Author Archives for Swati Raje

About six months ago I was watching an episode of Eat Out NY on WNYC with Kelly Choi.  On the show she presented a segment on the newest Indian restaurant to hit the Manhattan food scene called Junoon.  It looked interesting to me but not interesting enough to try right away as I rarely go out for Indian food.  Why would I when I can make it at home or order a great meal at my mother’s with even less effort?  Besides, most so called “upscale” Indian restaurants tend to have the same formula dishes served with more gravy than food (meat or vegetables) making it hard to justify the steep prices they charge per entree that is always served a la carte.  So I put it at the back of my mind and forgot about it.

Over the past few months I have heard many of my Indian family and friends mention Junoon at dinners and parties.  Some have gone to it, others have heard good things about it, etc.  This peaked my interest once again and I put it on my list of places to try.  Last Saturday my brother-in-law asked me if I had been to Junoon and so I decided to check it out as soon as the next weekend.

Last night, after a client meeting in midtown, a co-worker/friend and I decided to beat the rush hour traffic by staying in NYC for dinner before heading home.  We started off with drinks and guacamole at a Dos Caminos while we figured out where to go for dinner – it was early yet and too cold for a discussion on the street and the margaritas were calling.  He suggested Keen’s steakhouse which was fine by me but then he mentioned he had recently been there and didn’t seem too enthused.  Suddenly I remembered that I wanted to try Junoon and made the suggestion to go there, and thus the decision was made.

We had decided that if we walked in and didn’t like the place, we had a backup at the Biergarten in Eataly which is around the corner.  From the outside, it looked promising.  We walked through the entry way and over to the host stand where we received a warm greeting.  The bar and restaurant were pretty empty but then it was 6:30pm on a Monday night.  We opted to sit at the chic looking bar and try one of their signature cocktails before sitting down to dinner.  I ordered the Ginger Rose and my friend had the Bourbon & Peche after being told that the Tandoori Tequila was not available due to a lack of kefir lime leaves.  My cocktail was ok and I expected more from the description.  But then I’m not much of a cocktail girl and prefer my liquor unbastardized by too many other flavors.

We then moved into the large dining area at the back of the building.  I must say the decor is quite warm and welcoming.  The lighting is a bit dim when you’re trying to read the small print on the menu (I’m in denial of my need for reading glasses).  We perused the extensive menu and I was put in charge of ordering for us.  The menu was quite impressive with unusual selections for an Indian restaurant such as duck and venison among others.  Many items sounded familiar and yet new & interesting.  We settled on two appetizers and two entrees which we would share.  Our selections were Piri-Piri Shrimp, Kakora Kebab (made with ground lamb), Black Bass Malvan (gravy made with coconut, cilantro & spices), and Sukhi Subzi (sauteed mixed veggies with spices). 

Before our appetizers arrived, we were served an amuse bouche.  Now this was a new one for me having never had an amuse served at an Indian restaurant before.  Their motto is never give away anything for free thus the almost always a la carte menu.  The amuse was Lotus Root served three ways – Fried, pickled and pureed.  A small yet absolutely delicious bite of food.  The shrimp accompanied by avocado & jicama slices and kebab served with red onion and cilantro relish were also very good and cooked perfectly.  I was looking forward to the entrees which we accompanied with Naan and plain rice.  We loved the Bass in Malvan gravy.  The fish was not served swimming in the gravy but rather atop just enough of it to add flavor.  The bass had been pan fried and placed on the gravy with the crispy skin facing up.  The flavors were delicious, well balanced and with the right amount of spice.  I love coconut with fish and this dish did not fail to impress us further.  The vegetables were also very good and not overcooked as they typically are.  They were not mostly potatoes (I don’t consider them a vegetable) and had broccoli, cauliflower, peas and several other kinds of vegetables.  They were well spiced and still had a slight bite to them.  We opted to drink Schneider Weiss beer with our meal instead of wine.  The slight sweetness in the beer balanced well with the spicy food.

The one negative comment I will make about Junoon is that the service could have been better.  It was not incompetent or bad, but more that it was a mix of either wait staff that was too serious and stoic or ones that were too quiet and shy and hard to hear.  Personalities are a rare find in wait staff at Indian restaurants, but with all the other positives, I cannot take away too many points.  Our meal service was executed well, so who cares if the guy wasn’t friendly and talkative.

Our stomachs were full and dessert was skipped.  We ordered espresso and coffee which came in its own French press and was a darn good cup of coffee.  With our coffee, our server brought a plate of complimentary peppercorn dark chocolate with a mint filling alongside a square of salted caramel.  Both were fantastic and a perfect end to our meal. Glad to have made Junoon our choice for the evening, we left for the subway & a cab to make our way home.

“B” would not let me take any photos of the food (which was presented beautifully by the way) so if you would like to take a look at some photos or check out their menu you can find them at:
http://www.junoonnyc.com/.  Or better yet, go visit and let me know what you think.

Happy Eating!!
Swati

A few nights ago I had dinner plans with a friend who suggested we step out of the usual comfort zone of nearby restaurants and venture out into Stirling NJ to a restaurant called the Stone House at Stirling Ridge.  It’s fairly new and used to be the location of a catering hall in its past life; one which I remembered going to a wedding at years ago.  Many people don’t expect to find a quality restaurant in the middle of nowhere in a suburb in New Jersey (there are many out there by the way).  It really is not close to anything, up a windy road in the Watchung Mountains, and one would have to know about it to go there.  But apparently it has quickly become a hotspot in the area and is often very crowded.   We went late on a rainy, Wednesday night so not that many had ventured out as we had.

We decided to sit at the bar and have a drink before dinner and ended up staying there for our meal as well.  The ambiance at the bar is welcoming, casual and chic at the same time and resided upon by our friendy bartender, Ben.  The bar itself is very well stocked with some hard to find single malts, bourbons, tequilas and house infused vodkas (lemon, orange, jalapeno, horseradish & vanilla). 

We were having a great time catching up and pretty soon all the talking made us hungry.  I ordered Braised Short Rib with Polenta & Broccoli Rabe and my friend order a Pork Chop.  I must be craving red meat lately as I ordered short ribs last week at dinner at Amanda’s in Hoboken.  Those were good too, but tonight’s were absolutely perfect.  The combination of flavors and textures of the ingredients was sheer harmony in my mouth.  I asked Ben to pour me a wine of his choosing to pair with my plate.  He chose a 2009 Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon from the Columbia Crest region of Washington state.  If you tend towards cabs from California, I recommend trying some from Washington state.  There are some amazing finds out there with a different style of wine making.  This one paired beautifully with my dinner.

Some steep priced cocktails in case you’re feeling like venturing to try them out….

http://blog.zagat.com/2012/02/worth-it-tasting-8-of-new-yorks-most.html?zagatbuzzid=feb12week5&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=blog20120229

Since I started this blog, some have asked me if I cook “like this” everyday.  The truth is yes, I try to.  But as we all know that isn’t always possible. The problem is I am not a fan of takeout and can’t afford to eat at restaurants quite so often.  My solution is to use prepared or frozen ingredients that I purchase at the store and turn them into a quick and delicious meal in less time than it takes to order and pickup mediocre takeout food.

Today was a busy day.  There were too many loads of laundry to do, sheets to change, a house to clean, food shopping for the week, along with my son’s activities.  After 2 hours on the tennis court my son was hungry and I hadn’t even thought about dinner.  For just such nights I keep a few things around the house that help me out.  We had Veal Osso Buco Ravioli with sauteed yellow and green Romano flat beans.  And it was ready in 20 minutes.

The ravioli is a Mario Batali brand and there are many different stuffings.  The veal osso buco is one of my favorites.  All I do is boil some water, cook the ravioli for 4 minutes, and toss it with some extra virgin olive oil and some parmigiano reggiano. 

The Romano beans I buy frozen at Trader Joe’s.  I saute them pretty much the same way I cook most of my veggies – toast cumin seeds in olive oil, add garlic, add the beans, salt and pepper.  Saute for 3 minutes, then add 2 tbsps of water, cover and cook on medium low heat for 8-10 minutes.

This dinner literally took less than 20 minutes and is so much healthier than any takeout food you might consider.  Trader Joe’s, Wegman’s and other specialty markets today carry so many options in partially prepared meals and allow you to feed your family a quick and healthy meal that they will love.

If anyone has another shortcut meal like this, please post and share with us.  May you have many culinary adventures this week. 

Swati

Most people I talk to are afraid to cook steak at home.  Particularly during the winter when the BBQ grill is not an option.  Well, be afraid no more.  Steak is easy to cook and all you need is a stove top grill.  I have a large one that fits over two burners but you could just as easily use a grill pan which can be found at almost any store which sells pots & pans.

For last night’s dinner I chose a Wagyu Kobe skirt steak which I marinated overnight, grilled and served with a homemade chimichurri.  It was quick, healthy, and delicious and my friend who “doesn’t like to eat meat cooked at home” ate every bite and particularly liked the chimichurri.  I accompanied it with mashed cauliflower and parsnips (you’ll never miss the potatos) and a tomato-dill soup.  If you’re not distracted by other things like work or baking brownies for your son’s birthday as I was last night, the whole meal can be made in about an hour or less.  Here’s how…….

Wine served – Ledson 2005 Cepage – Sonoma County

Sorry folks……with all the aforementioned distractions I forgot to take photos for this one.

Tomato-Dill Soup

1 28oz can of San Marzano whole tomatoes (can also use crushed)
1 Cup of fresh dill – coarsely chopped
1 medium red onion – sliced
2 cloves garlic – sliced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp heavy cream
Fresh whole baby spinach leaves

Heat olive oil in a pot on medium high heat.  Add garlic, onion and crushed pepper and saute for 1 – 2 minutes until soft.  Add the tomatoes and stir.  Using a potato masher, mash the tomatoes into pieces.  Add dill, thyme, salt and black pepper and stir.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.  Allow to cool for a while.  Puree soup in a blender until smooth.  Pour back into the pot and return to heat and bring to a boil.  In the meantime, prepare your soup bowls by placing about 8 – 10 leaves of spinach at the bottom.  Once the soup is boiling again, turn off heat and add cream.  Stir and ladle the hot soup into each bowl.  The heat will wilt the spinach.  Serve with no garnish – It’s delicious as is. 

Steak Marinade

2 large cloves garlic chopped
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp Olive oil

Combine and pour over steak in a ziploc bag.  This is enough for 1 skirt steak (approx. .75 lbs) which serves 2.  Refrigerate overnight.  Grill steak to desired doneness.  Skirt steak can be cooked to well done and will still be tender.  Cut steak on a bias against the grain to serve.  Serve with Chimichurri (recipe follows)

Chimichurri

2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 Cup Italian parsley – finely chopped
1/4 Cup Cilantro – finely chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and let stand for 2 hours before serving.

Cauliflower & Parsnip puree

1 head of cauliflower – cored and cut into large florets
1 medium parsnip – cut into cubes
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp heavy cream
2 Tbsp olive oil

In a large pot heat the oil and garlic until it starts to brown.  Add the parsnips and cauliflower, and then the salt and pepper.  Stir to coat with the oil and continue to saute for about 5 minutes on med-high heat.  Add chicken broth, turn heat to low, cover and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until cauliflower and parsnips are very tender.  Allow to cool slightly.  Using an immersion blender, puree in the pot.  Add cream and stir until smooth.  Serve garnished with chopped parsley.

I hope I have inspired you to try “grilling” some steak in February.  Let me know if you have any suggestions or alternatives……Enjoy!!!