January 6, 1912, New Mexico was the 47th state to be admitted to the Union. And today, it is a highly foodish state indeed.
The state cookie: biscochito.( For recipe click here.)
The state veggies: chiles, and refried beans
The state question: red or green? (Chiles....)
Invented in New Mexico? The sopapilla.
See?
Listen up! In these United States anyway, whatever is signposted a "yam" in the supermarket, next to "sweet potatoes, " is also and actually a sweet potato. Yes. There are no "yams" distinct from sweet potatoes in Amurrica. The actual "yam" is a tropical African root veggie, with far less food value than the sumptuous sweet, and not at all related botanically to the sweet potato. They may be grown in Hawaii, but they rarely turn up on Thanksgiving tables. Oh, BTW, the Japanese love the sweet potato, a native of the Americas, which they enjoy in a myriad of varieties, many of them not sweet.
We poor Amurricans have to settle for three varieties, all of them sweet, none of them YAMS.
Via the talented Anne Emond
How have I missed these before? Is it because I tend to skirt the snack section of TJ's? I mean.....Providing you can exercise culinary self-control, a must for TJ cookies, pumpkin ice cream, et al, buy these. I eat 3-5 a day, if so moved. They crunch, the salt level is perfect, and my best pal, olive oil, is involved. Yes!
Photo via French Fry Diary
Just look at these slices, people---and absorb that they are made largely from organic ingredients, from local ingredients, and fired up swiftly--slices with goat cheese, caramelized onions, and adamame; pesto-infused cheese with tomatoes; shaved salami and sausage with....And so on.
The restaurant is Jules Thin Crust Pizza, named for one of the owner's kids, and the one we hit is in Wrightstown, PA . There are two other PA Jules', plus one in CA. The ambiance is "bring your kids!"
So don't come looking for romance....just crispy goodness.
Toasted roll with the New England flat sided "hotdog" roll. Fresh o fresh lobster. Butter, lemon. Cyndi's Dockside, Poland Spring, Maine.
The fish burrito I ate at this funky joint in Portland, Maine was so perfect, and so hugely generous in size, that I took half back to where I was staying, and happily ate it cold, two days later, as I drove from Maine down to a town on the Hudson River.
But right then and there, in Silly's, my nephew and I shared a divine chocolate cake slice--triple layer, people!--and barely managed to save a two inch portion for those back on the farm. Notice the way they serve the Java: pression. Impressively fresh.
Silly's has a jazzy, retro interior, and serves up drinking water in wine bottles. Fab.
New York designer Lauren Manning explored what she ate during a two year project, and ended up displaying same in 40 different ways. Pictured above? Food by color.
A Swiss website, Data Visualization, has more info on the project, though I still have no clue where this was presented.
One of Lauren's blogs is The Design Zoo.
A rare post of, err, just food! ( Because I am not a food pornish poster, typically.)
There was a faint chill in the air, enough to have pondered "risotto....." But I had just bought assorted organic maters/squashes at the growers' market. Hence, risotto with summer squash and onion/garlic, plus tomatoes with basil! Fantabulous.
Dry Riesling, too.
Green chile and apple pie? Sure--but likely only at the New Mexico State Fair Asbury Cafe, the September mecca for pie-lovers and others who turn their backs on deep-fried Twinkies and other dreck. Since 1960, Asbury Cafe volunteers have been cooking/baking their little Presbyterian/Methodist hearts out, contributing all proceeds to worthy charities in the Albuquerque area, many of them food-related.
That little piece dangling down inside the pie below? Green chile with a light bite.
August 21 is the next Pop-Up Restaurant Day, apparently, and Finns are gearing up all over the country to outdo one another with offbeat food offerings in unusual settings. ( Apparently the phenomenon has spread beyond Finland, so be on the lookout. Didn't I read about this happening in Manhattan?) See Facebook for more details.
The idea is to imagine your fave food notion, and then get it going, maybe from your bedroom, or your Mother's aging Volvo. The young woman pictured is evidently cooking in front of a railroad car/container,with a customer waiting for vittels in a comfy easy chair.
Here's mine. My Mother's (Fabled) Deviled Eggs on Demand, While They Last---Buy them from my storage unit. Sit crosslegged on the melting tarmack in the hot, desert sun. One day only!
In the tranquility of Ubud's Hotel Tjampuhan open air dining area, we ate perfect omelets, croissants, the local ( lousy) powdered Balinese coffee, fruit, and, for "dessert," Bubuh Injin or black rice pudding, a not-too-sweet treat that goes well with the excellent tea we chose, after enduring the poor coffee.
( With Sumatra and Java right next door, how is it that Bali coffee, Kopi Bali, reigns supreme? One can get fine Italian-style coffees, yes, at cafes, but not at the hotel, and non touristic restaurants.)
Bubuh Injin---Black Rice Pudding via Bali The Online Travel Guide
Ingredients...1/2 cup of black glutinous rice (see below). |
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Method...Mix the black and white glutinous rice, and rinse under running water to remove starch. |
Planning an upcoming trip, we came across this site, Airline Meals, that details what one can expect to be served on an enormous list of airlines. Food matters, right? Especially on long journeys.
Zowie. This one makes the Best of 2011, week 18, economy meal via Thai Airways.
Full disclosure: I was trying out the Typepad app on my new phone June 20, and just tossed this up, willy-nilly. But today I can add....superb plate of scallops on mixed grains with yellow beets from Artichoke Cafe, Albuquerque. The AC has been excellent for years, but in some ways is beginning to look a tad rough around the edges. Maybe it needs a paintjob. Can't quite put my finger on it. My lunch companion ordered artichoke ravioli, and offered me one, after which there were only 3 ?? left on the plate. That's a bit skimpy, even though the rav were rich.
I gave her a scallop.
Whoa! Cruising through the small town of Fruita, CO, today, after changing drivers, on our way from Ouray to Moab, Utah, we began to see bikes everywhere--actual bikes, bike signage, bike sculpture, and finally, a funky-looking bike w/tomato sign for an eatery that simply drew us in. Hot Tomato Cafe.
Then the friendly staffers, the vibrant feel, and the Granny's Pesto Pizza sealed the deal. We bought, we ate, we swooned, we reckoned that the locals, who began to stream in about 5:30, felt the same way.
What a find, especially when not looking for anything at all. ( To eat, that is. We were in search of fruit production stories from the area. More on that to come.)
Turns out Fruita, a town settled as a center for fruit-growing---who knew?---is today a major mountain bike center, and the cafe itself was the inspiration of a biker and a biker/bike photographer.
Did they know that the tomato is a fruit?
Likely they did. They live in Fruita, so yes.
Here is the inestimable Granny Pesto, a pie with feta as well as mozzarella, thin-crusted and generously loaded with basil-rich sauce and multitudes of tomato.
We intended to take the pizza--2 giant slices-- with us on down the road to Moab, for eating later. Having taken it "out," we sniffed the box, opened it, and sat in our parked vehicle, scarfing it down right then and there, offering bits of crust to our eager terrier whose vocabulary includes the words "pizza night."
White House Honey Gastrique
Tuna Tartare with Rye Crisps
Pickled Young Carrots and mustard Oil
Spring Pea Salad
Shaved Ham and Ginger Snaps
Petite Filet
With Maryland Crab Ravioli
Wild Ramp Puree
Apple Strudel
Golden Raisins and Topfe
Am I wrong or are ramps not always wild? The wild leek? They are lovely to look at, for sure.
Ramp photo and fine info are available via Amy Cotler.
