cooking in my underwear

I guess Mother Nature wasn't content to abuse us with mere chilly winds, so she is now dousing the city with relentless rain as well.   Time for more soup! This one I kind of made up on the fly, using most of the ingredients I'd planned to put into tonight's dinner omelette.  It came together pretty quickly, even with aching, half-frozen hands: I toasted a couple handfuls of pepitas in a heavy pot over medium high heat, then set them aside to cool.  To the same pot, I then added the following: Olive oil diced onion diced pumpkin diced carrot chopped kale canned black beans, rinsed and drained diced chorizo chicken stock/water in equal amounts salt to taste I would have added garlic and celery as well, but I was chilled to the bone and desperately needed a hot shower.  Near-hypothermia is a valid reason for cutting the cooking process short. While the soup bubbled away for about 20 minutes, I grated a few ounces of cheddar (and took a hot s

Fall has barely arrived in NYC and already winter has decided to poke an icy finger into the mix.  With abnormally chilly temps and blustery winds assaulting the city today, I decided to seek refuge in what is perhaps the most comforting of all the comfort foods I know, sancoche (pronounced sang koch ) However, I was rather reluctant to post this recipe, because if you were to ask 10 sancoche aficionados exactly how it's made, you'd get about 15 different answers.  It is essentially a preparation that varies widely, depending on what's at hand.  But in the interest of side-stepping anyone who might challenge the authenticity of my recipe (at least, the way I decided to prepare it today), I am going to describe this soup as semi-sancoche. Most traditional versions include split-peas and quite a few starchy root vegetables (yams, eddoes and the like) which I have not included today, as I wanted to keep the meal somewhat light.  But even without all those yummy

For the past few days, I'd been stressing over what to prepare for Christmas Eve dinner.  I wanted to avoid laboring over a meal for countless hours when I had so many other demands on my time and energy, but at the same time, I wanted a meal that would be somewhat elegant and festive, but not crazy expensive. I know from years of experience, that when it comes to 'elegant and festive', you can choose to save time, or money, but rarely ever both. Luckily for me, inspiration struck at just the right time!  I've always loved mussels, but I found the process of cleaning and de-bearding them so laborious that I rarely ever prepared them at home.  But since the rest of this preparation was so quick and easy, I figured I could devote some time to the cleaning without too much difficulty.  As it turned out, the mussels that I found were so clean and free of debris that prepping them was a snap, taking less than half the time I anticipated. Also, to be clear, I di

Nothing like plummeting temperatures, bleak skies, and snow flurries to get me in the mood to whip up some comfort food!  On this particular night, I was inspired by a tuna casserole recipe that one of my friends posted on 'that other social network'.  I adapted the ingredients a bit to accommodate my dietary restrictions, but you can feel free to use the full-fat, full-sodium versions of any of the ingredients.  I didn't measure anything, (I rarely do) so you'll just have to wing it on that front.  Here's what went into the dish: 2 cans tuna fish, drained 1/2 package whole wheat pasta spirals 3 egg whites, beaten 2 tablespoons of Smart Balance spread grated pepper-jack cheese diced tomatoes fresh chopped parsley chopped onion fresh ground black pepper salt, to taste (I didn't use any) Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain.  Mix in all the other ingredients except for the eggs, and a couple handfuls of the cheese.  When the mixtur

Having lived in Park Slope for close to 25 years, it's an understatement to say that I've seen a lot of changes in the area.  In my opinion, the vast majority of them have been for the better, but I think the pendulum is swinging so far to the other extreme that the neighborhood is becoming completely devoid of individuality. In the Times today, Sean came across the story of this amazing artist , who captures (in perfect, miniaturized detail) some of the spirit of a rapidly disappearing New York.  And I was deeply moved to see among his works, a reproduction of a run-down coffee shop, where we spent many a hung-over weekend morning, reading the New York Post, chatting with the owner, Chris, and trading barbs with the waitress. It has long since been replaced by the expansion/upgrade of a nearby supermarket.  To be honest, the supermarket, while larger, cleaner and more modern, does have a quirkiness of its own.  But we still sorely miss this little shop, which we stubb

A few months ago, I noticed a very intriguing sign in a storefront window of an establishment under construction. The shop was to be called 'The Walk-In Cookbook'. Needless to say, my curiosity was peaked, but I resisted the urge to research the hell out of the topic and decided to wait until opening day to find out what it was all about. Today, my patience was rewarded as I sauntered into the newly-opened establishment to take a look around. The Walk In Kitchen, it appears, is kind of like an Ikea for cooking. There are brightly colored posters that feature photographs of meals, accompanied by ingredient lists and the cost of said ingredients in 2 and 4 serving iterations. There are also recipe cards, which double as shopping lists as you make your way around the store selecting from the attractively displayed produce and other food items. The layout resembles a professional kitchen, and you kind of get the feeling that a cooking class is going to start up at any minut