Baby Meatballs

In the East Village of Manhattan there's a place called Lil' Frankies, a wonderful Italian restaurant with little tiny baby meatballs. Miniature food is always fun - mini cupcakes, little pizzas, pretty much any passed hors d'oeuvres, and obviously baby meatballs. Lil' Frankies uses theirs on pizza, and in a rigatoni dish. Oh, yum. Just writing this is making me crave them again. Good thing I have leftovers.

I used the same meatballs and sauce recipe as I always use, with a couple very small changes. I didn't make the sauce in the pan I used to brown the meatballs this time. I also used equal amounts of ground beef, veal, and pork (1/3 lb. each), and I used pecorino romano instead of parmesan. Get your sauce going first, keep it on simmer, then get started on the meatballs.




They were so small I didn't have to do much to form them, just pinch off a bit of meat and press it into sort of a round shape. I'm guessing here, but I probably made about 150 meatballs. I know, it sounds like a lot, but I think I did three and half plates of about 35-40 meatballs.

Heat up a big skillet with 2 tablespoons each of canola oil and olive oil, and add the meatballs with enough space so that none of them are touching.



They browned quickly since they were so small, and almost completely cooked through by just browning them on both sides for a few minutes. When done, add them to the sauce and put a lid on the sauce at this point.



When all the meatballs are done, add a little red wine to the pan and loosen all that good stuff that's stuck...



And add it to the sauce.



Cook a pound of rigatoni in salted boiling water, drain, and add to the pot with the sauce and meatballs. Serve it up with some freshly grated parmesan. Because there were lots of little meatballs the meat-to-sauce ratio was on the meaty side. I thought it was good that way, but you could easily up the sauce by 50% or even double it.



I actually thought the baby meatballs were easier than regular sized meatballs. There's less room for error in cooking them and worrying if they are too dry, too moist, won't stick together, etc. They cooked very quickly in the pan so I didn't have to worry about whether I let them simmer in the sauce long enough to cook through. And besides...who doesn't like little baby meatballs that get stuck inside of rigatoni?

New York Weekend - An Assortment of Assorted Foods

We ate a lot last weekend. A lot. And I didn't even get to everything I wanted to eat - I never made it to Grandaisy Bakery for cauliflower pizza, or Levain Bakery for cookies, or Russ & Daughters for bagels and lox. Sigh. But we did make it some of my favorite spots.

We went to Landmarc (Tribeca) for dinner on Saturday. At risk of making it sound boring, Landmarc is really reliable. I always know I'll get a great meal there. I don't want to say it's a steak place because they have so many other options, but it is a focus of the menu. They have several seafood dishes as well, a daily pasta special, and their menu changes a bit seasonally. I've been so many times I already knew what I wanted before seeing the menu - a filet with green peppercorn sauce. Steaks come with green salad and fries.



And...a milk chocolate ice cream cone.



The weather couldn't have been more perfect all weekend, and Sunday we decided to have lunch outdoors at Fig & Olive (Meatpacking District). The real reason we decided to eat there was because my sister couldn't stop thinking about their chicken salad, and once she mentioned it my mom and I couldn't stop thinking about it either. I'm actually just realizing that the three of us discovered this salad after a day of wedding dress shopping, because they have another location next to the place I got my dress. Anyway...we started with crostini. Two of the manchengo, fig spread, and almond, two of the prosciutto, ricotta, fig, olive, and walnut, and two of the mushroom, artichoke, and truffle parmesan.



I'm pretty sure the chicken salad has changed a little bit since the last time I had it, but it was just as good. Here's the description on the menu - "Provencal Vegetable Chicken Salad: free range rotisserie chicken marinated with Herbs de Provence, lemon, garlic, grilled zucchini, eggplant, tomato, asparagus, red onion, avocado, arugula, parmesan, pine nut, 18 year balsamic vinegar - Picholine Olive Oil".



And now, the crown jewel of the weekend. Scarpetta spaghetti.



I knew as soon as I made the reservation a few weeks ago that I would order this dish. It's so good, I don't even know what to say. It's just simple perfection. I've tried to replicate it a couple times, but nothing compares to the real thing.

The last meal of the weekend was breakfast at Bubby's. Blueberry pancakes. Wow.



So long, New York. Until next time.

Landmarc
179 West Broadway, New York NY (between Leonard St. and Worth St.)

Fig & Olive
416 W. 13th Street, New York NY (between Washington and Greenwich)

Scarpetta
355 W. 14th Street, New York NY (between 8th and 9th Avenues)

Bubby's Pie Company
120 Hudson Street, New York NY (between N. Moore and Franklin)

New York Weekend - Eataly

Walking into Eataly last weekend is how I imagine my 10-year-old self would have felt walking into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, if it really existed. I always compare Italian import markets to BuonItalia in Chelsea Market, but Eataly is like BuonItalia x 1000. No offense B.I., I still love you.



Eataly is the brainchild of Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, Lidia Bastianich, and Oscar Farinetti. The 50,000 square foot Italian food emporium is across the street from Madison Square Park, and just opened last week.

Upon entering on 23rd street, we first walked through the produce section.



As we were slowing walking through and taking everything in, a guy from Baldor cut open a fresh fava bean pod and gave me one. Yum! And take a look at these mushrooms:



Next we came upon a big open area with tall tables to stand at, and waiters/waitresses serving meat and cheese plates, raw bar items, and wine. Right by the tables were the fresh mozzarella counter, and this:



I think next year for my birthday I just want a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. There's nothing better than eating a fresh piece just cut from the wheel...and did that guy give us samples? Of course! Soft and crumbly with little crunchy spots of salt...mmmm.

We then took a right past the tall tables and came upon a couple aisles of meat and cheese. So many wonderful kinds of cheese. I must have been walking through there with a huge grin on my face, looking like a fool. Cheese makes me so happy. Not to mention these guys:



Past the meat and cheese are the coffee and sweets. A tiny little espresso bar with room for a few people to stand, rows and rows of chocolates and candy and jams, a pastry counter, a gelato counter, and past that a bigger coffee bar with some tables.



Making a u-turn, we walked back past the tall tables to take a look at the butcher and seafood counters.



It was a really beautiful display - Manila clams, langoustines, in-shell scallops, huge shrimp...not to mention all the filets of fish in the other counter.

Near the fish and meat was the pasta department. Rows upon rows of dried pasta, an unbelievable variety of types and shapes I had never seen before.



There was also a counter with fresh pasta and ravioli priced by the pound. There were a couple guys working with this big, crazy ravioli maker that had huge rolls of pasta dough being cranked through a machine and little raviolis popping out the bottom on a mini conveyor belt.




And of course, there's a bakery too.



I didn't even get pictures of the Italian craft beer section, the kitchen supplies and dishes, or the Kartell chairs and lamps they also sell - the same chairs used in the restaurants. Oh yeah, did I mention there are restaurants inside? 7 of them! And a rooftop beer garden opening in November.

Ok, time to eat! We went back to the tall tables. It was a little busy. Just a little.



After some stalking and careful maneuvering, we got a table. We ordered a meat and cheese plate, as well as a separate order of housemade mozzarella and prosciutto.




You can barely see it in the picture, but the meat and cheese spread comes with another little plate of honey, figs, and candied orange peel. Pecorino + honey = perfection. The mozzarella was amazing, drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Our trip to Eataly was a really amazing experience. Except, ughhh...why does this place have to open when I don't live in New York anymore? All the grocery items, except for some of the beers, are imported from Italy. It's as authentic as you can get. Eataly really lived up to all the hype...actually it more than lived up, it totally exceeded any expectations I had walking in. Just when I thought it couldn't possibly get any better...look who showed up!



WHAT?! Anthony Bourdain?! We had perfect seats to see Bourdain waiting in line to buy some cheese with his wife and daughter. I kind of felt like a stalker taking pictures, so I snapped just a couple. But then...Mario Batali came over too. Worlds were colliding. And we were all legitimately freaking out. So Peter grabbed my camera and got a couple more shots.



Batali left for a minute, and came back to present Bourdain with a meat and cheese plate.



Does it get any better than that? Well done, Eataly, well done.

Eataly
200 5th Avenue, New York NY (between 23rd and 24th Streets)

New York Weekend - 'ino

Last time we went to New York we made a beeline for 'ino, and this time was no different. 'ino is one of my favorite restaurants in New York - it's the tiniest restaurant you'll probably ever see, about 15 feet by 30, with 8 small tables and a few seats at the bar.



The menu consists of panini and tramezzini, bruschetta, and a few other little things like meat and cheese plates.



That's actually half a meat plate and half a cheese plate. It's not on the menu, but you know, if you just ask...

And of course, we had to order the asparagus, truffle oil, and parmesan bruschetta.



I realized the difference from when I made it, is that they do cook their asparagus. Theirs is still so bright and crisp, they must just blanch it quickly.

And for my sandwich, I ordered my old faithful: half green salad, half panini - soppressata, fontina, and rucola.



Ahhh, 'ino makes me so happy. You can't go wrong with anything you order. And the bread they use for paninis, and for toasts with the meat and cheese plate is so good. Add a half bottle of white wine to your lunch order...pure heaven.

'ino Cafe and Wine Bar
21 Bedford Street, New York NY (between Houston and Downing)

Scarpetta's Spaghetti

I was thinking of calling this post "Pasta Disaster 2.0" but it wasn't a total disaster - the dish turned out really well. But again, it was a battle between me and the pasta dough, and the pasta dough nearly won. Let me start from the beginning.

This week's new episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations was simply called "Techniques" - instead of traveling to an exotic international location and eating the local cuisine, Tony (and some other chefs) gave lessons on the basics of cooking. Tony made a beef bourguignon, Jacques Pepin made an omelet, Thomas Keller made a roast chicken (the same recipe I use!), and Scott Conant of Scarpetta made spaghetti with tomato sauce and basil. There were also a couple other chefs/dishes. If I were going on the Food Network show The Best Thing I Ever Ate, I would talk about Scarpetta's spaghetti with tomato and basil. It's such a simple dish but done so perfectly. Fresh pasta, just enough sauce to coat the spaghetti, fresh basil, and a little parmesan cheese.

Naturally, I was really excited to see the dish prepared on tv. Peter was watching me watch this, and he said "you're going to try to make this, aren't you..." Yup. I wish there was video of Scott Conant making the dish, but there's no clip on the Travel Channel website. There is a written recipe, but it differs slightly from how he made it on the show. I decided to follow his instructions from the demonstration rather than the recipe. He didn't talk at all about the pasta, just the sauce. So I consulted my dad on homemade pasta, again, and tried to make it, again. Disaster. Enough explanation, here goes.

Sauce:
20 plum or roma tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil, plus a few tablespoons
salt
10-12 basil leaves, half of cut into a chiffonade
8-10 cloves garlic
1-2 Tbl. unsalted butter
freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
crushed red pepper

Bring a large pot of water to boil, and add salt. Cut a small, not very deep X into the bottom of the each tomato. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Cook the tomatoes in the boiling water for about 30 seconds to a minute. Watch for the X on the bottom to start to separate and the skin to start to peel away a little. Transfer the tomatoes to the ice water to stop the cooking. I did the tomatoes about 2 or 3 at a time.



Peel the skin off all the tomatoes. You may have to use a small knife to get some of it off. Cut two small incisions in each side of each tomato and scoop out the seeds and guts with your finger. You don't have to get every last bit out, but most of it. Use the same big pot that had water in it, and heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the tomatoes and a big pinch of salt. Let the tomatoes cook for about 10 minutes or so, then start to mash them up with a potato masher. The tomatoes should cook for about 40 minutes total, and should have a smooth consistency.

About halfway through the tomato cooking, heat a small saucepan with about 1/2 cup of olive oil. Add half the basil leaves (you can put the whole stem in), a big pinch of crushed red pepper, and the garlic cloves. Let everything infuse into the oil, cooking for about 10 minutes. Strain the olive oil into the tomato mixture.




Pasta:
2 cups flour
4 eggs

Combine ingredients in a bowl with a fork, or in a mixer with the hook attachment. Add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky, or a bit of water if it's dry. Form the dough into a ball.




My pasta machine is a hand crank, not the kind you attach on a mixer. I think this kind is the best, and they are inexpensive. There's a lot of different ones on Amazon.



I started rolling out the dough...



And that's where I'm going to stop. I guess my dough was still too sticky and I should have added more flour, because once I flattened it enough and started to put it through the spaghetti cutting crank, things took a turn for the worse. It got all stuck in there wouldn't cut. I tried sticking the dough in the freezer for a couple minutes to firm it up. Still wouldn't work. Just like last time I tried to make pasta, I considered throwing all the dough and the machine off the balcony.

So I don't really feel qualified to give any instructions on how to do this. I ended up cutting the spaghetti by hand, which was a HUGE pain. It was actually fettucine because I did not have the patience to cut the noodles any smaller. In the end it was totally fine and tasted great, but was way too time consuming since I couldn't get it through the crank. Anyway, if you decide to give this process a try, you only have to cook the pasta for a minute or two. Barely.

As the pasta cooks, heat up a medium skillet with a little olive oil. Cook the pasta about 75% and put one serving in the skillet with some sauce, a little less than a tablespoon of unsalted butter, a small pinch of crushed red pepper, some grated cheese, and some of the chopped basil (for a chiffonade stack the leaves up, roll them up, and cut slices so you have long strips). Toss everything gently in the pan to combine all the ingredients. Scott Conant described it by saying the sauce should be like it's part of the pasta. And that's it!



Other than the pasta dough problems, the dish was easy. But I really think that the two things that make this dish are the homemade pasta, and the butter. If you don't want to make homemade pasta (and I don't blame you), definitely buy fresh pasta. It makes a world of difference. And the butter - I had never put butter into a pasta and tomato sauce dish, but it really made everything adhere and added just a little bit of creaminess. The other key is getting the tomato sauce to be a smooth consistency. If I had an immersion blender I would have used it, but just make sure you keep mashing the tomatoes to get all the big pieces broken up. I will definitely do the skillet/butter method again, that's where the dish really came together.

So...did it taste like the Scarpetta dish? I think in general, it was similar. It certainly didn't look as pretty. It did taste really good. But who was I kidding..did I really think I would be able to replicate the best thing I ever ate?

Landmarc

This post is totally out of the blue, but I was thinking about this restaurant the other day and how much I love it, so I thought I should share. Landmarc is a fantastic restaurant in Tribeca, which my friends and I discovered when we lived downtown. I guess the genre would be New American or maybe French. We have been there countless times. I don't really remember our first visit, I'm sure it was for one of our "supper clubs" - the 4 of us would take turns picking a restaurant that was completely new to the whole group. A bunch of us girls went there the night Amy got engaged (dinner was before the engagement), I've taken my parents there, Peter and I brought a group of his friends there for New Years Eve last year, and Amy, Jess, Chelsea and I returned for our last NYC supper club (photo below). And there have been many other visits in between all those events.



Now onto the food. I wish I had some pictures of the wonderful things I've eaten here, but I never thought about it at the time. First off, the wine list is extensive and inexpensive - two very good words to describe a wine list. I remember hearing some back story as to why they can sell their wine at such great prices, but it escapes me. After choosing a wine, the bread arrives at the table - a basket of slices from a crusty loaf with a little dish of butter topped with crunchy sea salt. Perfection.

On to appetizers. I think almost every time I have been here, my group has ordered the smoked mozzarella and ricotta fritters, and the fried calamari with spicy tomato sauce. There's something about that tomato sauce...we always end up asking for more. And they serve fried thin lemon slices with the calamari which are actually really tasty. They also have oysters...yum.

Landmarc has daily pasta specials, and the menu changes slightly with the seasons. A permanent fixture on the menu is steak - they offer several cuts, with a choice of 4 or 5 sauces. I'm partial to the filet with green peppercorn sauce. And I'm not just saying this, but their french fries are really some of the best I've ever had. Perfectly crispy and salty with a little bit of chopped parsley. Some of my other favorites on the menu are mussels in white wine, grilled tuna with lentils, and lamp chops when in season. And in the winter you can't miss with the side order of brussels sprouts with pancetta.

The dessert menu is designed so that you couldn't possibly think about skipping something sweet at the end of the meal. Everything is mini - just a taste served in a little ramekin. Creme brulee, blueberry crumble, and tiramisu are all staples. They also have a nutella eclair, and several flavors of ice cream you can get served in a little dish or on a cone in a cute little ice cream cone holder. And they have a daily flavor of cotton candy - which is never on the menu, but always available.

Landmarc is a perfect neighborhood spot. The location in Tribeca (there's one in Time Warner Center too, but Tribeca is my favorite) is two levels. The downstairs has a small bar and an open flame grill where the steaks are cooked. In the summer they open up the big front windows and offer seating outside. The upstairs is a little quieter and cozier.

Definitely high on my list of favorite restaurants. Ok, now I'm hungry...