Scouting: Ottomanelli Bros.

October 10, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Scouting

Ottomanelli Bros. Butcher | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Ottomanelli Bros. Butcher** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Around the Messersmith household we like our birthdays low-key, but meaningful. No giant surprise parties, or blow-out trips – just a quiet dinner of favorite dishes, followed by a chocolate cake that only makes an appearance when it’s sure to be decorated with candles.

Since Mike’s birthday is first up (mine follows twelve days later) it’s my responsibility to see to the trimmings, and since nothing says “I love you” to my wonderful husband quite like red meat I set out to find a place to procure some steaks.

Research led me to Ottomanelli's on York Avenue, a family-owned and operated butcher shop. According to their site, members of the Ottomanelli family have been in the butchering business since 1900 and if the small brass chart of a cow placed just outside the shop’s front door is any indication they take their meat seriously.

I was on the hunt for a fairly standard cut – filet of beef – but I could have picked up NY Strip, Cornish game hens, or ground turkey in addition to the variety of sandwiches and charcuterie available. The two filets I bought were carefully measured and lightly trimmed before being carefully wrapped and labeled for my trip back across the park.

Tonight’s menu, thanks to the Ottomanellis: steak au poivre with balsamic roasted brussels sprouts. I think that will get another year off to the right kind of start – don’t you? What are your birthday traditions? Any special dishes that make the day a little brighter?

Scouting: Ninth Avenue International Grocery

October 03, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Scouting

Ninth Avenue International Grocery | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Ninth Avenue International Grocery** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

The Ninth Avenue International Grocery is in the shadow of the Port Authority bus overpass on a grittier section of 9th Ave. Not necessarily the place I expected to find a wonderland of cooking ingredients. The shop itself is no frills, but the counter assistants are so friendly and helpful; thank goodness too because there is so much to choose from.

Sacks of beans and lentils, ground flours of all varieties take up most of the floor space, while bottles of olive oil and jars of honey, not to mention the bins of whole and ground spices, nuts and dried fruit line the walls. I had a hard time knowing where to start and with prices well below what I’ve paid in the past it was hard to know when to stop!

I noticed that one pound of French green lentils - aka. lentilles du Puy - at Ninth Ave. is $1.99 compared with the $4.99 per pound my neighborhood grocery store charges. No contest, right? Naturally I took a sack of them home with me for future batches of Salmon with Lentils.

Word to the wise, if you don't see something: ASK! When I inquired I learned that they had three different types of pumpkin seeds and the whole vanilla beans were tucked away in one of the refrigerated coolers. A few scoops of toasted pumpkins seeds came home with me and I now have big plans for making vanilla sugar with the two beans wrapped carefully in waxed paper and now tucked in my own fridge. I'm excited to go back and explore the boxes and packets I couldn't get to on my first visit. Now I know where to find future inspiration. Stay tuned…

Ninth Avenue International Grocery | 543 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10018 | M-F 7:30 am – 6:30 pm, Sa 7:30 am – 6:00 pm

Scouting: Roberta's Garden

September 19, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Scouting

Garden at Roberta's | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Garden at Roberta's** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

My friend Alana seems to have her ear to the ground (no pun intended) on all things fun and happening in Brooklyn – this is a talent I wish I had, but for now I pretty much rely on her to tell me when there’s something we should check out. She is also game for exploring with me and this has led to scouting missions in Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg, Gowanus, and yesterday Bushwick to see the garden at Roberta’s Pizza and do a little herb planting.

We learned during our tour from the lead gardener Melissa that the produce she grows supplements the food purchased by the kitchen. On a quarter acre there are fruit trees, tomato vines, edible flowers, and of course, herbs.

Part two of our class involved how to grow new herb plants from cuttings. We were given a dozen or so different herb plants to choose from – purple sage, English thyme, basil, mint, lavender – and instructed to snip a small sprig from a lighter green area of new growth. After we removed some of the lower leaves and pruned the upper ones a final diagonal snip of the rooting end completed the prep.

Herbs | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Herbs** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

I love the bright flavor fresh herbs add to my cooking and many of the recipes I make call for them, but keeping them on hand and in usable form is tricky, so having a pot of thyme or rosemary ready to donate a few leaves would be awesome. My little herbs are now nestled into a tiny seeding pot and I am (semi-patiently) waiting to see if new growth happens….

Herb Cuttings | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Herb Cuttings** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

In the interest of journalistic integrity I have to tell you that at this very moment a dish herb garden is struggling for life on my windowsill, so I’m not making any promises that these little shoots will survive. But if Mother Nature is with me on this project then my grocery store herb days might be numbered…. I’ll keep you posted!

Scouting: Barney Greengrass

September 12, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Scouting

Barney Greengrass | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Barney Greengrass** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

One of my favorite things about New York is the sense of energy, of change. It’s exciting to live in a city that’s constantly evolving – shedding old layers and taking on new ones. The flipside of all that change is a sneaking anxiety that the history and charm of the city’s sometimes gritty past will be wiped away. Even as a new arrival to the city I worry that the “authentic” places will disappear and be replaced by some slick storefront devoid of personality.

Some of the old spots – places recognizable to even the most old-school New Yorker like Barney Greengrass – survive in our neighborhood and I admit that I get a thrill of satisfaction from visiting them. I like knowing that I stand where decades of other people have stood and taking my small place in the parade of humanity that has crossed the threshold since the business (established in 1908) opened it’s doors on Amsterdam Ave.

I know almost nothing about traditional Jewish deli & appetizing food. I definitely wanted salmon, but beyond that ...well, just imagine crickets chirping. I was a little nervous when I first arrived and braced myself, expecting exasperation, but thankfully I needn’t have worried.

The gentlemen behind the counter listened patiently as I described my intended recipe (stay tuned for the results…) and since the shortest distance between two points is a taste-test they offered samples to help me make a selection.

Friends, I think I picked the right place to try smoked/cured fish for the first time. The texture of Barney’s hand-cut slices is beautifully delicate and thanks to my guides I left with new insight into why there are such strong opinions on which preparation is best - smoked eastern nova tastes really different from say, house-cured gravlox.

There’s a reason that places survive for more than 100 years and it’s not just nostalgia keeping them viable. Those years come from the Greengrass family; owners that value tradition, treat their customers warmly and provide a high-quality product. I’m excited to continue my education on the wide world of smoked fish and with any luck Barney Greengrass will be around to serve as my classroom.