Arthur Avenue Strikes Again - Saturday Morning Shopping

The weather this morning was nice and I was in the mood for some good cooking. Rather than make my usual rounds at the local markets, I thought that a trip to Arthur Avenue would be much more inspirational. So I decided to skip breakfast and in hang in there for some excellent and super fresh sfogliatelle, perhaps the great ones that I've had in the past at De Lillo's Pastry Shop. So the Queen and I hit the road early this morning and made our way out to the Bronx. A short voyage, but a treat of excitement for both of us.

Arthur Avenue and 187th Street

The municipal market is one of the first stops I make while walking through the neighborhood. I always fight excellent produce .This time the Italian eggplant was at its best. And not to far from it, lay bunches of fresh kale that just called out my name. Or was it Anthony, the euphoric Neapolitan shopkeeper who was excited to see me. My shopping list did include many other things, but the veggies today made their way into my menu later that day . Here are two of the items that I presented to fan club and guests.

Roasted Egglant

Roasted Egglant

Not much going on here.  Clean , cut into halves, sprinkle with salt ,  pepper, EVOO and roast. Use at room temperature, as a topping , appetizer or simple side dish.

Crispy Roasted Kale

Roasted Kale With Cumin Coriander Seasoning

My friend David raves about roasted Kale. So have many others. I have even started it seeing it in "junk" food section of Whole Foods Market as an alternative to chips and other goodies like that. So I thought I would give making some roasted kale and, of course , add a twist of my own to it. Well it worked wonders and will make it to my list of quick and dirty appetizers for the future.

Clean the kale ,toss with some salt, pepper, cumin and EVOO. Place on a cookie sheet snd bake at 400F until crisp but not burnt. Garnish with dry cranberries. It turns out that the tart and sweetness of the berries, plays really well with the faint earthiness of the roasted greens.

Salute !