What Else is On your table?

The holiday eat fest is coming to a close. I will now spend the next couple of weeks doing double time at the gym in an effort to make my jeans feel comfortable again, but it was all worth it. Every last piece of chocolate and forkful of stuffing was celebrated at a level of indulgence that is only permissible during the holiday season.

Completely food drunk I’ve been wondering what everyone else is eating. What’s got you loosening your belt besides the turkey, mashed potato, stuffing standards? There’s nothing like the holidays to resurrect family traditions, so what’s your family got that every other family should be jealous of?

In my family it’s macaroni and cheese. Every black family in America has their own recipe be in soupy, creamy, with bread crumbs or not, but my Mom’s baked macaroni made with a rue style cheese sauce, cheddar cubes distributed throughout, and a nice sprinkle of cheddar over the top is the epitome of eating good and simple. Now that I’ve shared mine I’m curious to hear about yours.

Arabic Coffee

I don’t drink coffee. Scream, squeal, and sneer all you want, but I’m not changing my mind. I’m a jittery anxiety ridden spaz as it is and I’m not looking to add any extra fuel to the fire, but there are two exceptions that warrant the occasional dabble.

Coffee, in an Italian coffee shop, in Italy, made with an Italian attention to ritual is something I can never turn down. More than the taste it’s the ritual itself that has me risking extra caffeinated super overdrive. I like the tiny ceramic cups with matching wee saucers and spoons just longer than a pinky finger and real honest to God whole milk. If that’s not a religion to be worshipped, I don’t know what is.

Arabic coffee is my other exception. Now like foul, Arabic coffee means something different depending on who you’re talking to. The only place I’ve had it is at the Kharouba* household in Yonkers, NY. So to me Arabic coffee is a thick, rich brew, seasoned with that licorice-like flavor of ground cardamom and sweetened with sugar. It’s served at the kitchen table, to whomever is in earshot which could mean all seven of the Kharouba children depending on the day. I only have one brother myself, but I love big families. Arabic coffee is a treat for me because I like to pretend I understand Arabic and I like Mrs. Kharouba’s jokes. I like people talking over each other and I like the idea of coming together for bits of time even if there only a few sips long.

*Who are the Kharoubas? Sabrina Kharouba is one of my roommates from Rome. Visiting her family gives me a break from hectic NYC. Both of her parents are Palestinian so when I go, I get to eat homemade Arab food and learn a bit about the culture.

Pizza Do’s and Pizza Dont’s

Over Thanksgiving break I did a little underground border crossing to visit my old roommates from Rome, John and Abby.

In tribute to all or good times cooking together in Italia, we decided to bake up a couple of pizzas. Toppings were cut, wine was drunk and we were ready to go.

Abby started with a very ambitious white pizza with potato and zucchini. Fabulous idea, but tough to execute. The end result was as hard as a Michelangelo fresco and the toppings were all shrunk and shriveled. What we learned: When making white pizza, create craters in the crust with your finger tips and drown it in a shameful amount of olive oil. Pre-bake a bit and then add toppings.

I played it safe and made a half margherita/ half zucchini with red peppers and Abby’s homemade pizza sauce. Out of the oven my pizza had a nice presentation and anything topped with fresh mozzarella is gonna taste alright, but the crust on mine was a tooth chipping brick. What we learned: Don’t stretch your dough too thin and give it a chance to rise a bit before adding toppings.

And then in saunters John. He had spent his time in front of the television, watching a football game and playing with their baby daughter, Cora. He picked up where Abby left off on a puffed piece dough, then went completely traditional with a ton of sauce ( I was convinced that was a mistake), mushrooms and prosciutto. I’m telling you he did this all nonchalant and wouldn’t you know his pizza came out best. What he got right: work the sauce, don’t hesitate with the cheese, give the dough a rest and chillax.

Not Just Anybody’s Foul

“Everyone has their own way of making it,” says Dina. I have yet again barged my way into another friend’s kitchen intent on discovering new cooking techniques . Today we are making foul, a middle eastern dish pronounced like fool made with fava beans. This is not my first experience with foul and I’m starting to get the impression that it’s one of those recipe names with an identity crisis. At my friend Sabrina’s, whose family is from Palestine, it was more like a bean salad with tomatoes and onions. We ate it for breakfast at her house; I love breakfast at Sabrina’s. A few months ago, considering myself very worldly, I ordered foul with my hummus at a restaurant in the Arabic section of Jerusalem. Instead of a bean salad, I got a dark bean paste swirled into my hummus and there was no sign of tomatoes. Now here I am with Dina and a foul that looks like Sabrina’s salad, but is cooked like the one in Jerusalem. And did I forget to mention that Dina’s has hard boiled eggs? So like she said, everyone has their own way of making it, but there must be something in the name because I’ve enjoyed it every time.

Ah, foul means fava bean in Arabic; makes sense.

Dina’s Family Recipe

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion (diced)
3 plum tomatoes (diced)
2 cans fava beans
1 teaspoon Berbere (optional)
2 teaspoons cumin
Salt/Pepper
3 hard boiled eggs (diced)

In a medium frying pan sauté onions in olive oil until wilted. Add tomatoes, reserving about 1/3 for garnish, and cook down until tomatoes begin to disintegrate, about 8 minutes. Add entire can of beans, including juice. Add spices, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer about 10 minutes or until beans are soft. Once beans are soft use the back of a spoon to smash them a bit but not completely. The result should be a smooth base with lot of chunks for texture. Add hardboiled eggs, reserving some for garnish. Pour finished product into a bowl and garnish with tomatoes, eggs and olive oil. Serve with warm pita bread.

Dinner with the Girls: Joe’s Shanghai

I’m sensing the beginning of a tradition or a routine or something. For the second month in a row, I’ve gone out to dinner with the girls and by girls I mean EJ, Catherine and Hwanhee. We are all interconnected by the two degrees of separation that is the New York fashion industry and our love for dining out. Last week Hwanhee, the most entertaining of the group, described me as being in an Asian sandwich and it’s true I guess. But Catherine, the understanding mother, pointed out that I didn’t mind and she was right. But I gotta say we do have an interesting assembly of characters.

Known for they're soup dumplings, Joe's was completely packed for a Monday night. The place is full of large communal tables with a lazy Susan spinners in the middle so you have no idea who you might sit next to.

While quiet yet opinionated EJ, didn't like the dumplings filled with pork and oozing with juice. Hwanhee, Catherine and I couldn't get enough.

On this night I actually ate a dish that required me to pry clams soaked in a black bean sauce from their shells and I liked it. I was so caught up in this seafood miracle that I forgot to take a photo. All the food at Joe's was really fresh and well made, which is a great compliment from me considering I have nearly sworn off all New York Chinese food. I guess you gotta know where to go. That's one of the reasons I like going out with these girls, they sort of pry me out of my little culinary shell. EJ practically forced those clams down my throat, but I should thank her for it.

Some of you may notice that I haven't exactly pointed out who everyone is, but I'm sure you'll figure it as read of our monthly dining extravaganzas if you haven't already.