Kale Update

Well...after Sunday one bunch of kale was polished off, and I am quickly and surely making my way through the second bunch of kale.  Let me tell you that it seems I will continue to be stocking up on kale weekly.  It's just as good raw as steamed or sauteed, and shichimi togirashi (Japanese seven-spice) works really well with both kale and zucchini.  I find that the intensity and texture of the kale compliments the watery mushiness of steamed zucchini.

Pumpkin Market

With my friend in tow for a day of adventure, I decided this past weekend that it was the perfect opportunity to test out Pumpkin Market, from which I had been receiving non-stop tweets about awesome local produce and organic products but have been unable to explore.  Well...their french pressed coffee was absolutely fantastic.  I got the Tanzania Peaberry, and it had the bold yet bright flavors I have come to expect from good, well-brewed African coffees without too much of a citrusy note like a Kenya or a Sidamo from Starbucks might contain.  Don't get me wrong; I love Starbucks' coffee, but I am more of a dirt-Sumatra and muddy, earthy Komodo dragon sort of person.  The clerk was absolutely wonderful to chat with about the coffees, smoothies (which my friend ordered and adored) and the gigantic vegan cookies, which we had to buy for some post-dinner savoring.  I recommend if you are in Philadelphia around south street, or not, that you come check it out.  It not only has amazingly fresh and fairly-traded beverages and foods made with love, but also fresh produce more likely to be labeled local than not local as only a few things (bananas and lemons for instance) are.  In the fall spirit, since it is my favorite season, I purchased a locally-produced and jarred pumpkin butter with the name of the family involved in its production as well as the farm clearly stated on the label.  I love this city!

Lovely autumnal facade, no?

Last Night's Adventure

Yesterday I had the pleasure of not only hosting but cooking for a good friend visiting on her weekend off from academia.  I made stuffed acorn squash, since i had them and all the ingredients on hand from having made the stuffed peppers, so there is no real need for a new recipe post.  I used kidney beans as opposed to black beans and added the goodness of kale which I had purchased from the farmers' market that morning.

Funny story actually...I picked up a bunch of kale which looked small sitting next to all of the other loosely bound greens, so I decided to purchase a second bunch as well.  It doesn't all fit in the fridge back in the dorm.  Therefore, I resorted to putting a bunch of it on top of the microwave for snacking.  Note that the bunch you see on top is a result of having used quite a bit of it for dinner yesterday evening.  Once you unbind a bunch of kale...it really gets a lot bigger.  Just remember that!

My First Attempt at Collegiate Cuisine

This opportunity came to be via the Penn Vegetarian Society deciding that a veg-love potluck was in order for last night's meeting along with riveting discussions and movie-watching.  I was a little hesitant at first never having "cooked" in the college environment and a little fearful of the sketchy kitchen two floors below my room with a countertop version of a convection oven supplementing a perfectly good oven as part of the stove unit.  I was not sure what to expect.  Having raided the free fruits and veggies given as part of the "Eat Local Challenge" day on Tuesday, I was prepared with all sorts of bell peppers, and my apple stock returned to an acceptable level for possibly the rest of the week!

Time Restaurant

Tonight I went out for restaurant week at Time in Center City Philadelphia.  It was seriously some of the best eats I have had in a long time, even with my yummy farmers' market excursions and other miscellaneous foodie adventures. Since it was restaurant week, the chef was truly in charge of what we received; we only got to choose three of the five courses, which is all the better for me!

We began the evening's culinary affairs with beverages and a plate of soft bread and fresh, extra virgin, and quite fruity olive oil, infused with dollops of aged balsamic vinegar.  Now I am not necessarily a fan of balsamic vinegar, but this really was not so bad.  Unfortunately the bread did not have a crispy crust as I have come to require all breads I enjoy to muster; however, the olive oil penetrated the somewhat fine crumb well and allowed for a delicate rush of fruitiness and sweetness in the process of chewing.  It was a nice way to prep the palate for other mediterranean affairs to follow.

Farmers' Market Spoils

Last night around oh...11 or so I decided to cut up the cantaloupe from the farmers' market in Clark Park that I bought and have been saving for a "special occasion," meaning the munchies that accompany any and all late-night homework fests.  I split it open and whipped out the camera right away: it was a petit and gorgeous melon that I simply needed to preserve on my blog forever.  It was not too, too sweet for a cantaloupe and had a refreshing effect after the sweetness and crispness of several gala apples from the market (which are the best I have had in the longest time!)  So yes, I did end up eating the entire cantaloupe, since it was just that tasty.  I can't wait for my next farm market excursion to find another jewel like this melon!

A post on gala apples will follow eventually: do not fear.

Clark Park Market & Baltimore Ave.

Today at 10am a fellow PVS (Penn Vegetarian Society) member trekked along Baltimore Avenue in order to admire and purchase the excellent produce and baked goods available in Clark Park thanks to the several local farms.  I for one bought about six or seven pounds of perfect gala apples for the week to come as well as a cantaloupe, squash, and some other goodies for snacking.  We saw one stand which was maintained by and obtained produce from a local high school's urban farming initiative: that to me says loads about what our country can do with such a food crisis upon us, the fast food crisis.  It amazed both of us and gave us hope for the culinary future of America in that kids today are beginning to understand the importance of natural, fresh food and that high school students are able to provide fresh, organic produce to their local weekend farmers' market!  This is a project both of us are very interested in becoming a part of here in Philadelphia, and I hope that this trend has invaded other urban and suburban environments as well.

The gala apples were gorgeous, firm, and authentically natural with the blemishes and deformities of being produced both locally and sustainably: ideal for my consumption!  I had to buy a mini pumpkin-styled squash, since it's about time for me to get into the fall mood, and what better way to do so than to put this squash on my desk in my room and eventually include it in a pilaf or a soup or a stew that I eventually craft in my rice cooker?




As we continued down Baltimore Ave, we came into contact with countless ethnic markets that provided Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Thai, and other culinary goods for the home cook at pretty competitive prices.  They literally lined the streets and were perched on several intersections along the hippie avenue.  We also scouted out some places that were mentioned to us at a recent PVS meeting and acquired menus from all of the ones we wanted to come back to in the future.  They included the Vietnam Cafe, a pan-Indian restaurant focused mainly on northern Indian cuisine, another Vietnamese food establishment, several Ethiopian eateries, one of which was closed, and an African breakfast/lunch place that specialized in having a blackboard and menu full of both vegan and raw items for those who choose to follow such strict eating habits.  I personally do not consume dairy or eggs unless they are unsubstituted in baked goods which I do not produce myself (I use alternatives), but I just can't give up my love of fish in order to be a vegan: it's not worth it to me at this point.

We decided to end our westward voyage after finding and barging into the Mariposa Food Co-op, which was accurately described to us as the most peace-loving, tree-hugging, organic, earthbound, and hippie-frequented joint in all of the wild world of Philadelphia.  I kid you not; this place was off the hippie chart!  Without describing their easily-fulfilled requirements for membership and ridiculously cheap prices for members of the co-op, dirt-poor earth-dwellers can easily scrounge up the spare change to become members and work off their debts to the store behind the register and the operation as a whole.  Their prices are insanely low, and I benefited in buying a bag of dried black mission figs - one of my absolute favorite fruits/snack foods both moist and dry.  I will be going back as a proxy shopper for a friend and may have to reap the benefits of direct membership myself.  Who wouldn't like to work in such an incredibly satisfying and simultaneously comical environment.  Just remember...they have a no-cash policy.  Yes, that's right: a no cash policy, even though most places won't let you use a credit card for less than a ten dollar purchase.  It just goes to show you that these lovely people with their clipboard of members' accounts really just try to make everything work for everyone.  Check out the awesome refrigerated section and the sketchy yet totally organic jars of spices sitting on the shelves that you open up and write down what you got from a crooked label fitted onto the side of the jar with a price-per-pound haphazardly stuck on...nothing beats this food co-op!

 Beautiful Artisanal Loaves at a Corner Bakery

PhoCali in Chinatown

This past weekend I had the pleasure of joining a friend in Center City for an afternoon of excursions originally intended to be a Chinatown lunch...somewhere.  This flipped back and forth between dim sum and not dim sum, and we decided due to timing that it would be best to hold of on dim sum for another time (earlier) and with possibly more friends in tow.  We began our adventures in Reading Terminal Market, browsing some food books and sampling some Tai from the sushi place.  I love the taste of red snapper; it's one of my absolute favorites offered around here, and it was fresh and tasty to say the least.  Though expensive, that sushi bar consistently delivers quality seafood if you order the right things, and they give the perfect portion sizes for individual pieces of sashimi.  They're not too big like so many other places (this is America after all) but provide enough of a mouthful to satisfy.  As we accepted our economically non-friendly styrofoam, my friend leaned over and whispered that the man and his wife behind the counter were complaining about a pair of customers (who looked like they deserved it) in Vietnamese....  This one event literally made my day.  As we laughed about that and downed our tai, we strolled around the market and decided to try PhoCali in Chinatown for a little bit of SE Asian comfort food: pho, but of course!

As we opened the door to PhoCali, we turned towards each other and out mouthes dropped wide open: the smell was incredible!  I had not smelled the aromas of Asian home cooking since the last time I made some sort of SE Asian styled food for myself during the summer.  The star anise and cinnamon nearly knocked me off of my feet in a good way, and my stomach instantly rumbled uncontrollably.  She and I sat down and swiftly ordered our pho.  I had shrimp pho and she had beef pho with flank and tripe.  We added condiments from the piled herbs and bean sprouts placed between us and the varied bottles set on the windowsill above our heads.  It was a very casual experience and some AMAZING pho.  The rice noodles were thin and long, allowing for maximum "slurpage," and we both could not stop commenting on the pleasantly spiced broth that perfectly seasoned the noodles.  So as we sweated our way through the meal from hot soup and sriracha sauce, the pho really did its trick as a Vietnamese comfort food, moreso than a roast chicken with potatoes and green beans ever could in my book.



We then finished our adventure with a SEPTA ride to Whole Foods on south street where we picked up some university necessities: she got pancake mix and I got a bunch of vegetarian soups and Old Wessex 5 grain multigrain hot cereal (a post on its perfection will follow), as well as at least 5 pounds of gala (yay) apples grown locally which were amazingly cheap for a whole foods chain.

Pennfest '09 and the President's Welcome Desserts

Well Pennfest was the other night, and they had countless tables set up of vendors from the University City district's various food options.  And, needless to say, I and a friend roamed the tables and gorged ourselves silly! The things that they made readily available to us as students were amazingly tasty:
Pod - salmoncado rolls; spicy, crunchy tuna rolls, philly rolls (which I don't like)
Chipotle - taco with pork or beef, lettuce, guacamole, tomato salsa, cheese
Sang Kee - potstickers, spring rolls
Korean sushi, cotton candy, Philly soft pretzels (random stalls of school clubs)
Papa John's pizza
Philadelphia Water Ice
Jimmy John's - turkey sub (which had mayonnaise on it so I did not partake)
a deli around the corner: roast beef, corned beef, some other kind of beef, and honey turkey which could be made into sandwiches on the spot
Lovers & Madmen coffee - rum maple scones and iced coffee
Cream & Sugar - zucchini bread, the best pumpkin bread I've had in a LONG time, peanut butter fudge, chocolate fudge, vanilla fudge, bagels with veggie cream cheese spread
Mid-Atlantic Restaurant - my personal favorite with mini vegan scrapple sliders (mix of mushrooms, barley, rice, carrots, peppers, etc. to make a really tasty scrapple...it actually tasted like a healthy scrapple)
Houston Hall - baja beans, poblano rice, mini tacos, meat wraps, pork wraps, tomato salsa, chipotle-tomatillo salsa...no pico de gallo which I had hoped to taste
Asian American Student Union - free pens, oodles of different Asian-inspired and authentically Asian desserts
Environmental Club - vegan marshmallows, vegan chocolate, graham crackers (best marshmallows I have ever eaten in my entire life; no joke) and delicious vegan cinnamon-pecan marshmallows = heavenly

Unfortunately due to the upperclassmen whose meal plans have not started, I was unable to partake in the President's dessert feast after convocation except for bananas, pineapples, marble cake, and rice crispy treats dunked in the chocolate and white chocolate fountains.  There was some fruit that topped shortcake that I ate as well (without the cake part, the fruit was sweet and desserty enough for me).  I also had a piece of a biscotto that had been overlooked.  It wasn't bad but I really wanted to try the creme brulee or the tira misuor even the eclairs...oh well probably next year I'll have my own revenge ^_^!

Note the lack of dessert in the picture of the place where it should have been for me....

 

 However, the ice center piece with surrounding fondue fountains was rather spectacular.

 

 

Last Newtownian Dinner

I am going to skip over the past couple of nights' dinners for brevity and the fact that I am moving into my dorm tomorrow!  The past few nights have yielded some classic meals about which I have posted in the past and a less-than-perfect trip of Isaac Newton's in town.  I'm sure I'll review it in a post to come, but tonight's dinner was something extra-special.  It was a porcini-dusted monkfish fillet atop a sauteed bed of spinach, roasted red peppers, and a mushroom assortment with a side of polenta.

The polenta was very corny, as its definition states, and was made with stock, nonfat milk, and a touch of grated Parmesan cheese to give a little bit of creamy richness that paired so wonderfully with the sauteed spinach.  The spinach retained some of its bittery greenness, for which I was thankful, since it was offset by the excellent roasty sweetness of the bell pepper and the earthiness of the mushrooms.  The mushrooms brought down the creamy nature of the polenta, so the two sside dishes worked in perfect tandem.  The monkfish was definitely the star of the show without being exceptionally overpowering.  It was a fantastic display of my dad's intrinsic artistic talent to grind dried porcini mushrooms and spices and coat the fish with that mixture before lightly sauteing it.  The crispy spice-coat was exceptional and provided contrast from the firm, juicy fish that allowed the mushrooms to shine throughout the dining experience.  They really provided a base that tied everything together and allowed the spinach, peppers, and polenta to give their unique flavors to the pallet.  The fish was tender yet firm and was perfect for sauteing.  This light Mediterranean was a truly excellent and unique, as in we've never had specifically that combination before, way to end my adventures in Newtown and to embark upon new culinary experiences in my world of academia....