{Eating, Garden}

Southern Style

10.18.11
photos by gluttonforlife

My first apartment in New York was on Avenue A and 3rd Street, at a time when the East Village was a rather seedy no-man’s-land where you couldn’t score much more than smack and a good bialy. There were no gourmet stores, no coffee bars, not even an ATM within blocks. But there was the original Two Boots pizza parlor and, for a short and very blissful time, a little joint called Southern Style where you could get some clean and tasty down-home cooking for cheap. To my knowledge, they never served fried green tomatoes but that alone is not enough to explain why I’d never eaten any before making them myself recently. Thanks to new restaurants like this, or this one, Southern food seems to be having quite the renaissance these days, so I’ll probably end up sampling someone else’s fried green tomatoes soon. But until that day, mine will have to set the standard.

 

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Meaty Monday: A Passover Classic

4.11.11
photos by gluttonforlife

Passover is coming up next week, and more than one person has already asked me for a good brisket recipe. It’s a classic Jewish holiday dish, especially among the Ashkenazi, perhaps simply because it’s economical and delicious. It’s also incredibly easy to make, and turns out best if you braise it, especially if you’re using a “first cut” which has less fat. Passover, for the goyim among you, commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. Because the Jews had to flee quickly—is there any other way?—matzoh (unleavened bread) is eaten to remind us that there was no time for the bread to rise. This does not explain why brisket, which requires such long cooking, is also on the menu. Beef jerky would really be more like it. Anyway, this recipe comes from Martha Stewart, who is most definitely not of the tribe, but knows her way around a good pot roast.

 

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{Eating, Health}

Meaty Monday: Meat & Potatoes

2.28.11
photos by gluttonforlife

Although for those of us up to our eyeballs in snow it may be hard to believe, spring will soon be upon us. Thoughts are already turning to asparagus, fiddleheads, all those tender green shoots that are the first to poke their heads up after the big sleep. With the promise of spring’s renewal at hand, I’m about to embark on a 10-day juice fast. So things around here will be decidedly less food-focused for a while (although I do have a short backlog of recipes to share with you). In the meantime, seize this final cold stretch as an opportunity to eat up the last of those roots and tubers. The tortilla española I posted about the other day is a great vehicle for potatoes, and really goes a long way. We had it warm for supper the first night, cold with salad the next day for lunch, and cut into little cubes alongside some olives to munch on before dinner with friends.


And if you still haven’t tried my recipe for roasted garnet yams—the one I was pushing over Thanksgiving—I really can’t recommend it enough. Although it’s probably not the meat-&-potatoes dish you were expecting. No hunk of shortribs plopped on a buttery puree. Even though it’s Meaty Monday, the meat here is more of an accent. The star player is the impossibly orange, irresistibly sweet and creamy garnet yam (actually a sweet potato, but let’s not quibble). Look for big, firm ones with smooth, dark russet skins; they’ve got plenty of fiber and loads of vitamins A and C.

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{Eating}

Roast Beast

12.21.10
photo by sarah shatz for food52

I’m a terrible friend. I’ve been horribly remiss in preparing you for the grand holiday feast. I’m (sort of) ashamed to admit that I don’t have a backlog of my own recipes and accompanying photos to offer you here, so I’m going to do another of my motley compendiums. Above is the roast leg of lamb with garlic sauce that I will be serving my sister and niece on the first night of their visit. Here’s the recipe. It looks pretty easy and, as a recent convert to lamb, I’ll be sticking my thermometer in and not trusting my own instincts. I recommend you do the same. On the side there will be a rich and buttery puree of celeriac and potato—do you really need a recipe? Oh hell, here’s one. (I think I’ll use buttermilk instead of the cream, though.) Also a simple arugula salad with a light champagne vinaigrette. For Christmas Eve dinner, we’re invited to some friends’ home for paella. I’m in charge of dessert; more on that another day. Inspired? Here’s a slew of good-looking paella recipes. Read the rest of this entry »

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{Eating}

The Right Stuff(ing)

11.23.10
photo by Sarah Shatz for Food52

Stuffing! What can I say? If you’re not still eating at your mother’s table, you just want to recreate her stuffing recipe and aren’t really interested in anything different. Right? Well, on the off chance that there is someone out there willing to try something new, I’ll offer you a few suggestions. There are so many schools of stuffing, from cornbread and sausage to sourdough and sage to sticky rice and water chestnuts. Stuffing reflects tradition and ethnicity perhaps even more than the turkey. And of course there are always the questions of to stuff or not to stuff, and m***t or crispy. Above is the winning ciabatta and chorizo stuffing from Food52′s contest last year. It features garlicky cubes of bread with chorizo, shiitakes and sweet potato. Another interesting option is this prune and apple stuffing posted by Amanda Hesser. Read the rest of this entry »

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Taking Sides

11.16.10
photos by gluttonforlife

Here come the holidays and, with them, your family. Bickering, sibling rivalry, old grudges and the rapid backslide into childhood habits are mitigated by unconditional love and unlimited quantities of sugar and fat. Both my parents are dead, so I have absolutely no chance of recreating that perfect Rockwellian moment. Because I went to college so far from home, I have been glomming onto other people’s Thanksgiving celebrations since I was 17 anyway. Now I am a part of G’s family, and this year, along with his chef-in-training sister, I am responsible for the turkey. His mother has passed the torch. It’s a big responsibility, but not one that can totally distract from the issue of side dishes. I suppose there are some families out there who are wildly experimental with their Thanksgiving menu, trying that mole sauce with the turkey one year, stirring coconut milk and chiles into their sweet potatoes, maybe even passing a post-prandial doobie. But it seems that, for the most part, people really like to stick with TRADITION, even if it means that repellent green bean casserole topped with canned onions. Or having both sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes. The root vegetable is really very popular at this meal, and rightly so. Its earthy sweetness is the essence of comfort food. Scroll down on this post to find my recipe for spicy-sweet garnet yams (no marshmallows, please), cubed and blitzed in the oven along with some pancetta while the turkey is being carved. And keep reading to discover the very best mashed potatoes ever, trust me on this. Read the rest of this entry »

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{Eating, Garden}

Adult Jello

9.14.10
photos by george billard

I finally made the tomato aspic! I found the perfect mold the other day at a local antiques shop that sells lots of great kitchen paraphernalia. (They also had some wonderful lidded earthenware crocks that will be perfect for pickles.) And with our many heirloom tomatoes crying out to be used the time was—dare I say?—ripe. The whole process could not have been easier, and I am already fantasizing about delicious desserts that will not hover forever about my waistline. Concord grape jello? Hello? I’ll be playing around with honey and agave nectar as sweeteners, and seeing what happens when I substitute agar agar for the gelatin. Savory aspics are divine in their own right. A slice of cucumber aspic with tiny poached shrimp, perhaps. Beet aspic with creamy goat cheese and walnuts? Gorgeous! But let me tell you about the tomato aspic and how it plopped out perfectly, with a gentle wiggle and a color like the blush in a virgin’s cheek.


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{Eating, Garden, Health}

Grillin’

8.1.10
photo by george billard

The fruits of one’s own garden just seem to taste sweeter. Our first patty pan squash, Japanese eggplants and scallions went on the grill, along with red carrots and sweet onions from the farm. With a radicchio salad in a creamy dressing, that was all we needed for dinner the other night. I made a dipping sauce for the vegetables with an earthy red miso and it truly was perfection. A grill can really change the way you eat, especially if you live in LA or some other temperate climate. As irresistible as that charred flavor can be, I want you to be aware that too much blackened food is not good for you. Burning food produces a group of substances (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) that are associated with cancer, cardiovascular toxicity and immune system suppression, among other adverse effects. So avoid extreme charring of your food, and don’t eat from the grill every day. Moderation really is the key. (Except when it comes to exercise, of course.) But don’t despair! You can use you grill to cook in a number of ways that don’t involve charring but still infuse your food with that delicious smoky flavor. Low and slow, as in our pulled pork for instance, or indirect cooking, which really is the best way to do chicken or other foods that tend to burn quickly. Read the rest of this entry »

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Heart’s Desire

7.14.10
photos by gluttonforlife

Bear with me as I learn to use G’s camera. I prefer to do things I’m already good at (I know that’s so wimpy), so this means going beyond my comfort zone. That said, I’m having fun with it and it may ultimately mean more photos of dishes in progress, which might be helpful for you. Now, to artichoke hearts. I love the rich, buttery goodness that lies nestled within all those leathery leaves, the secret heart buried in this armored flower. But I’m not the hugest fan of the canned variety, finding them a bit slimy and strangely acidic, nor of the marinated kind in a jar that often swim in insipid oil. So what’s a glutton to do but try to make them from scratch? Believe it or not, I couldn’t find a recipe that didn’t start with either big globe artichokes or a bag of frozen hearts. And what I had were these little beauties…


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Relish the Radish

6.21.10
photo by george billard

A radish is a beautiful thing, something like a baby turnip with a bite. I’m sure you’re already familiar with the classic European way of eating them with slightly softened butter and a sprinkling of coarse sea salt. What could be better? In his seminal cookbook, Nose to Tail Eating, British chef Fergus Henderson suggests that you eat your radishes in this manner and then follow that with a light salad made of their greens tossed with a vinaigrette. Sort of a vegetarian nose-to-tail approach, no? Thin slices of dark bread, buttered and layered with radishes and sea sat, make a fantastic sandwich. And I love an early summer salad of sliced radishes, blanched English peas and chopped preserved lemon, tossed with a couple of tablespoons of creme fraiche and maybe a chiffonade of mint. BUT, perhaps you have an aversion to radishes. Too strong you say; or maybe even too watery or too strange. For those of you in this camp, and any others who would like to branch out in new radish directions, may I recommend the delicious braised radish? Read the rest of this entry »

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