Some Hidden Gems In New Haven

As many of you know, I moved from NY to CT just a couple of months of ago. There were some growing pains initially, but I've quickly come to have a soft spot for New Haven (the Yale campus area) and its surrounding suburbs. The foodie gems are a little harder to find in this neck of the woods as compared to NYC, but they're there. You just have to dig deep, and I don't mind working hard for my food! So today I thought I'd take you on a tour of some my favorite CT noshing spots.

First on my list will always be Mamoun's Falafel (85 Howe St, New Haven). Folks, I lucked out. If I ever had a complaint about foodie offerings in my part of Long Island, it was that there just weren't enough really good Arab/Lebanese joints. Had to drive at least half an hour to get to a decent middle eastern restaurant there (I'd have done it but you know that's quite a chore for DH - he is willing to drive 15 mins for food, not more!). So when I took my first bite of Mamoun's falafel sandwich at their New Haven location (they have one in NYC but I've never tried that), it was a When-Harry-Met-Sally moment! You know the one I'm talking about - where she fakes a big O in the middle of a restaurant?! No? Have I aged myself again by mentioning it? Oh whatever. Suffice to say, I had bells go off in my head, and just kept moaning "oh baby yes yes YES" the whole time. There was a repeat performance when I dug into their lamb shawarma sandwich as well. This place is located on the Yale campus, and is perfect student food because not only is it cheap ($5 for a filling falafel sandwich and a drink), but it's also open every single day, till around 3am at night. I live about 10 mins away, and I now make it a point to drag DH there every other week.

Crunchy, super-flavorful falafel, smothered with an abundance of tahini and loaded with fresh tomatoes and not too much lettuce, enveloped in a soft, fresh pita - just the way I love it!

Next on my list is Kari Malaysian Restaurant (1451 Whalley Ave, New Haven). For those of you who haven't tried Malaysian food yet, it's somewhere between Thai, Chinese and Indian cuisine. This combo of flavors is palatable to everyone, trust me. And Kari offers a decent variety at very reasonable prices. But to be quite honest with you, I just go there for two reasons. Dear readers, please say hello to my two friends - Roti Canai and Nasi Goreng.

Roti Canai is a flaky indian-style fried bread, paired with a spicy coconut-flavored curry.

Nasi Goreng is the Malay version of fried rice, but with lots of Thai basil and other fragrant spices.

And these were simply called "Golden Sack" - crunchy wonton wrappers filled with chicken & veggies. They were just TOO cute!

And finally, a recent find of mine has been the Kati Roll truck parked outside the Osborn Labs building at Yale. $5 will get you two flaky parathas stuffed with either chicken or lamb, topped off with chopped onions, tomatoes and cilantro, plus a pretty decent hot sauce. Everyday, around lunch time, you'll find many such food trucks parked outside in this area, selling nummies ranging from Indonesian food to Mexican tacos to Indian food of all kinds. I don't know how one is supposed to study after a lunch like this - I just wanted to take a nap! But I guess that's what those huge first-year Economics classes are for; snoozing in the back of the auditorium.

There's a lot more of New Haven that taken a bite of, and I'll keep you posted of everything worthwhile.

The Nose Never Lies

A smell can sometimes trigger the most powerful memory, or an equally strong emotion. The recipe I've chosen to post today got me thinking about the smells around me that I adore:

• DH's colognes - He has a such a variety, but it doesn't matter which one he puts on, because it instantly mingles with the scent of his skin and becomes his smell. Drives me wild. Meow!
• The damp earth on the morning after it rains - When I was growing up in Dubai, and a proper rainshower was a rare phenomenon, there was nothing like that fresh, damp earth smell the morning after. And although it rains a fair bit here in the US Northeast, there are times when I catch that particular smell again, and it makes me sigh in contentment.
• Fresh jasmine - My grandmother's garden in Pakistan had a large jasmine bush that bloomed in the early evening, and its perfume was intoxicating as it spread through the house. Jasmine is also a flower I associate with Pakistani weddings, because all the brides wear bunches of fresh jasmine buds in their hair. I did too. Romantic, no?!
• Roasted nuts on the streets of NYC - Even though Manhattan is a tangle of intricate smells, not all of them pleasant (NYC subways! eew), what I will always remember is the smell of roasted nuts which were sold by street vendors on every corner. It makes me salivate just thinking about it! And brings back memories of the "perfect days" I've spent just aimlessly wandering the streets of my beloved city.
• Old books - I know some people go crazy for the smell of a newly printed book, all shiny, with the spine intact. But for me, it's the slightly moldy smell of really old books that gets me excited. There's something mysterious and other-worldly about them. For instance, I have this ancient copy of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca that was passed down to me by my mom, who got it from an older relative, that I truly treasure. Its faded, tattered cover and yellowed, mottled pages make me feel like I'm right there at Manderley with all those brilliantly disturbed characters!

And finally ...

• Almost anything that comes out of my oven - whether it's sweet or savory, nothing can beat the smell of freshly baked nummies. Whether it's that drool-worthy combination of buttery puff pastry and cheesy, herby goodness that is my Zucchini, Tomato & Herb Tart, or the rich, decadent aroma of my Almond-Semolina Halva, or especially these Katherine Hepburn Brownies. As a matter of fact, I haven't met anyone who has the power to resist a freshly baked brownie!

I finally have my own copy of Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home To Yours, and I'm over the moon about it (thanks to DH, that big 'ol sweetheart!). Like many of you, I'm always in search of the perfect brownie recipe, and the one Dorie's got in her book is apparently a play on Katherine Hepburn's own famous brownie recipe. Now, I love Katherine Hepburn. She was spectacular, with that voice, that laugh, and those strong facial features that softened every time she smiled at her on-and-off screen husband, Spencer Tracy. She was fiery, gutsy and ballsy - all qualities that I admire! And she was a Connecticut girl. So it only seemed fitting that I give her recipe a fair shot.
Katharine Hepburn Brownies (recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan)
Makes about 14-16 squares

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp instant coffee granules
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional - I didn't use these)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan, and line the bottom with a rectangular sheet of parchment paper, with the two smaller ends hanging about an inch over the rim of the baking pan. (makes it easier to remove the brownies after they're baked).

3. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon and salt.

4. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. When the butter has almost melted, add the cocoa powder and instant coffee right into it. Stir until melted butter, cocoa and coffee is mixed well together. Turn off the heat and let this cool for 5 mins.

5. Using a small whisk. beat the eggs into the chocolate mixture, one at a time. Next, gently stir in the sugar and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients, chopped chocolate and nuts (if using). Scrape this batter into the baking pan.

6. Place the pan on a baking tray in the center of the oven, and bake for 30 mins. Brownies will still be gooey, but the top will have that prized papery crust. Let the brownies cool for at least 30 mins. Use the overhang from the parchment paper to lift the brownies from the pan onto a cutting board. Cool completely before cutting into squares (and surreptitiously plopping that corner piece straight into your mouth - go on, I won't tell the kids).
Verdict: The texture of these brownies is precisely what I like - gooey and fudgy on the inside, with that essential papery crust on top for texture. I love how the little pieces of chopped chocolate provide bursts of liquid bliss in your mouth, in each bite. I love adding that depth of coffee flavor to chocolate, but I think I'll omit the cinnamon next time. I'll certainly use this recipe next time I have chocoholics coming over to visit, and I see no problem in giving this to kids (as long as they're not mine, muahahahahaha! Yes, I'm evil). But this is a grown-up brownie, no doubt about that. I know this because although DH loves brownies, after having these he has decided that he likes kiddie brownies - you know, the ones that are too sweet and cakey, and mostly come out of a box. *Sigh*, well I can't win 'em all. Never fear though, these did not go unappreciated - I think I did them justice *imaginary insert of my flabby thighs here*.