Food Notes: 12/17
Minnesota, Panettone, Latkes, and more.
I’m out in Minnesota on work related travel and researching some Italian food. But while at lunch, I came across this spectacular Guatemalan-mid western crossover: A hot dog with central American toppings. The shop called it an a El Shuco Dog, claiming its a Guatemalan street food. I’m always excited to gulp down a new hot dog.
We had taken the afternoon to explore suburban Minneapolis and wandered over to the Midtown Global Market, a combination food hall and eclectic local shops. That’s where I found Castro Taqueria, and ordered this hot dog. As it turns out, its also available with chorizo. I asked the guy at the counter which he recommended, and I got the impression from hot dog was just a concession to gringos from Minnesota who have a long history of eating sausages. So I went with the chorizo.
The chorizo meat was loose, and topped with guacamole, cabbage, ketchup, mustard, mayo, and salsa verde. It was even better than I hoped, and the crispy fried potatoes served alongside it were hot and fresh too.
Afterward we decided to ride the Metro back to the downtown. Here’s where I got scammed. Apparently, the good folks of Minnesota think it’s okay to call a bus line a Metro. Sorry, metros have at least one rail. So I got conned into riding a bus. In the end it was faster than waiting in the rush hour traffic.
The Latest
Helen Rosner Discover Panettone
The New Yorker food writer Helen Rosner explains why after years of Italian discrimination, she’s finally come around to panettone. This is a repeat from two weeks ago, but I ate a lot of panettone last year, and wrote up a pretty good guide and history.
Feast of the Seven Eleven Thirteen Three Fish
The Feast of the Seven fish has become something of a big deal among Italian Americans in recent years. Lisa Fogarty at Consumer Reports dives in the history of the tradition (and of course, she spoke to me). But as I said to her, the seven fish is hardly a fast and true rule, with some families eating more or less. We typically have just three: shrimp, lox, and baked white fish. And for a feel good indie Christmas film about Italian Americans, check out Feast of the Seven Fishes on Netflix, which pretty much accurately depicts Italian American Christmas eve.
The Trends of 2024
Bon Appétit looks into the restaurant trends of 2024 like celebrity chef collabs, tea, and drinking less alochol. Amazingly, I was recently at a restaurant that not only had no wine, but only served tea. It was fine.
Latke Season
Honestly there’s no reason to restrict latke consumption to specific times of the year, but now’s the time when everyone is talking about them. Manischewitz brand is selling, for the first time, frozen latkes, to which I have nothing good to say. The Takeout suggests supercharging latkes with kimchi, which seems a bit like like it would turn into a kimchi scallion pancake. Eater has a guide to finding the best latkes in New York City. If you really want to mix things up, let me suggest making sweet potato latkes, but my personal advice is to watch your cooking temperature as the added sugars are more likely to burn.
Hanukkah Fried Chicken
Jewish families in Tuscany reportedly celebrate with fried chicken. Helpfully, there’s a recipe. This isn’t all that surprising given how many fried Italian foods can be tied back to Jewish Italians.
Spiral Lasagna
Kelli Solomon at Serious has just discovered spiral lasagna, and thinks they are beautifully sliced into individual portions. I made my own attempt at spiral lasagna last year following the Don Angie recipe, but to be honest a traditional baked lasagna is just as good if its made with a bolognese and béchamel sauce. Spiral lasagna isn’t all that new, and one of the earlier recipes in America was published by a jarred pesto sauce company looking to sell pesto sauce.
Food Subscriptions
The gift that keeps on giving: food subscriptions. Here’s where I’ll I’m more than willing to take on a food subscription sponsor. Sadly, none has come forth yet, so you’ll have to rely on these: Boston Magazine has a look at some of the best New England themed food subscriptions. Bon Appétit is pushing their own food box. Eater has the best last minute food box subscriptions. CNET posted a list too, since food box subscriptions are tech oriented. Personally we enjoyed the Sfoglini Pasta Club, although I still don’t know what to do with the sriracha pasta, and the Ploughgate Creamery at Maplebrook Farm offers butter subscription still arrives every month.
The Best Things of 2024 (continued)
We’re compiling a list of lists for the best things of 2024. The full list is available here.