Concrete Jungles Etc.

I'm such a deadbeat blogger, sorry about that.  Since I last posted, I've completed dental school and moved to New York City, amongst about a million other things.  I'm approaching my two week milestone of arriving in New York, and only now it is setting in that I moved here.  I have an amazing (amazing, seriously) apartment with an equally amazing roommate.  I pretty much skipped that whole hazing/right of passage of living with a sketchball and having a kitchen shower.  I'm too old for that shit anyway.

My front yard (otherwise known as E 12th Street)

Cooking in NYC is going to take some adjustment.  One - I gave/threw away everything in my Denver fridge and pantry with the exception of a few spices I couldn't bare parting with - which includes some bay leaves from Farrow Ranch and a few things Carol brought back from India.  Two - grocery shopping here is...well, it's hard*, and the nearest markets are Whole Foods and Trader Joe's in Union Square.  WF is crazy but logistically (not financially) do-able.  Trader Joe's on the other hand...holy shit.  You do not fuck around at Trader Joe's Union Square.  You best have a game plan son, because that lolly-gagging/hemming-hawing bullshit does not fly at this store.  I've only been once, but it's the only time I've left a store and breathed a sigh of relief upon exiting.  There are a few other NYC locations, but for now, I think I'll stick to grazing in random stores I happen upon, like this awesome Italian market in the Chelsea Market.

* pain in the ladyballs

Olives olives everywhere

Tonight I hiked my skirt up and finally did some cooking (unless Annie's mac and frozen broccoli counts as cooking, which it absolutely does not).  My roommate Laura mentioned she had a beef tenderloin in the freezer she didn't know how to cook, so I offered to make dinner.  I salted the meat and let it sit on the counter to come to room temp, washed and dried and then seared the cuts in ol' Stauby.

Check it out - gas range!

Finished in the oven for 5 minutes (next time - 3 minutes.  Goddamnit).  Sliced and drizzled with a cilantro and jalapeno pesto ala Aunt Barb.  Side dishes included an edamame and radish salad (courtesy of the South Beach diet, embarrassingly enough) and quinoa.

Tasty

So, quinoa.  Proper preparation of this ancient grain** has always seemed elusive, and coupled with it's highly touted nutritional reputation I've pretty much steered clear of it.  However, every time I have it I like it.  A lot.  I found this method of preparation in an Epicurious.com quinoa recipe that I thought might solve that little water logging problem I've noticed when I've had quinoa before (and liked anyway, I might add).  Boil in salted water for 10 minutes, drain, and then steam for 10-15 minutes to achieve a light, fluffy texture that's perfect - not water logged and not dried out.  For flavor, I bastardized a Martha Stewart spicy lemon quinoa recipe (forgot to buy pine nuts and no peppercorns) by adding shaved parmesan and a handful of arugula.  I added everything else as directed (lemon zest, half a lemon, cayenne pepper, salt, and a glug of olive oil).  Now that I think about it, a review on Epicurious saying how much I loved the recipe but changed pretty much everything is in order.

**Food bloggers/health food marketers are not allowed to refer to quinoa without qualifying it as an "ancient grain."  I don't make the rules. 

Don't worry, I ate two chocolate chip cookies afterwards.

So, New York.  Loving it so far, even if grocery shopping is a pain in the ladyballs.  Until next time (hopefully not 6 months from now).  As always, sorry about the poor quality photography.  Besos!