How to cook a great steak
How to make Yakitori Chicken Meatballs
Our Team: Koji Hamada // Data Science Manager
Fifth Stop—New York:
While the boundaries of what’s called “upstate” are ill-defined, the region generally includes those areas north of New York City. There’s a lot to explore beyond the Big Apple. Starting in the western half of the state, you can get your bearings with a food tour of the village of Lewiston, just outside Buffalo on the Niagara Riverfront. Run by the Roaming Table tour group, the 3-hour walk includes sample tastings from six restaurants and explores the local history, including the village’s ties to Underground Railroad and the War of 1812.
The greater Buffalo Niagara region has become a craft beverage mecca and is home to over 100 local producers. Discover breweries, vineyards, small-batch distilleries, and even cideries, where the state’s famous apples are pressed into service. Many, including BlackBird Cider Works (8503 Lower Lake Rd., Barker, NY 14012), Niagara Country’s sole hard cider producer, have tasting rooms.
Any serious food lover or fan of 1970s American culture will want to make a pilgrimage to Moosewood (215 N Cayuga St., Ithaca, NY 14850), about a 2-hour drive south of Buffalo. The 40-year-old icon was named one of the 20 most influential restaurants of the 20th Century by Bon Appétit magazine, and the New York Times listed the restaurant’s first cookbook (there are now 15 Moosewood cookbooks) as one of the top ten best-selling cookbooks of all time.
Turn your Sun Basket box into a Make-Believe Refrigerator
You can use different pieces of your Sun Basket box to make a shelf and a produce container. We filled ours with paper carrots, a painted cream container, and blown eggs. What will you find in your refrigerator?
Materials
1 Sun Basket box
Scissors
White acrylic paint
Colorful acrylic or spray paint
Glue
A straw
Steps
1. Cut off the largest of the inside flaps, and set it aside.
2. Paint the entire box, including the cut-off flap with a white base coat. Let dry.
3. Give the interior of the box (and the flap) a second coat of white paint.
4. Paint the exterior of the box with a bright color and let dry.
5. Glue the white flap to the right side of the box, leaving room for the “door” to open and close. This will be a shelf. Fold up the bottom flap, paint it white and glue it to the right side to make a produce bin.
6. Close the box, glue the straw vertically to the outside of the box to make the handle. Add a sticker or paint your name on the top right hand corner.
7. Fill your refrigerator with your favorite make-believe foods.
When Tex Met Mex
Enchiladas smothered in neon-orange cheese, burritos as big as your forearm jam-packed with rice and sour cream, and runny refried beans in a puddle next to a mound of yellow rice—welcome to the world of Tex-Mex, a delicious hybrid of Spanish and Mexican flavors that dates back to the time of the conquistadors.
When the first Spaniards arrived in Galveston in 1528, led by a guy named Cabeza de Vaca (Mr. Cow Head, to you), they were met by the Karankawas, indigenous hunter-gatherers who ate a whole lot of foraged plants, local shellfish, and all the turkeys, rabbits, and deer they could kill.
Cabeza De Vaca, a castaway who washed up naked on the beach, didn’t contribute much to the established fare, but later ships from the Old World brought chickens and horses, and other livestock, as well as rice and treasures from the spice trade, including cumin, cinnamon, and peppercorns. These new ingredients sparked an evolution in the local diet, as cooks in the Rio Grande region combined them with foods native to the Americas, such as tomatoes, corn, and chile peppers.
Of course, food is never just what we eat. Look deep enough and you’ll find there’s a portion of politics on every plate. In 1821, Spain got the boot and the region officially became a part of Mexico. Twenty-four years later, Texas declared statehood. These swift-moving cultural shifts, aided by the expansion of the railroads and the industrialization of food production, had an impact, too, as they brought new ingredients to the pot. Today, Tex-Mex continues to define itself, as evidenced by crisp-shelled tacos, fully loaded nachos, and blue margaritas.
Utica Greens Recipe
In the late 1800s, the Central New York city of Utica became home to a thriving community of southern-Italian immigrants. A popular dish on dinner tables was escarole cooked with a rich mix of prosciutto, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs. In the 1980s, local Italian-American chef Joe Morelle put it on his restaurant menu as “Greens Morelle.” It became such a hit, other restaurants adapted and renamed it Utica Greens.
Utica Greens
serves 4-6
Chef’s Tip: This recipe lends itself to countless variations. Turn it into a main course by adding cooked white beans or sausage with the escarole. Keep it vegetarian by skipping the prosciutto and swapping in vegetable stock for the chicken stock. For a gluten- and dairy-free version, leave out the breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
Shopping List
4 slices prosciutto
1 yellow onion
5 or 6 cloves peeled fresh garlic
1 small jar hot cherry peppers (packed in vinegar)
1 large head escarole (about 1 pound)
½ cup chicken stock
½ cup whole wheat bread crumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
From your pantry
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, olive oil
Tools
Garlic press or fine-toothed grater, optional, small bowl, large ovenproof frying pan
1 Prep the ingredients
- Heat the broiler.
- Coarsely chop the prosciutto.
- Peel and coarsely chop the yellow onion.
- Finely chop, press, or grate enough garlic to measure 2 tablespoons.
- Coarsely chop enough hot cherry peppers to measure ¼ cup (about 5 peppers).
- Measure out 2 tablespoons of the cherry pepper vinegar from the jar.
2 Cook the prosciutto, onion, and peppers
In a large ovenproof frying pan over medium heat, warm 2 to 3 tablespoons oil until hot but not smoking. Add the prosciutto and cook until browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Add the onion to the pan, season with salt and black pepper, and cook until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cherry peppers and continue to cook until the onions are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
While the vegetables cook, prepare the escarole.
3 Prep and cook the escarole
- Trim the root end from the escarole; cut the escarole into 2-inch pieces.
To the pan with the onion mixture, stir in the escarole and cook until slightly wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and 1 tablespoon cherry pepper vinegar. Bring to a boil, reduce to a vigorous simmer, and cook until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the prosciutto, and season to taste with salt, black pepper, and the remaining cherry pepper vinegar.
While the escarole cooks, prepare the breadcrumb topping.
4 Prep the breadcrumbs; finish the Utica greens
- In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and cheese.
Sprinkle the escarole with the breadcrumb mixture and drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons oil. Transfer the pan to the top rack of the oven and broil until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned and the cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
5 Serve
Transfer the Utica greens to individual plates or invite everyone to serve themselves.
Nutrition per serving: Protein: 7g (14% DV), Fiber: 3g (12% DV), Total Fat: 11g (17% DV), Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.5g, Saturated Fat: 2.5g (13% DV), Cholesterol: 15mg (5% DV), Sodium: 720mg (30% DV), Carbohydrates: 14g (5% DV), Total Sugars: 1g, Added Sugars: 0g (0% DV). Not a significant source of trans fat.
Bonus recipe—ingredients not included in box.
Recent Comments