General | hungry sofia

Sep 24

Hungry for Travel

For a magazine whose locavore roots go deep, Edible Manhattan gets around in their Fall travel issue. Rachel Wharton heads to Dublin to chat with Manhattan chef Patti Jackson during her “Exile in the Emerald Isle” . Thankfully, a recipe for the Irish brown soda bread they sampled – “sweet, dense, nourishing, heavy; the middle moist; the outside cracked and craggy” – is included so I’ll be taking my own virtual trip this weekend. In a “A Locavore in Barbados”, Karen Karp gives a fish market-shark oil stall-maubey bark-Blackbelly sheep view of Barbados that will keep you dreaming until you can see it for yourself. Traveling in time as well as space, they even get in a quick trip to Prohibition-era Havana which was proudly not dry.

Catching Up in September

Most people referred to last weekend as the “official” end of summer. I did too though I talked myself into believing it was just the beginning of the inevitable fade-out, and there would still be a few more weeks of bursting markets and warm days. That’s why it was a shock when I woke up on Monday to a complete costume change – outside it was still hot and humid but skies were grey and the leaves were orange. Read more

Aug 15

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Callaloo and Cheddar Quiche

The London Olympics are over, and, though it was rocky, I officially miss them. Frustrated as everyone else with the time delay, I’d stay away from any social media that might ruin my enjoyment of suspense filled, high-performance pixie gymnastics. Waiting it out until evening, I was inevitably disappointed by the interminable beach volleyball coverage taking up all the prime-time real estate. I was ready to give up on it altogether when track and field began and Jamaica started running. Read more

Aug 5

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Catching Up in August

Every time I sit down to write my catch-up posts, the more practical how-to/technique links get pushed down the list or drop off altogether. I thought the last one of the summer was as good a time to finally get them in. With the markets bursting, it’s easy to over-buy, so this post from the Kitchn on small batch canning will help you keep it in a jar. I also love their quick guide to ingredient substitutions for near kitchen emergencies. This low-tech ice cream post from Saveur will get you through the worst of the heat, with out without the gadgets. For basics, Food Republic offers a 5 Crucial Kitchen Techniques, and How To Use Them and a general Word of the Day Guide. If you want to put it all together for the perfect dinner party, the Cooking from Every Angle section on Food 52 gets it down. Finally, for awhile I’ve been flagging Tar-Tyrin’ post with plans to make polka dot utensil jars, copper dipped flatware, cake stands, and even stenciled area rugs. Full disclosure, it hasn’t happened yet but there are still a few weeks left of summer to get to it.

Jul 4

Happy Fourth!

I went for a run this morning when I decided to go left to the Brooklyn Promenade instead of my usual route over the bridge. Because of the day, I stopped to take a few pictures of the Statue of Liberty but couldn’t get close enough with my iPhone. Heading into Brooklyn Heights, I found this Lady Liberty in tree grate and loved her Patti Smith slouch as she holds up the torch – a little tarnished perhaps but very much who she is. Have a happy fourth of July wherever you find yourselves!

Jun 15

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Alfajor de Coco

In case you missed it, I posted this recipe for alfajor de coco on Devour the Blog and wanted to share it here. Normally, having something this sweet on hand is dangerous – sneaking slivers on every trip to through the kitchen until it’s gone sooner than I’d like (or would ever admit to). In this case, the tart just got better with each passing hour so I had extra motivation to keep walking until I could properly indulge.

May 24

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Croqueta Springa

This spring, I spent a few days working on a how-to-make croquetas for the Cooking Channel’s Devour the Blog. What was supposed to be a fast and easy solution for leftovers, became an ongoing project as I tried a few different variations and even planned an entire brunch around it for friends (hereto known as croquetaspringa). Now that the post is up, I have a daily reminder when I open my freezer and batches of frozen croquetas launch out at me like so many breaded torpedoes. Before we head into summer, I thought I’d link up and take one look back at a spring well spent. Click here for the recipe and final post.

May 20

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Fideos Secos

It was about a year ago today that I started a major kitchen re-haul (really a few hours) before throwing a surprise party in my apartment. I say started because, while everything was put back into some kind of order, I don’t think it was really finished until this week. Faced with the potential embarrassment of friends seeing my apartment in shambles, I made miracles happen and then took some time off (about 12 months to be exact). Most of the elements were in place but crowded, and I hadn’t gotten around to tying it all together. Read more

May 12

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Food Blogging with Steven Shaw

On May 15th, the International Culinary Center is starting a new session of Food Blogging with Steven Shaw, founder of e-Gullet. I’ve written about it before but I just can’t say enough about this class. If you read Amanda Hesser’s advice to food writers, followed the ensuing hashtag storm, and wondered if food blogs were really over but still want to start your own, then this might be the right class at the right time. Click here for more information about the next session of classes starting up next week!

May 7

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Catching Up in May

I think I’ve put off writing my catching-up post because well…I’m no where near caught up. Several ongoing projects came to a boil all l at once and I’m still waiting for things to settle down again. Now that I realize it might never happen, I decided to take a break and go fishing (through my links)…