Wednesday, February 29, 2012

VEAL SHOULDER GOULASH

This recipe is based from Daniel Boulud's BRAISE cookbook.  If you like this recipe, you can buy the book in a click.

It's still Winter although it feels so much like Spring in NYC.  But before summer arrives in a few months, I wanted to make this dish.  This is Daniel Boulod's version of the Goulash:

INGREDIENTS:
2-1/2 lb boneless veal shoulder
2TB unsalted butter
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
5 oz slab bacon, roughly chopped
1/4 c paprika
1 onion, peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp dried marjoram
5 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and roughly chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and roughly chopped
1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes (about 2)
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Sour cream, for serving


Center a rack in the oven an preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Season the veal with salt and pepper.  Sear veal in a dutch oven or small pot with 2 TB of butter.  After 7 minutes, add the chopped bacon and continue browning the veal on all sides for 15 minutes.

Remove a place veal on a platter.  Lower the heat to medium-high and add the paprika, onion, garlic, caraway seeds, and marjoram and cook stirring, till the onion is transluscent about 7 minutes.  Add the peppers and continue for another 4 minutes.

Pour in the 2 cups of water and stir to incorporate the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.  Add the potatoes, bay leaves, and thyme.  Add the veal back.  When boiling, cover and place inside the oven at preheated 300 degrees F oven.


Braise for 2-1/2 hours.  Serve with sour cream on top or on the side.
This is a hearty meal.  Best eaten in the Winter.
If you want to eat at one of his restaurants, check out the site below.  He serves excellent food!
He also has a restaurant in Las Vegas, USA.
http://www.danielnyc.com/

Peruvian Restaurant - LA MAR CEBICHERIA

"Complex, compulsively delicious" is the description that has been posted for this modern Peruvian restaurant.  Opened just a few months ago in New York City, it has branches in Lima Peru, Mexico, San Francisco, Sao Paolo, Panama and Santiago.

My neighbor and I decided to try it for lunch after having heard so much about it.  We sat right next to the center of the open space on the second floor.  Until I had taken this photo, I did not realize, it could look like an eye:

From where I sat, I took a photo of the round open space hole with myriads of little balls of glass hanging from the ceiling suspended in air.  When I downloaded it, the image looks like an eye with a retina.  Doesn't it?
As a cebicheria, we had to try their version of the national dish of Peru - Ceviche or Cebiche.  It is made with fish and shellfish, briefly marinated in "leche de tigre"

The Cebiche on the left is made of shellfish and fish marinated in leche de tigre or leche de pantera.  It is a Peruvian citrus (lime) based marinade with onion, salt, pepper and spices.  This had some seaweed on top.

We had to try their Aji de Gallina Fritters:  empanada, tequeno and croqueta with mashed avocado, rocoto cream and olive sauce.  They serve 2 of each for $14.  Not bad when you get a chance to taste 3 different things for 2 people.

The empanada was creamy inside with meat.

Above:  La Mar: Hamachi served with Peruvian corn and scallions with creamy aji amarillo leche de tigre.
The white things on top of the sliced hamachi is the Peruvian corn kernel.  They are large.

I shouldn't forget that they have crispy plantains (instead of French fries) served with a mayonnaise based sauce.  It's quite good.

Special for the day as a  main course was this mixed seafood served with generous slices of fresh seared foie gras.  This is a big dish.  You can easily share this if you order all the appetizers we did.  The dish has a hint of Asian flavor.  I believe it has some soy sauce.
We're glad we ordered the dessert.  It's very special served with homemade gelato.  Worth every penny they asked.
If you like sushi, or cebiche, this is the place to go.  They also have meat dishes.  The restaurant mainly serves seafood.  We liked this restaurant.

Victoriano López - Executive Chef

Victoriano López, Gastón’s most trusted partner in the kitchen who has worked at his side for 17 years, serves as Executive Chef at La Mar NYC.

Chef Victoriano was born into a humble family in the Andes, and at age 18 he went to Lima to work for an uncle as a street vendor. Victoriano landed a job at Astrid&Gastón, where Gastón discovered and developed Victoriano´s talents in the kitchen, consequently he swiftly moved through the culinary ranks. Victoriano has held many positions in Gastón’s various restaurant kitchens, and has become his most trusted partner, overseeing the openings of new restaurants around the world. In addition to Gastón’s restaurants, Victoriano has trained in the kitchens of top restaurants around the world, including Cellar de Can Roca, Mugaritz, and Arzak, and his next project is to serve as the representative of Peruvian cuisine and culture at La Mar in New York.
A MUST TO TRY!

Friday, February 3, 2012

TEA & SYMPATHY

This is a wonderful "hole-in-the-wall" quaint and lovely restaurant in the West Village of New York City.  If you want anything British-in-NYC, this is the place to go.

I had just finished doing my real estate business tour and showing in the Village and was so hungry by 2:30.  Taking a short cut on Greenwich Avenue (it runs diagonal if you want to go from 8th Street to 13th Street), I decided to stop for lunch at Tea & Sympathy.  Nearby, is Salt & Battery, another British spot for fish and chips and mushy peas; however, there are only stools to sit in.  I was tired, so I opted for a real late lunch break.
From where I am sat,, which was next to the counter, I took this photo on a lovely day while waiting for my order.

Tea & Sympathy has a very English old world charm decorated with English country tea pots.  With the British accent servers, you stepped right in to England.

For lunch, who could resist their succulent cheesy Macaroni & Cheese!
Not in photo was my salad and a scone for dessert with cream and fruit jam.  Of course we are familiar with the dishes they serve.  But what's important is they prepare it the British traditional way in a flavorful manner.  To me, before all dishes spun off to global fusion, this is what I used to refer to as American food.

Craving for meat loaf, meat pies, chicken pies, and all those nostalgic old world food?  This is Britain in New York City.

http://www.teaandsympathynewyork.com/home.php
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/tea-and-sympathy/menu