Happy Diwali

We celebrated Diwali this past week. For those who are unfamiliar with the holiday, Diwali is the celebration of a new year, the fesitval of lights and perhaps one of the most important festivals in the Hindu religion. To recognize the day, I prepared the following menu:

• Rajma: red kidney beans with onions, tomato sauce and spices
• Alu: potatoes with onions and spices
• Bhindi: Okra cooked with lots of chili and spices

I garnished each dish with a lot of cilantro and served our meal with sides of garlic naan and rice. Happy Diwali. Here's to a successful and lucky year ahead! 

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Nostalgia for Tacos al Pastor

by Carlos Quesada, Amateur guest blogger from Boston, MA, originally from Mexico City, Mexico

Perhaps one of the saddest things for me when I left Mexico was knowing that I would also be leaving the easy access to these tacos made so fresh, so quick and so deliciously. When I do return to Mexico for quick vacations, the first stop I make is to any taqueria to get my hands on some tacos al pastor.

Tacos al pastor – shepherd-style tacos—are a signature dish and popular street snack in Mexico City. They are legacies, it seem, of the Lebanese natives who brought them to Mexico City in a wave of immigration in the mid-20th century. Others would argue this, as it is known that to celebrate the fall of the Aztec empire and Tenochtitlan, a dish made of pork and tortilla was served to the Spanish soldiers by the tlaxcaltecas.

They are made of pork with chili-soaked pork spit-roasted beneath a dripping, slowly caramelizing pineapple and are usually referred as the “king of the tacos”. Similar to shawarma, gyros, or any other Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern preparation of spitted lamb and flatbread, tacos al pastor are prepared in a special spit marinated with pork pieces running with the amber juices of the pineapple above. The pastorero works swiftly, slicing off the hottest, crustiest pieces from the mound along with a bit of bronzed pineapple, chopped cilantro, onion and a spoonful of drippings. He quickly sprinkles on diced sweet white onion and dusts the top of the taco with finely chopped cilantro.

Pick up a taco, folding up the slides with thumb and index finger, closing the end with the forefinger. With the first bite, you should get that flavor of roast pork, the perfume of cilantro, the bite of the onion, subtle bitter aroma of chili, and the sweet heady pineapple. One more small bite and the first taco will be gone. The second and third will follow, then you will hail the waiter and ask for more.

Because the special grill and vertical spit are necessary to make the dish, no one in Mexico sees fit – or is logistically able – to make tacos al pastor at home, so they are almost always found in street stands or small restaurants called taquerias. The recipes vary from stand to stand – proprietors are loath to give away their secrets.

One of my favorite places to eat tacos al pastor is El  Huequito (which means “the little hole”), a tiny operation in this city’s Centro Histórico, founded in 1959 and among the first places in the city to serve tacos al pastor. At El Huequito the sliced meat is bathed in a moderately picante salsa of chile de árbol, enhanced with chopped onion and cilantro and rolled up in its small tortilla. Several salsas are available for serious chileros — chili lovers. The meat is juicy and succulent, the smoky grilled aroma lingering until you take the next bite. Washed down with an ice-cold horchata or agua de Jamaica, these morsels are simply divine.

Note: This blog originally appeared on Carlos's wedding website. But how could I not share good taco tips with fellow Amateur palates? Thanks for allowing me to borrow this blog!

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A Peek at Brendan Sodikoff's Chicago Establishments

After a long hiatus, the Amateur’s Palate is back! There has been a lot going on in the amateur world, and I’m excited to share some of my learning’s with you. What’s the first announcement since my last post? The Amateur’s Palate is now headquartered in the great culinary city of Chicago.

For those who haven’t had the chance to have a proper taste of Chicago, this city is an appropriate rival to New York in the culinary scene. While smaller than the Big Apple, Chicago has a cluster of Michelin Star chefs, Top Chef alums, and up and coming restaurateurs.

One restaurateur I’ve been watching in particular is Brendan Sodikoff, owner of some of the most exciting restaurants in Chicago. So far, he’s opened four restaurants and a donut shop, and a pizzeria is on its way. The dishes in his restaurants don’t try to over complicate things. They’re simple, hearty, and packed with flavor—exactly the kind of food you want to eat over and over again. It’s easy to become a regular at his restaurants. 

Here is a quick summary and a few thoughts on his establishments.

Gilt Bar

A favorite of mine, Gilt Bar has a small though strong and consistently good menu. I recommend getting the chicken, octopus and chorizo and any of the toasts.

Courtesy of Giltbarchicago.com

Image courtesy of Mega Bites Chicago

Au Cheval

Au Cheval is a dark diner with a DJ playing good music. Their burgers are so deliciously juicy, you’ll forget about all of the other diners in your neighborhood.

Image courtesy of Aucheval.tumblr.com

Image courtesy of Aucheval.tumblr.com

Bavette’s  Bar & Boeuf

Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf is a sharp restaurant that primarily serves steak. However, I’ve also had the chicken here and the special, which was a bratwurst that was half beef and half pork. Both were simply prepared but wonderfully cooked. Also, try the side of corn, which is prepared Elote style with Parmesan, chili and lime.

Image courtesy of Bavette's Bar & Boeuf

Maude’s Liquor Bar

Maude’s Liquor Bar is an elegant French bistro restaurant. The food is good, as expected, but I like to go here for the cocktails. 

Image courtesy of Maude's Liquor Bar

Image courtesy of Maude's Liquor Bar

The Doughnut Vault

The Doughnut Vault opens early in the morning and stays open until they run out of doughnuts—and that happens quickly. Lines to purchase these doughnuts circle the block during the weekends, and it doesn’t matter if it’s sunny, raining or snowing.

Image courtesy of The Doughnut Vault

Image courtesy of The Doughnut Vault

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2011 NYC Wine and Food Festival

In case you've been ignoring all things food around the city, the NYC Wine & Food Festival is coming up. I'm so excited, I'm am scouring the list over and over again like mad man. I can't seem to decide which event to attend! Also, does anyone have an extra Benjamin to spare? I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

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Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is a wonderful, classic Italian dish. I've always enjoyed eating this dish because it has a nice, fresh tang which comes from the lemon-based sauce.

While I have ordered it several times at restaurants, I have never attempted to cook it. It wasn't until my good friend Lucille (who happens to be a fiery Sicilian) had me help her prepare it for a typical Italian family dinner. It was easy enough to cook the dish with her, so last night I decided to cook it for myself.

Here's what I did (and apologies in advance that I don't have exact measurements. I did, after all, steal this recipe from a family):

Ingredients

chicken breasts

flour

butter

garlic

white wine

mushrooms

lemon juice

parsley

capers

If the chicken breasts aren't thin enough, use a tenderizer to pound them until they are thin. Afterwards, lightly coat each side with flour. In a pan coated with butter, cook the chicken breasts thoroughly and set aside.

Throw more butter in the pan and sautee the garlic and mushrooms. Afterwards, pour in the lemon juice and white wine, letting it simmer until the ingredients thoroughly mix with each other. Both Lucille and I--on separate occasions--added too much lemon juice, and we needed to balance out the taste by pouring in more white wine. So, be sure to constantly taste the sauce!

Add more flour to thicken the sauce. Lastly, throw in some Italian parsley and capers, and let it simmer for a few more minutes. Once the sauce is done, pour it over the chicken, and serve the dish with pasta (I prefer to have Piccata with linguini).

Tip: Make enough sauce to pour over your pasta. Also, don't forget, be easy on the lemon juice.

Buon appetito!

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animal

You're "foie'd up!" exclaimed our waiter. We were at the trendy downtown Los Angeles restaurant, animal. Our waiter, who resembled a young Paul Giamatti, was commenting on the abundance of foie gras in half of the dishes we chose to try that evening.

We didn't plan to have so much foie gras for dinner, but Chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo created a menu that used the ingredient in so many creative ways, we couldn't order just one. Better yet, the chefs' use of different parts of the animal is astonishingly unique that I wonder what inspired their dishes. They pair unlikely ingredients with proteins: think lamb neck served with fava beans and daikon, or consider veal brains with apple sauce.

Because of all of this, we couldn't cling to a salad for safety. In celebrating animal, we decided to order exactly what they wanted us to order...the wild.

Take a look:

poutine with oxtail gravy and cheddar cheese

bone marrow topped with chimichurri and caramelized onions

foie gras loco moco, with quail egg, spam and hamburger meat

foie gras, biscuit and maple sausage gravy

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Try These Restaurants In San Francisco

I was recently in San Francisco for a business trip. While most of my time there was spent in a convention center and in hotels, I was able to sneak out and try some of San Francisco's best restaurants. Here are a few of my favorites:

Flour + Water

Area: Mission District

Rumor has it that this popular hipster spot made Steve Jobs wait for a table. And I don't blame him for getting in line. Their dishes are simple, rustic and made with the freshest ingredients. Their menu is seasonal, but you can't go wrong with any of the pasta dishes. I also recommend trying the radiatore with smoked hen, pancetta, wild arugula and chili. And if they let you, substitute the hen with rabbit. Delish!

Nettie's Crab Shack

Area: Union Street

There's something so comforting about this restaurant that if I lived in San Francisco, I'd be a regular at this place. Maybe it's the restaurant's 'no frills' approach to its dining room, maybe it's the dedicated and hospitable wait staff...or maybe it's the gigantic crab roll they give you. Large globs of fresh dungeness crab are served in a heavily buttered roll. Yum.

Anchor & Hope

Area: SoMa

Anchor & Hope is a great escape from the surrounding convention center and hotel conference rooms, and it's the perfect place to pop in for a nice lunch. Fresh seafood is served daily. Try their clam chowder or one of the many seafood sandwiches they have to offer. I had a fried clam sandwich and thought it was lovely. Don't forget to order the rosemary and thyme french fries with your sandwich. They're to die for.

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