Olive Oil Loaf

I am kind of an iced coffee fiend. Actually, I am an iced coffee fiend and luckily for me (or unluckily, rather) New York City has a plethora of overpriced and delicious iced coffees. I was shocked when I first moved to Montreal and the only iced coffees were these coyingly sweet and very gross "frappes." Then again, who really wants an iced coffee when its negative a million degrees? Hmm...well that is neither here nor there, since I am not actually here to talk about iced coffee today. I am here to talk about a place in New York that serves great iced coffee and even greater Olive Oil Loaf.

Abraco, which means 'hug' in Portuguese, is a teeny tiny espreso bar in the East Village serving "housemade semi-sweets and savories." The name is fitting, as you walk in you are literally embraced by the aromas of coffee, fresh baked goods, and homemade frittatas. It has been commended for its iced coffee, but the thing that really intrigued me was all the talk about the food they serve. Olive oil loaf, cured olive shortbread, and a whole slew of other incredible sounding things that I have yet to try. Anyhow, while I was still living through the iced coffee drought of Montreal, I kept reading about this place and knew that once I moved back to New York I would have to go ASAP. It took me about 2 weeks to make it there, but after one bite of olive oil love and a nibble of cured olive loaf, I (like everyone else) was hooked.

So, true to form, I had to figure out how to make these myself because, well, that's what I do. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find the recipe for the cured olive shortbread, but I haven't given up hope yet.

Sunchoke Chips

The past few days have been spent packing up boxes, preparing for the 'next step'--whatever that might be--and spending enough time with the people that matter to soak in their presence, before I say goodbye. I have also been exploring Montreal, finally getting to know the city that I have lived in for three years, yet never knew anything about. Between my packed cookware and my time away from home, all of this also means that there is not much to report here. There is one thing, however, that I absolutely must tell you about. Last Thursday, after walking home from my last exam (ever) I came home and did what everyone does when they finish their last exam; I made chips.

Not just any type of chip, but sunchoke chips. I had bought the sunchokes at the on-campus market a few days before and combined with my newly acquired mandoline, I knew that they had to turn into chips. I feel like I have been seeing sunchokes everywhere recently, but after doing a bit of research on them, I only found out that they are a great source of inulin, despite the common name Jerusalem Artichoke they are neither from Jerusalem nor are they related to artichokes and they are actually a tuber produced beneath the ground by a variety of sunflower. I can't seem to figure out which season is best for them, although I did read that they can withstand hardy winters, which makes a whole lot of sense considering I bought these in springtime in Montreal.

Regardless of when they're at they're peak, sunchokes always have a deliciously earthy and subtly sweet flavor. Roasting or pureeing them into soup really showcases these flavors, but once these are fried into chips takes a bit of the nuanced flavor is lost. Not all of it however, and they're unique flavor and texture is something surprisingly addictive and tasty. If I were to make a comparison, these remind me of Terra chips, more toothsome and hearty than a potato chip, but they satisfy the craving just as well. You could serve these with a lemon aioli or other dip of your choice, but I chose to eat them as-is with a sprinkle of salt. I wanted to keep it simple; packing, change and moving on are all complicated, eating chips shouldn't have to be.

Sunchoke Chips

6 large sunchokes (aka. Jerusalem Artichokes, Topinambour)
2 cups frying oil
sea salt, for sprinkling

1) Scrub the Jerusalem artichokes clean. Slice thinly with a mandoline, slightly thinner than 1/8."
2) Meanwhile heat up the oil to 375 degrees, most people use a thermometer, I gauged based on how fast my chips were frying.
3) Add the sliced sunchokes in batches, frying until just golden with a slightly orange hue, 4-5 minutes (this may vary depending on the size of your slices, so keep your eye on them and adjust accordingly).
4) Using a spider take out your chips and place on paper towels to drain. Sprinkle immediately with salt. Continue with the remainders, transferring the drained chips to a bowl as you go.

Trends/Pickled Carrots and Cauliflower

I almost gave up on writing this post about five minutes after starting because the words just didn't seem to be flowing. So instead of forging on as I usually do, I just closed the tab letting my browser erase any semblance of a thought I had assembled. Some days, giving up just seems a hell of a lot easier. Just as I closed the tab though, this popped up on my newsfeed, reminding me that more people should know about at-home pickling (even if it's only to but the author of the article at Slate just a little bit more).

By making this, I am by no means claiming to be trendy or an urban hipster. I did, however, come across this recipe for pickled carrots and thought that it would be nice to make use of the mason jar I've had lying around. This served more as a cute outfit for my carrots though, since I didn't need to sterilize the jar or go through the whole canning and sealing process. In the spirit of pickling, I also pickled some leftover cauliflower I had in the fridge. I figured there was no reason not to go all out and try out different variations. The truth is I love having crunchy, fresh and healthy snacks to munch on when I get home after school and these seemed like the perfect addition to my fridge.

These pickles are super crunchy with just the right balance of sugar, salt and vinegar. The original recipe called for dill seeds, but my supermarket didn't have them so I just used a pickling spice mix. Although I have no basis for comparison I am really glad I made them this way because I found that the spices added a really dynamic and expected blend of flavors.

Endurance/Chickpea Nuts

I feel like I have been running a marathon for the past three months, this coming week is the last mile, definitely the most difficult one. I am not complaining though, because when it's over it will be winter break, which is going to bring a whole slew of exciting stuff (more to come on that). One week, three exams, home free; it's that simple. I am pretty fortunate because exams and studying don't take away from the fact that I need to eat, and since I am me, I also think that I should be eating well no matter how busy I am. However, given the time I spend in the library, a lot of eating is in snack form. Before I go any further, I should tell you that eating isn't allowed in the library, there are 'food guards' that walk around admonishing people for eating, so what I have going on here is pretty risky business. To avoid any confrontation, I try to make most of my snacks as sneakable as possible, like these chickpea 'nuts' which I can surreptitiously eat without getting caught (so far).

Today, however, I decided to play it safe and make these for my non-library study group. If I have learned anything in my university life, it's that study groups don't function without snacks.

Priorities/Spicy Candied Nuts

If I had a choice, this blog would always be my main priority. Unfortunately, I am fortunate enough to be a university student and since my life's calendar is based on semesters, end of November and early December mean crunch time. Luckily I still find a few pauses in my crunch time and in those moments, I have promised myself to be in my kitchen and blogging. This blog gives me a reason to do what I love, so there is no way I would ever be willing to give that up.

When I first started telling people about this blog, I had already been working on it for awhile, but I kept it to myself for so long because I was scared that once I told everyone I would start to dread any commitment to it.

Second Chances/Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

So it's that time of year again, the time of year when the weeks suddenly start flying by, the thoughts of papers and exams are constantly whirling around my head and before I know it, I haven't cooked anything in almost a week because I have actually forgotten what day it is. I usually like forgetting what day it is, because it is so often a sign of being on vacation, of relaxation and fun. Then there is the other type of forgetting what day it is which means that I start counting days based on how far away I am from a due date, and find myself having tunnel vision up until that day. It is at times like these that I accidentally make 6 pumpkin cranberry loaves and believe it to be the funniest and most exciting thing that has happened in weeks (sadly, it probably is).

Let's back track. Yesterday, I finally had the time to procrastinate, which, from the looks of my agenda, won't really be happening in the next few weeks and so, I decided to bake.

Sanity/Cinnamon Chocolate-Chip Sour Cream Cake

Sometimes I am compelled to question my sanity. I mean, I woke up at an ungodly hour yesterday morning and moseyed to the supermarket just so I could buy the ingredients to make this cake. You see the thing is, its not that I was craving sweets or chocolate or anything, but I had decided that I was going to bake a cake for my blog. So, despite papers and midterms, at 8 am I was lurking outside the supermarket waiting for the doors to open. By 10:30 piping hot deliciousness was sneaking out of my oven. I wish I could have been in my roommate’s head when she walked out of her room and there was already a cake baking. I wouldn't blame her for worrying, normal people don’t make cakes the second they roll out of bed. Except for me that is, I swear I am totally normal.

It all started on Monday, when I decided that things have been looking a little salty around here recently, so I knew it was time to bake something up. I have more or less a million recipes bookmarked on my computer, but I didn’t feel like making anything fancy or difficult. To quote my oh-so-eloquent self, “I just want to make a cake where I just throw everything into a bowl and ta-dah!”

Discovering Spices/Zaatar Pizza

One of these days I'm going to set off with a backpack and a notebook and discover the world one spice at a time. I want to explore and learn more about different cultures based on the flavors that define them: moles in Mexico, curries in India, chilies in Thailand, the possibilities are endless. I do think that graduating before I run off would probably be the best idea, so right now I am working on bringing the flavors of the world to my kitchen. Sometimes this intimidates me, foreign spices are, well, foreign and I am not totally comfortable with their depths of flavor. Anyhow, since I don't want to be a total ignoramus when I do set off on my voyage, I just go with it and hope for the best. So far, things have turned out pretty tasty to say the least.

Za’atar is a mix of sumac, wild thyme, sesame seeds and salt. Its complex flavors are earthy and bright, and it can be used for infinite purposes: as a dry rub on meat, sprinkled on hummus, and almost anywhere else you want (after tasting it, you’ll want it everywhere).