Vacation meal memories

On the heels of a lighten-up-for-summer column, I found myself in New York City to see my first niece get married. If you've ever been there, then you know it redefines temptation, no matter what your vice. Probably no need to tell you, but for me that means seeking out the most decadent and delicious food the Big Apple has to offer.
My hotel in TriBeCa was across the street from one of the city's most famous bakeries and coffee houses. I found that in the first hour. To add insult to calorie injury, I was a block from Broadway, where restaurants and theatres compete for your vacation dollar and deliver fabulous memories in return.
Then there was the wedding feast and the festivities preceding and following, all of which involved copious quantities of delicious food.
So now I'm back on the island bemoaning the end of a great holiday and showing pictures to anyone who will look. And of course trying to reproduce the most memorable recipes.

Pappardelle with Beef Ragu
My niece and new nephew live in the East Village, around the corner from a nice little Italian restaurant. I made the right choice with this dish and it didn't hurt that they taped episodes of "The Sopranos" there - I can be a shameless tourist when called for.
Pappardelle is pasta about half the width of lasagna noodles, with or without a ruffled edge. This dish is hearty and delicious, moreso if you buy sheets of fresh pasta at the grocery store and cut them into one-inch strips. If you can't find fresh substitute boxed fettuccini or even penne-anything to hold onto the big bold flavours of this sauce. Dried herbs are quite good in a stew like this, but use about one-third the quantity of fresh.
Do try and add fresh parsley and basil at the end, though. This amount will serve six, but you can stretch it with bread and salad.
2 lbs blade or other steak for braising, or a small roast (bone in if possible)
1 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 each carrots, celery stalks and onions, diced
8 fat garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups each dry red wine and low-sodium beef broth
1 19-oz can diced tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs each fresh rosemary, oregano and thyme
2 bay leaves
1 lb pappardelle
handful each fresh Italian parsley and basil, coarsely chopped
grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese, for serving
Dry steak or roast with a paper towel, season with salt and pepper and, in a Dutch oven, brown well in oil - you're looking for deep colour on all sides. Remove from pot and set aside. Add carrots, celery and onions to pot, and a little more oil if you need it, and fry until vegetables soften and start to brown.
Add garlic and cook until you smell it but don't let it brown. Add flour and stir until it is incorporated into vegetable mixture; repeat with tomato paste.
Stir in wine, broth and tomatoes and add herbs. Return beef to pot, cover and roast at 325 degrees F 3 hours or until meat is fall-off-the-bone tender. Cook on top of the stove over low heat if you prefer but you will have to check it now and then. Remove beef. Simmer sauce, uncovered, 20 minutes or until reduced by about half. Fish out the herb stalks and bay leaves. When meat is cool enough to handle shred it with your fingers and stir back into pot. Taste and add a little more salt and pepper if needed. Prepare pappardelle according to package directions, drain and toss with meat mixture. Stir in parsley and serve with freshly grated cheese on top.

Mexican Pork Chops
Around another corner was a Mexican restaurant that served traditional dishes from that culture and the best darned Margarita I ever drank. The pork chops were three inches thick and rubbed with a robust spice mixture that penetrated nearly to the slightly pink, incredibly tender centre. Even with my impaired memory of that night this recipe comes pretty close. For a feast allow one chop per person but for a more modest portion two can share.
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp each salt, freshly ground black pepper, brown sugar and cumin
1/2 tsp each roasted garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, dried thyme, and ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 large thick pork chops
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Combine the rub ingredients and rub briskly into chops on all sides. Refrigerate a couple of hours, up to overnight. Bring the pork up to room temperature then brown all over in oil. Place in a 350F oven for 20 minutes or until cooked the way you prefer pork. These would be great on the barbecue, too.

Baked Tropical Bananas
Remember that fabulous bakery across the street from my hotel? Well I couldn't resist the puff pastry filled with banana coconut cream and I don't regret it for one second. Now I'm home and puff pastry is not on the menu this week, but this lightened-up version is. It offers the same flavours with far less fat and post-vacation guilt.
4 ripe, but not soft bananas, cut into large chunks
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
pinch ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Toss all ingredients together and bake 15 minutes at 375F. Serve warm with a drizzle of cold whipping cream or a spoonful of plain low-fat yogurt.

Cynthia Stone is a writer, editor and teacher in St. John's.
Questions may be sent to her c/o The Telegram, P.O. Box 5970,
St. John's, NL, A1C 5X7.