Jaleo

Posts Tagged ‘Jaleo’

Posted by ryan / Friday, April 29th, 2011

Mark your calendars for May 22, because the iconic 9:30 Club is hosting the Sound Bites event that evening. For just $40, you too can join in on the fun while supporting the efforts of D.C. Central Kitchen.

At least thirty restaurants and food trucks are expected to represent themselves, all handing out an assortment of samples.

Five local artists with varying styles will be performing throughout while you are free to indulge. Participants include…

The Pietasters

Ra Ra Rasputin

DJ lil’e

Joe Herrera Trio

Tickets can be purchased online through Ticketfly, and all of the proceeds will eventually help the less fortunate. It all starts at 5 pm, and the parking lot opens an hour prior to the start of the show. Don’t miss out!

-Ryan Robertson

(image: 9:30 Club)

Pork Nuts Swoon for Acorn-Fed Ham

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, July 27th, 2009

Epicurean cheerleader José Andrés is giving local diners something new to celebrate: the arrival of genuine jamon Ibérico de bellota.

iberico3-pdeloy

(Image: Thomas Schauer)

The highly revered pork–valued so because of the intense marbling and inherent nuttiness of the meat (these pigs dine almost exclusively on fallen acorns, mushrooms and wild herbs during the last few months of life)–has never before been available here in the U.S.

Starting today, cured ham enthusiasts will be able to sample this sought-after swine at Jaleo and Wagshal’s market.

According to a ThinkFoodGroup spokesperson, the specialty ham will be woven into a featured Jaleo dish every day “until the supply runs out.” Planned offerings include roasted pork loin with apples ($16) and a pork rib paella ($48).

The TFG source noted that Wagshal’s was only able to secure a limited supply for this initial order–but all the parties involved expect public demand will keep the iberico stream flowing into the foreseeable future.

“When [the] next order comes in [scheduled for this December], we’ll get more and then we’ll pick back up,” the TFG aide projected.

–Warren

Chef Jose Andres Talks Budget-Friendly Recipes on NPR

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

Photo by giffconstable/Flickr

Yesterday on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Chef Jose Andres, the Spanish mastermind behind Café Atlantico and Jaleo, shared his recipe for a thrifty yet fabulous meal — a garlic and saffron-infused Morrocan-style chickpea and spinach stew — that feeds four people for under $10.

Chef Andres, who the Washingtonian credits with introducing the small plates concept to the area, first tasted the stew when his then-new wife prepared it for him — with less than economical results. It wasn’t the pinch of saffron that broke the budget; it was the long distance call she made to her mother to walk her through the recipe from start to finish:

Andres tells NPR’s Michele Norris. “I remember how good it was, how affordable it was. But the telephone bill is something I will remember forever.”

To bring down the cost of this dish, skip the staggering long distance bill by checking out the recipe here, and use dried chickpeas instead of canned. The trick to cooking dried chickpeas, according to the Chef Andres, is to 1) soak them overnight with a pinch of baking soda and 2) learn the language of peas so that you, like a skilled lover, can tell when they are supple, willing and ready:

“You’re going to look at them, talk to them,” he says. “What if you’re not fluent? I’m talking to them, touching them, and with a little pressure in your fingers, you see they are very soft thing. The chickpeas is telling me, ‘I am ready.’

Those are some lucky garbanzos beans.

Do you have an arsenal of cost-effective recipes that will tide you through the recession? Share them with NPR’s “How Low Can You Go” challenge by May 1, and your recipe might be mentioned on air. Or you can just skim the 60+ recipes that have already been submitted to find something to make for dinner tonight.

– Christina Lee

Kudos to our Local Beard Foundation Awards Contenders

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, March 23rd, 2009

The finalists for the 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards are now official, and we’ve got a host of hometown talents vying for the coveted food industry prizes.

Restaurant Eve toque Cathal Armstrong,

cathal-and-co

(Photo: Jonathan Timmes)

Rasika chef Vikram Sunderam and Peter Pastan (2Amys/Obelisk) [*my apologies to Pastan for leaving him off the original post*] are all in the hunt for the Best Chef – Mid-Atlantic mantle.

Chef Johnny Monis got a nod in the Rising Star category.

johnny-monis-lg

(Photo: Jamie McCarthy/wireimage.com)

The now bi-coastal José Andrés could theoretically score a Beard Foundation hat trick if he were to take the top honors in the web/radio, best new restaurant and outstanding chef categories.

jose_andres1

(Photo: Bernardo Peréz)

Meanwhile, Washington Post dining critic Tom Sietsema racked up two nominations (newspaper features about restaurants and/or chefs, restaurant reviews) while the WaPo food section is in the mix for best newspaper food section (stellar work, Mr. Yonan!).

As for other media, several cookbooks/food tomes that we’ve recommended in our print edition are gunning for more widespread prestige (as if that were even possible), including: Cooking Up a Storm (American cooking category), Fat (single subject category) and Milk (reference and scholarship category).

You can view the full slate of 2009 nominees here.

To see the winners get their due live, you’ll have to break out your fancy duds and make your way up to enwhycee for the May 4 Awards Gala. The Beard Foundation is offering $50 discount for all ticket orders placed before April 4.

If you’ve never been, the event is quite an eye-opener. At least it was last year.

–Warren Rojas

José Andrés Unveils Hora Feliz

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

Lean times call for bold initiatives (learned that from this dude named Barack-something-or-other), and restaurateur José Andrés is ready to rip this recession a new one with his $4 “Jaleo hour” deals.

jose_andres

(Photo: Luis Magán)

From 4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Sunday through Friday, all three Jaleos–including our award-winning Crystal City branch–will serve up assorted tapas (including signature offerings like patatas bravas and gambas al ajillo), homemade sangrias (stand down, VA ABC!), standard rail drinks and select draft beers. By-the-glass Spanish wines will also be available at half-price.

Reciprocal specials are expected at Zaytinya and Oyamel, as well.

Meanwhile, there’s other changes afoot at Jaleo … (stay tuned)

–Warren Rojas