epicurians and our love for NYC

Yay! Other bloggers' bloggings to note:

http://www.eatingintranslation.com/upper_west_side/page/2/

http://blondieandbrownie.blogspot.com/

And of course, the man whose writing I hope to one day emulate... sans the smoking, the profuse amounts of debauchery, and...well... Whatever, I love this guy:

http://anthony-bourdain-blog.travelchannel.com/

roman-style chicken saltimbocca (alla Whole Foods)

Mmm... Thank you Whole Foods.

This traditional Roman dish is classically made with veal but can also be made with chicken and turkey. Quick-cooking chicken cutlets are topped with paper-thin slices of prosciutto and whole sage leaves and finished with a simple white-wine pan sauce. To learn how to make this recipe, watch the Secret Ingredient cooking show.

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (about 4 ounces each)
Salt and black pepper
8 thin slices prosciutto
8 sage leaves, more for garnish
3/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Lemon wedges

Method

Sprinkle each cutlet lightly with salt and pepper. Top with a slice of prosciutto and a sage leaf. Place chicken cutlets between 2 sheets of parchment, waxed paper or plastic wrap. With a mallet or rolling pin, gently pound cutlets to an even 1/4-inch thickness, pounding the prosciutto and sage into the chicken.

Spread the flour on a shallow plate and dip the chicken in it, lightly coating both sides. Heat a tablespoon of butter and the olive oil in a large pan. When the butter begins to foam, add the cutlets to the pan, prosciutto side down. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once, until lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer to a platter and cover to keep warm.

Add wine to the hot pan and stir with a wooden spoon to loosen all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine reduce by half, then add the chicken broth and reduce again. Remove the pan from the heat and swirl in remaining tablespoon of butter. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, then pour over the reserved chicken cutlets. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 7oz/196g-wt.): 390 calories (150 from fat), 17g total fat, 6g saturated fat, 100mg cholesterol, 970mg sodium, 20g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 0g sugar), 34g protein

Happiness isn't happiness without a violin-playing goat...

Here's a lovely list of suggestions to enjoy Notting Hill (thanks to Delta Sky Jan'09 Magazine). I love the area and when I have time, I always make it a point to trot up to Portobello Road and scope the market, wind my way down and into Notting Hill Gate for some food-stuffs. If I can live in London, I would live here.

ALICE'S
86 Portobello Rd
The place for treasure hunting for anything from antiques to reproduction pieces; sweet jars to cricket bats, and even Chintz tea pots.
[+44.20.7229.8187 www.alicesportobello.co.uk]

GAIL'S BREAD
138 Portobello Rd
18 different flours. 100 ingredients. 30 varieties of all-natural, preservative- and chemical-free loaves of nothing but BREAD! Buono come pane...the italians got that right!
[+44.20.7460.0766 www.gailsbread.co.uk]

MELT (yes, please!)
59 Redbury Rd
Palm-sized vanilla & dark chocolate caramels. "Hot chocolate blocks" for 2-quid. Solid cubes of popsicle sticks meant for dunking into hot milk, a dirty-delicious winter treat! Try the MADAGASCAR (fruity) or the VENEZUELAN (caramel-buttery goodness).
[+44.20.7727.5030 www.meltchocolates.com]

TEA PALACE
175 Westbourne Grove
More than 160 kinds of loose & whole-leaf tea. They do the classic British break from 3-6:30pm.
[+44.20.7727.2600 www.teapalace.co.uk]


Oooh, and this one's especially for the foodies in all of us!

BOOKS FOR COOKS
4 Blenheim Crescent
25-year old shop offers 8,000+ titles of cookbooks by region, by categories (ie. soups, breads, pies, etc), and by ingredients. That's one awesome way to pass the day!
[+44.20.7221.1992 www.booksforcooks.com]


If you guys go, let me know what you think!

inauguration of the epicurian chronicles

Someone once said food=love. Maybe it was me. It seems that my most favorite people in the world and my most memorable experiences revolve around food, and after a fantastic day in London visiting the Tate Modern's gift shop and browsing through Borough Market (my favorite gatronomic haven in London-town), I figured that epicurian adventures SHOULD be shared. Thus, I invite all my favorite global food-folk to join in a collaborative effort to chronicle our favorite new restaurant, favorite new cafe, favorite markets, bars, recipes.

This is my version of the Coca-Cola hand-holding commercial. I just want the world to blog-ly hold hands and sing kumbaya about dirty-delicious goodness.

Let the global epicurian collaboration commence.