Artichoke Salad with Shaved Parmesan

 

Artichokes are another one of those things that took me a while to really like to eat, along with asparagus, mushrooms, and a few other foods.  Then, a few years back, I had them raw and thinly sliced dressed with olive oil and parmesan cheese.  I think I kind of fell in love with them then.  The creamy nuttiness of the cheese went along perfectly with the crunchy vegetable which picked up the fruitiness of the oil and the slight tang from the lemon juice and carried it along in delicious harmony.

Panel on “Markets 2.0 – The Resurgence of Traditional Markets in New York City”

One of my favorite things about living in New York City is the various and varied markets that exist here.  I’d fallen in love with shopping for local food from small-scale vendors when I lived overseas and have been delighted that I could continue to buy that way back here.  I’ve also always been a big fan of knickknacks and antiques fairs just bursting with treasures to find.  Add to that all the creative and delicious things to discover at the artisan food markets.  Last year, Karen Seiger put together a book called Markets of New York City about all the wonderful items that could be found at these venues in each of the five boroughs.

Sausage-Tomato Pasta Dish

With Hurricane Irene rapidly approaching New York City and getting ready to dump lots of rain on us, it was bound to be an indoor weekend anyway.  Then, the mayor announced that the public transportation would be shut down by noon today.  With friends being told that they had to leave their homes as they live in the lowest lying areas of the city, I ended up hosting one of them to ride out the storm in my neighborhood.

New Amsterdam Market’s Second Annual Ice Cream Sunday

For days, heck, weeks, I’ve been waiting for this particular food festival.  That’s not just because, as someone else put it to me today, “Ice cream is my favorite food group.”  So, of course, I planned my whole day around getting to the New Amsterdam Market‘s Second Annual Ice Cream Sunday and fundraiser.  With my precious ten tasting tickets in hand, I scoped out the scene to work on my strategy.  I opted for one cool sample per stand of the ten vendors who were there, although it was a tough challenge to pick just a single flavor from many of them.

Wok+Wine and Foodspotting Event in New York

 

Wok+Wine signage photo

Last night, in the Tribeca offices of Luminary Labs, Wok+Wine teamed up with Foodspotting to host one of their dynamic, seafood-fueled events.  I was one of the 40 folks who helped consume some of the “40 pounds of jumbo shrimp and 40 bottles of delicious wine” that they had laid on for us.  It was definitely one of the more unique and napkin-worthy food get-togethers I’ve ever attended.