eG Foodblog: hathor - Big Apple Blog

[Jake]

It rather resembles pond scum too, hathor!

[ms. victoria]

hathor, this is a lovely blog. I am envious of your wild turkey and eagerly awaiting your description of its awaiting culinary adventure. Pond Scum. It reminds of that drink Rene Russo's character chugs for breakfast in the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair.

How often are you a "there" cook in Italy?

[hathor]

hathor, this is a lovely blog. I am envious of your wild turkey and eagerly awaiting your description of its awaiting culinary adventure. Pond Scum. It reminds of that drink Rene Russo's character chugs for breakfast in the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair.

How often are you a "there" cook in Italy?

Good morning Miss V! I know I thought the same thing when I saw the Thomas Crown Affair, who knows, the cult of Pond Scum may be spreading...

As for being 'there' in Italy, the last few years we've been there about 6 times a year, with some long holiday weeks for Christmas and in August for the town's big festa. Christmas holiday the past few years has been especially wonderful because lots of family comes, both from my side and my husbands. We all are very different, but have a great time when we come together. There have been some amazing ravioli fests in that kitchen! I am supremely blessed and lucky to have such a great family, and every single one of us loves to EAT!!! There is a thread on eG for the past few days about the worst cook in your family. I can honestly say, of the ones that do cook (some are designated eaters and washer uppers), they are all great cooks. Some of my favorite memories are gatherings of the clan in the kitchen, chopping, dicing and chattering. To me, the kitchen is the heart of the house.

[Jake]

What town in Italy, hathor?

[phaelon56]

For you urbanites that aren't able to use a smoker.... consider trying these Finnish

Savu Smoker Bags

I'm told they they actually work reasonably well - perhaps not as effective as a real smoker but good enough to lend a genuine smokiness to the food. Great blog thus far - I'm really enjoying it. What is the "pond scum" in the jar? Somehow I missed the description of that. NYC deli espresso - yuck. Give me a cafe au lait (I think they call it a "cortadido"?) from a Spanish luncheonette any day - way better than bad espresso and about $1 most places.

[reesek]

Give me a cafe au lait (I think they call it a "cortadido"?) from a Spanish luncheonette any day - way better than bad espresso and about $1 most places.

when i was in spain it was called a cafe cortado - though cortadito would just mean - very little milk. i am so jealous...seattle has excellent coffee, but it's hard to get a cortado just the way i like it (spanish) i think the boxed milk is a critical component.

hathor - great blog so far...! that white bean and shrimp salad looked divine!

[aliwaks]

Bella is aptly named....ooh you are making me miss NYC so much...Phila just isn't the same.. try finding a Tavel Rose anywhere.

and all the shopping Chelsea Market sigh...can't wait to see what you get at the green market this week.!

[hathor]

ARRRGGGHHH!!! Our server has been down the whole day, some little red wire decided it just didn't want to connect any more!!

Our office is in the Garment Center, or to be more polictically correct as the Garment Center is shrinking, I think we are now considered Times Sq. South, anyway, its pretty much a culinary wasteland, and we usually need to eat pretty quickly, so we order up. Today was panini day: portobello mushroom, tomato and mozzeralla, and another one that was a chicken combination. Both were pretty good, but not at all photogenic. Lunch discussion was about what flowers can we possibly plant that deer won't eat. It's pretty much a rhetorical discussion because...deer will eat anything!!!! They are so brazen they climb up on the deck to see what's for lunch. I'm waiting for the day they knock on the door and ask for some salad dressing....

This deli espresso is pretty much rock bottom, but its still better than Starbucks... and I needed to get up here to the office to post the photos. Taking one for the blog, sort of.

The Savu Smoker bag looks interesting, not sure I understand how it works, but I guess the Finns would have a handle on how to make a smoker.

Jake, our house in Umbria in a very small borgo called Montone. Its a medival walled city that really is like stepping back in time. Except of course that the town has a website! But...if you live there you have to contend with nearly medieval dial up connections and you never be able to see the website at all!! Here's the link, I think there is a way to translate it into English. Montone

Umbria is in the center of Italy, the 'green heart', and it gets very little notice from the culinary world, which is very undeserved. Cooking here is very clean and simple, so you better have outstanding ingredients. Within the walls, there are only about 600 inhabitants, but 3 excellent restaurants, and one great pizza/pasta joint just outside the walls. I have a significant crush on the butcher in town...hmm, I think I see a pattern here. People come from all over for his sausage. Occasionally he will make a sausage that is just meant to be stewed with lentils. Its fattier than usual, and makes an incredible winter meal.

Speaking of fattier, I need to get to the gym. So, I'm off to Brooklyn for a workout.

'later!

[GG Mora]

Pocket Coffees sound wonderful...but, I have a problem. I can't eat chocolate. I can hear the groans of sympathy, and dis-belief. I've suffered from migraines since I was little, and chocolate is a major trigger for them. Could be worse, could be red wine. Now, that would be tragic!

I'd say you got off easy.

[hathor]

Pocket Coffees sound wonderful...but, I have a problem. I can't eat chocolate. I can hear the groans of sympathy, and dis-belief.  I've suffered from migraines since I was little, and chocolate is a major trigger for them. Could be worse, could be red wine. Now, that would be tragic! 

I'd say you got off easy.

I thank the wine gods with an appropriate offering every evening!

[winesonoma]

What we need are pocket red wines.

[KatieLoeb]

Bella is aptly named....ooh you are making me miss NYC so much...Phila just isn't the same.. try finding a Tavel Rose anywhere.

and all the shopping Chelsea Market sigh...can't wait to see what you get at the green market this week.!

Indeed Bella is aptly named. A gorgeous Abyssinian if I see correctly. Always wanted a puma-baby but satisfied myself with a house sized snow leopard (Ocicat) instead.

Hathor and Ali, please stop by Rouge for a glass of rose. We're currently serving the Domaine de la Courtade L'Alycastre and it's delicious. I actually like it better than the Tavel. Pale salmon color, lovely nose - perfect sitting-in-the-sunshine wine. My latest fave on the list next to the Vouvray.

Hathor, you are one serious huntress-gatherer! I'm duly impressed! And she bikes to Manhattan! A renaissance woman if ever there was one...

[docsconz]

As cool as this blog is and it is very cool, I would love to see the blog from Umbria

[Pan]

Hathor, how close is your job to 32 St. and Broadway? Failing that, 35 St. and Broadway?

[hathor]

What we need are pocket red wines.

Sounds like a very good idea... of course, with the appropriate link so that eGullet gets their cut!

[hathor]

Indeed Bella is aptly named. A gorgeous Abyssinian if I see correctly. Always wanted a puma-baby but satisfied myself with a house sized snow leopard (Ocicat) instead.

Bella is molta bella...she's all woman! Yes, she's an Abby..her mom is a Somali, which is a long haired Abyssinian. She would be perfectly happy with lots of mascara and some stilettos.

Hope we see you tommorow if you are feeling better. Do you really own a snow leopard?? A real snow leopard?

Hopefully we will see you tommorow at Rouge if you are feeling better. I would love a rose...its the perfect time of year to break out the rose!

[hathor]

As cool as this blog is and it is very cool, I would love to see the blog from Umbria

I would love to blog from Umbria...but, life is too short. The dial up connection is beyond slow. We (as in a group of us townspeople) are petitioning to get some sort of DSL connection. My idea of soon was next week, the phone company's idea of soon was a few years...

[hathor]

Got back from the gym in one piece, and took a lovely photo from the Manhattan Bridge...but I can't resize it. Does anyone know how to resize a photo using iPhoto? I can do on the PC, but I'm stumped as to how to do it on my Mac. Thanks.

Dinner for 2 tonight. I had some thinly sliced sirloin that I pounded as flat as possible. While I was doing that I heated up the oven, very hot about 525 F. and put in a metal serving plate that was coated in a little EVOO. As that was all getting nice and hot, I steamed some fresh peas, made some cous cous with sauteed shallots and heated up a small amount of olive oil.

Very carefully, I put the meat directly onto the plate, about 20 seconds later, gave the meat a quick flip. On the stove, I poured some chopped rosemary, shallots and garlic into the oil. Be careful...it foams up, use a deep saucepan. Quickly pulled the meat out, poured the olive oil over it, and dinner was served! The buttered peas were delicious, I can almost never bring myself to cook them as they taste so good raw. If I figure out iPhoto thing, I'll post the photos later.

Tommorow we head to Phila to pick up our son from school. First we had to adjust to being 'empty nesters'...now we have to adjust to having him back! Its been so nice...not so much laundry, we can find the TV remote, all the glasses are in the cabinet instead of his room...but, I'm sure we'll adjust just fine!

[hathor]

Hathor, how close is your job to 32 St. and Broadway? Failing that, 35 St. and Broadway?

very, very close. 40th and 7th...why do you ask??

[bloviatrix]

Hathor, how close is your job to 32 St. and Broadway? Failing that, 35 St. and Broadway?

very, very close. 40th and 7th...why do you ask??

That's a dangerous neighborhood to work in with all the sample sales.

[Pan]

Hathor, how close is your job to 32 St. and Broadway? Failing that, 35 St. and Broadway?

very, very close. 40th and 7th...why do you ask??

Because it's not a culinary wasteland for Korean food.

[hathor]

Hathor, how close is your job to 32 St. and Broadway? Failing that, 35 St. and Broadway?

very, very close. 40th and 7th...why do you ask??

Because it's not a culinary wasteland for Korean food.

Good point! The problem is that we need a delivery place, as lunch break isn't much more than 15 or 20 minutes. Can you reccomend a place?

[Pan]

I've never tried getting delivery from any of the Little Korea places, but a check on http://newyork.citysearch.com/ shows that Han Bat delivers:

53 W 35TH St

New York, NY 10001-2225

Phone: (212) 629-5588

Here's a link to their page on www.menupages.com, where you can have a look at their menu:

Han Bat

[ruthcooks]

I can't believe there actually exists someone who eats pond scum!

My alter-ego, Miss Marigold, talks about it in one of our conversations on my website Miss Marigold and the Pork Foam

[hathor]

I can't believe there actually exists someone who eats pond scum!

My alter-ego, Miss Marigold, talks about it in one of our conversations on my website Miss Marigold and the Pork Foam

Well! And the cult of Pond Scum grows, but I believe my scum comes from specially slimed ponds in Oregon. Mmmm...stagnant water....