A Spoonful of Sofrito: NYC Winter Wine Festival!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

NYC Winter Wine Festival!

Sofrito Lovers,

I made a promise to a friend that I would promote one of her favorite food and wine festival on my blog, so here it is: NYC Winter Wine Festival!

I'm not the biggest wine connoisseur, but I must admit that from time to time a nice dry White Wine or fruity red wine can be quite satisfying.  According to Jennie, this festival is an amazing opportunity for wine lovers and wine novices (like me) to sample a variety of wines from all over the world.  

She also mentioned that the plentiful and almost never ending hor d'oeuvres are INCREDIBLE!  Okay, now I'm sold!  Hope to see you there!  Mark your calendars: Saturday, March 10th, 2018 NYC Winter Wine Festival!

Don't take my word for it or Jennie's, go taste for yourself!  ¡Buen provecho!

NYC Winter Wine Festival

 

Named by Thrillist as one of the “17 Things You Have to Do in Winter in New York City.”

New York Wine Events is pleased to invite you to the NYC Winter Wine Festival, our largest tasting of the year with hundreds of wines. Join us at The PlayStation Theater in Times Square on Saturday, March 10, 2018 as we savor wines from all over the world, delicious food and amazing music.

See photos and videos from past events.
 

ABOUT THE 2018 NYC WINTER WINE FESTIVAL:

Discover what satisfied attendees already know: New York Wine Events produces world class wine festivals!

New York Wine Events is transforming Times Square’s PlayStation Theater into an indoor vineyard. Attendees will taste world class wine, delicious light hors d’oeuvres and artisanal snacks.

Participating wine importers and wineries source their selections from the world’s finest grape growing regions in France, Italy, Spain, South Africa, California, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Portugal, Japan, Austria and Germany.

 

Check out more information on the Festival here!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Tipping is Racist!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Tipping is Racist!

 

Sofrito Lovers,

After watching this video, I have a newfound respect for our servers and the hard work they do to receive bullshit money.  I've heard that the history of tipping was based on racism, but never the full history until now!

Watch, learn, and dig deep next time you visit your favorite eateries.  Go taste for yourself! ¡Buen provecho!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Ramen chef review instant Ramen!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Ramen chef review instant Ramen!

Sofrito Lovers,

I have a love/hate relationship with instant Ramen.  Sometimes, I can't stand those disgusting plastic covered salt bombs, but occasionally I break down and buy a few just to have around the house.  

Unfortunately, I can't always visit one my favorite Ramen restaurants when I get the craving, therefore I must rely on those heart attack causing sodium grenades to satisfy my noodle slurping needs. 

Not all instant Ramens are bad, some are even delicious-if you dress it up with some veggies, protein, and sesame oil.  A few days ago, I saw this cool video on BuzzfeedVideo, which featured a Ramen chef tasting and rating different instant Ramens.  Impressed and slightly curious, I knew I had to share with you.  He actually inspired me to try some new Ramen flavors...God help my sodium levels!

Watch it and then go taste or slurp for yourself!  ¡Buen Provecho!

PS: If you get to urge to enjoy some delicious ramen, then go to Tampopo Ramen in Washington Height!  I'm writing a review about it and I'm sure you'll love it!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Matriarch Behind Puerto Rican Mainstay Casa Adela Dies at 81

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Matriarch Behind Puerto Rican Mainstay Casa Adela Dies at 81!

  

Sofrito Lovers,

A Puerto Rican food Goddess has returned to heaven.  Doña Adela Fargas, owner of the INCREDIBLE Casa Adela in the Lower East side, made her transition to the great Fonda in the sky over the weekend.  Doña Adela leaves behind a forty year legacy of amazing food and thousands of adoring fans from all over the world.  She will be missed!

I loved Doña Adela, she was sweet, funny, witty, and brilliant.  She loved to talk about food, politics, and dished out some seriously sage advice.  Our city has lost a giant!  We Boricua foodies stand on her great shoulders.

Please read the article below from Eater.com and scroll down to see the information for her viewing.  And, make sure to get a meal at Casa Adela!

 

Matriarch Behind Puerto Rican Mainstay Casa Adela Dies at 81
 

Adela Fargas was known for her Puerto Rican fare and friendly demeanor!

by Serena Dai Jan 16, 2018, 9:18am EST

Adela Fargas Photo via Casa Adela

The always-present matriarch behind Alphabet City mainstay Casa Adela has died, according to the Puerto Rican restaurant. Adela Fargas — long a fixture in the East Village and LES — was 81.

A memorial with a slew of candles and flowers has already popped up outside the restaurant, which has been open for more than 40 years at 66 Avenue C, according to EV Grieve. Hundreds of comments also poured out over social media, noting memories of both her presence in the Puerto Rican community and the way she perfected the spices of a rotisserie chicken.

Casa Adela, open since 1976, became a pillar in the neighborhood under Fargas. It’s known for that rotisserie chicken, as well as Puerto Rican classics like mofongo and pernil asado. Celebrities like actress Rosario Dawson have visited the restaurant, but many locals and Puerto Rican immigrants visited for Fargas herself, whose friendly demeanor and welcoming presence made them feel like they were eating grandma’s home cooking at the restaurant.

The restaurant, run by her family, remains open. A viewing for Fargas will be held on Friday, January 19th. 

From Eater.com

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Healthy versions of unhealthy snacks!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Healthy versions of unhealthy snacks!

Sofrito Lovers,

It's January 16th and by now many of our healthy eating and exercise resolutions have probably gone by the wayside!  But, not all is lost, there's more than enough time to start over. 

Unhealthy foods can have a powerful hold on us and old habits die hard, but it can be done.  Sometimes switching out our unhealthy snacks with healthier versions can be the motivating factor we need to get back into the exercise grind.

Check out these amazing Healthy versions of unhealthy snacks from Tasty.  Now you can reward yourself with some Greek yogurt/peanut butter ice cream after you've run a few miles on the treadmill.  You can enjoy some baked Buffalo wings before you do the Elliptical.  It's all bout being flexible, creative, and open minded.

Get back to the gym, track, or wherever you do your workout and get sweating, then go taste for yourself.  ¡Buen provecho! 

 

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Homemade Japanese Curry Rice!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Homemade Japanese Curry Rice!

Sofrito Lovers,

I love curry!  It can be South Asian curry, Caribbean curry, Irish curry, or Ann Curry I don't care, I love it all!  That's why when I came across this amazing recipe for Japanese curry on Serious Eats I knew I had to share with all of you.

Honestly, I've never had the pleasure of tasting Japanese curry.  I've had Chinese curry and some Korean curry spiced dishes, but the Japanese recipes have always alluded me...until now!  

As you know, I'm slowly getting back into cooking and this my wonderful Sofrito Lovers is going to be one of my future cooking challenges.  I'll document the process for you!  Wish me luck!

If you try, let me know! Now go taste for yourself!  ¡Buen provecho!

Japanese Curry Rice Recipe  

by Aya Tanaka

 

I ate a lot of Japanese curry growing up. My Japanese father was the preferred cook of the household, and he would make curry rice at least once a week. Because Japanese curry roux blocks weren't readily available, he made Japanese curry from scratch.

My father simply sautéed meat, potatoes, carrots, and onions, seasoned with salt and pepper, added water, and when everything was cooked, he would add a mix of flour and curry powder dissolved in water to the pot. And it was good! Not to mention a great novelty to all my friends who'd come have dinner at home.

Indeed, I grew up thinking curry was an original Japanese dish—I had little idea of its South East Asian roots. It was only when I left home for college in the US that I started frequenting Indian and Thai restaurants—and discovered the convenience of Japanese curry blocks. It was also only then that I realized that my father's method was somewhat imperfect since the flour didn't get properly cooked (and often the curry was lumpy). When I discovered roux sometime later, I started to improve on my father's curry method.

Check out the recipe here!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Delicous Indian food at home!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Delicious Indian food at home!

Sofrito Lovers,

I miss cooking.  I started cooking because I wanted my wonderful BearBear David to eat delicious healthy home cooked meals instead of his beloved frozen and fast food. Also, we were spending way too much money eating out and I knew that I could kick ass in the kitchen if I tried.

It was so much fun!  I loved challenging myself to conquer new recipes! It was a creative outlet as well-I never followed recipes word for word.  Often times, I substituted ingredients, added veggies, and played with spices just to see how yummy something could become!  Above all else, the best part was watching David enjoy his dinner!  I swear he's the cutest eater in the world!

I think it's time I got back in the kitchen and started crushing some more recipes!  Watching the video below has inspired me to find my crock pot and get started!  

Check out the One Pot Chef's (one of my favorite cooking channels on YouTube) recipe for a delicious Butter Curry Chicken.  This is going to be my weekend project, wish me luck!  You should try it to and let me know what you think!

Go taste for yourself! ¡Buen provecho!