Sarah McLellan

NYC Food and Wine Festival

2010-10-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

Oh my lordy... that pizza is GOOD... South Brooklyn Pizza. East Village.

2010-08-10T08:21:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this hole in the wall a couple of months ago and just loved the huge cheese wheel they had in the window, along with numerous heads of fresh garlic, massive tins of italian tomatoes, olive oil and baskets of fresh basil.
There was a pie up on the counter. Steam rising and cheese melted perfectly atop what looked like a crispy crust.
I couldn't resist so I bought a slice ( @$4 perhaps a tad expensive for those who like their cheap cheese slices ) but this my friends is not just another cheese slice.
WOW.
Perfect crispy crust with a slight doughy bite. Sweet ripe tomato base, with fresh mozzarella and basil leaves on top.
So good Kit and I have been back 2 times in the past weekend.
We also tried adding anchovies which give the perfect salty balance to the already perfect slice!
Definitely try this place out if you want that sort of 'artisan' pizza slice you don't find just anywhere now days.
ENJOY!

Soup Dumplings and more: Joe's Shanghai & Joe's Ginger

2010-08-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

So yesterday marked the 3rd time in 3 weeks that Kit and I have made the 20 min walk down to Chinatown for Soup Dumplings. I crave them.... I can be having a completely normal day and then bamn, it hits me. I need them. Their delicate little skins wrapped and sagging around delicious pork ( or the mix of pork and crab meat ) with the rich and flavorful hot soup inside.
We have now discovered our own little technique for eating them.... transfer from the steamer with the tongs and carefully place on our chinese soup spoon.... bite a tiny hole in the dumpling skin and then gently add some of the dark ginger/vinegar and the red hot chili oil inside. Cool for a second, then tip the little beauty so the 'soup' lands in the spoon.... slurp! Then devour the dumpling.
Repeat.
Usually we will go through 2 steamers ( 8 a piece ) and order something else to share.
The first time we had the Chinese Water Spinach in oyster sauce. The second it was a massive bowl of Shanghai noodle soup with vermicelli ( think a delightfully rich broth with pork and veggies )
And finally last night when we had to switch over to Joe's Ginger ( seeing the massive line outside Joe's Shanghai ) we went a little wild since we had another guest with us.... Kit's dad.
We ordered 2 steamers of soup dumplings (Xiaolongbao) the scallion pancakes, Joe's special seafood noodles... which saw crab, calamari, shrimp, scallops and clams tossed with smokey black bean sauce and thick and chewy udon style noodles.
We finished off with the Spicy pepper salt Prawns with the shell on and enjoyed the intense flavor the shells/heads added to the delicate and surprisingly juicy meat inside.

I know Joe's tends to get quite mixed reviews online and I get that the craziness of the place could erk some people but until I find better soup dumplings in NYC.... I'm sticking with what I crave.

The Noodles made me high! AS SEEN ON TV

2010-07-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

So in my life I have had a few, scratch that... SO many amazing food moments. Eating green papaya salad in Thailand on the beach, fresh sushi after visiting the fish market in Tokyo at 4am, tiger prawns and fresh oysters on the beach in Sydney and today.... on a street I usually avoid in NYC.... the best spicy pork noodles at Xian Famous Foods. ( St Marks and 1st Ave )
WOW.
Incredible. Light up your mouth hot, make your nose run.... stimulate all your senses. The depth of flavor, the strange spices and perfect little pieces of pork. The chewy wide noodles.... it was beyond good.
Mt Qi Pork Noodles.
I will definitely be back there to try the lamb burger ( Anthony Bourdain loved it on his episode about NY boroughs. ) and perhaps a lamb face salad? haha.
Check out the piece from Eater.com

Hot Spot: Pulino's Bar and Pizzeria

2010-04-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

Today I stopped by Pulino's on Houston and Bowery to try out the breakfast pizza.
This is the new outpost for Keith McNally ( Balthazar, Pastis ) with hotshot chef Nate Appleman.
Started with a yummy Roasted Grapefruit with muscovado sugar & mint which was strange and delicious and the concept actually inspired a future cocktail experiment.
Then onto the pizza's with eggs:
Salsiccia eggs, sausage, bacon & white cheddar
Funghi mushrooms,eggs, mozzarella, pancetta & grana ( we added arugula )

Topped off with some strong espresso, the morning was a success!

Gem Hunting : Chinatown Dumplings

2010-04-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

In search of some Chinese soup and with a little time on my hands I stumbled upon a little corner store on Broome and Eldgridge ( SE corner ) selling just that... and the added bonus of steaming hot dumplings.
I couldn't see a well signed exterior, but my peep inside the window showed that the chinese locals were already packed inside. I figured it had to be good, so I stepped in. Only one sign in english showed the menu which included dumplings, various noodle soups with either beef, pork balls, fish balls and tripe. There were also noodles with peanut sauce which a lot of people were devouring... that will be what I try next time!
I ordered the beef & noodle soup and the dumplings which set me back $6.
When they came out I couldn't believe how much food I had ordered! Whoops.
Thin slices of beef in a light shallot broth, with bean thread noodles and a little chinese cabbage. The meat was tender and flavorful but I added a little hot soy sauce to flavor the broth and noodles a little more.
The dumplings were delicious. Steaming hot, with delicate wrappers and rich meaty pork and chive filling.
One plate could definitely feed more than one person and for $3 that is surely a tasty treat!!!

Dinner : Monday Israeli Couscous & Fresh Herb Salad w/ grilled shrimp kabobs

2010-04-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

Tonight's dinner

Taco time : La Lucha East Village

2010-04-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

Stopped in for a taco at new taco shop in the East Village La Lucha. Decorated in true style with mexican wrestling memorabilia and pink foil booths, we went to order a pulled pork taco and the guy at the register suggested a special pork taco not on the menu, so we got that.
Served with a little black beans, pickled onions and cilantro the meat was juicy and tasted like it had been slow cooked with tomatoes, chilies and spices all day long. Would go back for more....

Gem Hunting : Northern Spy East Village

2010-04-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

So today Kit and I were walking in the neighborhood and stumbled across Northern Spy.
On 12th st btwn A and B.
Such a cute space with a real antique farmhouse vibe, wooden chairs and blue benches with fresh herbs growing in the windows.
We had the Chicken & egg sandwich, $11 Crispy thigh, poached egg, greens, chimichurri, a side of collards, the Meatballs slow cooked with marinara and some house made flat bread.
Everything was delicious and we are definitely heading back!

Brunch on a Tues

2010-04-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

This is morning I whipped up some Huevos with bacon, smoked black beans & avocado salsa. Delicious...

meat ? Yes please....

2010-04-05T13:17:00.000-07:00

Stopped by 'This little Piggy had Roast Beef" in the East Village today to try their well hyped sandwiches... Struck up a conversation with the chef William and managed to score a taste of the delicious Pastrami while waiting for my 'THAT WAY' sandwich with Roast Beef, Jus and Mozzarella on a Hero. Delicious. Well seasoned, meaty, salty and the bread was hearty enough to soak up the jus. Can't wait to go back for the Pastrami on Rye...

Sunday Night Fried Rice

2010-01-31T20:43:00.000-08:00

It started with a lazy afternoon of Vietnamese food.... and reading hours and hours of food blogs. I really need to get off my butt and start posting more! I have made so many meals I want to share and also had amazing restaurant experiences.... so my goal for 2010 is at least a post a week! Let's see how that pans out.
The Grammy's were ending and we were getting hungry again, so with a little inspiration from the Food Network we threw together some fried rice with what we had in the fridge/leftover from Vietnamese.
1 Qt leftover white rice
1 tbsp fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic
2 eggs ( whisked and fried like a crepe then chopped )
1 small parsnip diced finely
3 large mushrooms diced finely
1 med carrot diced finely
2 strips of bacon diced
Left over sauce/stock from a shrimp and chinese veggies dish ( some greens left over too )

1. Wisk and fry the egg in the wok in thin layer until set. transfer to plate
2. Cook the bacon until crisp, add the vegetables, garlic and ginger... transfer to a plate.
3. Add a little oil then fry the rice until you see a little color. Add the veggies and egg and stir through
4. Pour over the leftover sauce ( if you don't have leftovers just add some stock and soy sauce and a little hot sauce ) Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Easy and delicious.

Portobella, lemon and truffle risotto with chilli shrimp

2009-06-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

If Kit asks me once he asks me a thousand times to cook something with truffle oil in it.... so last night I thought it would be perfect in a creamy risotto with portabello mushrooms, lemons and chilli shrimp.

Chop 3 cloves of garlic, 1 brown onion and about 12 small baby portabello mushrooms. Saute in pan with 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil... add a little salt pepper, red pepper flakes and fresh grated lemon zest.

Once the onions, mushrooms and spices have sauteed, add 1 cup of aborio rice and stir until covered with oil..... add 1/2 a cup dry white wine and stir until absorbed.
Then cup by cup.... add hot chicken/vegetable stock and stir until absorbed.
Saute in extra virgin olive oil until pink
Before serving, stir in baby arugula, a tablespoon of black truffle oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve with shrimp.....
So delicious!!!!

Lasagne with Arugula Salad and Lemon Basil balsamic

2009-06-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

Lasagna is something my mum Dizey taught me how to make when I was young..... She still makes a mean one. :)
Here is my version.... Kit approves!

Chop a medium brown onion, 4 cloves of garlic, about a cup of celery and a cup of carrot. Saute in a pot with a tablespoon of Extra Virgin olive oil. Add salt, pepper, a pinch of red pepper flakes, cumin, paprika, oregano and chilli powder. saute until translucent... ( notice the puppy laying in the sun on the floor while I cooked )

Chop and add about 12 baby portobello mushrooms to the vegetables.
Saute a pound of lean ground beef.... in a separate pan. Drain excess fat and add beef to pot.

Crisp some chopped bacon or panchetta and chop some fresh basil. Add to pot....

Stir through.... add 1/2 cup dry white wine. Small can of tomato paste and 1 can of crushed organic tomatoes.

Simmer for 20 mins. Add 1/2 a cup of milk and simmer for another 10 mins while you make the bechamel.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour. Whisk into a rue....

While whisking add milk and stir as the sauce thickens. Add salt, pepper and parmesan to taste....
( If the sauce thickens too much, whisk in some more milk to thin out... )
Pre heat oven to 375 F.

In a baking pan layer bolognese, straight lasagna noodles and then bechamel sauce. I did 3 layers with the final being bechamel. I seasoned with salt, pepper, parmesan and paprika.
Bake uncovered for 1 hour.
I served the lasagna with a simple arugula salad with cucumber and cherry tomatoes. I made a balsamic vinaigrette with fresh basil and lemon zest.
Delicious!

Italian Meat Loaf with homemade tomato gravy

2009-04-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

So tonight I decided I wanted to re attempt Meatloaf.... ( My last try was kind of pathetic when the oven apparently wasn't preheated nor actually on at all, so my meatloaf was...after an hour just a slightly warm log of ground beef :( )
I set out to create something a little different with the flavors and this is what I came up with!

Italian Style Meatloaf w/ creamy mash and homemade Tomato Gravy

1 lb ground beef
1/2 large yellow onion diced
1/2 red pepper diced
1/2 large carrot diced
3 stalks celery diced
3-4 rashes of bacon diced
2 large cloves garlic diced finely
teaspoon cumin
tsp chili powder
tsp dried oregano
tsp chopped fresh rosemary
tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 eggs
1-2 cups Italian style bread crumbs
tbsp ketchup
tbsp mustard
Salt and Pepper
* 4 tbsp sundried tomato pesto ( from jar )

Homemade Tomato Gravy
1/2 onion diced
1 small shallot diced finely
1/2 small can tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup red wine
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp butter

Mash:
Potatoes
Butter
Milk
Sat and Pepper

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. ( Make sure the oven is ON! )
In a pan sweat the garlic and onions. Add the carrot, celery and red pepper. Saute' until soft.
Add the herbs and spices and stir until fragrant. Add the chopped bacon and cook until browned.
Take this mix off heat and cool for a few mintutes.
In a large mixing bowl crumble the ground beef, add onion/vege mix, eggs, breadcrumbs and ketchup/mustard. Mix with hands until mixture is combined. Add more breadcrumbs if needed...
Place on a foiled baking tray and shape into a log or roll. Make sure mixture is even in size.
For the final touch, spread the sun-dried tomato pesto over the top of the meatloaf.
Bake uncovered for 60 mins.

While baking make the GRAVY:
In pan saute' the onion and shallot in a little butter. Add tomato paste and then whisk in chicken stock, wine and balsamic.
Simmer and stir as sauce thickens. Flavor with oregano, pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Make your favorite mash recipe :)

Eat and enjoy!
Kit loved this one and wants it in the recipe book, so that's a good indication of its success!

Woodstock NY Weekend

2009-02-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

Well what an incredible weekend we had! Kit and I left with our friends Bret and Yulia after work on Thursday evening and made the 2 hour drive to Woodstock NY.
Once we arrived at the house we had a teeny set back with locking both the house and car keys INSIDE the house! Yes, we managed to lock it all inside while we were outside in the freezing snow.
After a little bit of panic and getting the cell phone to work on 1 bar, we got in touch with Yulia's mom and found the very well hidden spare key. Thank goodness!
Day 1:
We made the drive to Hunter Mountain and I lost my virginity to skiiing!!! Wahoo.
After some tense training with Kit on the bunny hill , Bret, Yulia and Kit finally managed to force me up the lift to do my first run.
My first 10 yards or so were spent with me still trying to do the 'pizza' with my ski's and then falling down or being stopped from falling by Kit or Bret.
Then I started to go again this time really gaining speed quite quickly and I thought " screw it... it's now or never!" so I just kept going and made it all the way down the mountain! WITHOUT FALLING!
Wahoooooo
Kit then recorded my second run :) See below

Day 2: Involved some really fun sledding action on the big sledding hill in Woodstock. It's incredible how much fun this is! And free! I must admit I am kinda hooked now and really want to find a place to go when it snows in NYC.

Thanks to our hosts and for Bret and Yulia for inviting us.
Plenty of snow, sitting in front of the fire, wine, pool, games, skiing, sledding, laughing and some amazing dinners!
We shall return soon....

Kit's Bday Breakfast

2009-01-24T09:10:00.001-08:00

So it's Kit's bday today and I decided I wanted to make us both a yummy breakfast!
I didn't have vanilla extract or white sugar so I improvised a little a found a new favorite recipe!

Lemon and Maple Pancakes with Berries

1 cup Self Rising Flour
1 egg
1 cup low fat milk
teaspoon of lemon zest
teaspoon of real canadian maple syrup
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons of raw sugar

Strawberries
blueberries
raw sugar
lemon juice

Bacon :) ( Yes, everything is better with it )

I like to chill my pancake batter in the fridge/freezer after I whisk it together.

Enjoy!!!!

Cooking: Chicken Tortilla Soup

2009-01-23T18:15:00.000-08:00

So being new to my very own blogspot I am not quite sure how I am going to format things but I figured I should just get writing!
I am ALL about food. Buying it, cooking it, eating it.... smelling it, tasting it, watching it on tv..... if it's food related then I am ALL about it!
So needless to say, I like trying new things in the kitchen and I love to cook for my boyfriend and myself.
Today during my time flipping between Food Network and HGTV I decided I wanted to make Chicken Lime Tortilla Soup for dinner. After looking at a few recipes on Food Networks website, I sort of made up my own version and got cooking.
It was delicious and Kit definitely approved :)

Chicken Lime Tortilla Soup

1 Carton Chicken Broth
Chicken breast tenders
2 Limes
Cumin
Garlic
Paprika
Can of diced tomatoes
Yellow onion
Red onion
Hot sauce
Salt and Pepper
Sour cream
Cilantro
White corn tortilla chips

Method:
I poured the entire carton of chicken broth into a saucepan and brought it to a boil, then I put in the chicken tenders to poach at a medium heat.
I sauteed 3 cloves of garlic in some Extra Virgin olive oil in a fry pan, then added some diced yellow onions.
While they were cooking I added some paprika and cumin. Probably about a teaspoon of each.
I then added some diced red onion and the zest of one lime.
Once everything was sauteed and fragrant, I added the can of diced tomatoes and tossed it all together. I chopped a palmful cilantro and stirred that through.
The chicken was poached and juicy, so I took it out with a slotted spoon, shredded it and then returned it to the onion/tomato mixture.
I strained the chicken broth, returned it to the saucepan and then added the rest of the ingredients.
I squeezed in the juice of one lime and added some hot sauce for taste.
To finish off, I simmered the soup with a lid on for another 10-15 mins. Season with salt and pepper.

In bowls crush some tortilla chips, then ladle the soup over it.
Garnish with sour cream, thinly slice red onions, cilatro and lime wedges.

DELISH!

Having thought of it, some diced avocado on top would have been perfect.

Let me know if you try it :)