I don't have much time today (yes, I'm incredibly important and very busy) but I wanted to quickly remind you that this is high asparagus season and you should really take advantage! Whether you love them thick or thin, they are easy to cook and very versatile. You can even shave them thin, toss them with olive oil, lemon juice and salt, and enjoy them raw! They also have a diuretic property, which is nice for a bit of a spring detox. (Fun side note #1: I once heard that cows in Russia graze on wild asparagus. Fun side note #2: Not everyone can smell funky asparagus pee.) Hot or cold, boiled or roasted, in risotto or omelettes or slathered with an orange-zesty mayonniase, the asparagus is your friend. Here is a quick and easy recipe that makes a delicious lunch or a light supper.
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My love for cardamom knows no bounds. I covet its pungent, deliciously floral spice—to smell (I adore perfumes that contain it) and to eat. Is that strange? If you are not familiar with this gorgeous flavor, I suggest you give it a try in either a sweet or savory recipe. I have posted several previously (rich shortbread-like cookies, a vegetarian curry, and ice cream). Don’t miss the new ones posted below: the ultimate lassi for warm weather; lamb chops for the grill or stovetop; and an easy and highly armotic basmati rice.
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G has been away for 5 days now and some serious cooking lethargy has set in. I find it frightfully dull to cook for one. I might throw a yam in the oven. Or have some avocado on crackers. It's been mostly salads otherwise. Lots of green juice. A desperate mix of chopped crystallized ginger, chocolate chips and dried coconut—I had banished all treats from the house! (Other things I do when the cat's away: Never make the bed. Burn scented candles constantly. Watch back-to-back episodes of The L Word. Keep the heat up too high. Pine.) Last night I really wanted something a bit more cozy. Nothing too demanding, but more of a real meal. The larder, however, didn't provide a great deal to work with. But I had picked up some lovely fresh eggs from the farm on Saturday and suddenly inspiration struck: Shakshuka! (No, that's not a Lebanese version of Eureka!) Shakshuka is an Israeli dish of eggs in spicy tomato sauce that has recently reached some sort of tipping point, appearing in Saveur magazine and everywhere in the blogosphere (my friend Shayma posted a very similar Pakistani dish here). I googled a few recipes and came up with my own version using vadouvan, a spice mix that's also had a flurry of coverage recently.
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Although there's a lot to be said for a chicken roasted in the classic manner, and I'm quite pleased with my own herb-laden, butter-smeared Scarborough Fair version, I may never make it again. Why? Because that gorgeously bronzed, deceptively simple chicken pictured above is quite possibly The Best Chicken Ever. At least that's what my guests claimed as they scarfed it down the other night.  And you'll probably concur. I strongly urge you to make it right away. The recipe is from Tim Wu who shoots the videos for Food52, where it was an editor's pick and garnered quite an impressive number of fans. (Misoyaki means grill in Japanese.) He has you marinate the bird in a paste of red miso and sweet mirin before popping it in a hot oven. As it roasts, you make a sauce of onions, garlic, soy sauce and mirin that is finished with a little butter and more miso. It's incredibly easy and the chicken emerges so juicy and full of flavor, with a crisp, salty, caramelized skin that's truly delectable. The onion sauce would seem like gilding the lily if it didn't go so perfectly with the rice you'll be serving alongside. I like a Japanese short grain, preferably the brown kind, if you can find it. Cook up some greens (we had quick-sauteed collards) and you've got a simple meal that's impressive enough for company but easy enough to make all the time. Which you will want to.
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It’s so wonderful to be able to celebrate with friends. Nothing makes me happier than sitting down to a delicious meal with a group of pals in high spirits. If I have made the meal, so much the better. It’s a way for me to express my love, to share a little bit of myself. We had three weekend guests at our tiny cottage, and two more drove over from Stone Ridge for the evening. Because Stephanie is still watching her fat intake (like a hawk), I had to come up with a menu that was virtually fat-free yet could still satisfy all these gourmands. I don’t think anyone left the table feeling deprived.
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Hot tamale. It's an old joke I never tire of. And indeed, though it's a chilly, grey morning, tomorrow is supposed to be unseasonably warm. 80 degrees in April—WTF?! Tamales, however, know no season. Yes, they are rather hearty and, yes, they were a Christmas Eve tradition in our house, but I'll eat them anytime, rain or shine. Tamales were part of any celebration banquet for the ancient Aztecs, who stuffed them with snails, game, boiled fruit, broad beans and fish with chile sauce. They are truly one of my favorite foods. I love untying the little packet and peeling the husk away to reveal the rich, pudding-like steamed masa, redolent of corn and concealing some savory nuggets. I like chicken tamales, cheese-&-chile tamales and, perhaps most of all, pork tamales. They are definitely not something you throw together in 15 minutes, but then neither is a good lasagna. Grab some friends and make it a party, that's the typical Mexican way. Once the weather warms up, we'll start eating loads of fresh fruits and salads and grilled things, so this may just be the perfect time for a little kitchen-intensive slow food. And once you make this red chile pork—earthy, lightly spicy and so flavorful—it will become a staple of your repertoire, equally delicious in tacos or on its own with a shaved cabbage and avocado salad.
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Risotto is one of those dishes that have been made to seem intimidating: all that stirring! the right rice! the stock! Newsflash: it's overrated. Not its deliciousness, that's indisputable, but its difficulty quotient. Simply assemble the right ingredients, have the patience to hang around the stove for 25 minutes or so, and you wind up with a rich, creamy bowl of goodness that works with so many different flavors. As for the right ingredients, it's really about the rice. A long-grain white rice is what you need for a classic risotto (although farro and barley make interesting variations), such as Arborio, Vialone Nano and Carnaroli, known as the "caviar of rice." Riso Acquerello is a kind of Carnaroli grown in Piedmont, and the one used exclusively by Le Cirque for its famous risotto. In a unique process, it's aged for at least a year to develop its structure and ensure that the grains are polished to perfection. A high starch content allows it to absorb liquid beautifully, so the rice retains a toothy "al dente" quality while acquiring a creamy consistency—the two hallmarks of the ultimate risotto.

There are so many different possibilities for risotto: with saffron for a classic Milanese; with the first peas and asparagus of spring; with pureed squash stirred in; with porcini; and on and on. The recipe, below, is inspired by the Italian master chef Nino Bergese, whose Riso Mantecato is decadent with butter and requires absolutely no stirring at all. I've called my version Risotto da Re (The King's Risotto), because it's fit for royalty: unctuous, luxurious and taken to new heights with a spoonful of rich meat stock ladled on top. It was selected as an Editor's Pick on Food52, an honor of which I do not tire.
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If you want to make corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day, you're already too late! Sheesh. I went to investigate some recipes and saw that most call for brining the meat for 8 days. We've got 4. My brisket is very small (about 2 pounds), since it's just for G and me, but this is a great meal to feed a bunch of people—like a family with 6 kids perhaps? I wanted to get this post up quickly, in case you'd like to go to the market today and get your supplies. This recipe looks long and involved but it's actually pretty simple. I just made the pickling spices and the brine and got my meat squared away in about 12 minutes. There are hurricane warnings and flood alerts in effect today in Sullivan Country, but for some reason we're still determined to hit the road for a pilgrimage north to Delicacies of the Delaware—a fantastic smokehouse where we like to stock up on wonderful things from time to time. Hopefully we won't float away...
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Another week gone by and, I'm pleased to say, another two of my recipes singled out by the editors of Food52. I still haven't actually won any of their contests, but lots of honorable mentions do add up. This time it was my Scarborough Fair Chicken and my Golden Rösti (made from yellow beets). I'll share the former with you first. My dear friend Marilee was recently asking me for a good roast chicken recipe, and I think this one is deliciously reliable. The name, of course, refers to the old English ditty and the herbs mentioned therein: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Add some butter, lemons and shallots, and you're in serious business. The chicken you use really matters—and here I'm going to flog the organic argument once again. Despite the American propensity for enormous breasts, they're just not worth keeping our chickens in captivity in order to force-feed them the required diet of (subsidized) corn. Go for a nice free-range roaster and you'll enjoy better flavor and a freer conscience.
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After spending the first part of our honeymoon traveling in southern India with our dear friends Scott and Lisa, G and I made our way to Rajasthan for what would be three of the best weeks of my life. Among the many spectacular hotels we were privileged to visit was this incredible 18th-century palace in the araval hills outside Udaipur. It is not the immediate go-to hotel in Udaipur; most people head for the Oberoi Lake Palace. But G somehow managed to snuffle this one out (like the truffle hound he is) and it was absolutely stunning. Devi Garh has only 39 suites, and they all feature local marbles and semi-precious stones. Our room was appointed with lapis lazuli—enormous sleek, azure slabs of it. There was a gorgeous pool and a wonderful spa where we were oiled up and rubbed down. Other features included little outdoor sitting rooms; a bar with chaises longues piled with brilliant silk pillows where you could have drinks at night by the light of these amazing wire baskets that held small, glowing fires; and secret courtyards, including one with a swing hanging from a jacaranda-like tree. And at the end of each of the two magical days we spent at Devi Garh, there was dinner.
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