The lovely ladies of La Newyorkina, creators of Manhattan’s only artisanal Mexican ice pops, better know as paletas, are at it again! Saturday marks the debut of a brand new flavor paleta at Hester Street Fair: Honeydew Cucumber.  It’s best described by La Newyorkina co-founder Hannah Goldberg:

“They say that it’s not easy being green, especially when one is a popsicle, but this one manages beautifully. A pale green with a delicate and elusive flavor that treads that fine line between sweet and savory – super-refreshing and utterly delicious. I hope you’ll make it down to the Fair to taste one!”

You heard the lady! Get down to Hester Street Fair and try one for yourself, tell them NYC Food Guy sent you.

Related: VIDEO Opening Day at Hester Street Fair

A source inside the Artichoke empire tells NYC Food Guy that management was reportedly scouting MacDougal Street in Manhattan’s West Village Monday as the location for a possible third branch of its eponymous slice joint.  This very early tip comes on the heels of new signage appearing outside Artichoke’s impending 2nd branch, located on 17th street and 10th Avenue, a development that took nearly a year from the time word of the 2nd branch first leaked in October 2009.  This gives us reason to wait at least a few months for West Village developments.  Just enough time for Joe’s Pizza to develop a rival Artichoke slice of their own.

I don’t use the word spectacular often, but the lineup of chefs and food items at the Celebrate Flatiron Chefs event tomorrow at Madison Square Park is nothing short of it.  Purchase a ticket ($260 for 5:30PM entry, $160 for 6:30PM) and become one of the first New Yorkers to try Hill Country’s new fried chicken and delicacies from Eataly, the new Mario Batali Italian food emporium opening soon across from the park.  The event supports more than your gluttony, tickets are tax deductible since it’s actually for the park and the kids, raising money to aid free programs, concerts, public art exhibits, and readings.  Check out the chefs and menu ahead (click to enlarge) to see why I’m so excited…

Carnivores rejoice! Meatopia is upon us.  30 top chefs and BBQ teams will be cooking all types of delicious meat this Sunday on Governor’s Island from 11:30AM to 4:30PM and NYC Food Guy will be on hand filming a video chronicling the indulgence.  Come down, say hello and grab a bite.  Tickets range from $25 to $150, the higher you go, the more food you’re entitled to.  Check out the event info page for all the information you’ll need.  And if you’re still not convinced, click ahead for the chefs and menu and then just try and tell me you’re not enticed…

Abe and Arthur’s Franklin Becker Country Style Pork Ribs with Tomatillo Salsa

Aureole Christopher Lee Marinated Skirt Steak

Barbuto Jonathan Waxman Grilled Marinated Chicken with Pickled Green Papaya

Betty Brooklyn Elizabeth Kalin VIP Tent: Betty Brooklyn’s Mini Shortrib Pies with Homemade Mustard

Bobo Patrick Connolly Grilled Bacon Sandwich, Pickled Green Tomatoes, Napa Cabbage

Boqueria Seamus Mullen Whole Roasted Lamb

China Grill Bradley Day Lamb Spare Ribs

Hill Country Barbecue Market Charles Grund Jr Pit Smoked Beef Brisket

I-Que BBQ Chris Hart Competition Style Pork Shoulder

Ilili Restaurant Philippe Massoud Whole Charcoal Roasted Lamb Shawarma

La Esquina Akhtar Nawab Roasted Fudge Farms Pork Shoulder, Marinated with Leche Condensada, Eqazote, Ajo, Y Naranjas

Mile End Noah Bernamoff Montreal Smoked Meat

Mr. Bobo’s Traveling BBQ Allstars! Eric Johnson Pecan Smoked Short Rib over Asian Slaw & Bourbon Infused Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Porter House New York Michael Lomonaco Grilled Skirt Steak Hoagies, Chimichurri & Roasted Corn

Resto Bobby Hellen MLT (Mutton, Lettuce & Tomato)

RUB BBQ Scott Smith Barbacoa de Boreggo (Mexican BBQ Lamb)

Smokin’ Joe’s True-Blue Texas Barbecue Joe Mizrahi La Caja China Roasted Pigs

Suenos Restaurant Sue Torres Smoked Duck Tacos, Canela Tortilla

The Harrison Amanda Freitag Char Grilled English Lamb Chops

The Hurricane Club Craig Koketsu Honey-Glazed Baby Back Ribs with Thai Basil & Mint

The Little Owl Joey Campanaro Baron of Beef

The Meatball Shop Daniel Holzman Wood Grilled Bell and Evans Chicken, Mini Meatball Salad with White Beans and Watercress

The Smoke Joint Ben Grossman & Craig Samuel Grilled Chicken Sausage

Waterfront Ale House /Fuhgeddaboutit BBQ Sam Barbieri House Cured & Smoked Brisket Pastrami, Stout Mustard, Pretzel Roll

Wildwood Barbeque Lou Elrose Pulled Pork Sliders

Wilsons BBQ Ed Wilson Pulled Pork Shoulder, Slaw & Pickels

From left to right: Guerilla Ice Cream’s Red Coat & Chinatown Tea Party

Above: La Newyorkina’s Watermelon Paleta

If you’re looking for a way to beat the heat this weekend, get down to Hester Street Fair Saturday where two unique frozen treats specialists are debuting brand new, July 4th inspired flavors for one day only.  The two mad ice cream scientists behind Guerilla Ice Cream continue their political revolution-inspired creativity as they debut Redcoat ($5)(spicy cranberry shaved ice with pop rocks) and Chinatown Tea Party ($5) (Steel Buddha Tea sorbet with Chinese walnut cookies and fresh dragonfruit). While those two troublemakers are slinging scoops, the lovely ladies of La Newyorkina, creators of Manhattan’s only artisanal Mexican ice pops, better know as paletas, will be reinventing the experience of eating a beautiful piece of fresh watermelon, right down to the rind, with their Watermelon Paleta ($4). To achieve the look of a real wedge of melon, the ladies fill their paleta molds with a combination of fresh pureed watermelon, simple syrup, lime juice, and salt then top it with a peeled, lightly sweetened puree of the rind.  It may be more delicious than the real thing.

What better way to celebrate the arrival of summer and the Cooking Channel than with free frozen treats? The Food Network’s new baby has created a “one-of-a-kind” ice cream truck to tour the country and promote itself by handing out free frozen dessert. New Yorkers get a special treat this Friday and Saturday when the Cooking Channel ice cream truck doles out free People’s Pops, the new Chelsea Market-based shop offering popsicles made from seasonal fruits.  The truck will be at Chelsea Market Friday from 10AM to 6PM (75 9th Ave b/t 15th & 16th St) and at the NYC FoodFilm Festival Saturday from 12PM to 10PM under the Brooklyn Bridge.  Check out the rest of the national tour schedule after the jump…

National Tour Schedule

(Dates and locations subject to change)

June 25-26   New York

July 1  Boston

July 4   Washington D.C.

July 17   Atlanta

July 19   Knoxville

July 20   Nashville

July 23   Cincinnati

July 28   Philadelphia

July 31- August 1  Atlantic City

September 4-5  Los Angeles

September 7  San Francisco

September 11  San Diego

September 19  Dallas

September 21  New Orleans

September 25  Chicago

October 7- 10  New York

Here’s the prizes, all complements of WanderingFoodie.com:

• Three $50 gift certificates to Dive Bar NYC – Home of the World’s largest Muffaletta and the greatest selection of beers crafted by NYC home brewers!
• Four $50 gift certificates for Groupons where each of these gift certificates are actually worth $100 or more in local products and services!
• A Tuna Flight from 15 East ($75 value)
• Sea Urchin Carbonara and a Riesling at Tocqueville
• Dinner for two at Burger Joint
• And the Grand Prize : $250 towards as many Groupons as you can buy courtesy of Groupon

When I get my annual craving for Irish soda bread, I know St. Patrick’s Day is close and it’s time to bake this simple and delicious treat.  My mother has been using this recipe for as long as I can remember and it consistently comes out great (add green food coloring for an extra touch). The caraway seeds give this loaf a great flavor and the consistency of the bread makes it like a large scone. It goes great with corned beef or toasted with eggs but it’s also great warm with butter.  Be aware that with all baking there is a science behind the ingredients and procedures; it is important to be exact with the measurements to produce the most delicious outcome every time.

Ingredients

• 4 cups All Purpose Flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 4 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 cup Raisins (Blanched in 1 cup boiling water, simmer until plump)
• 1 Tbls. Caraway Seeds
• 1 ½ cup Whole Milk or Buttermilk

The Dough

1. Preheat the oven to 450^o, If you have a stone place it in the oven now.
2. Combine the dry ingredients with a whisk.
3. Add the raisins and the caraway seeds and give a quick whisk to combine.
4. Now mix in the milk and start to bring the dough together with a spoon or spatula.
5. Keep mixing until a loose dough forms and then you can use your hands to bring together and knead.

6. Keep kneading until the dough becomes smooth and you can shape it into a round.

7. Reduce the oven to 350^o, sprinkle a little cornmeal down on the stone, or place on a baking sheet.

8. Take a sharp knife and cut an X into the top of the loaf.

Baking

Bake the bread for 50 minutes

When you remove the bread from the oven, tap the bottom with your finger, if you hear a slightly hollow sound the bread should be finished, you want to make sure it is cooked all the way through so there is no doughy center. You may stick a longer toothpick into the center and if it comes out clean, it is finished.

Let sit for a few minutes.  Then, chow time! Slice and serve warm with butter.

This recipe takes a lot of cues from Turkish stuffed peppers (Etli Biber Dolmasi) but it can also be customized to fit anyone’s particular tastes.  I like to make this dish very spicy, the way it’s meant to be, but feel free to tone down your spice levels to whatever suits your taste buds.  This recipe is great to feed a large number of people or to have a nice leftover lunch to bring to work tomorrow.

One more note before we get started, if at all possible, please source the most local and freshest produce you can find. Sadly, I am not able to make it to the green market every day, so usually the fresh organic produce at your local store is fine; though food always tastes better when the vine to table time is measured in hours not days or weeks (do not buy produce from Mexico, unless it is some sort of hot-ass Chile pepper, ever, seriously — throw that shit on the floor so they stop selling it).

Ingredients

• 6-8 large Green Peppers (Preferably locally grown peppers from the green market)
• 1 lb ground beef (80/20 works well, who doesn’t enjoy a little extra fat?)
• 5-6 medium onions, finely Chopped Pine Nuts
• Chopped Dill (Fresh)
• Chopped Parsley (Fresh)
• Mint (Fresh)
• 1 Cup White rice
• 1 tbsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Pepper
• Turkish Crushed Red Pepper Spice (TRP) (You can find this at a Turkish specialty shop or online — you need this spice, I put it in everything)
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 Lemon
• 1 Tomato (grated)
• 4 Tomatoes for Tops (firmer the better)

Equipment

• Large Bowl
• Dutch Oven (enameled cast iron, or just regular cast iron)

The Filling

Take a large bowl and combine the ground beef, onions, pine nuts, parsley, dill, mint, rice, salt, pepper, TRP, cumin, juice of 1 lemon (make sure not to get seeds in there). Mix all ingredients together with your (washed) hands very well.

The Peppers

1. Cut out the tops of the peppers (reserve for your compost pile, yes, you need one)
2. Clean out the insides with a small knife and wash out all the seeds so your peppers looks nice and beautiful and ready to get stuffed.
3. Stuff those peppers with the filling making sure to leave a little bit of room at the top.
4. Take your tomatoes and cut into thick rounds and then halve.
5. Now stuff the halves into the tops of the peppers to seal them off.

Now doesn’t that look beautiful? Take a picture.

Cooking

The best way to do this is with a dutch oven, either an enameled cast iron duct oven (#1 must-have kitchen tool) or as seen in the picture, a vintage cast iron dutch oven, THE VOLLRATH! In this case I used both since only 3 peppers fit in each pot.

After you place the peppers in the pan, liberally place a pad of butter in the middle, pour 2 ½ cups water into the pot, drizzle olive oil on and around the peppers and then salt and pepper the tops. Turn on your burner to high and cover. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium and cover. The peppers should take anywhere from 45-60 minutes.

After about 45 minutes, open up the top and take a look. The peppers should be a paler shade of green and the rice should be starting to push its way out of the peppers. You do not want the pepper to get too mushy or everything will just fall apart. Press the side of the pepper with your finger, if it is still very firm, then it is not cooked all the way, if it feels just right and not too mushy then it is time to take out of the pot.

Let the peppers cool down a little and then they are ready to serve, I like to add hot sauce or sriracha (a.k.a. crack) to spice things up some more because the cooking process dilutes a little of the heat.

If you’re still looking for some serious French fries and late-night eats check out these posts:

• NYC Food Guy’s Comprehensive Cheap Late Night Eats
• NYC Food Guy Recommends… French Fries
• East Village Late Night Eats Part 1

If you’re still looking for some serious late-night eats check out these two posts:
NYC Food Guy’s Comprehensive Cheap Late Night Eats
East Village Late Night Eats Part 1

Naturally, there’s a caveat, only the first 500 people served at each of the below locations will get free pizza and Snapple.  But it’s still free pizza and Snapple and the last time I checked, everything tastes better when it’s free. Let’s hope that holds true for the new Snapple, something that NYC Food Guy hopes will still embody the funky vibe that actually made Snapple fun to drink.  Everyone likes the Snapple Lady.  Stay tuned to NYCFoodGuy.com because you’ll soon have a chance to win some free Snapple too!

Here’s where you can get your free on:

Click here or log on to http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/nyctri09/jpincus to donate.