ItaliaRican at Disco Crisco Twister!

In an effort to drum up publicity for this blog as well as my culinary career, I handed out free samples of my spinach pete last Sunday at Arlene’s Grocery the hottest bar in the Lower East Side. The place was packed with people flooding through the doors for Disco Crisco Twister, a monthly event at Arlene’s where adults can act like kids and play various games like musical chairs (with a live band), sing that tune (with a DJ), pop culture trivia and Disco Crisco Twister, a more slippery version of the classic game. Disco Crisco Twister even has its own theme song which was performed by Kindergarten, one of the two live bands who usually play for the event. The co-host Steph pulled me up on stage and we sang the theme song together!

This month’s theme for Disco Crisco was 2001: A Space Odyssey, which explains why my pete was awkwardly labeled “space cakes”, a confusing choice for a nickname considering that space cakes are the code name for marijuana-laced brownies. Thanks to the name a few idiots got the idea that the spinach in my pete was another (illegal) green plant, but I quickly corrected them. The bands played songs in between games, and everyone from the band to the bartenders loved the pete! I served the original three cheese pete (four if you count the grated parmesan sprinkled on top) as well as tofu version, both of which were eagerly gobbled up!

Much thanks to Dana Sterling, the founder of Disco Crisco Twister for letting me serve my food and participate in all the fun and games too. Arlene’s grocery is located at 95 Station Street (between Ludlow & Allen), in the Lower East Side at the 2nd Avenue station on the F line. The next Disco Crisco Twister will be held at Arlene’s Grocery on February 17 at 7 pm and the theme will be Valentine’s Day, so I will be handing out my famous besos, romantically-shaped chocolate chip cookies with naked Hershey’s kisses planted on top. Admission is $10, so come on down and meet me personally and better yet, sample my delicious besos. The cookies I mean!

Cauliflower Patties

Serves 8-10 (Three patties per person)

Cauliflower patties are small, round and contain garlic, parmesan cheese and seasoned bread crumbs. They can be eaten as a side dish, as an hors devour, or even a snack. Because they are healthy and cooked in vegetable oil, I’ve found cauliflower patties to be an effective and creative way to get kids to eat their vegetables. I’ve also observed that some small children do not like to eat white-colored foods like milk, cauliflowers, provolone, white rice, mayonnaise, mashed potatoes, etc., so these golden brown patties should fool them into eating right.

Because of the recipe’s diverse ingredients, I can’t imagine a dish that wouldn’t go well with the patties. For someone who is losing weight, diabetic or just want to eat healthier, cauliflower patties are great substitutes for chips, sandwiches or any other snack food one may eat while watching TV. This recipe only takes 20 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to serve.

You will need:

• 1 large skillet
• 1 spatula
• 1 cereal bowl
• 1 medium-sized or large pot
• 1 spoon (optional)
• 1 ice cream scooper (optional)
• 1 bowl of any size (optional)

Ingredients:

• 2 large heads of fresh cauliflower
• 2 bulbs of finely chopped garlic
• 1 cup of grated parmesan
• 4 cups of seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 large eggs
• 1-2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
• Some apple sauce or ketchup (optional)
• Salt and pepper (optional)

Preparation:

Boil the 2 heads of cauliflower in the pot until it is tender, then place the cauliflower, still in the pot, under cold tap water until it is cool enough for you to safely touch. Drain the water from the pot and break up (not mash) the cauliflower into small chunks. I like to use my hands to break up the cauliflower but you can also use a spoon if you’d like. Beat the two eggs in a small bowl.

With the cauliflower still in the pot add the chopped garlic, the parmesan, 3 cups of seasoned bread crumbs and the eggs. Pour the remaining cup of bread crumbs into a bowl. If you’re itching to get your hands dirty, you can scoop out small clumps of the mixture with your fingers and roll them between the palms of your hands until they take on a patty shape. But if you do this, be sure to wet your hands with cold water and have a bowl of cold tap water handy. If your hands dry up and the patties begin sticking to your hands, simply rinse your hands in the bowl until completely wet and continue. On the other hand, if you do not wish to get your hands dirty, you can always use an ice cream scooper to scoop out the patty mixture and give it its shape. Place the patties into the bowl and roll them around until the patties are completely covered with bread crumbs. This will help the mixture stick together as it is cooking. By now your uncooked patties should look like this.

In order for them to cook properly, the patties should be about the size of an ice cream scooper and definitely not the size of a hamburger patty. Remember that these are often served as snack food or a side dish. Take your large skillet and add vegetable oil, just enough oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Don’t use too much oil or you will drown the patties and they will not stick to themselves. Remember that the oil must already be hot by the time you place the patties onto the skillet. Cook both sides of the patties until they are golden brown and look like this.

With the spatula, place the cooked patties onto a plate covered with a paper towel to soak up any excess oil and allow 5-10 minutes for them to cool down to an edible temperature. The best part about the patties is that they are delicious at any temperature, so don’t worry about them getting cold. Because the patties are firm, they can be eaten with your hands (making them so snackworthy!) as well as with a fork or spoon. If you prefer, add some apple sauce or ketchup on the side in which to dip the patties as well as salt and/or pepper.

The Power of Lemons

Most people only think of lemons as something to add to their drinks. But lemons can also be used in cooking such meats as fish, shrimp, turkey and chicken and even with fruits.

Lemon juice can neutralize the fish’s natural smell and taste. I find it best to let fish marinate in lemon juice for no more than 10-15 minutes before throwing it on the skillet. You shouldn’t worry about the strong taste and scent of the lemon juice overpowering the flavor of the cooked meat. As the meat cooks, the juices seep inside and leave a faint aroma and flavor that can actually improve a fish meal. Shrimp can also be marinated in lemon juice for about 5-10 minutes before cooking it.

Lemons can serve as a tasty meat tenderizer when cooking turkey or chicken, and they are especially effective at tenderizing thighs and breasts. Cut a lemon in half and squeeze it over your meat in a separate bowl before cooking it. Tenderizing loosens the muscles in the meat and allows it to cook faster and makes it easier to cut and chew.

I don’t like using that super-salty powdered meat tenderizer (most of these are like 75 to 90 percent sodium!) that people shake on their steaks, and I’m a bit too lazy to pummel my beef with that little spiky iron mallet. I find lemons to be a much tastier, healthier and easier alternative to others methods of tenderizing meat.

Everyone knows that fruit oxidizes, or turns brown, immediately after you slice it open. But a little dash of freshly squeezed lemon juice on fruit will help slow down that process. This is especially helpful when the fruit being sliced or exposed to the air is for a recipe (like a fruit salad or sangria, which I call “fruit salad for alcoholics”) and not going to be eaten right away. A squeezed lemon will produce more juice if you microwave it for about a minute.

Ironically, my earliest memories of lemons actually have nothing to do with cooking. As a little girl, my family would go to my uncle’s home for dinner every Sunday and I would smell a wonderful aroma throughout the living room during the winter. The aroma was actually lemon and orange peels that he had placed on his radiator with some water in an empty coffee can. The heat piping out of the radiator not only amplified the aroma from the peels but the air pushing out of the radiator spread the wonderful scent around the apartment.

* * * Trivia Time * * *

Most experts agree that the lemon originated in India and was introduced to southern Italy around 200 A.D. It was a very popular crop in the Arab world and the Mediterranean. In fact, the word lemon is derived from the Arabic limun and the Old Italian limone. The Egyptians were the first ones to make lemonade, although I’m not sure who was the first to make it pink. Small pox and gunpowder weren’t the only things Europeans brought to the New World, as Columbus’ ships were full of lemons to feed the sailors.

Lemons are a great source of Vitamin C and have been found to have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. Smokers should take note that lemons can also wipe away some of the carcinogens created by cigarettes. Just like fish, lemon juice is added to many household cleaners to neutralize the pungent odor most of these chemicals emit. The citric acid in lemon juice actually makes lemons useful as tiny batteries. You remember all those elementary and junior high school science fairs? There was always that one kid who hooked up electrodes and a tiny light bulb to a lemon. The Japanese even discovered that the scent of lemons reduce stress in mice, which may explain all those peaceful, happy dinners at my uncle’s.

So next time you’re walking by a fruit stand or by the produce section in your supermarket, don’t just pass by the lemons. Pick up a few and brighten the rest of your day. They’re cheap, they’re useful, they smell great and they’ve been enjoyed for thousands of years.