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From Talk

Best Colombian Arepas in New York???

I like to go to a restaurant called La Nueva in Queens. I think its on 35th and 82nd or something, 1 avenue parallel to Roosevelt Avenue. They have much more than just arepas, but that is what I always get! Their fried yuca rocks, in case you are interested.

And for the record, the service at Caracas is bad, and last time I went I waited 1 hour for an arepa with premade ingredients. Needless to say, I won't be going back anytime soon.

From Talk

Serious Eats: Sex Foods

I think that dry spicy red peppers do it for me. One time I went into a pepper shop in Italy and was sampling the different products. Immediately after I was all over my boyfriend (at the time). Certainly increases circulation.

From Serious Eats

How to Make Moffles, Mochi + Waffles

The Grainassance mochi is usually found in the refrigerated section near the tofu. I have only seen plain and cinnamon raisin at Whole Foods and my local health food store, but maybe if we band together they will bring in the cashew date variety also!

From Talk

Moffle Brunch

Get the waffle maker! They are so worth it. I like the acidic fruit idea! I am baking black sesame tahini as well!

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Moffle Brunch

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Pomelo Ceviche

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Recent Comments | Response to Comments

From Talk

Best Colombian Arepas in New York???

I like to go to a restaurant called La Nueva in Queens. I think its on 35th and 82nd or something, 1 avenue parallel to Roosevelt Avenue. They have much more than just arepas, but that is what I always get! Their fried yuca rocks, in case you are interested.

And for the record, the service at Caracas is bad, and last time I went I waited 1 hour for an arepa with premade ingredients. Needless to say, I won't be going back anytime soon.

From Talk

Serious Eats: Sex Foods

I think that dry spicy red peppers do it for me. One time I went into a pepper shop in Italy and was sampling the different products. Immediately after I was all over my boyfriend (at the time). Certainly increases circulation.

From Serious Eats

How to Make Moffles, Mochi + Waffles

The Grainassance mochi is usually found in the refrigerated section near the tofu. I have only seen plain and cinnamon raisin at Whole Foods and my local health food store, but maybe if we band together they will bring in the cashew date variety also!

From Talk

Moffle Brunch

Get the waffle maker! They are so worth it. I like the acidic fruit idea! I am baking black sesame tahini as well!

From Talk

Sides with fish

I love fish served with oven roasted potatoes. Slice some Idaho potatoes thinly lengthwise. Coat with olive oil and roast at 400F for about 20-30 minutes. Season with salt and rosemary. It is filling, yet not too overpowering to pair with fish.

From Talk

Need a cheese recommendation

Following the peanut idea, a lot of vegan restaurants use cashew cream. I would consider cashew cream also, maybe mixed in with a bit of coconut or tofu to loosen it up?

From Talk

Weekend Lunch (Not Brunch)

I thought I was the only one in New York who despises brunch. Its like what Laurelie says- restaurant leftover day and horrible cocktail hour rolled into one. I would love to go out to lunch on Sunday at 2 or 3, and have real food. No eggs. I like Porcao (I think it is now del Rio or something) for Brazilian steak. It is pretty difficult to find something that is not crowded though.

From Recipes

French in a Flash: Coquilles St. Jacques Pot Pies with Roasted Lemon

I thoroughly enjoyed this post. Rarely do I read a recipe from top to bottom, and I could not pull my eyes off of this one. I can see my family loving this recipe. I will make it for a family dinner one night and impress everyone. If I were to make this ahead of time, I fancy that I would just prep everything and refrigerate, cooling down the sauce completely before adding to the scallops?

From Talk

Unique and fun Appetizers...what are yours?

My friend makes a fun dip that her mother taught her. They are Mexican, so we call it the Elitist version of the 7 layer!
1 layer of chopped up eggwhite and mayo, 1 layer of red onion, 1 layer of mushed up avocado, and 1 layer of caviar (she buys the least expensive American one).

From Serious Eats

54 Miso Soup Variations

One of our most popular recipes is our Ginger Miso Soup with Kale and Buckwheat Soba Noodles. It is a heartier version of the traditional soup, but we do not deviate that far.
The pungent ginger broth is a great "Get Well" ingredient for anyone with a cold.
http://www.kitchencaravan.com/recipe/ginger-miso-soup-recipe

From Talk

A Week of Salads

I love canned Wild Pacific Salmon as a protein on my salads. It is inexpensive, delicious, and super healthy. I love to combine grapefruit slices, avocado, and arugula. Check this out:
http://www.kitchencaravan.com/recipe/signature-salad-arugula-salmon-grapefruit-and-avocado

From Talk

Beet Recipes

Just like Italian Cupcake sayw, I like to roast them until they shrink inside their skin, then peel off the skin and quarter up the beets. I toss with lemon juice, feta cheese, and the raw beet greens, which are VERY HEALTHY!!! They are incredibly rich in Vitamin A.
We served that with mamaliga. . . but you can have the salad on its own.
http://www.kitchencaravan.com/recipe/mamaliga-roasted-beets-and-feta-cheese

From Talk

Locavorism

My friend Leda Meredith did a 250 mile diet last year, and only ate foods from within that radius. She has a blog called Leda's Urban Homestead where she blogged about her experiences. You should definitely look at her old entries.
http://ledameredith.net/wordpress/
She also helped put together a resource for locavores in New York:
http://www.localfork.com/locavoreguidenyc.aspx

Hope that helps!

From Recipes

New Year's Brunch: Mâche Salad with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing

I love using pomegranate molasses in our recipes. For our Squash and Pomegranate Salad we use a dressing with pomegranate molasses, cumin, coriander, lemon, and olive oil. Its so delicious and goes great with sweet squash!
http://www.kitchencaravan.com/recipe/squash-and-pomegranate-salad-recipe

From Serious Eats

Market Scene: Hollywood Farmers' Market Between Summer and Fall

Jujubes have been popping up in everything I have been reading lately. Am glad to see what they look like finally!

From Recipes

Essentials: Green Goddess Dressing

This recipe looks great- I love green goddess dressing, but hate how often they include lots of dairy products. I host an online cooking show and we did a bunch of different colored "Goddess Dressings". My favorite is White Goddess Dressing, for Kuan Yin, the Buddhist Goddess of Compassion.

From Serious Eats: New York

Papatzul: Under the Radar and Underappreciated

I am Mexican and I cannot tell you how much it bothers me when people put garlic in guacamole. Thank you Chef Amezcua for your mission to end the miseducation of garlic in guac!

From Serious Eats

The Great Strawberry Ice Cream Debate

My opinion is that Strawberry Ice Cream is a summer thing. I would not be tempted by it in January, but now, after having seen all of the fresh berries in the market, I am definitely more disposed to choosing it. The best Strawberry ice cream (actually I think it is frozen yogurt) is from La Loos, which is made with goats milk. They leave chunks of strawberry and weave traces of balsamic through it too. It is superior to any other strawberry ice cream I have ever tried.

Berthillon in Paris has a Coupe de Frais de Bois, which is a sundae dotted with fresh wild strawberries. It is everything an ice cream sundae should be!

From Serious Eats: New York

Sugar Rush: Chocolate Covered Halvah Bar at Russ & Daughters

Oh wow, I wish that I had not seen this. Halva is my downfall, and when I saw downfall, I mean there are crumbs everywhere in 2 seconds and I lose complete control. This looks absolutely amazing!!!!!!

From Serious Eats

Original White Lily Flour Plant Closes: The Geography of Taste

I am from the North and have never heard of White Lily, however, reading the article made me sad, because it is an example of how food traditions are so easily destroyed by the actions of corporate interests. I really think that you are onto something, Aharste, with your idea of declaring foods of National historic value. Slow Food is a great organization, but we do need government protection as well.

From Recipes

Essentials: Strawberry Shortcake

This recipe looks simple and delicious-just like how the dessert should be. I want to try and make it for my boyfriend this week. Thanks for the recipe!

From Talk

Substituting agar agar or tapioca flour for gelatin

I use agar all the time as a gelatin substitute. It is a type of seaweed from Japan, and is calorie-free and about 80% fiber. You have to boil it in liquid in order to dissolve it, but then it gels rather quickly. In fact, you don't even have to refrigerate it. We made Strawberry and Mascarpone puddings with them this past season: http://www.kitchencaravan.com/recipe/may-puddings-strawberry-and-mascarpone Hope this helps!

From A Hamburger Today

Paula Deen Is Trying to Kill Us, Part 4: Bacon, Doughnut, Egg Burger

New York Times had Donut Pudding printed a few weeks ago. Made it twice and pased it around to friends. Made more raspberry jelly for the second batch and doubled the # of donuts for a really large pan. If you decide to make some kind of donut thing, don't use Dunkin Donuts. They don't have enough jelly in them unless you are driving and eating a donut with the other hand. You can order big ones from the Stop & Shop. Frozen dough, sure but they hold a lot of jelly and when you add cream, eggs and sugar. Yum.

From Serious Eats

Cilantro Haters Unite, While Wearing Anti-Cilantro Graphic Tees

Scientists have proven that certain people possess the genetic predisposition to be able to taste cilantro in its true form. They say that the people who taste "soap" lack the taste buds that others possess. This may be true, but as a professional chef I have come to understand that it's more simple than that. I have made many meals that featured a good amount of cilantro, feeding people who hate the ingredient, and I didn't necessarily make them love it, but they enjoyed it and weren't bothered by it as much as they had been in the past.

Don't think of cilantro like other ingredients. Chicken, strawberries, pork, potato, etc. are very versatile ingredients that are easy to prepare. Cilantro is simply less versatile and requires advanced culinary techniques in order to harness great flavor. Cilantro, like hot chiles, is a very unique ingredient that, if not utilized correctly, can be overwhelming and unenjoyable on most palates. However, it can add a ton of flavor when used fresh in appropriate ratios, chopped properly so as to not bruise the leaves and release too much of the oils, and when it's incorporated with ingredients that naturally pair well, such as tomato, onion, chile, oil, salt, and avocado to name a few.

Try not to wash cilantro; if it is sandy, just wipe it off since water will wash away the natural flavor. However, this may be unavoidable in some supermarkets where it can be covered with dirt. Ninety percent of the plant is grown for its seed (coriander) and not for its leaves. I grow my own "Cilantro Santo" in my home and it's perfect. This variety is different from the rest in that it produces more leaves and better flavor. Another huge factor that can spoil the flavor of cilantro is the type of fertilizer used. Too much nitrogen will give an unpleasant taste to the herb. Too much humidity and heat in the growth stage will also damage the flavor. Hope this changed some of your minds.

P.S. - Mexican fare has closer ties to Carribean and Asian cuisine than it does with Indian.

From Recipes

French in a Flash: Coquilles St. Jacques Pot Pies with Roasted Lemon

Made this the other night and it came out quite nice. I would add more vermouth next time and a bit more cream to make the sauce have a more pronounced flavor. Thank you for such a great idea- who doesn't love pot pie? :)

From Recipes

Essentials: Strawberry Shortcake

There is a special place in hell reserved for the person who invented those grocery sponge cake thingys for strawberry shortcake. I imagine that spot will be shared by the inventor of Cool Whip and foods like Country Time "Lemonade" or Lloyds ribs.

From Talk

Sides with fish

I like all the suggestions but for me you can't beat cheese grits, cole slaw, fries and hush puppys. (I might be a redneck) ;-) Something also popular in the south (and maybe elsewhere?) is a fish reuben. Fried fish, swiss cheese, cole slaw and 1000 island or russian dressing on rye, grilled nice and toasty of coarse. Probably not gluten friendly but you could always make her a nice grilled fish salad. Good luck in your search.

From Serious Eats: New York

Papatzul: Under the Radar and Underappreciated

I've been to NY with my with about a week ago (April 2009). I was so disappointed, I decided that when I come back I should post a note so that other people would be weary of this restaurant.
I have to say the service was good, the food turned out to be the problem. I ordered the duck enchiladas and my wife ordered a vegetarian course. It was greasy, drooling with disgusting sauce and had little resemblance to duck meat in any form (dead or alive). The basic theme repeated in my wife dish as well, to many ingredients with undefined taste.
Bottom line, I truly and honestly recommend to skip this place.

From Talk

Best Colombian Arepas in New York???

Big Booty Bread Co is overpriced and kinda sucks, in general. Good cookies is about it

From Talk

Best Colombian Arepas in New York???

El Cocotero @ 228 W. 18th St; I found it through Yelp and really loved their arepas and sangria—the space is really good for a late afternoon meal with friends

From Serious Eats

Cilantro Haters Unite, While Wearing Anti-Cilantro Graphic Tees

you're not going to believe this - I like cilantro but the real fan in the house is my kitten. She is absolutely nuts over it :)

From Talk

Serious Eats: Sex Foods


Raw oysters. After 2 or 3 dozen, it's like a monster gets in me! I can go till I drop.

From Serious Eats

How to Make Moffles, Mochi + Waffles

I love mochi, but this is probably the weirdest thing I've seen in awhile.

Hillary
Chew on That

From Serious Eats

How to Make Moffles, Mochi + Waffles

I did this today at our waffle brunch. Totally easy, just plopped a few mochi squares as shown above on an oiled waffle iron. Everyone agreed that it was interesting and had potential with different toppings (especially the Bi-Rite lavender honey ice cream we had), but no one LOVED them except for me - but then again, I adore glutenous rice products. :D

From Serious Eats

How to Make Moffles, Mochi + Waffles

@dmarina: Waffle makers aren't necessarily 'unitaskers'. I have an old Sunbeam waffle maker that I got as a wedding present...OVER 25 years ago...and it has 'revolving' plates, which turn from waffle to flat sides. It still works just like new. I've been making 'pannini' longer than they've been popular, LOL! Anyway, I use this iron for SO MANY things. I reckon I've used it at LEAST twice a week since I've owned it. I doubt it was very expensive to start with, but wow, nothing made these days would still be working after all this time. (In fact, when my kids were going through their respective 'I don't want anything but grilled cheese' phases, I must have used it 4 times a day for about 2 years) So, this will be its next test. It sure sounds good, I have loved mochi since I first tasted it in Japan over 15 years ago. In fact, I spent 3 months there, and nearly cried when it was time to come home, as I knew I wasn't going to be able to find the ingredients I would need once I was back home. This was before the 'sushi' craze hit the US. I would gladly eat Japanese food 3X a day every day of the year, though I can't, cos even though I CAN find most of the ingredients now, I can't afford them every day. I 'settle' for once or twice a week. (But, I DO use Japanese 'techniques' for many of the foods I cook.)
Anyway, I intend to try this tomorrow.

From Serious Eats

How to Make Moffles, Mochi + Waffles

Mmmm I was just introduced to mochi last summer - so good! Check out this similar variation of Moffles served with Green Tea Tofu Cream - delish!

From Serious Eats

How to Make Moffles, Mochi + Waffles

@squidlette, yes, mochi is a New Year's food, at least in Japan.

From Serious Eats

How to Make Moffles, Mochi + Waffles

Hey does anyone know where I can find different recipes for mochi? Love it but tired of making chocolate mochi from side of rice box.

From Serious Eats

How to Make Moffles, Mochi + Waffles

For those worried about being in the possession of a unitasker, consider one of two things.

1) The LHC is a unitasker
2) You can most definitely use a waffle iron as a panini press. (this post is less about being accurate and more about the flimsy reasons that allow us to keep boxes because they'll come in handy some day)

Also, the moffles look delicious.

From Serious Eats

How to Make Moffles, Mochi + Waffles

WOW. i love mochi, but i'm not so sure about this. The beauty of mochi's texture is so fleeting (the gooey inside hardens SO quickly!).

Only one way to find out...

From Serious Eats

How to Make Moffles, Mochi + Waffles

@rockymountainmarta: was that an attempt at trolling?

@dmarina: I really shouldn't talk because I have a takoyaki pan, but not for making takoyaki with.
I make kanom krok in it and am hatching crazy plans to get a second pan and craft some kind of giant and ill-conceived Hong Kong egg cake maker.

I suppose a waffle iron not for waffles but for moffles is right up my alley.

From Serious Eats

How to Make Moffles, Mochi + Waffles

It totally works in a George Foreman! We've been doing it for years. You can also put it in a toaster oven and watch it puff up, similar to the way a peep expands in the microwave. Sometimes you can find bags of individually wrapped mochi in Asian markets, but I think it's a seasonal (winter) thing. Feel free to prove me wrong, as I've only bought it once or twice, during winter.

From Serious Eats

How to Make Moffles, Mochi + Waffles

@rockymountainmarta: yuck yuck yuck sheep? (ewe?)
have you tried it? can't say yuck (or sheep) until you've experienced the deliciousness.

@fuuchan: waffle-maker is the only unitasker i have...and totally worth it for waffles of every kind!

next time, i'm thinking coconut anglaise. and more savory options. there's gotta be a way to work in spam!

From Serious Eats

How to Make Moffles, Mochi + Waffles

@princexy, what you are describing sounds like the sweet, soft mochi like mochi-ice cream-kind. this kind of mochi is made by pounding glutinous rice and dried to harden.

From Serious Eats

How to Make Moffles, Mochi + Waffles

I must live in a hole or something because I have never seen mochi in any grocery type store, even the asian market. But it's really easy to make. All you need is glutinous rice flour and some water and sugar so it's OK.

Recent Posts

From Talk

Moffle Brunch

From Photograzing

Pomelo Ceviche

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About sophia kitchencaravan

Website: http://www.kitchencaravan.com

Location: New York and around the world

About: I have an online cooking show called "Kitchen Caravan" that I produce with my friend Emma. We travel the world through food, teaching people how to cook healthy recipes with seasonal ingredients.

Favorite foods: Mexican chiles, homemade hummus, breads of all kinds, salade nicoise, pasta with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese, kale, halva, goat cheese, sprouted chickpeas, all herbs (especially mint and cilantro), eggplants, burrata, avocadoes

Last bite on earth: I would probably have to have avocados on bread with some lime and salt.