Posts tagged ‘gorgonzola’

“I have the tastebuds of an old Italian man who likes to play cards.” I said to my beloved.

“What’s wrong with that?” he shrugged as he bit into a soft, but sharp piece of Crotonese cheese. Isn’t it amazing when someone just gets you?

I had just returned from giving a tour of the Arthur Avenue Italian food stores to a group of visitors from the U.K. Along the way, I picked up a few things for my own Friday night dinner: The aforementioned Crotonese cheese made with a mixture of goat and sheep’s milk, a loaf of sesame seeded bread, oil cured olives, and a log of house made hot sopressata. Give me a glass of wine, a deck of cards and throw some Pavarotti on the record player and I’m basically my grandfather, a Calabrian man who would have turned 106 today. (His father lived to be 106 so it’s not really such an outlandish thought.)

When we were kids, my brother and I referred to sopressata, a type of dry-cured salame, as “supersize.” Like most Southern Italian sausages, it’s usually made with raw pork. The intense Calabrian red pepper is the preservative that keeps it safe in the warm southern climate. Preparing it is often a family affair. The pork is chopped coarsely, then rolled out onto a large table and seasoned with the red pepper flakes, garlic, and sometimes a bit of wine or grappa. Its name comes from the act of pressing it in between two planks of wood, producing a somewhat flattened look.
>> After the jump, more meat and more heat… >>

After weeks of celebrations, vacation days, and indulgences I have excused and forgiven because of the frigid temperatures, I am full.

On January 1st I nursed a hangover with a day indoors and a tray of potato and zucchini chips with gorgonzola cheese.  I saw Anthony Scotto make this on the Today Show and Erin Burnett nearly lost her mind when she tasted them. Dear God in heaven, this recipe is good! Don’t wait for your next hangover. Make them now.

I spent the weekend reading a new book that I had received for Christmas.

Merci, mon amour!

As well as a screening of my own copy of Julie & Julia! Having a full weekend after the holidays were all said and done was blissful. Really calendar makers, can we do this every year?

I always order pizza from Grandpa's in Inwood. It's by far my favorite New York style slice, uptown or downtown.

 The thing about overeating is that it’s like marathon training. Your capacity, your drive, and your desire grow bigger every day.  That’s why when I was out walking Rocco on a freezing cold Monday night and my phone rang, I immediately answered and told my friend Kristen that yes, I would love to come over, order burgers and re-watch the first season of the Sopranos!

By mid-week I was feeling gluttonous. The burger was over-the-top and I listened to Michael Pollan on the radio speaking about the value, both to the environment and our personal health, of eating less beef. Good. Done. I won’t eat beef for a long time and I will be a better human being. That was until my beloved called and invited me to join his family at BLT Prime for a special birthday dinner. I thought about Michael Pollan for a minute more, but hey…it’s a birthday! Of course, I had to go! I had to share the porterhouse for two, soft and tender like meat mousse, with sides of creamed spinach and potatoes au gratin. Oh, and did I mention the seafood platter appetizer? This was one of the best meals I have ever eaten.

Say "creamed spinach!"

But the over-indulging stops today. Really. As soon as I finish off the leftover buttermilk chicken I made in my new deep fryer.