BEST EVER LAMB BURGER

Mary had a little lamb

The Big Lambowski lamb burger.

And spinach topped with cheese.

She also had some buttered bread

And seconds on the peas.

She had some cream of celery soup,

And fluffy mashed potatoes,

And lots of Roquefort dressing

On thickly sliced tomatoes.

She had a wedge of apple pie,

A piece of chocolate cake,

A slice of cherry strudel,

And, then, a stomach ache.

“How simply dreadful,” Mary said

As she headed for the door,

“I only had a little lamb,

“I should have had much more.”

Sign out side of Riff Raff Brewpub and Eatery Riff Raff Brewing Company in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, produces a lamb burger that, despite being huge and rich, falls into the “can’t-get-enough” category.

Fans would say that the Brewery’s inventive Flagship beers and seasonal taps also leave the imbiber wanting more—and more.

The Big Lambowski ranks as the restaurant’s most popular item.

The brewery calls its beer “Earth Powered Beer,” as Riff Raff taps into the world’s deepest hot spring for geothermal energy to heat not only their building, but also their brewing tanks (complicated process, won’t go into it here).

Sign of some beers sold at Riff Raff Brewery Suffice it to say both the burger and the beers are hot stuff and so worth indulging.

Although the beers might be hard to come by if not in Pagosa Springs, The Big Lambowski–or at least a reasonable fascimile can be enjoyed at home. See for your self with this recipe:

THE BIG LAMBOWSKI

(Adapted from recipes supplied by Riff Raff Brewing Company)

Yield: 6 servings. A lamb burger with bowls of lemon Oregano Aioli and Cucumber Feta Relish

2 to 3 pounds ground lamb

Salt to taste

White pepper to taste

6 hamburger buns

Lemon Oregano Aioli (recipe follows)

Cucumber Feta Relish (recipe follows)

Form ground lamb into 6 patties, season with salt and pepper, and grill until done as desired. (We like our lamb slightly pink).

Spread Lemon Oregano Aioli on the bottom half of each hamburger bun, distributing the aioli equally among the buns. Put a hot lamb burger on the top of aioli. Mound 1/6 of Cucumber Feta Relish on top of each lamb burger, add bun top and serve immediately.

LEMON OREGANO AIOLI

1/2 cup mayonnaise A bowl of creamy Lemon Oregano Aioli

1 tablespoon finely sliced green onions

1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves

Salt to taste

White pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until well blended.

CUCUMBER FETA RELISH

2 cucumbers, trimmed, seeded and diced

1 cup crumbled feta a bowl of chunky Cucumber Feta Relish

1/2 cup diced green onions

1/4 cup diced red onion

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1/4 cup roasted garlic oil (or 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 cloves mashed roasted garlic

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt to taste

White pepper to taste

Put cucumbers, feta, onions and thyme in a medium bowl and toss gently. Drizzle oil, honey and lemon juice over cucumber mixture and toss gently. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

For more information about Riff Raff Brewing Company click HERE.

Taps inside Riff Raff

For more information about Pagosa Springs, Colorado, click HERE.

Pagosa Springs, CO, with backdrop of mountains

KEY LIME PIE

We met in Miami when I was barely into adolescence. Despite being tender and impressionable, I fell deeply in love. Even today, much older and shamefully experienced, my desire remains passionately alive and unrelenting.

Granted the object of my affection is as rich as sin and rich is a powerful aphrodisiac, but rich isn’t all. My love is also super smooth, exceedingly sensual and …well…how should I say it…completely satisfying. I am obsessed. I am made hungry where most I’m satisfied. Once is never enough. All the clichés apply. Just saying the name makes my breath quicken and heart beat faster. Key Lime Pie.

Fueled by lust, I became wildly promiscuous. I toured the Florida Keys, said to be the pie’s birthplace, searching for the one peak-pie experience. I tried the tall, short, thin, plump, creative, traditional, unadorned and accessorized-to-the-max and confess, I loved them all.

Two Slices of Key Lime Pie

Two fancy slices of Key Lime Pie

Two Slices of Key Lime Pie

Despite indiscriminate indulging and never settling on a sole, soul-mate pie, one pie remains in my memory as a top contender.
With a crust made of ground cashews and a topping enhanced with fresh orange, the Key Lime Pie from Little Palm Island Resort and Spa is as good as it gets. The resort gave me their recipe and, although it is not my one and only, I have been devote to this pie happily ever after.

KEY LIME PIE

(Recipe adapted from Little Palm Island Resort and Spa)

Yield: 8 to 10 servings. Cashew crusted piece of key lime pie with fruit garnish.

Shortening to grease pan

2 cup very finely chopped or ground cashews

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

3/4 cup melted butter

3 cups sweetened condensed milk

9 egg yolks

1-1/2 cups fresh lime juice (preferably from Key limes)

2 cups heavy cream

Zest (finely grated peel) of one orange

Make crust:

Grease a 9- or 10-inch springform pan. Heat oven to 350°F.

Combine cashews, crumbs and 1/2 cup sugar in a mixing bowl. Add butter and stir until well blended. Pat crumb mixture evenly and firmly over bottom of greased pan. Bake until crust is light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool before filling.

Make custard filling:

Reduce oven heat to 300°F.

In a large mixing bowl, beat milk and egg yolks until well blended. Slowly beat in lime juice. Pour mixture over pre-baked crust. Bake in a 300°F degree oven and until custard is set in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Set on a rack to cool completely.

Make topping:

Put cream, orange zest, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until cream is stiff. Spread whipped cream over top of pie. Refrigerate until pie is fully set, at least 1 hour. Cut around edge with a sharp knife and remove ring before serving.

Statue of chef holding a platter of key limes.

¶ Posted 23 January 2021 † Susan Manlin Katzman § DESSERTS § FLORIDA § FLORIDA KEYS § ISLANDS § LITTLE PALM ISLAND § PIES § RECIPES § RESORTS ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: cashews, condensed milk, Florida Keys, key lime pie, key limes, Little Palm Island

3 BEST COCKTAILS FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE

I’m getting sloshed on New Year’s Eve. It’s the only way to end the terrible, horrible, no good, really bad 2020. I’m loading up on cocktails. But not just any cocktail. My cocktails must be spunky enough to chase away doom and gloom and usher in the light and bright.

I’ve come up with three candidates—favorites from past trips. Will share recipes with you. Rum, gin, tequila—take your pick. I might go for a trifecta myself.

So in the spirit of spirits, I’m wishing you a beautiful boozy HAPPY NEW YEAR and light, bright, luscious 2021.

The LUCILLE cocktail from B. B. King’s Blues Club on the Nieuw Amsterdam cruise ship

The Nieuw-Amsterdam cruise ship docked at it's private island Half Moon Cay

Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise ship docked at Half Moon Cay

Eight Holland American Line cruise ships sport B. B. King’s Blues Clubs, bringing not only soulful music to cruisers, but also soulful speciality cocktails. As the club’s namesake, legendary blues singer B.B. King, named all of his guitars Lucille, it’s only fitting that the club’s signature drink be a Lucille.

Here’s what B.B. King sings about Lucille,

“I don’t think I can just talk enough about Lucille. Sometimes when I’m blue seems like Lucille try to help me call my name.”

Well the ships’ Lucille called my name (over and over again)—just like it did for B. B.

Again quoting “My Lucille” lyrics: “One more now, Lucille. Sounds pretty good to me. Can I do one more? Look out, Lucille. Sounds really good, I think I’ll try one more. Allright.”

LUCILLE

Yield: 1 serving.

2 ounces coconut rum

1-1/2 ounces orange juice

1-1/2 ounces pineapple juice

1/2 ounce Blue Curacao

Pineapple wedge for garnish

Partially fill a 16-ounce glass with crushed ice. Put rum, juices and Curacao in a cocktail shaker. Shake and pour over ice in glass. Add a straw and garnish with the pineapple wedge.

The BELLISIMA cocktail from Grand Velas Riviera Maya in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Grand Velas Riviera Maya

There is nothing like getting away from it all at Grand Velas Riviera Maya. Set on a glorious white-sand,1,000 foot-long beach where I would like to be at this very moment, the luxury resort offers a range of stunning suite accommodations, eight great restaurants and six super cool, stylish bars. My favorite bar is the Koi and my favorite cocktail aptly named the Bellisima.

Koi Bar

Two of the Koi bar’s best fringe benefits is that one can enjoy as many Bellisimas as desired and not have to drive home. And the resort embodies a prize-winning spa to help restore the morning after.

BELLISIMA

Yield: 1 serving.

Garnish with orange wedge, lime peel and a grape.

A collage of four Bellisimas and the recipe written on a coaster.

The ROSE OF SHARON cocktail from Commonwealth Bistro in Covington, KY

Main Street in Covington with entrance to Commonwealth Bistro

Located on Main Street in Covington, KY. the Commonwealth Bistro is uncommonly good. Love the menu which showcases some Southern accented specialities tinged with a whole lot of international sophistication. And love their core values especially the “Perseverance of Purpose” which seem particularly fitting to 2020 and hopeful for 2021.

Statement of Commonwealth Bistro Perseverance of Purpose value.

The restaurant focuses on giving hyper-local ingredients uncommonly worldly interpretations and the bar is no exception. I ordered the Rose of Sharon—wanting gin instead of bourbon as I had been tasting bourbon all day on a Kentucky B-Line Bourbon Trail tour (highly recommend it) and was ready for a change.

ROSE OF SHARON

Cocktail the Rose of Sharon Cocktail garnished with orange wedge, rosemary sprig and pink pepper corns plus fruit peels. Yield: 1 serving

Put 1 ounce Kentucky Wild Gin and 1 ounce white port in a wine glass. Add ice cubes. Pour in Fever Free Tonic water until the glass is half full. Stir lightly. Garnish with a strip of grapefruit peel, a sprig of fresh rosemary and a few pink peppercorns.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK

HERE for Holland American Line cruise line

and HERE for Grand Velas Riviera Maya

and HERE for the Commonwealth Bistro

and HERE for the The B Line tour

FOR MORE FABULOUS COCKTAIL RECIPES CLICK

HERE for a Two Bunch Colada recipe

and HERE for a Grand Residences Habanero Margarita recipe

and HERE for Anse Chastanet’s The Bentley recipe

and HERE for more and more and more and more luscious cocktail recipes…

¶ Posted 30 December 2020 † Susan Manlin Katzman § BARS § BEVERAGES § CARIBBEAN § COCKTAILS § CRUISING § DRINKS § HEADS UP TO HAPPY HOUR § MEXICO § RECIPES § RESORTS § RESTAURANTS § RIVIERA MAYA ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: B-Line Tour, B.B. King Blues Club, Bellisima cocktail, cocktails, Commonwealth Bistro, Covington, gin, Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Holland American Cruise Line, Kentucky, Koi Bar, Lucille, Nieuw Amsterdam, Rose of Sharon cocktail, rum

YALANCHI SARMA by NANCY MEHAGIAN

Nancy Mehagian makes me feel staid and uninteresting. She filled her life with an abundance of delicious food, travel, sex and drugs. I’m mourning that I missed a lot. (Well, I didn’t miss the food and travel.) Nancy indulged in all with avid passion. She says one of her achievements was inaugurating a program of healthy eating by growing vegetables in an infamous London prison—not as a do-gooder, mind you, but as an inmate with a baby so that she could have vegetables in her diet while incarcerated.

We met in Los Angeles a year or so ago and Nancy outlined her life story for me. I was fasciated then, and even more so when I read Nancy’s culinary memoir, Siren’s Feast, An Edible Odyssey. The book provides not only details of her well-lived life, but also over 40 recipes that she encountered or created along the way.

Nancy grew up in Phoenix the daughter of food-loving Armenian immigrants. Her parents were strict. Nancy was not and emerged from high school as a mini-beatnik and then bloomed into a full-blown flower child. She enrolled in college but didn’t stay tethered. Instead she traveled–London, Paris, Spain, India, Afghanistan, Nepal–making friends wherever she wandered, experimenting with hallucinogens, chasing spiritual enrichment, exploring on pennies and always cooking for the people surrounding her.

Nancy Mehagian by Artist Salvador Maron, 1991

Somewhere along the way she turned vegetarian and planted her roots on the Spanish island of Ibiza where, in 1969, she opened a vegetarian restaurant named the Double Duck. Taking a break from the restaurant, Nancy landed in Syria where she became pregnant by a Bedouin gypsy musician and, through a series of mishaps, ended up incarcerated in a London prison for 16 months, along with her newborn daughter, Vedra (read Siren’s Feast for the full scoop).

Upon her release, Nancy returned to the United States, earned a degree in English and began her studies of the ancient healing art of Jin Shin Jyutsu, later incorporating massage therapy to become therapist to, as Nancy says, “Some of the most well-known people on the planet.”

Throughout her life Nancy retained a passion for food. When I asked Nancy about her favorite recipe, she chose her version of the treasured Armenian treat Yalanchi Sarma.

Here’s what she wrote about the dish:

YALANCHI SARMA

(Nancy Mehagian’s Chilled Stuffed Grape Leaves)

Yield: About 50 sarma.

1/2 cup olive oil

3 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 teaspoon dried mint

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 cup long grain white rice

1/2 cup tomato sauce

Parsley

1/2 cup pine nuts

Water

1 jar (16 ounces) grape leaves packed in brine (Nancy suggests Orlando brand.)

2 lemons

Heat oil in a large heavy pot. Add onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in the garlic, dill, mint, salt, pepper and paprika and saute 1 minute. Stir in rice, tomato sauce, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, pine nuts and 1 cup water. Lower heat, cover pan and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until the rice is partially cooked (check on occasion to make sure rice doesn’t stick to bottom of pan). Remove from heat and set aside until cool.

Remove grape leaves from jar (see NOTE). Rinse leaves in cold water and set in a colander to drain.

Lay one leaf on a plate, veins up and stem side towards you. (If the stems are thick or tough, cut them off near the leaf.)

Place about 2 teaspoons of rice mixture in the center of the leaf.

Fold sides of leaf over filling and roll leaf up into a small tight bundle. Put filled leaf in a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, seam side down. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling, stacking filled leaves in a circular pattern around the perimeter of the pan, covering the bottom with the bundles and then stacking bundles on top of each other.

Pour 1 cup water and juice from one lemon on top of bundles. Cover pan and cook over low heat until all liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool, then transfer bundles to a platter and refrigerate until cold.

To serve, squeeze the juice from 1/2 lemon over bundles and top with the thinly sliced remaining half lemon. Garnish with sprigs of parsley.

NOTE: Retain liquid from jar so that you can can put any leftover leaves back in jar for another use.

Books by Nancy Mehagian

SIREN’S FEAST AN EDIBLE ODYSSEY (Order HERE.)

THE SUPERNATURAL KIDS COOKBOOK

THE SUPERNATURAL KIDS COOKBOOK: HAILE’S FAVORITES

OLD DOG

¶ Posted 15 December 2020 † Susan Manlin Katzman § APPETIZERS § BOOKS § CHRISTMAS § COOKBOOK REVIEWS § FAVORITE RECIPES/FAMOUS PEOPLE § HOLIDAYS § IMMIGRANT CHEFS § RECIPES § VEGETARIAN ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: An Edible Odyssey, Nancy Mehagian, Salvador Maron, Siren's Feast, vegetarian, Yalanchi Sarma

BEN POREMBA and OLIO’S EGG SALAD RECIPE

Ben Poremba

Such a complex man. Such a complicated time. I am curious how Ben Poremba—chef, restauranteur, entrepreneur, world traveler, culinary award winner, family man and total whirlwind of creative energy—manages in the time of Covid.

All St. Louis foodies know his restaurants/food outlets operating under the Bengelina Hospitality Group:

Elaia—the flagship, upscale restaurant producing mostly modern Mediterranean fare;

Olio, adjacent to Elaia, a casual wine bar with small plates reflecting Mediterranean and North African influences;

Nixta, a colorful restaurant/bar, showcasing dynamite cocktails and artistic, Latin-infused food;

La Patisserie Chouquette—a French bakery/cafe, that Poremba co-owns with Simone Faure

and

AO&Co., a specialty market, cigar and gift shop.

These special places sit steps from each other in St. Louis’ newly rehabilitated Botanical Heights neighborhood (otherwise known to fans as Poremba’s dining district). In addition Poremba opened The Benevolent King, a tiny, unusual Moroccan/Israeli—influenced bar/restaurant in Maplewood, MO.

Anyone visiting The Bengelina Hospitality Group’s website can read that Poremba was born in Israeli to a Moroccan mother (herself a chef) and jewish father, and that he studied philosophy at University of Missouri. But the website gives only glimpses of the man. Eager to know more about Poremba’s energy and enterprises, I sent some questions by email which he graciously found time to answer.

Q: Tell us a bit about your childhood. How did the food of your childhood influence your career as a restauranteur?

A: I grew up in Israel — just outside of Tel Aviv. My parents were (and continue to be) the ultimate hosts. Dinner parties, cocktail parties, fundraisers, exchange students, diplomats, politicians, artists, musicians, etc. Our house was always busy, and my parents welcomed guests from all over the world. My mother is an exceptional cook, and a collector of beautiful tabletop goods. I absorbed from early age the true meaning of hospitality: welcoming people in your home and making them feel special. My parents have always been lavish and generous with guests — even at times of financial lows. They set up a beautiful table and fill it with goodness. That’s what I’ve been trying to do at my restaurants.

Q: You traveled and worked around the world. What made you decide to settle in St. Louis?

A: I went to UMSL. And before that to Parkway North High School. St. Louis has a truly welcoming spirit — I’ve made lifelong friends here. And I think that in terms of cultural anchors, St. Louis can compete with best in the world: amazing universities, beautiful museums, a committed and extensive art scene, world class musical venues, rich architecture, and of course a thriving food scene.

Q: Walt Disney said, “There is no magic in magic, it’s all in the details.” Can you give examples of how attention to detail helped create the magical experience of dining in your restaurants?

A: I think of myself as a stage designer. Lighting, furniture, garden, tabletop appointments, graphics — all of it is considered. Jean Paul Sartre (the French existentialist philosopher) said “Being determines Essence.” I take it to mean that you can transport experiences by the environment that you create. I’ll give you an example from someone else’s restaurant. Bar Les Freres truly feels belle epoque. I adore it, and admire Zoe (Robinson) vision and mentorship.

Inside The Benevolent King

Inside Nixta

Q: Your website states that you majored in philosophy. Can you tell us your personal philosophy of (1) living the good life, (2) cooking and food and (3) surviving the unexpected?

A: I don’t do philosophy “on one leg” as it were. But there are tenets that I apply in my personal life as well as in my business: respect for people and places; integrity; dignity; accountability; and charity.

Q: Covid 19 must have had great impact on you. What are you doing both personally and professionally to adapt?

A: I’m staying focused on what matters most: the wellbeing and safety of my family and my team. Every decision that Patrick Hassett (my Director of Operations) and I have made during this period was through the lenses of “how does this impact our people?”

Q: What do you envision for the future post vaccine days?

A: I hope that we — the hospitality industry — learn to become more team-focused. The cliche “happy workers make happy guests” is proven to be true. We also need to learn how to be more sustainable — there’s something incredibly wrong with our business model. Restaurants small and large demonstrated how our poorly we manage cash flow. No one will have survived this without government relief. And that’s a sad commentary.

Q: Will you share a recipe for one of your favorite dishes—one that has remained a favorite through the years?

Poremba sent a link to Olio’s exceedingly popular egg salad recipe, saying that the egg salad “is still a favorite and probably the most popular and demanded dishes” at Olio. The link features a Post-Dispatch recipe adapted from the recipe making restaurant amounts (Olio goes through 75 pounds a week). I’ve adapted the Post-Dispatch recipe below—sticking pretty much as it was printed.

A few notes from when I made the recipe: (1) My yield was about 3 cups. (2) I had many more onions than needed (next time I’ll cut the onion amount to 1-1/2 pounds). (3) I don’t have a meat grinder so I simply finely chopped the eggs and onions with a knife. (Poremba cautions not to use a food processor as it will produce the wrong texture.) And (4) This is about the best egg salad I’ve ever eaten.

OLIO’S “FAMOUS” EGG SALAD

Yield: 2-1/4 cups.

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 pounds yellow onions, peeled and slivered

7 large eggs

Salt

2 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise plus more to taste

White pepper

Chopped fresh chives, for garnish

Lemon zest, for garnish

Put oil in a Dutch oven or similar heavy pot set over low heat. Heat oil until it is warm and shimmery. Add onions and cook slowly until soft but not yet beginning to turn color, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover pan and set aside until cool. Refrigerate onions until they are firm.

Put eggs in a large pot and cover with cold salted water. Bring water to a rapid boil. Turn off heat and cover the pot. Wait 10 minutes, then drain. When cool enough to handle, peel the eggs. Cover and chill.

Weigh equal amounts of egg and onion (there will likely be extra onion for another purpose). Put eggs and onions through the small holes of a meat grinder into a bowl.

Stir in mayonnaise, just enough to bind the mixture. Season generously with salt and white pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Chill salad until ready to serve.

To serve Olio-style, mound about 3 tablespoons egg salad on three thick slices of good bread, garnish with chives and lemon zest.

¶ Posted 01 December 2020 † Susan Manlin Katzman § APPETIZERS § BREAKFAST § BRUNCH § FAVORITE RECIPES/FAMOUS PEOPLE § ISRAEL § RECIPES § RESTAURANTS § SALADS § SANDWICHES § ST. LOUIS ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Ben Poremba, Botanical Heights, Elaia, La Patisserie Chouquette, Nixta, Olio, Olio's Famous Egg Salad, St. Louis, The Benevolent King

PORTO’S BAKERY & CAFE AND ROPA VIEJA

Rosa Porto in the early days.

Just imagine. When you can’t travel the world—the world travels to you. I’m talking specifically about Porto’s Bakery & Cafe, a well-loved Los Angeles fixture.
Porto’s was founded by Rosa Porto who is a native of Cuba.
When communism took over Cuba, Rosa’s husband Raul Porto Sr. was arrested and taken to a labor camp. To help the family survive, Rosa started baking and selling cakes out of her home. In 1971 the family immigrated to L.A. where Rosa continued to bake cakes and pastries to sell from home.

Michelle Rodriguez, founder of 360viewPR, the public relations firm that now represents the bakery, tells a personal story that illustrates Rosa’s popularity:

Michelle Rodriguez

“Porto’s is a very special client for us,” says Michelle, “as my family are also Cuban political refugees who came to Los Angeles from Cuba. My grandparents learned of Rosa Porto through the Cuban community before she opened her bakeries. She made my Mom’s birthday cakes growing up, my parent’s wedding cake and all my birthday cakes as a kid. Our story is not unique as there are many Cuban and non-Cuban families in L.A. that have grown up generation after generation with Porto’s as a family tradition.”

In 1976 Rosa opened her first brick-and-mortar bakery/cafe in Echo Park, California. With the family’s help, the bakery flourished, offering breads, cakes, pastries and a variety of Cuban-accented baked specialities. Today, the bakery/cafe has five locations in southern California (Glendale, Burbank, Downey, Buena Park, and West Covina) with more on the way.

Buena Park, CA. Photo by Brian Feinzimer/Fein Image.

Inside Porto’s in Burbank, CA. Photo by Brian Feinzimer/Fein Image.

And Ta-Da! Drum roll please! Perfect for those who can’t travel and visit in person, Porto’s has added a BAKE AT HOME category to its menu, making frozen signature items available nationwide.

So what are those signature item? Two tops are the Refugiado (refugee), a guava & cheese strudel that and has been on Porto’s menu since first opening

and Papa Rellena, potato balls which are the bakery’s number one best seller.

The products come with baking instructions.

I’ve baked both at home. Divine!

I agree with Michelle Rodriguez, who said, “I often take out from the bakery, which is great, but I love the new Bake at Home, which one can eat fresh from the oven with all the flavor intact—just like eating hot from the oven in the bakery.”

Although some of Porto’s most popular items are available through Bake at Home, the popular Ropa Vieja is only served in Porto’s cafe. But not to worry. Porto’s shared its recipe. A national dish of Cuba, Ropa Vieja is made with shredded beef and vegetables that come out looking like a pile of old clothes (thus its name). Serve this dish with black beans and rice and sweet sautéed plantains.

For super-happy eating throughout the day, breakfast on Refugiados, have Papa Rellena for lunch and make Ropa Vieja for dinner. Buen apetito!

ROPA VIEJA PORTO’S

Yield: About 6 large servings.

FOR BEEF:

2-1/2 pounds flank steak

1 green bell pepper, stem removed, seeded and quartered

1 large yellow onion, peeled and halved

3 green onions, roots trimmed

4 large garlic cloves

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 bay leaves

Salt to taste

2 gallons water

Put all ingredients into a large stock pot.

Set pot over medium heat and gently simmer until beef is fork tender and falls apart easily, 3 to 4 hours.

Remove beef from broth and set aside to cool slightly. Strain cooking liquid. Reserve liquid; discard solids. When beef is cool enough to handle, shred it into small pieces with your hands.

TO MAKE THE ROPA VIEJA

About 1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large onions, peeled and julienned

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 large green bell pepper, trimmed and julienned

1 large red pepper, trimmed and julienned

About 1/4 cup tomato puree

1/2 cup white wine

1 large tomato, trimmed and coarsely chopped

1 ounce beef base

1 to 2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

3 cups reserved cooking liquid (above)

Shredded beef (above)

About 1/4 cup sliced green olives

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or similar large pot. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook 3 minutes, stirring often. Add peppers and cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Add tomato puree; cook 2 minutes stirring often. Deglaze pan with wine and allow wine to evaporate. Add tomatoes, beef base, paprika, pepper, cumin, and reserved cooking liquid. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir in shredded beef and green olives. Cover with a lid and simmer for 35 minutes.

For more information about Porto’s Bakery & Cafe, click HERE.

To order Porto’s BAKE AT HOME click HERE.

For more wonderful immigrant chef recipes, click HERE for Lona’s Lil Eats dumplings

and HERE for Kobee Factory’s kobee and HERE for Yuca’s Hut cochinita pibil.

¶ Posted 20 November 2020 † Susan Manlin Katzman § BEEF § BREAKFAST § CALIFORNIA § CHEESE § DESSERTS § ENTREES § GRANDMOTHER RECIPES § IMMIGRANT CHEFS § LOS ANGELES § PRODUCTS § RECIPES § RESTAURANTS § SIDE DISHES ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Cuban food, Papa Rellena, Porto's Bakery, Porto's Bakery & Cafe, Refugiado, Ropa Vieja

RUNAMOK MAPLE TIRAMISU

Laura Sorkin

Laura Sorkin is a farmer, a writer, a recipe developer, a cookbook author, a wife, a mother of two teenagers and the co-founder/owner (with husband Eric) of Runamok Maple, a company producing a variety of artisan syrups that are setting the standard not only for pure maple syrup, but also those creatively enlivened with flavor.

The charming do-it all woman was born NYC and raised in Connecticut. She studied Chinese language at McGill University, then earned a degree from French Culinary Institute in New York (now called the International Culinary Center). After working in a few famous upscale restaurants, Laura decided that she wanted to do something more solid, so she enrolled in the Environmental Management program at Duke University where she earned a master’s degree and met her soon to be husband, Eric, who was in the same program and also working towards his law degree.

Eric Sorkin

Although Eric and Laura moved to Washington, where degrees in environmental management brought jobs, they didn’t stay. Both had longed to own a farm and finally made dreams come true in 2000 when they bought a 1,000-acre property in Vermont.

Laura says that the “farm” had originally been used for sheep grazing and was overgrown to the point where the land had to be reclaimed before it could be cultivated. The farm was mostly my endeavor,” said Laura, “with Eric adding support. When we switched from farming to producing maple syrup in 2016, we also switched roles. The syrup is Eric’s baby, I add support.”

Today, the Sorkins tap about 76,000 of their own trees with taps from other trees bringing the count to about 100,000 taps bottled with the Runamok label.

Although the creative and talented Sorkins produce pure maple syrup, choosing the best of the best to bottle under the label “Sugarmaker’s Cut,”they also experiment, producing not only barrel-aged and smoked syrups but also those infused with flavors. Options of flavored syrup run the gamut with enhancers as familiar as cinnamon and vanilla, cocoa and coffee to the more exotic Makrut lime leaf and smoked chili pepper.

The couple also has a new line of intriguing cocktail syrups and bitters in a variety of flavors. And, Laura says that her “evil genius” husband, in order to brighten the grimness of these Covid and otherwise harsh times, has invented a way to infuse their syrups with glitter.

And if that wasn’t enough activity for this superwoman, Laura just published a wonderful cookbook, Vegetables The Ultimate Cookbook.

Of all of the recipes on the Runamok Maple website (and there are a cornucopia of fabulous ones) and in the cookbook (another collection of terrific), Laura says that her favorite recipe is MAPLE TIRAMISU.

She graciously gave me her recipe to share with you.

RUNAMOK MAPLE TIRAMISU

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

3 egg yolks

1/3 cup Sugarmaker’s Cut Pure Maple Syrup

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon cornstarch

8 ounces Mascarpone, room temperature

1/2 cup strong coffee

1/4 cup rum

7 ounce package of Italian ladyfingers

Cocoa for dusting

Shaved chocolate

Put egg yolks, maple syrup, heavy cream and cornstarch in a pot or over a double boiler. If using a pot, turn the heat on low, if using a double boiler, bring the water to a simmer. Whisk the mixture constantly for about 8 – 10 minutes or until it starts to thicken (temperature should be around 160). Remove from the heat immediately and let cool. Blend in the mascarpone and set aside.

Take a 9” bread pan and line it with plastic wrap, using two sheets if necessary to cover all surfaces and allowing about 4” to come over the sides. Combine the coffee and rum in a shallow dish. Take the lady fingers and dunk them, one at a time in the coffee-rum liquid. Coat both sides but don’t let them sit in the liquid or they will become too saturated fall apart. Line the bottom of the pan with the soaked biscuits, breaking them into smaller sizes to fill in empty spaces. Pour a third of the maple cream over the lady fingers. Repeat with another layer of rum-coffee soaked biscuits and then another layer of cream. Make a third layer of each, ending with maple cream.

Cover the pastry with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least three hours or overnight. When ready to serve, take the pan out of the fridge. Have a plate ready and gently lift the pastry out of the pan using the plastic lining. Place the Tiramisu on the plate and peel the plastic back from the edges so the cake is standing on its own. Dust with a little cocoa powder and garnish with some dark chocolate shavings.

The Sorkins sell Runamok Maple products on their website (https://runamokmaple.com) and in speciality shops throughout the United States. I urge you to hurry with your order, because the brand tends to sell out quickly.

For more information or to buy Runamok Maple products, click HERE

HERE

To buy Laura’s book, VEGETABLES The Ultimate Cookbook on Amazon, click HERE

(I am not sure exactly how this works but am told that I receive a commission if you buy through the Amazon links above.)

¶ Posted 11 November 2020 † Susan Manlin Katzman § BOOKS § CAKE § CHOCOLATE § COFFEE § COOKBOOK REVIEWS § DESSERTS § FAVORITE RECIPES/FAMOUS PEOPLE § GIFT GIVING § PRODUCTS § RECIPES § SHOPPING ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: cocoa, COFFEE, Eric Sorkin, Laura Sorkin, maple syrup, Mascarpone, Runamok Maple, tiramisu

LONA’S LIL EATS DUMPLINGS

LONA LUO

Lona’s Lil Eats

St. Louis, Missouri

Lona Luo thought of herself as extremely poor, growing up in Manhen, an isolated village hidden in the mountainous area of China’s Yunnan province.

The family, like all of the villagers, depended on what they could grow or forage to eat. They raised chickens and pigs and grew vegetables in home plots. They supplemented their diets by catching shellfish, snails and fresh eel from rivers and streams and gathering herbs from the mountain side.

Photo montage of Lona’s village.

When Lona was 10-years old, her mother handed her a live chicken to kill, clean and cook. No one taught her to cook. She taught herself and didn’t alway succeed. Her dad, a member of the Luo Luo tribe, encouraged her saying, “try again,” but her mother, a high-mountain Thai, would get mad as the family didn’t have enough resources to cover failure.

Eventually Lona was cooking for her family as well as making feast food such as dumplings for village celebrations.

Lona had five siblings, but grew up isolated from the world at large, without electricity or a telephone. Although she did go to the village school, finishing high school, she had never seen a foreigner nor dreamed of immigrating. Girls were expected to marry, but because the home situation was so poor, Lona moved to the nearest city, Kunming, to work—a move her family denounced.

She scored a job as a server, and eventually a front-of-house supervisor in a popular restaurant, where she learned Japanese and met her future husband, Pierce Powers, when he was hired to teach English to the restaurant staff.

Pierce and Lona married, had a daughter and in 2006 moved to St. Louis, Missouri, Pierce’s hometown. In 2008 the couple opened a food stand in the Soulard Farmers Market. Lona cooked. Pierce managed the business. The couple quickly gained a following for their simple yet flavorful, Asian-based dishes, with Lona’s hand-made dumplings a popular draw. In 2014, they opened the brick-and-mortar Lona’s Lil Eats to immediate success.

Today, Lona has a son, daughter and a casual restaurant that earned her a nomination for Best Chef: Midwest by the James Beard Foundation.

Her food pleases vegans, vegetarians, meat lovers and those on special diets as her menus list ingredients that guests order in combinations of their own choosing.

Although Lona continues to create fresh, wholesome dishes that she describes as a “wild montage of influences from China, Thailand, Burma, Tibet and the Middle East” her hand-made, cooked to order, pillow-plump dumplings remain on all of her menus.

She makes two versions of dumplings; one with mushrooms, the other with steak. Chinese tradition states that mushroom filled dumplings bring wealth and good fortune to those who eat them. This is certainly true at Lona’s Lil Eats as anyone eating Lona’s dumplings is fortunate indeed.

LONA’S LIL EATS MUSHROOM DUMPLINGS

Yield: About 30 dumplings.

FILLING

Vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, very finely chopped

24 ounces cremini or other mushroom, very finely chopped in a food processor or by hand

3 green onions, trimmed and finely chopped

About 2 teaspoons chopped green cabbage and/or cilantro

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoons sugar

Star anise, ground to a powder to taste, optional

Salt to taste

Coat a saucepan with a little oil, add garlic and set over medium-high heat. Stir and add mushrooms. Sauté mixture, stirring often, until mushrooms are cooked, but not brown, and have render their juice, about 4 minutes. Drain mushrooms and put in a bowl. Stir in onion, cabbage and/or cilantro, soy sauce and sugar. Sprinkle with star anise, if desired. Taste and add salt. Drizzle just enough vegetable oil over mushrooms so that mixture holds together. Cool to room temperature or chill before filling.

DOUGH

2 cups Chinese dumpling flour (See NOTE) for the basic dough plus additional flour for kneading, rolling and shaping dough

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 1 cup hot water

Put 2 cups flour and salt in a medium size mixing bowl. With your a spoon (Lona uses her hand) slowly stir in enough hot water to make a sticky dough.

Set bowl aside for 2 minutes, then empty dough onto a heavily floured flat surface. With your hands, knead the dough, incorporating flour as needed, until dough is smooth and pliable. Form dough into a ball. Break off a tennis-ball size piece of dough and roll into a cigar shape, about 1 inch in diameter.

Break off 1-inch pieces of the cigar dough and roll in flour to coat. With a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough paper thin to a circle about 4-inches in diameter.

ASSEMBLING AND COOKING

Vegetable oil

Water

To fill dumplings: hold one dough circle in the palm of one hand. Add 1 tablespoon mushroom filling to center. Bring up sides to form a crescent with a flat bottom. With your fingers, pleat one side of top dough, pressing both top edges together tightly.

Set filled dumpling pleated top up, flat bottom down, on a plate or tray. Repeat until all dumplings have been filled. Don’t let the dumplings touch.

To cook dumplings: Drizzle oil over bottom of large non-stick skillet. Add 1 cup water. Set skillet over moderate-high heat. Place dumplings in skillet so that they do not touch. Drizzle a little oil over top of dumplings. Cover skillet and boil dumplings until you hear a sizzle and dumplings are tender, about 4 minutes. Remove lid and cook until water evaporates and dumpling bottoms become brown and crispy, about 2 minutes.

Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

DIPPING SAUCE

Chinkiang vinegar (See NOTE)

Soy sauce

Chili oil to taste

Combine equal amounts of vinegar and soy sauce. Add a dash of chili oil. Stir well.

NOTE: Chinese ingredients

Chinese dumpling flour is a high-gluten flour made from 100% wheat available in most Asian markets. Chinese dumpling flour is generally whiter and more elastic than all-purpose flour. One can substitute all-purpose flour, but resulting dumplings will be darker color and harder to manage.

Chinkiang vinegar is a Chinese black vinegar usually made from rice and/or sorghum and long aged. It comes from the the city of Chinkiang (or Zheniang) and is popular in southern China.

For more information on Lona’s Lil Eats click HERE.

For more recipes featuring women Immigrant Chefs, click HERE

and HERE.

¶ Posted 06 October 2020 † Susan Manlin Katzman § APPETIZERS § FAVORITE RECIPES/FAMOUS PEOPLE § IMMIGRANT CHEFS § RECIPES § RESTAURANTS § ST. LOUIS § Uncategorized § VEGETABLES ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Chinese food, Immigrant chef, Lona Lou, Lona's Lil Eats, mushroom dumplings, restaurant, St. Louis

EDIBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH

Can’t help it. Whenever I would make chocolate chip cookies, I would eat so much of the dough as to almost halve the cookie yield. Today that’s not necessary. I cut to the chase and just make the dough—an edible version, of course—without raw eggs—without raw flour.

I try not to make the treat too often as I am addicted and eat far too much. However, I made a batch on my last birthday as a Covid19 replacement for cake. I am embarrassed to say that I used my birthday as an excuse to eat the whole bowlful by myself before I could share with birthday well-wishers. The gluttony almost made me sick. On the other hand, the gluttony also made me divinely happy and I am delighted to share the recipe—even if I wasn’t willing to share the real deal.

EDIBLE COOKIE DOUGH

Yield: 1 to 6 servings.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup salted butter, softened to room temperature

1/2 packed cup dark (or light) brown sugar

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips

Put flour in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir flour and microwave another 30 seconds. Set flour aside to cool.

Put butter in a mixing bowl, slowly beat in sugars. Continue beating until sugars and butter are very well blended. Beat in vanilla and milk. Stir in flour and then chocolate chips. If necessary to firm texture, chill for 15 minutes before eating.

Refrigerate leftovers (yea, right) in a covered container and if necessary, to soften texture, bring to room temperature before eating.

¶ Posted 02 October 2020 † Susan Manlin Katzman § CHOCOLATE § COOKIES § DESSERTS § GIFT GIVING § RECIPES ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: CHOCOLATE, chocolate chips, cookie dough, edible dough

TWO BUNCH PALMS SIGNATURE COCKTAIL

Six months of staying home with Covid 19 concerns and I want out! I deeply want an escape to rid my spirit and body of 2020 stress. I decidedly want to soak away troubles in healing pools of natural spring water. I distinctly want a spa experience. I definitely want Two Bunch Palms. Today. Right now. This minute. I am craving quiet, serenity and an easy, unfussy escape from politics, climate disasters and health concern. Two Bunch Resort & Spa in Southern California fills the bill—even with the modification the resort has had to make to ensure the safe health of its 2020 visitors.

Although Two Bunch bills itself as the oldest mineral hot springs spa in the country (founded in 1940 and renovated in 2014), the layout and ambiance seems tailor made for Covid stays.