The Day After

     It has become a post-Thanksgiving tradition to have a special meal on the Friday after.  Invariably there is left over turkey in the refrigerator, along with cranberry sauce.  So we have adapted a recipe graciously provided 10 years ago by the Ocean Spray Company.  With minimal effort a nourishing and creative meal helps to alleviate some of the left overs.  It necessitates little prep time and even less clean up.  Here it is:

Smoked Turkey and Cranberry Gourmet Pizza

Ingredients:

16 oz pre-cooked Boboli pizza crust (we prefer to use 2 of the smaller 10 oz size)

16 oz can Ocean Spray Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

3/4 cup sliced green onion

8 oz package shredded Monteray Jack cheese

1/4 pound left over turkey, cut into thin strips

Preheat oven to 375F.  Place Boboli on an ungreased baking pan.  Spread cranberry sauce evenly over the Boboli.  Sprinkle with green onion and cheese.  Top with turkey.

Bake for 10 minutes or until heated through and cheese has melted.

Once you give it a try it will become a tradition in your household, too!!!

Take your pick!

     Once again the Po'boy festival in New Orleans was the premier event of the year!  It was just a bit chilly this time around, however.  But the alligator sausage kept me warm!

Just another Po'boy

     I'm currently sitting in a very nice food court at Philadelphia International Airport waiting for a flight down to The Crescent City, New Orleans.  It's another tough assignment for me, to do more culinary research at the Po'boy Festival there on Sunday.  While the possibilities of food in the airport has improved drastically over the years, it can't hold a candle to the kinds of food I'm anticipating in my stay in NOLA:  muffelettas, beignets, char broiled oysters, fried soft shell crabs, jambalaya and gumbo are just a few that are making my mouth water as I write.

     So please be patient with me as I work hard to investigate the culinary delights of the Big Easy and report back to you upon my return!

Vinny

Breakfast Pizza

    I can remember back to my post-college days and the typical Friday night meal of pizza and beer.  Then, on Saturday breakfast would be the left over slices (and crusts).  That was mostly by convenience and not by design.


     But in Lackawanna County up near Scranton, PA there's the borough of Old Forge that serves an interesting pizza with unusual toppings, including eggs and breakfast meats for a morning meal.  Old Forge Pizza comes in single or double-crusted, red or white and is more American in character than the Mediterranean style of which we are accustomed.  It contains a sunny tomato sauce, cheese that tastes like a mild blend of Italian and American varieties, and a uniquely puffed up crust that develops because the pie is made in a pan well greased with peanut oil.

I wonder if they deliver on Saturday mornings?

Norfolk=Butter

     Jane & Michael Stern communicate to America about their cross-country food adventures on their weekly NPR program, "The Splendid Table."  They also employ the printed word with a publication entitled "The Lexicon of Real American Food."  It's been an easy read for me.  I'm enjoying their assessment of food around this great country of ours.  So for the next several days I will highlight some excerpts from their book.

     Norfolk, Virginia is located in the Tidewater area of that state.  Seafood is plentiful and on the menu of practically every restaurant there.  Reading down the list of delicious items there is a lot from which to choose.  But each one, whether it be crabs, oysters or scallops,  has the identical suffix, "Norfolk."  To the uninitiated that is code for butter.  When your meal arrives at the table expect to find  it swimming in the butter in which it has been sauteed.  There may be a dash of lemon and a bit of spice, but nothing more than that.  The only possible improvement on this bliss is when the crab is joined in its saute pan by nuggets of Virginia ham. 

By any other name

     The daikon radish is known by a variety of monikers.  Numerous cultures lend their name to it.  Most commonly called the Japanese radish, the Chinese, Korean, as well as other Asian nations lend their title to the white radish.  It is also called mooli and lo-bok.

      There are many varieties of daikon but the most common resembles a parsnip, the shape of a giant carrot 8-14" long.  Other varieties look more like a turnip.

      And the uses for the daikon are just as varied.  They can be used raw and grated in salads or shredded into kimchi or pickled whole.  A welcome addition in stir fry they can also be cooked into radish cakes and radish chips.  Simmered they enhance soups with their mellow flavor.  And finally, their leaves can be eaten as a green vegetable.

     As an added plus, diakon radishes are low in calories and provide 34% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.

     So no matter what you call it, it should be a part of your cultural culinary experience!

Of the place

     The weeks, no months, of anticipation were finally over!  On Wednesday I had in my hands the actual menu for the best Italian restaurant in all of New York City, Del Posto, literally "of the place."  As I sat at the table looking down at the list of mouth watering items it was like a primer in the Italian language.

     I had already decided that I would select the prix fixe luncheon menu.  Three courses for $39 didn't seem outrageous.  I could choose from a selection of Antipasti, Secondi and Dolci.  But what I didn't know was that in addition to their standard 3 course meal I would be treated to a complimentary pre-appetizer appetizer and a post-dessert dessert.

      Denis, the cordial maitre'd, born and raised in Sicily, took the order for all 3 of my choices.  After a teaser of tiny samples that included a faux meringue mushroom, a seafood salad petit-four, and a shot glass sized cup of buttery clam broth, I moved on to my antipasti, a chilled lobster salad Oreganata.  It was delicate and perfectly arranged on the plate in geometric quarters.

     Deciding to forego the pasta primi option I then moved on to the main course, the secondi.  Delivered to the table in an immense soup bowl was a Livorno style Cacciucco.  A take on cioppino, in the bottom of the bowl was an assortment of fish and shellfish that was bathed at the table with a hot, spicy tomato broth.  It was so good that I used a portion of one of the freshly baked rolls to catch every last drop.

     Still finding some room for dessert I enthusiastically put a spoon to a butterscotch Semifreddo that was served over dried apricots.  What a glorious conclusion to the meal!  But as they say in the TV commercial, "But wait!  There's more!"  Another sampler of miniature desserts arrived on an antique wooden box grater.  A tiny sugared doughnut treat, a sliver of dried candied fruit, a sinfully rich wisp of cocoa dusted chocolate and a small piece of fruit together signaled the conclusion of an amazing dining experience.

     Then to walk off our meal we descended the central staircase to inspect the 3,000 bottle wine cellar and to peak into the private meeting rooms located on the lower level.   It was an experience that will remain without equal and a memorable event to savor long after my tastebuds have sadly returned to endure my own cooking once again. 

My Bucket List

     I got to thinking the other day about my bucket list.  You know, the list of things you want to accomplish in this life.  There's already a number of things on my list that I have checked off.  Things like following the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon, attending a cooking school in a thousand year old Tuscan monastery, and bicycling through the Alps (mostly downhill).

     But there was one item on my bucket list that was still incomplete.  That is to enjoy a meal  at one of the finest Italian restaurants in New York City, Del Posto .  Just this past Father's Day I was the grateful recipient of a very generous gift card to that very establishment and I was thrilled by the thought of going there for "the ambiance of European luxury, palette-enlightening cuisine, polished service... (that) culminate in an Italian dining experience unlike any other."  That's the way their web page describes it.

     In the shadow of the High Line Park between Chelsea and the Meatpacking District Del Posto premiered in 2005 on a windswept corner of lower 10th Avenue under the watchful eye of Iron Chef Mario Batali in concert with Joseph and Lidia Bastianich.  They envisioned a temple to Italian cooking in the unoccupied 24,000 square foot former National Biscuit Company (NABISCO) building.  That empty space was upgraded with mahogany and marble and is now, to use the words of the New York Times, "one of the very best restaurants in New York City...a place to sit in luxury...while eating food that bewilders and thrills."  And it did just that for me yesterday.

     In Italian Del Posto means simply "of the place."  All the food is locally sourced and prepared on site, a cucina New Yorkese, if you please.  The menu reflects a polished, contemporary take on classic Italian cuisine.  I was there with my fellow gourmand for lunch, arriving just after noon on a very brisk and breezy but sunny day.  So what was the menu like?  More on that tomorrow!

Julia's Turkey

   Anyone who has ever taken on the challenge of roasting a turkey for the family on Thanksgiving knows that it can be a daunting undertaking.  First off, it's an all day event.  And then there's the issue of attempting to cook both white and dark meat without one being undercooked and the other dry as a bone.

     Julia Child addressed this very issue in 1989 when she published The Way to Cook.  She recommended deconstructing the turkey for faster cooking and easier carving.  The day before she detached the leg quarters,  boning and trussing the thighs and removing the backbone.  Then to keep the breast moist she would brine it for up to 12 hours and season the interiors of the thighs with sage, salt, and pepper.

     On the day of the meal the breast is placed skin side down in a skillet and given a 30 minute head start in the oven to brown the skin.  The partially cooked breast, now skin side up, is center stage in a roasting pan along with the leg quarters and placed on top of stuffing in a roasting pan and put in the oven, initially at 425F.  Then after a half hour turning the heat down to 350F for an additional 40 minutes.

     After allowing the meat to rest for 30 minutes and a quick stir of the stuffing all the parts are reassembled on the serving plate.

     For further details, you can refer to the November/December 2013 issue of  Cook's Illustrated for an update on how Julia Child took on the Thanksgiving turkey and won.

     

Geography Cooking Lesson

     If you were asked to pinpoint the Istrian Penninsula on a map of the world, where would you look?  I must admit that I was stumped when I began investigating a new potato recipe.  Tiring of the same, familiar preparations for spuds: baked, boiled, and mashed I was excited to come across something new in a cookbook entitled A Taste of Croatia:  Savoring the Food, People and Traditions of Croatia's Adriatic Coast authored by Karen Evenden.

     Here's the recipe:

                                                   Istrian Potatoes

2 tsp unsalted butter, at room temperature           1 Tbsp EVOO

1 1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled                   1/2 tsp kosher or fine sea salt

     and cut into 1" cubes                                       1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 oz prosciutto, diced                                           3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 Roma tomato, halved lengthwise, diced            1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesian

2 Tbsp finely minced flat leaf parsley                            preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 garlic cloves, minced

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350F.  Generously grease a 1 1/2 qt ovenproof baking dish or gratin dish with butter.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, prosciutto, tomato, parsley, garlic, oil, salt and pepper.  Turn the mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Pour the cream over the top.

3.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil, sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top, and continue to bake until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork and the top is golden, 35-45 minutes longer.  Serve immediately or keep warm until ready to serve.

Serves 4

PA 6

     Last week I had the good fortune to be on the receiving end of a free ticket to the Walnut Street Theater.  So before the 8pm program I treated myself to dinner at a nearby restaurant.  Pennsylvania 6  is a bi-level bistro located at 114 S. 12th Street and is the latest culinary incarnation in a revolving door of restaurants at that location.  It is the younger sibling of a restaurant of the same name in the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City and pays homage to the oldest continuous in-service phone number in the Big Apple, made famous by a 1940 Glenn Miller recording "Pennsylvania 6-5000."

     As I walked in the door I was struck by the deco-retro interior which has been described as "unprepossessingly sexy" and asked for a table on the second level, above all the activity of the bar.  The menu had all the contemporary midtown American items you would expect: steak, pork and chicken.  But Chef Marc Plessis also included some items not usually found on the bill of fare.  I was intrigued by the listing of roasted bone marrow, duck lyonnaise salad, charred octopus, and kampachi with gooseberry salsa, but opted for a more familiar option, the lobster roll served with duck fat fries.  But before enjoying such a traditional meal I downed a dozen oysters on the half shell at a buck a piece.

     The staff was friendly, helpful and enthusiastic.  And on a Wednesday  it wasn't overly crowded.  Here's hoping they stay around for a while!

It's Monumental!

     Washington, DC is loaded with museums and monuments.  Tourists from all over the United States and around the world flock to see them each year.  But just a few blocks from all the granite and glitter is a virtually unknown cultural relic.  The Maine Avenue Fish Market is the oldest operating fish market in the United States.  It's been in continuous operation since 1805.  Known to locals simply as The Wharf, it's located in Southwest DC under the shadow of Interstate 395 and is one of only a very few surviving open air seafood markets on the east coast.  It is truly a landmark with over 10 different stores, each with a specialty.

     On a recent visit there I could purchase a wide variety of freshly caught fish, crabs, octopus, squid and shrimp, or pick from a selection of shellfish like clams, mussels, scallops and oysters.  Eager fish mongers even offered samples of steamed crabs and shrimp for me to taste, which I gladly did.

     The original 19th Century Municipal Fish Market building was razed in the 60s to make way for a waterfront urban renewal project.  So the current municipal pier was built for the market near the 12th Street off ramp of I-395 to provide retail space the floating barges that serve as the venue for the merchants to sell their wares.

     But the future of The Wharf is uncertain.  Once again plans are in the works to redevelop the entire length of Maine Avenue and it is unclear if the historic market will be wholly preserved or forced to move again.  Right now its fate lies in the hands of the city fathers and developers.  And in my estimation, that's not a good place to be.

A Kindred Spirit

     I don't think I've ever written about a real, live person in a VinnyPost before.  But that's because up until recently I hadn't met a person like Pete Woods.  I was sitting on the front porch of Merrior, the tasting room restaurant beside the Rappahannock Oyster Company's main operation in the tiny town of Topping, Virginia when Pete came over to my table to sit down and chat with me.  I was just finishing up one of his amazing culinary creations, a tantalizing lamb and clam stew when he introduced himself and sat in the chair right across the table from me.

     It turns out that we had several things in common.  To begin with, he was easy to understand since he had no southern accent.  That was because he grew up in the Great Northeast section of Philly "The Big Scrapple."  He attended some of the best academic institutions in the Philadelphia Parochial School System, and after high school began his training in the field of the culinary arts.  We spoke together about places and things common to our formative years, and as he reminisced about those early years continued honing two of his favorite oyster knives in preparation for the next day's festival in nearby Urbanna.

     His vocational pursuits took him to Denver where he eventually became a manager of a seafood department in a franchised organization.  One day the regional officer mentioned to all of his managers that there was going to be a business lunch with someone from "back east" who wanted to promote his bay oysters.  To Pete's amazement, none of the other managers wanted to attend.  But Pete thought to himself, " what's the worst that could happen?  At the very least I will get a great lunch out of it."

     And that's when Pete met Travis Croxton of the Rappahannock Oyster Company.  They got involved in an extended conversation about the operation of growing, harvesting and selling oysters, as well as running several restaurants to showcase the exquisite bivalves.  Travis had in mind one place right on-site beside their warehouse and needed someone to oversee it.  One thing led to another and Travis offered Pete the position.  The next day Pete gave his company two weeks notice and was soon packing up his belongings and moving east to Virginia.  It was a stroke of good fortune for both men.

     Pete has reached the zenith of his career and now has a job that is something he truly loves.  And it shows.  Take a look at him working the flat top grill at the oyster festival:

 

     And at the conclusion of our impromptu meeting Pete and I exchanged business cards.   As I looked down at his I noticed it said in gold print, "Pete Woods: Food Guru"  I think that best describes both the man and his calling.



The Rivah

     When you hear someone from Virginia say "The Rivah" they are probably referring to the Rappahannock, sometimes nicknamed The Rapp.  The Algonquin Indians first named it as the place where the tide ebbs and flows and it has been and continues to be the source of livelihood for countless watermen for over two centuries.  The river flows for 86 miles down from the headwaters at Chester Gap eventually emptying into the Chesapeake Bay.  It's in its tidal estuaries that fish, oysters and crabs are caught and subsequently brought to market.

     It's also the place where in 1899 twenty-four year old James Croxton, Jr. purchased 5 acres of river bottom near Butylo, hoping to supplement his meager farm income by raising and selling oysters.   Unknowingly he initiated a family tradition that continues today, carried on by his great-grandsons Travis and Ryan.  Together they own and operate the Rappahannock Oyster Company in Topping.  They are rising to the challenge of reviving the recognition and appreciation of Virginia oysters.  Their goal is simple:  To make bay oysters consistently available and in so doing to permit consumers to once again enjoy what they insist are the best tasting oysters in the world.

     For centuries the bay oysters were unchallenged for their flavor.  But by the 1970s many species had all but disappeared and oyster populations dropped to only 1% of what they were at the turn of the century.  Using modern aquaculture methods the cousins have re-introduced some old favorites including the Rappahannock River Oyster.  They are also successfully raising other varieties like Olde Salts, Stingrays and a seasonal favorite, the Witch Duck.
 

     Travis & Ryan grow their oysters in open waters, raised in cages so that when they are harvested they do not destroy the fragile river bottom.  As they grow, salt and temperature levels are carefully monitored and slow growers are culled out, as are misshapen shells.  

     I had the chance to meet with Travis recently on the front porch of the tasting room, Merrior, down narrow Locklies Road in Topping.  He is understated about his success, as is the facility that processes and ships oysters to their other restaurants in Richmond and Washington, DC and to locations throughout the United States.  I also happily slurped up a half dozen oysters as we talked.  And without a doubt, they are the best.



Any way you like them

     How hungry did the first person have to be to eat the first oyster?  And what possessed that person to taste the gray, slimy, almost phlegmatic plump little body?  But getting past all that, there was no doubt, "a rewarding slurp of a delicate and toothy texture, rich in flavor and salty liquor," so says the National Geographic.

     Edible oysters are officially a member of the family Ostreidae, not to be confused with a entirely different species associated with cultured pearl production.  While practically all oysters and some mussels can secrete pearls, most are not valuable, however.  They are bivalve mollusks that exist in marine or brackish waters and are filter feeders.  Beginning their lifespan as males, after the first year they convert to females in the second year of life.  And a single female can produce up to 100 million eggs annually.  They mature in 12 months and can live as long as 20 years.

     While today they are considered an expensive delicacy oysters were so plentiful in the early 19th Century that they were eaten mainly by the working class.  During that time New York harbor was the largest source of oysters world wide and on any given day 6 million were available to the public, found on floating barges tied up to the city waterfront.  But due to over harvesting, disease and pollution their numbers diminished drastically.  Today the largest oyster producing body of water in the United States is the Chesapeake Bay.
 

     Oysters are considered an excellent source of zinc, iron, calcium, selenium, and vitamins A & B12.  Considered most nutritious when eaten raw they can also be prepared by smoking, boiling, baking, frying, roasting, stewing, canning, pickling, steaming and broiling.

     So how do you like your oysters?





 

Little Town, Big Festival

     Urbanna, Virginia isn't a very big town.  There are just about 600 residents living within the city limits.  But every year since 1958 the population swells to over 80,000 when they host the two day Urbanna Oyster Festival.  It was originally called "Urbanna Days" , the concept conceived by local merchants and town fathers to promote various enterprises and trades.  It grew from a small one day event to become the official oyster festival of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

 

     The town, which overlooks the Rappahannock River, welcomes visitors from all across the country to enjoy the succulent bivalve and to experience some genuine small town hospitality.  Of course the main feature are the oysters.  You can have them any way you like them:  raw, roasted, steamed, fried or frittered.  And of course, in the name of culinary research I had to sample each one.  And I did!

 

     The festival is held each year on the first weekend in November.  While the weather wasn't the best on the day I was there, the hospitality couldn't have been better.  People displayed real Southern charm as they enjoyed all the different oyster delicacies.



     So if you like oysters, make plans to be a part of next year's festival!