Thanksgiving Food

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I think everyone, especially those who care about food are starting to think about Thanksgiving dinner. Traditionally, there are several Thanksgiving staples that we tend to focus on when we think of the big dinner: turkey, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, cornbread, green beans, creamed onions, Brussels sprouts etc. Some families cook all of these things in fairly traditional ways while others cook some of these dishes and substitute for others while others, (especially in a city like New York) put their own multicultural twists on Thanksgiving fare.

Thanksgiving for me has always been about spending time with family and friends, hopefully enjoying a nice meal and then probably falling asleep somewhere warm, hours before I’m supposed to go to bed. Our family has used Thanksgiving to celebrate engagements, re-connect with friends who’ve moved away and also to travel and spend time with extended families that we don’t get to see very often. Food has always been an important part of Thanksgiving, but when it comes to eating, I think food’s importance is more in that it’s there and bringing us together, creating interpersonal memories, than that the taste of the food itself is actually memorable. We are more or less eating the same things every year, but at least in my case, we don’t always get to see the same people. I can’t remember the best thing I ate every thanksgiving but I do remember the people we spent time with and the process of working together to create a meal, and generally being happy.

In recent years, as my interest in food has grown and I’ve gained more experience in professional kitchens, we started to drift slightly from the typical thanksgiving cooking model. After reading Michael Pollan’s books, and Jonathan Saffran Foer’s Eating Animals (specifically the last chapter) I find it very difficult to buy and eat Turkey anymore, even on Thanksgiving. I understand the tradition and nostalgia associated with eating Turkey and I won’t be snobby to people who do (check out Peter Meehan’s food snob piece in NY Times magazine here) but I can’t really justify doing it myself—it just doesn’t make me feel good about my actions.

The most important part of thanksgiving for me these days is the vegetables. There are still a bounty of root vegetables, Brussels sprouts, hearty greens, apples, pears, chestnuts and squashes to form a meal around. This thanksgiving we will still buy a bird (probably a squab or a duck, something that I can trace back to a farm and has had a better life than a turkey) but we will also eat a lot of vegetables.

Here is a glazed carrot and parsnip dish I like to cook for my mother. We made it four or five years ago with a recipe from Gourmet magazine and I’ve pretty much changed everything save for the carrots and parsnips and the fact that they’re glazed. I am making it with heirloom carrots from Norwich Meadows farms because I like the size (not too thick so I can cut them uniformly and so they’re visually appealing) and I like the fact that they are so colorful.


Before I give a recipe, let me preface by saying that when I cook at home I don’t usually follow recipes. I find that all home kitchens work differently and thus set recipes never work out the way I plan. I try to be proactive in tasting, smelling and observing during the cooking process and have left instructions of what to look for when following my recipe. Best of all is that taste is subjective so feel free to alter anything to your tastes.

Orange glazed Carrots and Parsnips serves 4-6 as an appetizer or side dish

Carrots 2 lbs
Parsnips 2lbs
Whole Almonds 1/3 cup
Honey 1 tbsp
Orange Juice (freshly squeezed) 1.5 cups
Cinnamon sticks 2
Cloves 8
Coriander 1 tsp
Allspice 3
Lemongrass 1 stalk bruised with the back of a knife
Tarragon (picked) 1 tbsp
Butter 2.5 tbsp
Water or Vegetable stock as needed
Kosher salt as desired
White pepper (freshly ground) to taste
Olive oil 1.5 tsp
Microgreens for Garnish (optional) 1 cup

For the Parsnips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

1.Peel and cut into uniform wedges so that they cook evenly. Depending on the size you can usually cut the thin bottom part off and then split lengthwise down the middle while quartering the top.
2. In a mixing bowl, toss the parsnips with olive oil and salt and pepper. Everyone tastes salt differently so use an amount you think is appropriate.
3. Place on a foil lined baking tray and roast in the oven. Check after about 20 minutes, they may take as long as 40. You want them to be tender enough to eat but not mushy and to have a little bit of color. Set aside to cool.

For the Almonds

1. On medium heat , add about ½ tsp of olive oil in a pan and add about 1 tbsp butter. When it starts to foam, add the almonds sprinkle with salt cook, tossing occasionally until toasty and fragrant and the butter is browned about 4-6 minutes. Set aside to cool
2. When cool, cut the almond in half or into thirds (crosswise) depending on your preferences

For the Orange juice

1. in a small pot, lightly toast the cinnamon, cloves, coriander, and allspice (it is important to use whole spices so they don’t make the orange juice cloudy and brown)
2. Add the orange juice and lemongrass and cook until reduced by two thirds. Strain and discard the spices. Set the orange reduction aside for later use.

For the carrots and to finish

doneness)
2. In a sauté pan large enough to hold the carrots in one layer, heat up 1 tsp of olive oil until slide easily across the pan. Add the carrots and season with salt. They should sizzle when they hit the pan, stir for about two minutes so they don’t take on any color but they release a little moisture.
3. Add the Orange juice, honey and 2tbsp butter and let simmer on medium heat. When liquid starts to thicken and glaze, taste a carrot if its still raw add about 1 tbsp of water so the carrots can cook longer—you want the liquid to become a glaze and the carrots to be cooked at the same time and can add water as necessary.
4. As soon as the carrots are cooked, add the parsnips and half the almonds and toss to coat.
5. Serve either in small individual bowls or one large serving bowl, garnished with the tarragon sprigs, the rest of the chopped almonds and the microgreens.

Pickled Peppers

The Spread at Eckerton Hill's farmstand

Everyone who knows me knows how much I like to shop farmer’s Markets. Even when I don’t have time to buy vegetables and cook I like to walk through the market and go vegetable browsing or even hang around and do some people watching. Even when I’m traveling I manage to find a farmer’s market to visit. During my last two trips away from the city (to Chicago and Concord Mass, a combined 4 days) I’ve managed to locate markets, buy vegetables and cook dinner. Working in the industry I also frequently run into and get to chat with former colleagues who work at other restaurants, friends from work, or even some farmers who I’ve become friendly with.

Baby Brazilians--Very floral but eating one
is like taking a prolonged punch to the
stomach

I love visiting the market at this time of year when we transition from late summer to early fall produce. I can go and still buy some of my favorite things like sweet corn, tomatoes and squash all at the same time. The main reason I like to purchase some of these things in season from farmer’s markets (particularly union square) is because there is such wide variety of each vegetable to choose from. Someone who solely shops at a Whole Foods or Gristede’s would never be able to fathom the numerous varieties of tomatoes, squashes and peppers that we get to see, buy and eat during this time of year. (Some of the farmers themselves don’t even know the names of some of the varietals they grow which I think is actually kind of cool.)

The vegetable/fruit/berry (technically) that has fascinated me lately has been the pepper. I love walking through the market and seeing peppers abundant in different sizes, shapes and colors. Peppers also intrigue me because I don’t know very much about most of the varieties on hand, creating an air of mystery and fear (because some of them are scary hot.) I love peppers because they are so different and versatile and can be used in so many different ways.

Jimmy's Nardello Peppers

While I’ve spent some time recently working with less spicy peppers like Poblanos or bell peppers, stuffing, sautéing and roasting, I’ve been try to figure out ways to use some of the spicier, extremely floral and fruity peppers in my cooking. While at work, I learned that you can capture much of the essence of these hot peppers (without the heat) by pickling them. If you make a fairly weak pickling solution and bring it to a boil you can simply pour it over the peppers and your liquid will take on many of the floral, fruity characteristic inherent in each pepper and still not be spicy. The actual pickles are still spicy (I ate a tiny Brazilian pepper whole and felt like someone had punched me in the gut for about 30 minutes until I calmed the fire by eating a pint of vanilla ice cream) but the liquid is sweet, acidic (because of the vinegar) and delicious. The best part of pickling peppers is that it allows you to buy more than you need in season and use them throughout the late fall and winter when there are no farmer’s markets peppers to be had.

Chocolate Habaneros

The liquid can be used to add acid to a lot of dishes in lieu of using lemons or limes or straight up vinegar. It can be part of a dressing, an acid to flavor mayo (one of my favorites) reduced and used as part of a glaze or just used as is as an ingredient in a dish. I did a dinner the other day where I used pickled Nardellos and their liquid mixed with corn, dressed raw fluke with cayenne pickling liquid, cucumbers, radishes and olive oil, and made mole using bell peppers, Pasillas, Poblanos, two chocolate Habaneros and about a pint of chocolate Habanero pickling liquid in my base. I currently have over 7 different varieties of pickled peppers in my fridge and because they are pickled I have all fall and winter to figure out the myriad ways I can use them.

Spain

Right around New Year's I was thinking of some resolutions to put up on this site. However, I'm not very good at making resolutions and when I do make them I'm usually terrible at keeping them. That being said, I thought that since I'm entering my 27th year of life that I would come up with 27 food related resolutions for the new year....

However, due to lots of work and my general laziness while I'm not working, I haven't officially finished working on the resolutions. Until then, here are some pictures from my trip to Spain over the summer.

Leftovers

I really dislike leftovers. It’s not that I mind eating day old food, it’s just that I don’t like eating the same food at the same meal twice in a row unless it happens to be breakfast. I don’t find the practice to be enjoyable (law of diminishing returns etc.) so it’s not something I do too often.

This happens to be problematic for me because, as someone who considers himself a pretty good cook, I try not to waste too much. This is easy to do in a restaurant setting but becomes much harder when you cook at home unless of course you are willing to eat leftovers.

This brings me back to my dilemma. How do I solve this problem? Sometimes its possible to create a new dish or something fun to eat but really it’s easiest to create something from my favorite food group—sandwiches.

Add some good bread, a couple of pickles, some mayo (or some other kind of sauce), something fresh and something green and you have the beginnings of a great sandwich.

Here I turned my dinner party leftovers into a nice Monday evening meal—Short Rib Banh mi with pickled carrots, watermelon radish, cilantro and ginger mayo. I enjoyed eating this so much I made a Banh mi again the next night, trading out the short ribs for leftover Chinese food and adding some Sriracha to heat things up a bit. Maybe I was being a little hypocritical but sometimes when something is really delicious you look ways to tweak it so you can eat it as many times as possible.

My Winter Dining Spots

Holiday season is the busiest time of year in the restaurant industry. I also think it is one of the most fun times of the year to go eat in restaurants. There is something really comforting about stepping out of the cold, into a warm and full restaurant and eating satisfying winter food. When the weather is messy and cold, food is something that can provide us with comfort and warmth. To me, eating a nice meal in the winter time is similar to waking up in a cold room under a warm comforter and then going back to sleep—it makes me happy and I wish I could do it more often.

            A week after our first snow storm of the winter I provide you with a list of cold weather restaurants. These are places that make me feel comfortable, full and happy in the cold winter months.  If I was stuck in any of these restaurants during a blizzard, I know I’d feel at home. (They’re fun in warm weather too but I especially like them in the winter.)

The little owl—A tiny, cozy restaurant with dim lighting and big flavorful food. Looking at the bundled up passers through  the large windows overlooking the street (and the little stone owl on the building across the street) while enjoying gravy meatball sliders and a delicious  pork chop make you feel especially warm.

Char No 4. –Something feels right about drinking Bourbon and eating Southern comfort food in the winter.  They have over 150 whiskeys and excellent pork anything. I really enjoy the pork jowl nuggets and their BLT with thick cut fried bacon.

The Tavern Room at Gramercy Tavern

Not only does the front Tavern room at Gramercy Tavern feature an array of seasonal fauna, most of the food is cooked in an open kitchen on a wood burning grill. Not only does the fire give the room a warm and cozy feeling, but it fills the air with comforting smells as well. There is an excellent selection of wines by the glass (and by the taste if you want a smaller pour) and the food is always delicious.

The Spotted Pig

I really like the idea of trudging through the cold and stepping into a ‘gastropub.’ The first thing  I notice when I step into The Spotted Pig is the crowd. The restaurants seems to always be full and there is always a at least an hour wait for a table. That being said there are great beers on tap at the bar and I feel like Spotted Pig patrons also tend to be pretty friendly. I love eating here when I’m not in a rush to do anything in particular on the coldest of winter days. The food is always well seasoned and fairly heavy, perfect for the winter months.

Bar Veloce

I usually go to the one in the East Village and I don’t usually eat the fod here. I do however enjoy drinking a big glass (I like drinking wine in big glasses) of Italian red and having a couple of cheeses. If you can grab a seat in the closet sized space it’s a great place to start or finish a night in that neighborhood.

Shabu Tatsu

To me, the whole fun of Shabu Shabu is communal eating. You star off with a warm, aromatic broth and then proceed to cook meats, vegetables and noodles in the broth until you finally drink the (now even more flavorful broth) at the end. The whole process of sitting down and eating soup (also something I usually only consume in the winter time) in this simple yet very structured and ritualistic way makes for a fun cold weather meal.

Corner bistro

This place is a personal favorite of mine. While some may debate the quality of the burger (I think it’s delicious but consistently overcooked so order it more rare than you want) I still find myself meeting friends here time and time again.  The fact that burgers are $7 dollars and beers are $2.50 mean that you can camp out here for a long time to get out of the cold and it will still be relatively light on your wallet. It’s open late night too.

 

Frankies 457

Had dinner there the other night and really enjoyed the whole experience. The restaurant is beautiful and cozy and the food is simple, tasty and very well executed. Everything on the menu is also very affordable (generally under $20) and there are a lot of wines in the $20 to $30 dollar range which can help make any dinner a more pleasant experience.

Dining Solo

Anyone who knows me knows that one of my favorite things to do is to go out to eat. After a week of working in a kitchen and eating most of my meals standing up (cooks eat family meal while standing around the kitchen) there’s nothing more relaxing than sitting down to a nice meal that someone else has prepared for you. This is different from eating a relaxing home cooked meal, mainly because you have choices. If I don’t feel like eating chicken I can order lamb. Feeling like sweetbreads? Pork Belly? A $25 dollar glass of Barolo? Right away. In a city like New York there is a restaurant for every taste or whim.

Most of the time I don’t have a problem finding someone to go eat with me. I know enough restaurants that I can pick a place that will cater to the tastes and price point of the friend or friends I’m thinking of going with. However, every once in a while I have a craving for a sit down restaurant meal and haven’t had the time to find someone to eat with.

I really like the idea of dining alone. I see people eating alone all the time and they usually look like they’re enjoying themselves. It seems to me that eating alone in a crowded restaurant by oneself would be a sign of security—I’m alone and I don’t care what everyone else thinks of me. However, I’m also aware of the stigma attached to solo diners. I remember a passage in Bill Buford’s heat describing the sous chef referring to a solo diner as the loser at the bar. No one wants to look like they don’t have any friends…

On the other hand, at any restaurant that prides itself on excellent service, the solo diner is a prized customer. When you make the choice to eat at a restaurant alone it shows the kitchen that you either enjoy the food enough to not mind eating alone (assuming you’ve been there before) or that you expect great things from the kitchen. At the French Laundry, arguably the best restaurant in the country (and inarguably top 5) every solo diner is a VIP.

My hang up with dining out alone is taking the first step. I’m not secure enough to walk into a crowded restaurant by myself, sit down and know that I’ll feel comfortable enough to sit there for the next hour or so all by myself. What do I do while I’m waiting to order? How do I wait in between courses? What if the food takes too long and I’m sitting, and playing with my fingers or looking at my cell phone (trying to look like I have something better to do) and everyone is staring at me? I once spent an entire evening after work walking, talking myself into eating alone, then passing by full restaurants and talking myself out of it. An hour and a half later I had walked all the way home and ended up eating a take out cheeseburger from the diner down the block—not satisfying at all…

In my experience, once I’ve been able to get past my own insecurities, I had some really fun meals dining solo. One Saturday night I ended up at Terroir sitting by myself at 10 pm on a Saturday night. I found it liberating that I was able to order anything I wanted to eat or drink (and not have to worry about other people’s preferences or feelings.) I’ve also had great meals eating alone at Union Square Café, Morandi, and the Modern.

Each time however, I have followed a couple of simple rules that I think helped contribute to my enjoyment. Here they are in bullet point form.

--Sit at the bar. This is mostly if you don’t feel comfortable sitting at a table by yourself (what do you need all the space for anyway?) It’s also easier to strike up a conversation with a bartender (who can’t escape) than a waiter or waitress who has to pay attention to other tables. I also find that people eating at the bar are also likely to take an interest in you and start talking to you.

--Bring a crutch. As I mentioned earlier, one of my greatest concerns about eating alone is what to do with all that awkward time alone when you’re not eating. Having a book/magazine/newspaper as a time filling crutch helps me eschew this fear.

--Go hungry and go excited. This has never been a problem for me mostly because I’m always excite to eat, and if I find myself thinking about eating out alone it most definitely means that I’m really hungry. I’ve found that taking an interest in the food and/or the wine helps the restaurant take an interest in you. If they know you’re all about business they will (should) do their best to make you happy. Every time I’ve eaten solo I’ve been comped something and sometimes several things. Even if the free food or wine wasn’t necessary, it still felt good to know that someone cared about my happiness level.


Eating at nice restaurants alone isn’t for everyone, but if you’re into food and don’t mind your own company it’s certainly worth a try.