Ferrara

If you are ever in New York, you need to go to Ferrara.  It should be your first stop.

And you should go in.  Try not to confuse the take-out line with the seating line.  Get a table. Look at all the wonderful, amazing treats displayed. 

And then order a tiramisu and a tiramisu martini.

And then try, just try to stop the unresistible moan as you taste a little bit of heaven on earth.

And this is no exaggeration.  It's that good.

Ferrara Bakery & Cafe

195 Grand Street (b/t Mulberry and Mott)

New York, Ny 10013 

Risotto 101

I've always wanted to make a homemade risotto.  Well, maybe not always, but recently.  I found a really easy, straight forward recipe by Giada.

Oh my goodness was it good!  It was creamy and buttery and delicious!

But something to note about risotto...it takes time and patience and stirring. 

Lots of butter, too.  Not this much butter, but a lot.

And more stirring. You can't really leave the pot's side.  You should have a glass of wine handy.

Recipie from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis

What you"ll need:

4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

3 Tbls butter

3/4 cup finely chopped onion (from 1 onion)

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

How you do it:

In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer.  Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat.

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 Tbls of the butter of medium heat.  Add the onion and suate until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes.  Add the rice and stir to coat with butter.  Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes.  Add 1/2 cup of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.  Continue coking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining tablespoon of butter, and the salt and pepper.  Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

I added some chopped mushrooms and it was delicious!  

I added them a little bit after the onions.

Life's Many Distractions

I'm back...I think.  I've been distracted.  Distracted by moving across several states, from New York to Georgia. Distracted by Chickens.  Distracted by job searching.  Distracted by laziness. 

You want to meet my chickens, The Originals? 

This is Bob, formally known as Barbie (aka BBQ).

Bob here was supposed to be a hen.  But he started crowing and hens don't crow.

So Bob had to leave; he was sent to a farm with 8 other hens.  Bob is probably in rooster heaven.  And see the two golden chickens (Tori - Chicken Cacciatore, and Sally - Chicken Salad) in the background?  They were supposed to be hens too.  But guess what?  After Bob left, they started crowing.  And you know what happens to a crowing hen?

They get sent to a farm, where they can crow there little hearts out.  And believe me they do, and it's not just in the morning, it's all day long.  

See the black chicken in the middle?  That's Stewie (Chicken Stew).  The only chick with a boy name turned out to be the only hen, go figure.  Stewie is the only "Original" one left in our little flock.  We added two more chickens, The Crispys and went back for 4 more, The Extra Crispys.  I'll introduce them later.

Pasta Salad

Remember this post?

You can use the same dressing, substitute the capers for roasted red peppers and make an amazing pasta salad. Now this, I took to the picnic. And I didn't take home much leftovers.

What you'll need:

1 box bow tie pasta

1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley

1 medium red onion

3 slices roasted red pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup oil

1 cup apple vinegar 

How you do it:

Boil the pasta according to the directions on the box. Then run the noodles under cool water. Chop the onion, pepper and parsley and mix with the pasta. Mix vinegar, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl; after they are well mixed, add the oil and stir well. Pour the dressing over the pasta and onions. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Um, so this was so good and I was in such a hurry...that I didn't take a picture of the final product. Woops! It's above, under tinfoil, in the white bowl.

Potato Salad

I almost made this dish for my picnic, but I was too lazy to boil the potatoes. And it was already too hot in my kitchen.
But the great thing about potato salad is that you can make it the night before. It's actually better. The vinegar and oil have time to really soak into the potatoes and red onions.

It was so good, it's all I ate for lunch...

What you"ll need:

1 pound small potatoes

1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley

1 tablespoon capers

1 medium red onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup oil

1 cup apple vinegar

How you do it:

Boil the potatoes until soft, but not too soft. Drain them and run under cool water. Peel the potatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Chop the onion and parsley and mix with the potatoes. Mix vinegar, salt, pepper and capers together in a small bowl; after they are well mixed, add the oil and stir well. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and onions. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Bruchetta on Pizza

Did you make this chicken? If not, you should. And then you should put the leftovers on a pizza. It was truly amazing!

What you'll need:

Leftover Bruchetta Chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

Fresh Mozzarella

Fresh Bruchetta

Pizza Dough

2 Garlic cloves, minced

How you'll do it:

I used the Pillsbury pizza dough, so I followed the directions on the can. I placed it on an ungreased cookie sheet, added slices of fresh mozzarella and the garlic. I then cooked it, as the instructions said, for about 13 minutes. I then added the leftover bruchetta chicken and the fresh bruchetta and cooked it for another 5 minutes.

I then cut it and ate it.

A Picnic in the City

New York may lack green space, but we don't lack picnics. My roommates and I have had two in the last two weeks. The weather here has been pretty good during the weekends. The rain has finally stopped. At least, for the moment.

The thing about picnics, is that there is always something going on besides what's happening with your friends. There are people playing catch, frisbee, and all sorts of lawn games.

And in New York, we didn't experience ants. We got pigeons, lots and lots of pigeons.

And we had all sorts of food. It ranged from Jell-O shots, to pasta salad to different types of humus and red velvet cake. It was truly a New York experience.

And of course, there are the people. The people make the party.

But don't forget about the pigeons. They won't let you forget!
I'll be sharing some recipes from this picnic with you over the course of the week.
It'll be fun! I promise!