Food Diary - What I Ate in a Week.

It has been a while since I recorded a food diary (aka What I Eat in a Week).

Last week I was at home all week so I thought it was as good a time as any to again write my very own version of New York Magazine's Grub Street Diet (grubstreet.com).

Friday.

(I realise it's a little odd starting the week on a Friday but next Friday I have a dental appointment and nobody will want to read about cold drinks and mushy food!).

I hardly ever eat breakfast but I always have a variety of drinks each morning - a liquid breakfast as it were. Currently I have a bit of a thing for Coconut Water so today as soon as I roll out of bed I have a glass while waiting for the kettle to boil. Once boiled it's a big mug of PG Tips Tea with half a sugar and no milk. (I'm very happy that I can now buy PG Tips easily on Amazon Prime at a reasonable price rather than having to get them smuggled in from England or pay an extortionate amount for them!)

A little later I have a mug of French Press coffee, no fancy blend or anything it's Choc full o' Nuts French Roast. Every time people come to our house and drink coffee they always say how good it is and I'm happy with it as my 'everyday coffee in a mug' too.

I returned home from a work trip last night and had a big steak and potato dinner so I don't want to eat anything before I go into the city to run some errands and buy food for what will hopefully be a lighter dinner at home tonight. 

When I'm heading home in the early afternoon I realise that I haven't eaten and should pick up something. I decide to indulge in one of my guilty pleasures and I stop at the Golden Krust Bakery on 14th Street and grab two of their

Jamaican spicy beef patties. They are almost always too hot to eat straight away so I save them until I get home when they are just right - so good! 

Later in the afternoon I have another French Press coffee and a Tunnock's Caramel Wafer which is a Scottish chocolate bar/ biscuit - wafers layered together with caramel then dipped in milk chocolate. I've made it sound more decadent than it really is, it's actually rather spartan but it's a favourite cheap British sweet snack of mine.

 Earlier I bought a mighty fine looking piece of cod in WholeFoods so after having a Six Point Sweet Action beer I portion it up and rub it with some jerk spices. (I'm didn't intentionally  set out to eat Jamaican all day today, it was just the first spice I grabbed from the cupboard!) sear it, pop it in the oven and make a simple salad of arugula and tomatoes, the whole thing gets a spritz of lime juice and some olive oil, it's a quick, simple, delicious dinner. Afterwards I have a glass of Cotes du Rhones and then I'm away to bed.

Saturday.

I have my usual mug of tea followed by a mug of coffee, no juice today. 

We go out for a walk and by the time I get back I'm so hungry I need to eat something right now or else! Lunch ends up being two bowls of raisin bran (except it has dried cranberries in it instead of raisins... craisin bran?!?) with cashew milk, a plain Greek yoghurt with a dash of maple syrup and a hard boiled egg.  

Early evening we go out to the cinema in Union Square where we see Trainspotting 2. It's hilarious and we love it. After the film we walk over to Taverna Kyclades on First Avenue which is rammed so it's a fair old wait for a table as it is Saturday night. We sit it out with a Mythos beer at the bar and when we do finally get seated we attack a plate of mixed dips, horiatiki salad, grilled octopus and sausages. It's all delicious, especially the skordalia dip and octopus and we have a bottle of Greek red wine with it. We pass on the free mini desert -it's too late and we are too full.

Sunday.

Tea and coffee no juice.

We are in downtown Jersey City around lunchtime and I'm craving something Asian so we stop at Sawadee. I order what I always have in a Thai place: Tom Yum Soup and Chili Basil Squid (actually I'm exaggerating, occasionally I will swap out the squid for Massaman Curry). We get served huge portions but flavourwise everything is a bit disappointing as it's a little bland. I feel as if I'm about to get a cold and I wanted a good blast of chili to get it out of my system but this didn't quite hit the spot.

For Sunday dinner I dry rub and roast a slab of baby back ribs and cook up a big pot of vinegary collard greens. While it's cooking I have a Sweet Action to ease into the evening. I crack open some PBR's to have with dinner and it's the perfect meal!

Monday.

I wake up stupidly early and have a glass of coconut water then go back to bed first with a mug of tea and then with a mug of coffee and read. I spend the morning running errands and doing a big supermarket shop. When I get back home I have another coffee and make a sub sandwich for lunch: ham, cheese, salami, roasted peppers, rucola and olive oil.

I spend the afternoon cooking and doing chores. At various times I stop for a can of La Croix (Lime), a coffee and a couple of Harrod's Peppermint Disks, which are chocolate peppermint creams like a very deluxe After Eight. They are lush!

For dinner we eat Aubergine Parmesan that I made this afternoon with a rucola and tomato salad. I drink another Sweet Action. Dinner hits the spot and I go to bed feeling virtuous after my meat free dinner - which sort of makes up for last night's rib feast.

Tuesday.

Coconut water, tea and two coffees. 

I'm off to Soho House for a facial and sauna late morning so I have a bowl of (c)raisin bran with cashew milk before I go. I have a glass of herbal tea between my sauna and facial and leave feeling dreamy and rested - which lasts for about five minutes when I hit the hustle and bustle of the street. 

I had planned to have a quick lunch somewhere but I can't decide what I feel like, so I run some errands and buy food for a couple of meals at home. I go to Eataly to buy some meat and I grab a piece of foccacia with sausage and peppers which I eat as a very late lunch when I get home. It's very good, spicy and greasy, like a reworking of those street fair sausage and pepper rolls!

Dinner is kind of sophisticated for a Tuesday. I mix up a Steak Tartare and we eat it with a simple green salad and a Baguette from Kayser. We finish up the baguette with a cheeseboard and drink a Spanish Tempranillo.

Wednesday.

It's the usual again: coconut water, tea, and two coffees.

I'm at home all day today.  Lunch is simple, a toasted ham and cheese sandwich with plenty of Dijon mustard smeared on. Whilst I'm waiting for it to get browned and melt-y I snack on a handful of salt and pepper flavoured crisps and a couple of pickled onions from an almost empty jar that I spy in the back of the fridge. It's almost like a British pub lunch without the beer!

Yesterday I stopped by Dizengoff in Chelsea Market and bought a pint of their unbelievably good hummus which we have for dinner with some spicy lamb meatballs that I made, a big Greek salad and a sheet of Markouk village bread from Damascas Bakery which I toast over the gas flame on the stove's power burner. I have a PBR with dinner and we finish up last night's red wine before bed.

Thursday.

Same again first thing: coconut water, tea and two coffees.

I'm planning on having a last night's leftovers for lunch with a fried egg but end up having to dash out the house for work stuff. No time to eat at home so I run into Pret and grab a Greek Falafel Wrap to go which I eat when I get to work.

I go back home for a couple of hours in the afternoon before meeting my husband and going over to Williamsburg. We stop off at Fornello for a quick beer (Brooklyn Pilsner) and pizza (large sausage). I've only recently discovered Fornello and while it's not a hip cool pizza place it's a good quick option, the pizza is good and it is inexpensive.
After our early dinner we walk over to Warsaw and watch the Sleaford Mods. I have a tin of Zywieck beer and a plastic glass of red wine whilst there. I don't know what the wine is but it's a fair sized plastic glass and it is reasonably priced as far as a drink at a show goes. Warsaw is a great venue, one of my favourites - I like seeing music in unlikely places, it's not expensive and they even serve hot food.
After the show we head straight home. I've an early dental appointment and a day of cold soft food to look forward to tomorrow after all...

Food Diary - What I Ate in a Week.

I'm a huge fan of New York Magazine's Grub Street Diet, a weekly posting where they ask people to record what they ate in a week - in fact it is one of my favorite things to read and I look forward to it each Friday (grubstreet.com).

I was at home for the whole of the week detailed below and there's more eating out than usual so here is my very own version of 'Grub Street Diet' or 'What I Ate in a Week'.

Sunday.

I never ever eat breakfast but I always have a hot drink (or three) first thing in the morning. I wake up in Florida, have a quick coffee and leave for the airport as I'm going home after a week working away.
At Palm Beach Airport after checking in I get a small skinny latte from Starbucks, it's very far from my favorite coffee but reliable. Inevitably, my flight is delayed. I'm going to be starving by the time I land in NYC mid afternoon and there's not much choice here food wise so I opt for what I think is one of the better options available, a Quizno's Tuna Sub. I load it up with pickle slices and banana peppers and it's OK, not hugely tasty but at least I won't get hangry...
I'm flying JetBlue so I have a packet of their blue potato chips on board and water - I always drink a ton of water throughout the day regardless of whether I'm flying or not.

As soon as I get home I have coffee (french press with milk and sugar) and then another cup around six o'clock.

We head out to our local pizza joint, Panello, (panellopizza.com) for dinner around eight-ish. They make excellent thin crust 'proper' pizzas and it's BYOB. Mr C&C and I split a pizza with ricotta and speck and another with kale and hot sausage and drink Mirrasou Pinot Noir that we brought from home.

Monday.

Today is an at home day for me and I fill it with errands and catching up on things I didn't do last week. My morning routine at home is a small tumbler of orange juice, a mug of PG Tips tea and then a mug of french press coffee. Sometimes mid-morning I have another french press - today is one of those days.
Around one o'clock I realise I'm starving and make a quesadilla with cheddar and plenty of hot sauce. I also have plain Greek yogurt with a dash of maple syrup.

Dinner is at home and I make some soba with spinach and sesame from the Wagamama book and bake some teriyaki salmon. I drink a Chubb Scottish Ale - it's a heavy beer and I'm not too keen on it but the salmon is excellent!

Tuesday. 

It's another at home day with errands so I start with the usual orange juice, PG Tips and french press coffee.
I have a voucher for a free entree at Chipotle (I love free things!) so I redeem that at lunchtime and have a bowl with rice, pinto beans, barbacoa, cheese, sour cream and pico di gallo. I load it up with hot sauce and it's not bad but it's also not really satisfying. (It's also pretty salty and this is from someone who loves salt!).

Dinner is at home. There's Parma ham and I make a pea and artichoke frittata, a Canelli bean salad and roast asparagus and aubergine. I top the aubergine with some gremolata and we finish up some odds and ends of cheese from the fridge with a baguette. I forgot to buy a different beer so I have another Chubb .

Wednesday.

After orange juice, PG Tips and coffee I go into the city.
I've been in the mood for a Pad Thai recently so I satisfy my craving by stopping by Rhong Taim (rhong-tiam.com) and having one with shrimp for lunch. It's been a while since I've had Thai out in NYC and I'm a little shocked that it's $16.00 for what is essentially a take out joint but when it comes it is a huge portion and it's really good - spicier than usual with a lot of prawns. I end up eating half and re wrapping half of it for lunch at home tomorrow.

Dinner is at home and I roast some Jerk Cornish Hens that I marinaded on Monday.  We have them with black beans and rice, lashings of Pickapeppa sauce and some KBC IPA that I remembered to grab at Trader Joe's on my way home.

Thursday.

OJ, tea, coffee and a second coffee at home mid morning.
Lunch is the rest of yesterday's Pad Thai and a pint of home made hot sour soup. I made a big pot of it sort of using the recipe from the Lucky Peach cook book and froze it in portions. It's good, nice and peppery and pretty sharp. I made it meat free but added lots of mushrooms. 

I'm a bit peckish early evening and have a hand full of Planter's chipotle peanuts and a few spears of roasted asparagus.

For dinner I make Moules Farci (grilled mussels stuffed with garlic and herb butter) and Shrimp Saganaki (shrimps and feta cheese with ouzo and tomato sauce). We eat them with a baguette and drink Pinot Grigio. It's an awesome dinner.

Friday

OJ, tea and coffee once more for 'breakfast'.
I have an early lunch of leftovers - frittata, bean salad and roasted asparagus and go into NYC. I go to the IFC (ifccenter.com)and watch City of Gold. I love the film and had a packet of m and m's in the cinema, the peanut ones, always the peanut ones.

I'm meeting my husband for dinner but he's running late so I hang out in Pret in Union Square and have a macchiato. We had planned on going to Manitobas (manitobas.com) for drinks and then G.G.'s (ggsnyc.com) for a Grandma Pie (see photo) but as we were delayed we ended up grabbing a drink in a non-descript Flatiron bar, you know the sort - traders, frat boys, chicken tenders etc. I had a pale ale of some sort and then we wandered over to the West Village for a late dinner as it is on the way home.
We had Via Carota (viacarota.com )in mind but they were super busy. Buvette (newyork.ilovebuvette.com) wasn't so we ended up there. We drank Cotes du Rhone and ate chicken liver mousse, pate de campagne and saucisson, then octopus and celery salad and steak tartare. We ended up with cheese, some Tome and an American creamy Camembert type whose name I don't recall.  The food was lovely but I felt like we were eating a doll's house, tiny plates and tables, undersized cutlery and my poor husband was perched on a stool. It was far from relaxing, so although we enjoyed everything we ate and drank we won't revisit...

Saturday.

OJ, tea and coffee. Then we went out for a walk and coffee at BWE Kafe (bwekafe.com) which isn't too far from us. I had a macchiato.

We have a dinner reservation at Bacaro (bacaronyc.com) tonight so lunch is at home. I make a quesadilla and a salad with left over bean salad, jerk chicken and the last of the roasted asparagus.

Early evening we are in Soho in need of a quick coffee so we go into Dean and Deluca (deananddeluca.com). I order another macchiato to have standing at the counter. I have one sip and throw it away - it is terrible! I'm pissed off at wasting money and not getting my coffee fix.

We head over to Bacaro and get to the neighborhood early so we sit in Beverly's and I have a Laguinita's IPA. The bar creeps me out a little but the beer is fine.

Over at Bacaro we weirdly get seated at the same table as the last time we visited which was probably five years ago. Dinner is wonderful. We share snails, a plate of salumi and cheese, then have some rice balls (the low point of the meal) and then a tagliata (sliced rib eye steak and salad). We drink a very nice Barbera. I'd forgotten how much I like this place. We will come back soon. Mr C&C has an espresso and sambuca just because it's Saturday night and we go home happy after a very good week of eating extremely well.

    

Five Favorite Cookbooks - General.

I'm a Chef so I have a ton of cookbooks. The other day I was thinking about the most loved/used books in my collection and thought I would share them with you.

I have many, many books and they all serve different purposes - some provide basic recipes, some  provide ideas for menus and plating, some inspire me to create new dishes and some are just a joy to browse and read.

I use all my books in different ways and have books that fall into different categories. I've classified this particular selection of books as 'general' as they each contain a little of everything - a selection of cuisines from different countries as well as both sweet and savory items. Of course I couldn't pick just one so here are five of my favorite general books.

Roast Chicken and Other Stories by Simon Hopkinson.

Not only does this book contain a great selection of recipes it is a delight to read. Each chapter is named after an ingredient (Cilantro, Eggs, Scallops etc)  and starts with a little essay about that ingredient or an anecdote related to it followed by a handful of excellent recipes. No photos in this one (although there are some pretty illustrations) but it is amazingly instructive.

It feels like a very personal collection of recipes and there is an equally wonderful follow up called Second Helpings of Roast Chicken.

A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider.

This isn't a health or diet cookbook but one that looks at healthier ways of preparing flavorsome foods. There is an emphasis on vegetables and grains but there are also plenty of recipes for meat and even desserts. What I really like about this book is the lengthy section on rubs, sauces, marinades and dressings. And there is a stellar recipe for Gravlax in here that's a cinch to make - it's so good it's worth getting the book just for that.

Keep it Simple by Alastair Little.

This has a great introductory section on basics and then four seasonal sections each divided into starters, main courses, sides and desserts. For the most parts the recipes take their cue from France and Italy, but there are a few Asian inspired ones also.  There are some great dessert recipes here as well. 

Although this is just over twenty years old the recipes still look fresh and modern.  I have cooked many many recipes from this book and they always please.

The Gourmet Cookbook edited by Ruth Reichl.

When I moved here from Europe I wanted to get a comprehensive American recipe book. One that would work with American ingredients as well as provide me with recipes for traditional American foods.  This big fat cook book was the one I bought and it's a great resource. It has recipes for almost anything and as well as having all the American classics it has a good selection of dishes from all around the world.

Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Plenty is a collection of vegetable, grain and pasta recipes that can be served as either a main dish or a side. The photos in it are stunning and they makes me want to cook something that's fresh and interesting. It is one of those books that I reach for when I want to be inspired, I don't cook the recipes exactly as they are here but use them as a basic idea and adapt them as I wish.

  

Hot Sauces!

I love spicy food and hot sauces are one of my favourite condiments. They aren't expensive and after having lived in France for so long when even red tabasco was something of a rarity I like to have a good selection of them on hand.

Here's a quick look at what I've got in the fridge at the moment.

I like Jamaican hot sauces a lot. 

Walkerswood Zesty One Stop Savory Sauce reminds me of an 

English breakfast sauce such as HP but spicier. Pickapeppa is a classic Jamaican sauce - this is the one to have on your Jamaican patties - it tastes similar to Walkerswood but puts me in mind of a thicker, spicier Worcestershire Sauce. Pickapeppa Gingery Mango Sauce is just that - a gingery mango sauce - it's flavour leans more towards India and its not 'chili type hot' but has a good kick of ginger to liven it up.  Grace Sweet and Spicy Hot Pepper Sauce isn't a really hot one. It's a sweet sauce spiked with a little hot red pepper to give it a kick and it reminds me a lot of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Finally, Jamaica Hell Fire Hot Pepper Concentrate is one that I eyed warily before trying but it isn't as hot as the label implies. Basically this is made of chilies in vinegar but is nicely balanced rather than blow your head off hot!

Mexico has some of the best hot sauces and there are many, many of them. I have just three at the moment though because I have so many Jamaican ones. 

Tapatio is a classic red pepper hot sauce in the same vein as Tabasco. I'm also a fan of Valentina, a red pepper sauce that is quite vinegary. I really like Goya products in general and especially their Salsita. I love the wooden tops that the bottles have and the sauces are great. At the moment I have Plenty Hot Jalepeno which is one of my all time favorite hot sauces - I love it on pizza! - and Pure Fire Ripe Habanero. There's also a Chipotle one in this range that I need to repurchase that is amazing.

I don't tend to have a lot of Asian hot sauces as I tend to put heat into Asian food rather than on it. Two that I always have in stock though are Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (it's great with fish cakes as well as won tons etc) and Sriracha, a ketchup like hot sauce which goes with everything. I love to mix this with mayonnaise - it's so good 

Finally there's the classic one... Tabasco. In things or on things this one isn't as hot as you would think and there is a green jalapeno version that is the bomb - a little bit spicy and very smooth.

As you can see I do love a little hot sauce. I've not made too many recs for what goes best with what because I think it is all a matter of personal preference and what you feel like at the time. 

Right I have to go to the shops - I need some green Tabasco and Chipotle Salsita... 

Steak with Corn and Kale.

In Summer I mostly tend to cook and eat a lot of meals that are vegetable based or centered on fish and chicken  but sometimes you just feel like a good old hunk of steak. And whilst I'm sure that this is mostly in my head whenever I'm feeling a bit listless or run down a steak does seem to 'sort me out'. Now of course when it's boiling hot the last thing that you need to be doing is slaving over a hot stove so here's a quick and easy dinner that's not only satisfying but also makes use of summer produce.

For two people you will need:
1lb of your favourite steak and your favorite steak seasoning or rub
2 ears of fresh corn
1 bunch of kale
A splash of olive oil
(I like to use Hanger Steak for this, it's fairly inexpensive, tender and very flavorsome with a rich mineral taste. Feel free to use whatever cut you like, this would work well with fillet -if you are feeling extravagant - skirt steak, sirloin, a strip steak, rib eye or steak tips.)  

Preparation:

Wash the kale, rip the leaves from the center stem and chop roughly.
Shuck the corn. To do this stand the corn in a large bowl, hold the top so it's upright and run a sharp knife down the cob shaving off the kernels into the bowl.
Rub the steak with your choice of rub. You can use whatever you like as the corn and kale both have fairly neutral flavours. I kept it simple with salt and lemon pepper but you could use a barbecue rub, a Mexican style rub or even an Asian inspired rub - really whatever takes your fancy.

Cooking.
Cook your steak by your usual method to your preferred level of 'doneness'. I used a ridged grill pan (apartment living hey...) but you could grill it outside also.
Whilst your steak is cooking heat a splash of olive oil in a large frying pan.
Add the corn with a sprinkle of salt and stir it around until it starts to color.
Add the kale and cook until it looks 'wilted' (I like to cook my corn and kale until they are both quite well done.)

Put the vegetables onto a serving platter and put the steak on top.
If you used a strip, rib eye or sirloin leave the cooked steak to rest for five minutes before slicing it and laying it on top of the vegetables - it's easier to serve and looks more appetizing I think.

And that's it - quick, easy and oh-so-good!

Try This.

Daniel Freeman is a food writer, restaurant critic and also the founder and writer of the blog restaurant girl.com. 

Try This is her guide to eating fourteen of the world's cuisines. 

Each chapter deals with a different cuisine which she explores through restaurant meals mostly in NYC and Los Angeles. In each chapter she describes and explains the food of the country she is focusing on. Each chapter ends with information about how to order and put together a meal and explains the etiquette and acceptable table behavior in each country.

I feel this would be an informative book for a novice diner. For someone like myself who dines out a lot, cooks everyday and reads plenty of books and magazines (not to mention blog posts) about food there isn't so much in the way of new information. In fact there were a few things in that I consider to be incorrect - maybe this is because the book is really about the foods that you find in ethnic restaurants in the U.S. rather than the food in its own countries. 

Despite the above quibbles I did enjoy reading this, it was light and amusing and if you are interested in becoming a more adventurous diner it would be an informative guide. 

( Note - The book was published in 2011).