It's been a while since I last posted and there've been a number of recipes tried, a couple of beers tasted, and one or two restaurants. I tried two dip recipes from one of those free cookbooks distributed by Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese and both could be used very nicely as dips or spreads, either alone or as a base for a sandwich. The first was Greek-style http://lovemyphilly.com/philadelphia-greek-style-spread-2/ with tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives, and oregano. The recipe in the book called specifically for Nicoise, which, for some reason, I can't find locally anywhere, so I substituted Kalamata. The second was Mediterranean-style http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/mediterranean-dip-52109.aspx with lemon pepper, garlic, and oregano.

I splurged shortly after making the dips and bought a 5-lb boneless leg of lamb at Costco and made Grilled Hoisin Marinated Butterflied Leg of Lamb http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Grilled-Hoisin-Marinated-Butterflied-Leg-of-Lamb-14436. Now, I'm not a very good butcher, and butterflying the meat didn't turn out quite as well as it could have. Also, it's the middle of winter, so the meat was broiled instead of grilled. In spite of the meat cooking unevenly (some parts were rare, others medium-rare, others well), it was a delicious dish with its companion eggplant recipe http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/14438.

From Cooking Pleasures I made a dish called Sauteed Boneless Pork Chops with Apple Pan Sauce http://www.cookingclub.com/Projects/Project.aspx?id=110760&terms=pork+chops+with+apple. I made a few changes but it turned out stupendously delicious. For one, I happened to be at Three Brothers in Bayside (http://www.threebrothersbutcher.com) - I'd been there before but had only bought prepared food from them. This was my first foray into purchasing any actual meat, and I used thick pork chops on the bone instead of boneless - the cooking time had to be lengthened considerably but it's not hard to judge with a trusty meat thermometer. The first snowstorm of the season was  also coming so when I went to the produce store to get the Granny Smith apple, they didn't have any, so I substituted a small, firm Gala, which I knew would be slightly tart. The pork chops were so incredibly savory and delicious - worth every penny and all the running around!

And for the record, Three Brothers has really great prepared food, too.

The final recipe for this posting was a Lemon Ginger Pound Cake http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lemon-Ginger-Pound-Cake-104905. What a lovely little cake this turned out to be - the glaze was so sweet and so tart that it danced right off the tongue, and the fresh ginger gave it a subtle spiciness that just burst right through the texture of the cake.

On to the beer, all from Rock Art Brewery. First, I tried the Golden Tripple  http://rockartbrewery.com/GOLDEN_TRIPLE.html, which has a subtle ginger flavor that enhanced a full-bodied and refreshing taste. Matt suggests drinking this beer with Chinese lo mein, which is a good suggestion, considering how ginger goes with nearly everything Chinese. The Hell's Bock http://rockartbrewery.com/HELLS_BOCK.html, one of the few lagers that Rock Art brews, if not the only one, was delicious. The suggested pairing for this beer is grilled bratwurst and sauerkraut - now, to be fair, virtually ANY beer would go with brautwurst and kraut! The last beer was Herb. It, too, is dark golden and full - I had it with a rib roast sandwich and yowza, yowza, yowza!

Last notes of the night go to the restaurants. We went to Dante Restaurant in Fresh Meadows, Queens on Christmas Eve and had the prix fixe dinner. The food (antipasto, mozzarella and roasted red peppers, caesar salad, broiled seafood platter, roasted lamb chops, and cannoli) was very good, but we doubt that we'll go back. There are too many other options for good Italian food nearby with similar prices but more charming service, such as Prima Amore in Bayside, Pasta Lovers in Kew Gardens, Umberto's in New Hyde Park http://www.originalumbertos.com/, and Cara Mia in Queens Village. Another option is Stella Ristorante in Floral Park http://stellaristorante.com/, which is much more expensive, but the restaurant staff makes you feel like you're their most important customer. Stella's food isn't exciting or innovative, just really good Italian classics executed perfectly, and worth the price.

For cheap eats, try Yummy Taco in Fresh Meadows, which has tasty food made fresh on the spot. The kitchen staff appears to be all Chinese, which explains the presence of straw mushrooms and baby corn in the veggie tortilla. Interesting . . .

So, until the next recipe . . .

Read my previous post:

http://open.salon.com/blog/ciocio/2009/12/12/living_life_one_recipe_at_a_time_24