Homemade Ricotta Cheese Experiment!

 Homemade Ricotta Cheese Experiment!!!

My good friend Rachel (a member of Genghis Barbie...) gave me this easy recipe for homemade Ricotta Cheese. All you need is: 

-1 gallon of milk (preferably whole and organic)

-1 pint (or small container) of heavy cream

-1/2 cup white vinegar

-a candy thermometer

-cheesecloth

-a big pot, a colander and a spoon!

Start with your big pot. Pour in your gallon of milk. I started with a gallon of organic raw milk from the raw dairy co-op I recently joined called Udder Milk. Check them out! 

(daaaaaang that's thick!)

The nice people at Udder Milk said that this cream would be heavy, and they weren't kidding. It was THICK. 

Add your heavy cream and stir. Turn on the heat to LOW. It's gonna take a looooooong time to heat up, but it's going to be worth it!

 Now it's time to put in your candy thermometer. This one ($9.99 at Bed, Bath and Beyond) is adjustable and clips onto the side of your pot. Try to have it slightly above the bottom of the pot in order to get a more accurate reading of the milk temperature.

(keep it moving!) 

 

Stir frequently throughout, especially when it gets hot- try not to let any film build up on top of the milk.

Heat slowly until the temperature reads  

170 degrees.

When the temp is right, take the mixture off of the heat and let it sit for a minute while you measure your ingredients.

Measure out 1/2 cup of white vinegar.

Pour it in! 

 Let the vinegar sit for a minute while you get your strainer ready.

Take your cheesecloth and get it ready. Lay it over your colander and put it in the sink (make sure it's clean!).

Now get back to your pot o' milk (or is it cheese now!?) and stir gently.

(you gotta keep 'em separated!)

 At this point, it smells SO GOOD that you might lose your mind.

Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined colander and strain to a consistency of your liking. It's okay if there is a lot of extra moisture, you can always strain it again, or for each individual use. You can also add extra milk to smooth out the consistency if you want a creamier ricotta.

Now you have HOMEMADE RICOTTA CHEESE!

  Mmmmmm... it looks good!

Let's make dinner! 

I roasted some asparagus, baked a chicken breast, made some local greenmarket Carrot pasta with garlic & chives and dressed a salad with a homemade Raspberry Shrub Vinaigrette.

YUM!

For breakfast: ricotta pancakes. Then... ricotta cheesecake?

Enjoy!

Tito Rad's: Finest Filipino Cuisine

Mabuhay!

(...and they got an "A" for sanitation!)

Many of you (my theoretical readers...) may not be familiar with Filipino cuisine, so I ate a LOT of it the other night so that I could show you what it's like (okay, maybe that wasn't the reason...). I am somewhat familiar with Tito's offerings- I traveled to the Philippines for three summers with a group called Cultures in Harmony, a New York based NGO that brings people together through music!

Tito Rad's is tucked away on a lesser known chunk of Queens Boulevard next to a strip club called Secrets (formerly Honey's). It is not the most glamorous of locations, but, as advertised, it is indeed the finest Filipino cuisine.

(almost as good as the real thing... sorta not really.)

The best thing about Filipino food is undoubtedly the mangoes. Unfortunately, you can't find fresh ones in NYC (from the Philippines), and we are stuck with the oversized, fibrous ones from Mexico. A Filipino mango is small, super sweet and has the texture of the smoothest sorbet. I opted for a glass of mango juice at Tito's to start the meal off right. My eating-adventure companion had some Buko (coconut) Juice. 

One of the things I noticed immediately was that we were surely the only non-Filipinos at Tito Rad's, and one of the only tables with fewer than 10 diners. Almost every inch of the modest restaurant was filled with families- we even saw a birthday celebration complete with a giant purple Ube cake!

(I will be dreaming about this.)

 We started things off deliciously with some Sizzling Sisig, a dish I ate at pretty much every restaurant we went to in the Philippines. It's so good. Finely minced (well, Tito's version is a generous chop) spiced pork belly served hot on a skillet ($7.95). Our incredibly cheerful waitress suggested an egg mixed in... obviously we agreed. 

We squeezed a little lemon on it and chowed down with some rice. It was pretty much out-of-this-world.

(noods)

We decided to mix things up with a noodle dish, and we tried this Pancit Bihon with Chicken, Pork, Shrimp and Chinese Sausages ($7.95). The "Chinese sausage" is very sweet and has a really unique flavor. The only other place I've seen it was at the (sadly, now closed) Isan Thai restaurant in Astoria called Poodam's. My friend said it tasted like Chinese beef jerky. The noodles were tasty, but seemed like more of a side dish. 

 (there's a whole 'nother fish under that one!)

We took things out to sea with some Daing na Bangus ($8.95), or fried Milkfish. We ate this just about every single day in the Philippines, and it was very good here at Tito's, not to mention you got 2 whole fishes....!

 (it's basically a giant chicharron...)

There was one dish that just about every party at Tito Rad's had on their table, and so we decided it must be a must-have! The Crispy Pata, or fried pig knuckle ($8.95), certainly delivered. It was a monstrous hock of tasty pork, fried to perfection: thick, crispy skin on the outside that cracked open to reveal the tender, juicy meat within. 

(...but look at that juicy meat!!)


For dessert we sampled two of my favorite Filipino treats. The most unique is called Halo Halo (pronounced: "hollow") ($5.95), which translates to something along the lines of "all mixed up." (literally: "mix mix")
This concoction is usually based with shaved ice and condensed milk, and then you throw whatever the hell you want inside. Ours included Ice Cream, rice krispies, red beans, Ube paste, gelatin, mango, lychee, flan and probably a few other things I couldn't identify. I was a little bit disappointed/relieved that there was no corn inside, something that you'd usually get in your Halo Halo in the Philippines.

(Hello, my Halo Halo!)


My favorite Filipino dessert is Turon with Ice Cream ($5.95), a mini banana spring roll. Tito's version is crispy and sweet, with a hint of a vanilla sauce drizzled on the plate (which I really would have loved more of!!)and served with strawberry ice cream to dip into. 

(in the Philippines they are often served with a caramel sauce... I can roll with that...!)
 
As you can see, the prices at Tito Rad's are extraordinarily reasonable. The atmosphere is fun and unique- like the food! 


If you're looking for a culinary adventure (or just a delicious meal!), Tito Rad's is worth the short trip out to Sunnyside. And don't forget, it's near plenty of (ahem) ...recreation. 


!!!


Tito Rad's 
Grill and Restaurant
49-12 Queens Boulevard
Woodside, NY 11377
http://www.titorads.com/
Tel. (718) 205-7299

Tacos El Vagabundo: World's Best Taco Truck

(ummmmm... free delivery!?!)

It's very simple. Taco trucks are great- but Tacos El Vagabundo is king. 

Parked at the SW corner of 41st St and Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside, Tacos El Vagabundo provides a cheap dinner or a drunken nightcap with equal finesse and deliciousness.

(I like that they always ask, "To stay, or to go?")

The tacos are always solid. They are $2.50. I have paid for tacos in small change many times without a hint of judgement from the incredibly friendly cooks who man the truck. 

Also available are tortas, burritos, quesadillas and assorted drinks and sodas. A vast selection of meats cater to your ever-changing taste for variety- everything from Asada Beef to Chicken, Pastor to Spicy Sausage.

 
(you know it's gonna be a good night when the truck is parked)
  
The only downside to Tacos El Vagabundo is that it is not parked 24/7. They usually roll up between 8 and 9 pm and are open until the wee hours of the morning (sometimes as late as 4:30 am). They are not there at ALL on Sundays which is a small tragedy. 

*Author's note: Tacos from Tacos El Vagabundo are best enjoyed shoved into a pocket and smuggled into

Sunnyside Center Cinemas...

Tacos El Vagabundo

Queens Blvd & 41st St
Sunnyside, NY 11104

(347) 276-4522