We get pretty excited about unusual ice cream flavors here at ES, so we were stoked when we found out about “100 Scoopies,” a project to make 100 unique ice cream flavors in 365 days.
From Sriracha chip to stroopwafel and and limburgse vlaai, Bostonite Chloe Jankowitz has been churning out innovative flavor after flavor, winter weather be damned. She was also kind enough to share one of her most delectable recipes with Endless Simmer.
These days, it seems like there’s a tapas restaurant in every city in every country on earth—we even found one in Iceland a few years ago—but when I asked my fellow passengers on our way to Tenerife (in the Canary Islands) for recommendations for tapas restaurants, I got a resounding “Qué?”
This is because traditionally, tapas are not considered a Canarian dish, even thought the Canary Islands are technically part of Spain. Visitors travel to the Canary Islands in their droves, thanks to the abundant cheap flights to Tenerife and Lanzarote, and they have always been presented with plenty of delicious traditional local dishes such as fish casserole to enjoy along the beachfront.
But in recent years tapas have become more common here, as it is in mainland Spain. So with this in mind, here are my top 5 tapas dishes that have a Canarian twist…
1. Pimientos de Padrón
(Photo: loeffelgenuss)
One of the most simple tapas dishes, pimientos de padrón is a special variety of pepper, cooked in oil and sprinkled with rock salt. However, beware the sting in the tail, as while most pimientos are very mild, you get the occasional surprise spicy one that will knock your socks off, so be careful!
2. Croquetas Caseras
(Photo: Pincas Photos)
Croquetas caseras are small fried balls of almost any filling, usually white fish or ham mixed with potato, but many fillings are possible. We found croquetas caseras that were filled with chicken, tuna and spinach as well, and not only are they delicious, they are also very filling.
3. Carne Fiesta
(Photo: Pamela Stocks)
A dish that will tingle your tastebuds, carne fiesta is the name given to small cubes of pork that has been marinated in garlic, thyme, oregano, spicy peppers, salt, paprika, wine vinegar and white wine. The cubes are then fried to make deliciously tender and moreish meat treats.
Read More›
Few things get the mouth salivating like a plate of deliciously crispy French fries. Whether you’ve enjoyed salty, mayonnaise-covered fries from a ‘Patat’ stand in Holland, where the potato is revered almost as much as the Dutch royal family, or had a go at making them yourself, they’re a staple that both food snobs and ready-made fans can agree on.
But the history of the golden French fry is complicated. There have been rows over which nation invented them (it would be too obvious if they were French right?), wars that made them popular, and even a marketing campaign fronted by Marie Antoinette.
So here’s our whistle-stop tour of the secret history of French fries. We’ll take you from the discovery of the potato, right through to how the likes of McCain French fries became so popular today.
Read More›
Even for the most committed locavore, this time of the year visits to the farmers market start to get uninspiring. Potatoes, onions, carrots…Potatoes, onions, carrots….There’s just not much to work with. Helping us get creative with what we do have is Theo Peck, who just opened Peck’s food store in Brooklyn. Theo’s great grandfather owned legendary Kosher restaurant Ratner’s on the Lower East Side, so he knows a thing or two about good, simple comfort food. Here’s Theo Peck’s guidance for spicing up your carrots.
2 bunches carrots, cleaned and peeled
2 cups carrot juice
1 sprig thyme
1 T honey
1 jalapeño
5 tomatillos, washed and cored
½ onion, rough chopped
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
½ bunch cilantro, cleaned and picked
Salt, to taste
Buttermilk, to taste
1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Bring to a simmer in a medium saucepan the carrot juice, thyme, and honey.
3. Skim any floaters off the top, strain and reserve the liquid.
4. In a roasting dish, place the carrots, pour in the reserve liquid, and season with salt. Then place in the oven and cook about 20 minutes, until just tender.
5. Take the jalapenos, tomatillos, onion, and garlic and place into a shallow pan with a little water. Broil until charred and remove.
6. Put all the charred vegetables in the blender with the remaining ingredients, puree and season to taste with salt and buttermilk.
Not sure if any of you have noticed, but it is COLD outside. Cara Daffron of EdibleFeast.com joins us to share this slow cooker comfort food recipe. Her pea pot pie uses hardy and readily available winter vegetables and herbs like tarragon and thyme…plus it takes like three steps to make. Stay warm!
Serve this crust-less pot pie on its own or with biscuits. If you really want a traditional feel, you can bake the finished product in a pie tin with a simple pot-pie-style pastry top. To incorporate more protein into the dish and 2 cups of diced cooked chicken or turkey to the pot before cooking.
It’s about that time of year when we start heating our wine, and cocktails suddenly feel less sinful, more warm and comforting. Well, this tea and wine concoction still packs plenty of punch, amping up your mulled wine with vodka and port. Plus, you get to light things on fire.
Lisa Rogak’s book Death Warmed Over explores the world’s ultimate comfort foods: 75 recipes typically served at funeral ceremonies of different cultures around the globe. With Halloween (and Mexico’s Day of the Dead) just around the corner, Lisa joins ES to share a recipe for bread of the dead.
While there are many funeral traditions throughout Mexico, the best-known post-funeral celebration is The Day of the Dead, also known as All Souls’ Day, on November 2nd. Officially, it is the one day of the year when dead ancestors return to earth to visit. November 1st is All Saints’ Day, and traditionally, celebrations begin that evening, though in the daytime families tend to honor children who have died, reserving the evenings for adult ancestors.
On November 2nd, the family will spend the day at the cemetery where loved ones are buried. They clean the area around the grave, wash the tombstone, and place the deceased’s favorite foods around the grave. Huge flower arrangements are also common. Most families also build a small altar – either at the gravesite or at the home or office – and place food offerings and favorite items on it as well
Food is also a central part of Day of the Dead celebrations for those still walking the earth: Special black plates and bowls are only sold during the last two weeks in October and bakeries make hundreds of the life-size skull-shaped cakes with the name of the deceased written in frosting on the forehead. In fact, candy and desserts take center stage during the Day of the Dead, from chocolate caskets to candy skeletons. Indeed, like other cultures that saved biscuits and cakes from the funeral as a memento of a lost loved one, many Mexicans will hold onto these candy bones for years.
