Philly Food and Drink Aficionados

Mary Jones's Blog (13)

Sweet Pepper Relish

I wrote earlier about how adding some pepper relish to meals like tuna salad can liven it up. Well, here's a recipe for that relish: 7½ C diced sweet red peppers 6½ C diced green peppers 6 C diced white onions 2 qt boiling water 3 C cider vinegar 2½ C sugar 1 tbs canning salt 2 tsp mustard seed 1 tsp celery seed You will also need: 1 pressure cooker 8 or 9 pint-sized canning jars and lids To dice the peppers and onions, it'… Continue

Added by Mary Jones on October 4, 2009 at 6:00pm — No Comments

Big Mistakes in Food #1--Taco Bell

I was down in University City today, and come lunchtime, I walked over to the food court across from Van Pelt Library on Walnut Street. Look, I admit what I did was stupid. I admit I should have gone for any number of other foods, from the vegetarian roach coach to even the Quiznos at said food court. But I just recently ate at a Quiznos, I didn't feel like burger or a pizza, and I didn't see any sushi around. It's no excuse, but it's an attempt at an explanation. I saw the Taco Bell, and said… Continue

Added by Mary Jones on September 15, 2009 at 9:48pm — 1 Comment

The Lansdale Farmers' Market

Earlier this summer, Lansdale (where I live) started a farmers' market. Why they hadn't had one before is a little beyond me, since we're surrounded by farmland up here, both large agribusiness (i.e. Hatfield Meats, Rosenberger Dairy) and smaller, family farms. For all its faults, Pennsylvania does have a lot of good farmland. Well, someone apparently thought as I did, and actually did something about it. I love farmers' markets. When I was a… Continue

Added by Mary Jones on August 25, 2009 at 11:11pm — No Comments

Spätzle

Spätzle* is a type of German boiled noodles which is much better than it sounds. It's a great side dish for German/Austrian meals, especially Wienerschnitzel, but it's also great with scrambled eggs. Ingredients: 2 C flour 1 C milk 2 eggs 1 tbs. Nutmeg 1 tsp. Salt Mix ingredients and boil water. When water is boiling take the spätzle maker (if you have one) and squeeze the mixture into the water. Boil for 10 minutes or until the noodles float. Remove them from the water, draining the ex… Continue

Added by Mary Jones on August 3, 2009 at 10:23pm — 1 Comment

Tuna Sandwich

Sounds simple, no? The tuna fish sandwich, pb&j's nerdy bookworm sister, the staple of Lent in my Catholic high school, causer of bad breath. Why write about something so obvious, so simple? Well, naturally there are plenty of ways to dress it up beyond mayo and onion, and this is one of my favorites: 1 can tuna 1 (large) tbs mayo 1 half white onion, diced 1 stalk celery, diced 1 tbs pepper relish 5 large green olives with pimento, diced salt & pepper to taste Naturally, how much mayo… Continue

Added by Mary Jones on August 3, 2009 at 10:07pm — No Comments

Beef Stroganoff

This is a very simple recipe for beef stroganoff that I got from my mother. Beef Ingredients: 1½ lbs of beef, cubed 4 tbs flour ½ tsp salt ½ tsp pepper ½ tsp paprika 1 beef bouillon cube ½ C boiling water Sauce Ingredients: 1 pint sour cream 2 tbs pureed tomato 1 chopped onion Edit! Mushrooms--equal amount with the meat. Procedure: Coat the beef in the flour, salt, pepper, and paprika. Brown in a Dutch oven, using a tablespoon of butter. Put the bouillon in the… Continue

Added by Mary Jones on February 22, 2009 at 11:00pm — 4 Comments

Crab cakes!

Den and I went down to the Tuckahoe Inn for Valentine's Day; if you ever go, definitely have the crab cakes. They were fantastic--all lump crab meat, Maryland style. And the clams casino appetizer was great too. Oh, and really, you should have a reservation. Showing up at a restaurant on Valentine's Day and just expecting to walk in is stupid. Continue

Added by Mary Jones on February 21, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Christmas Pudding

Christmas Plum Pudding is a traditional English dessert for this time of year. There are really no two ways of making it, though most are done a month in advance and stored, with brandy periodically poured on it. Well, I'm too lazy and forgetful for that, so instead I make it the day before and then put a hard sauce on it before serving. For this dish, you will need two steam pots with molds. Dry Ingredients: ¾ C flour 1 tsp salt ¾ tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp nutmeg ½ tsp mace Fruits… Continue

Added by Mary Jones on December 24, 2008 at 12:34pm — 2 Comments

Chicken Vindaloo

Vindaloo was originally a Portugese dish, introduced to the Indian state of Goa some time during the early modern period. It can be made with any number of meats, but I'm partial to chicken or shrimp. It tends to be very spicy, but I've found, at least with this recipe, that the first day eating it isn't very spicy, but over the next few days, as it sits in the fridge, it gets spicier. Don't know why, but I do like it. Ingredients 2 lbs. chicken thighs OR 3 chicken breasts, diced into 1"… Continue

Added by Mary Jones on November 30, 2008 at 12:15am — No Comments

Jambalaya

This is a pretty loose recipe--so much so that I've never actually written it down. Sauce: 2 cups rice 12 oz. can tomato sauce ½ cup hot sauce (or to taste) 1 tomato, diced 1 green pepper, sliced 2 jalapeños, diced 1 red onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, diced fresh chopped cilantro (to taste) Meat: 1 lb. hot italian sausage (I use Hatfield's rope) 1 lb. chicken thighs 2 ham steaks ½ lb shrimp Boil the rice; add vegetables half-way through. When done, add tomato sauce and hot sauce. Cut the saus… Continue

Added by Mary Jones on October 18, 2008 at 11:13am — 3 Comments

Spicy Potato Cakes

This is a great dish to serve with an Indian meal. Ingredients: 1 lb potatoes 1 onion, diced 1 tsp garam masala 1 jalapeño, diced 1 tsp lemon juice 2 tbs cilantro, chopped ½ tsp salt (or to taste) 1. Boil potatoes and mash them; I use a hand-held masher. Do not whip them with a hand mixer. 2. Mix in a separate bowl the onion, jalapeño, juice, and spices. Add the potatoes and mix thoroughly. 3. Form into little round cakes, flat on top and bottom, about 3" in diameter 4. Heat in l… Continue

Added by Mary Jones on September 27, 2008 at 2:07pm — No Comments

Mary's Chicken Tikka Masala

No tikka masala is the same; it's a highly-individualized dish, which is one of its charms. Not having the money to eat out whenever I want, I went scrounging for recipes, and ultimately synthesized my own. Ingredients: 1½ lb chicken thighs Marinade: 1 C plain yogurt 2 tbs lemon juice 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp cayanne pepper 2 tsp black pepper 1 tsp cinnamon ½ tsp salt ½ tsp ground ginger 1. Mix together the marinade 2. Dice the chicken and mix it into the marinade 3. Let the chicken-ma… Continue

Added by Mary Jones on September 26, 2008 at 9:12pm — 6 Comments

The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Eating

When I was a kid, my mom would buy these microwaveable breaded veal cutlets; we'd smother them in ketchup, and were happy. And, as I got older, I realized we were eating meat coasters covered in ketchup. And I learned to hate breaded veal cutlets. Until, that is, my mother married a German American with a great wiener schnitzel recipe (which I'll save for another post). Since then, the only place I've found with a comparable and affordable schnitzel in the Philly area, is the Austrian… Continue

Added by Mary Jones on September 5, 2008 at 7:00pm — 8 Comments

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Martha Stewart Finally Admits On Behalf Of Everyone That Rachael Ray Is The Sarah Palin Of The Food World

Martha, we love you. Still. Always.

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Philly.com Dining

SIP: Kosher wines uncork their premium side

Vintner Ernie Weir wants to make one thing perfectly clear. Yes, his wines are kosher. But first and foremost, they are award-winning Napa Valley wines.

Fond

On the off chance you've been wondering about all this fuss over pork belly - the suddenly u-pig-uitous staple in Philly kitchens that has been slow-braised, red-cooked, deconstructed into nuevo "al pastor," tossed in salad dressing, folded into bao buns, tucked into raviolis, tea-smoked, or dry-cured into fancy burger bacon - may I recommend putting Fond on your speed dial.

Fond

Philly's magic BYOB machine has produced yet another winning bistro for an emerging neighborhood, this time with young talents from Le Bec-Fin and Lacroix bringing sophisticated New American dining to an intimate dining room on East Passyunk Ave. The small menu has some memorable moments, the service is refined and outgoing. With more maturity and consistency, this promising gem can become special.

DINING REVIEWCRAIG LaBAN

The Bell Key Superior: Rare; sets fine-dining standards. Excellent: Excels in every category of the dining experience. Very Good: Interesting, with above-average food.

Texas BBQ, come to Phila.

South Street, even on the tamer blocks west of Sixth, won't ever be confused with the actual South. But for some reason - or possibly just blind coincidence - it has given rise to an uncommon number of barbecue joints, among them the estimable Bea Bea's Lawnside BBQ, now occupied by a lesser rib crib, and Phoebe's, also a shadow of its former self.

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Unbreaded

Avoid Bagel Related Injuries

The bagel can be eaten many ways, with a nice schmear of cream cheese, or a delicious bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. It’s almost as if the bagel is a spiritual food, always a mainstay along with lox and whitefish at parties celebrating a new birth, and those that bring grieving families together after a [...]

No Matter How You Cut It…

When building that perfect sandwich, the one that fills you up and satisfies you like no other, the last thing one might think twice about is cutting it in half. Most people are programmed based on how their sandwiches were cut for them at a young age. But we’ve pondered this for a long time; [...]

Show Us Your Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwiches!

Quite possibly our favorite holiday of the year, tomorrow is one for family, friends, and stuffing your face. For some reason, turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce are ingrained in our beings as the ultimate comfort food. The only thing nearly as good as the Thanksgiving meal? The leftovers! Whether you use sourdough, ciabatta, rye, or white [...]

Sit. Stay. Hot Dogs At White Dog

University City’s White Dog Café has long been known as a leader in sustainable food practices, and new Executive Chef Mark Andelbradt continues that tradition of serving quality organic, local and natural foods. Having worked at some of the nation’s finest restaurants including Morimoto (Philadelphia and New York,) Daniel, Tru and most recently, Tao in [...]

Unbreaded Salutes Iron Chef Jose Garces

Local superstar chef/restaurateur Jose Garces has now cemented his place on the national level by winning Food Network’s Next Iron Chef. In honor of our local guy taking home the crown, today we are re-posting our interview with Chef Garces about sandwiches, originally published September 24th, 2009. Unbreaded: What was the last really great sandwich you [...]

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