Our Indoor Herb Garden

I was initially resistant to the idea of planting herbs indoors. There was the fear of the cat eating the herbs and getting sick, and also the fear of a roach invasion. In college, my houseplant wilted and sank into its pot, probably due to insufficient water and sunlight. But my husband, who does most of the watering anyway, was set on having a few herbs to turn to when the store was too far or the basil too expensive. He took a pot we had kept full of little flowers on our fire escape until the flowers died with the New York autumn weather. In it, he planted some basil, rosemary, and chives. Now we water every day, or whenever the basil starts to wilt. While the rosemary has only been used for rosemary roasted potatos and for a baked pasta, the basil has been used constantly, for every tomato based pasta sauce and occasionally for bruschetta or pizza. Unfortunately, the cat thought the chives were cat grass, and they are a flattened bunch of dry stalks. On the brighter side, she hasn't gotten sick.

More Fish Tacos

Since I love tacos and fish, here's another fish taco recipe. The last recipe was inspired by some tacos I had while on vacation in Maui. This recipe is inspired by the meat tacos I've had in Rosarito, Mx. I have substituted mahi-mahi for meat.

Ingredients
Corn Tortillas, 6
Frozen Mahi mahi, two fist-sized pieces, defrosted
Small Bunch of Cilantro
Tomato, ripe if possible
Small Onion
1 lime
Plenty of salt

Optional but highly suggested
Guacamole (simplest: 1 mashed avocado + juice of 1 lime + salt to taste)
Salsa--homemade or store bought, I like the Green Mountain brand

Chop the following: the tomato, the onion, and the cilantro. Arrange these items separately around a plate. Lightly salt the pile of tomato. Cut the lime lengthwise into 6 wedges and add to the place of condiments. Salt the mahi-mahi and cook in a lightly oiled pan (olive oil preferable but canola is also acceptable) until fish is flaky. Chop the fish into quarter-to-nickel sized flakes and lightly grill the tortillas over an open flame on both side until you see small black marks. Place a roughly equivalent amount of fish in each tortilla. Serve with salsa and guacamole. Each eater can place the condiments that they choose in their tacos.
Serves two people.

Lemons

Gazette reader Zander has suggested that I write about lemons. Here I go. Lemons are universally known for their sour flavor (except for the famed sweet Mayer lemons). They differ from limes in their appearance and flavor. Many varieties of lemons, including the ones my mother grows in her backyard, are fragrant. When used in moderation, they can accent the flavor of many a dish, from Zander's favorite pho to a stuffed grape leaf or dolma. Paradoxically, they can also be used to mask or tone down flavors such as the fishy flavor of seafood or the sweetness of a concoction that has had too much sugar added (the same can be done with a dish that has been over-salted.) Here are five suggested culinary uses for lemon:
1. Bake some potatoes in olive oil and toss with a squeeze of lemon and parsley.
2. Squeeze into rice and add some chopped cilantro for rice pilaf.
3. Add juice to soy sauce and marinate tofu in it for baking.
4. Grate and saute for the base of a pasta sauce.
5. Cut into slices and place into pitcher of ice water for a refreshing and low-sugar drink.

Webpage to muse over

When I can't decide what to eat and feel lazy (which occurs on a fairly regular basis), www.menupages.com is where I go for oodles of take-out and delivery menus. You probably know about this site already if you live in New York, but if you didn't, it has online menus for many Manhattan restaurants, plus reviews (where your IP address is recorded, to avoid multiple postings from one computer). Just make sure you disable your pop-up blocker.

Cheese Corner: A Cheese for Grating

While it lacks the complex flavor and grainy texture of true Parmesan Reggiano, Argentine Parmesan is a perfectly respectable substitute when used as a grating cheese for everyday pastas, salads and salads. Argentine Parmesan is $3.99/lb (in Gourmet Garage stores, Manhattan) and you get what you pay for. A recent taste test revealed to this writer that it is mild and insipid, but with a sharp enough edge to draw flavor and attention as a topping or as part of a sauce. When eaten alone, this cheese is almost rubbery, but is acceptable in texture when grated. Argentine Parmesan is not the cheese to display on a cheese board, but if you need some gratings for a Caesar salad, it will get the job done.

Zucchini days

Zucchini is what I eat when I feel lazy--so lazy that chewing on lettuce is too much of an effort, as is trying to figure out something to do with cabbage. This is what I've been doing lately: cutting the zucchini into slices, then boiling it until it is soft, and serving as a side dish for everything--rice and salmon, pasta with bolognese sauce, mashed potato and chicken sausage. Zucchini is becoming a perfect food for these last few days of summer, when the humidity lingers in the air, and you can't wait for fall.

The Glory of Summer Tomatoes

Today is Labor Day, which some consider to be a marker of the end of summer. School has started, the sun is setting earlier, and white pants are being stored for next year. However, the season lives on for tomatoes. Summer tomatoes are real tomatoes meant for eating. Those rock-hard, pale red, flavorless orbs in December supermarkets are only good if used for self-defense. On the other hand, carefully chosen tomatoes in the summer are aromatic, slightly acidic, juicy, and delicious on their own or lightly seasoned with salt and olive oil. The key is to choose a ripe tomato, meaning that it is squishy enough to give when squeezed but not so much as to liquefy, that it emits a pleasant odor, and that it is brightly colored, whether red for the conventional tomato, or maybe a vibrant yellow for an heirloom varietal. Never mind dirt, which can be washed off, or scars, which, to my knowledge, have no bearing on flavor. Just pick a good one, and enjoy a pleasure available for another month or two.

Cheese Corner: Cypress Grove Purple Haze

While I usually stay away from goat cheese due to its strong and distinctive flavor, my new favorite cheese is a soft goat cheese I picked up from Whole Foods Union Square on Sunday. Cypress Grove, makers of the delectable Humboldt Fog, makes Purple Haze. Lavender embedded in this mild and soft Californian cheese adds fragrance and tempers any "goaty" flavor. Enjoy Purple Haze with sourdough or oat crackers, or squeeze it onto some mixed greens and vinegrette for salad.

The library discovery

Late one afternoon this week, I sought shelter for the heat in the Jefferson Market Branch of the New York Public Library. I also was looking for something entertaining to read. Browsing the new books revealed nothing of interest. Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten was checked out, and the history section was full of books as wide as my cat. I considered the options in the cooking section, which seemed to consist of Rocco Dispirito's "Flavor", a large section of diet and vegetarian cookbooks, and classics by Julia Child. While cookbooks certainly have their uses, my hope was to find a book of food essays. On a lower shelf lay a plastic covered book. I reached for it and found what I had come for.

"Beard on Food" is a compilation of some of James Beard's food essays. Beard uses clear, powerful language to declare his love for food. He praises cheese and lobster, charcuterie and picnics. While Beard is revered as an American gastronomic expert, he is no snob (except for perhaps, his scathing indictment of garlic salt.) He devotes essays to items such as hamburger and pancakes. While this book was published in 1975, it has a modern feel, with an essay written about ways to reduce calories, exploration of international foods such as mezze and carnitas, and an emphasis on fresh ingredients. Beard's collection is one of the better discoveries that I've made at the library, and I hope that you will discover it, too.

On the perfection of the ham sandwich

Some might write ham sandwiches off as mundane, but I find the ham sandwich perfect for a summer lunch. The ham sandwich is easy to make, cost-effective, portable and tasty. To make a ham sandwich worthy of lunch, it is necessary to choose ingredients carefully. First, the ham should be French ham or another ham of similar quality. I prefer the boiled or baked variety and don't care for smoked hams in this sandwich (though they are certainly useful in other culinary pursuits.) Next, the bread should be a French baguette with enough crunch to be interesting, but not so much as to become as hard as a brick over a day. Finally, I like to use salted butter or mayonnaise as a spread. The assembly is simple: slice the baguette in half, pile the ham on the bread, spread one half of the baguette with either butter or mayonnaise, sprinkle some freshly ground pepper on top of the ham, close the sandwich, and slice the baguette (I usually cut 3-inch pieces). For variation, one can add cornichon to a ham sandwich spread with butter. To make banh mi jambon, choose the ham sandwich with mayonnaise, and stuff it with cilantro, sliced jalapeno, and pickled carrots and daikon radish.

Freshly Ground Pepper

Besides being useful as a repellant for inquisitive cats, freshly ground pepper adds a nutty, subtly warm flavor to many dishes. I add freshly ground pepper to just about everything I make in the kitchen. Fried rice gets a generous grinding as does the Greek salad purchased from Murray's cheese. Pastas already seasoned with red pepper flakes get an added zing from black pepper. Using freshly ground pepper can also help season a dish so that one can lessen the amount of salt and fat added.

In addition to tasting good, freshly ground pepper can make a dish look aesthetically pleasing. The dark sprinkles add a colorful contrast to foods such as scrambled eggs, chicken and ginger porridge, and spaghetti with tomato sauce. A wedge of Brie becomes festive when rolled around in freshly ground pepper, and a coating of freshly ground pepper turns a slab of beef into steak au poivre.

Buying peppercorns in bulk ensures that this flavoring is inexpensive in addition to dynamic. In New York City, I purchase peppercorns in bulk at Western Beef at 14th St. and 9th Ave. In Berkeley, I head to the bulk bins at Berkeley Bowl, and elsewhere, Costco is a good bet for bulk peppercorns.

Summer Bruschetta

Some call it "Brewsketta"; some say "brewshetta". All it takes is 4 roma tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, one baguette, a bundle of basil, salt, and olive oil. Chop the tomatoes and garlic and throw into a bowl. Slice the basil and add to the tomato mixture. Add salt and olive oil to taste and mix. Let this mixture sit for 10-15 minutes (longer, if you have the patience.) Cut the baguette in half and then the halves into 3-inch pieces. Place under the broiler until lightly charred. Place the baguette pieces on a festive plate and spoon the tomato mixture onto the baguette. Make sure to grab napkins and little plates as this bruschetta, while delicious, may be messy.

Cheese Corner: Havarti

Havarti is a buttery, semi-soft cheese that works well as a snack with crackers, melts nicely for grilled cheese or quesadillas, and is mild enough so that no one could be offended by its taste or smell. One can purchase it plain or, if it is too mild for one's tastes, flavored with herbs and spices such as dill and caraway. Havarti is relatively inexpensive and makes a good substitute for Monterey Jack in sandwiches. My only gripe about Havarti is that it is often difficult to cut due to its softness (it tends to cling to the knife or cheese slicer), so that it is best to cut it with a sharp knife immediately after removing from the refrigerator, and then to let it come to room temperature.

Chili Lime Popcorn

For a spicy, healthy snack, make a large bowl of popcorn through airpopping or in a pot on the stove. Or, if you don't have an air-popper or lack the patience to make popcorn over the stove, heat up a bag of plain or natural flavored popcorn (butter flavor will not do for this recipe.) Cut up a lemon or lime into 4 pieces and while tossing the popcorn, squeeze 2-3 pieces into the popcorn (depending on how much you like sour flavors). Season with salt and chili powder while tossing, to taste.

Maui-Style Fish Tacos

Since I have been getting some mail from readers about fish tacos, I would like to share my recipe for Maui-Style Fish Tacos.
First, some background on these tacos. It has been several weeks since I was in Hawaii. While on Maui, fish tacos became an after-snorkeling staple that I enjoyed along with a cool cup of shave ice. These tacos were different from the ones I had eaten previously in Baja California. They consisted of grilled mahi-mahi over cilantro rice, topped with a garlic mayonnaise sauce, salsa, shredded cabbage, and served in a corn tortilla. Here's the version you can make at home:

Ingredients
Package of Corn Tortillas
Head of Cabbage, finely sliced
1/4-1/2 lb mahi-mahi, defrosted or fresh, cut into 3/4 inch squares
Olive oil for sauteeing
Mayo
Ketchup
2 cloves garlic
Jar of Salsa Verde (Green Salsa)
Bunch of Cilantro, chopped
White Rice
Garlic Salt
Lemons/Limes
Salt and Pepper

Cook a small amount of the white rice. Once the rice is cooked, add the chopped cilantro and garlic salt to taste and fluff. Set aside.
In a food processer or blender, add 2 tbps of mayo, 1/2 tbp ketchup, 3 cloves garlic, a squirt of lemon or lime juice, and a couple of shakes of salt. Process until the sauce is pink and there is no evidence of individual garlic cloves. Taste, and add more salt if appropriate.
Heat a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil in it. Add your mahi-mahi and season with salt and pepper. Saute until flaky.
Heat corn tortillas.
To assemble a taco, take a corn tortilla and apply 1 teaspoon garlic mayo sauce from top to bottom at the widest point. Spread a heaping tablespoon of cilantro rice along the strip of garlic mayo. Next, place enough mahi-mahi on the rice so that the rice is covered. Add a teaspoon of salsa verde to the mahi-mahi. Finally, top with as much cabbage as can fit in the taco and fold. Do this with the other corn tortillas until you are satisfied with the number of tacos you have made. Enjoy, and think of Maui.

The Ideal Barbecue Food

Today being Memorial Day, I am writing on The Ideal Barbecue Food as suggested by a reader. While I don't have outdoor space for a grill presently (though I'm thinking about getting a small grill for the roof of my apartment building), and hence had rotisserie chicken for dinner instead, I can still reminisce about the best food to marinate and slap on a hot grill. To keep you, the current reader, in suspense for a few more seconds, my hint about this item is that my vegetarian friends can enjoy it without reservation.
The Ideal Barbecue Food is...the grilled mushroom. This can be a white or crimini mushroom tossed on the grill as an afterthought, a marinated portabella mushroom, or, if you want to get fancy, shitakke or other exotic mushrooms from the market. The earthy, smoky taste of the grilled mushroom, along with its lack of cholesterol, and the element of surprise and sophistication it can add to summer dishes, is why I have chosed to elect this charred fungus to the prestigeous title of Ideal Barbecue Food. Served alone, on a sandwich, or with rice, grilled meat, and a squirt of Sriracha hot sauce, the grilled mushroom is incomparable.

14th Street Tacos

Editorial note: I realize I've been neglecting this blog for the past month, but weddings and banquets and Maui have kept me away from the computer. I'm back, though, and will be posting on a (more) regular basis. Still planning to officially "re-release" The Gourmet Gazette in all its blog-glory within 1-4 weeks. Below is a post I started working on in April...

On 14th Street between 8th and 9th in Manhattan, several women set up a taco cart on Sundays. This cart is the same one that sits near 97th Street on weekdays. Two dollars bought me generous serving of carne asada (grilled steak) on two soft corn tortillas. Metal containers hold condiments: avocado-cilantro salsa, salsa roja (the spicy stuff), pico de gallo (a mix of tomatoes, onions, and cilantro), and lettuce. Other choices are tacos with other meat such as chicken and pork, quesadillas, and gorditas--all sold for the same low price. A gordita was freshly fried and served with crumbed white cheese (queso fresco?) and bits of fried pork, which I promptly doused in avocado-cilantro salsa and a shower of lettuce. Nearby are other intriguing food vendors--a man hawking churros, women in front of glass pitchers of horchata and aguas frescas, and piles of tamales next to assorted odds and ends for sale. I plan on returning another Sunday morning for a two dollar taste of heaven.

Spicy tofu rolls

I am eating a lunch of spicy tofu rolls, along with cucumber rolls. Here's how you make them.

Make sushi rice ( short grain white rice + salt+sugar+rice wine vinegar, to taste). Spread on sheet of nori (seaweed). Add toasted white sesame seeds. Add slivers of cucumber and 3 long pieces of tofu, about the thickness of an asparagus spear. Top with generous squeezes of Sriracha hot sauce. Roll, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces with a sharp knife. Enjoy right away with soy sauce, or put in container and fridge for later.

Chipotle Websites

Who ever knew Chipotle had such a huge fanbase? For those who are shaking their heads in confusion right now, Chipotle is a fast food chain that serves burritos, tacos, and something called a "burrito bol". While Chipotle's menu is limited, and the majority stockholder is McDonald's corporation, Chipotle does manage to serve burritos that resemble those from California more than the ubiquitous "Fresca Tortillas"/"Happy Taco Grill" venues in NYC, and its Mexican-inspired fare was recently featured in an article in the Sunday New York Times magazine. Chipotle's ingredients taste fresh, credit cards are accepted, employees are happy to give you a sample, and Bell and Evans chicken and Neiman Ranch pork are on the menu.

Given these factors and others, there seem to be an array of websites with strong opinions about Chipotle. www.chipotlefan.com gives nutrition information (that convinced this writer to cut her burritos in half), forums for discussion (including a posting about the plausability of the "Chipotle diet"), recipes and advocates for a smaller burrito. This website also has an entertaining and somewhat silly feature, called a "burrito soulmate" search. There are websites that contain Chipotle fanlistings, and a site called www.chipotlelovers.com that contains articles, polls, and loads of other " 'potle"-related information/opinions.
On the other hand, Chipotle often inspires long, negative posting wars on the website www.chowhound.com and the New York blog www.gothamist.com recently published an entry bemoaning the sudden appearance of Chipotle on every corner.

While perhaps the buzz (and controversy) about Chipotle will die down in the future, at present there seems to be a great deal of interest--in traditional publications and cyberspace--in this tacqueria-style chain.

Bacon

Bacon isn't quite the villian it's been made out to be. While I don't recommend having two slabs of bacon with your eggs and toast on a daily basis, I've found that bacon is a vital component of several dishes. Take Cobb Salad, for one--bacon adds a neccesary savory flavor and crunch. And who ever heard of pasta carbonara without the smoky, charred taste of bacon?

When using bacon, there are certain rules one should follow:
1) Use small amounts to add depth to your dishes. People will wonder what's different about your bolognese sauce, fried rice, or chili.
2) Add it to tomatoes. Pungent, crisp bacon loves the acidity, sweetness and juice of tomatoes--some ideas are pizza topped with thin slivers of bacon, roasted tomatoes served with bacon slices, the classic BLT, and macaroni pasta fried with chopped tomatoes, onion, and bacon.
3) Use it to flavor seafood. My mother used to wrap trout in bacon, and shrimp and scallops beg to be wrapped in it and grilled.
4) Marry bacon to something sweet. Bacon-wrapped roasted figs or dates are a delicious starter to a meal.
5) Try it crumbled on top of: mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, risotto, romaine salad, and soups (such as mushroom or clam chowder).
And finally, other considerations....
6) Don't eat everyday. Aside from the obvious health implications, the delicious smokiness and salty flavor will lose its novelty.
7) Give your cat (or dog) a piece. She or he will love you for it.

Exciting Link

The other day, while surfing one of my favorite food websites, www.chowhound.com, I discovered a poster's recommendation for a Vietnamese food website. Interested and a little suspicious (some posters are very enthusiastic about Vietnamese food but not very knowledgable), I clicked to check it out. The site is called Viet World Kitchen, and it is a creation of a writer named Andrea Nguyen from Santa Cruz, CA. It's fantastic, entertaining, and somewhat useful, with a list of common Vietnamese cookbooks out in print, archives of articles she has written (including a fascinating one on the ubiquitous, savory table condiment, Maggi), and a short list of recipes, among other things.

http://vietworldkitchen.com/

Bananas

Helpful tip--if you're heading out for a long day, place a banana in your bag. You never know when it'll save you....

Recipe--Cinnamon scented rice

Combine basmati rice and a stick of cinnamon with the usual amount of water in a rice cooker. Cook, toss with 1-2 tablespoons of butter, and enjoy with a gingery chicken dish or maybe curried tofu.

Raisins

There's something to be said for raisins--and I'm going to say it. For the last few days, I've packed raisins in my lunch. They taste intensely sweet, giving hints of their sun-dried nature, are satisfyingly chewy, and come in small pieces suitable for snacking. I started eating these raisins not because of an uncontrollable urge at the store, but because they were left over from a chicken recipe that called for them. That brings me to another thing to be said for raisins. Raisins are quite versatile, allowing themselves to bring sweetness to dishes without overpowering them. Think of raisins in spinach, blue cheese and walnut salads, or tossed with rice, toasted almonds, sliced green onions and a little bit of butter. Raisins add just the right amount of sugar to oatmeal, and who has ever removed raisins from Raisin Bran (besides the picky ones)?

Peet's in New York

I was picking up groceries in the store across the street, when I noticed something new next to the case of croissants and muffins. I usually go to the Gourmet Garage for the varied cheese selection and the olive bar (where there are usually toothpicks set out for sampling), but today the coffee containers caught my eye. Instead of offering the store brand for freshly brewed coffee, they were now selling Peet's. Peet's is a local coffee house in the San Francisco Bay Area which is known for its delicious, deeply flavored coffees. I also saw that the store was selling packages of grounds. I poured myself a cup of the Sumatra blend, mixed in a small amount of milk and sweetener, and savored the familiar and distinct taste. While Starbucks still dominates the New York market, it's nice to know that a there's little cup of California, right across the street.

Cheese Corner

Don't let them tell you otherwise--Domestic Muenster cheese is fantastic. While it is flavorful enough to be served at the end of a meal (the chefs at La Mediteranee in Berkeley, California, serve it this way), it is mild enough to add to ham sandwiches. Domestic Muenster is a relatively inexpensive, mild, cow's cheese with an orange rind, that can be purchased as a block or from delis in slices. Some of the ways I have been eating it lately are in small slices with a banana, broiled on a piece of sourdough toast spread with a layer of tomato sauce and garlic salt, and sandwiched between two hearty slices of bread with avocado to make a grilled cheese.
There will always be the detractors who complain that Muenster is too bland. One can smile at them, and savor her lunchtime sandwich...

The Gourmet Gazette is Back!

The Gourmet Gazette is back, in a blog format. I'll be posting recipes, features, and other food-related items on this page. This version of the Gazette will have similar features, as well as some key differences from the old Gazette. As always, it will feature recipes and original articles about food that are intended to maximize enjoyment while being conscious of nutrition and preparation time. I'll continue to write about seasonal food items. However, instead of having a large newletter come out every month, I will be posting more regularly in smaller amounts. Also, there will be new features, such as commentary on restaurants, and possible a wine section. Submissions, as before, are always welcome.