Knowing they wanted to ship a VW bus to America, this family from Apulia (that's the province that includes the heel of the boot), they packed the bus with lots of goodies. These included a grape jam that is ridiculous in its richness and nature. It tasted a bit caramelized and the occasional ground seed is noticed and was thick and rich. It is nothing like Concord grape jelly that is produced in the United States. The other product he gave me was a container of cured olives from a tree in their yard in Italy. These are tiny olives that would remind one of Provencal olives in size, also savory, ripe and tasty...
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Mar 05 Gifts from Italy sparkle: Olives and Grape JamPosted by lellen | 03/05/09
My friend Al Julian shared two foods he rcv'd from his friend’s family in Italy. Thanks dude.
Knowing they wanted to ship a VW bus to America, this family from Apulia (that's the province that includes the heel of the boot), they packed the bus with lots of goodies. These included a grape jam that is ridiculous in its richness and nature. It tasted a bit caramelized and the occasional ground seed is noticed and was thick and rich. It is nothing like Concord grape jelly that is produced in the United States. The other product he gave me was a container of cured olives from a tree in their yard in Italy. These are tiny olives that would remind one of Provencal olives in size, also savory, ripe and tasty... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Julian,Italy,Grape jam,Shrimp Sep 23 A fresh approach to new tomatoes, but it ain’t prettyPosted by lellen | 09/23/08
Our tomatoes are coming in very tasty, but also in odd dimensions and extremely firm.
So I had this idea. Maybe it is a common practice - but I took out a platter and poured in a pool of extra virgin olive oil and seasoned with chopped fresh basil, sea salt and cracked pepper. Then, I cut the tommys in half and rolled them in the oil. Next, I tonged the toms onto a very hot grill - alongside some swordfish steaks I was grilling (marinated in rice wine vinegar and mustard). I went back into the house to grab the imported grated Romano cheese, and also grabbed some honey and a ripe peach, which I cut in half. Back on the front porch with the grill, I threw some cheese into the oil... CATEGORY: Cooking
TAGS: tomatoes,basil,peach Sep 05 Sex in the cornrowsPosted by lellen | 09/05/08
Whoa - after a life lived mostly around cornfields, I finally witnessed the mighty plant’s reproductive act. It happened in an apple orchard of all places, where there was a couple of small plots of corn for personal consumption. While out for a walk, this pink caught my eye, and upon closer inspection I realized it was big wads of pink colored corn silk on the stalky green corn plant.
Then, up above, you know those tassels that wave in the wind? Little bits of white that resembled rice were blowing down onto the pink silk from these antennae and getting ensnared in the tendrils. So, I guess the two parts of the plant mingle, something goes a tingle, and a corn cob starts to take hold in the silk, which then gets wrapped in the leaves... CATEGORY: Culture
TAGS: corn,reproduction,corn plant, Aug 27 Eggplant ala wax paperPosted by lellen | 08/27/08
When was the last time you saw a television commercial for wax paper? Probably never. Why? Because it requires no hype - instead it is a beneficial product that is helpful to keep in the kitchen, sort of like duct tape in the shop - only wax paper wasn’t on Homeland Security’s list of “to have on hand” in case of a terrorist attack.
Recently I was given one fresh, medium size, shiny, purple eggplant. It was a thing of beauty, but it scared me. When eggplant is cooked properly it is heavenly. When not handled just right, it can be hell with no purgatory, no limbo and no passing go. Syracuse’s Post-Standard luckily had a feature on the often purple nightshade the very next day, which also was the day The McLusky said, “Let’s have that eggplant for dinner... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: eggplant,McCalls cookbook,fried green tomatoes,wax paper Jul 24 Oh, oh OpusPosted by lellen | 07/24/08
Experiencing art is exhausting. Really. It’s thought provoking and stimulating, but still exhausting. So at the end of a long Third Thursday (the city’s once a month art tour), I stumbled into Armory Square, eyes glazed and feeling hungry.
Last winter, Alejandro Betancourt wrote a piece for the City Eagle about a new restaurant named Opus on Walton Street – the site of the former Daniel Jacks. His report actually sounded to good to be true. A young couple interested in fresh cuisine and jazz – creating a sophisticated, yet comfortable, place to have a sensual experience delivered with a plate and, or, glass. While Franklin Street was hopping with live saxophone notes on the street, Walton was still. I actually walked by Opus and had to turn around... CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: opus,walton street,armory square,dining,restaurant,syracuse Jul 18 The Mission is onPosted by lellen | 07/18/08 A rest-oh-rant By Ellen Leahy Several weeks ago in Armory Square, I saw the for sale sign on MOVINO. I felt very sad. MOVINO was so exciting when it first opened. It was a woodburning pizza joint that also featured great sandwiches and salads. Upon opening there was fire, unusual-usual food and a missing person involved. The service concept was new and easy. Unfortunately, the three talented chefs that came together – Steve Morrison, Vince Santarelli and Noah Cunningham – ultimately couldn’t hang together through the ordeal of ownership. These men had all worked together at Pastabilities’ Restaurant, also in Armory Square (still), where Morrison was the head chef. They had eventually sold MOVINO to a new owner, who was now going out of business. There is a lot more serendipity in independent restaurants than most people realize. I guess that is the ultimate beauty of the art form. Mo’s Mission Anyway, with thoughts of MOVINO perhaps truly gone forever, I ventured to Steve “Mo” Morrison’s The Mission on Columbus Circle for dinner on Thursday July 10. What I found was a hopping restaurant as the Symphony was doing a Beatles Tribute. No worry, as the wait wasn’t as long as the young engaging hostess had first thought – and the waitress was a breeze, with the kind of service that is fun and attentive and good too. The Mission’s cuisine is pan american. The tortilla chips are homemade; the salsa isn’t cooked, which isn’t my favorite style as fresh tomatoes are so often not in shape for that kind of workout until the end of the summer; and then for just a couple of months. The Mission’s guacamole was simple, yet delicious, holding its delightful, almost creamy flavor with each dip. The main attraction For an entrée, I had sauteed red snapper that was encrusted with nuts – topped with plantains, more avocado (this time fresh fanned out pieces) and a lime butter sauce. All the flavor components were great on their own or together, so that many varying tastes could be created and enjoyed. Coconut rice and sautéed summer vegetables accompanied the fish. I could taste the sweet coconut meat in the rice. Your basic side summer vegetable sauté that is offered up in most CNY restaurants was cooked perfectly making it an important component of the dinner rather than something of color on the plate. I’ve been to The Mission before and something seemed to be missing. But now the place has been reinvigorated with the addition of Cathy Westlake as general manager. Mo’s talents in the kitchen are being matched by the performance in the front of the house under Westlake’s graceful eye. It was telling that neither of them happened to be on premise the evening I was there, yet the place was lively and running well. That’s good management! If you don’t know The Mission, it is in the little red church across from the county court house, just down from the civic center on Columbus Circle - 304 E Onondaga St., in downtown Syracuse. The building itself has a story all it’s own being the oldest church in the city. You can hear about The Mission’s history from the owner on marikagarcia.com/mission.html. CATEGORY: General Entertainment
TAGS: restaurants,leahy,mission,syracuse,morrision,columbuscircle May 16 Getting staplesPosted by lellen | 05/16/08
May 16, 2008
You think you know all your purveyor's have to offer? Had a wild craving for ravioli the other afternoon, so I wheeled over to Lombardi’s Imports on Butternut Street on Syracuse’s North side. I went to the Frozen food section and grabbed a Gondola Brand Product – then I saw these stuffed rigatoni? Hmm, I’d never seen them before– so I grabbed a package. Dominick Lombardi told me he eats them all the time. His wife will leave a pot of water on the stove and there is always sauce about; so if he gets home late, he just throws about five into boiling water for five minutes; turns off the heat and lets the stuffed beauties sit for another two minutes; then he adds sauce, tops with a little grated cheese, and then he enjoys a simple delicious meal... CATEGORY: General Society
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Leahy's Food BlogThe editor of the City Eagle has a long illustrious history in many of Central New York's finest restaurants including The Sherwood Inn in Skaneateles and Pastabilities in Armory Square. She is an adjunct in the food service department at OCC where she teaches a course that covers designing an independent restaurant from the ground up. She also produced Food For Thought a one hour program from food radio's kitchen back in the early 1990s - before the advent of Food Televsion. This blog is simply a conversation about food and beverage and all that goes along with it - "Please join me, I'd love to hear what you are enjoying at your table or range."SubscribeEmail Watching...New restaurant reality show on NBC - not sure about it yetArchives |
