Asheville NC: Favilla's New York Pizza

After spending an afternoon around downtown Asheville, I was in the mood for a homey dinner. Favilla's more than satisfied me---it is an outstanding exemplar of the neighborhood New York pizza place, more authentic and homey than anything I can think of in Atlanta. Our server explained to me that the owner moved to Asheville from Brooklyn five years ago and found "nothing" in the way of pizza. A second location is now on the way. The atmosphere is comfortable and inviting. The only thing it lacks is a photo of Sinatra.

Here is a medium pizza with pepperoni, mushroom, and tomatoes. The pepperoni was great, with that hint of fennel that makes it more than just meat. The sauce was just right, with a clear tomato taste not masked by false sweetness or excessive acidity. My only small complaint was that the crust wasn't quite as tender as I would like, but that didn't seriously detract.

This stand is a demonstration of Favilla's authenticity. Real pizzerias use it to make extra room at the table. It's a nice touch.\

The meal ended, of course, with a wonderful cannoli.

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Eating Around Georgia Tech: Ecco

Our Texas Instruments colleague Cathy Wicks was gracious enough to host several of us at Ecco tonight. This is one of those restaurants that has been on my list for a long time. Even though it is within easy walking distance of Georgia Tech, I hadn't made it there until tonight. The menu is a combination of Italian, Spanish, and French that make use of some local Georgia ingredients. The combination of those three countries is sometimes a little forced, although the georgia ingredients (fruit, cheese) were all great and perfectly appropriate. We started out with a meat and cheese board. This actually reverses the French tradition, where cheese usually follows the main course. Everything was excellent. The Georgia cheese was a big hit, as was the French cow/goat cheese. I thought the sauscisson was very subtle and very good. The waitress said that the roast pork pasta was their signature dish, so I had to try it. It had traditional broad pasta (fresh, of course)

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Pressure Cooker Candied Ginger

I made candied ginger a few years ago. It's not something I would do every day but I had a lot of fun doing it. I recently acquired a pressure cooker and it inspired an interesting idea to me: why not make candied ginger in the pressure cooker? It should be very soft and flavorful. Here is the result. I peeled two large ginger roots, cut them into small cubes, and put them in the pressure cooker with heavily sugared water. The traditional method first boils the ginger in plain water to soften it and then again in sugar water to candy it. The resulting candy was very tender but still with the characteristic ginger texture. It was also sweet without being overpowering. The traditional method leaves a lot of sugar crystallized around the ginger. The pressure cooker gives a much more subtle result. The ginger stays moist even after it cools but you can dry it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. That inspired me to dip it in chocolate. While I was in the b

Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

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