#450

I faithfully read the weekly restaurant review in The New York Times' Dining section, and this week's review has got me hankering for Middle Eastern food, something which you can't get much of in Upstate New York. (To be fair, there are a few places, but nothing like you can find Downstate. We have the usual suspects of ethnic food up here, but I find the Middle Eastern, Spanish, and Mexican options sorely lacking.)



For inspiration, I turned to the most beautiful cookbook in my collection, Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes, by Tessa Kiros. There are so many recipes I want to make, and have tried one complete dud (the Finnish cinnamon and cardamom buns - more due to technical error on my part than a flawed recipe), and one winner, the Chickpea, Feta, and Cilantro salad. This book was recently released in the US, so I have a more "international" version from a few years back. I wonder how different the versions are?

In any event, I am quite intrigued by this recipe: pan-fried veal chops with lemon, sage, and marscarpone. It seems like the perfect thing to try with my Dad in Tom and my future and imaginary NYC apartment. Not sure what to serve on the side as the flavors are pretty strong, but the cranberry sorbet recipe would be a nice finish, or the ricotta tart with chocolate crust.

Just dreaming of March 18th, when I learn where I'll be for the next three years. Residency match rank lists are due to the central database in an hour and a half. Hope I ranked correctly.