Mezedes at Filema (Athens, Greece)
Recipe: Poulet Congolais from the Congo
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| local market |
Finally I’m back home (& back online!) after months of living and working in Congo. So many stories to tell, so many experiences to share. For this blog the main question to answer is of course: what does a hungry nomad eat when this far away from home?
Well, she tries all that she can: from foufou (cassave paste resembling mashed potatoes, low on flavor, heavy on the stomach), pili pili peppers (hot!!) and fried fish from Lake Kivu, to loads of peanuts and cheese from Goma (small yellow cheese a bit like an aged Gouda… great for this cheese addict). But what I’d like to share with you today is a local recipe for a dish with ingredients you can source easily wherever you may be. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to comment!
Ingredients:
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| 1) A chicken |
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| 2) Tomatoes |
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| 3) Onions |
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| 4a.) Peanuts |
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| 4b.) … or peanut butter |
Instructions:
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| 1) peel and puree your tomatoes, add tomato paste and dice the onions |
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| 2) grind peanuts |
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| 3) in a big pot add (olive) oil and onions. When the onions are glazed, add tomatoes, paste, peanuts and chicken. Cook until chicken is tender. Add water if necessary. |
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| 4) Serve with spinach and rice. Yum! |
Sarcone’s Deli- Italian Market (Philadelphia, USA)
Walking down 9th Street to the Italian Market I smelled the perfume of fresh baked bread. Following my nose I arrived at Sarcone’s Deli “It’s all about the Bread!” I read as I walked in through the doors. A small bright yellow deli and friendly staff greeted me. I was the last person in the store and they only had one roll left, especially for me. So the young girl at the counter walked me through the most popular sandwiches and made several recommendations.
I ordered the Old Fashion Italian. While waiting I was offered a bag of bread to take home. Never one to deny food, I happily accepted and took a big bag of cut bread and sat outside.
My sandwich was ready after less than 5 minutes. I fell in love at first bite. The bread was absolutely amazing. Crunchy on the outside with generous amounts of sesame seeds spread through out yet soft on the inside. The sandwich consisted of proscuitto, capicolla and sopresetta. All that meat was topped with crisp lettuce, onions, tasty tomatoes, oil, vinegar sprinkled with loads of oregano.
It was a pretty large sandwich so make sure you go with a big appetite or split in two. That being said I am sure I could have finished the whole thing if I tried.
Later on that evening, the family and I enjoyed eating the bag of bread with all my cheese finds from Claudio’s.
Amada- Old City/Society Hill (Philadelphia, USA)
It was a Friday night. With no dinner reservations and empty stomachs we found ourselves in Old City searching for a new restaurant to discover. Walking through the old cobblestone streets behind Independence Hall we arrived at Chestnut passing Amada. Amada has been on the list of restaurants I have been wanting to try, so with no hesitation we walked in hoping to find a table. The hostess was nice enough and told us that all the empty tables in the dining room were reserved but offered us to wait in the bar area until a high top became available. And so we did. The place was buzzing with tables of young and old drinking wine and mouthfuls of small Spanish tapas.
The bar area was dark with a variety of Spanish Jambon hanging from the ceilings.
…And more cheese and cured meats on display.
The bar was full and so we stood around watching others eat while the bartenders sliced the leg of ham and prepared drinks. A high top became available and we were quickly seated. At this point, we were both too hungry to speak so we sat quietly staring down at our menu ordering everything that sounded good in my head. Not too long after, we were served bread chips with a side of tuna. The side itself was so delicious I wanted to order more…if only it was offered on the menu.
After watching the men slice up the jambon we couldn’t resist ordering a plate of the Serano ham from the Cured meat selection. If you are familiar with Italian Proscuitto and like it then you will enjoy the Serano ham. It is very mild in flavor and melts in your mouth. We also ordered a cheese plate with the aged Manchego, La Peral and Ermesenda. One goat, one blue and one hard. Each were served with a side which added to the taste and flavor.
The Garlic Prawns were next. Served in a hot dish of sizzling butter and garlic the prawns floated so delicately in the mix. It’s hard to dislike anything that is cooked in garlic butter but neither of us found this dish to be exciting or necessarily good. It seemed the prawns were a tad bit undercooked.
The Amada Empanada was next. It is hard to go to a Spanish restaurant without ordering an empanada. Amada has three different varieties on the menu but we chose to go with the vegetarian version filled with spinach, manchego cheese and artichokes. The presentation was beautiful. One empanada was sliced in half presented over an artichoke mix. The Empanada was slightly empty on the inside with a layer of spinach and cheese mix barely visible. I assumed that we were left with the task of filling it up with the artichoke filling. This we did and the result was fantastic. The mix of flavors were great- unlike anything I have ever tasted before (at least in an empanada).
The next dish that was brought out was the Patatas Bravas. Again, this is typically offered on most Spanish menus and can vary in shape, flavour and presentation. At Amada the potatoes were cut into little round cylinders with a spicy mayo mix on top. Presentation was beautiful and flavors were great.
The next dish was the Count’s choice: a bowl of chickpeas served in a tomato base sauce with spinach. First spoonful of chickpeas were undercooked and too hard (you know what beans can do to your stomach). So we had to send it back. The waiter informed us that the chickpeas are made to taste this way. Perhaps undercooked chickpeas is a thing in Spain but neither of us were a big fan. Without hesitation they took the dish of our bill.
The next dish was my favorite: a baked goat cheese served in a hot tomato sauce with a side of toasted garlic butter bread.
At this point we were both full after initially filling up on all the bread and cheese servings. But we had one last dish coming: the arroz temporado. A creamy rich rice dish mixed with wild mushrooms, peas and manchego. The Count refused to have more. But I took one bite. I am not sure what the herb in the rice was but it was very strong. I had envisioned a risotto dish filled with mushrooms however, I think I spotted one or two mushrooms in the entire plate. Overall, this was my least favorite dish.
Our dinner was Amada was exciting and flavorful. The bill came to just over $100 for the two of us. A bit expensive seeing that between the two of us we had two drinks and 7 small plates. However, the experience, service and ambiance was well worth it.
Menu: Click here
Type of food: Spanish Tapas
Ambiance: 5/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Food Truck Review from the Vendy Awards (Philadelphia, USA)
This summer I attended the 8th Annual Vendy Food Truck Awards in University City. The event had the best street food vendors in Philadelphia going head to head for the title of best Philly food truck while raising money for the Food Trust.
Little Dan’s Gourmet Truck
Our first stop was Little Dan’s Gourmet Truck. They were serving mini baguettes- one filled with parmesan breaded eggplant topped with spinach.
And another sandwich filled with a balsamic glazed chargrilled chicken in a baguette. Both sandwiches were great and very filling. The truck focuses on American and Italian food.
Little Baby’s Ice Cream
Next stop was Little Baby’s Ice Cream stand. I only tried the Earl Gray ice cream which I can’t say I loved. The taste was too strong for my liking. But given that there were other flavors I’m sure most are great.
King of Falafel
Next was the King of Falafel. A wonderful Middle Eastern food truck serving falafels, hummus, tabbouli and a long list of other Middle Eastern delicacies. The couple- both electrical engineers in Syria serve up some of the most authentic dishes on a platter.
I really enjoyed my plate of falafel which was served hot and fresh.
Vernalicious
Vernalicious was next on the list. On the menu were two varieties of toasted grilled cheese: one vegetarian filled with mozzerella, pesto and tomatoes, and another, a pulled pork grilled cheese.
Sugar Philly
Then there was Sugar Philly- a food truck dedicated to Macarons. Amazing right?
Foo Truck
Foo Truck was my favorite stand. Foo truck serves asian inspired hand held creations called ‘foowiches’. They were serving grilled wraps filled with green curry quinoa and another filled with teriyake meatballs. The Count and I thoroughly enjoyed both wraps. Even if we were drained wet from the torrential downpour. Of course we were quick to vote for this truck as being our favorite.
Yumtown
Yumtown was next. A food truck dedicated to locally sourced ingredients.
I tried the Panzanella- a tuscan bread and tomato salad drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.
Delicias
The Venezualan team behind Delicias specializes in… you guessed it: Venezualan food. What exactly is Venezualan food? The sample they served consisted of a corn flour patty split and filled with spicy chorizo, sweet plantains and caramelized onions. I loved this dish and was very close to choosing it as my favorite.
The Smoke Truck
The Smoke Truck serves traditional southern comfort food. They served up a pulled pork mac and cheese dish. It was really good and extremely filling.
Tacos Don Memo
If its tacos and burritos you crave then you will love Tacos Don Memo food truck. They serve mexican and tex-mex inspired burritos.
Unfortunately, by the time I finished my burrito the rain got heavier and I did not have a chance to take photos of some of the other contestants. One that is particularly worth mentioning was Little Pop Shop- a lovely little stand selling really amazing popsicles. I tried the goat cheese and fig popsicles which was very original and unlike anything else I have ever tried.
And there you have it folks a quick photo journey of some of the best food trucks in Philadelphia.
Claudio King of Cheese- Italian Market (Philadelphia, USA)
Our first trip to the Italian Market was extremely cheesy. Walking down Ninth street it was hard to ignore all the delectable food shops and stands. First stop were several pizza/hoagie storefronts where the steam from the meat permeated the streets.
Italian Market runs on Ninth from Christian to Federal Street. Don’t expect to come here looking for clean streets and scenes from Rocky. But do expect to see more than 100 food stands selling fresh and cheap vegetables, butcher shops wrapping fresh cuts, fish lying in ice stands and poultry (there is even a live poultry shop…it’s Chinese)…and best of all the Cheese shops.
We were told to check out the famous D’Angelo Brothers Products shop. And although it was special this post is dedicated to the wonderful cheese shop right next door: Claudio King of Cheese. This is where we went on our first trip and have gone back weekly for our cheese and cured meat needs. I love the smell of the shop which reminds me of my motherland and trips through quaint shops spread over all corners of Italy.
Several isles of Italian products including pasta, olive oils, balsamic vinaigrette and other delicacies line the walls of the shop.
Tomato sauce, spices, candy, polenta….everything you could ever need can be found in this shop.
On the left side of the store is where the real action happens. Cured meats hanging from the ceilings with friendly staff behind the glass counter providing customers with all their cheesy needs.
They are a very friendly team and give you samples and information on each cheese, its location, history and taste.
On my latest trip, I may or may not have asked to work there. Really, what is better than working in a cheese shop learning all about the different varieties of cheese and other delicacies (of course it can’t beat the practice of law…or can it?).
I was hired on the spot… or was I? I don’t think they took me seriously. Can’t a cheese-lover get a break around here?
Ok. So I went back to taking photos and ordering more cheese and parma.
Later on that evening, the Count and I feasted on plates of blue and goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes and basil, fresh baguettes and wine. Understandably, we have been back on several occasions to replenish our stock of cheese at home.
If Mr. Claudio Junior reads this…I was very serious about becoming a cheese apprentice!
Philadelphia Photo Series- Part I
We were welcomed to our new city by the Fourth of July Celebrations. Here are a few photos of Philadelphia, its people and American patriotism from the Celebrations on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Q.T. Vietnamese Sandwich-Chinatown (Philadelphia, USA)
After Bubble tea at Tea Talk we headed over to a small Vietnamese sandwich shop serving varieties of Bahn Mi. Apparently, this place has the best Bahn Mi in town. What’s a Bahn Mi? It is an amazing Vietnamese sub sandwich served in a crispy baguette with an accompaniment of vegetables and your choice of meat.
The Bahn Mi dates back to Vietnam’s French colonial era where the baguette was introduced to Vietnamese cuisine. The bread differs from a traditional baguette in the sense that rice flour is also added to a Bahn Mi making it thinner and crispier. Bahn Mi can include seasoned pork belly, Vietnamese sausage, grilled pork patties, pork liver pate, grilled chicken, fried eggs, tofu or cold cuts. The vegetable toppings include cucumber slices, carrots, cilantro and shredded daikon. All of this topped with condiments including spicy chili sauce or mayonnaise. Sounds good right?
We ordered the traditional Bahn Mi and waited in the small area while the older lady prepared it for us.
They were both so nice and friendly and just had to be featured in the post. You know it is authentic when you are served by a friendly Vietnamese mother and/or grandmother.
Unfortunately, I did not have time to take a photo of our Bahn Mi as our group was waiting outside ready to move forward to the next destination. We ate the Bahn Mi while walking through Chinatown. I can say this: it was really good. Perhaps they could be more generous with the fillings but overall it was one great Bahn Mi.
Besides Bahn Mi, QT offers appetizers, rice platters, rice noodle platters and soups. But they are best known for their sublime Bahn Mi.
Tea Talk- Chinatown (Philadelphia, USA)
After making several bakery stops on our Free Tours by Foot- Chinatown Food Tour we replenished ourselves with some bubble tea at Tea Talk.
Tea talk is a bright and colorful place in Chinatown that serves a variety of teas and bubble teas and smoothies. No food. Just drinks.
Unlike other spots in Chinatown, this place was very clean and tidy. It offers wifi making a nice option for people to linger around with their laptops.
Besides tapioca, there is also option of jelly and popping boba. There is both hot and cold bubble tea. Our food guide told us the avocado smoothie was the best on the menu. I always like to order the taro wherever I go especially if they use real taro roots.
The tapioca balls were chewy but consistent. However, I’ve realized as time goes by that I am no longer a fan of tapioca balls and prefer the jelly in my bubble tea. But it was as good as any.
Our group was happy with their drinks and with bubble tea in hand we moved on to the next stop: QT Vietnamese Sandwich shop.
Iranian Recipe: Lubia Polow (Persian Green beans and Rice)
Growing up Lubia Polow was always a favorite which in my world is best made by my mother. Somehow, nothing ever tastes as good as my mother and grandmother’s cooking. But now that I’m all grown up, I’ve tried to follow her directions closely in order to have a similar result. I’ve realized it rarely happens since I choose to use very little oil and/or butter while cooking. It seems the secret to that mouth watering taste is all in the butter. Who knew.
Lubia Polow is a combination of chopped green beans, rice, meat, tomato paste and a pinch of cinnamon. It’s quite simple to make and healthy if you increase the ratio of green beans to rice and meat.
Lubia Polow is a combination of chopped green beans, rice, meat, tomato paste and a pinch of cinnamon. It’s quite simple to make and healthy if you increase the ratio of green beans to rice and meat.
Ingredients (serving 4)
1 Large onion, chopped
300-500 grams ground beef or beef/lamb stew meat
2 Cups green beans, cut, 1 cm in length
1 Teaspoon liquid saffron
1 Tablespoon turmeric
1 Teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/2oz can of tomato paste
300-500 grams ground beef or beef/lamb stew meat
2 Cups green beans, cut, 1 cm in length
1 Teaspoon liquid saffron
1 Tablespoon turmeric
1 Teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/2oz can of tomato paste
1-2 Cup of Basmati Rice
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Meat:
As all Persian cooking, it all begins with the fried onions.
- Chop the onions into small pieces and fry slightly in oil until it turns golden in color.
- Add beef/lamb or ground beef and cook until there is no pink showing.
- Then add 1 tablespoon of turmeric.
- Add salt and pepper to preferred taste.
- Add one cup of warm water, put lid on and cook on medium heat for 1 hour. If all water evaporates add more. Once meat is cooked, add the tomato paste and mix thoroughly. The end result must be a thick meaty paste.
Green Beans:
While meat is cooking, wash green beans and chop into 1 cm pieces. Heat pan, add olive oil and slightly fry the beans. Once the meat and sauce is thick, add green beans to the meat sauce mix.
Rice:
Meanwhile, while preparing all the above, prepare your basmati rice.
- Boil water, add a pinch of salt, add 1 cup of rice, cook over a low boil for a few minutes and remove/rinse.
- Then place rice in a new pot, add cloth to the lid (for the evaporation to be absorbed) and cook on low heat.
- While placing rice, place one layer of rice, one layer of meat sauce, and repeat. This allows for a perfect mixture.
- Mix the sauce and rice so that there is no white rice remaining.
- Pour over the liquid saffron on the rice.
- Add a sprinkle of cinnamon powder.
- Cook for 30-45 minutes.
- Serve with condiments.
Every Iranian meal is best served with a side of Balkan style yogurt, herbs (fresh mint, basil, radish), torshee (Persian pickled vegetables), and Iranian salad (shirazi).