Category: Reviews
NYC Wine and Food Festival & The Art of the Taco
| October 19, 2011 | Filled under Reviews |
I can’t believe it’s already been almost three weeks since the NYC Wine and Food Festival! I really hate when bloggers say that they’re going to post about something another time and then never do, so I’m really sorry that it’s taken me so long to post about it. It’s just that the event was so big and so amazing that I really didn’t know where to start. So I guess I’ll just dive right in…
Saturday started bright and early with a presentation by Alton Brown, one of my favorite Food Network personalities. He definitely didn’t disappoint! His presentation focused on wine and molecular gastronomy, and it was interesting to see how easy some of the fancy tricks you see on TV really are to do at home. The first thing he made was little caviar-like port spheres, which he served over steak. It really didn’t look difficult to do at all, and I might try to replicate them some time when I’m feeling adventurous. He also made frozen bellinis using a stand mixer and liquid nitrogen that was fun but a little less friendly for the home cook. Alton has a great sense of humor and had a fun Q+A session following the demo where he let us in on a few secrets like that he doesn’t actually have a sister named Marsha and that he does in fact know who the net Iron Chef is (but he’s not telling).
Chickpea and Wild Rice Mulligatawny & Lunch Wars
| September 29, 2011 | Filled under Fall, Indian, Quick Weeknight Meals, Reviews, Soups and Stews |
I finished reading Amy Kalafa’s book, Lunch Wars, a few days ago. The book is about improving the food served in school cafeterias, and it was impossible not to think about my own school lunches as I read. In elementary school, I always felt bad for the kids who had to eat the hot lunch. It was absolutely disgusting. I remember one time I forgot my lunch and had to get the spaghetti. It was mushy and tasted like can. I sat there and cried, refusing to eat any more after the bite. Back in those days, at least in my school, there weren’t a lot of options in the cafeteria. You got whatever the lunch that day was and, if you were lucky and had an extra quarter, maybe you’d get an ice cream sandwich. But by high school, things changed. There were nachos. And pints of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream (Yes, pints. I don’t know what they were thinking!) One year, a local pizzeria ran the kitchen and the only food available was pizza. Every day. Seriously? With the exception of the pizza year, I have no idea if there was a traditional hot lunch option. If there was, no one ever got it. Why would they? The junk food was good, and that spaghetti was nasty. Read More
Chickpea and Wild Rice Mulligatawny
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Mulligatawny is a creamy Anglo-Indian soup flavored with chicken and curry. This version, with chickpeas, wild rice, and coconut milk, puts a new spin on the traditional soup. If you prefer a vegetarian soup, swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 Leek, sliced into half moons
- 2 stalks Celery, chopped
- 2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
- 4 cups (32-ounces) Chicken Stock
- 1 (15.5 ounce) can Coconut Milk
- 1 (15.5 ounce) can Chickpeas
- 1 Apple, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon Curry Powder
- Juice from 1 Lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (Optional)
- 1/2 cup Wild Rice
- 1/2 cup Plain Yogurt
Preparation
- Melt the butter in the bottom of a heavy stock pot set over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook for 2 minutes, or until just softened. Add the celery and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, apple, curry powder, lemon, and cayenne (if using). Simmer for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
- While the soup simmers, cook the rice according to the directions on the package.
- Remove from heat and stir the rice and yogurt into the soup. Adjust seasonings to taste. Enjoy!
This was a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.
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