Old Bones
Cooking doesn’t have to be a fussy affair. It doesn’t need to take up all your time. You don’t need spend all your time to poring over cookbooks. And what you make doesn’t need to be perfect. The same does not hold true for restaurants. That is one of the things that makes great restaurant meals truly special.
A great restaurant might make a double stock that is so clear one can read the date off a dime in the bottom of the pot.
At home we can make a single strength stock and if it should be cloudy so be it. Don’t get me wrong, if you want to clarify your stocks more power to you. But the added labor and thought shouldn’t keep people from attempting this basic, easy and totally rewarding cooking project.
I say all of this because at least in upstate New York, the weather is getting colder and all of a sudden having a simmering pot of aromatic liquid on the stove for a few hours sounds like a lovely idea.
And what is so great about chicken stock is that it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Plus, provided you have the ingredients on hand, it’s something you can do in the background while you watch a movie, putter around the house, or even read a book by the fire.
Promotional Code
I love getting free stuff. Who doesn’t? I’ve written about a new form of honey, vodka made from Long Island potatoes, rye made in the finger lakes and most recently vegan cinnamon rolls all thanks to the generosity of their producers. I swear there is still a pending post for Snow natural sodas in the works, but it is among the long list of things that keep on getting pushed into next week.
Also on that list of things is the next installment of Ask the Profussor and a piece I want to write for All Over Albany. Oh, and so is an inventory of all of the free things I have received in the service of writing the FLB.
Up until now, all the free things have been detailed in the relevant posts, but it makes sense to have them all assembled in one document that is easily accessible to anyone who comes to the blog for the first time. You know, in the spirit of full disclosure and all. That way people can decide for themselves if I’m offering honest opinions (I am) or if I’m just a cheap shill for anyone willing to give me anything for free (I’m not).
Promotions are another story. In writing my Open Letter to Chefs, I decided it worthwhile to promote quality food at restaurants in the Capital Region. And it feels like that opened a floodgate.
The questions I ask myself when deciding on promoting something beyond the FLB are:
1) Does it advance what I am trying to do?
2) Is there something good in it for readers?
Bored yet? Well hold on, because I’m getting to the good stuff. There are actually two separate promotions that were sent to me this week that fit the bill. And one of them can get you a free dinner.
In Defense of Cream in Coffee
One of my current fantasies is to own the café of my dreams where exquisite coffee beans are roasted, ground to order and brewed to exacting specifications. A café that like Cartel Coffee Lab only sells one size of cappuccino and only serves it in porcelain cups (that means you cannot take it with you to go). In my café there would only be two syrups, simple and chocolate. All drinks would be based on double ristrettos, like at Blue Bottle. And baristas would go through significant training before being allowed to touch the espresso machines and pull shots for the public.
None of this is going to happen any time soon, if at all.
But in the meanwhile, nothing gives me so much pleasure as seeing how many people came to the FLB to read my post on the role cream and sugar play in a cup of coffee. Maybe I should be dedicating a bit more time to the subject. Especially since it seems a few people were under the impression I was trying to ridicule the preferences of others.
Now watch as I make what might appear to be a contrary argument to last week’s post, but I assure you it is not.
Blindly Eating Pizza
Round One of the Third Annual All Over Albany Tournament of Pizza is over. Now I feel like I can talk about it without spoiling any of the surprises. For those who may not have been following along, or who may be new here, the Tournament of Pizza involves four judges, including myself, evaluating our local takeout pizza options to determine who makes the best pie.
What makes it interesting is that the tasting is done blindly.
That is not to say we are blindfolded, because how a pizza looks is important too. Rather each judge receives two slices of pizza at a time, each on a paper plate identified only with a letter. Loyalties to pizza joints run high. Especially in this town. This scheme is designed to try and prevent any judge from playing favorites, or to let any preconceived notions enter the evaluation process.
Last year I laid out my Pizza Philosophy and wrote about what I look for in a slice of New York Style pizza. Having gone through the tournament as a judge last year, and just finished a grueling first round where I consumed 16 different slices of pizza in short order, I thought I would share some of my deeper gleanings into the form.
The Spice of Life
I’m calling hogwash on “variety”. Variety isn’t a spice. For those in the cheap seats, my well-worn copy of the Food Lover’s Companion clearly lays out that spices are:
Pungent or aromatic seasonings obtained from the bark, buds, fruit, roots, seed or stems of various plants and trees (whereas herbs usually come from the leafy part of a plant).
Even my favorite online purveyor of herbs and spices goes by the name of Penzey’s Spices. Herbs along with other things such as Raspberry Enlightenment are simply along for the ride.
Variety can be crippling, especially to novices who may get overwhelmed by the broad palate of flavors at their disposal. And since spices don’t last forever, it is wise to buy what you will use in relatively short order. Do I have to mention I’m terrible about that part? I have a tendency to hoard foodstuffs.
But there is one spice that is clearly the spice of life, and it falls on the spectrum between ajwain (which I keep on hand) and zatar (which I never get despite always wanting it).
I’m No Vegan
Vegan is a horrible word. It conjures up ill-conceived versions of dishes that are missing key ingredients, which have been replaced by unspeakable substitutions. It also conjures up the people who not only eat, but also enjoy such comestibles.
It’s a stereotype to be sure, but it exists for a reason.
That said, my favorite Cuban black bean recipe just happens to be vegan. So does my favorite sliced sandwich bread. I even honestly liked a bastardized version of baked ziti that conformed to the stereotype above.
But getting back to bread for a minute. The pre-sliced loaves I enjoy almost daily have just four ingredients: whole wheat flour, water, salt and yeast. It’s not trying to eat vegan, it just turned out that way. And frankly, up until today I never even considered it.
I mention all of this because there is a new local venture ramping up that is exciting despite the fact that it is largely vegan.
Tuna a la Dad
If you are a regular reader, you too may be a bit taken aback by the outpouring of comments on my little coffee post from Friday. I know I am. Wow.
The FLB’s newfound popularity owes itself to the freakish occurrence of getting listed on the front page of WordPress. My plan for Friday had been to write about the whisky that tastes like medicine. I am so glad that Mrs. Fussy encouraged me to go with the coffee story instead.
Now it has catapulted to become the blog’s most-read post ever, followed by There Will be Brisket, which owed its readership to being mentioned by The Consumerist.
What I am most impressed with is the thoughtfulness of all the comments. They are inspiring a few more coffee posts in the days to come. But today I have other important business at hand: my father’s birthday. Officially, it was yesterday, but I generally don’t post on Shabbos.
Last year I wrote about my father’s soda.
This year is another food memory that is inextricable from my dad.
Would You Like any Cream or Sugar?
I love cream. And we are programmed to like sweets. Give me a good crème brulee and I’m a happy man. But today I want to talk about the use of these two delightful ingredients in good brewed coffee.
A long long time ago, before Raf was well versed in the world of good coffee, we were having brunch with some of my extended family in a distant suburb of San Francisco. ADS, Raf and I were relatively new transplants in the area. The bulk of our coffee knowledge came from Miami where it is served strong and sweet, and sometimes milky, from Cuban cafeterias.
Anyhow, I will never forget the exchange as Raf was offered coffee.
Mar: Do you take anything in it?
Raf: Cream and sugar.
Mar: Cream AND sugar?
[Mar pauses and looks at Raf]
Raf: [Looks back and nods]
Mar: Oh. [nervous chuckle] You’re serious.
What’s funny is that people drink coffee with cream and sugar in it every day. Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks survive on the backs of people who drink coffee but don’t like the way coffee tastes. Frankly, I don’t like the way Dunkin’ Donuts coffee tastes either, and I don’t begrudge you your fat and sweet.
But there is something important you should know.
All Over All Over Albany
Moving to Albany from San Francisco was a difficult transition. I wasn’t crazy about the local newspaper or even the local alternative news weekly. Early on in my Albany adventure, I took some of the restaurant recommendations from Metroland’s Best of Albany section. The experience was underwhelming. The Times Union’s food coverage left me wanting and by now you hopefully know how I feel about their Best of the Capital Region poll.
There was one bright spot in the local media landscape. It was All Over Albany.
This local website was run by people who actually seemed to know what was good in the region. And instead of doing a poll to determine the best pizza in the area, AOA took on a bracket-style competition dubbed the Tournament of Pizza.
When I first met Greg and Mary, the duo behind the site, it was at Nipper’s Hot Dogs for an AOA lunch with its readers. It turned out that they had been reading all the Yelp reviews I had been writing, and liked my stuff. We talked food. We talked pizza. Maybe it was something I said at lunch that day, or maybe it was the begging, but somehow I got asked to be the fourth judge for the second annual Tournament of Pizza.
“This is all fine and good” you may say, “but why are you boring me with this history lesson?”
Treats for Terribly Deprived Children
Sometimes I get the urge to write a parenting blog. Don’t worry, I’m going to bring this back around to food in just a little bit. But before I do, there are probably a few things you should know.
I spend way too much time with my kids. It’s probably not healthy for them. And it’s certainly not healthy for me. The direct proof of that is the unnatural love two kids born after Y2K have for the Talking Heads. When a toddler can sing the refrain from Psycho Killer you’ve got a problem, but when Little Miss Fussy can sing the lyrics from Slippery People it’s gone way too far. She couldn’t even tell you the name of one princess or fairy. How will she ever fit in?
I’m probably going to regret this down the road, but in many ways my kids are terribly deprived. They don’t get nearly enough sugar, junk food or television. I knew a guy in college who grew up like this, and he was one of the most twisted people I have ever met. Great guy, but totally warped.
So maybe now it will not be such a great surprise to hear of the recent exchange I had with Young Master Fussy as I was considering what to do with a bunch of kale:
YMF: Daddy, can you make some kale chips please?
DAD: No, they are a real pain in the neck, and I’m tired.
YMF: How about just one batch?
DAD: [considering the proposition]
YMF: Pleeeease?
FUSSYlittleBLOG 