Otto's Restaurant

Otto's Restaurant is located in Cheektowaga, NY, not far from the Walden Galleria Mall. This decades old restaurant shows it's age, and some reviews have not been kind, but I find that long lasting eateries are still in business because they are doing something right. The decor is dated and the service is a bit pokey but it seemed endearing rather than obnoxious.  Whether it's the traditional Italian dishes or family traditions that keep patrons returning I'm not certain, but our visit was rather pleasant.

We ate at 3pm on a Saturday, and there were only a handful of tables in the whole of this sprawling building that were occupied and quite a large number of servers. We were seated immediately on the patio, and our waiter was quick, efficient, and polite.

We ordered beers and golden fried mushrooms, a guilty pleasure of mine. I was expecting the boxed variety of factory dipped button mushrooms but was surprised by the fresh large caps served with Ranch flavored sour cream. They were super hot and very flavorful.

The bar isn't anything to rave about, not much to choose from, but the large product glasses were a nice touch, rather than the expected small beer glasses you might see at an older restaurant.

Bob ordered the Seafood Platter, which featured a large filet of freshly battered cod, fried strip clams, and crisp shrimp. He remarked the clams casino and the German potatoes were tasty. It certainly smelled fresh and tasty.

I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich, which was very juicy. The fries were a bit bland but were served hot and crisp.

It was a nice visit. Family friendly and clean, I wouldn't mind going again with my children in tow.

Free Mushrooms, From Poland with Love

Over the last year, I've taken on more and more unique cuisine. Although most would not consider Polish, or pretty much any food from Eastern Europe, particularly if you live in western NY, to be particularly exotic or adventurous, they would be wrong.

Aspic for one, is a dish from a distant time and no modern palate, most especially white bread Americans, could handle the cold gelatin with it's bits of meat and fat and colorless vegetables immobilized until melted on the tongue. Or calf brain cutlets. A favorite of my Scottish Nana, she would have her daughter, my Grandma Betty, stew them in butter and then fry them in bread crumbs and eat them with strawberry jelly and minced pickles, just like the people of southern Poland. Or how about beef hearts braised in heavy cream and salty brown gravy stuffed with barley pearls? No? Too exotic? Too adventurous?

With all of this "adventuring" has come offers around the globe to taste and sample cultural gems. Pictured above are Boletus, Borowiki dried forest mushrooms from the primeval forests of Podlaskie. I received an email at the beginning of December, asking if I would like to try free mushrooms. Skeptical, I opened the website, and discovered the "Green Lungs" of Poland. This operation takes place in forests over 8,000 years old for only a few weeks a year. Harvests are done by hand, with families going out together and making a day of it.

I recieved this mailer right before Yule, below is the recipe I used them in.

Indyk z nadzieniem pieczarkowym or Roast turkey with mushrooms

Cook turkey gizzard, heart, and neck in 4 cups water along with 1 portion diced kale and several peppercorns and allspice grains 1 1/2 hours or until giblets are tender.

Soak 1/2 pound stale bread in 1 cup milk. When soggy, run through meat grinder with giblets, kale, and raw turkey liver. Grind only the skin and meat of neck, discarding bones. I used a stick blender since I didn't have a grinder.

In 3 tablespoons butter simmer 12 ounces fresh, chopped mushrooms and 2 chopped onions until tender. Combine with ground mixture, add 2 beaten egg yolks (or 2 tablespoons of sour cream), the leftover milk if any,

several tablespoons bread crumbs, 2 beaten egg whites (or 1 tablespoon more of sour cream) , 2 tablespoons each chopped fresh dill and parsley and salt & pepper to taste.




Fill turkey with dressing, pin or sew up closed, and roast in 400 degree fahrenheit oven, allowing 25 minutes cooking time per pound. Baste alternately with melted butter and a little water (about 1 cup) and later with the pan drippings.

During last 1/2 hour of roasting, add another 12 ounces or more chopped or thinly sliced fresh mushrooms

(I reconstituted the dried mushrooms for this part) to pan drippings and let them simmer.

Pour the pan drippings and mushrooms over the sliced turkey and dressing on a platter or thicken with a little flour and sour cream, simmer briefly, season to taste, and serve in gravy boat.

We had this for our New Year's dinner with a large salad with sweet peppers, minced cold leftover brussels sprouts, and pomegranate seeds. It was outstanding!

Hot Night - Easy Grilled Supper

Sweet peas from the garden...

Grilled Chiavetta's chicken...

Olive bread from B. Ferrante's Bakery...

Grilled Portabella Mushrooms and Sweet Red Peppers with olive oil and Grind to a Salt and basil from the back yard...

Greek Pizza

Mineo & Sapio's cheese and parsley sausage is browned.

Pizza dough is swiped with a layer of olive oil.

 Lay a thin strip of cheese around the edges of the pan,

and fold the edges of dough over the cheese. Tuck them under so that there will be a cheesy crust.

Add in several types of mushrooms minced, chopped garlic and olive tapenade.

Layer it into the pan and spread it out evenly.

 Leto made a teeny tiny fairy sized pizza.

 Then add a thin layer of cheese.

Bake at 380 degrees until the crust and cheese are golden brown.

Slice and serve with a large vegetable salad.

Grinch Dip Roast

Yet another delicious crock pot recipe! This one is an eleven hour low heat roast with vegetables. The Grinch dip melted in from above and the vegetable juices soaked in from below. 

The Grinch dip is a blend of cottage cheese, plain yogurt, garlic, scallions, parsley, spinach, parmesan cheese, romano cheese, sweet bell peppers, salt and pepper. Layered thickly on top of a three pound roast which is surrounded by 1/2 cup minced portobello mushrooms, 4 stalks diced celery, and 4 thinly sliced carrots, and 1 1/2 cup vegetable stock. Serve this with Lundberg Wild Blend rice and Coleman's Mustard! 

Ridiculously delicious!

Marinated Chops, Salad, Armenian Rice Pilaf, Fingerling Potatoes

Marinate chops for 2 hours in Sesame oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, and juiced ginger. Pan fry in a bit of olive oil until deep brown. Don't over cook these! Internal temp - 165 degrees.

The salad is well washed baby spinach, sweet red peppers, avocados, and organic Bunashimeji Brown Beech mushrooms. 

Basic Armenian Rice Pilaf:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup orzo pasta
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup uncooked white rice

2 cups veggie broth













The high in potassium fingerling potatoes from Wegman's grocers were boiled and served with whipped butter.

Spar's Heritage Sausage Wraps, Smoked Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits, Organic Carrots, and Mixed Salad

Spar's Heritage Pork Smoked Sausage with Mushrooms & Bavarian Swiss wrapped in a soft buttermilk biscuit. Spar's also carries a number of deli meats and cheeses. In between two biscuits is a layer of their smoked cheddar. The carrots are rough jullienned and steamed. Their flavor was so amazing that they didn't need anything like butter or salt! Simple fair that's simply out of this world delicious!

Day 5 - Pesto Pasta and Lake Effect Ice Cream

Breakdown cost of this meal.

Pesto Sauce from the co-op $2.29
Tomato Basil Linguini from Pasta Peddler $2.99
Crimini Mushrooms $2.99
Plain Yogurt from White Cow Dairy $2.99
Red Sweet Pepper $0.93
Rosemary and Sea Salt Bread $4.00

Blend the pesto and yogurt together and then add the vegetables, heating over a medium flame and stirring frequently. Boil the pasta. Dish and serve with Rosemary and Sea Salt bread and salad.

For desert we had Salty Caramel Ice Cream from Lake Effect Artisan Ice Cream $3.59


Total cost for 4 servings = $19.78

Butternut Squash and Sopressata Salami

2 tsp olive oil
salt, pepper, and 1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 tbls half & half, milk or heavy cream
4 tbls grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the ends off the squash and cut away one strip of skin to create a flat surface. Place squash cut-side down in a bread pan and add two inches of water and then cover with foil. Roast for 60 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. 

Transfer onto a plate and then scrape the skin off. Mash into a mixing bowl. Add half & half, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, oil, salt, pepper and stir well until smooth.

3 oz. sopressata salami, sliced thinly

1 cup diced onion
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbls half & half, milk or heavy cream

Fry the onion, season lightly with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes and saute until onions are translucent. About 5 to 6 minutes. Add the half & half and simmer for a minute or two to reduce. Then add the mushrooms and continue sauteing until they just start to lose their moisture, another 4 to 5 minutes. Over medium heat, saute salami until slightly crisp and most of the fat has been released. 

Dish and serve with 1 tbls of homemade salsa and fresh herbs of your choice.