The Feast

There are a few things you should know about The Feast:

• It's dirty, noisy, and forever-crowded.  
• You can't find parking.  
• It's overrun w/ bridge & tunnel types, they flock to it like moths to a flame. 
• It's obscenely over-priced.
• It's the same shit year after year.

That being said, I encourage everyone to check it out at least once. There are some genuinely tasty treats to be had, so long as you know where to look.  Go during the early afternoon hours, preferably during one of the first few days --  there will be less of a crowd and the food will be most fresh.

The Feast of San Gennaro dominates Mulberry Street for a week and a half each year in late September. This year,  the festivities took place between September 16th - September 26th -- so if you're reading this, you already missed it -- maybe next year.

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If you only try one thing at the Feast, make it one of Mr. Fontana's Artisan Cannolis. The minis are like none you've ever had -- pumpkin pie, peanut butter & jelly, birthday cake -- some real inventive stuff.  Check out their website, they deliver cannolis to your door!  Otherwise, wait until next year and visit the stand located on the  corner of Hester & Mulberry.

Stuffed Artisan Cannolis

http://stuffedcannoli.com/

Pumpkin Pie Mini Cannoli

Delicious?  Absolutely.

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As far as other edible goodies go -- there are plenty of places to load up on zeppoles, sausage & peppers, bracioles, and torrone, however, there is only one place to get my favorite, the mozzarella steak sandwich on garlic bread.  The stand is located on the corner of Kenmare & Mulberry.  The meat is gristly and the price is high, but I still have one every year.

Sausages & Braciole.

Zeppoles.

Gristle.

Clog up those arteries!

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Even if fatty meats and deep fried sweets aren't your thing, you should visit just to people watch.  What a
colorful array of patrons this year!  Let's see who passed through in 2010 (extra special video footage after the jump!) --

Wasted NYC tax dollars.

1930's style freak show.

San Gennaro, the patron saint of health code violations.

Old Asian woman who picks through trash.

Guys who look like this...

A bunch of slack-jawed prancers all dressed in red.

A man you wouldn't trust alone w/ your child.

...and of course, the Mogwai Man!

© 2010 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable" - http://www.missioninsatiable.com

Summer Dying Fast

Sweet & sour summer veggies -- a fine accompaniment to any pasta dinner.  I've been sitting on this recipe for a while and I want to share it before the summer's inspirational bounty completely eludes us.

I like to troll the local farmer's market and lovingly harvest the finest zucchini, eggplant, and tomato I can find.  With a dish this simple, you have to make sure your produce is top notch, otherwise you're in for an epically transparent fail.

For optimal results, cut the zucchini and eggplant into uniformly sized pieces and cook over high heat in batches. Get a nice sear on the veggies without overcooking them -- we want toothsome veggies, not a mouthful of muck.

Eggplant & Zucchini Agrodolce

1 medium eggplant, 1/2 inch slices
1 large zucchini,  1/2 inch slices
1 TBS minced garlic
1 hot Italian pepper, thinly sliced.
1 tomato, diced
2 TBS basic sauce
1 TBS honey
1 tsp vincotto (balsamic to substitute)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
salt to taste

1. sauté the zucchini and eggplant over high heat.  don't over-crowd the pan, you want to get nice color on the  veggies -- work in batches.
2. add garlic, hot pepper, and a dash of olive oil.  sauté until fragrant; 1-2 mins. 
3. add the diced tomato w/ its juices, the tomato sauce, and a splash of water.  simmer until the tomato starts  to break down; 4-6 mins.  
4. add honey, vincotto, olive oil and red wine vinegar.  simmer for another 4-5 mins.  garnish w/ parsley and  thyme -- serve hot or at room temperature.  

© 2010 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable" - http://www.missioninsatiable.com

Muzzie Munchies

Plans for a “Ground Zero Mosque” have opened a fizzy can of Islamophobia all over NYC's lap. Time and time again, Muslims find themselves the ire of our entire nation.  Why? Because people fear what they don't understand, this is understandable.  My suggestion for all the ill-informed protesters out there -- replace your fear with curiosity and your hate with hunger. Exploring a culture's food is a quick and delicious way to get familiarized w/ its people -- at least enough to squelch most unsubstantiated xenophobic anxieties.

A man who clearly misses the point.

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I recently spent the afternoon at an Indonesian food bazaar hosted by a local mosque.  There I was, surrounded by Muslims and would you believe that NO ONE was burning American flags, beheading reporters or crash-landing planes into financial centers?!?  Crazy, I know!  I'm pretty sure I was charged a dollar more for the shrimp toast and chicken satay than the locals, but that's pretty standard in-group/out-group shit.

Indonesian Food Bazaar
Masjid Al-Hikmah Mosque
48-01 31st Ave., Astoria, Queens
Random Sundays throughout the summer

The various nibbles were all very palatable, but the Gado-Gado was the star of the show.  Gado-Gado is a traditional Indonesian salad of shredded cabbage, string beans, carrots, fried tofu and rice cakes. The aforementioned ingredients are tossed with an explosive mortar & pestle ground peanut sauce and topped w/ crunchy shrimp chips to finish. Each batch is made to order by a skilled team of hijab-clad women.

--permissibly delicious!

 © 2010 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable" - http://missioninsatiable.com

What Could It Be Now?

Vegemite is an Australian food paste made from yeast extract, NOT vegetables, as the name might suggest.  The salty, musty flavor is an acquired taste that appeals primarily to the reptilian pallet of a native Australian -- that's not to say it's not worth a try.

A focused taste is reminiscent of a warm Olde English 40oz combined with a side of soy sauce, delicious.  For optimal enjoyment, Vegemite should be use sparingly and cut w/ cheese, egg yolk, butter, or anything unctuous enough to tame its salinated punch.  I read elsewhere online that Vegemite tastes like a cube of beef bullion -- I couldn't have said it better myself.

Aussies typically enjoy this peculiar product for breakfast, lunch or tea on butter-spread toast.  I added a poached egg to a create a breakfast that was surprisingly edible.

© 2009 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable" - http://missioninsatiable.com

You Down w/ SKC?

The sandwiches from Sal, Kris, & Charlie's (SKC) have been a staple in my diet for over three years, and are the number one reason why I can't seem to reach my "target weight."


Sal, Kris, & Charlie's Deli
33-12 23rd Ave
Astoria, NY 11102
718.278.9240

SKC is the self-proclaimed Sandwich King of Astoria, and I'm not one to disagree.  They are best known for their colossal cold-cut creation, "The Bomb", a skyscraper of meat & cheese constructed w/ nearly every deli meat they have in house -- prosciutto, salami, capicola, mortadela, bologna, roast beef, turkey, boiled ham, American cheese, and mild provolone are just a sampling of "The Bomb's" contents.

 

I suggest getting this sandwich cut into quarters, as it's easily enough for two feedings, even for a gavone such as myself.  

--truly a blue collar work of art.

To be honest, I don't often get "The Bomb" anymore, there's just too much going on -- too much meat, too much flavor.  Instead, I try to dream up custom combinations for the boys at SKC to interpret.  Here's a short list of some other personal favorites:

• Roast beef, cheddar, dijon mustard, lettuce & onions.  
• Turkey, roast beef, mortadela, American cheese, thousand island dressing, lettuce, tomato & onion.
• Italian tuna, sharp provolone, roasted peppers, lettuce & onions on whole wheat.  
• Roast pork, spicy capicola, Swiss, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato & onions.  
• Buffalo chicken, thin-sliced ham, alpine lace Swiss, lettuce, tomato, onions, oil & vinegar.

© 2009 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable" - http://missioninsatiable.com

Once Bitten, Twice Cooked

I've tried a number of different biscotti recipes, all w/ varying degrees of success. I've found that this simple anise & almond biscotti approach is by far the most well-rounded.

The word, "biscotti" means twice-cooked, and as you might have imagined, these cookies are indeed twice-baked -- once as a uniform log, and then again after being sliced into individual pieces. The drawn-out cooking process produces a dry, dense cookie that can double as a coffee stirrer. Naturally, biscotti cookies are the pefrect after-diner treat to enjoy w/ your coffee.

Anise & Almond Biscotti

2 1/2 cup flour

2 tsp anise seeds

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (4oz) butter, softended

1 cup sugar

1 TBS grated orange zest

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 1/2 cups almonds, w/ skin, coarsely chopped

-- pre-heat oven to 325°

1. combine anise seed, baking powder, salt & flour.

2. beat butter, sugar & zest untfil fluffy; about 6 minutes. beat in eggs, one at a time. beat in extracts.

3. gradually add dry ingredients. stir in almonds. divide dough in half.

4. form low, flattened logs (14" x 3") on an ungreased baking sheet.

5. bake 40 minutes until golden.

6. reduce oven to 250°. slice logs into 3/4" slices. bake 10 minutes, flip and bake 10 minutes more. cool on a rack.

© 2009 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable" - http://missioninsatiable.com

...And Futos For All

You'd probably figure a prick like me too proud to eat salad bar sushi, and for the most part you'd be right, except for when it comes to the futomaki over at Morgan Market's in TriBeCa.

These are hands-down my favorite maki-rolls in all of NYC. The mock crab meat is generously positioned and the avocado has the consistency of warmed butter. Better yet is the dense, overcooked rice -- a guilty pleasure for sure.

Morgan's Market

13 Hudson Street

212.964.4283

The salad bar is only open Monday-Friday from about 10am - 8pm. If you come after 4pm, the entire rig is half-off, however I wouldn't bother w/ anything but the futos. The salad bar used to be open until midnight, but a marauding pack of drunken teens would constantly help themselves to late-night snacks, forcing the owners to close up shop earlier.

© 2009 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable" - http://missioninsatiable.com