The Food Maven Diary
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This and That
I have been so busy every evening at book signings and other book promotion events that I haven't had time to eat properly, much less cook anything. I'd like to say I've had some wonderful lunches, but the only one I can note is the one I cobbled together myself when Sylvia Carter came to interview me for Newsday. I made some spaghetti carbonara, and reheated some of that chartreuse Romensco cauliflower that was, until last week, available at my Greenmarket. (I did that in a covered skillet over low heat with a few cloves of smashed garlic and some olive oil.) For dessert, I happened to have a substantial hunk of Rozanne Gold's famous wine cake.
Sylvia is one of my oldest friends. In 1969, we both started working at Newsday together, she as the assistant education editor, and me as assistant food editor. However, Sylvia has been a food writer for what must be 20 years now. Indeed, she is often called the god-mother of alternative restaurant critics, the writers who cover the fabulous holes in the wall, often ethnic, that are all over the city and metro area. Sylvia has always championed the little restaurant guy, and she was a pioneer in ferreting out these places and giving them the respect of a review. I look forward to whatever it is she is going to write about me and Arthur Schwartz's New York City Food. I think her story should appear in Newsday this Wednesday.
Just a Reminder …
This weekend, on Saturday, I will be at Paperbacks Plus, the book store at 3718 Riverdale Ave., in the Bronx, from 4 to6 p.m. On Sunday, from 11 a.m. to about 3 p.m., I will be at DiPalo, the Italian market on the corner of Grand and Mott Sts. in Little Italy (Manhattan). On Monday, at 7 p.m., I will be at the Borders store in Fairfield, Connecticut. On Wednesday, also at 7 p.m., I will be at the Barnes & Noble in Freehold, New Jersey. Whew!
This week, what I am really, really looking forward to is the benefit at the Brooklyn Museum. Next Saturday, at 2 p.m., I will be giving a talk on the history of food in New York at the museum, then we'll break for a coffee klatch. There will be plenty of cake to go around – cheesecakes from Junior's, red velvet cake from Raven the Cakeman (the baker that Joan Hamburg talks about all the time), and the cupcakes that the New York Times raved about and the chocolate banana cream tarts that I dote on from Downtown Atlantic, one of my favorite Brooklyn restaurants. I will, of course, be stationed at a table to talk to you one on one and to autograph your copies of the new book. Call (718) 501-6286 for reservations. The cost is $75, which includes a copy of "Arthur Schwartz's New York City Food," a $45 retail value.
Autographed Books
Wherever I have done a book signing event, I have left behind autographed books. If you missed seeing me, you can still get a signed book at:
Jerry's Gourmet, Englewood, NJ
Chef Central, Paramus, NJ
Chef Central, Hartsdale, NY
Book Mark, Brooklyn, NY
Borders, Scarsdale, NY
Morty the Knife Man, Farmingdale, Long Island
Sickles Market, Little Silver, NJ
A Recipe
In busy times like this, I keep my cooking very, very simple. I mean, I ate scrambled eggs for dinner the other night. Actually, I enjoyed it, and especially the English muffin with butter. Another night recently, I just broiled some Italian sausage and made some steamed Savoy cabbage. You can use regular green cabbage, too. Savoy, the curlier leafed cabbage, is just a tad sweeter. All I do – and everyone always loves this so much that they invariably ask how I made it – is sauté a sliced onion in a little butter in a large pot with a cover – a very little butter, say a tablespoon – until it is softened, but not browned. Add a small head of shredded cabbage that has been washed, then shredded very thinly. Leave the water clinging to the leaves. Add the cabbage to the pot with the onion, sprinkle in a little salt (say ½ teaspoon), then toss it with the onion to mix. Cover the pot. Place it over low heat. Let steam until the cabbage is well wilted, but still a pretty green, tossing it after 5 minutes, then after another 5 minutes. It shouldn't take much longer than 15 minutes.
