'Unstuffed' Stuffed Cabbage Soup

The timing is perfect! This entire first week of the new year 2014 is supposed to be sub freezing in the NYC metro area.
This Friday, January 2nd, the weathermen & women predict a low of 4 degrees fahrenheit and below zero a little bit further up north.
Besides, or in addition to, a blazing fireplace...what better way to keep yourselves warm and cozy but with a nice hot bowl of soup and a loaf of your favorite bread?
In this case, pumpernickel or rye is my choice to accompany this recipe of  Unstuffed Stuffed Cabbage Soup.

The one beautiful thing about this recipe is that all you have to do is put everything in the pot...in almost no particular order...and simply let it cook. The only work is to drain the excess liquid fat out of the beef.


Are you ready? The shopping list/ingredients include:

5 lb. green cabbage...sliced thin and thick. I like two or even 3 widths.
2.5 lb. chopped beef ...cooked/fat drained
1 very large onion ...diced and sauteed
3.5+ quarts water
3 cups white vinegar
4 large lemons/juice squeezed
2.5 cups dark brown sugar
8-10 oz golden raisins
2 large apples/ chopped fine or Cuisinart
1 1/4 cup your favorite white rice (I like Arborio)
1 6oz. can tomato paste
2 28 oz. cans plum tomatoes pureed in a blender or Cuisinart
1.5-2 Tbsp. kosher salt

...and you will need at least a 12 qt. stockpot...20 qt. preferred


Technique:

*On medium high, break up and cook ground beef until pink is gone. Immediately drain off excess liquid fat and set aside
*Saute in same pot one very large chopped onion until translucent
*Put beef back in pot with sauteed onions...add 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt...and stir
*On same medium high setting, add tomato paste to beef and stir. This step colors the beef a more palatable pale orange vs. brown. It's not critical you follow this step, however this is my preference
*Add the pureed tomatoes, water, white vinegar, juice from the 4 lemons, brown sugar, apples, the rest of the salt and sliced cabbage to the pot. I put the cabbage in last. Bring to a light boil and reduce the heat to medium low
*Cook covered stirring once every 15-20 minutes for about 1 hour 45 minutes
After that time add the rice and raisins. This step will thicken the soup and it will require stirring more often (about every ten minutes). Cook partially covered for about 45 more minutes and then taste and determine if you feel a need for more salt. I do!
Stir...turn off heat...and let sit covered for about 30 minutes before serving
*Serve with bread and butter. Yum!

Serves 15-16 as a main course with bread. You can always cut the recipe in half if you don't want to make that much
Depending on how thick you like your soup, you may want to add more water while heating up to serve. That's it!


                                                                   Mangia Baby!


As always, please feel free to comment below. Just love comments!

Hey Hey Ralphie...How 'Bout A Slice O Full Moon And Some Cannoli?

It was a sign! Plain & Simple...

A poster picture I took coming out of the train show in the Botanical Garden.

Sandy, Emma and I started our evening at the Beautiful Anytime of Year Bronx Botanical Gardens to see the annual Holiday Train Show.
The plan was to see the show at the NYBG, get over to Arthur Avenue for some pizza and then head home.
Not so plain and simple for me when it comes to Arthur Avenue.

                                                               NYBG Christmas Tree

What is the Annual Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx?
This show features model trains traveling around the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory among the 140 or so replicas of New York City landmark buildings. Other notable landmark structures from around the world are also on display.
The truly amazing thing about this show is that these replicas are created by using only plants and trees.


http://www.nybg.org/

Macy's Herald Square NYC

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

This annual Holiday Train show is popular with families...young and old(er) alike. Kids love watching the trains and finding buildings and landmarks, like Yankee Stadium., while the adults will be impressed with the beauty and detail of them.

What happened next was kismet, or in plain English...destiny.
On September 30th, 2013 @ www.phoodographsandfinds.com, we serendipitously stumbled onto a slice of pizza at Ivana's on Arthur Avenue and wanted to come back for more. However, when we arrived, it was closed. Since there are really no shortage of pizza restaurants in the area, we drove around the block to see if there was a spot that looked like it was for us. Sandy said let's try the one on the corner...Full Moon Pizzeria. That's right, Full Moon...remember? And check out the real moon in the upper left hand corner of the pic.

Lucky for us Gerardo was running the counter.
The reason I say lucky is because this is the kind of fellow who knows how to treat his customers.
I had Sandy and Emma in the car (where we decided to eat)...and needed to prepare these large Full Moon slices of pizza in such a way that they would be the right size for everyone. You know; like mama, papa, and baby bear size slices.
Gerardo was gracious and accommodating as he sliced the slices how I asked, with a smile, into all different percentage sizes.

There was a fellow eating pizza at another table who was having a good time taking all of this in and marveling at what we had going on. We owe it to this unnamed fellow for taking the pictures that Gerardo was again gracious enough to be part of once I let him know I wanted them to write this story.
Bottom line: This pizza was extraordinary.
Again, it's hard to explain what is the best, since it's sooooo subjective. There was something very different about the pizza at Full Moon. It was a thin crust as are many artisanal pizza crusts, and it had a very distinctive and unique flavor that was familiar to me. I realized what it was regarding the crust while returning for one more slice before we left. It was either cornmeal or semolina on the bottom that the pizza pie is prepared with.
I use cornmeal when I make my pizza in order to make sure the pizza slides off the paddle easily. What I found over the years is that it also adds a nice flavor...and...as Gerardo so eloquently put it when I asked him about it, "it adds a nice crunch".
The texture and flavor of the cheese and pizza/tomato sauce on their pie was distinctive as well, however more aligned with the traditional taste of pizza and not the artisanal style. One more thing I loved...and have never seen anywhere else, is the way they serve their red pepper flakes. They're ground in such a way that there are no large visible seeds or flakes to speak of. They  are simply ground into a finer consistency. Fabulous!
As a result, the only thing I can say is that it's a slice of pizza that stands alone and cannot really be compared to others. Now that's exciting!
You simply have to taste it for yourself...and I guarantee you will be glad you made the time to go.
If the timing is right, maybe you'll get to meet Gerardo, who just happened to be the son of  Stan, proprietor and owner of The Full Moon Pizzeria on Arthur Avenue (technically 600 E. 187th Street) in the beautiful Bronx , New York, USA!

www.originalfullmoon.com

On the way out of Bronx's Little Italy , Sandy, Emma and Gramps had an urge for dessert. I'm thinking for Sandy and me...Cannoli...and Tri-Color cookies for Emma. Next stop simply because it was there...and so was a parking space...Egidio Pastry Shop....Celebrating 100 years in business. Can you imagine...100 years?!
                                           

                                 
Upon entering Egidio's, I was nicely greeted by  Perla and proprietor and owner Maria Lucciola...otherwise known to her friends and family as "Carmela".

Everything looked sooo good, however there was no way to try everything. Simply put, I went with plan A.
Cannoli and Tri-Color cookies.Check these out!

                                                                           Egidio's Cannoli

Custard Filled Mini Eclairs

Bottom line...Cannoli were a great as the looked... and Emma "loved" the Tri-Color Cookies.

Another social success.

Thank you Perla and Carmela!

As always, please feel free to comment below.

Mangia Baby!

Bert

Sandy & Chuck @ The Town of Oyster Bay Oyster Festival

                         The most sincere politician I've ever known and Sandy

Short & Sweet...The Best Cannoli In The Land

We're in New York. Everything is supposed to be better in New York...right? The great equalizer, however, is relativity...and what does one think is the best? What this means is that there is no real best of anything. It's what you like...and in this case what I feel extremely confident you will like!
That said, you can trust me when I say I have found "The Best Cannoli In The Land" right here on Long Island.

We know about the venerable and revered cannoli havens in NYC, namely Veniero's on 2nd Avenue and Ferrara's in Little Italy. In the Bronx, there is Delillo's on Arthur Avenue.
In Boston, The Modern Bakery and Mike's Pastry on Hanover St. in the North End (Boston's Little Italy) get kudos for their cannoli...although my hands down favorite in Boston is the cream filled "Lobster Claw" at Mike's.
I'm sure that some of my readers have their favorite baker somewhere in Brooklyn, where the second best cannoli probably live.
I'm not saying all of these places have fabulous cannoli. All you have to do is Google reviews of any of these and you can walk away with a pretty good understanding as to whether or not they live up to their reputations.
Before I announce the Best Cannoli In The Land...let's address what I define as the best.
*I don't like shells that are too crispy since they can crumble.
* They need to have slight crisp texture and a nice bite, yet remain intact.
* The entire cannoli needs to be filled. Invariably, the cream in many instances just simply doesn't make it  makes it through from end to end, thus an almost hollow center exists in many cannoli.
* I also love the little semisweet chocolate bits blended into the cannoli cream.
There is no recipe from me in this entry and I don't think the time will come where I make my own...especially when I can go to the Alpine Pastry Shop in Smithtown, Long Island, New York. Yup folks...plain and simple..."The Best Cannoli In The Land" is at the Alpine.
Chocolate covered or plain? I  gravitate to the plain coated with confectioners sugar, otherwise the chocolate coated ones can obscure the taste of the cannoli cream and compete with the bittersweet chocolate bits I look for.
Bottom line...trust me.
They are my definition of the best...and worth the ride from anywhere on Long Island.

They even make MINI cannoli which you can eat by the half dozen!
Closer to home, Matteo's Italian Restaurant in Roslyn, Long Island offers a wonderful dessert of cannoli cream served with biscotti for dipping. If you go to Matteos, recently lauded by Howard Stern, ask for David and tell him Bert sent you.



                                                                       Mangia Baby!
                                                                              Bert



PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT. IF YOU HAVE SOMEWHERE THAT YOU THINK IS "THE BEST CANNOLI IN THE LAND", LET ME KNOW!

Phabulous Phood, Phriends and Personality @ Tony's Di Napoli in New York City

When my friend Brad comes to town from his ranch in Texas, along with his friend (and now mine), "Record Man" and Turkey Fryer expert Ernie Phillips from Greenville, Mississippi, it's time to celebrate.

The fact that  the number one social occasion of the world revolves around food...and that the number one food most of the world enjoys is Italian...I chose Tony's Di Napoli family style Italian restaurant on West 43rd Street for our evening soiree. I say soiree, because every time I go to Tony's I feel like I'm being entertained because many of the waiters and waitresses at Tony's are involved in the entertainment world on Broadway. My personal favorite entertainer (and waitress) at Tony's is Kathy. She's phabulous!
What sets Tony's apart from other restaurants besides their food is personality. This is something I always look for in a restaurant and a prerequisite if I am to consider it worthy of an entry into www.phoodographsandfinds.com.
Of course it has it's visual personality, however I'm talking abut the kind of personality that makes one feel as if they are coming home. The scene is set by managing partner Bruce Dimpflmaier and his perpetually smiling dynamic duo of maitre d's, Dreni and Ciro. One gets the feeling that these folks really love what they do...and when you love what you do, it filters down to the staff and the customer feels it. I think you get the picture.
It was exactly one year ago that I experienced a dish at Tony's that inspired me. So much so, it is now one of my favorites and one I prepare for myself and my clients.
They call it Ravioli Bolognese. Simple name for a simple dish? Uh-uh!

Ernie Presents Ravioli Bolognese

What sets this entree apart besides the ravioli (no sources, but I can tell you it's one of  the three in my "Ravioli Bolognese Parmigiano" entry) and Tony's wonderful meat sauce is the baked-on coating of Parmigiano Reggiano, not mozzarella, that is melted on top.Utter perfection!
When was the last time you had a dish of anything baked with this wonderful cheese on top?
My version, which doesn't really veer off of  Tony's recipe, is in the above November, 2012 entry.
Check it out!

Even though I would have liked Brad and Ernie to experience the virtues of  Tony's veal (A veal chop pounded down and served Milanese style with a chopped tomato and onion salad on top), they seemed happy with a Caesar salad and our baked ravioli dish.

I think the biggest surprise came with dessert. Although I know the portions at Tony's are traditionally large...as they are at all "family style" restaurants, we were all surprised and taken aback by the size and presentation of the strawberry shortcake. It was truly Texas size!

Ernie with Tony's Strawberry Shortcake

Oooooh Oooooh Ernie...Can I have some, huh huh?

Brad's Tiny (not really) Cheesecake

 Brad wanted cheesecake and phinished it off his tiny little piece (not really) all by himself, while Ernie and I had a hard time phinishing off half of our excellent last course. No wonder! It was almost 8" long, 5" wide and 5" high with 4 layers of pound cake, vanilla & strawberry ice cream, strawberries and whipped cream.
Wish I could have gotten it to go.
One last thing. You have to know what to order in any restaurant as not all dishes will please all people.
I can only talk about my experiences at Tony's and the dishes I feel excel.
I have just mentioned a few...and as one of my favorite songwriter's*** once wrote...
                                               "I've said my piece and I'll leave it all up to you"...

                               Ernie & Bert...or...errr...Bert & Ernie with another Phood Phind!

                                                                     Mangia Baby!
                                                                           Bert

                                      ***Ok...It was Justin Hayward from The Moody Blues


                                                                   We'd love to hear from you!
                                                   DON'T BE SHY...PLEASE COMMENT BELOW

Ultimate Nova Scotia Salmon, Bagel and Cream Cheese at Oscar's Delicatessen in Westport, Connecticut, USA!

The Stage Deli on 7th Avenue in New York City closed it's doors in November, 2012 after 75 years in business.
I have soooo many memories visiting this venerable "deli" with my grandparents, Henry & Birdie Spitz, when I was a little kid back in the mid 1950's. Thinking back, my grandparents would introduce me to many famous and infamous people and it wouldn't hit me till many years later who I had actually met, including "Meyer" in the 1950's Las Vegas.
Jack Benny, The Ritz Brothers (Harry was the funniest with his jokes & big rolling eyes), and Henny Youngman always stood out.
It was either at the Stage Deli or the original Lindy's restaurant, both on Broadway, where I would see these icons of entertainment and one other icon, Max Asnas...the founder of the Stage Deli.
He would always come over to our table and kibitz*, in every sense of the word, with my grandparents.
It was here, at the Stage Deli, where I remember first experiencing "Lox and Bagels".
A quick aside from "Food Republic"...the difference between Nova and Lox Smoked Salmon...
 "Real, authentic lox is made from only the belly portion of the salmon. Yup, like pork, the belly of the fish is typically the richest, fattiest and most succulent portion. Cured and smoked, it's saltier and more...uh..."aromatic" than its milder non-belly counterpart, and if you're lucky enough to try it on a bagel with cream cheese, it's hard to go back. When you buy lox anywhere other than an old-school appetizing counter, even if it's clearly labeled "lox," what you're almost certainly getting is simply smoked salmon."
Until it's closing, the Stage still sold their version of smoked salmon as "LOX, STOCK & BAGEL"
described as "Two large bagels served open faced with plenty of New York smoked nova salmon, cream cheese, red onion, ripe tomato, capers, lemon and olive".
It was this introduction to lox and bagels that has followed me throughout my entire life.
Over the years, I would see this sandwich served with many variations and I would always have to ask for either lemon or red onion or capers (the one ingredient critical to the taste I loved and that would invariably be missing). You may laugh at this one...I would always request nova without 'dental floss', or my description for the white fibers found in this fish that would sometimes get caught in my teeth and that would ultimately pull apart my perfectly layered sandwich. Arrggghhh!
Moving on here...last year Sandy and I started to make a relatively small 1 hour and 15 minute trip up to Westport, Connecticut to our favorite garden/nursery destination (www.shopterrain.com). Prior to this, we would have to drive 3 hours to get to the Terrain location in Pennsylvania. Not so bad, since we were able couple it with Chic-fil-a (another www.phoodographsandfinds.com entry in my blog) and the best fast food chicken sandwich anywhere in these United States.
While in Westport this time, our daughter Alison joined us and we all found our way back to Oscar's Delicatessen (we had been there a few months before on our first visit to the newly opened Terrain). Sandy wanted her corned beef sandwich and Alison tried what turned out to be a very fresh tasting "garden" salad with chicken. All  I really wanted...and an incentive to join the girls for this mid-week trip to Terrain... was to order their nova, bagel and cream cheese sandwich that looked like it had my name on it from our prior trip. I missed out on it since I ordered a turkey sandwich.

                                                                                                                                                     

             

                                                                                                                                                                   

As it turns out, this IS another phood find. The reasons: They make their "Lox and Bagel" sandwich the way it should be made and coincidentally, the same as the Stage Deli did. My my.
Coincidentally, we had the same waitress we had the time prior...Imis. Look at that smile!
There's something to be said for a fine reception...and that alone can give one an appetite.

Imis & Bert

Check this out: A substantial serving of perfect nova flavor and texture salmon served with cream cheese, freshly sliced tomatoes, thin sliced red onion, lemon slices, calamata olives and capers sprinkled evenly across the whole open faced sandwich on a Connecticut bagel that tasted as good as any New York Bagel.
Don't forget a few turns of the pepper mill.
Is it my imagination, or does the Dr. Browns and those perfect pickles complete this pic?

Ultimate "Lox (Nova) & Bagels"

My goodness! Another view sans fresh black pepper

It's not over. It goes beyond the food. For us, this place exudes personality. I have to admit, it may have something to do with the fact that I seek that out...and if the cast and crew  in the restaurant can deal with me and we can leave everybody smiling as we walk out the door, then I know it's a true phind.

Need I Say Anything Else?

Hey Hey USA @ Oscar's

The Deli  

A little about the cast and crew. Imis. our waitress, made it all happen for us. Accommodating, patient, efficient and with a big smile from start to finish, I've always believed that a personality like this comes from the top. If you are treated well, you exude a certain feeling that the customer can feel. On top of his game with the perpetual smile as well, Robert Coneg, with Oscars for some 20 years, is making things run smooth for his host of waitresses. 

Smiling Picture Ham (no pun intended) Robert

The man at the top, Lee Dapageorge, comes from a family who owned their landmark restaurant on the same street back in the 1940's...and he's every bit the consummate cordial host and restaurateur.

The Host With The Most and Me

The Original Menu from Lee's Family's Restaurant Circa 1944

Lee, thanks for bringing back memories of my time at the Stage in the olden days.
I can't wait to get back to visit you and your fabulous cast and crew for my sandwich and some more personality.

                                                                   Mangia Baby!
                                                                           Bert

*Kibitz:to talk to someone in a friendly and informal way...and... to watch other people and make unwanted comments about what they are doing

Masquerade with a Spritz From Venice, Italy to New York and with an "Eyes Wide Shut" Stop on a Bright Moonlit Night in Miami, Florida

I wasn't to sure how to bring together all the stories you are about to read and at the same time introduce you to a fabulous and relatively new cocktail we discovered recently in Venice, Italy. In the end, however, I  linked them successfully and think you will enjoy the read.
Halloween, or All Saints Eve, is becoming a popular day for costume parties and events all over Italy.
 While one of the main holidays in Italy is still All Saints Day on November 1st and All Souls Day of November 2nd, the custom of celebrating Halloween that started in Italy in the early 1990's, is starting to take hold in many Italian cities.When Halloween approaches anywhere, some strange things start to happen.
 While traveling to Venice, Italy recently, we saw many people walking the streets in masquerade.
 Masks in all shapes, sizes and colors are sold everywhere and I'm sure most of the people we saw wearing masks were tourists simply having fun with what seems to come natural in Venice and especially this time of year with Halloween just around the corner. However you look at it, Sandy and I both found it added to the mystique of Venice and the almost 700 year history of masquerade in this Italian city seemingly floating on water.

A little bit about the history of masquerade.

The word masquerade is derived from a long line. English gets it from the French word mascarade and they got it from the Italian word mascarata. That is a variant of the word mascherata which is from Old Italian maschera meaning mask. So really it is a long line of derivations coming from the word mask.
'Masquerading' started in the thirteenth century, when Venice was as lively and crowded as it is today. 
As a result many people, particularly the rich and famous but also courtesans, gigolos, and others who needed to conduct themselves with the utmost discretion and privacy and who required anonymity, started to wear masks to achieve this.
Consequently a new breed of professionals emerged who were able to make stunning masks for these clients and a whole new industry was born.
But the secrecy that the masks provided also led to an inevitable increase in crime and a general decline in morals.
In the fourteenth century it became necessary to introduce decrees forbidding the everyday wearing of masks, and masquerading was restricted to special carnivals and festivals.
These spectacular happenings draw visitors from all over the world with the main Venetian event, The Carnavale, taking place in February each year.









 






I think you get the picture. .
No sooner do Sandy and I get home from our trip to Venice...my friend Mark emails me pics of an appropriately themed "Eyes Wide Shut" 'Dark Dinner' he attended in Miami,  Florida.  A coincidence? Yes, because he simply wanted to share his unique story about a dinner that was being served where all the diners were in masquerade and wearing masks so the food could not be seen...and no because it's simply the time of year where events like these proliferate the number one social occasion of the world...food festivities.

Sandy and I were so inspired, we decided to have a few of our friends come over for what we termed a Venetian themed dinner with the masks and beautiful fans we had bought in Venice.

Mystery woman & Bert

Spritz's at the Spitz's

Our guests would be greeted with a "Spritz"...the number one selling & relatively new  fun drink/cocktail served all over Venice and then go on to a few of my 'signature' dishes, whose recipes have been entered into this blog over the last 3 years since I started writing.

These are the Famous BetsaPasta Caesar Salad alla Bosso, Crispy Eggplant Parmesan and Linguine alla Marinara. All these dishes were complimented with dishes brought by our guests such as

 Helen's Famous 'Meat-a-Balls' and Sharon's World Famous Incredibly Light and Rich Sabra Laced Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Heavy Whipped Cream.

Here's a little history and the recipe for a cocktail relatively unknown in the USA...The Spritz

Ingredients for 1 serving:

Ice Cubes (approximately 3 or 4 ice cubes)
2 to 3 ounces Prosecco or any white sparkling wine
1 1/2 ounces Aperol
Splash of soda water, sparkling water, mineral water, or Club Soda
Orange wedge or slice
  

Preparation:

Fill a glass (highball glass or white wine glass) 1/4 full with ice cubes (you want to chill the drink and not water it down). Pour in the Prosecco and then top with Aperol. Add the soda water. Stir gently until mixed.
Garnish with an orange slice (either add slice of orange, twisting to release some juice and placing in the glass or simply use orange slice as garnish)



Italian translation:
Ecco un po 'di storia e la ricetta per un cocktail relativamente sconosciuto in USA ... Il Spritzer

Ingredienti per 1 porzione:
Cubetti di ghiaccio (circa 3 o 4 cubetti di ghiaccio)
2-3 ounces Prosecco o vino bianco frizzante
Di 1 1/2 oz Aperol
Spruzzata di acqua gassata, acqua frizzante, acqua minerale, o Club Soda
Cuneo arancione o slice
  
preparazione:
Riempire un bicchiere (tumbler o bicchiere di vino bianco) 1/4 pieno di cubetti di ghiaccio (volete rilassarvi la bevanda e non l'acqua verso il basso). Versare il Prosecco e poi in alto con Aperol. Aggiungere l'acqua di soda. Mescolare delicatamente fino a mista.

Guarnire con una fettina d'arancia (o aggiungere fetta di arancio, torsione di rilasciare qualche succo e l'immissione in vetro o semplicemente utilizzare fetta d'arancia come guarnizione)

                                                                 Mangia Baby!

                                                                      Bert

As always, love to hear comments...
b