Sometimes missing New York feels to obvious, but mostly it’s just status quo.
(sorry DC!)
Otto. Milanos. Standard Hotel. Bua Happy Hour. Xuan’s Famous. Shake Shack. 230 Fifth. Mamas. Edi & the Wolf. Sub 7. Stumptown in Ace Hotel Lobby. Momofuku Milk Bar. Jane Hotel. Jeffery’s Kitchen. Grimaldi. Jacque Torres. Henry’s. Murray’s Bagels. Breslin. Eataly. PIes & Thighs. 11th Street Lounge. Meatball Shop. Joseph Leonard. Co.
One of my favorite things about going to the farmer’s market is encountering a vegetable that I have never cooked before. Garlic Scapes (the tops of the bulb) are currently in season and they make a really amazing pesto!
Chop the scapes into 2 in pieces. Add the scapes & walnuts to a food processor and chop until it turns into a paste. Add parmesan to taste. Turn on processor and slowly pour in olive oil until it becomes smooth. Salt & Pepper. Server with bread or pasta!!
Picked up my first box at the farmer’s market today.
Whip some heavy cream up in your mixer and add powdered sugar & vanilla or just maple syrup. Absolutely fantastic.
Dig a hole, get some rocks, get a camping grill. Light some kindling on fire. Get it nice and hot. Salt and pepper steaks. Grill and enjoy that wood burned taste!
I took a shortcut with this Sephardic recipe, and although it didn’t retain a pie-like shape it was still delicious!
Serves 2
Cook beef and onions. Sprinkle with cinnamon, cumin, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for about 2 hours (I skipped this step).
When the meat is ready allow it to cool. Stir in eggs.
Soak a bunch of matzoh farfel in water for about 1 minute, drain. press the wet matzoh into a 9-in pie plate. Pour meat into the pie plate and add more of the moistened matzoh. Pour chicken stock on top about half way.
Bake uncovered at 350. Serve slices with a squashed egg and a lemon squeeze. Amazing!
I could eat this any time, but for some reason I wait until Passover every year.
Toss. It’s like magic.
No earth burial required. Just some rinsed mason pasta jars.
If I were you, I’d start collecting jars. I really like the Classico brand pasta sauce and they come in these amazing mason jars, so you get to eat some pasta and have a perfect thing for brewing some kimchi. This is pretty simple, but it’s a multi-day recipe.
Rinse cabbage. Dissolve salt in water. Put cabbage in a large bowl or pot and pour salt water over. Let it sit overnight. Toss once and a while.
The next day, drain the cabbage and reserve the water. Return the cabbage to the bowl and add scallions, garlic, ginger, anchovies and chili powder. If you like it extra spicy lean on the 3 T side. Toss using tongs until it is well coated. Pack very tightly into the jars leaving about 1 inch from the top. Pour salt water over to cover and then close the lid tightly.
Let the kimchi brew on your counter in a dark corner for about 3 days if you like it really sour. Stick it in the fridge on the 3rd day and be careful when you open the lid. It’s bubbly inside!
The idea of homemade pasta is definitely scary, but if you spend Sunday making a go of it, you will be so delighted at the end result.
Serves about 2
MAKE THE PASTA:
Create a mound with the flour. Make a well. Break the eggs into the well. Use a fork and lightly swirl the eggs in a circle. Support the wall of flour with your hand and slowly incorporate the flour into the egg until a rough mass forms.
When the dough becomes a firm ball sweep the rest of the flour to the side. Work the flour into the dough until it is no longer sticky. Knead for 8 minutes adding flour if it is too sticky. The dough should be elastic. Divide into three pieces and wrap tightly in plastic. Rest for 20 minutes.
Flour a surface and add dough ball. With a rolling pin, roll away from you as you flatten the dought. Dust it with flour as you continue. The sheet should be thin enough that you can see the shadow of your hand (pretty thin!!). Repeat with other balls. Let them dry on a floured surface (or wax paper) for at least 20 minutes flipping once.
Cut into 1 inch wide strips.
MAKE THE SAUCE:
Add a little bit of olive oil to a pan and fry up the sausage. Break them apart. Drain excess oil after the sausage is browned. Add cream, peas, salt and pepper and simmer for about 5-7 minutes until slightly thickened.
Boil water with a little bit of salt and olive oil. Cook the pasta until they float. Drain and add to the sauce and toss. Add cheese. Eat. Feel full, satisfied and happy.
serves 2
Salt and pepper the ground beer and form tiny balls. Bring Chicken stock and tamarind paste to a boil and then reduce heat. Add the meat balls and cook for about a minute. Then add the rice until the soup thickens a little bit.
Ladle into bowls and top with a little bit of fish sauce if you want it salty, cilantro and scallions and a dash of chili oil for spiciness. So simple delicious!
served with saffron risotto and garlic string beans for 2
Season Beef with Salt + Pepper (and throw in some paprika and cayenne if you want a kick). Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat and sear the beef on all sides and remove.
Pour in a little bit of beer and scrape up the bits. Add the Veggies and cook on a low flame for 45 minutes.
Oven 350. Pour veggies into a tall oven proof dish and nestle the beef chunks in between. Pour in the rest of the beer or until it comes about half way full. Cover and cook in the oven for three hours. Strain the veggies out and return the liquid to the meat and enjoy!
This is an Indian recipe with Chinese influence; the chile oil is key to this soup. I traded cow’s milk for coconut milk and it was lovely, but if you hate the stuff just stick to the kind you like.
Serves 2-3
In a pot boil over medium: 1 can of corn, chopped potato, onion, ginger, and chicken stock. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and discard ginger.
Use your blender to coarsely puree the soup. Return to pot and add and boil milk and 1 can corn. When it boils add cornstarch and stir until thickened. Salt.
Serve with a splash of chile oil and some scallions.
I’ve made avgolemono as a sauce, but it makes an excellent soup as well.
Serves 2-3
Marinate the chicken in a ziplock bag for a few hours: splash vinegar, mince garlic to taste, sprinkle/drizzle sugar (about 2 T), salt and pepper.
Boil and then simmer chicken broth reserve 1 cup. Add Rice for 20 minutes and turn off heat.
While that is simmer, heat some oil in a pan on medium and add the chicken legs and its marinade. Pour some (about 1/2 cup) of beer over and cover.
Use a blender to beat the eggs and slowly add lemon juice and 1 cup of broth. Return to the broth and rice pot and simmer (DON’T boil).
When the chicken legs are finished, remove the meat and add to the soup and partake!
serves 2 people dinner
Heat the 3T of butter in a pot. Fry onions until clear. Add flour and mustard and cumin and mix well, it should be dry. Stir in the stock and simmer until it is thick. Add the ale and then cheese and stir constantly. The cheese should melt in about five minutes. Pour the soup into your blender and blend. Return to the pot and reheat on low adding salt and pepper.
Make croutons! Tear bread, rub with garlic clove, heat butter in a pan, toss the bread in the butter and brown. If you want, throw some crunchies on top, maybe corn or chives or scallions? And for the record, this soup is extra tasty with a beer on the side.
Every restaurant does this classic American salad a little bit differently and I imagine the homemade versions vary just as much. This is my first attempt at the recipe and it came out really well!
serves 2
Marinate the chicken with 1/2 of a lemon, salt, and freshly cracked peppercorns. Heavy on the pepper.
Time to make the dressing. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolk with the tsp of water. Whisk in the olive oil drop by drop until it thickens. Then whisk in the rest of the oil as a steady stream and the dressing should be thick. Crush or mince the anchovies, one garlic clove and a large pinch of salt into a paste. Whisk the paste into the dressing and then add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Add freshly crushed pepper at the end.
Croutons! Tear the bread into bite sized pieces and rub the second garlic clove on the bread. Heat an appropriate amount of butter in a pan and add the bread bits. Toss to coat the bread and brown them. Remove from pan and set aside.
In the same hot pan fry the chicken. If they are thin they shouldn’t take very long at all.
Tear the lettuce and add chicken, croutons, grated parm and drizzle the dressing. Wonderful!
This salad tastes great with fried chicken and it’s super simple and quick. It’s not really a recipe, just three ingredients that taste great together!
serves 2
Chop the 1/2 head of lettuce into quarters. Use scissors to cut the prosciutto into bits and fry them in a little bit of olive oil until they are crispy. Sprinkle over the lettuce and drizzle the blue cheese dressing over it all.
stl is becoming a regular ol' chef boyardee.
