Pamonha Revisited

Toninho picking corn from the field that morning!

Fia and her grandson Cristofer adding
rendered pork fat for richness

The whole family chips in to help!

So as I mentioned in my first post, I happened to be in Brazil during the peak of corn season and I was excited to find out that Julio's family planned a day of Pamonha making at Maria's (Julio's sister) farm.  As pictured above Julio's brother, Tonhinho, picked the corn from the field that very morning.  We shucked the ears and retained the husks.  The old fashioned way of grating the corn for this dish is pictured above but that was just for theatrics.  After the third ear we all decided to do it the modern way with a blender.  The puree is then mixed with warm milk, (from the family cow, of course) rendered pork fat, and sugar.  Finally it's poured into boiled corn husks as pictured above and then boiled for 20 to 30 minutes.   The result is a thick corn pudding unlike any you have ever tasted.  Corn from your back yard, milk from your own cow?  It doesn't get any more local than that.  The whole family gathers to pitch in and good thymes are always had by all!

Work Lunch Break UPGRADE

My job keeps me out in the field for most of the day.  The world (well, Bridgeport, Stratford and other locations in Fairfield County mostly) is my corner office with a view.  I'm always on the move and, while I do try to pack a lunch so I can eat whenever it's convenient, sometimes I just need a mental sit-down and and enjoy.   I have a half hour for lunch so I have to be very strategic.  I happened to be in the vicinity of Massimos Pizzeria (http://www.massimospizzeriaristorante.com/). They have been around a long time.  I remember getting take out when I was a telephone operator in the late 80s.  Today I decided to sit. 

I was greeted by the friendly staff and was invited to sit in the rustic Tuscanesque dining room.  White tablecloths covered the tables and the cloths were covered by white paper.  I was given a menu and was asked about my drink order.  I chose a Diet Coke, they do serve beer and wine but I am at work.  I took a quick look at the menu whose options are very affordable ranging from $6 with many options well under $20.  I really felt like having pasta and the Carbonara jumped off the menu so I went with it.  A bowl of self serve soup is included so I helped myself to a bowl.  Today's soup was minestrone and, dare I say it? It was homemade.   It was filled with white beans, fresh aromatic vegetables, and soup greens. Shortly thereafter came my entree. It smelled fabulous and I did the spoon test when no one is looking.  You simply rub your finger across the back of the spoon and if the sauce stays separate as pictured here then it is a perfect consistency.  This is referred to as Nappé (pronounced “nappay”). I added cheese and black pepper.  The test was valid as the sauce was perfect.  It stayed on the pasta but was never so sticky that you couldn't twirl the fettuccine.  The waiter stopped by to see if everything was okay and I asked him to bring the check right away so I could pay while I was finishing.  30 minutes goes by fast but I made it!

Great food and great service.  I guess that's how they stayed open for over 30 years!

An Evening at Bridge House

So most of you know that my husband, Julio, lives in Boston.  From time to time his work finds him in NYC or in Greenwich and that allows us to spend some time together.  Tonight we decided to go to Bridge House in Milford, CT (http://www.milfordbridgehouse.com/).  This is our "go to" whenever we are in the mood for an excellent meal in a friendly neighborhood place.  

We started with a dish called "Meatball for 2" it is a massive meatball (as explained on the menu) that is stuffed with mozzarella and drenched in marinara, pesto and Parmigiano Reggiano shavings.  We were so taken aback by the dish that we completely forgot to take a picture, hence the photo of the empty plate.

Immediately following was  king crab legs for me and Julio ordered the ribeye steak encrusted with fig, Gorgonzola and caramelized onions.  The crab was sweet, melt in your mouth, perfectly cooked wondefurlness.  The shells were partially cracked so I didn't have to struggle to eat my meal and I didn't have to wear one of those unflattering bibs.  It was served with a side of crisp hericot verts and silky mashed potatoes.  Julio's steak was everything that we imagined it would be.  The earthiness of the flame grilled steak was no competition for the crust.  The caramelized onions and figs danced on the palate with the steak and the Gorgonzola like an Argentine Tango, slow and full of passion.

An excellent meal indeed AND accompanied by a half price bottle of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.  I especially enjoyed this white wine with the steak. The citrus undertones played well with the figs.

I recommend this restaurant to everyone.  You cannot have a bad meal there and the staff is great too!

Old Man Eating Alone in a Chinese Restaurant by Billy Collins

Recited by Frank Daniele




Photo by x1klima on Foter.com / CC BY-ND

Carmen Possum

This is a fun poem from my early college days

Junk Food

This is my first podcast.  A reading of the poem "Junk Food" by Bill Hoenveld.

Bar Nightlife San Diego Explained in Fewer than 140 Words

So Julio and I are here from the east coast and I gotta say the nightlife in San Diego is off the chain!

Step 1: Uber to 258 5th Ave. 

Step 2: Get out of the car.

Step 3: Laissez le bon temps rouler!

We noticed that 5th Ave in the blocks between F at and J St (just a coincidence) happened to be the best and most exciting.  Being Fat Tuesday helped a little! We hung at Henry's Pub first then spent the rest of the night at Barleymash.  Live music, great food!  Good thymes had by all.

Thyme to try something!

Photo by Jorge Franganillo on Foter.com / CC BY

Photo by avlxyz on Foter.com / CC BY-SA

Well, looks like it's time to get started!  I'm going to try my hand at the Turkish cheese bread that we see here and perhaps some of the delicious accompaniments.  I think this is a great thyme to get together with friends and break bread….of course we’ll have to bake it first!

There's Always Thyme for Tea

photo credit: captain.orange tea in the spotlight via photopin (license)

photo credit: UpSticksNGo The Greek desert - baklava ! Yum :) #upsticksandgo #foodporn #greekdesert #baklava #athens #greece #travelgram #travelfood #travellingtheworld #michfrost via photopin (license)

I was in a Turkish home installing internet service for a new customer.  They lived in a building whose wiring is not very current so a little extra care needed to be taken for the install and I went about opening all of the jacks in the apartment to make to be certain there would be nothing to impede the signal.  When I was done, the customer asked me to take a seat at the table and said: "Now we stop for tea".  His wife was busy in the kitchen the whole time, and the aroma in the apartment was just about killing me!  I was served a cup of one of the best teas I had ever had in a glass cup on a silver saucer.  Much like the one pictured above.  Another plate was put in front of me and it had small squares of layered Turkish bread filled with cheese, it was still warm from the oven.  The filling was complex.  While I could certainly taste the feta as the predominant flavor, it had an earthier and deeper taste.  The couple’s daughter was there and she explained that it was a combination of Feta, Parmigiano, Romano and a Turkish cheese.  The layers of bread themselves were tender but had a sturdy texture.  It was fantastic in the true sense of the word.

THEN, the baklava.  Absolutely amazing.  It looked like what most of us know as baklava but my new friend made the phyllo from scratch.  The honey was not overpoweringly sweet and as soon as I put a piece in my mouth it simply melted.  The first words I uttered were: “I thought I tried baklava before but I was wrong.”  I spoke directly to the Mrs. who didn’t speak English.  What I would have liked to have said at that moment was “teşekkür ederim”, but I couldn’t.  My words were translated for me but I’m sure she could read the emotion of gratitude in my eyes.

Cool New Experience

Learning to create a Blog has been a great experience.  It was a bit trying at first but I think I got the hang of it now.  So far, I have learned about inserting photos from my Dropbox and also via the gadgets bar. My plan for "Thyme with Friends" will be to share cooking events of me and friends.  There are a lot of cool things coming.  I can tell that this is going to be the beginning a a great chapter for me and I can't wait to see how it evolves!

Do you speak English?

Pamonha

I was recently in Brazil and was lucky enough to be there during corn season.  There is a dish in Brazil called "Pamonha" which is essentially corn pudding that is boiled in its own husk.  Pictured below is Julio's oldest sister Maria or "Fia" showing me how to strategically cut a corn cob, from her own field, so that the husk can be reserved for making little packages that will hold the sweet liquid gold

Fia giving me a lesson in Pamonha

Good Thymes

Welcome to Thyme with Friends.

I spent a good portion of my adult career in the technical field.  I took a 10-year sabbatical and decided to pursue a career in the food business.  I opted for an early retirement from SBC and spent my severance on the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC where I obtained a certificate in Culinary Arts another in Restaurant Management.  My husband, Julio, is a floral and event designer so we packaged our business as a catering and wedding/event planning company.  I have since returned to my technical first life and Julio is still in the floral and event design industry.   Catering is a back-breaking, exhausting, time-demanding, momentous, mentally draining and extremely rewarding profession.  While I’m enjoying having things many people take for granted like company provided insurance and paid time off, I miss the synergy of a great meal and a bunch of laughs so I tend to have a lot of get-togethers and feed some really deserving and appreciative friends.

So here’s to some fun thymes ahead!