Anna Steve Papoutsakis

Economy Hits the Street Meat

Last night I was in the city for an event and afterwards my friend and I headed to our favorite cheap eats spot - 53rd and 6th.  The line was a bit shorter than in outings past, but that accounted for a number of factors - it was before 9:00 PM, it was a Monday night, etc.

We paid our $6 per platter of mixed lamb and chicken, rice, "salad," and pita bread with the famous white sauce and hot sauce on the side since we were taking it to go, or rather, walking it around the block.

As we drank beers from paper bags and dug into our platters, I felt mine tasted a little off.  There was something missing.  My girlfriend said the meat wasn't spiced as well, and she had a point.  Normally I add the white sauce to mine because it tastes good, not because the dish desperately needs it.  Last night it needed it.  The portion was also skimpier - the quantity of meat was fine, but there seemed to be much less rice, the salad was just lettuce no tomatoes (which is fine because tomatoes aren't in season).  I can almost never finish a platter because there is so much food, but last night I tore through it.

Looking at this meal, I think the economy is affecting my dear, dear street meat.  Some joy has been lost from my $6 platter.

I Can Phyllo It

I have been bitten by the Greek cooking bug.  I suppose it stems from all the recent tasty Easter events and all the fellow Greeks I have been around but I can't help it.  One of my goals is life is to create amazing homemade phyllo dough.  My mom promised to teach me, and I recently learned of an old-school method to creating the dough.

LARD

I really want to make my phyllo dough with lard, it will be glorious.

Now am I going to wait for my mother, or will I self-teach.  I still need to decide on that one.

Flip Sides

So I finally tried the Flip Sides crackers from Keebler.  Absolutely delectable, just shy of filling my Mr. Phipp's craving, but not quite.  The cracker side is buttery, and the pretzel side is crunchy and sweet, without being too hard. 

I wonder if I should start a petition - BRING BACK MR. PHIPPS!

Lenten Feast

I have been a bad, bad blogger, not having posted in a few weeks.  I am going to pull the religion card on that one.  Greek (Eastern) Orthodox Easter was this past Sunday, April 27th.  Somewhere, sometime growing up my priest said we could be more American/Catholic-like and give up something we love as opposed to the usual meat fast.

This year I chose to give up a bad habit of mine - hot chocolate and whipped cream.  Particularly the whipped cream.  At Starbucks, we make it fresh basically every hour, depending on demand.  Everytime time over the past 40 days, it was torture piling it on to a Frappuccino or garnishing another beverage.  Then one of my favorite snacks was to make short hot chocolate, fill it only about half way, then fill the rest with whipped cream.  Then of course I would layer the whipped cream and eat it with a spoon, repeating the process until the hot chocolate was gone.  This naturally was a disgusting and highly caloric habit, but naturally one I enjoyed immensely.

I was sad on Easter Sunday when no one brought me a can of whipped cream.  I got over it yesterday, though, as I went out and got my own (not working at Starbucks for a few days, so at least I am not being tempted there).

Amid the hot chocolate and whipped cream fast, I enjoyed this Lenten season and of course, Greekster.  My family hosted over 60 people in our home and the menu was rockin'.  Spit-roasted lamb, potatoes, Greek sausages, Spanakopita, Tyropita, Cheese, Dolmades, Hummus, Souvlakia, Pickled Beets, Eggplant, Salad, Pita Bread, etc. etc.  I miss it already. :(

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

This year is major in New York baseball as it is the last year that both Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium will be open.  I am looking forward to the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, and baseball aside, I am especially curious about the new eats.

I will probably be lynched for saying it, but right now, I feel Shea has the better food selection and it more representative of a New York food experience.  The fact that I am a Mets fan probably negates my credibility, but at the end of the day, I am a food fan.  Yankee Stadium has slim pickings.  Sure, it's all about the game, but who really goes to a game and doesn't get ANYTHING? 

Whatever the case, I am looking forward to some new options.

Mr. Phipp's Sequel

I think America has finally spoken.  Townhouse has a new answer to my Mr. Phipp's obsession that I need to try.  It certainly will not be the answer, but I hope I like the product more than the sunflower oil saturated (in flavor) pretzel flat chips I found at King's supermarket.

They're called FlipSides and I totally need to try them.  It's half pretzel/half cracker.  If the pretzel is flat and the cracker is buttery like regular Townhouse crackers I will be obsessed.

Punjabi

I have been craving Indian food like crazy lately.  I think it has to do with the fact that I am no longer eating it once a week. 

Last night I made a tasty chicken curry which was surprisingly easy to put together.  I still can't get over all the spice combinations.  Normally I think using a lot of different spices take away from a dish, but there is something about Indian food that it all just works.

My sister and I were talking about Indian food.  And as usual she emphasized her love of saag paneer.  I think she was a bit offended when I teased her that it's punjabi cream spinach.

My next project is to perfect a Dal recipe.  I love the yellow lentils I used to eat at Minar, and I am going to try my best to replicate the dish.  I need to hit up an ethnic food store.  What are curry leaves?  I need those...

A Slight Obsession

I did something for the first time.  It's the kind of thing that makes me wonder if I have a problem.  I bought Maltesers straight from England on eBay.

My brother-in-law went to London a few months back and all I asked for was chocolate - Maltesers and Cadbury Dairy Milk.  He didn't bring me a little bag, he brought me several bags and a giant bucket.  With some restraint, I went through the bucket in about two months.  I still have the Dairy Milk, but that's because I also recently found some Lacta, so I am going through that first.  I was proud of myself.  There is something about candies and confections from England, even when it's just regular old drug store candy that is so much better than what you get here in the United States.  Not to say our country doesn't have exceptions, like Snickers, which tastes way better on this side of the pond. 

Back to Maltesers.  I absolutely love the candies.  They are a high quality diamond, compared to the cubic zirconium you get in this country with Whoppers.  The chocolate is better, the malted middle is tastier, etc.  The other kind of fun part is that in the UK they are marketed as a lower calorie snack alternative, sort of like how 3 Musketeers are here.  I think I will restrain myself from opening the box,though.  Greek Orthodox lent started last Monday, I feel it's only right to went until Easter (April 27) to partake in those delights.

Mr. Phipp's Pretzel Chips

Mr. Phipp's Pretzel Chips were one of my favorite snacks growing up.  Sometime in the late 90s Nabisco pulled them from shelves and I have never recovered. 

There are a few more Chip-like pretzels out on the market these days, but still nothing comes close enough to what Nabisco had.

Pretzel Crisps are one brand that are tolerable, but again, it's just not the same.  They come in five varieties, but with flavors like garlic and everything, it's almost as if they are a bagel chip alternative.  After all these years I can still distinguish the difference between them and Mr. Phipp's. 

Harry and David also have a variety, but again, they are similar to Pretzel Crisps.  Mr. Phipp's was disc shaped, which I feel is a key factor in texture.

Well, enough complaining, if someone out there knows a good alternative, hit me up.

The Sear Truth

A segment on the Today Show set me off this morning.  What bothers me more was the chef appeared to be fairly prominent.  I only say appeared to be because I was not completely paying attention to who it was, but he seemed kind of important.

He was cooking some sort of lamb dish and began cooking by searing the lamb.  He explained the purpose of the searing was to seal in the juices.

Wrong, wrong, wrong!

That is a common misconception in the food world and for some reason it just annoys me.  Food science has show there is no chemical reaction that causes the caramelization of that meat to keep those juices locked in like prisonsers until they are busted out by the cut of a knife.  It's almost common sense.  If they were really sealing juices in, woudln't cutting into the meat if it's not cooked properly cause some sort of juice explosing?  Searing, my friends, does only that - it caramelizes the meat, adding flavor. 

I guess I can look up an article or journal to prove this all to you, but as annoyed as I am, I am too lazy to.  Happy misconceived cooking.