Vegetarian tourist in New York

I Finally managed to download the last images of our trip to NY, and just to set the records straights, we were there only for 4 days so don't read this as a specific 'guide' for vegetarians and vegans, but just as a reportage of our trip, a veg family of four on holiday, experiencing the city while avoiding meat and fish. By 'experiencing the city' I mean doing most of those things that tourists do: visit sites and museums, shop, and this does include eating the local food, mostly in proximity of the above locations.

I had two distinctive culinary memories from my previous visit to NY many years ago, one was NY style pizza, and the other was bagels. And of course we had doughnuts and coffee (and hot chocolate for the kids - far too sweet btw) on arrival, but these are not worth reporting of photographing… 

We started with the pizza on the first night, after a cool (and chilly) walk from 9th to 5th Ave and back. Near our hotel there was just the right place, one of Patsy's pizzerias. Of course the pizza is different from the ones that you find in Italy, but it was just what we expected, NY pizza served on those high trays at the centre of the table and with grated Parmesan cheese on the side (so US, you don't get that here or in Italy), and in a busy place with lots of families eating out and celebrating birthdays, plus real Italian immigrants (yes, funny that I would say that!) serving at the tables.

The morning after we wanted real Jewish bagels for breakfast, and once again we were lucky to be staying in  Chelsea, and near Murray's Bagels. 

My favourite kind, poppy seeds and cream cheese filling

The bagels were great but the bakery small and busy and didn't make for a relaxing breakfast - so the day after we had breakfast at our hotel, which I highly recommend as it was good value, varied, and with a lovely home-made feel to it. And the same goes for the hotel too, I'll go back there anytime!

It is central, with basic but large and clean rooms, and being an ex convent (still run by Nuns) incredibly well priced. Thank you Mallie for telling us about it!

The view from our hotel, with snow!

After two consecutives carbo loaded meals and a long visit to the Empire State we decided to have raw juices for lunch, and headed for a juice bar just across the Empire State. Here I had a bad experience though, the cashier, after realizing that I needed help understanding the dimes and cents, and I was obviously a tourist, gave a fake $50 note for change, and I only realized when I tried to spend it later on in another shop. Not only it was embarrassing to be told that it was fake, I found out that it was illegal even to have one on me. We ripped it up, not worth going back to the place where we got it, and took it as a lesson - always check your money, but not just from street stalls and small shops, even in mainstream chain stores!  

Food shopping: I really wanted to visit a Wholefood store, and it didn't disappoint! Everything they display is so good and fresh, we bought a few things to take back to our room and eat on the second night, too tired to go out again.

More food shopping can be done in Chinatown, and then Little Italy where I had to try the cannoli (not bad). Here I expected to see more Italians, but all the staff in the cafe were Latinos, and when I asked for a slice of lemon with my tea they told me that they didn't have it (and couldn't care less). Then I spotted a lady coming from a side door, she was the Italian matriarch for sure, I could tell! I went over with the excuse of taking photos and told her that an Italian cafe must have a slice of lemon somewhere (in a colloquial way, of course). And yes, she went behind the counter, opened the fridge, reached at the back, and found a lemon for my tea :-). 

But to tell the truth Chinatown and Little Italy were not exactly the 'destinations', but just on the way to Nolita (North of Little Italy) to find the Fjallraven store, where Arantxa wanted to buy her backpack. We were quite impressed by her finding the store on google and leading us to it, so determined to get the latest cool accessory before starting school. And Nolita is definitely a cool neighborhood in NY.

And the best Italian experience in NY was Eataly! 

I couldn't believe how good it was, just look at this fresh produce for sale!

One the third evening we went for Japanese, seeing that they always have Veg options:

We had vegetable tempura, tofu, and the usual variety of vegan sushi rolls with fresh and pickled vegetables...

… plus a new type that I have never seen before: peanuts rolls! Yes, little sushi rolls with salted peanuts inside. I wonder if this is a NY (USA) invention. 

On the last night we wanted to try a proper Vegan restaurant, so off we went to Angelica Kitchen with a local friend who we haven't seen in decades! The restaurant advertises itself as organic and plant based cuisine. Well, it was a bit like a blast from the past, I could just imagine Angelica (if she really exists) as a 60's hippy who hasn't changed the menu since becoming a vegetarian herself. Somehow I was expecting something a bit more 'modern' in NY, or at least not as bland as this. I liked the lemonade, the rest was… what can I say, 'interesting'. The two types of cornbread were so heavy it took me two days to digest them (and I only had a couple of bites), the hommus was ok (but really, you cannot possibly mess up hommus, could you?) but the portion was tiny, the kimchee didn't taste anything like kimchee, and the mains and soups were something out of a 70's British cookbook, (i.e. the kind of books that lost more people to the vegetarian cause that the smell of bacon).

Still, if you like this kind of cuisine here are some photos, sorry about the quality, it was quite dark, but everything was brown anyway.

Hommus and pita, and lemonade

 'kimchee' 

Soup of the day and Angelica cornbread

Three bean chili and Southern style cornbread

Noodle soup

Can't quite remember...

Tempeh sandwich

On our way out from Angelica's Kitchen I noticed the Italian restaurant next door which probably took advantage of passing Vegans to advertise a Vegan menu. Well, it didn't look half bad, especially the mains and desserts, maybe next time I'll straight there, unless you can advise something better :-).

We spent most of the last day in MoMa, and the restaurant looked quite good, but it was far too busy and with long queues, so we only opted for coffee and pastries at the coffee stand, but it didn't matter, sometime you must put art before food!

And the most unexpected and pleasing Veg experience in NY? Well, you won't believe this, but for me it was at the airport! We had a late flight from Newark Liberty International Airport and we managed to get into one of the lounges to kill the time. Well, I usually don't expect much from most airport lounges, but here I was pleasantly surprised: there were lots of vegetarian options, both cold and hot, and quite sophisticated! Salad with artichokes, eggplant involtini, noodles with tofu… and lots of fruit and nice drinks and snacks. Veg travelers really appreciate these things, so thank you EWR.

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Red Beetroot with Wasabi Mayonnaise and Pink Eggs for Easter.

This is a perfect salad or starter for Easter! The eggs are naturally coloured with the beetroot water, and the mayo-wasabi combo marries perfectly with red beetroots.

 Open a LeaderBrand ready-to-serve beetroot packet and save the liquid to colour the eggs. Cut the beetroots into cubes, then add one big tbsp of mayonnaise and a little wasabi (to taste). Stir and refrigerate. If using fresh beetroots wash and boil them  until you can easily pierce them with a knife. Let them cool down and then peel them (keep the peels aside in a bowl with a little water to colour the eggs later on).

Boil 4 eggs, peel and colour by immersing them in a bowl with the beetroot juice and a little water. Serve with the beetroot wasabi mayo salad.

I am entering this recipe into the LeaderBrand ready-to-serve beetroot special competition, dedicated purely to the taste and versatility of one of New Zealand’s favourite vegetables. 

The winner will receive a bumper prize pack containing 5x packs of the LeaderBrand ready-to-serve beetroot, 5x packs of ready-to-serve gourmet potatoes and 5x packs of ready-to-serve sweetcorn. On top of that, the winner will receive a $300 New World voucher and $200 worth of cooking equipment from Stevens. Two runners-up will receive smaller gift packs, containing the ready-to-serve produce and some other delicious surprise foodie treats.

Well, I hope to win so wish me good luck! And good luck to all other food bloggers taking part!

How to enter:

All you have to do is concoct a recipe that showcases New Zealand beetroot. It couldn’t be easier! You can email the link to  jennifer@saltandpepperpr.com or pop a link up on the LeaderBrand Facebook Page  

Entries will open 5pm on Friday 20 March and close 5pm on Monday 13 April 2015.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Red beetroot soup with fresh goat cheese

 

Red beetroot soup with fresh goat cheese

This colourful soup is incredibly quick and simple to prepare, but the flavour (and look) is almost restaurant-like, and everyone will ask you for the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 celery stick with leaves

half onion

half carrot

1 l light vegetable stock

one pack LeaderBrand beetroot

fresh goat cheese to serve

freshly ground pepper (optional)

Serves 4 - Gluten free - Vegetarian

Put the celery stick (cut), half a onion and half a carrot in a pot with the vegetable stock and simmer until the carrot is almost soft (about 10 minutes from boiling point). Add one pack LeaderBrand beetroot and simmer for 5 more minutes, then turn the heat off and let the vegetables and stock cool down until lukewarm. Blend the soup in a blender and pour back into the pot, heat gently and dish. Top with a broken-up slice of fresh goat cheese, adding freshly ground pepper if desired.

I am entering this recipe into the LeaderBrand ready-to-serve beetroot special competition, dedicated purely to the taste and versatility of one of New Zealand’s favourite vegetables. 

The winner will receive a bumper prize pack containing 5x packs of the LeaderBrand ready-to-serve beetroot, 5x packs of ready-to-serve gourmet potatoes and 5x packs of ready-to-serve sweetcorn. On top of that, the winner will receive a $300 New World voucher and $200 worth of cooking equipment from Stevens. Two runners-up will receive smaller gift packs, containing the ready-to-serve produce and some other delicious surprise foodie treats.

Well, I hope to win so wish me good luck! And good luck to all other food bloggers taking part!

How to enter:

All you have to do is concoct a recipe that showcases New Zealand beetroot. It couldn’t be easier! You can email the link to  jennifer@saltandpepperpr.com or pop a link up on the LeaderBrand Facebook Page  

Entries will open 5pm on Friday 20 March and close 5pm on Monday 13 April 2015.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Chinese broccolini (Kai Lan) with fried tofu and noodles, and some photos of Bangkok

A quick one bowl dinner with only three main ingredients and a few seasonings.

The main ingredients are was to find in most Asian stores: fresh noodles, fried tofu and some kai lan (Chinese broccolini). As an alternative you can use regular broccolini or any green vegetable (bok choy or kale, for example). Wash the broccolini, heat one or two tbsp of vegetable oil and a few drops of sesame oil in a pan or wok, add the broccolini and sauté quickly then add some soy sauce (one or two tbsp) and cover for one minute. Add the tofu and (optional) 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Personally I love tofu with soy sauce and lemon! Add the noodles and stir well, cover and simmer on low for a minute or two. Done!

And to stay in Asian team, here are some photos of our recent stop over in Bangkok. We only stayed one day and one night so no much touring, just relaxing between flights, and I have plenty of other photos of Thailand here. But still, cannot resist going everywhere with my iPhone camera!

offerings

sing inside an elevator (lift)

relax

Lily

shrine

shrine

another shrine

Vegan food

more vegan food

beautifully cut fruit

what a masterpiece!

orchids

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Italian Hazelnut cream chocolates - 2 ingredients

Impress your guests with homemade chocolates! They are easy to make and You need only two ingredients to make these chocolates: some dark chocolate (your favourite, I like to use over 70% dark) and some Italian hazelnut paste, I got mine in Auckland from Italian Foodies.

Step 1

Melt the chocolate at bain Marie and line the chocolate moulds (I used silicone moulds). For each mould you will probably need about 1 or 2 tsp of chocolate, let it run to cover the bottom and sides of the moulds and then place the mould in the fridge IMMEDIATELY so that the chocolate sets quickly (you don't want it to roll down the sides and just fill the bottom of the moulds). Use only half of the chocolate, leave the rest in the bowl and keep warm (so it won't solidify). 

Step 2

After 15 or 20 remove the moulds from the fridge and fill with the hazelnut paste, then cover with the remaining melted chocolate. Refrigerate.

Step 3

Before serving remove from ridge, tip the chocolates out of the moulds and serve. Better to store in the fridge if it is a hot day.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Homemade mascarpone with Tawari honey, pistachio and dried strawberries for 2015 National Honey Week

Dear Food Bloggers,

Some of you might have seen the recent announcement launching New Zealand’s second National Honey Week, which is taking take place from 16 – 23 March 2015. It is an initiative that has been cooked up to raise awareness and support New Zealand’s unique honey varieties and to encourage more Kiwis to include it in their diets.

Airborne Honey, the country’s oldest honey brand, is leading 2015 National Honey Week. A number of promotions and initiatives have been planned to help New Zealanders take part in the celebrations. Among other activities, public tastings in supermarkets around the country this National Honey Week will give Kiwis the opportunity to taste the nine main varieties of New Zealand single flower honey types – Kamahi, Clover, Rata, Manuka, Honeydew, Vipers Bugloss, Rewarewa, Tawari and Thyme.

How to enter:

All you have to do is concoct a recipe that showcases New Zealand honey. It couldn’t be easier. The Airborne Honey team will be judging the recipes.

When you write your blog post, if you could also mention that it is a National Honey Week recipe that would be great, as it’ll mean we won’t miss your post when we’re collecting entries. You can also email the link to Rachel Bradshaw at nzhoneyweek@gmail.com.  

Entries are open now and will close at 5pm on Monday 30 March 2015. The winner will receive a bumper pack of New Zealand honey varieties and $350 in Restaurant Association of New Zealand vouchers for a slap up meal out. Three runners-up will also receive smaller honey pack prizes.

Best of luck and have some fun with National Honey Week! If you have any thoughts or questions, please feel free to email Rachel Bradshaw at nzhoneyweek@gmail.com.   And here is my entry:

Homemade mascarpone with Tawari honey, pistachio and dried strawberries

Making mascarpone at home is one of my favourite occupations these days! A part from the 'magic' of it, and the resemblance to a chemistry experiment (I made this with Max, actually, he made it with me in the background giving instructions and liked doing it!) it is also so much cheaper, fresh and delicious that the one you buy! 

For the mascarpone recipe just click here, it is easier that you may think! When the mascarpone is ready just add a tbsp of honey (I used Airborne Tawari Honey) and fold. Divide the mascarpone into 4 cups and it is ready to be eaten or topped with what you fancy. 

For this recipe I just toasted a few pistachios in a pan, then I rub them with a tea towel to take away loose skins and chopped them coarsely. Then I also added some Fresh As dried strawberries, crunchy and full of flavour and aroma. A simple dessert that everyone loved!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Flower fritters

My kids go crazy for these! Only three ingredients

Ingredients: edible flowers

 (I used zucchini flowers and borage flowers - but any edible flower will do)

tempura flour

oil for frying

Clean and wash the flowers. Mix the tempura flour with cold water to make a batter, then add the flowers. Spoon into hot oil and pan fry on both sides until the fritters are golden. Serve hot.

And this is my cat Marameo sleeping on the trampoline (I am glad someone is using it!). She is 18 years old now, poor old cat, so sweet but a bit senile, she is shrinking too, and becoming a bit like a kitten, sleeps a lot and demands lots of attention. But she is sweet! The cats are the only ones eating meat in the household, and so far they have been on a raw meat diet, but in the last week I started 'cooking' meat for them (especially Marameo) as they didn't seem to appreciate too much their raw food. When I say cooking I just mean boiling, just boil pieces of beef or chicken, and then give them to them (and the stock too). Personally I find it disgusting, the smell is horrible, but they love it! Do you have any experience of your pets preferring cooked meat to raw meat?

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Is Tiramisù the most adaptable dessert for Fusion Cuisine?

Pineapple tiramisu at Bistro:D restaurant, Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei

Photo by Peter Dowling ©

Beautiful beetroots!

I love making fresh juice with red beetroots, it tastes great and the colour always cheers me up. Then the other day my friend Alan from Dream of Italy gave me an Italian beetroot from his garden, I think that it must be this one. Well, when I cut it I though that it looked so pretty that I didn't want to juice it! So I just cooked it al dente, and then cooled it under cold water and added extra virgin olive oil, lemon and salt. Unfortunately the cooking took the colour away, but it still looked really pretty (scroll down for the photo). Next time I'll get another beet from Alan I'll try it raw, cut into very thin slices.

And then I used a 'normal' red beetroot for my juice!
1 large red beetroot, 6 large carrots, 4 stalks of celery, half a cucumber and 6 pears.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Happy Saint Valentine! Buon San Valentino a tutti!

Photo by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Limoncello Tiramisù

Would you like t make a tiramisù style dessert without coffee? Are you a fan of lemons and limoncello? I had a jar of lemon curd to finish, so I made up this lemon version, and it worked wonders: in fact it tastes so good that no one will be believe that it is so easy to make! Of course I used NZ best limoncello, Limoncello Sovrano. 

Ingredients:

3 tbsp of lemon curd

300 ml cream

1 small glass of Limoncello Sovrano thinned with a little water

12 savoiardi biscuits

Edible Flowers to decorate

Smooth the lemon curd with 3 tbsp of cream, then whip the rest of the cream and fold with the lemon curd mixture. Place the Limoncello in a deep plate and add a little water to thin it down (or use just limoncello - I prefer to thin it down so that my kids can also eat this). Quickly soak the savoiardi biscuits in the limoncello, one side only, then place them in a serving bowl, soaked side up.

 Add some cream and lemon curd mixture and then repeat, making two or there layers (depending on the shape and size of your bowl. 

Cover everything with a final layer of cream and lemon curd mixture and refrigerate for a few hours.

Decorate with edible flowers (I used roses and borage flowers). Serve.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Plum jam with a little brown sugar

I am back to New Zealand and it is still plum season in the Oratia orchards! But is it so hot that plums don't last long after picking, so I had about 1 kg that was far too ripe and soft for eating. I washed them and then place them in a pot with a little water and boiled them, then I strained the 'paste' to discard stones and leftover skin and tasted it. I usually add 50-60% of sugar (I don't like the 1kg fruit for 1kg sugar ratio they do in NZ), but this paste was already sweet! So I added just 2 tbsp of brown sugar and a pinch of citric acid (as a preservative) and, fearing that the jam wouldn't set, 1/3 tsp of agar agar. If I were to keep this jam longer maybe I would have added more sugar, but I only made 5 small jars and two are gone already!

It is a really delicious and sweet jam, and it is the first time (after 18 years in NZ for me) that plums seems to be so sweet when ripe (almost like in Italy), and a jam need so little sugar - I guess it is due to the dry January we had.

But I really want to try to make a jam with even less sugar (or no sugar at all) to keep, any suggestion?

Remember that the first pears and the famous Oratia Beauty apples are also in season at the Dragicevich Orchard, 556 West Coast Rd, Oratia, Auckland. The Oratia Beauty apples are the first fruit to be added to the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity Ark of Taste

  

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©