Tag Archives: tomato

Basta Pasta! A place for Japanese-influenced Italian food.

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Basta Pasta
37 W 17th St
(between 5th Ave & 6th Ave)
New York, NY 10011

I’ve been raving about this place for quite some time now and have already gone a bunch of times. For some reason, my photos are never satisfactory when I come. I think this is because we usually decide to go on a whim and I only ever have my iPhone with me. This time, we went with our out-of-town Turkey guests and as proper host, I finally had my camera with me. As background, Basta Pasta is a pasta place (derrrhhh) run by a Japanese owner. The dishes are subtly influenced by Japanese cuisine with a few exceptions that clearly show a cultural marriage, such as the Linguini Ai Ricci Di Mare, which is a linguini tossed with fresh sea urchin and basil in a pink sauce.

    
The meal always begins with a basket of assorted breads and little toasted slices of bread with a thin layer of gorgonzola spread. Bread is not warm but is pretty satisfactory, with a classic white, a golden raisin, and some other crisper/toasted white. Toasted bread and gorgonzola provides just barely enough flavor to whet the appetite. It’s surprisingly good.


We started with two orders of the Insalata D’ Anatra ($12), a salad of watercress and arugula with cherrywood-smoked sliced duck breast. This is one of my favorite simple salads because a) they give you a TON of duck for a salad; b) the vinaigrette is not too sharply acidic; and c) the arugula and watercress provides the perfect balance of tenderness and crispness. The vinaigrette is a little sweet and coats the smoked duck breast, forming what some would probably call umami. The duck is smoked such that the meat is still incredibly tender. The consistent thin layer of fat adds a bit of creaminess to the whole affair.  Continue reading →

Egg and Tomato, a homely meal (re-post)

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This week has been busier than usual. I suck for not posting and I feel terrible about it. I’m going to suck even more after this because I am going to re-post a blog post from earlier this year when I made Egg and Tomato noodles for myself. It’s one of those weeks where I just miss home and crave homely foods, such as these noodles. Here is my post from March, 2012:

Still sick in bed.  I have very little energy today so I am going to repost a photo and add the recipe for it.  Egg and Tomato (鸡蛋炒西红柿) is a classic Chinese dish that every household makes when in need of a quick and simple dish.   Continue reading →

Egg and Tomato Noodles

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This is a classic homestyle dish in China, my kind of comfort food. I scrambled some eggs and took them off the heat before they were completely done (to ensure they are soft and fluffy later). Then sautéed some diced tomatoes with sugar and salt. Added in the eggs and simmered until I started getting a soup. Boiled noodles on the side for just a few minutes so the noodles were still chewy and not overcooked. Mixed together soup/sauce with drained noodles and nom nom nom…

Saucy Short Ribs and Tomato

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First time making this. Was also a litttttttle tipsy when I was cooking so just threw a bunch of things together. Luckily it turned out well! Marinated short ribs with some soy sauce, brown sugar, and cooking wine. Then sautéed the meat until the outsides were all browned (medium rare). Added the tomatoes and got a nice juice that mixed well with the rib sauce that was forming from the marinade and the rib fat. Once the meat was about medium, still somewhat soft and chewy, I threw in some garlic to give it a little kick. Turned off the fire soon after before the garlic browned because I wanted the taste of fresh garlic with the ribs. Then voila! Bon appetite!