TrelayneNYC

I spent T-day at my boyfriend's sister's place in Pennsylvania, just 25 min. away from Philly. We had: chips with a trio of dips -- salsa, nacho cheese dip and spinach dip shrimp cocktail spiced pecans phyllo-wrapped brie with cranberry jam roast turkey smoked turkey turkey jus mustard sauce stuffed butternut squash brussels sprouts and squash stuffing -- this was a vegan option, since one of the guests was a lactose-intolerant vegetarian regular stuffing green beans cranberry sauce (not from a can) pumpkin pie pumpkin-ginger cheesecake Japanese butter cookies coffee tea awesome food and the company was great.

The technique is widespread in Italian cooking and there are references to it from the late 19th century, such as in the cookbook "La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiare bene" originally published by Pellegrino Artusi. A battuto is what a soffritto is before it undergoes the process of insaporire ("to add taste" or "to build flavor"). You have your chopped aromatics (onion, fennel, leeks, celery, celery leaves, carrots, etc. (occasionally pancetta or ham) in varying proportions, then you add them in a certain order to your cooking fat (unsalted butter, olive oil, lard, etc.). Cook the battuto over low heat, stirring occasionally while you watch over it. the battuto must not brown; if your ingredients brown, it will affect the finished dish in both taste and appearance. Your battuto becomes a soffritto once your vegetables have softened sufficiently and have developed their flavors. There are many types of battuti. The combination of celery, onion and carrot is one such type (and very northern Italian I might add); a southern Italian battuto might begin with onion, garlic and Italian parsley cooked slowly in olive oil. If garlic is used, it's typically crushed or bruised slightly to release the juices, then sautéed gently in oil until the clove becomes a pale gold after which it's discarded. As one of the commenters in the Serious Eats thread notes: she alludes to another point -- Italian cooking is not "one type of cooking", but a collection of regional cuisines that varies not only from region to region, but from city to city, village to village, neighorhood to neighborhood, family to family. The Serious Eats article is nice, but it contains a few errors/nitpicks such as the assertion that there are no rules, or that there is a one-size-fits-all recipe for everything. And finally (this is a pet peeve of mine), if there is one thing that I would love for people to learn about Italian cooking, it would be to use garlic less and onion more!

the technique of cooking a battuto over low, constant heat and eventually transforming it into a soffritto was one that was popularized by Marcella Hazan and other doyennes of Italian cooking. it's something I do all the time, and not just for red sauces, but also for minestrone or pasta e ceci. as a side note, there are other types of battuti; the mix of celery, carrot and onion cited above is one out of hundreds.

Some pix from this weekend: and while we're on the subject of "comfort food": Flaczki -- tripe soup Cheese blintzes Clockwise from top: blueberry blintzes, sweet cabbage (not really sweet, but to differentiate it from sauerkraut), kielbasa Little Poland 200 Second Avenue (East 12th Street) East Village

Baked flounder Crispy roasted heirloom potatoes Cabbage, with smoked bacon and sherry vinegar

some pix from this weekend. watermelon radishes simply mind-boggling to find heirloom cherry toms still available this late in November. I wanted to get a pint, but by then, our basket was burgeoning...

a couple of pix from this weekend: spicy miso ramen -- smoked chicken, Swiss chard, sesame note the prices. the "snacks" are essentially small plates, designed to serve one person.

Radicchio, with honey-roasted shallots, heirloom cherry tomatoes and ricotta salata Roast cod Broccoli rabe and cauliflower, with heirloom tomato, rocambole garlic and lemon

It's very good for that style of dining, if a tad overpriced. For instance -- $14 cocktails, $22 for a mille-feuille made with candy-coated popcorn and $15 for approx. 2-3 tablespoons of intensely flavored steak tartare. If you're going to have the audacity to charge that amount of money, you may want to create value perceived for money spent particularly if your customers are discerning or knowledgeable. On the other hand, everything is prepared carefully and presented well, and there is an abundance of attention to detail from the artistry in the kitchen and on the plate, and in the execution of the staff. It's a great experience (and if you're a fan of Liebrandt, well worth your time), but I won't be back.

Probably because I don't like thick sauces and I used no flour. But there was gravy, and judging by my BF's moans, well-deserved.

brunch: Soft-boiled eggs, roasted brussel sprouts Parsnips and broccoli rabe The parsnips were simmered in lightly salted water, then fried in unsalted butter. Same first procedure for the broccoli rabe, which was then cooked in olive oil with garlic and preserved lemons. Lamb and red pepper/fennel sausage, with sweet peppers, mushrooms and onion tonight: Boeuf bourguignon on egg noodles. Not exactly the recipe Julia gives in MtAoFC but a close approximation.

Thanks, Don. This Bon Appetit recipe is an adaptation of the dish in the pic above. The onion soubise appears to be the clear liquid sitting beneath the egg. BTW, the short ribs were cooked sous vide, then deep-fried, in case that wasn't apparent.

Insalata di scarola ("escarole salad, with mushrooms, wild arugula and ricotta salata") Orecchiette con sugo di cozze ("orecchiette with mussel and tomato sauce") As you can see, I eat a lot of pasta. Probably 2-3x a week, at any rate. Might do pasta e piselli later this week. I have a craving for it.

They may have frowned on bloggers when you visited there, but there was a time when they didn't.... Fluke sashimi, toasted poppy seeds, buttermilk, chives Coddled egg, soubise onion, potato chips, hackleback caviar, sweet potato vinegar Deep-fried short ribs, carrot, daikon radish, scallion, pickled mustard seeds, fried parsley

Hi Hersch. It's chicken stock, shredded escarole, sea salt, black pepper, fried bread and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Simmer some chicken stock, add the escarole and cook for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Taste for salt and pepper. Meanwhile, fry some stale bread cubes in olive oil until golden brown; drain on paper towels. To serve, ladle the soup in individual bowls, add the croutons and some grated P-R cheese if you like. In the pic above, it was Chinese chicken stock that I had -- basically poaching liquid from some bai qie ji I made a few months ago: clear chicken broth with flavor notes of garlic, white pepper, ginger and scallion. Regular chicken stock is even better.

Minestra di scarola ("escarole soup") Pasta con cime di rapa e pomodoro

Rainbow carrots and parsnips, with candied ginger, hazelnuts and rosemary Broccoli rabe, heirloom tomatoes and rocambole garlic I somehow managed to score a basket of heirloom cherry tomatoes at USGM this weekend. Pan-fried scallops Freekeh pilaf, with scallion, currants and preserved lemon

Sweet peppers, with fresh mozzarella, Spanish chorizo and hazelnuts Watercress and heirloom tomato salad Baked eggs, cold roast chicken, rosemary toast

hungry prof -- very impressive. tonight: Orecchiette with mozzarella cheese and uncooked tomato sauce Heirloom tomatoes will be gone in a week; say goodbye until next year. Roast chicken with garlic and rosemary Cabbage, cauliflower and cranberry beans

porcupine -- thanks. last night: Roasted brussels sprouts. Orecchiette ("ears") with mussels, cranberry beans and Savoy cabbage.

Thanks. I shop there weekly. This is probably my fave time of year.

it's interesting to find a thread dedicated to USGM on what is predominantly a DelMarVa-focused board. anyway... a few pix from yesterday; the rest are on my blog linked to in my signature. radishes; at left are Japanese turnips. green and purple kohlrabi. very unusual to see parsnips so early in November. i should have bought a few, given that one of my favorite ways to serve them is for breakfast, fried in butter with toasted hazelnuts or pistachios and lightly drizzled with honey or maple syrup. Seckel pears. apples and cranberries. German butterball potatoes. think of Yukon Golds, except these are denser and buttery in flavor; they're excellent roasted, fried or turned into olive oil mashed potatoes.

Autumn's in full swing here in NYC (even though today was in the mid-60s)... Roasted brussels sprouts, with pancetta and sherry vinegar "Beans and greens" -- radish greens, with cranberry beans, onion and lemon Squid, with German butterball potatoes and sweet peppers Spiced poached pears, vanilla ice cream, candied ginger

Last night's dinner and tonight's (11/01/2013): Farfalle, with chard, lemon and bottarga Mozzarella cheese, "melted" leeks and tomato "Clam chowder" -- pan-roasted cod fillet, with crispy pancetta, heirloom potatoes, littleneck clams, clam and watercress broth

Chard, with pancetta and poached farm egg You can vary the combo almost infinitely -- just pork, egg and veg. Scarola e pomodoro ("escarole and tomato") Spaghetti con gamberetti e pomodoro ("spaghetti with shrimp and tomato")