mizchef

posted by admin on Apr 8

Whoever invented the empanada should be given a metal. An empanada is one of the yummiest things on this green earth. And it can be filled with anything, so it can please vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

I’ve had the good fortune of discovering Mama’s Empanadas on Roosevelt Ave. in Jackson Heights, Queens. They boast 50 different types of empanadas—wheat and corn, savory and sweet. The prices range from $1 to $1.75 (except for the seafood-filled empanada, which goes for a wallet-breaking $2.50!). The have special deals, too. I’ve tried several and enjoyed them all. Take a ride over there, try some out, and tell me what you think.

Mama’s Empanadas
76-17 Roosevelt Ave.
Jackson Heightes, NY 11372
718-899-8529

http://originalmamasempanadas.com

posted by admin on Mar 22

Hey, folks! Came across Food Reference, a great site that lists events related to food and drink around the world, provides food-related quotes, and just fun info about food.

Coming up in the next few days, for example, is the 3rd international Fair of Food, Drinks, and Innovative Gastronomy in Croatia, in conjunction with the 16th annual Fair of Wine and Equipment for Viniculture, also in Zagreb? Or how about the Craft Brewers Conference and Expo in San Francisco? The National Barbecue Association is meeting in Greenville, SC this year. And the New Orleans Roadfood Festival is coming up this weekend.

Point is, there is ALWAYS something foodish going on. So check out Food Reference to see if anything’s in your neck of the woods.

posted by admin on Mar 16

Yes, I’m a day early. But why not? Some people get really into this holiday, so I thought I’d post something about it.

St. Patrick’s Day is over a thousand years old, but Americans tend to commemorate the day with lots of food and alcohol. The holiday honors the 5th-century Brit who brought Christianity to Ireland, so because of its religious overtones and solemn occasion, the only treat allowed then was bacon and cabbage, because Lenten prohibitions on meat were waived on this day. Food was so not really a part of the tradition of this holiday that up ’til the 1970s Irish pubs were closed on the day, by law.

But the holiday acquired its more celebratory tone in the US. Irish immigrants started expressing their patriotism in 1762 with parades and parties. Initially shunned by non-Irish (probably fueled by a bit of bigotry), the number of Americans with Irish roots created a 20th-century surge among Irish Americans.

Authentic Irish spreads would include soda bread and stew, and though a few first-generation immigrants clung to the bacon and cabbage thing (updated to include corned beef, which was cheaper and sold by their Jewish neighbors in New York’s Lower East Side), the foods of choice were almost universally green. The struggle to find safe food dyes is a whole other story.

So if you join in on St. Patrick’s Day — even if you’re not Irish — have fun!

H/T slashfoods

Some people really get into it, as you can see:

Chicago, St. Patrick’s Day

posted by admin on Sep 23

Hi, gang. Yep, I’m back with more lychee fun. This time, I made Tropical Fruit Salsa and a drink that I made up using the juice from a can of lychees. They were both fabulous!

Lychees have a sweet, melon-y, floral flavor and aroma. I waxed poetic on them in a previous post, so I won’t go on about them here. What I’ll do instead is just share the recipes with you. Without further ado, here they are. Enjoy!
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posted by admin on Sep 16

Hi, gang. Today, I’d like to talk about buns. Not the kind you sit on, but the kind you eat.

Chinese cuisine boasts a particular specialty that is a huge part of Chinese culture: Baozi, or buns.  Baozi, said to have been invented sometime in the 3rd century, come in a variety of styles. There are savory buns, filled with barbecued pork, beef, vegetables, and seafood, and there are sweet buns, filled with red bean paste, coconut, lotus seed paste, black sesame paste, and cream. Some buns are fried, some are steamed. There’s even a type of bun that is filled with soup—diners put a straw in the center and drink the soup, then eat the bun (if they choose).

I work in a very ethnically diverse neighborhood and one of the great things about being there is being able to go around trying the different eateries, most of which are mom-and-pop small joints. (I only wish I could do it more often, but I can’t afford to and neither can my waistline.)

Anyway, one part of this particular city is populated almost exclusively by Asian stores, restaurants, and businesses. On one of my walks, I passed by a Chinese bakery, Yi Mei Fung Bakery, which had shelves of buns in the window. I was intrigued. I stopped in. I looked. And, of course, I bought. I made a modest purchase of two buns for the whopping price of $1 each. One was a Coconut Milk Cream and the other was a Pineapple-Red Bean Paste.

The thing about Chinese sweets is that they’re not overly sweet. They are just sweet enough to satisfy that desire but “unsweet” enough to taste the flavors of the other ingredients.

The Coconut Milk Cream bun was almost cake-like with a custardy coconut center, and it was open at the top so that the yellow, creamy filling spilled out as it baked, turning the top a nice golden brown. The filling had nice coconutty flavor without that fake taste that coconut sweets often have.

The Pineapple-Red Bean Paste bun was a little more bread-like but with a sweet edge. The bean paste was smooth and thick and reminiscent of plums. The pineapple flavor was very faint, but it was probably what gave it that fruity flavor. (The red bean paste bun doesn’t look like the ones in these photos; rather, it looks more like a cheese danish.)

Yes, buns are beautiful things. They can be had as a snack any time or even, as the Chinese do, for breakfast or lunch. They are little packages of potent flavors, and best of all, you don’t need a fork or knife. Just pick it up and eat.

Okay, the Yi Mei Fung Bakery is part of a chain. That doesn’t mean what it sells sucks. I’m going to be making a trip back to Yi Mei Fung to try more of their buns. But I will be sure to share. After all, I’m supposed to be on a diet.

Yi Mei Fung Bakery
81-26 Broadway
Elmhurst, NY 11373

posted by admin on Aug 27

Hi, gang. This week, I tried something new.: Cassava bread. I’d never seen it before and I was very curious. I had to buy it. (Does that surprise you?)

Mind you, I’ve seen–and even made–bread made out of cassava, but not what is known on the market as “cassava bread.” This particular product is dry, flat, and cracker-like. It’s quite plain and is meant to be eaten as an accompaniment to meats and stews. I asked my Dominican friend at work about that because the package says that it’s imported from the Dominican Republic. (What’s funny is that the store where I bought it had it stacked on a shelf in the produce aisle. Um, sure. You know, plantains, potatoes, and cassava bread all go together, right?)

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posted by admin on Jul 10

Hi, gang. First, I want to remind anyone in the Staten Island area that I’ll be doing a cooking demonstration on Saturday, July 17, in front of Bent Pages bookstore, at 391 Van Duzer St. July is Van Duzer Days, a month’s worth of weekend street fairs! Woohoo! Anyway, I’ll be there around 2:00, cooking up some yummies. Come taste some samples, and, if you feel like it, you can pick up a copy of my book, What, No Meat?

Now, here’s the main show: Mamey.

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posted by admin on Apr 2

Hi, all. Well, this is a holy week for a lot of people, so I’d like to wish those of you who celebrate, a Happy Easter and (a belated) Happy Passover. Both of these holidays are based on religious beliefs, but they are celebrated in grand culinary style.

My family celebrates Easter and I always remember that day as being filled with the sights and smells of incredible food. Two of the traditional Easter main dishes for Italian families are lamb and goat. (I could never bring myself to eat either, but I’ve been told that goat has a milder flavor and aroma than lamb.) Along with that, we would have an array of antipasti (appetizers), pasta (of course), and side dishes.

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posted by admin on Jan 30

Hi, all. I hope everyone’s sage and warm in the latest wave of winter wonderland-ness that’s hitting various parts of the country and the world. All I have to say is, “BRRRRRR.” This is the kind of weather that sends people running to comfort food, stuff that’s warming and that reminds us of our childhoods. Of course, comfort food means something different to everyone.

Which brings me to my topic for this week: February is National Snack Food Month! Now, snack food is not necessarily comfort food, but for some, it is. And it’s particularly appropriate that I’m writing about snack food today because I’m craving it for an entirely different reason, and it is a source of comfort for me during those times. I think you know what I mean. Moving on…

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