Sometimes, life goes beyond food. It needs to be supplemented in liquid form, with a drink on the side.
Wine, of course, is my favorite beverage, and when the occasion is inappropriate for alcoholic content, I typically stick with water. I do have one soft spot though, and that is rich, bold coffee.
I blame coffee shops.
In college, I used to spend hours at a time inside them. Three quarters of the binder of notes for my oral thesis were filled in the corner of Starbucks. Except for freshman year, I never wrote a single paper in my dorm room, preferring instead to utilize the complimentary wifi at Think Coffee.
No matter where I’ve gone in the world, I’ve always found my café corner. Take Prague, for instance: there, my spot was Meduza, a smoky literary den, filled with mismatched everything and wine as cheap as a mug of black coffee.
With school behind me, I still find it easy to fill a coffee shop afternoon. I’m happy to sit with a book, a friend, a laptop, a blank page. I love seeing the people come and go, and I love forgetting where I am, even with the noise around me.
Last week, for instance, Katie and I chatted over an afternoon mug in the dimly lit Irving Farm. It always feels cozy inside those café walls; the tables are rickety and the air circulation not ideal, but they have Fage for sale and wifi for free. If a coveted table can be snagged, it’s an ideal writing location.
Back when I first frequented corner tables, I’d spend my cash on syrupy drinks and sweet treats. These days, I’ve become a purist: my coffee is black and my food is nutritious. My pennies might be pinched, but the experience no less pleasant.
I like to hold onto traditions, and this one fits easily into a healthy life. Snacks can be brought, and tea can [occasionally] be chosen instead. But the atmosphere, and the hours of thought: those always remain the same.
Are you a coffee shop dweller? Where is your favorite?
There’s something about patterns this time of year. My solids and blacks start coming out when I can see my breath in the air, but until then, I can’t stop filling my my body – inside and out – with design of all sorts.
Plaid was made for November.
Antioxidants [pomegranate seeds and dried mulberries].
Patchwork comfort [pumpkin polenta with kale].
Patterned tights and belts.
Ripening designs equal the sweetest bananas.
Autumn color [maze at Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna].
I see artwork in all my food [brussels sprout leaves].
Striped sandwich [mashed butternut squash, roasted beets, avocado].
What patterns do you see in your life?
There aren’t any rules that state you can’t celebrate your birthday again two weeks later.
Right?
My parents were in Maine over my birthday weekend, so we chose yesterday for a belated celebration. After being gifted with the usual fruits and vegetables [pomegranate! kale! brussels sprouts!] and spending the early afternoon at a one-act play, we were left with some time to kill before dinner. Enter: cocktail hour.
French martinis make nutritious afternoon snacks.
Right?
After lounging for an appropriately lengthy period, we walked to our destination for the evening: Aldea.
Aldea opened last summer, and I chose it for the focus on seasonal yet unusual ingredients. A blend of foods I love, foods I’d never before tried, and unconventional preparations – perfect.
We began with a Duchamp syrah and an amazingly doughy seven grain bread:
And then split two “petiscos,” tiny pre-appetizers sized for us each to get a bite.
Sea urchin toast with cauliflower cream, sea lettuce, and lime. My sister didn’t enjoy this, but I was fascinated by its taste.
A farm egg with bacalao, olive, and potato. I just adore this presentation, and the size was perfect, as it was very, very rich. [Also, I want one of those spoons.]
Then we shared a couple appetizers:
Cuttlefish with lychee and squid ink – who knew you could eat squid ink? The cuttlefish was actually very tough [intentionally] – that texture added an interesting extra element to the dish.
And a very flavorful matsutake mushroom broth with tomatoes and a poached egg.
As an entrée, I selected the most delicate Arctic char, cooked so well that it nearly melted on my tongue.
It was served with a fennel orange purée and brussels sprouts, which were amazing. I’m pretty excited that I have both fennel and brussels sprouts in my refrigerator right now. The wheels are turning.
Later, there was some impressive eavesdropping by our waiter, because, while no one mentioned my birthday to the staff, dessert still came out like this:
I got to make a wish and eat the best dessert I’ve had in a long, long, long time. Yogurt panna cotta, vanilla poached pears, pear “caviar,” cinnamon ice cream. Full of sweet spice, but not too sweet. Rich, but not overly so. I loved it.
Course #5:
A parting gift from the kitchen: beignets, pear gelées, and fudge-like chocolates.
I feel as though this meal was a perfect representation of both eating to live and living to eat. I never, ever take for granted how lucky I am to have parents who spoil me endlessly with days like these, but beyond that, I felt such content throughout the evening. I ate slowly and truly felt the flavors of each dish. I shared in my favorite company, and the challenging, fine food was a wonderful complement to that. I never once felt overwhelmed or as though I was eating too much; instead, I tasted food as art, entertainment, and a pleasure of life. And the use of fresh ingredients was, of course, an important and added bonus.
Quite simply, I enjoyed myself, and I am happy to have come this far.
What did you do for dinner last night?
Sometimes, I’m a little bit emo.
I have:
- really thick hair that needs to be cut.
I don’t have:
- a successful baking story.
- a good recipe for borscht.
What about you?
First of all:
GO YANKEES!
Sorry, couldn’t help myself.
Moving on…
My sister and I have joked recently about our friends’ and acquaintances’ reactions upon inspecting the contents of our kitchen. Some have deemed my plethora of nuts and dried fruit a surplus of “snack food.” Some have commented on the almond milk and Greek yogurt as an “interesting” supply. A good friend recently smiled and told me, “You’ve just got bags and bags of healthy food.”
I like to think of my cabinets as those of an amateur chef, and any good chef would always start with the basics. On the top shelf of my cabinet, there are two boxes: cereal and granola; otherwise, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything with an ingredients list longer than one. When the choices in the kitchen are basic and whole, eating healthfully becomes quite simple.
One of my simple essentials is dried fruit. Dipping dates or dried plums [er, prunes] into the peanut butter jar is one of my favorite pre-exercise snacks. I consider raisins to be a necessary addition to anything involving pumpkin. And if you cook and haven’t bookmarked this recipe with dried figs, well, you’re missing out on an extravaganza of flavor. I don’t use a large amount of sweeteners, but throwing dried fruit into a dish is an easy way to add some very natural sugars.
Recently, I was given the opportunity to sample a couple new dried fruits, courtesy of Kopali Organics.
First, a quick note: I should stress that I’d never sample a product I wouldn’t eat normally – you all know that the foods I choose are almost entirely unprocessed. The bulk of my groceries come from the farmer’s market, not from grocery aisles; I don’t eat frozen meals or dinners that come from a packet or can. [There's nothing wrong with this; there happen to be some boxed soups or frozen meals that have excellent ingredients; I've just never eaten that way].
So, I don’t want anyone to think that this blog will become an endorsement for certain businesses. That being said, there are some wonderful companies out there who focus on simple and nutritious products, on making whole foods widely available, and on doing good for the environment. Kopali is one of those, and their mantra of supporting both the body and the earth immediately interested me.
My first taste went sweet with their superfood mix, which includes dried mulberries, goji berries, pistachios, and cacao nibs. Mulberries may be my new favorite fruit – their flavor is complex with just a touch of sweetness, a perfect addition to my morning banana oats, or in this case, my daily yogurt and granola. As a bonus, they’re basically bursting with health benefits.
Oikos is better with mulberries mixed in. Yes, I’m still battling my flavor and principle organic dairy issues.
I switched to the the savory route with dried mango, chopping and soaking some in water for a couple hours, which provided a perfect stand-in when I didn’t have fresh mango on hand. It was just the colorful ingredient I needed for the most vibrant stir fry I’ve ever made:
In the rainbow-colored mix:
- red cabbage
- carrot
- rehydrated dried mango
- edamame
- kale
- onion
- arame
All were sautéed with bits of sesame oil, garlic, ginger, tamari, rice vinegar, and sesame seeds. Pleasing for my tastebuds, my eyes, and my body – in other words, an ideal meal.
Thanks to Kopali for adding some super-healthy sweetness and a bit of new flavor to my meals. They were a welcome addition to my store of “interesting” ingredients.
What’s your favorite dried fruit? Do you prefer it sweet, savory, or on its own?
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about my name is leslie, and i'm navigating twentysomething life one meal at a time. the whole plate chronicles my love for fresh foods, a positive body image, and a balanced life. thanks for stopping by!
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