Sasa Recipe

Were headed to New York later this afternoon to be official guest bloggers for The Gulf Oyster Industry Council (GOIC) at the James Beard Taste America event on Friday and Saturday. Being a native Texan who grew up on the Texas Gulf Coast, I really appreciate GOICs mission to the oyster industry along the Gulf Coast Region. Thanks to everyone who voted for us in the contest via Facebook last month...without your support and votes, this never wouldve been possible! Were so excited to visit one of our favorite cities and attend an all-star culinary event on Friday and Saturday. Well be providing live social media updates via Instagram (WEEKENDGOURMET), Facebook (The Weekend Gourmet) and Twitter (@TheWeekendGourm). To see all the fun as it happens,make sure to follow The Weekend Gourmet via these social media channels...if you dont already.
The James Beard Taste America event starts on Friday evening with a cocktail party and seated dinner at Tom Colicchios Riverpark restaurant called "The Artful Chef." It features a menu created by some amazing chefs, including Daniel Patterson, Sisha Ortuzar, Alex Guarnaschelli, Brooks Headley and Andrew Carmellini. I cant wait to see what amazing culinary creations they serve us! The fun continues on Saturday morning with a live cooking demonstration at Sur la Table featuring Chef Patterson, who is Chef at Coi in San Francisco. For two foodies like us, this weekend is the trip of a lifetime...and I cant wait to share the experience with yall. But...the fun doesnt end on Saturday. 

Were extending our stay a few days so we can enjoy the sights...and tastes of one of our very favorite cities. New York is a city with food for every taste, plenty of sights to see, and music to listen to. We plan to enjoy all three...day and night!! 
Some of the fun stuff on our agenda includes a Broadway show (Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark), some late-night jazz at Dizzys Club Coca Cola and a visit to the Empire State Building after dark...very romantic! Well also be eating some of our favorite foods, including Doughnut Plant doughnuts, Laduree macarons and chocolate chip cookies from Levain Bakery. Were checking out several new-to-us restaurants this trip, including Jacobs Pickles, David Burke Fishtail and Bread & Tulips. Be sure to come read our multi-part culinary travelogue in a few weeks to see tons of fabulous pictures and hear all about our adventures in the Big Apple! 

While were gone, Im leaving you in very good hands. Two of my food blog friends are going to be providing guest posts while Im gone. Theyll share some fantastic Fall-inspired dishes...one savory and one sweet. Until next week, Michael and I bid you Bon Voyage! 

A few months ago, my father, from his home in New York, happened to be talking to someone on the West Coast. "I told her that my daughter writes about Jewish food for The Oregonian!" he proudly told me. Really? I was about to correct his somewhat misdirected paternal pride, but then I thought, well, hes not quite wrong. While its certainly not the first phrase Id grab to describe my freelance career, at the same time, I cant really argue with it. As evidenced by this Passover season.

This past month Ive been up to my matzo-covered elbows in a variety of Passover dishes. Last week I mentioned my Sephardic dinner party in Mix Magazine, featuring a feast full of warm North African spices, piles of punchy fresh herbs, and all sorts of tagines and artichokes and lemons. While someone with a citrus allergy might have problems with the menu, I think anyone looking for an extraordinary Seder meal would be pretty well pleased.

Oh, and then theres my feature on NPRs Kitchen Window about minas, the Sephardic matzo pie. I talk a bit about their history, then fill them with saffron-scented potatoes and artichokes; dilled spinach and feta; lemony leeks, asparagus, and fresh mint; and, thanks to the wonderful Jennifer Abadi, a Turkish lamb and beef filling, savory with onions and tomatoes, and brightened up by fresh herbs.

But theres more: todays Oregonian features a gefilte fish cook-off, with local chefs providing traditional and updated recipes from around the world to give a new spin on the oft-maligned Passover fish patty. Oh, and also a small mention of a Manischewitz spritzer, realizing the true destiny of the syrupy plonk as a the base of a sweet boozy soda.

So yeah, its possible my dad was right. Happy Passover!