic landmark. The view is of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and the NYC Harbor.

Although they offer much on Italian heritage, I was checking out the Italian Culinary Classes. Carole Gervasi is the owner of a company called Delish Dishes as well as the instructor for these cooking classes.

I decided to take a few with Sauces as the first. I was joined by five other women, four of which were from Staten Island and one from Queens. As we began the lesson, each of us was given a task. Mine was to chop shallots. One person was chopping onions. Another was separating eggs. Chopping olives had a bit more of a task as many were not pitted. Then there was "squeezing the canned tomatoes" and another chopping the pancetta...and, needless to say...chopping up the garlic.

The Classic Carbonara Sauce contained: pancetta, eggs, grated Parmigian-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano; fresh cracked pepper, shallots and sea salt. Puttanesca Sauce: extra virgin olive oil; chopped onions; fresh garlic; crushed tomatoes, pitted olives; sea salt, wine; and grated Parmesan.

Ragu Sauce (not to be confused with a jar of the brand name): canned whole peeled tomatoes; extra virgin olive oil; onion; salt/pepper; meat (in this case, brasciole). Lastly was an Alfredo Sauce (heart attack over pasta): pint of heavy cream; a stick of butter; cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and some freshly cracked black pepper.

Sauces being cooked it was time to make the pastas (versus dipping bread or just eating spoonfuls).

As we sipped our wine in the kitchen taking in the lesson and participating, Yvonne McGrath, Theresa Dombrowski, Diana Cerullo, Paula Cenci, Pat Schwimer and I chatted about cooking, Italian heritage, Polish heritage, and family. We each got a great apron as part of the deal, which helped in not only preparation but when we sat down to indulge in the outcome.

We also met Franceso Fadda, Director of Development for Casa Belvedere. Expansion is going on to include a new kitchen. Carole is pleased and an excellent instructor.

While the other ladies were getting a tour of the mansion (not good at climbing stairs any more) I walked about the rooms on the first floor and took photos.

I'm going back next week to take a class on Easter. I don't celebrate it. I just want to learn how to make Pizza Rustica, Manicotti and Spaghetti Pie. Stayed tuned.

COFFEE KOSHER FOR PASSOVER?

That’s right. Douglaston’s Fairway Market…on March 27 and 28, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fairway’s Master Roasters Benny Lanfranco and Richard Pascale will be roasting coffee beans while supervised by Rabbi Marmostein and KOF-K to make them Kosher for Passover. It starts with the roaster being totally cleaned out to make sure that there are no “contamination” beans that are not KFP.

The rabbi will be bringing the beans shipped from one Columbian coffee plantation and not to be mixed with any other beans. Keep in mind that coffee beans are already considered as kosher. A blessing will be made on the beans and they will be placed in separate bags.

Oh yeah...the other Fairway Markets will be doing the same. Check it all out on www.fairwaymarket.com

JANIS IAN IS ON TOUR!

Janis Ian, folk-rock singer who wrote her second song at the age of 13. It was controversial and a major hit, “Society’s Child” about an interracial romance forbidden by a girl's mother and frowned upon by her teachers and peers as well. In the song the girl ultimately decides to end the relationship, claiming the societal norms of the day have left her no other choice. It was the era of her friends such as Janis Joplin and Jimmy Hendrix.

In 1975 Janis won the 1975 Grammy Award for the Best Pop Vocal Performance for her hit “At Seventeen”. “To those of us who knew the pain of valentines that never came, and those whose names were never called when choosing sides for basketball. It was long ago and far away. The world was younger than today when dreams were all they gave for free to ugly duckling girls like me.” The song is just as prevalent today.

Back then the government was watching her and her family and not for anything they really did…which made for another hit called, “God and the FBI”. “Mama's making mimeos. Pete's on the stereo singing 'bout freedom, bugs in the bedroom Big investigation - danger to the nation Search and seizure, better buy a lawyer ‘We know you're a member’ ‘Saw you under cover’. ‘Are you hiding evidence?’ None of this makes any sense.”

The music industry doesn’t love her. Why? You can go to her website and download free music and lyrics. She thinks it makes for better sales. So do I.

Fans of the soap opera General Hospital may remember hearing the song, “When Angels Cry”. “Wait. Your tired arms must rest. Let this moment pass. Wait until the morning. Close your eyes and you will see who you used to be left without a warning. Who knew one so big could grow so small? Lighter than the writing on the wall.
When angels cry, can I stand by? When stones weep, can my heart sleep? Wish I'd never heard, wish I'd never heard Wish I'd never heard the power of a four letter word.” I’m sure that the four letter word is “love”.

Listening to her CD, “Best of Janis Ian” I realize that the music is not “old”, it’s not folk music like “Peter, Paul and Mary” and there’s a bit of jazz mixed in. Janis will be performing at Queens Theatre in the Park (as I am still calling it) on Saturday, April 21 for two shows.

CRAVING MORE CHEESE

After my exploration of the variety of cheeses at Fairway Market it may have been a coincidence receiving an email from a company named Sugar Brook. Cheese Spreads was the topic with cheese coming from Wisconsin. I was kinda wondering about domestic cheeses. Although I know that there are farms all over this country I wasn't sure of which companies were into cheese production aside from Cabot Creamery.

There are dairy farms with farmstead cheese, where the cheese is actually prepared on the premises. Artisanal cheese is cheese that has been hand-crafted in small batches according to time-honored techniques, recipes, and traditions.

Sugar Brook's thing is to purchase various Wisconsin cheese and create spreads, cheese balls and cheese logs. Kelly Logseth is behind the recipes as well as her brand known asKelly's Kitchen.

The spreads that I sampled with the Sugar Brook brand were: CheddaBlu, CheddaDew, and CheddarBrew. CheddaBlu spread is a combo of Cheddar and Bleu Cheese which was perfect on crackers as well as in a roast beef sandwich. Excellent little kick from the Blue. CheddaDew. There is this sweet piquante fruit called Pepperdew that is just a bit spicy. Mixed a bit in an omelet and used to top a hamburger. CheddaBrew, as you may guess is cheddar with a stout beer. I do get that hint of beer. Great on a soft pretzel.

Kelly's Kitchen posed a problem with putting the spreads on anything. For instance there is the Traditional Tapenade with Odyssey Feta and the Mediterranean Tapenade with Goat Cheese (which has some peppadew in it). I used them both as sides with chicken, steaks and salmon.

Garlic and Herb Gourmet Spread was not the usual. I could taste and feel the consistency of the cheese. Tasted it on a cracker and used it to top a steak.

Two dessert cheeses made there way here. One was a Cranberry Almond Dessert Spread and the other was a Chocolate Cheese Fudge. Just give me the spoon and didn't need a lot to fulfill my sweet after meal crave.

A second company called Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese produces soft cheeses. Fresh mozzarella balls in a marinade. Not only was the mozzarella tasty but the marinade made it to a few salads and a pasta dish.

Their Farmer's Rope is a string cheese type using some part skim milk mozzarella. Great for a snack. I'm going to try it on pizza, making the crust from flour and beer as well as preparing my own tomato based sauce.

Then there is the mascarpone made from sweet cream. I baked a few cookies using flour, butter, sugar and almond extract. While they were cooling a combined Kelly's Chocolate Fudge with some mascarpone and used it to top the cookies. OMG!!!

Lastly is their European style cheese called Les Freres, an American original cheese with a robust, earthy flavor that is washed, which means the the rind is in a brine and edible. It's a soft spreadable cheese that is perfect with fruit.

FAIRWAY MARKET AIDS US TORNADOS

FAIRWAY MARKET AND ITS CUSTOMERS COME TO THE AID OF TORNADO SURVIVORS IN MIDWEST THROUGH PROGRAM STARTING TOMORROW, FRIDAY, MARCH 9

In the aftermath of the tragic 9/11 attacks 10 years ago, countless thousands of people from around the country came to the aid of New Yorkers and others in the metropolitan region impacted by the horrific attacks on the World Trade Center.
Now New York’s iconic Fairway Market and its customers are responding in kind. Starting this Friday, March 9 and going through Sunday, March 17, all nine Fairway Market stores in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut will offer customers the opportunity to make a cash donation at the check-out registers of $1, $3, or $5, or a case of water to aid families profoundly affected by the devastating tornados in the Midwest and South last week. The money, which will be matched by Fairway up to $25,000, will be used to send a truckload of water, canned goods, and other non-perishables items to distribution centers in Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, Nebraska and Missouri.

“We take great pride in the fact that social responsibility is in our very DNA as a company,” said Charles Santoro, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Sterling Investment Partners and Chairman of Fairway. “And our customers have the same generosity of spirit. So, this is a natural initiative for Fairway. We’re honored to help bring hope to the people in small communities across the Midwest and parts of the South who are in such great need at this time.”

Fairway has locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut. For more information, go to www.fairwaymarket.com

TALKING TURKEY

It's not that Thanksgiving bird but the country and it's cuisine. I was in the Sheepshead Bay, Emmons Avenue area of Brooklyn to attend a concert at Kingsborough Community College, specifically Billy Stritch.

Deveka, Ernie and I thought we'd do lunch. Not having gone to many Turkish restaurants I chose Istanbul. Saw an "A" on the outside and appeared pretty nice on the inside. Istanbul is a father and son operation. Riza Atas and the main chef and son Hicri. Hearing that all of the food is prepared on the premises I wanted to do a sampling.

A bottle of Turkish red wine to start from a company called Yakut. The label read "Kavaklidere".

On to the menu. Appetizers. Balik Corbasi - Fish Soup had fresh salmon mixed with vegetables and dill that kind of reminded me of chicken soup with salmon instead of chicken. Havyar Tarama - Caviar Tarama of codfish caviar roe whipped with lemon and olive oil. For a hot appetizer I ordered Hamsi Tava - Fried Anchovies. This is not an "out of the can" ilk. Fresh anchovies and not salty or "fishy" tasting. Then there was the Midye Tava, Fried Mussels. The fresh mussels are taken out of the shell and delicately pan fried and served with a home made garlic sauce.

The Turks must love salad as we not only got a full one, but seemed to come with a few other courses. The particular full one was the Yesil Salad - Green Salad of romaine lettuce, arugula, cucumbers and tomatoes with lemon juice and olive oil.

Akdeniz Levregi, Imported Mediterranean Sea Bass was served whole. Our wonder waiter asked if we wanted it deboned and it was done. Different salad from the Green. Great mild tasting white fish...meaty, too.

Meat course. Karisik Izgara or Mixed Grill. Perfect opportunity to taste their chicken kebab, shish kebab, meat ball (made with Turkish herbs), lamb chop and I think there were some slices of gyro. Most of it was not spicy for my taste. Deveka and Ernie are lovers of hot spices and garlic.

There was a table of desserts none of which looked familiar, other than cheesecake. I went for Kunefe, a traditional Turkish dessert made with shredded filo dough and sweet cheese served hot with a honey syrup.

Another traditional was the Sweet Pumpkin. The pumpkin is marinated with sugar and baked. The sugar syrup from the pumpkin is poured over it and whipped cream topped with walnuts is the accompaniment.

Had to have something chocolate. Chocolate Biscuit Cake was tea biscuits layered in between with chocolate pudding and walnuts atop.

Between courses I checked out the decor and found some interesting looking pieces of art, crafts and Istanbul history.

Riza tells me that they close off the street on these few blocks when the Turkish dignitary arrives. I think he loves the food as much as we did.

MINNEAPOLIS MEMORIES

My trip to the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis seemed to bring back memories of dining and theatre. I had spent much of the time in St. Paul, Stillwater and Mall of America.

I was supposed to have dinner in St. Paul but the venue slated was closed for a private party. Headed to Minneapolis and dined at JD Hoyt's at 310 Washington Avenue North. The restaurant looked lively and you can see the kitchen. Known for their grilled steaks. I started my meal with appetizer of Lobster Taco of two soft shell tacos filled with lobster meat, chopped spinach and pepper cheese. Only a bit spicy but soooo good. Steak it was! I ordered a New York Strip cooked just as I requested and with no salt. I could truly taste the flavor of the steak. Sebastian Joe's Ice Cream seemed to be a specialty of the area so I had to order a dish.

Off to the Lab Theatre to see "Rocky Horror Live". The theatre, located at 700 North 1st, is in the Warehouse District a few blocks from where I was staying. Great performance...excellent acting, except that I didn't care for the guy portraying Dr. Frank n Furter. The locals got a kick because he's a local personality.

Mill City Museum wasn't far from the hotel. Minneapolis tourism assisted by sending Bett Santrang. Built into the ruins of what was once the world’s largest flour mill, Mill City Museum is located on the historic Mississippi Riverfront. "Here, visitors of all ages learn about the intertwined histories of the flour industry, the river, and the city of Minneapolis" and I did. The original A Mill, built in 1874, was leveled by a flour dust explosion that claimed 18 lives. That explosion and the resulting fire destroyed much of the riverfront business area, cutting Minneapolis’ milling capacity in half. Rebuilding and Minneapolis Historic Society is why it is here.

As for the Riverfront....Minneapolis has more bridges across the Mississippi River than any other community, including suspension, stone arch, steel truss, and concrete-arch bridges. It's also the site of the first bridge across the Mississippi.
On January 23, 1855 a suspension bridge opened in Minneapolis from Nicollet Island to what is now the downtown side of the Mississippi at Hennepin Avenue. Combined with an 1853 bridge from Nicollet Island to the other side of the river, this suspension bridge completed the very first permanent span anywhere along the Mississippi River. It's a great tour with loads to see and interestingly historic.



I spent much of the afternoon at the Mall of America...which I will do a separate blog about. Back to Minneapolis for dinner at Republic in a particular locale called 7 corners. New restaurant, pub style. Uses local ingredients! Separate bar area seemed quite busy! I had the best ribs ever! Marinated in 5 spices and other goodies. Sweet sauce rather than spicy or salty. Entree was a Butternut Squash Ravioli. Brown butter cream, crispy sage, toasted pine nuts. Totally delicious. Oh yeah...they had Kwak beer! I love that beer! Got a hanger steak salad and Turkey and Apple sandwich to go! Hey, they even make their own ketchup! Good luck to you, Rick Gunztel!!

Just down the block is Theatre in the Round, where I saw the play, "The Reluctant Debutant". I was not disappointed with the acting...a step above Community Theatre.