GASTRONORMOUS

My pregnancy, and the dietary restrictions it–not to mention gestational diabetes–comes with, continues.  Our CSA has been a boon for our dinner table, though. It is nice to get to enjoy so many salads on these muggy days. We haven’t been getting too creative with the veggies, preferring to keep it simple and delicious. Besides salads, we have been doing mostly simple sautees and stir-frys (fries?). I did make a surprisingly killer old-school cole slaw with a small head of CSA green cabbage (cabbage, mayo, white balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper. The key is to extremely finely shred the cabbage–I used my new v-slicer/mandoline!)

You are killing me, Food Mayhem! Killing me! Look at her review of Sweet Revenge in the West Village. I must have their namesake cupcake which involves peanut butter and more peanut butter. Come mid-September, this will be mine… [photo via Food Mayhem]

One of the things I love about Mark Bittman, is that he is one of the few very respected experts in the culinary world that doesn’t abhor, and actually almost seems to embrace, vegetarianism. Witness the vegetarian version of his book, How to Cook Everything. There is weekly evidence found in his blog, too. Just keep an eye on it. This week he made a, well, interesting recipe. It is a hot-breakfast concoction of bulgar, coconut, and tofu. Oh, and fish sauce (he admits this is not vegetarian). Strange, yes, but say you aren’t intrigued!

I love the idea of the tiresome-mango-salsa-alternative cantaloupe salsa over at Smitten Kitchen. (Another post-pregnancy must-try is her sour cherry slab pie–hand held goodness!)

Constantly on the search for decent Mexican food in NYC (I have not yet found one I love. Why can’t anyone make proper refried beans?), the review of Rachel’s Taqueria in Park Slope by Eat It: Brooklyn caught my eye. I get the sense that the food is good, but not outrageously delicious. But if only just to catch a glimpse of the awesome “Mayan” mural, the place looks worth a visit.

I am not normally a fan of mayonaise-based dips, but this one over at Half-Assed Kitchen has both curry and horseradish to redeem it. [photo via Half-Assed Kitchen]

I only like granola when it is mostly clusters. I have never made my own granola, in fact, because most homemade granolas I have had are completely sans clusters. Why is that?, I have always wondered. If you are in the same granola boat, the Kitchn has some help (a kind commenter posted a clustery recipe, too!).

In case you need an excuse not to go to a hot dog street cart: Here’s one that has admitted to charging based on looks! Yikes. [via Midtown Lunch]

As we slog through the New York heat and humidity that seems finally to have arrived this Summer, the Amateur Gourmet departs for Spain. To go eat at El Bulli, no less. I eagerly anticipate the report on his experience there! Lucky perro.

Picture this: a month ago (before the gestational diabetes diagnosis), the Hubs and I were at IKEA in Red Hook, Brooklyn, when I had a sudden, irresistible craving for nachos. There was no denying it. Nachos must happen. I remembered that the Predicate had once mentioned a new Mexican place not far from her apartment, and as luck would have it, she lives not far from IKEA. The rules of triangulation meant that said Mexican restaurant must be nearby.

A call to the Predicate, an iPhone search, and thirty minutes later, the three of us (Predicate joined us) were sitting in the tiny, spare dining room of Viva. But for a table of two sitting outside, the restaurant was empty (it was sort of a strange hour for eating–about 2pm; the waiter mentioned later that they are packed at dinner time). We ordered nachos (of course), fried calamari, and avocado fries, the latter because they sounded too bizarre to pass up. Have you ever heard of avocado fries? I thought not. Do you want to try them now that you know of their existence? I thought so. We also ordered two flamingo pink guava Jarritos, and a beer for the Hubs.

After we ordered, out came the obligatory chips and salsa. The salsa was expected, but its unique flavor was not. It was pumpkin-orange in color, rather than the usual red with flecks of green chili and onion, and had a really unusual, but uncommonly delicious flavor. None of us could place the flavors. Tomatoes? Yes. Cilantro. It seemed so. Onion. Definitely. But what else? What was that flavor? It was a truly exceptional dip. When the waiter next came by, I asked him what was in the salsa. He smiled Cheshire-cat-like, and refused to tell me, explaining that many, many people asked, but the recipe was a secret. On this he would not budge, even after pleading, promises not to tell, and puppy dog eyes galore.

Our food arrived. The nachos were a little skimpy on the beans, but otherwise everything nachos should be: crispy, cheesy, gooey with sour cream, and a generous glob of guacamole. The avocado fries were something to behold. Slices of avocado were breaded and deep fried, then arranged around a dish of chipotle dipping sauce in a seriously gigantic margarita glass. We laughed at the tacky presentation until we tasted the fries, which is when we fell into a thoughtful state of gastronomical bliss. Delicious. The calamari were what you might expect from a Mexican restaurant in an industrial area of Brooklyn: probably frozen, not fresh, battered and deep fried. It was quickly decided that the calamari tasted better with the chipotle dipping sauce from the avocado fries than it did with the sauce it came with.

With my nacho craving sated, we were ready to leave. The waiter seemed truly forlorn that we didn’t order more. If he had offered up the ingredients of the salsa, I might have considered it. But as it stands, I will have to just return (hopefully often) to try it again.

Viva
116 Sullivan St
(between Conover St and Van Brunt St)
Brooklyn, NY 11231
(718) 852-4192

The Good: We have started getting the goods from our CSA! Our pick ups started about a month ago. At first, I think due to all the rain and unseasonably cool weather, perhaps, the pickin’s seemed pretty slim. But lately there has been more variety and a larger bounty. Last week is was zucchini, crookneck squash, cucumbers, beets, kale, lettuce, and blueberries. We got the unexpected surprise of fresh garlic with our haul the week before. Fresh garlic is basically like regular garlic, but with moisture-rich fresh skins and membranes separating the cloves, rather than the familiar papery skins. It also tastes a little less strong than “aged” garlic. To the left is picture of a salad we made from an early pick up. I look forward to tomatoes and stone fruit later in the summer!

The Bad: I have been recently diagnosed with gestational diabetes. This severely limits my diet, which was previously pretty carb-heavy (I didn’t realize how carb-heavy until I had to quit them!). The newest wrench thrown into my diet (on top of the usual pregnancy restrictions), is in part why I have not posted much of late (another reason is that I have been incredibly busy at work–working late an unusual amount–and have just been too exhausted to blog once I get home).  This all means, no more pasta, no (or not much) more rice. I can’t even eat my old cereal any more. Desserts are out. I never had much of a sweet tooth, but now that I can’t have sweets of any kind, I can’t tell you how I miss them! I can’t eat fruit in the morning or on its own–only with meals. Even beans, my beloved beans, must be restricted. Sigh! So, not much I have been eating lately has been blog-worthy. As I get used to it, though, I am trying to become more inventive, so keep checking in. Luckily, most everything we get through our CSA is on the table!

The Ugly: Me, bereft of pasta, potatoes, fresh summer corn, bread, beans, and sweets!