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In Pursuit Of | A Good Beef Patty

i’m done with my quest… for now

Honestly, truly and deeply done.  Unhappily done.  For real, for real.  For now.

I’ve had this beef patty pang that I haven’t quite been able to satisfy for ages.  Really, since moving here.  It’s been in the back of my mind.  Calling me upon occasion.  Begging me to get my Island on.

You know when you’re so used to being able to get something that it doesn’t cross your mind that you can’t or have to, like, look?  Yeah.  Beef Patties.  Growing up in DC and living in New York , I could get them at pretty much any corner store.  Sitting there drying out under that heat bulb, all normal, like withering hot dogs rotating on greasy convenience store roller grills.  Well, that’s not normal here.  At least not in my Korean/Latino/Multi-Culti neighborhood.

I tried to make them last year.  Really.  I wanted a beef patty and I wasn’t ready for my big LA adventure.  How’d they turn out?  Um, that was the first in the growing list of “Les Petites Catastrophes.”  I thought since I’ve been in need of a particular brand of curry powder and hot sauce from the Caribbean that I would combine pursuits and explore more of LA.

It seems this endeavor has only been a kinda successful.  Blue Mountain Curry Powder! Matouk’s! Yes and Yessss.  Beef Patty goodness? OH.NO.

Ma PC – Pale pastry aka phyllo.   Filling color off.   Flavor so not right, but on its way.  Texture off, more sloppy-joe like than patty filling.  A lot of work something for that is really a pocket full of spicy meat.
Jamaican Grocery/Restaurant – Pastry looked good, but was a little sweet. {♥:Um, no.}  Filling texture was alright.  Color, I guess, okay.  Taste, nope.  Veg patty. {♥:Why?} It was like greens in wheat bread.  Beef only, pls.  Thx.
Jamaican Restaurant #2 – Just no.  I think I’ve forgotten everything about it on purpose.  Pastry was fine, filling not.
Frozen from African/Asian/Caribbean Grocery – Brand I know from NYC.  Filling spilled out looking like newborn poo.  For REAL.  Beef patty filling shouldn’t look runny babypoo brown.  It just shouldn’t.  I was actually excited that the store carried a brand that I could put a taste to the name.  For the not so low price of 8 dollars, I got 3 frozen beef patties and a broken heart.

Honestly, I think I want a generic beef patty, all yellow flaky pastry and annatto stained super spiced beef filling.  No one’s special homemade gourmet patty made by the cook in the back of the kitchen from someone’s grandmother’s recipe is cutting it with me.  I want what I want.  With some ginger beer or Ting.

I going to try to make it once more before I give up, before I leave all my beef patty wants and dreams to a trip to Jamaica or DC or NYC or Toronto.   Or anywhere else where there is a large population of West Indians demanding the ultimate in average, ordinary snack food.

Nikki♥

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HFTM | Pershing SQ – You Made Me Love You

just a few things that made it home from the market…


This week in “Yay!” is brought to you by the color Yellow and Lunch Hour Chinese Takeout {♥:No Judgement}…

Zucchini and I didn’t “meet cute” when I was a kid.  We were re-introduced this week by way of Kung Pao w/random veggies that the guy behind the counter couldn’t completely separate out.  I’m philosophically opposed to throwing away vegetables, even ones I don’t like.  {♥: Huh? Tell me lies… tell me sweet little…}  Okay.  I thought about it.  I started putting the chunks of zucchini aside and then tasted one.  It was love at first crunch.

We hooked up at Pershing the next day.  If everything goes according to fantasy, I  think it’ll be a late Summer ’11 wedding.  Or, maybe we’ll just elope and I’ll post the pictures.

Nikki♥

*

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HFTM | Pershing SQ {Beautiful & Bruised}

they made it home from the market…

When I’m choosing what to bring home from the farmers’ market, I feel like I’m looking for something completely different than when I’m at conventional grocery stores and Whole Foods.

Perfection has a different set of criteria.  Those peaches, the ones above, would be sitting and left to rot.  Because they would have been next to ones that were less visually flawed or they wouldn’t have been on display at all.

But, my word, you should have smelled them.  I couldn’t take it all in.  I couldn’t breathe deeply enough.  They may have been visibly bruised, but beyond the skin there was just a gentle nudge to the otherwise firm flesh.  And, oh, were they sweet.

It’s only been a year since I’ve been going regularly to a few of my local farmers’ markets.  It’s been this amazing experience learning to use my other senses in picking produce.  I, now, know why it’s still hit or miss at conventional stores, cause pretty is only part of the story.

Nikki♥

*Oh, the tomatoes?  Those poor things are a casualty of my tote every week.  The busted ones end up in a pot of something moments after the last snap.  It’s like they make the sacrifice so their friends can rest another day.

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Tigress’ Can Jam | Ohhh, Peaches (Sept)

summer summer fruit… it wouldn’t be summer without ’em*

Have you ever had a conversation that really would be thought of as inappropriate if overheard?  Man, these peaches could’ve gotten me into lots of trouble.

September’s TCJ produce: Stone Fruit.  I picked peaches and lost my mind fairly quickly.  Umm, yeah.  Sorry, I only put up a super tiny batch because I couldn’t stop eating them.

Seriously, I went to the farmers’ market near work twice.  I went to two different grocery stores.  All had good local peaches.  All got EATEN.

They were these big, beautiful, ripe and juicy things that wanted to be spoken of in lush, seductive terms.  Smelling so light and sweet.  All that peachy-ness dancing on air, tempting me.  My guilty hands covered in nectar.

See what i mean?  They were the best kind of trouble.  So. Damn. Good.

At the office, they were so enticing that I wasn’t surprised only a few made it home.  When I tried to explain to a co-worker how amazing they were, he started looking around for HR.

They really were the perfect example of why eating seasonally and locally is so important, at least where taste is concerned.  I decided the few peaches I had left should get the simplest treatment possible.

Gently Gingered Peaches
Adapted from the basic peach recipe in Linda J Amendt’s  Blue Ribbon Preserves

Makes 2 Pints or 1 quart

2-3 lbs of firm, ripe, unblemished peaches
2 cups of water
¾ cup of sugar
4 cups of cold water
1 tablespoon of antioxidant crystals or ascorbic acid crystals (hey there fruit fresh)
Fresh ginger coin slice (1/8th in thick) (if using pints cut in half)

Rinse peaches in cool water.

Sterilize jars and lids.

In a 4 quart pan, combine the 2 cups of water and ginger with the sugar.  Stir until sugar is dissolved over med-high heat.  Once dissolved, turn the heat up and bring it to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to low, cover and keep syrup hot until needed.

In a large bowl, combine the 4 cups of cold water and antioxidant crystals.  Stir until the crystals are completely dissolved.

Peeling that peach: fill a pan about half full of water and bring it to a simmer.  Fill another large bowl with ice water.  Carefully lower the peaches a few at a time into the water for about 30 seconds.  Remove the peaches and get them into the ice bath for a minute or two.  Repeat the whole thing with the rest of your peaches.

Using a sharp paring knife, carefully skin them peaches.  Cut each peach in half and remove the pit.   Using a spoon, carefully remove the red stuff  from the center of the peaches.  Umm, this might take practice or a pitting spoon.  Mine didn’t look super pretty, more gutted.  But, whatever.

Place the halved fruit in the antioxidant solution.  Don’t leave longer than 20 minutes.  Remove the peaches from their “please-don’t-turn-mangy-colors” bath.  Rinse thoroughly and drain well.

Add peaches to the hot syrup.  Over medium heat, let the peaches cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove the pan from the heat.

Add ¼ cup of hot syrup into each jar.  Pack the peaches, cut side down,  into the jars, leaving a ½ inch headspace.

So, ummm, I, apparently, stopped here thinking that was, you know, it. I covered the peaches and added the ginger to the jar.  Checked for air bubbles and processed in the hot water bath.

Well, that wasn’t it.  Here are the rest of Linda’s directions.  I’m about to eat my peaches that I put up and start over.

Place a sieve over a medium saucepan and line the sieve with 3-4 layers of clean, damp cheesecloth.  Strain the syrup through the cheesecloth.  Over med-high heat, quickly bring the syrup to a boil.  Remove the pan from the heat.

Ladle the hot syrup in to the jars, covering the peaches and leaving ½ inch headspace.  Using a bubble freer or a plastic knife, remove any trapped air bubbles.  Hold the jar up and check from the bottom for any air bubbles trapped under the fruit.  If necessary, add more syrup to maintain headspace.  Wipe the jar rims and triads with a clean, damp cloth.  Cover with hot lids and apply screw rings.  Process pint jars in water bath for 20 minutes, quart jars for 25 minutes.

I think the last step will stick now that I’ve typed it for you.  Woo-hoo.

TheNikkiBits: Well, you saw the reading comprehension part isn’t really my strong suit when it comes to recipes.  I kinda just want to finish.  Looks like I know what I’m having for brekkie in the am.  Wait, why did I just envision a bit of good vanilla ice cream volunteering to be the bed for that peach dream?  Oh, and I’ve already sipped a little of the syrup that was left over.  I can’t wait to get a little licka to go with it.  I might even try to rock a ginger peach soju cocktail this evening.  Mmmm…. Yeahh…

What’sNext: Back to the Farmers’ Market on Sunday to see if there are more yellow beauties to behold and be canned.

Nikki♥

*does anyone remember that commercial?

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Seen | Ehhhh… Tagged

yeah… the first kind of speaks for the rest…

I heard a bite in a graf doc a few years ago that stuck with me.  The guy said once you notice it, you’ll realize it’s everywhere.  Ummm, okay.  Can the good stuff be everywhere? Or can we not do the new school in the neighborhood?

I don’t know what I feel anymore.  I guess because I see a LOT of it.  We don’t really have pieces around here.  It’s a bunch of tagging, a bit of stencil and old post office stickers.  Some of it is really interesting.  Most of it… eh, not so much.

Nikki♥

The Doc? Bomb It

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The Shoulds | Hiding From The Sun

of course there are things I should do…

The older women in my neighborhood could give a master class in deflecting rays.  From umbrellas and visors to hats and shade stalking, they stay covered.  I should take notes, but I can’t seem to even remember my sunglasses.

Yeah, I’m still not that LA.

Nikki♥