San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila, Our Lady of Pompei Church

On the Bowery

There are only two days left to get down to Film Forum & see On the Bowery, Lionel Rogosin's part scripted/part documentary 1957 film about life on skid row.  This is a haunting, beautifully shot picture of a very different city.  If you see it in New York, you will also get the opportunity to see a documentary by Rogosin's son, which explains the genesis & history of his father's film.  A number of critics have singled out this film, & Morris Engel's Little Fugitive (1953), as pivotal & influential works in the history of cinema.

What's for Supper? Baked Ham with Grapes

Supper tonight is cheap & really simple to prepare.  I got a piece of Aberdeen Hill boneless smoked ham (about 2 1/2 pounds) for the princely sum of $5.31, & here's how I decided to cook it:

Put ham in a deep pot, with one large carrot, one large onion (studded with two or three cloves), a piece of celeriac, a bay leaf & some peppercorns.  Cover ham with cold water, & bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, & simmer gently for about twenty minutes per pound.  Pre-heat oven to 350.
Remove ham from water & place in an ovenproof dish.  Score ham skin in rough diamond pattern, & rub meat all over with a mixture of maple syrup, apple vinegar & mustard (I used about two tbs. syrup, one tbsp. vinegar & two tsp. mustard).  Take a small bunch of catawba* grapes & slice or squeeze flesh open.  Place grapes around ham.  Bake ham in oven for about thirty minutes, basting from time to time with maple/grape juices.

*I wanted some sort of fruit with the ham, & these local catawba grapes were on hand.  You could use different varieties, or another fruit entirely, but I liked the idea of these.  And to serve with this?  Maybe some sauteed collards or spinach & some simple boiled potatoes?

"Gypsy Circus is Next on France's Expulsion List"

Here's a video of the Cirque Romanes, which has been based in Paris for the past eighteen years, & is under threat of closure .  It seems hard to believe, but according to the Guardian, Romanes is Europe's only Gypsy circus.  I saw a show several years ago. A great experience, but something about those child performers was a little unsettling...

Turnip, Duck, Pear Jus

This Bittman recipe - for Roast Turnips & Duck with Pear Jus - sounds good.  Love the sound of that taste balance, with the slight bitterness of turnip, the richness of duck, & a less typical jus choice of pear/brandy.  Sounds harmonious.

PS 1, Le Grand Fooding, San Francisco vs. New York

The decadent pleasures at PS1 included oysters, champagne, squab, suckling pig with a fruit confit, beef with anchovies, beet sausage, seafood pizza, wine & vodka mint cocktails.  Thanks!  This picture doesn't represent the evening at all, but I sort of like it.

Just a Puff of Smoke

Rite Aid for the Chop? - Never Expected I'd Ever Link to Nasdaq ...

So I was just wondering some more about that long boarded up window at the Fifth Avenue Rite Aid.  With a miniscule amount of effort, I found a slew of reports, including many just out today, on Rite Aid's recent financial woes, with the imminent closure of an upstate distribution center, & further planned store closures.  Last week EV Grieve commented on the dwindling array of goods at the East Village (First & 5th St.) store & speculated on a possible closure.  Could the much loathed South Slope store be boarding up its doors (and all its windows) soon?   Probably just wishful thinking ...

Walking along Third Avenue , Gowanus (Forgotten New York)

Incomplete Steeple (After Tornado)

Oh the melancholy light in the window - Garry Jewelers at dawn

This RiteAid window was smashed in by a car in the middle of August.  Clearly a lack of urgency in slapping in some repairs...

Boots on Flatbush

Where Dreams Come True

Blue Crabs

9:00 a.m., Union Square 






















Lunchtime, Brooklyn

Sixth Avenue & Second Street

Yet Another Tornado Photograph

Our tree problem was pretty small potatoes in comparison to a lot of the damage caused by yesterday's weather.  There are many pictures of fallen trees to be seen online today, but this one, on 10th between 5th & 6th, is particularly dramatic. This hefty tree crushed cars on both sides of the block:

Help Arrives

Tornado Causes A Little Difficulty Getting In & Out of the House...

This is something to come home to. Right now I'm getting into the house by climbing over from the next door neighbor's.  From the front door there's a barrier of branches blocking the yard.  The sidewalk is impassable.  The firemen are in action all over the neighborhood, but I don't know when they'll get to us. When I tried to figure out just how the tree was positioned, I startled some roosting birds, who flapped away into the night.

 

New Building Catching the Dawn

Tenth Street Stencil

City on Fire, or How to Feel Slightly Better About Going to Work This Morning

Animals Hanging Out

This sign on Union, for the 6th Avenue Animal Clinic, has faded over time, but I like it.  It's got a very non generic feel, with a bemused  looking cat half-heartedly bathing/grooming an ecstatic poodle, and another attempting to bat at a snail that wonky perspective keeps defiantly out of reach. It's way more entertaining than the banner underneath it, which advertises microchip IDs.  The guys above clearly had more fun than their tagged & chipped descendants.

What's for Supper?

Lamb braised with fennel, onion & orange.  The only other things I've added are garlic, white wine, parsley & salt & pepper.  Perhaps it's been fennel overkill in the kitchen recently, but I've had plenty going spare & think this will work.  I looked up lots of recipes this morning, including one for lamb braised with milk.  I liked the sound of that, but it seemed a bit too hit & miss for Sunday supper.  Other slow cooked recipes I found using lamb & fennel (some including orange) threw in ingredients I didn't want, like potatoes, or other root vegetables.  I wanted something with a cleaner, simpler taste.  It's almost done, I think.  The smell in the kitchen is promising: the rich meatiness of the lamb cut with a fennel & citrus fragrance.  Keep your fingers crossed.  This is a fall meal, & it's been quite a while since I've put the oven to use.  Grey sky outside, & a thin drizzle of rain.

Soft Cell - Tainted Love

Time for a little music, circa 1981.  You can watch some amusing videos of Marc Almond in action on Youtube, but their sound quality is a bit off.

Froggy's Last Story (NY Times)

Extended Deadline at Magnolia

Fall Planting

Even though it's been so damn dry, it's been a good growing season.  Lots of salad & herbs, the rhubarb plant looking robust, fennel aplenty, & tomatoes bursting out all over the garden.  I have a raspberry cane growing. The peas were a disaster, & the peppers a bit timid, but otherwise I'm happy. What made my efforts this year more successful than those of the past?
1.  I know a bit more about gardening.
2.  The heat - some of the lettuce bolted, but most of it was OK .
3.  The removal of a blighted crab apple tree - it's way brighter now.
4.  Putting compost into the ground over the last year seems to be paying off.
Next year I want to try & plan ahead better, in terms of where & what I plant.  For now, with some fall growing time left, I will put in some broccoli (De Cicco & Waltham) & some Russian Black Kale.  I bought these from the Silver Heights stand at Union Square - got a bunch of plants for $4.  The Silver Heights people will be in the Square for one more week & then they'll be gone until spring.

Black Kale

Waltham Broccoli

Smartmom's Replacement

The new parenting columnist at The Brooklyn Paper is Steph Thompson, who writes the blog Goldstar4Trying. Thompson, you might be interested to know, is in the benevolent habit of "giving out gold stars around Brooklyn ... just trying to add a bit of brightness to people's days just for trying !"

Magnolia at 6th & 12th

Re-opening September 7th?  Hmm.  No sign of any renovation work as yet...

Whenever I go down this block, I'm struck by how out of place these mailboxes look on a city street, & by their flimsy ugliness.  If you're paying a bundle for one of these Second Street condos, wouldn't you at least want your mail delivered inside the building?

Fennel Pesto

I had some late fennel still hanging around the garden & didn't want to waste the delicate, feathery fronds, but how would I use them?  There was way too much for garnish, & I didn't feel like anything that involved a lot of cooking.  Then it occurred to me: pesto!  I'd never heard of fennel pesto, though investigation proved it to be a pretty standard dish.  Anyway, I completely winged it, without careful measuring, & threw in fennel fronds, pine nuts, cheese, garlic, oil, salt, pepper & a good squeeze of lemon.  I think this will be good with pasta or fish, or maybe stirred into a potato puree...

Comments?

A couple of the rare visitors to this blog have remarked upon (or even complained about) the lack of a comments option.  I'm not that keen on putting one in, &, given that this is such a low-key & lightly travelled blog, am not convinced  that it's necessary!  I do encourage e-mails though& am happy to reply to them. Just go to My Profile for the e-mail link. I will also be happy to post responses (yes, even critical ones!) that might be of interest to readers.

Late Summer Salad

Here's a great dish I found at Saveur. It's a tomato, peach & basil salad, with a simple vinaigrette dressing.  I didn't add the sugar or mustard, & used a red wine vinegar instead.  It was still good.  The photograph at Saveur is much prettier, but you get the general idea here:

Tulcingo Deli VI

Earlier this week, we went to Tulcingo Deli VI, in Sunset Park (5th Avenue at 55th). We enjoyed the really fresh salsa, a bright flavored melon juice, and tried a variety of tacos.  Views about two of them, the al pastor (pork) & the arabas (lamb) were mixed.  Some found the al pastor too dry, though mine was just fine, and one diner found the arabas (in a rich mole sauce) a little too spicy.  But no one expressed anything but delight in the taco barbacoa - a taco filled with tender morsels of goat.  Perfect.  I liked the tacos here better than those at Matamoros (45th St.) & at just over two dollars each for a hearty portion, they were really good value. I would definitely return.  As it's within walking distance, I also want to check out the Guerrero Food Center, which has pretty bare bones eating facilities (two tables at the back of the store) but is praised for its huaraches, tortas & quesadilla flora calabaza.  Oh & for cans of something called pulque, a fermented drink made from the sap of the agave plant, the same plant used to make tequila & mezcal.  It's supposed to be a bit of an acquired taste ...

Eataly

I had to go and take a look.  Of course, on the second day up & running, it was ridiculously overcrowded. Lydia Bastianich was to be seen, dispensing smiles, while Joe stalked the aisles, a besuited martinet.  I'd like to come back when the place calms down - not a pleasant place to eat or shop right now  & too hot to think about taking any perishables home on the train.  There are definitely good things to be had, for those times when you need a little self-indulgence.  The meat looked terrific - I could definitely see coming here to try some LaFrieda pork & beef &amp. I liked the look of the Gulf shrimp.  There are shelves & shelves of intriguing sauces & condiments, an endless variety of pastas, good looking cheese, bread etc.  & too many bottles of olive oil to think about . An interesting collection of Italian beers & sodas, some housewares.  Really a great array, though the produce is, perhaps, somewhat redundant, given the proximity of fresher & more seasonal items down at Union Square.  Lots of eating spots, but neither the space nor time to look at them carefully today.  I'll come back later in the month, & see whether it's somewhere you could actually enjoy a bite to eat & a glass of wine, or will just be a tourist mecca too perpetually buzzing for comfort.