I ♥ Cilantro

Some of my former fellow interns may think this is a post about Cilantro the restauarant, the site of our graduation day intern lunch, where the margaritas are strong, the plantain chips are endless…. And while I do love that place (Hornitos, please!), this is about cilantro the herb.

Cilantro is also known as Chinese Parsley or Coriander and is a member of the carrot family (vital information!). It is a staple of Mexican, Caribbean, and Asian cooking and has a distinctly pungent flavor and odor which if used incorrectly can overpower a dish. This is one of the reasons it is not found in European cooking despite its growth in the wild of southern Europe. The Chinese used to believe the herb brought immortality and it has been considered an aphrodisiac since the days of the Arabian nights.... Get in!

This herb is available year-round in the grocery store, so there is no real excuse for not adding it to meals in lieu of other salty or fat filled condiments. It is great in all tomato based recipes and gives bold tastes to stir fries and salads. It is said to have medicinal use as an appetite stimulant that curbs cholesterol, and has antibacterial qualities when used externally.

Cilantro can be easily grown in a pot…in say, even a small Manhattan kitchen. It grows quickly and can be used in everyday cooking to keep the plant fresh of bolting (early seeding through flowering). Basically, if the flavor agrees with you, it is great. If it doesn't...don't eat what I cook. ;)

~beth with her girls, Megan F. and Jatonamous at the NYP August 2007 Intern Graduation Lunch

The Mythical Legend Known As “Bacon Dinner”

“Bacon Dinner” grew out of a stifling August night in a kitchenette on the Lower East Side. It began in the market, while searching for foods palatable to people who loathed vegetables and vegetablekind to make a full dinner. The scarcity of items led to the realization the bacon should probably just be included in every dish, therefore rendering the vegetables bacon-like in their greatness and acceptable to all who would dine on them. Therefore, two 1 pound packages of thick-cut Boar’s Head Brand cured bacon were placed lovingly in the basket with some other ingredients, all of which would become what we now know as “Bacon Dinner.”

The main course would be a variation on this meal called “Monterrey Chicken” served at the horrid and now defunct chain restaurant where I waitressed in college. Only with this preparation, the bacon would not be there to accessorize the bird, it would take over the plate to make it an experience. The bacon is cooked first, not to a crisp, but to a medium, then set aside. Hands will be slapped if they try to steal any of the bacon goodness, it is understood. The chicken is then browned in the nice bacon juices and kept on warm in wait for the other bits and bobs to be finished.

All the while sweet potatoes are being sliced to millimeter thinness to be tossed on medium heat with sliced Vidalia onions, a chunk of butter, and about a 1/3 pound of glorious bacon to cook and meld together. The bacon juices from the chicken are then added. Also, green beans are being steamed with some slices of chopped up bacon for flavor, or rather to make them taste less like beans and more like bacon.

Lastly, a tossed salad is put together made of crispy Romaine hearts, tomato wedges, green onions, crisped bacon bits, and a snappy French dressing ("Briana's"). The chicken is laid on plates and topped with bacon strips, sprinkled with cheddar cheese, chopped tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and green onions. There is spicy barbecue sauce and Tapatio on the side for dipping.

The hot August air of the small apartment would not be noticeable to those sitting down to the bacon feast. Bacon had been infused into all four parts of the meal, beginning the legend which would only be celebrated in the most important of settings. The apartment would smell for days like this feast of pork and all who are lucky enough to consume it remain giddy for days with joy that only bacon brings.

That is just a small look into the legend that is bacon dinner. It has only been replicated once since and no, there is not a recipe to be given out.

*Dedicated to my one and only "Bacon Dinner" sous chef, my S.F. "wife" Emy... ~beth