Herb Attack: #Shameseamless a la Argentina

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“Guerillero Heroica” Chimichurri and Couscous Salad

A while back, I found myself with an inordinate amount of extra parsley in my crisper. That seems to be the case almost any time I buy fresh parsley. Recipes call for it but not in amounts that use the entire bunch. So what do you do with the rest of it? 

The answer, my friends, is chimichurri! In your revolutionary efforts to #shameseamless, take a cue from Che and embrace Argentina's answer to pesto.

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Granola Uprising: #Shameseamless Goes Counter Culture

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“Yes I’m Sure It’s Not Bird Seed” Toasted Quinoa Granola

Nothing says “I’m beating the man” more than making your own granola. There’s something quintessentially and inexplicably counter-culture about it. So it seems appropriate that it has turned out to be one of the outcomes of #shameseamless. 

Now, how do you make granola even more “granola” you might ask? The answer my friends is quinoa. “Is that bird seed?!” my skeptical friend asked as I pulled it out of the oven. And while I too questioned whether or not I may have taken things a little too far with this one, I have to say the texture of quinoa granola is really satisfying. Load it up with some dried fruit and you’ve got yourself a nice treat, which, in my opinion, does not need to stay relegated to the breakfast hours. Pack it for lunch!

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Squashtacular: #Shameseamless Marches On

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“Squashtacular” Roasted Butternut Squash, Shitake, Shallot and Kale Salad

Continuing on in my Sunday afternoon crusade to #shameseamless, I continued my roasting extravaganza and moved on to two trays of butternut squash. Coupled with some shitake mushrooms and sage, there is so much natural flavor in this dish that you really don’t need to do much to it at all. You’ll be in and out of the kitchen in 30 minutes! 

Total ingredient cost on this one? Like $8. And you’ll have enough for at least 3 servings! Throw it on top of some kale and you’ve got yourself a hearty meal.

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Brussels Bonanza: #Shameseamless Continues

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“Honey Bunches You Roast” Brussels Sprouts and Carrots

After my discovery of that terrible Seamless ad campaign on Sunday afternoon, I immediately came home and started putting my $40 worth of groceries to use. It was cold out and I was feeling in a very fall mood. The perfect time to roast some veggies! 

 

Roasting veggies is a great way to create meals for the week without spending a lot of active time in the kitchen. Really the ideal activity for a Sunday afternoon when it’s just a little too cold for you to want to be outside. I spent mine alternating between reading on the sofa and occasionally checking on my veggies in the oven. 

And what could be more Fall than honey roasted Brussels sprouts and carrots! I personally like adding a few red chili flakes into the mix. A nice zip of heat that cuts the sweetness of the honey a bit. 

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PSA: Shame Seamless

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I need to take break today to rant a little bit. I hate this Seamless ad campaign I was bombarded with on the subway yesterday. It's a terrible message. Don’t cook?! Ever?! This is how New York eats?! I will fully admit that I place at least one order for delivery a week, but denigrating cooking in general and trying to paint it as uncool. Well that just really boils my kettle. 

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Apples Aplenty

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“Orchard Overload” Apple, Shallot, and Gruyere Tart

After I made my applesauce, I still had a ton of apples lying around the apartment. The next obvious thing to do with a bunch of fresh apples is to make dessert in my opinion. But with twelve pounds of apples lying around the apartment I didn’t really feel like making a bunch of pies. So I decided to try my hand at a savory apple tart. Which, as it turns out, was a pretty wise choice! 

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Food Waste Fixation

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“Crisper Cleanse” Carrots and Chard

We all come up against this. What do you do when you realize you have a bunch of food left in your crisper that is maybe a bit past it's prime. Do you throw it away? Or do you try and make the most of it? Going back to my earlier rant about food waste, world-class chef's like Massimo Bottura and Dan Barber would skin you alive for throwing it away!  

Frankly, I always like the type of cooking I do when I need to clear my crisper. It’s fun figuring out how to use whatever vegetables I have leftover!

In this case, I found that the crisper had a bunch of leftover rainbow chard stems and some carrots that were a bit past their prime. Rather than kicking them to the curb, I put them to work and was really pleased with the results. Served over lentils they made a fantastic, simple lunch!   

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Fall Fantasies Finally Fulfilled

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Feisty Fox Ancestral Applesauce

A few weekends ago, we decided to go apple picking. It was one of those things that we have always said we want to do (every Fall) but never seem to actually execute. There is something quintessentially Fall in the Northeast about the idea of doing it! 

But as we drove out of the orchard upstate, passing what felt like border control, we looked at each other and suddenly asked, “How are we going to eat over 12 pounds of apples before they go bad?!” 

We spent the entire car ride back to the city relating stories to each other of apple dishes we had growing up that we wanted to recreate. The very first thing I thought of was the applesauce my grandma and grandpa used to make and serve over pork chops. Now THAT is Fall. And all I could remember was how good that applesauce was. 

I emailed grandma and scrounged up her recipe. I’m happy to report if you have a few hours to let this sit on the stove and cook, it’s as easy as pie (and much tastier!). As the other half said when we sat down to eat, “This is everything applesauce is meant to be…” 

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Who Says Curiosity Killed the Cat?

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“Cumin Curiosity” Carrots, Currants, and Couscous

The great thing about farmer’s market shopping is that you can grab random things and challenge yourself to find a way to figure out how to use them. Walking through a while back, I made a great discovery. Rainbow carrots! Who knew carrots came in so many different colors. I immediately grabbed white, purple, and orange ones thinking they would be really pretty all mixed up. I wasn’t wrong about that! But who knew that they all tasted so different! Mixing carrots like this really created a complex palette without having to think much about it. 

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Vivre La France

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“Live and Let Leek” Tart

If there’s one thing to be said for the French, it’s that they really know how to treat an ingredient right. When you find something in season at the farmer’s market, reverting to (and maybe combining) some classic French techniques is the surest way to create a simple and extremely satisfying meal that showcases the flavor of whatever it is you are cooking.

Enter the humble leek. Readily available now that we are moving into the Fall, this onion relative never gets enough credit! So when GrowNYC put out a call for recipes with “star ingredients” and I saw leeks on the list with a wide list of trendy veggies like beets, sweet potatoes, and the ever formidable and perennially (inexplicably) glamorous kale, I knew I had to take action in one of my favorite treats’ defense.

All you really need for this recipe is a standard size bunch of leeks. Chances are you already have most of everything else in the fridge already!  The techniques (confit and a basic tart filling) and other ingredients in this recipe are very limited and really get out of the way to let my lovely leek shine!

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Masochist Meatless Monday

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“Stone Fruit Soliloquy” Sandwich

Frankly, I’m torturing myself putting up these recipes with ingredients I can’t get anymore. I would kill someone to be able to make this sandwich again right now. It was so, SO good. Stone fruit has the perfect texture as a meat replacement. Just the right amount of flesh and bite.

This one requires no cooking whatsoever, but it really is dependent on high quality produce. If you can find good peaches and plums still, power to you. If not, maybe save this one for next year

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Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again...

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“Just Peachy” Salad

This is not very fair of me to post because peaches are very much gone everywhere I look. And if you find them chances are they are probably not very good. I came across a few at the store the other day and they were on sale for $1.99 a pound! A steal! But they were mealy and disgusting when I bit into them.

Nonetheless, I love this salad combination. And in the off-chance you can still find decent peaches you should absolutely make it!

Otherwise this will just serve to torture you… Sorry!

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Perdonami... Time to Confess Something...

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 “Solo l'inizio” Zucchini, Ham and Ricotta Tart

Confession. I’ve been holding out and haven’t really shared my favorite lunch hack with you yet…

Savory tarts! Learn the incredibly basic recipe for making a tart custard, grab yourself a frozen pie crust and fill it with whatever vegetables are in season and you’ve got lunch for a whole week! And once you’ve done it a few times, you’ll be cranking these bad boys out in less than an hour start to finish, including baking time!

I switch it up between preparing tarts that are based in Italian and French technique. Both are very simple. The difference is that Italians use more eggs. The French use more cream and milk. We’ll get to the French technique in a later post, but this first one happens to be Italian with a recipe from Phaidon’s upcoming Italian Cooking School: Pizza.

Full disclosure I work for the publisher but that doesn’t change the fact that I REALLY like this cookbook. I would have never thought to start making tarts had this recipe not caught my eye as particularly simple. And the book’s structure (it teaches you basic techniques first and then encourages you to variate pretty much endlessly!) truly has inspired me to keep experimenting with tarts.

Using a frozen pie crust is DEFINITELY not authentically Italian, but let’s be real… who has time to make pastry on a weeknight! I don’t care how basic that recipe is. It takes me approximately 3 seconds to pull my pie crust out of the freezer. I always keep one in there now!

Endless possibilities I tell you!

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I Keep Getting into Pickles...

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“Jewel Box” Late Summer Salad

The best salad is the kind that requires the least amount of work. This is one of those salads. 

Remember the corn pickles I made earlier in the summer? They’re coming back into use now that corn is out of season and I'm still craving it! How I’ve managed to not eat through them all yet I’m not quite sure, but I sure am glad I have them around. I only wish I’d made more. 

This salad may seem almost too simple but it’s really perfect for showcasing late season tomatoes. So go grab some before they are gone from the farmer’s market completely!

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Tomato Never Dies?

“Awwwww Yeah” Summer Veggie Gratin

How do you improve on the impeccable taste of seasonable vegetables? Cover them in cheese and bake them of course!

This is one of my favorite things to make during the summer. The techniques involved are super simple. It's pretty much limited to cutting and lightly prepping the veggies and then it’s mostly a waiting game while it cooks slowly in the oven. Which is what deterred me from making it until almost September this year. Too hot to turn on the oven! But lucky for everyone, there are still plenty of tomatoes in season this late in the game. So run out and try it.

I’ve held on to the issue of Cook’s Illustrated I found this recipe in for almost 10 years now. It’s completely stained with tomato juice at this point.

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The Endless Summer... Minus the Surfing

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“Summer’s Sunset” Berry and White Carrot Salad

Today may be the Autumnal Equinox, but I’m not one to give up so easily. The next couple of recipes are going to be a few of my seasonal favorites from the end of the sunshine days of August. Of course, you can get most of these ingredients any day of the year at the supermarket, but you’re going to pay an arm and leg for them and the flavor is never as good.

I made this salad on the fly for some friends and it’s very honestly one of my favorite salads I’ve ever made. First and foremost the combination of the white carrots with the fresh berries is super delicious and fairly unexpected.

If you can still get berries, try this one out as we let the sun set on summer.

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Sayonara Subway!

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“Forget Jared” Pork Meatball Sub with Peach and Busted Cherry Tomato Sauce

Let’s get back to that tomato sauce! And another recipe that you can make ahead and keep in the freezer! Meatballs!

Peaches and tomatoes were both in prime season when I made this, a combination I had experienced at a recent event at Achilles’ Heel. I wouldn't have thought to combine the two, but chef Lee Derosiers luckily did and I shamelessly copied him here.

I decided that combo with my fresh tomato sauce and some pork meatballs would be super delicious.

I will admit, I cheat a bit to make things easier on myself and I just doctor some sausage with the casings taken off to make meatballs. But hey, they are still delicious and it’s not much different than ground pork anyway. When you buy the sausage at the butcher counter, just ask them to take it out of the casing and save yourself a boatload of time.

The recipe makes a ton of meatballs which when sliced make for an excellent sandwich filling. Make a bunch, wrap them in foil, store them in the freezer and thaw them out a few at a time! 

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Investigation: A Best New Restaurant in Davidson, NC?!

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“College Town Hero” Eggplant and Country Ham Ragu

A few weeks ago, I picked up the September issue of bon appetit eager for the reveal of America’s Best New Restaurants. As I flipped through in the office at lunch, I saw what I had more or less expected. Petit Trois in Los Angeles, Semilla in Brooklyn. Yes, yes… I have been reading blogs all year. I am on Instagram. I have seen this before…

And then. #7. Kindred. I looked at the location, stopped dead in my tracks and let out a scream that reverberated through the entire office. Davidson, NC?! WHAT?!? The tiny college town I spent four years in with only as many dining options as I could count on one hand?!? Has a top 10 restaurant?!

And then I remembered that for months, friends in the Charlotte area had been talking about some place called Kindred on Main Street. And they had been making regular pilgrimages 30 miles north to eat there. And apparently they were on to something and I was a total snob for writing them off.

Unable to get on a flight down to North Carolina anytime soon and desperate to see what the buzz was about, I quickly got to work re-creating the recipe for Eggplant and Country Ham Ragu using my fresh tomato sauce, which I had rather conveniently, although unknowingly, made the night before. 

I’ll level and say that this isn’t really a lunch hack and it’s better suited for dinner at home, but I was too proud of my college town’s achievement not to put this out in the world.

This recipe blew my mind. It starts out all sweet and innocent and then you read through the ingredient list. Eggplant. Ham. Chipotle chiles in adobo?! Cocoa powder?!? FISH SAUCE?!?! WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?! This can’t possibly work… But boy oh boy does it ever!

Needless to say, I’m getting myself down to North Carolina ASAP. But in the meantime, I’ll enjoy an approximation of Kindred’s stellar food from my desk.

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Plum-urgency!!!!

“Holy &%*$^” Rosemary and Balsamic Roasted Plums with Chicken and Israeli Couscous

I’m interrupting my planned editorial schedule because, straight up, this is an emergency situation.

Plums are in season for like maybe a week more and I just made something that blew my mind. And could not be simpler to make.

ROASTED PLUMS! OMG! I don’t ever want to eat anything else ever again.

Seriously this could not be easier to make and it’s so absurdly delicious. I challenge you to defy me on this one. Chances are you have everything you need to make this except the plums in your kitchen already! 

Go to the farmer’s market. Get plums. Do this. Now.

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Let's Get Saucy...

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“Savor Summer Sometime Soon” Tomato Sauce

There is nothing better than a ripe tomato in August. You don’t have to do anything to them. There’s almost too much flavor! And when they are in season, they can be so cheap! Buying pounds and pounds of tomatoes at the farmer’s market is completely feasible! So I obviously bought up all the tomatoes I could carry home.

Desperate to cling on to summer past Labor Day, I decided to use my haul to make my own tomato sauce and freeze it this year. It’s a great way to hack recipes with vibrant summer flavors months from now. I used a great simple recipe from David Tanis' City Kitchen in the New York Times as my starting point to play around with below.

And it’s really simple to make because you really don’t add much more than tomatoes! This week, I’ll walk through how to make the sauce and the couple of recipes I made with it before I froze it. I’ve got a bunch of sauce in the freezer now, so you can expect this to make reappearance once the ground has frosted over.

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