Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.
Chicken with Tomato-Saffron Vinaigrette with Mixed Greens
Paprika and saffron help give a vivid orange-red tinge and a round, mellow flavor to this simple summer salad.
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When I think of Mexican cuisine, I think of balance. Mexicans love acidity in their cooking, and that's what makes it so appealing to eat. Though it's a function of living in a warm climate--the same reason Thai cuisine is also fond of citrus, it's a necessary form of preservation--the culinary benefit has outlasted the necessity.
When you have something rich and heavy in your taco--like, say, hunks of pork shoulder that have been slow-cooked in lard to become authentic carnitas--it is always...
Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.
Maple Black Pepper Pork Chops
Though the maple syrup might seem sweet, these thick-cut glazed pork chops are balanced with pepper and cider vinegar.
Spiaggia isn’t the sort of restaurant you waltz into on a whim--you have to wear a jacket to eat there, its gorgeous dining room has floor-to-ceiling windows, they have a cheese cave, and, oh, it’s really, really expensive. But the secret is that Spiaggia also has a cafe. It’s casual, intimate, and the food is superb. The attention to detail that is expected of a high-end restaurant like Spiaggia filters down to its more casual cousin, but the prices don't follow.
I was lucky enough to be invited to an unveiling recently of Cafe Spiaggia...
Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.
Hong Kong Salt Shrimp
Dropped into bubbling oil and coated with spices, these shrimp pack a punch--but strangest of all, you can eat the shell, too.
Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.
Calabazas Horneadas (Baked Squash, Chiles, and Corn Tacos)
Corn and squash act as the backbone of this classic Oaxacan dish.
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Next Friday my wife and I will hop on the Blue Line, head north to O’Hare, and then take a plane halfway across North America to Mexico City for one of the most intense eating experiences of my life. As you may have noticed over the four years or so that I’ve been writing, I adore Mexican cuisine all out of proportion. It’s my favorite cuisine--from complex and elegant moles to simple fish tacos and everything else in between. It’s an...
Through a heavy, metal door with "Brewery Employees Only" slapped on the front, I was led into a warm, steamy room where Goose Island beer is made. I side-stepped hoses and puddles of water and found a capacious space filled with slanted light; up above, at the top of a skinny ladder, great tanks of beer were lined up at various stages of aging and fermentation on a platform, were Goose Island's brewmaster Jared was talking to Chicago chef Graham Elliot.
Graham Elliot is one of a series of restaurants that have participated in Goose Island's chef brewing program (Others have included Mindy Segal of Hot Chocolate, Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and XOCO, and Paul Kahan of the Publican...
Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.
Shrimp Quesadilla with Kale
Stuffed with poached shrimp marinated in lime juice, this comes out like a cross with ceviche.
Scallops with Corn and Fava Bean Succotash
A trip to the markets...
Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.
Curried Udon Noodle Stir-Fry
This Japanese curry dish mixes flavorful spices with udon noodles and broccoli.
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My fridge lately has been so full of food I can hardly see what’s inside of it. Since joining a CSA, I am completely overwhelmed with the amount of food I have, and how to cook it all quickly enough. The other day I realized that I had, like, 2 or 3 pounds of green onions--and not wispy little ones, big, fat ones, the white roots thick and juicy, the green shoots long and vibrant. I’d been using them as quickly as I could, mincing them into salads and topping scrambled eggs. But it was a losing battle: I would need to find a way to cook them.
A quick tweet asking for ideas brought a handful of suggestions, from braising them...
You know how you see scallops at the fish market and think to yourself, I could sauté those with?...When I’m at the farmers’ market, I see bushels and baskets of potential pickles...
- David Chang, Momofuku
It's been over three years, and yet I can still vividly remember an appetizer I ate at Momofuku Ssäm Bar. In a meal filled with gloriously fatty meat laced with spice, this small plate of cucumber and radish seemed to lighten the load, and allow me to eat far more than was normal or right. But that's kind of selling them short. Because...
Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.
Pasta with Salmon, Peas, and Pesto
Yogurt and pesto combine to dress this light, simple summer pasta.
Spaghetti with Crab, Chile, and Mint
Nick recreates a dish from...
As far as I know there are only two kinds of ways to make carne asada. The first method is to take thinly sliced flank or skirt steak, sear it over mad charcoal fire, chop it up, and then stuff it into warm corn tortillas. It's almost always great. The second method is the kind that most taquerias use, which is to scoop some bits of raw steak, plop it on a grill, and sauté until it is cooked. This one is almost always bad. The meat is too greasy, or it's too chewy. I've always just assumed that grilled was superior to griddled, especially because I loved that smokey characteristic from the charcoal. Plus it also meant that everything was freshly prepared.
But now I’m not so sure. I had a taco last weekend that might have changed my mind.
Pickling vegetables is something that I’ve yet to get real excited about. Of all the "DIY" food movements, it’s one of the last to catch on. Why, I don’t know. Probably because a slab of homemade bacon is a lot more exciting than a jar of tangy vegetables. Which is no mark against the vegetables. Most anything next to a slab of bacon is bound to lose terribly.
But actually, pickling is rather easy when it comes down to it, even when you make the variety that naturally ferment (some “pickling” techniques are hardly more than packing the vegetables with a hot vinegar solution and calling it a day). It takes about a week. That week is about coaxing the vegetables to ferment (remember...
Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.
Steak and Eggs with Smoked Paprika
A sprinkle of smoked paprika helps wake up this breakfast classic.
The only time in the past two years that my wife and I have ordered takeout was this New Years, when, after cleaning up our place from our annual carnitas feast and trying to kick a massive hangover, we basically camped out in the living room on a trundle bed and ate Thai food in our pajamas. Surely, this is why takeout was invented. The idea of doing anything but drinking loads of water and watching a funny movie was out of line. The only problem: The food sucked. Even in my fragile state, it pissed me off.
Everything I described in my last post about what I didn’t like about Thai food was exemplified in the box of gluey sugary noodles. The experience scared me further away from both takeout and Thai food. Well...
When it comes to Middle Eastern dips, hummus hogs most of the love and attention. (The New York Times recently reported that hummus is "catching on" in America, where it dominates the $325 million-a-year refrigerated flavored spreads category). You see tubs of it everywhere, and for good reason: it's a great snack to have around.
But there's another beige spread (now doesn't that sound appetizing?) that gets short shrift when it comes to Middle Eastern dips. Baba ganoush has a similar texture to hummus--and an almost identical ingredients list--but instead of pureed chickpeas, the bulk comes from an eggplant. The eggplant is usually roasted or grilled, which gives it a smoky, rather...
Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.
Wheat Berry Salad with Harissa and Pistachios
If you've been clamoring to try wheat berries--which cook up a bit like cous cous--try this summery little salad with currants, pistachios, and some spicy harissa.
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I've started an experiment this year: how easy is it, really, to grow vegetables and herbs in a windowsill?
When I moved to Brooklyn from Manhattan three years ago, I was rather taken with the idea of urban agriculture, romanticizing the rustic life of the small producer who grows his own vegetables, raises his own livestock, and scavenges the seas for the rest. (This fantasy was fueled rather steadily by episodes of the River Cottage by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, which, unlike his books, is more fun than serious and, for people who like food, perhaps the greatest television series ever created)....
