Halloween Preparations

Seasonal and holiday decorations in the city do not disappoint.  Just look at all of the spooky creatures and goblins I met on my way to/from work. 

A happy and safe Halloween to all!

Pasta with Acorn Squash and Pancetta

I had a bit of roasted acorn squash left over from last night's dinner and I wanted to make something more substantial with it.  I stumbled across a recipe for Penne with Acorn Squash and Pancetta, which sounded perfect.  The recipe offers a basic outline that you can modify based on what you have in the kitchen.  Below is my riff on it.  

Ingredients:

1/2 roasted acorn squash (medium size)
1/3 lb penne, bow-tie, or wide pasta noodle (I used tagliatelle, since that's what I had on hand)
1/3 lb pancetta sliced 1/4-inch thick and diced, or 8 slices of bacon cut into 1 inch pieces (Don't skimp on the bacon, trust me, it's good stuff)
3 shallots, chopped (or 1 medium onion, or 4 cloves of garlic)
1/4 cup off-dry white wine, chicken broth, or vegetable stock  (A blend of wine and broth is good) 
1 tsp of fresh sage, rosemary, or thyme (I used thyme)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp olive oil, to coat the squash if it's not already roasted

Directions:

1. If you don't happen to have any leftover roasted acorn squash:  Seed a medium sized acorn squash and cut it into wedges, about 1/2-inch thick, coat with a little olive oil, and bake at 400 degrees F for about 30 minutes, turning once, until soft and slightly caramelized.
2. Allow the squash to cool slightly.  Boil some water for the pasta.  Cut the squash into 1 inch cubes, leaving the skin on.
3. In a medium enamel pot, cook the bacon/pancetta.
4. When the bacon is done, remove the pieces and cook shallots in about 1 or 2 tbsp bacon fat.  
5. Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, according to the package instructions.  Drain, reserving ~1/2 cup of the pasta water, and set aside.   
6. Once the onions are browned, deglaze the pan with wine/broth blend. 
7. Add the roasted acorn squash and fresh herbs; heat through.  
8. Add the pasta to the squash. 
9. Add crumbled bacon and Parmesan cheese to the pasta and squash.  Add a bit of the pasta water to make a light sauce.  Mix.

In my opinion, bacon makes almost everything better, and this dish really benefits from its subtle smokey flavor.  This, combined with the sweetness of the shallots, the brightness of the thyme, and the richness of the Parmesan, make for a elegant and sophisticated dish.  And it really sings served with an off-dry white wine.   Bon appétit!

Baked Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar

Who can resist a sweet, warm, roasted acorn squash on a cool fall night?  I certainly can't.  Thankfully, this recipe from Martha Stewart couldn't be more simple.

First, cut the squash in half from end to end, scoop out the seeds, and roast the squash at 425 degrees F, cut side down, on a buttered baking sheet for 25 min.  Flip, add a pat of butter, ~1 Tbsp raw sugar, and a dash of nutmeg.  Roast for another 25 min.  You're done.  Baste before serving.  If you've never tried baking acorn squash, you no longer have an excuse! 

This squash is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, thiamin, and dietary fiber.  And hey, you can even eat the skin.  Serve with baked chicken and a light salad of mixed greens for an easy meal.

Sautéed German Sausages with Bacon and Apple Sauerkraut

Sunday dinner is a longstanding tradition in my family, and it's one that I enjoy carrying on.  Growing up, this was a time for my family to sit down to our favorite familiar meals (steak and potatoes, grilled salmon with fresh corn on the cob, tuna casserole, roast beef...), but in my hands Sunday dinner has become a time for exploration, experimentation, and expanding horizons.  Following last week's delicious sausage and apple dish, I wanted to try another similar recipe but with a slightly different twist.  I came across this lovely little creation published by Food & Wine, Sautéed German Sausages with Bacon and Apple Sauerkraut, contributed by Stanley Lobel.  From the sound of it, this dish offered just the combination of flavors I was looking for -- a mix of tart, sweet, richness.

So off to the market I went.  First stop -- my local farmers market.  About a month ago, I was surprised to find this little gem of a market being held just around the corner from my apartment.  Prior to this I had been trekking down to the quintessential Union Square Market late on Saturday mornings, all the while overlooking this beautiful little market sitting right here under my nose.  Not only is this market local, but it's also held on Sundays, setting the stage perfectly for a bountiful Sunday dinner.  For this recipe, I needed Fuji or Gala apples (which hold up nicely even after sauteing) and the market had an abundance of both.

I knew just the place to go for my bratwurst -- Schaller & Weber.  This butcher is one of the best in the city; they have fresh bratwursts, weisswurst, knackwurst, cheddar brats, Polish kolbase, Hungarian kolbase, mustard, and sauerkraut.  Unfortunately, I arrived to find that they are closed on Sundays, but I was able to find some of their pre-packaged bratwurst at the supermarket.

This recipe is meant to serve 6-8, so I cut it in half.  All in all, it was quite easy to prepare.  The onions are sauteed in bacon fat, and cooked down further in a little liquid (wine, water) with apples, sauerkraut, and juniper berries.  I doubled the amount of apples, and added some apple cider to balance out the sourness of the sauerkraut, which was a bit too overpowering.  The recipe calls for the brats to be cooked in a skillet with some oil, but once they were browned I decided to add them to the sauerkraut mixture to meld the flavors.  Lastly, I added a pat of butter to soften the sauce, since I had cut back on the bacon initially.

Another great fall recipe.  This dish pairs well with Riesling, and even better with a bit of hard cider, preferably one with a hint of sweetness to it, such as Rustica by Eve's Cidery.  If you prefer a Riesling, Lobel suggests the appley 2003 Pfeffingen Pfeffo or the minerally 2003 S.A. Prüm Blue Slate.

The leftovers make a great bag lunch.  Just be sure to remember the mustard!

The Affordable Art Fair, Banksy, and the High Line

I had been waiting months for the Affordable Art Fair to arrive in the city, and finally the day was here!

Their opening gala was on Wednesday night.  And interestingly, the art fair coincided with the opening days of Banksy's month-long show on the streets of NYC.  Banksy is a well-known, but still anonymous, graffiti artist/political activist from England who has been on the scene since the 1990s.  His pieces sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Banksy's works are at times mildly subversive, but also a bit cheeky, and he is after all an artist.  So I had to wonder if it was merely a coincidence that the second piece in his show appeared the morning after the opening gala of the art fair, only a block or so away from the venue where the gala/fair was being held.  You see, because Banksy's art is (technically) illegal, in that it is (technically) graffiti, he creates each piece in the middle of the night and it's not found until the next morning when all of NY (well not all of NY) runs around in a frenzy trying to find its location, aided by hints provided by Banksy on his website and Twitter.  So, the timeline here is very curious... on the same night that the art fair held its opening gala, Banksy was also in the area creating the second installation of his show.  Coincidence?  How far of a stretch would it be to imagine Banksy at the gala, or perhaps even involved in the fair in a more official capacity?  (Every anonymous graffiti artist needs a proper cover.)  Or... was this second piece just a strategically well-positioned work aimed at maximizing his visibility, given its proximity to the art fair, Chelsea galleries, and the High Line?  Will we ever know?  Will we ever solve this mystery?

Well, either way, I was eager to see Banksy's second installation.  It's a playful piece that reads, "This is my New York accent... normally I write like this." It uses a style of tagging that originated in NYC in the 1970s and has since spread throughout the world.  Many New Yorkers appreciated Banksy's nod to local culture, especially so early on in his month-long residency.  I've even heard some people go so far as to say the piece is iconic.

Perhaps Banksy was hoping the work would be better received than his initial piece, and left untouched, due to this gesture, but no such luck...  It was defaced quite quickly, which is de rigueur for this type of work, and sadly, by the time I viewed it on Saturday you could barely make out the original writing.

From Banksy I moved on to the art fair... and in 3 words, it was wonderful.  The objective of the fair, which has been holding shows since 1999, is to gather a number of galleries, locally and from around the world, in one place and to offer the best of their collections to the public.  I just love the idea of bringing art to the people, and at a price that many people can afford -- there were several pieces under $50, but of course they also had absolutely wonderfully breathtakingly beautiful pieces for up to $10,000.  The fair showcased many types of art, including ceramics, photography, sculpture, painting, and print making.  But the highlight of the event was that many of the artists whose works were on display were also present at the show.  It's really quite amazing to be able to talk to the artists in person about their work, their process, their inspiration, their interpretation of their pieces, and what they like best about their work.  Some lucky viewers were also able to watch a few artists create their pieces as part of the show, which were then sold at the fair.  It was all very exciting. 

 

I was so taken by it all that I purchased a small print by Chad Kouri on the spot.  Of course this was only after I asked him to give me his opinion about which print he liked best.  Fortunately, our thoughts were aligned on this matter!

There was only one way to close out the evening's events, and that was with a stroll on the High Line.  This was the perfect setting to reflect on art, what it is, who creates it, where we find it (on the streets, in the galleries, in the parks, in the skylines of our cities), and why we need it.  The night felt like it was plucked from late summer, with its damp humid air and temperatures in the low 70s.  What a treat it all was.

Pan-Grilled Sausages with Apples

When I think of fall, I think of apples.  Although the weather has been unseasonably warm lately, it cooled off a bit today and this inspired me to make a characteristically fall dish - Grilled Sausages with Apples.  I found some delicious Niman Ranch sausages at the market made with apple and Gouda and I thought these would be great cooked up with some Fuji apples, red peppers, and a Vidalia onion.  No recipe, just a little imagination and a bit of vision (in true Marcella Hazan style, you should "know where you're going when you're cooking," either that or just trust that it will all turn out okay).

First, I chopped the pepper and cooked it in olive oil.  Once done, I removed the pepper and then added the onion (chopped) to the pan with a little dried thyme and cooked until browned.  In a separate skillet I cooked the sausages in a little apple cider (~1/4 cup) and olive oil (~1 tbsp).  When the sausages were browned on one side, I turned them over and added 2 pealed, cored, and cubed apples along with a little thyme and ground coriander.  The skillet had gotten a little dry, so I added a bit more cider (~1/4 cup) and a little water (as needed to keep the pan from drying out/burning).  I cooked this covered until the apples were soft. Before serving, I added the vegetables to the skillet to combine the flavors and heat everything through.

Delicious!  The sausages with a hint of Gouda added a bit of richness and saltiness to the dish that combined well with the sweetness of the apples.

If you're interested in pairing this with something fun, try a hard cider, but it should be on the dry side.  The cider I picked up at the farmers market from Eve's Cidery was a bit too sweet, but no one complained!  Enjoy.

Fall for Dance Festival

I was thrilled to accompany a friend last night to the Fall for Dance Festival at City Center.  This is the 10 year anniversary of the festival, and last night's performances were absolutely brilliant.  A few months back one of my colleagues mentioned that the festival is the hottest deal in town if you are interested in seeing works by some of the best dance companies in the world.  And she was so right.  Tickets cost $15 (plus processing fees), but you have to buy them as soon as they go on sale, because they are not available for very long.  I missed the ticket sale frenzy, but I was lucky enough to have a friend with an extra ticket, and I jumped (well, maybe I didn't jump, but it was certainly more than a relevé) at the chance to join her.  

There were four performances.  The show opened with SOUNDspace, a work by Dorrance Dance, a new and highly acclaimed company of tap dancers.  This performance was music in the form of dance, if you can imagine.  Their combination of dance with a rhythmic, at times syncopated, sound resembles Savion Glover's style.  I found a video with excerpts from earlier performances.  But the videos don't do them justice.  This group really brought the house down (with 'da funk and 'da noise).  They were absolutely amazing and their performance received a standing ovation. 

The second work by Doug Elkins Choreography, Etc playfully incorporated music by James Brown, Marvin Gaye, and Amy Winehouse, cleverly using the lyrics to underscore the storyline portrayed by the 2 couples on stage -- a storyline that harked back to Shakespeare's Othello.  This was a moving and simultaneously unsettling performance.  In the third piece, by The Royal Ballet, the two dancers were joined on the stage by a pianist and cellist.  This performance was grace, strength, and masterful technique incarnate.

But the most anticipated performance of the night was arguably The Rite of Spring, by the Martha Graham Dance Company, since this piece is celebrating its return to the stage after a 20 year hiatus.  I loved this performance, whereas my friend was not so impressed.  I see her point.  The work is modern and a bit grandiose, but this is the company's style -- they have a strong aesthetic and a unique manner of dancing.  Perhaps a NY Times review of the 1984 production put it best, "it is a work of disturbing and modern urban tension."  The musical score, written 100 years ago by Igor Stravinsky, provides a lot of this tension.  Together with the spartan set, the dramatic music, and the exaggerated choreography, it was all very cerebral and it reminded me of a time when there was a great deal of focus on the workings of the unconscious psyche.  Themes of aggression, power, fate, the unpredictable nature of life, personal vulnerability, individual sacrifice, and the role of society were all on display in the most theatrical of ways, exposed perhaps by the stark nature of the performance itself. It was, in a word, impressive.