Cincinatti Pork Chili

I made another profit tonight on a pot of cincinatti pork chili with brown rice and roasted vegetables as a side. Nothing enlightening to say about this recipe aside from the fact that it was a huge hit and I think that's because the recipe calls for chocolate which always goes well with chili powder. Here is the recipe and a pic of the dining room table after we feasted. I have to figure out how to take more attractive photos of my cooking:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1918482

Saffron Fish Stew....Sans Saffron

I found a recipe for Saffron Fish Stew in Cooking Light's 20 minute recipes and it literally took me 15 minutes to make and only about 10 minutes to cook - crazy. It's delicious too! I made a few adjustments here and there. The recipe in Cooking Light calls for Saffron, of course and I substituted rosemary for saffron. I hate to admit that I have no idea what saffron tastes like but I figured that substituting a spice with another equally as fresh and fragrant spice can't hurt and it didn't.
The original recipe calls for clam juice and 1 lb. flounder fillet. The market down the street from my house had neither. I do love my crazy chinese market. It has every type of vegetable and under water sea creature on planet earth, any and all animal organs known to man, many different types of spicy curry pastes and green diet teas, milk teas, frozen fish tofu pads and dumplings galore. However, they don't carry much else. So, it's hard to find simple things like mayonnaise, white eggs and strangely enough, clam juice. And flounder?? Did I mention no one speaks english at my market so you usually have to bring in a photo of the type of meat you're looking for. It always makes for a very interesting trip to the grocery store. I'll post pics of Great Wall, the aforementioned market, soon! It's a good thing that I'm an experimental type of gal. I picked up a package of frozen Vietnamese white fish and thought it looked good close enough for me to make the fish stew complete.

So, all said - Voila! Here is the 'Saffron Fish Stew....Sans Saffron' recipe below. Enjoy!

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup prechopped onion
1 tsp ground fennel
2 garlic cloves, crushed (I buy the containers of already husked garlic cloves in a jar and put them in the freezer - keeps the flavor fresh)
1 thyme sprig
1/2 tsp grated fresh orange rind
1/4 tsp rosemary sprigs, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups clam juice (I substituted a can of crab juice and put both the juice and meat in the dish)
1 (14 oz ) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 tsp salt
1 lb flounder fillet (cut into 2-inch pices) or if you live in Elmhurst, Queens where they don't sell ordinary flounder or ordinary anything, buy a package of white fish fillets - same thing.
1 (14 oz) can great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
Fresh thyme leaves

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion, fennel, garlic and thyme sprig; saute for 5 min. Stir in rind; add water, crab juice and meat, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce hear and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in salt, fish and beans; cook 5 minutes. Top with thyme leaves.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)

p.s. I love my neighborhood!

The Spice Corner

In an attempt to make some extra spending money for Europe, I've decided to take on a baby catering enterprise. So far, I'm charging my bible study $5 a head every Tuesday night for full course, side and possibly, wine if I can swing it. It's also an opportunity for me to test out some new and some old, tried and true recipes on a new group of people. I'm getting excited at the prospect of experimenting with new cuisine, researching flavors and how to match food with wine and visiting a different food market at least once a week. Last week, I got off on one of the local stops in Queens on my way home from work. I'm trying to remember my camera so I can track the markets and other food spots I come across. Off the Steinway stop from the R train, I took a long walk onto 35 Avenue and happened upon an Associated Market. There I purchased the ingredients to feed 10 people plus a few groceries for myself for $25! They also sold fresh basil by the bunch for $1.50. I'll post my recipe for pesto sauce soon!

Here are some photos from a trip I made to Little India down the street from my office. The Spice Corner (on the corner of 29th and Lexington Avenue) is tiny but sells a colorful display of every spice and grain or bean you can imagine. They also sell pickled whole lemons which my roommate and I love. Yes, it sounds unfathomable but they're delicious! My friend Maysa from Egypt introduced them to me a couple summers ago:

I'm also in love with a new Swedish bakery on 29th and Park Avenue called FIKA. Though I've been making my daily visits to Starbucks for the late afternoon pick me up, FIKA's coffee is far more superior. I like supporting the little guy too. FIKA's caffe reminds me of Roma!: