NYC Events – Page 7 – Not Eating Out in New York

22 Apr 2009

Eco-friendly prizes aplenty at the Risotto Challenge

by Cathy Erway | posted in: Cook-Offs, Events, NYC Events | 8

It’s been fun trawling the Internet today for Earth Day-related articles and blog posts. There’s a lot of positive energy out there, and I’ve been seeing much murmering about how to eat more green, or garden more green, how to drink, or not drink, more green, even date more green. Even the prophet Pollan has spoken on this national holiday, with some urgent calls to action and praise for the rise in home gardening. But I thought I’d mention another … Read More

21 Apr 2009

Edamame Hummus with Wonton Wrapper Chips (and a May Day menu teaser)

by Cathy Erway | posted in: Events, gluten-free, My Events, NYC Events, Recipes, Sides & Salads, vegetarian | 31

Guac and corn chips it is not. Plain-old hummus and pita it’s neither. Just as munchable as either of the above, I’d say definitely, as well as easy to prepare. It’s edamame, or soy beans, cooked and mashed up just like chickpea hummus (minus the tahini), and eggy wonton wrappers baked with a coating of oil and sesame seeds. And — with a little modification — it’s one of the four canapés that will precede the five-course dinner on May … Read More

11 Apr 2009

Introducing Hapa Kitchen and May Day benefit at Queens County Farm Museum

by Cathy Erway | posted in: Events, NYC Events | 11

It’s been a busy spring, and this holiday weekend I’m excited to finally share two projects that I’ve been cooking up. (When it rains, it pours!) First up is the Hapa Kitchen, a supper club and collaborative cooking project co-founded with my friend and frequent kitchen comrade, chef Akiko Moorman. To kick off its launch, we’re proud to be working with Queens County Farm Museum for a local lamb-based benefit dinner on May 1st, or May Day.

6 Apr 2009

Enter the Risotto Challenge & Just Food Benefit

by Cathy Erway | posted in: Cook-Offs, Events, NYC Events, Recipes | 12

It’s here: the 2nd Annual Risotto Challenge! Last spring, eighteen contestants answered this call-to-cooking action with imaginative risottos seemingly spawned while on crack. (The ultimate winner? A citrusy, brown rice “Scarborough Fair” ordeal, named for its profusion of four singsong herbs.) And since there’s never an end to variations on the delicious dish, co-host Karol Lu and I are giving the cook-off another spin — or stir. This time, the event will benefit Just Food, New York City’s local and … Read More

30 Mar 2009

The Bacon Takedown: Holy Smokes

by Cathy Erway | posted in: Cook-Offs, Events, NYC Events, Recipes | 24

To all those tired of the pork belly and bacon food fad, I’ve got bad news for you. It’s far from over. Anyone who might have walked within a one-block radius of Radegast Biergarten in Williamsburg sometime between 4:45-7pm yesterday would have seen the hoards of hungry bacon lovers lining up outside the bar (“Is this for the bacon festival?” I heard a lot of). When I arrived at the time the first-ever Bacon Takedown officially began there, 5pm, that … Read More

23 Mar 2009

The Chowder Slam results!

by Cathy Erway | posted in: Cook-Offs, Events, NYC Events | 8

Thanks to fourteen chowders, it was warm and clammy in the back room of Jimmy’s No. 43 on Saturday. Fifteen, if you counted the pot of Manhattan-style chowder that the restaurant’s resident chefs cooked up as extra, which was still going strong by the end of the event and made a perfect straggler second-course. But the real battle was fought by the amateurs. This time, the cook-off community of NYC was drawn a wildcard dish du jour: chowder. And a … Read More

20 Mar 2009

New Amsterdam Market benefit chowder cook-off is tomorrow!

by Cathy Erway | posted in: Cook-Offs, Events, NYC Events | 9

I do love a new cook-off! Tomorrow, a smattering of home chefs will be bringing their best to Jimmy’s No. 43 in celebration of local, sustainable and artisanal foods which New Amsterdam Market vigorously supports, and winter’s favorite soup: chowder. There may be few parameters on what makes a chowder just that, but no one can argue that the best chowders are usually chock full of chunks, every spoonful of the stuff a claustrophobic array of deliciousness. And that’s probably … Read More

9 Feb 2009

Recession Chili (and the Curious Case of the Ridiculously Packed Chili Takedown)

by Cathy Erway | posted in: Cook-Offs, NYC Events, Recipes | 14

Welcome to 2009, Chili Takedown. This is no time to be splurging on pounds and pounds of beef. Sorry, heritage pork (except for your bones and spare ribs, which I’ll get to in a bit). I’m not even doing the fresh garnish doodads anymore. This is recession era chili. And I’m going back to the basics of peasant home cookery — that is, minimal amounts of meat, used for flavor mostly, cheap winter vegetables, and lots and lots of B-E-A-N-S.

4 Feb 2009

Beards for Food

by Cathy Erway | posted in: Events, NYC Events | 4

I don’t really know where to start with this one. But I will say that the weirdest, funniest, most random things usually happen at cook-offs. I was sitting behind my cast-iron pot of beans at the Cassoulet Cook-Off a few weeks back, when a fellow approached me and introduced himself as Vince, a member of Bearduary. He’d seen my scribblings on this blog and elsewhere, and in particular, one trifling rumination I wrote about how I can never seem to … Read More

22 Jan 2009

Who took the s’MACdown crown?

by Cathy Erway | posted in: Cook-Offs, Events, NYC Events, Recipes | 14

Okay, forgive my very poor journalism for a moment, and let me just relate to you the dilemma I’m faced with right now. I went to a first-ever macaroni and cheese cook-off hosted by Midge Pingleton cutely named the s’MACdown last night. It was held at Glasslands Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a music venue that I believe has never hosted a cook-off before in its existence. I fought my way through the herds of hipsters to get a taste of … Read More