Jonathan Forgash

Not your Bubby’s chopped liver

Some years later while eating at a friend’s restaurant I was introduced to his house special amuse bouche. He was famous for a small ramekin of pate with toast points which appointed every table upon being seated. The pate was delicious and he chuckled when I asked for this obviously expensive secret recipe. It was nothing more than chicken livers (discarded during prep) sauteed with copious amounts of butter and cheap brandy, some onions and yesterdays stale bread for toast points. That’s it. Well that and a chef’s talent for turning bits and pieces into a four star dish. I was hooked! Who knew butter went with everything? Well, the French did and my childhood friend of course but it was new to me. Life was getting better and you weren’t going to get struck dead.

Green market Tuscan vegetable soup

In soup pot, pour in oil to cover bottom of pan. Saute onions to soften. Add garlic and cook till fragrant. Crush tomatoes by hand and add to pot along with juices. Add all remaining ingredients. Stir and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and let cook uncovered one to two hours. The longer the better. This dish is even better the next day. Adjust for seasonings.

Ladle soup into big bowls. Each bowl gets a drizzle of oil and dollop of basil oil (below).

Serve with grilled or toasted good bread slices, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper.

Green market butternut squash soup

The fall harvest is crazy with colors and flavors from dark leafy greens to heavy yellow and orange squash. The green market had it all. I scooped up some butternut squash, carrots, apples and onions. Another farmer inspired me to purchase dark green Tuscan kale, zucchini, basil, celery and garlic. Some canned goods and other items from kitchen pantry rounded out the ideas brewing for the day’s soups.

I spy Astoria & LIC

Wednesday night was the Edible Queens Uncorked event at The Foundry in LIC, NY. So much food, so much wine and so little time. Let’s focus on the highlights and big news from the evening.

The event was hosted by Leah McLaughlin, the wonderfully personable and charming owner of Edible Queens. Leah is a true believer in all things Queens and might be the borough’s biggest booster.

Now for the news.

Scenario: Sicily, it’s snowing, sexy date says yes to dinner at your place.

You frantically yet coolly survey the kitchen pantry. Take a beat, then slow down and think. It’s cold out so a hot dish but nothing too heavy so she, or you, don’t conk out by 9pm on the couch. Something with some spice and a bit exotic. In the pantry I see a tin of skinless, boneless sardines packed in olive oil and a box of pasta. In the fridge we have fennel, a lemon, parsley, garlic cloves and anchovies in oil. In Sicily this classic pasta with sardines dish would also have raisins and Pignoli nuts but for tonight we go with what we have.

I Spy Astoria Food News

There’s a lot going on in the ‘hood these days.

Walking up 30th avenue last week one couldn’t help but notice the smell of smoke in the air. Heavenly meat smoker smoke. Our noses led us to an open door at the still under construction Butcher bar. They were testing recipes and the owner invited us in. Mathew introduced us to the chef and a bunch of guys standing at the counter wolfing down, I mean delicately tasting, a variety of smoked bbq products. We sampled burnt ends that were very juicy and tender, brined turkey which had a gentle deliciousness and finally bbq brisket which made me smile even though the chef was unhappy with this particular test specimen. The house made bbq sauce was pretty darn good too. If you need to know more then I guess you might want to know that the place looks good too. Lots of wood and diamond plate, butcher stuff and a nice backyard. There are seats inside and out back. Honestly, if the meat proves to be as good as the test then who cares about the decor.