¡Perro caliente!

San Antonio Bakery

(718) 777-8733

36-20 Astoria Blvd

Queens, NY 11103

My culinary comprehension of Chilean cuisine is tenuous at best, but I do know this -- they rock a hot dog so hard that it could rival anything Chicago has to offer. Meet "El Completo", a snappy dog buried under a mountain of diced tomato, avocado and mayonnaise. The house-baked bun flakes like a biscuit and the zippy salsa cruda has just enough tang to cut through the rich avocado and mayo. I'd love to load this thing up w/ some sport peppers, relish, mustard and sour kraut but I'm not too sure how to translate "drag it through the garden" to Spanish.

-- oh yeah, their empanadas are good too.

© 2009 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable" - http://missioninsatiable.com

How Moose?

I've been making hummus (properly pronounced, "how-moose") once a week for the past three years. The exact recipe has evolved over time and will likely continue to do so. The following is a solid base recipe that couldn't be any easier to put together. My favorite hummus incarnation invloves roasted red peppers and old bay seasoning. I'll let you figure that one out on your own.

Make sure to thin the chickpea mixture w/ cold water BEFORE adding the olive oil, but don't over-do it! The texture achieved prior to adding the oil will be the texture of the finished product -- make sure it's rich and creamy, not too thick or too thin.

***

CV's O.G. Hummus

1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas, drained

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

2 TBS tahini

1/2 lemon, juiced

2-4 TBS cold water

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. combine chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice and spices in the bowl of a food processor. power on. add water, 1 TBS at a time until you've reached a smooth consistency, like softened butter.

2. stop the processor and scrape down the sides; power on again and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. adjust seasoning to taste.

© 2009 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable" - http://missioninsatiable.com

One Ugly MF'er

The cherimoya is a pre-historic fruit native to the Andean-highland valleys of Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. This thing looks like something the Predator might snack on when not stalking unsuspecting soldiers in the bush.

The flavor is foreign, but not un-pleasing -- sweet and a bit musky. The texture is reminiscent of a cooked custard, or maybe even a panna cotta. If a mango had a three-some w/ a papaya & a banana, I suspect the cherimoya would be the result.

I enjoyed one specimen fridge-chilled and the other frozen. When frozen, the cherimoya's lavish flesh took on the texture of a sorbet, however, the taste was muddled; I much preferred the fridge-chilled cherimoya. I don't imagine this fruit is all that enjoyable at room temperature.

© 2009 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable" - http://missioninsatiable.com