NYC Visit

I haven't blogged in a bit, because I was on a little NYC vacay. It was amazing to see my friends, hang out at some of my old haunts and snack on some of my favorite food. Here are some highlights:

 

Uncle George's Diner in Astoria.

Lamb kebabs skewered with onions, green peppers and tomatoes, grilled to medium rare (the best for lamb, in my opinion), with tangy lemony potatoes.

Eggplant Parm Hero at Salumeria Biellese. The best, in the world, ever! They heap layers of eggplant Parmesan on a crusty portion of a loaf (the bread is magical, I can't help but get a large), sprinkled with more parm cheese and a dousing of marinara. Ask for extra marinara and many, many extra napkins.

 

Like I said, extra napkins.

My friend Marion's Sausage and Pepper Hero at Salumeria Biellese.

Yum Duck Salad (spicy fried crispy duck tossed in lime juice with tomato, chili pepper, pineapple chunks, red onion and ground peanuts at Yum Yum Bangkok.

I love this place because it's down the block from my first New York apartment (ah, nostalgia). My friend Dani and I hit up Yum Yum as often as we can.

Heaven on rye - Pastrami at Katz's Deli. I'm a purest when it comes to pastrami, so yellow mustard is all I'll add. This is by far the best 2 am drunk snack in NYC.

 

Complimentary pickle plate.

  

Beauty of a sammie, with potato pancakes in the background.

Harissa Falafel at Taim Falafel & Smoothie Bar. One of the more popular falafel shacks in the city, after a bite, it's easy to see why this Israeli owned spot often has lines overflowing out the door. A rather perfect version of a falafel sandwich, it has a contrast of flavors and textures - the harissa falafel spicy and slightly sweet, airy and crisp, covered in smooth tahini, crunchy tangy white cabbage salad and a tart cucumber, tomato Israeli salad. I drizzled mine with their skhug Temani, a piquant blend of coriander, peppers, garlic and vinegar.

  

We went to an all-you-can-drink brunch at the newly opened Sunburnt Calf, part of the Sunburnt Cow chain. I indulged in far too many greyhounds, as well as the Queen Adelaide, Poached eggs, smoked salmon, slice of avocado on an English muffin topped with a heafty drizzle hollandaise.

 

On my last night, I went to my favorite pizzerias in the city, Arturo's. Despite being in the heart of the village, it feels warm, friendly and makes me feel like I'm at home. Also, the live jazz sure doesn't hurt. My friend Jill insists that they have the only coal oven in the city, which makes the airy, slightly charred crust magically memorable. Our pie was topped with artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and basil.

Peshawari Chappli Kabab Pitas

I was a new Arabic shop in Columbia, Olive Cafe, and came across a spice mix for spicy ground beef patties. This mix has a variety of fragrant spices, which were pretty spicy, but in a flavorful way. The patties reminded me of a carnivorous version of falafel. I'm not sure of the proportions, but here's the listing from the package: salt, red chili, coriander, cumin, ginger, garlic, dehydrated onion, pomegranate seeds, fine flour (wheat), black pepper, black cumin, cinnamon, mace, bay leaf, fenugreek leaves, carom, citric acid.

Ingredients:
Kebabs
1 lbs ground beef
1 small onion finely chopped
* 1/2 small green pepper finely chopped
1 clove smashed, minced garlic
3 tsp grated ginger
2 eggs
1 package of Peshawari Chappli spice mixture (use less for mild hot flavor)
1 cup vegetable oil

Israeli Salad
1 small cucumber cut into small cubes
3 roma tomatoes cut into small cubes (seeds removed)
1/4 small red onion finely diced
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 tbsp fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all salad ingredients and marinade in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.

Thoroughly combine kebab ingredients (except for oil), cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, warm oil in large fry pan to medium high heat. With wet hands, form thin flat 3 inch round kebab patties. Fry in hot oil until brown and crispy on each side.

Serve in pita with hummus and salad.

*original recipe calls for 3 green chilies, rather than green pepper, but Kyler and I thought it was pretty spicy to begin with. If your stomach can handle crazy spicy food, feel free to sub chilies for green pepper.

Hummus and Veggie Wrap

I was in a hummusy mood (yup, that's a possible mood) so I opted for a simple hummus wrap for lunch. This wrap is all in the execution (I learned to cut the pita down the sides from Ellysa's, my favorite falafel place in Hell's Kitchen, NYC, for maximum space).

Start out by warming a whole wheat pita (you could go with white, but why not opt for the healthier option), once warm, cut pita along the edge so that after cutting you're left with 2 circles. Spread on 3 heaping tablespoons of your fave hummus (I went with Sabra because it's the creamiest) and top with  your favorite veggies .You could pretty much add whatever veggies you want to this wrap, but I went with  tomatoes, cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts, red onion and red leaf lettuce.

Drizzle with olive oil, squeeze the juice of 1/4 lemon, sprinkle of finishing salt and grind fresh pepper to taste.

Wrap it up and feel good about your lunch, knowing that you went for a healthy meal.