Stuff to eat. Mostly around St. Louis.
Quarantine Cookbook Recommendations
I don’t know about you guys, but I have been cooking a ton during quarantine. It’s been refreshing (excluding the mountain of dishes…). It’s like my art project for the day. It’s also given me the opportunity to go through my not-so-small collection of cookbooks and try things I’ve never done before. In case you’ve been looking for some solid new ones to purchase, here are some recommendations from chez Spencer.
Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings and Cravings: Hungry For More
It’s easy to dismiss celebrity cookbooks—most are shameless cash grabs—but these are not. Well, they might be, but they’re worth buying. Don’t believe me? Ask chef Brian Moxey. He’ll tell you the same thing. Both of these cookbooks are full of ‘craveable’ dishes, which is fitting considering their titles. Almost every dish in the book sounds like something I’d want to make, and very few of them are a long time commitment. Her chunky creamy mushroom soup (with no dairy) is a winter favorite of mine. I just opened the cookbook to John’s fried chicken wings with spicy honey butter and BRB going to eat some wings.
Ivan Orkin’s The Gaijin Cookbook
I love Japanese food. So much. When I discovered takoyaki (basically pancake balls filled with octopus, ginger, crispy bits, scallions, etc.), my whole life changed. Then I met takoyaki’s larger, more impressive brother, the okonomiyaki. And now, thanks to Ivan, I have nearly perfected the cabbage and meat filled pancake, smothered in okonomi sauce, Kewpie mayo, and dancing flecks of bonito. Okonomiyaki has become almost a weekly addition to my menus. Life is good. Besides okonomiyaki, this cookbook is a great intro to making Japanese food at home and developing a sense for the flavors of Japan without being overwhelmed with new techniques and ingredients.
Michael Solomonov’s Zahav and Israeli Soul
Things I am planning on doing in the near future: going to Philadelphia and eating (almost) all my meals at Michael Solomonov’s restaurants. He has completely redefined my views on the Jewish cooking I more or less grew up with. So many dishes in both of these cookbooks are amazing—make Zahav’s lamb shoulder for a dinner party and drink up the accolades—but my absolute favorite is his falafel. I’ve never had a better falafel than the ones I’ve made using his recipe. The flavor is incredible, the texture is perfect. That recipe is in Israeli Soul and I think you should make it as soon as you possibly can. Here’s a video of him making it so you can see how easy it is.
Bonnie Frumkin Morales’ Kachka
Unlike Solomonov, I’m an Ashkenazi Jew, meaning my family comes mostly from Eastern Europe & Russia, rather than the Middle East or Mediterranean. Instead of getting to grow up falafel, pita, and kibbeh, we had stuff like noodle kugel, borscht, and gefilte fish. Bummer. In my head, Eastern European food was boring and plain, mostly made up of root vegetables, potatoes, and cabbage. Then I went to Kachka in Portland. Good god. That single meal completely shifted my thoughts on Russian cuisine. It’s delicate and thoughtful, taking mostly simple ingredients and combining them into something bursting with flavor—not unlike what Balkan Treat Box does. I was embarrassed for generalizing and putting down an entire cuisine. I’ve yet to make the Russian dumplings (pelmeni) that my dad and I absolutely demolished in Portland, but that will be changed shortly.
Jim Lahey’s Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook and My Bread
Before there was Ted Wilson, there was Jim Lahey. And there still is Jim Lahey. You can probably find him at his NYC bakery, baking loaves of bread that are at least 10 times better than anything you or I have made at home during quarantine. My Bread is a great intro to bread making; I’m particularly fond of it because of how many no-knead recipes there are in it. I hate kneading. I am a lazy baker. If I can set it and forget it for 18 hours, I’d rather do that. Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook includes more savory dishes that the bakery sells, so it’s not just bread. He also has My Pizza, which is nice, but not as useful as these two.
Melissa Martin’s Mosquito Supper Club
A few weeks back, I was complaining to my friend Mary that I didn’t have so many of my grandma’s recipes from when we were growing up. She lost a majority of her recipes years ago during a move, and being that she’s 90 years old, she doesn’t do much cooking these days. Mary, knowing that my grandma is from New Orleans, recommended a cookbook I’d never heard of: Mosquito Supper Club. I didn’t know who Melissa Martin was, I didn’t know that Mosquito Supper Club was the name of a restaurant in New Orleans. I knew nothing, but I went ahead and bought it anyway and I couldn’t be more glad that I did. This book is killer. Proof: I surprised my grandma with Martin’s shrimp stew recipe last week and, while she gave me a few tips for next time, it got 98% of her approval. And my grandma isn’t one to mince words about food.
George Calombaris’ Greek
I think Masterchef USA is incredibly dumb and overproduced, but Masterchef Australia is great. It’s just talented home cooks pushing themselves, not unlike The Great British Bake Off. After watching a few episodes where one of the judges, George Calombaris, showed off some of his Greek restaurant’s dishes, I was intrigued. In St. Louis, we have very limited Greek options, and outside of Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern shows, I really had no frame of reference for what modern Greek food could be. This cookbook is it. There are some wild dishes in here, mixing the traditional with the modern—like lamb brain ‘chicken nuggets’. But most of all, it’s just fun, out of the box dishes you might expect at a place like Taste Bar.
Gioia’s Hot Salami Queso
I don’t know what I’m doing with my life.
I thought it would be a great idea to do a recipe post about one of my favorite Guy Fieri-ish dishes in St. Louis, the hot salami queso that Gioia’s puts on their Hilly Cheesesteak special. People love queso, Spencer. They love hot salami. This is a home run. You’re a winner.
I still think this post was a good idea, but what wasn’t a good idea was planning it for 10 AM the day after a meal at Twisted Tree Steakhouse with Gioia’s owner and Hulk-sized human Alex Donley.
Twelve hours before getting to Alex’s house, we were wrapping up a dinner that left me breathing and sweating like Tony Soprano. Onion rings. T-ravs. Way too much salad (that is a thing, apparently). Prime rib. A potato the size of a newborn. Cake. Ice cream.
(This feels like the kind of post the local news will highlight when I drop dead and people wonder how such a strapping young buck couldn’t make it to 35…)
But I do this for you. So does Alex.
We made a crockpot full of hot salami queso—and a Spicy Daggett variation—because we just want you guys to be happy. Think about how popular you’re going to be at all your winter potlucks and holiday parties when you bring in this semi-liquid version of St. Louis’ favorite sandwich! You’ll be the champ of your Super Bowl party. For the full Gioia’s experience, get yourself some bread from Fazio’s and make some crostini out of it. Brush it with garlic butter if you and your guests are wearing Depends.
If you really want to push the boundaries, I think you should make this then pour it in a terrine mold, refrigerate it, and then slice it for a charcuterie board. We all know the Velveeta will hold its shape…unlike us and our soft, squishy bodies.
You can stop by Gioia’s and order literally any of this from them right at the counter, but feel free to go to the grocery and pick up your favorite pickled jalapenos, coppa, and so on. For hot salami, just tell them you need a log for hot salami queso. They’ll hook it up.
INGREDIENTS
HOT SALAMI QUESO
10 slices hot salami, chopped
3 logs of velveeta, cubed
2 cans of rotel, opened
8 oz pickled jalapenos
Spicy Daggett Variation
All of the above, plus:
1/4 lb hot coppa, chopped
1/4 lb capicolla, chopped
8 oz giardiniera, chopped
METHOD
Chop everything.
Put it in a crock pot on low for 2-4 hours.
Switch to warm and serve.
For the Spicy Daggett version:
Sauté coppa and capicolla until crispy.
Add giardiniera, sauté a little more.
Add to hot salami queso.
*I am aware of the fact this is not, in any way, a traditional queso. This is Velveeta and Rotel. It’s Midwestern queso.
Peach & Chamomile Panna Cotta
St. Louis summer can be brutal. Oppressive humidity, days where it’s as hot as the desert, spiders. Sometimes I wonder why anyone decided to settle here.
On the other hand, we have some amazing summertime produce. Tomatoes, sweet corn, blackberries. I crush farmer’s markets all summer. And, when I’m feeling particularly outdoorsy, I’ll head over to Eckert’s in Belleville and pick my own.
The Eckert’s family has been growing peaches in the greater St. Louis area since 1837. They’ve got it down. They know what they’re doing. I picked one the other day that was literally the size of a softball. And by picked, I mean Chris Eckert handed it to me when we were out in the field.
“Pick Your Own Peach” season is in full swing, which is great news if you’ve got kids or you and your boo are looking for an out-of-the-box date. If you’re not so into picking fruit but you are into eating it, a day trip to the farm is still nice. They’ve got the country store, which is more like Eckert’s own Whole Foods, chock full of their amazing fruits and vegetables, local meat, wine, and a million jarred goods using their fruit. Peach butter? Strawberry salsa? HELLO.
I am not a pastry chef. In fact, I’m pretty terrible at making even the simplest of desserts. Ashley Rouch, however, is my opposite. She’s the pastry chef of Reeds American Table, and she’s created a dessert that is so good, it makes me feel guilty for all the mean things I’ve ever said about panna cotta. It’s a bit of work, but it’s going to blow you away. More photos follow the recipe.
Peach & Chamomile Panna Cotta
Peach & Chamomile Panna Cotta
YIELDS ROUGHLY 10 SMALL PANNA COTTAS
INGREDIENTS
CHAMOMILE POACHED PEACHES
2 cups white wine
2 cups sugar
¼ cup chamomile
¼ vanilla bean
1 strip lemon zest
9 small slightly unripe peaches, pitted and quartered
METHOD
Cut and make a cheesecloth sack (or buy from Amazon). Add the loose chamomile and tie shut. You don’t want to pick loose chamomile flowers from the poaching liquid, do you?
In a pot, combine the wine, 2 cups of water, sugar, chamomile, ¼ vanilla bean, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil.
Add the peaches to the pot, taking care not to crowd the pot. Reduce the heat to barely a simmer. Cut out a round piece of parchment paper (once again, Amazon to the rescue) and place it over the surface of the poaching liquid. Simmer until the peaches feel tender to the touch and are bright orange in color, about 7-10 minutes. (Remember: use slightly unripe peaches so they don’t turn to mush!)
Pour them into a container and put the container in an ice bath to cool. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
INGREDIENTS
CHAMOMILE HONEY PANNA COTTA
4 cups cream
40 g chamomile
2 cup milk
10.5 g powdered gelatin
½ cup honey
1 t vanilla extract
Chamomile Poached peaches
Pinch of Salt
METHOD
Grease and prepare your ramekins.
Heat the cream in a pot until simmering. Add the chamomile, turn off the heat, and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain the cream through a sieve, or cheesecloth, into a clean bowl, and set aside.
Pour the milk into a pot and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the top, but do not stir. Let the gelatin soften until the grains look wet and like they are beginning to dissolve (see the photo of the pot below—the top has developed a skin), about 10 minutes. After the gelatin has bloomed, warm the milk and gelatin over very low heat, whisking occasionally, until the gelatin dissolves, 3-5 minutes. Be careful not to let the mixture boil. Once the gelatin is dissolved turn off the heat.
Whisk in the honey, vanilla, and salt. Add the chamomile infused cream and whisk to combine. Put in an ice bath (or your fridge) until completely cool.
Spray the bottom of your ramekins with cooking spray. Portion into your ramekins.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
If you want to go for the full Reeds experience, reduce the peach poaching liquid down until it’s a thick syrup, almost like honey.
Run a pastry spatula down the sides, then turn the panna cottas over onto serving plates. Drizzle with the reduced syrup, toss some pistachios on top, then add the peaches.
This post is sponsored by Eckert’s.
Banana Nut Bread
I live in a world where food and photographs are currency. I never imagined there’d be a period in my life where I’d be exchanging cookies for baguettes and challah for hot dogs. I didn’t know that I’d be trading photos for steaks. I have somehow transported myself back to America, circa 1850. I barter and I cook in beef tallow. I have considered seeing how far I can continue trading up. Could I go from two dozen cookies to a car? Maybe. That’s best left for a separate blog.
My mom and sister are avid bakers, but they don’t get high off their own supply. Their self-control disgusts me. My dad is a “healthy eater” who often requests my mom buy huge amounts of fruit and vegetables, then doesn’t really eat them.
Leftover ripe bananas means banana bread. My mom makes it, wraps it up, then texts me that there’s banana bread for pick up. I get it, eat a piece out from the center so no one knows I did it, then deliver it to whatever restaurant I’m at that day.
I don’t know where this recipe originated—probably my grandma—but it changed over the years and has become my favorite banana bread ever. The outside gets dark and crusty, while the inside remains pillowy soft. The chopped up walnuts or pecans give it some crunch. The raisins provide little bursts of sweetness. I think I could eat an entire loaf in one sitting, if I was left unattended. I’ve heard some of the chefs say they like to toast it and spread butter on top, but that’s just gilding the lily.
YIELD: 1 LOAF | ACTIVE: 10 MINUTES | TOTAL: 1 HOUR AND 25 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
3 large bananas, mashed
1 stick butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1.5 c AP flour
1/2 t baking soda
1 c pecans (or walnuts)
1 c raisins
1 t vanilla extract
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350F.
Put the pecans on a lightly sprayed baking sheet and toast for 5-10 minutes, until aromatic. Let cool a bit, then HULK SMASH them.
Using an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar, then add the eggs one at a time. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 75 minutes. Check doneness with a knife—nothing should stick. If it does, continue checking every 5 minutes.
Corn Soup
There are two things you need to know about this post:
#1: Matt Wynn is a talented young chef in St. Louis. He’s worked at Hearth, Craftbar, Craftsteak, Niche, and Sardella. When he’s not cooking, he enjoys playing rugby and posting on Instagram.
#2: Every month or so, 33 Wine Bar hosts their Dorm Room Dinner series. A chef serves ~80 diners a meal prepared in a kitchen that really isn’t much of a kitchen, which is part of the fun. What can these cooks do with limited resources? It’s like Chopped, except you’re the judge, your opinion doesn’t really matter, and you’re paying for your meal.
At his recent Dorm Room Dinner, Matt whipped up a corn soup that put any I’ve made to shame. We bartered soup for photos.
Corn Soup
Chef Matt Wynn
YIELDS ROUGHLY 3 QUARTs
INGREDIENTS
15 corn cobs (slice off kernels)
4 sprigs rosemary
1 sprigs sage
15 black peppercorns
6 cloves garlic
2 onions, sliced thinly
1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
Pinch of red chili flakes
1 lemon
METHOD
In a pot, add cobs, herbs (you can wrap them all together in cheesecloth), and cover with water. Cook this together for about 2 hours. You will know it’s ready when the cobs start to become fleshy and pods that uses to host the kernels start to deteriorate. Strain your soup using a fine mesh sieve.
In a separate pot, sweat your onions in olive oil. Once translucent, add in your potatoes and corn. Let that slowly cook down together. Season your veggies at this stage. You want the water to leech out from the onions and the kernels, while also allowing the potatoes to get rid of their starchy water content. Salt is a catalyst to making this happen. If you decide to use the red chili flakes, just remember that a little bit goes a very long way, especially at this stage of the soup. The capsaicin also helps leech out moisture from your veggies.
In Matt’s case, once he gets impatient enough or paranoid that this base will burn, he adds it to the strained corn stock. A more rational approach would be the phase when your onions and corn turn to mush and your potatoes get whiter.
Cook the veggies and the stock together for about an hour, stirring occasionally. If you want, add in a quart of cream. Once your potatoes get mushy, that’s your cue to take it off the heat.
Now comes the not-so-fun part: buzzing and straining. If you have access to an immersion blender, I would highly suggest buzzing your soup. This makes the next phase easier, which is blending it in a blender. You could also just blend it all in the Vitamix in batches. Buzz it and pass it though a fine mesh sieve. Salt to taste, then chill.
Once your soup is ready to serve, add a hit of lemon juice to boost the acid, but only before serving. If it lingers too long, then your soup will start to get slightly sour.
Garnish: creme fraiche, Aleppo pepper, basil oil, fresh mint, puffed grains, and if you have access to pretty edible flowers, use them! Or you can do nothing. YOLO.
Grilled Mushrooms with Sesame
Most of my home cooking inspiration comes from meals I’ve had out at restaurants. That’s my favorite part of eating food made by talented chefs—that wow factor they manage to impart on simple ingredients.
Nate Hereford, chef of the now closed Niche restaurant, turned me on to Hen-of-the-woods (also known as maitake) mushrooms a few years back. Up until that point, I was barely ever eating mushrooms. Every recipe seemed to taste the same. He proved me wrong. So wrong. That mushroom, cooked in a chorizo-spiced butter, is still the greatest I’ve had.
It was a meal at Publico this fall that inspired the recipe below. Chef Brad Bardon grilled maitakes directly over the coals of the restaurant’s hearth, leaving the edges of the mushroom crispy and charred, but the inside tender. Bardon paired it with a spicy red chimichurri and creamy tortilla grits. I loved it, but wanted to make a less labor intensive version at home, because I’m lazy.
My version gets tahini instead of grits and a spicy red harissa instead of chimichurri. It’s simple as can be, but a welcome change to your standard sauteed mushroom dish.
The measurements aren’t precise on this—do what fits your tastes best. You can find Hen-of-the-woods/maitake mushrooms at most groceries these day. I typically buy mine at Whole Foods or one of the Asian groceries.
Grilled Mushrooms
harissa, tahini, sesame seeds
SERVES 4 OR 5 AS A SIDE
METHOD
If you’re using a charcoal grill, which I prefer, get your fire started. I prefer all the coals to be on one half of the grill, so that side is extremely hot. If you’re using a gas grill, pre-heat it on high.
Pull or slice the mushroom into smaller portions, keeping the base intact. You are going to be grilling these, so you want to have something large enough that it won’t fall through the grate or burn completely. If you have a full maitake in front of you, compare to my photos.
Place the maitake wedges on a baking sheet and pour olive oil all over them, then flip them and do it again. You’re going to want to use more olive oil than you think is necessary to keep them moist; they soak it up like a sponge. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
Once the grill is hot, put the mushrooms down. They only need to cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Expect flare ups because of the oil. If any threaten to char too much, move them to a less hot part of the grill.
Remove from the grill. Spoon tahini onto the plate, then put the mushrooms over. Dollop harissa on top. Drizzle with just a tiny bit of sesame oil, then finish with sesame seeds.
You Deserve a Better Steak.
Steak. Let’s talk about it.
You brag about how you cook a mean steak at home, but deep inside, you know you don’t. You overcook it. You undercook it. The seasoning is never quite right. It’s not seared—it’s charred. You just pretend that’s the way you like it because your pride gets in the way.
There are two issues at hand: first, you’re just not a very good cook. Secondly, you don’t have a grill that gets as hot as a restaurant’s.
Leave it to Kenji Lopez-Alt, the mastermind behind Serious Eats, to show the way. Reverse searing meat—letting it cook at a low temperature until desired doneness then searing in a ripping pan—is the way to go. But even then, you’re not getting flavor of cooking over coals and fire. And you’re getting your house all smoky.
Leave it to Kenji Lopez-Alt, the mastermind behind Serious Eats, to show the way AGAIN. Sous vide ribeye (if you don’t have an Anova, you don’t belong here)—123F for 1 hour—grilled directly over the grill’s chimney starter. It’s like cooking on a jet engine.
It’s simple: about midway through the sous vide process, go light your chimney starter in your grill (see the 17 min mark of the video). I found that using letters from my ex worked as a great fire starter, so if you have any of those left in your closet, use them. Place a smaller grill grate over the starter so it can get extremely hot.
Pull the steaks out of the water bath and season with salt and pepper on both sides. You’re probably going to only be able to cook one steak on the chimney at a time, but that’s okay, because sous vide steaks don’t really need to rest—plus, each steak takes just about 2 minutes to grill TOTAL (if you’re going for a perfect medium-rare, that is).
Like Kenji, I kept the steak moving every 15 seconds or so, including rotating it onto the edges. When each steak finishes, you can pull it off the grill and onto a baking sheet, lightly tented with foil.
As you can see below, it worked perfectly—especially when paired with my grilled maitake mushrooms. Or a nice, hefty pat of Bolyard’s steak or bacon butter.
I’m never going back to cooking it the old fashioned way. Thank you, Kenji.
Get those coals hot
boom.
Sunshine Dust Ginger Cookies
Let’s just call these rustic cookies, okay? I simply do not possess the finesse needed to make beautiful desserts. I require years of training. I don’t think I’d last 10 minutes at La Patisserie Chouquette, unless they needed someone to mop or do dishes.
Ginger cookies run in my blood—in fact, my last name, Pernikoff, means gingerbread in Czech. We Pernikovs probably owned the La Patisserie Chouquette of a Slavic shtetl, known for miles as the place to get all things ginger. Hell, maybe one of my ancestors was like Dominique Ansel and was the first to take boring old gingerbread cookies and use them for architecture models.
When the team behind Big Heart Tea Co. (formerly Retrailer Tea) and I touched base about doing a recipe using their new Cup of Sunshine dust—a finely pulverized version of their Cup of Sunshine tea—a fiery blend of turmeric, ginger, lemongrass, and peppercorn, this is what came to mind. A chewy ginger cookie, chock full of crystalized ginger hunks, finished with a Cup of Sunshine dust glaze. Voila!
Sunshine Dust Ginger Cookies
YIELD: ABOUT 40 COOKIES
INGREDIENTS
GINGER COOKIES
RECIPE ADAPTED FROM BON APPETIT
2.5 C AP flour
1 C minced crystallized ginger
2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1.5 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
1 C brown sugar
1 egg, room temp
1/4 cup light molasses
1.5 t ground ginger
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground cloves
GLAZE
1 C + 3 T powdered sugar
2 T milk
1/2 t Cup of Sunshine dust
METHOD
You can bake two trays per oven—put one tray towards the top, one towards the bottom. Preheat to 350F.
Combine flour, crystallized ginger, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a mixer, beat butter until creamy; about 2 min. Slowly added the brown sugar and continue mixing until well incorporated; about 3 minutes. Add egg, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and beat until blended. With mixer on low, slowly add flour mix.
Line trays with parchment.
Scoop out tablespoon side balls of dough, roll into a ball, then flatten slightly on the parchment. They won’t spread much. Bake for 8 minutes and check doneness—you want them to be slightly firm. Place on a rack to cool.
For the glaze, simply mix together the glaze ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated. Apply glaze to cookies however you see fit. I’m sure you’ll do better than me.
Nduja Stuffed Brie
I was hesitant to post this recipe, not because it isn’t delicious, but because you really don’t have to do much. It’s slightly more challenging than Rachael Ray’s famous Late Night Bacon, only because you’re required to use a knife and fold puff pastry.
The morning after the Super Bowl, I laid in bed, perusing Instagram and Twitter to see what horribly wonderful creations everyone had eaten. Nachos, pizza, dip after dip after dip. Then I saw a baked brie.
Baked brie is one of life’s greatest joys, but it seems like everyone does the same thing—some kind of chutney or jam, maybe some dried fruit, or, occasionally, mushrooms. I’m bored. I need more excitement in my life. I had spicy cheese dip on my mind, then I saw the brie, and it happened.
I’m going to stuff brie with ‘nduja then bake it, I yelled to no one.
And so I did.
Nduja stuffed brie
SERVING DEPENDS ON HOW FAT YOUR FRIENDS ARE
INGREDIENTS
1 wheel of brie
1 log of ‘nduja
Puff pastry
METHOD
Put your wheel of brie in the freezer for 30 minutes or so to allow for easier cutting.
Cut brie in half, then spread as much ‘nduja as you’d like on it. Don’t be cheap with it.
Wrap the brie with puff pastry—it doesn’t have to look pretty. I followed The Kitchn’s guide. Bake according to the puff pastry brand’s instructions, something like 40 minutes at 400F.
Drizzle it with Mike’s Hot Honey for some sweetness. Serve with crackers or something.
Oaxacan Mole Braised Beef
I’m not a butcher, but I’ve hung around Bolyard’s Meat enough to consider myself a meat journeyman. I’ve learned by watching, not doing. Can I break down a cow? No. Can I stand over your shoulder and tell you you’re doing it wrong? Yes.
In my almost-expert opinion, there seems there are three basic groups that exist when it comes to buying and cooking meat: Grillers, Slow Cookers, and Sausage Lovers (like your sister).
I’m a Slow Cooker. I’ve grilled 3 steaks in the last 3 years, and I’ve ordered steak at a restaurant once in that same time frame. It bores me. I find that braised (or BBQed) meats, on the other hand, tend to be more flavorful and harder to screw up. Plus, most of the cooking can be done unattended in your kitchen. Oh, and the cuts are way cheaper.
Alex Welsch, one of the Bolyard’s meat men, recently guided me to beef neck, a tender, well-marbled cut of beef perfect for braising. Jewish Santa delivered me a package of La Guelaguetza mole. Combining the two, I got one of the most flavorful braised beef recipes I’ve made yet, all thanks to Alex. What a guy.
This recipe doesn’t use up the entire amount of mole each Guelaguetza jar makes, so you’ll still have some left over for nachos, enchiladas, or protein shakes.
I pulled the neck apart into hunks, then served it over grains. The leftovers went into enchiladas. If you have a big family, there will be no leftovers.
Oaxacan Mole Braised Beef
Oaxacan Mole Braised Beef
SERVES: 4-6
INGREDIENTS
3 lbs beef neck (or chuck)
2.5 C beef stock
0.75 C La Guelaguetza Mole Negro sauce
METHOD
Make the La Guelaguetza Oaxacan Black Mole according to the package instructions. Alternatively, buy a different mole or—if you’re really going for it—make your own. Check out Alex Stupak’s recipe in Tacos cookbook. Let cool.
Preheat the oven to 500F.
Put the beef on a rack over a baking tray. Rub or brush the beef with the mole on all sides, then sear in the oven for 15 minutes.
Lower oven temp to 300F.
Combine mole and stock in an oven-safe braiser or Dutch oven. It won’t look like much liquid, but as Kenji taught me: the more liquid in there to start, the more you’ll have to reduce later. If you’re really concerned, feel free to add more mole and stock. Bring to a boil, then set in the beef, put on lid, and place in the oven.
Bake covered for about 2 hours, then about 1 hour uncovered.
Remove from the oven and pull apart or chop. If needed, simmer the sauce to thicken. Season with salt, if needed.
Aged Egg Nog
Growing up in a pseudo-Kosher, moderately Jewish household, I missed out on all the fun parts of Christmas: the gifts, the ham, the egg nog. I’d sit and spin my dreidel (maybe a euphemism), waiting to hear from all my Jesus loving friends.
My first time tasting egg nog came when I was in 8th grade. I was at a friend’s house the day after Christmas, getting ready to play hour upon hour of Halo whatever when his mom brought us each a big glass of egg nog. My excitement was palpable. I took a big swig—disgusting. Utterly disgusting. Egg nog was dead to me. I’ll stick to Manischewitz, thank you very much.
It wasn’t until a couple weeks ago when Randolfi’s [RIP] head barman, Jeffrey Moll, invited me over to try his aged egg nog. Very intriguing, Jeffrey. His eggnog follows the style of George P. Hunt, sans the party—unless you pay more.
The approach to this nog is to start it on the weekend that proceeds Thanksgiving. In the four weeks that follow, it mellows out a little and thickens up. I have obviously screwed that up already, seeing as it’s December 7th, but I’m sure it’ll be good by Christmas. OR you can make it now and serve it next year—because of its alcohol content, it’s very stable so long as its refrigerated.
Aged Egg Nog
by jeffrey moll
YIELD: 1 BATCH
INGREDIENTS
12 egg yolks
2c sugar
8oz half & half
32oz whole milk
32oz Four Roses Single-Barrel (or Buffalo Trace) bourbon whiskey
8oz Camus VS cognac
4oz El Dorado 12 year rum
salt (a couple pinches)
METHOD
Start by whisking together the yolks and sugar until the sugar dissolves. The mixture should be creamy. This will take ten minutes or so. Drink some bourbon while whisking to get in the mood.
Once ready, work in all the dairy and salt.
Finally, add all alcohol.
Pour the final product back into empty bottles and place in refrigerator for 3-4 weeks, shaking every couple of days. It will be ready by Christmas.
Don’t forget to top with freshly grated nutmeg!
The Cold, Dark, Stirred Bitter Truth
In an ideal world, I’d spend every evening at Randolfi’s [RIP]. I’d walk in with my glorious beard, impeccably tailored peacoat, and shawl collared sweater, brush the snow off my shoulders, and take a seat at the bar. The fire crackles in the Ferrara pizza oven. Tom Waits is on the radio. Head barman Jeffrey Moll would look at me, nod, and get started on my drink. I wouldn’t have to say a word.
I’d stare off into the abyss, thinking of something important. Moll would hand me The Cold, Dark, Stirred Bitter Truth. It’s bittersweet and rich—just like me.
In actuality, I will make this at home in my pajamas, then drink it at my kitchen counter while watching Property Brothers. And you can too!
The Cold, Dark, Stirred Bitter Truth
by jeffrey moll
The Cold, Dark, Stirred Bitter Truth
YIELD: 1 COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS
1.5 oz El Dorado 12 Year Rum
.75 oz Ramazzotti Amaro
.5 oz Campari
.5 oz Suze
Appr.x 10 drops / 1 squeeze of Bittermen’s Xocolatl Mole Bitters (they’re in a dropper bottle)
METHOD
Place all ingredients in a stirring vessel and fill with ice. Stir for approximately 25 seconds. Double strain into a coupe glass.
Cut a thin, round piece of orange peel and express [squeeze] the oils from the peel into a match flame across the top of the cocktail (this may take some practice, but playing with fire is fun!).
Enjoy while listening to something equally cold, dark, and bitter.
Summer Corn Bruschetta
I've had my share of haute cuisine, dishes with ingredient and instruction lists as long as the Torah, but I'm still more impressed by a simple dish executed perfectly. My first bite of Matt Daughaday's food came during my first meal at Taste when he brought out his sweet corn bruschetta. It sounded like something I'd whip together at home with leftovers. Corn, peaches, bacon, shiitake mushrooms, ricotta, cilantro, chilies—I almost always have these around. Yet, one bite in, I knew I had never made anything so simple and so perfect in my life. I hated it for reminding me that I am just some measly home cook and loved it because it was such an outstanding dish. I needed it again, but alas, it was not to be. A few days after my meal, I found out Matt would be leaving and starting his own restaurant, Reeds American Table.
For a very brief time, a risotto version of this dish popped up at Reeds, and it was glorious, but the Chef Matt giveth and the Chef Matt taketh away. Finally, a few weeks back, I got the text I longed for so badly: "Corn bruschetta is back on the menu. Come get it!"
I've gone three times just to have it, really. Matt was gracious enough to give me the recipe to share with you fine people—if you scroll to the bottom, it also includes his housemade ricotta recipe. It's easy to do, but if you don't feel like it, you can use store-bought stuff. Matt only makes it when corn is in season, but I have no qualms about making the creamed corn ricotta using the frozen stuff during the winter. Add peaches, add bacon, add whatever you'd like: just make sure the corn ricotta is on there.
Yield: 6 portions
Ingredients
CREAMED CORN RICOTTA
1 lb fresh ricotta (about 2 cups)
1 c fresh shucked corn
3 T canola oil
Salt to taste
CORN ‘RAGU’
3 T canola oil
4 c fresh corn kernels
1-2 red thai chili, sliced as thinly as possible
18 cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 tsp marjoram, chopped
2 T butter
2 limes, zested
4 oz. queso fresco
6-8 sprigs of cilantro, picked
Salt to taste
6 slices fresh country loaf, 1/2” thick
METHOD
CREAMED CORN RICOTTA
Turn on sauté pan over high heat, add the oil and let it come a point where the oil just begins to smoke.
Turn off the flame to avoid a flare up from the moisture in the corn, add the corn to the pan and turn flame back on high. Season with salt and allow to cook till you see the corn begin to caramelize. Toss corn once and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Corn will begin to pop when done. (Not into popcorn, just loud pops, with the occasional kernel flying out of the pan and onto your neck like a tiny missile)
Place cooked corn on a plate to cool.
Once corn is completely cool, place fresh ricotta and corn into your food processor and turn on and let whip till the mix seems smooth and almost shiny. Put into a bowl and leave in the fridge to cool and set up.
CORN ‘RAGU’
Put sauté pan over high heat, add oil to the pan and let it come to a smoke point. Turn off the flame, add your corn, turn the pan back to medium high and let cook until you begin to see the corn caramelize. Add your butter, Thai chili, marjoram, and cherry tomatoes, toss to mix everything and cook an additional minute. Turn off the heat, add lime zest and season with salt.
Plating:
Add a little oil and salt to the bread and grill either on a grill pan or an actual grill if you happen to already be using one for your meal. Don’t be scared to get nice dark char marks.
Once bread is grilled spread a nice layer of the corn creamed ricotta on top of the bread, then top with a couple spoonfuls of the corn ragu and press it into the cheese lightly so it doesn’t fall off on you.
Next, sprinkle with a little of the queso fresco and picked cilantro. Cut the piece of toast into three or four slices and you are ready to serve.
This is what happens when you don't turn your flame off. You don't want this to happen in your house. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.
ricotta
Yield: 2lbs of Cheese
INGREDIENTS
1 gal. whole milk
2 c heavy cream
2 T salt
1/2 c distilled vinegar
METHOD
Place milk, cream and salt in a heavy bottom pot big enough to leave at least 6” of space from the top of the liquid to the top of the pot. Place on the stove over high heat.
Bring milk up to a boil (this is where you will need to watch it closely because once the milk reaches a boil it will climb quickly in pot and overflow, leaving a big mess on the top of your stove that is not fun to clean)
As the milk comes to a boil it will begin to rise to the top of your pot. As soon as it hit the top of the pot, turn off heat and pour in the vinegar and give it one good stir with either a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
Pull the pot off the stove and let it rest on your countertop for at least 10-15 minutes before attempting to strain. During this time you should start to see your cheese coagulating on the top of the pot.
After letting the cheese rest and set up for the allotted time, set up a colander lined with cheese cloth over a bucket to catch the whey. Use a mesh skimmer, or slotted spoon if you don’t have a skimmer, and skim off the cheese and place it in the cheese lined colander to drain.
Place cheese in the cooler and let sit to set up for at least 1 hour, up to overnight. The longer you let it sit the drier your cheese will come out.
The Best Chicken Fingers. Ever.
It's early 2014 and I've just arrived back in the U.S. I haven't eaten fried chicken in at least 4 years. I've convinced myself that not only do I not need it, but I don't even like it that much. Then, at my mom's request, I join my family for Josh Galliano's fried chicken night at The Libertine. Like an alcoholic having his first sip of whiskey in years, I'm overtaken by the urge to keep eating. I nearly polish off my half bird, and then continue to go every month for almost a year. Some people aren't a fan of the heavier breading that Galliano used (in favor of something lighter, like what you'll find at Southern now), but I love it. The more crunch, the better. Since his chicken nights were only once a month and I was jonesing for chicken—and this was before the fried chicken boom of 2015—I had to return to an old favorite: Sportsman's Park. Their chicken "strips" are, from what I can tell, full chicken breasts, pounded out and fried. A much manlier cut than the puny tenders. I'm a man, not a toddler!
Last summer, Galliano left Libertine and so ended his fried chicken nights. Desperate, I started scrounging around the internet for his recipe. Like Robert Langdon in The Da Vinci code, I started putting together the pieces. First came a Weekend Project: Fried Chicken Dinner post from Sauce Magazine. Then came a Food & Wine recipe. Neither looked quite right, though. There were differences between them. I began prodding his former cooks and ultimately discovered Galliano's recipe is a combination of the two, which you'll find below.
Yes, this is a long process for chicken strips. But it's worth it, especially if you're a chicken finger lover like me. They taste almost exactly like Galliano's MIA chicken. Hell, you could go crazy and change it into a chicken nugget recipe. Whatever you choose to do, you'll thank me for helping to crack The Galliano Code.
Josh Galliano's Fried Chicken
Chicken Fingers
SERVES: 4-6 SERVINGS | ACTIVE: 25 MIN | TOTAL: 6+ HOURS
INGREDIENTS
CREOLE SPICE MIX, COURTESY OF JOSH GALLIANO/FOOD & WINE
4-6 large chicken breasts, halved lengthwise
6 c water
10 bags black tea (English Breakfast)
1/4 c salt
2 T sugar
2 12-oz bottles Louisiana hot sauce (Crystal)
Tabasco
2 c buttermilk
4 sprigs thyme
2 eggs
2 c AP flour
2 c cornmeal
1/4 c cornstarch
canola oil
METHOD
Sweet Tea Brine
Add water, sugar, salt, thyme, 1 bottle of Louisiana hot sauce, a few Tabasco drops, and 2 tablespoons of creole spice mix to a pot. Stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn off stove, add tea bags and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags and let cool (unless you enjoy half poached chicken strips).
Once cool, add the chicken and put in the fridge for 2-4 hours.
Buttermilk Soak
Add the buttermilk, second bottle of Louisiana hot sauce, eggs, and 3 tablespoons of creole spice mix to a bowl. Mix together. Add chicken, then set in fridge. Allow to sit for 4 hours or overnight.
Breading
Preheat the oven to 170F. Begin heating 1.5 inches of oil in a deep pot to 350F.
Mix flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, and remaining creole spice mix (about 1/2 a cup) well in a baking pan or plate. Remove the chicken strips from the buttermilk and shake off the excess liquid, then dredge in the breading mix.
Once the oil has reached 350F, put in chicken, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. The temperature will drop—keep it close to 300F. Cook the 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook for another 3-4. Remove and place on a baking rack so they can drain. If not eating immediately, place the rack in the oven.
Smoked & Braised Lamb Shoulder
Few things in the wide world of food can compete with the beautiful simplicity of smoked meat. If done properly, it's a perfect meld of soft fat and crunchy bark, smoke and sweetness. I love pork ribs just as much as the next guy, and a slow-smoked brisket is hard to beat, but I'll be bold: my favorite meat for the smoker is lamb. Buying high quality bone-in lamb is imperative for this recipe—if you cheap out, you're going to end up with gamey, dry meat. For those of you in St. Louis, no where comes close to Bolyard's Meat and Provisions. The recipe is based off Chef Edward Lee's pulled lamb BBQ, from his cookbook Smoke and Pickles.
The quick smoke at the beginning of the recipe helps develop the crust and give the lamb a nice hint of smoke, and the braise turns it all into one heaping pile of easily shreddable meat. The leftover jus makes for great French dip sandwiches, but I've used this recipe to make tacos, rice bowls, and pastas. It's a fantastic way to prepare lamb that skips the red wine and rosemary like every other recipe out there.
Smoked & Braised Lamb Shoulder
Smoked & Braised Lamb Shoulder
SERVES: 6-8 | PREP: 15 MINUTES | TOTAL: 4 HOURS AND 45 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
SPICE RUB:
2 T kosher salt
1 T black pepper
1 T dry mustard
1 T smoked paprika
1 T ground cumin
1 T garlic powder
1 T Korean chili flakes
1 T brown sugar
1 t cayenne pepper
1 t coriander
LAMB:
1 3 lb. lamb shoulder
5 c beef stock
1 bottle stout
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 t tabasco sauce
METHOD
Combine all the rub ingredients and mix. Rub the meat with the spice rub until well covered. It’s best to let the meat sit uncovered in the fridge overnight, but if you’re short on time, leave it to rest for at least 1 hour.
Light your smoker and get the temperature between 225-250F (lower is better). Once there, add your smoker wood chunks. I prefer a 50/50 mix of apple and oak. Add the meat, leave to smoke. Preheat your oven to 300F. After 1.5 hours, remove the lamb from smoker and place in a roasting pan.
Add the liquid ingredients and cover with foil. Put the pan in the oven and check on it in 3 hours.
Lamb’s looking and smelling sexy, right? Remove from the oven and place the lamb on a cutting board. Pull it apart—wear disposable gloves to help from burning your hands. Eat all the good crusty bits when no one’s looking.
Strain the liquid and use it as jus, or use to cook grains in. Quinoa cooked in smoky lamb jus is orgasmic.
Burnt Scallion Chicken Enchiladas
I'm always looking for ways to combine things I love—in this case, joining my love for enchiladas with my love for Sean Brock's grilled chicken wings with a burnt scallion BBQ sauce. The wings are a summertime staple at my house, and, if you make them, they will be at yours too. The smoky charred chicken skin topped with that BBQ sauce on steroids will shiver your timbers. Seriously, once you make this sauce, you'll want it all the time. Brock's recipe calls for his homemade Husk BBQ sauce, but save time and just use whichever BBQ sauce you have on hand (I know you have one that's been sitting in your fridge for months—use that). Funny story: a few weeks back I was making a batch of these and forgot about the scallions in the oven. I turned around and saw that, somehow, one of them had lit on fire. That was a first.
But chicken wings take time and effort, and most days of the week, you're just not going to spend the time making them. Plus, you have to worry about not giving your friends and family food poisoning due to undercooked chicken. My solution to this is to simply buy your favorite rotisserie or smoked chicken from the grocery and shred the meat off that. The smoked meat is mixed with sweet caramelized onions, always incredible roasted garlic, and then the BBQ sauce and stringy Mexican cheese.
For the tortillas, I highly, highly recommend using the TortillaLand flour tortillas. They're uncooked, so you'll find them in refrigerated area near the cheeses, and just require a quick trip to a hot pan. The flavor of both the corn and flour tortillas are top notch—better than what some of the restaurants in town are using. To say I have become obsessed with them is an understatement. For St. Louis readers, they're available at Schnucks.
These have become a freezer-staple for me—I just pop it out, microwave it, then throw it in the toaster oven for a couple minutes to crisp up the edges again. Enjoy!
tortillaland tortillas
tortillaland tortilla description
Chicken Enchiladas
burnt scallion BBQ sauce
Chicken Enchiladas with Burnt Scallion BBQ Sauce
YIELD: 8 | ACTIVE: 20 MIN | INACTIVE: 35 | TOTAL: 55 MIN
INGREDIENTS
BURNT SCALLION SAUCE
ADAPTED FROM HERITAGE BY SEAN BROCK
10 scallions, trimmed
1 T peanut oil
Kosher salt
1 bottle BBQ sauce (your choice)
1 T soy sauce
1 c cilantro leaves
FILLING
1 rotisserie chicken
Queso fresco/Chihuahua cheese
1 large onion, sliced
1 head of garlic
8 large tortillas
METHOD
BURNT SCALLION BBQ SAUCE
Turn on your broiler. Line a pan with foil, then using a brush or paper towel, coat the scallions in peanut oil. Broil until well-charred (your kitchen may get a little smoky, but it shouldn’t be too bad). Remove from oven and let cool for a couple minutes. Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender, then set aside.
FILLING
Peel the garlic cloves, then make a foil pouch. Coat cloves with olive oil, salt, and vinegar. Bake at 400F for 30-40 minutes. Once cool, mash together.
Pick the rotisserie chicken apart like a Viking warrior.
Caramelize the sliced onion. I use Kenji’s 15-minute recipe.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Preheat oven to 350F.
Mix the onions, chicken, and garlic in a bowl. Spread a thin layer of the BBQ sauce on the tortilla, then a spoonful of the chicken and onion mix, then as much cheese as you desire. Roll up the enchilada and place into a 9×13 baking pan. Repeat until the pan is full. Top the enchiladas with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven and top with cilantro.
Stinging Nettle Pesto
Ah, the wonders of the spring time farmers markets: you never know what you'll find! And by that I mean you will find things you actually don't recognize. You've probably heard of kohlrabi, but have you actually seen it? It looks like a turnip on acid. Same goes for fiddleheads. Both look like something that hopped out of a Dali painting. Last spring, I got a bag of Stinging Nettles because I liked the name. I was warned that I should wear gloves to avoid getting stung, but I'm a man and I don't need gloves to handle some little mint-looking herb.
My hand went into the bag, expletives were shouted, then I smartened up and the gloves went on. What genius decided to put the plant that stings your hands into your mouth? Yeah, this'll be real tasty!
I'd long been holding onto a stinging nettle pesto from world famous chef and baker, Josh Galliano, so stinging nettle pesto is what I made. The flavor of the nettles is similar to spinach—it's a little bitter, a little peppery—but distinctly different. A lot of other websites mention it tasting like cucumber, but I didn't get that. I've thought abut this a lot, and I just don't know how to describe it. Used as a pesto, you get a completely different flavor from your typical all-basil variety - it's a little more earthy, and a bit more peppery. Adding some red pepper flakes takes it to the next level. It's much more assertive than any other pesto I've had.
I used it as a sauce for gnocchi, but it would be great for dips, bruschetta, pizza—whatever you normally use your pesto on. Just don't forget to wear gloves.
Stinging nettle pesto
Stinging Nettle Pesto
YIELD: ABOUT 1 CUP | 5 MIN
INGREDIENTS
STINGING NETTLE PESTO
RECIPE COURTESY OF JOSH GALLIANO
1/3 c toasted pistachios
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 c basil leaves
2 c stinging nettles, blanched and squeezed dry
1 1/4 c olive oil
6-8 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 c grated pecorino (optional)
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
METHOD
To blanch the nettles, bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Prepare an ice bath. While wearing gloves, cook the leaves for 10 seconds, remove, then shock in the ice bath.
You don’t have to wear your gloves once they’re blanched. Strain the leaves then squeeze dry.
Place all of the ingredients (except the olive oil) in a food processor.
Pulverize the ingredients, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
Beet and Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies
Beet & Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies
I wasn't planning on baking anything. It's not something I do very often. The precise measurements, the mixing, the waiting, the shaping, the baking, the cooling, then, finally, the eating. I will smoke a brisket for 20 hours, but I have no patience for cookies most days. I don't understand it, but that's just how I am. It was a perfect storm, really. I was perusing local blog Dessert For Two when Sherrie, the mastermind behind With Food and Love asked me if I had any quintessentially St. Louis recipes that were also vegetarian. I started to brainstorm—what are the St. Louis dishes? Toasted ravioli. St. Louis-style pizza. The slinger. We love meat.
Then, as I hopped between Safari tabs, Dessert for Two inspired me. Gooey butter cake is vegetarian (remember that next time you see a fat vegetarian: all they're eating is baked goods and carrots)! I found my mom's recipe, then started thinking how can I make these even more "St. Louis"? I channeled my inner Sarah Osborn/Nate Hereford (the Niche crew) and decided that beets would be the key. They were just about the only thing in season when I made these. Plus, they're colorful and I love their flavor.
Don't be turned off by the use of beets, you baby. I'm not even sure how much I could taste them in the recipe—I mean, gooey butter cake isn't exactly known for its subtly. It's just baked sugar, basically. But with beets and lemon mixed in, it's healthier...right?
Beet and Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies
YIELD: 18-24 | ACTIVE: 20 MIN | INACTIVE: 2 HOURS 12 MIN | TOTAL: 2 HOURS 32 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
1 box yellow cake mix
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temp
1 egg, room temp
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 c powdered sugar
1 red beet
2 T lemon juice
zest from one lemon
METHOD
Beet-Lemon Puree
Preheat the oven to 450F. You can peel the beets and quarter them now, or wait until after they’re cooked. Your call. Wrap in foil and bake for 35-45, until tender enough to put a knife through. Remove beets and let cool. Blend the beets and lemon juice together, then strain into a bowl. Stir in the zest. Set aside.
Cookie Time
Combine the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until well mixed, then add vanilla, egg, and as much beet puree as you have (or as you’d like). I added just over two tablespoons. Mix well, then add the cake mix. Once combined, put cover the batter and leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape the dough into ping pong sized balls, then roll in the powdered sugar and place on the tray. Bake for about 12 minutes—a few of my batches required more, a few less. Keep an eye on them. You want them to almost be underdone so they keep that airy, gooey texture.
Let cool, then consume.
Parsley Mojito
I presented Chelsea Little with a hypothetical: let's say there's a guy, roughly 28 years old, who makes terrible drinks at home, so he wants a recipe for a cocktail that has only a few ingredients, is spring-themed, and can easily be scaled for a group of people. Her solution to my my friend's request was something between a mojito and a julep, though I don't know the actual difference between those drinks. Wikipedia tells me it's kind of close to an "English mojito", a drink that no one has ever heard of before. Whatever. As long as it's not made with vodka, I'll drink it.
This creation is great for a spring afternoon. There's something about it that makes me want to put on a pastel sweater vest, talk about the stock market, and maybe even play a little golf. It's either that or it's like being transported to Ina Garten's house. You step out into her enormous Hamptons garden, pick the most perfect bunch of parsley, then go wait in the solarium for her to bring in a big pitcher of it and some immaculately plated smoked salmon. I'm not sure which one.
The eucalyptus adds an extra punch of heady herbal notes. That's Chelsea's thing. It's just like Traditional Chinese Medicine, except it gets you drunk and tastes good. This recipe makes one (1) cocktail, but if you're good at math, you'll figure out how to make a jug full.
Like most of us at home, Olive & Oak doesn't have a crushed ice machine, hence the photos of Chelsea beating a burlap sack with a mallet. You can beat your ice with whatever tools you'd like!
Parsley Mojito
Parsley Mojito
INGREDIENTS
PARSLEY MOJITO/JULEP
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz eucalyptus simple syrup*
2 oz gin
parsley
club soda
ice
EUCALYPTUS SIMPLE SYRUP
dried eucalyptus
1 c sugar
1 c water
METHOD
EUCALYPTUS SIMPLE SYRUP
Go to Michael’s (yes, the craft store) and buy dried eucalyptus. Take equal parts sugar and water, bring to a boil, and stir until dissolved. Put in eucalyptus and let come to room temperature. Remove eucalyptus.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Fill a glass halfway with parsley, then stir/smash to release oils.
Pour in the liquid ingredients, then fill glass with crushed ice. Stir, then top with club soda.
Gyro Nachos
I know what you just did—you skimmed down to the recipe itself and saw lots of text. "I'm not putting in that much work for nachos!" you say to yourself. Settle down. The nachos are almost an after thought here. The Serious Eats Greek-American Gyro recipe (link below) has been a favorite of mine since they published it. No other homemade gyro recipe has even come close. So a few weeks back, when I was in my nacho making frenzy, I realized I had leftover gyro meat and boom: gyro nachos. The first part of the recipe is how to make my variation on the Serious Eats gyro meat, which you can serve as is, or slice and freeze for future lunches and dinners. Once you add it to your recipe repertoire, it won't leave. The second part is how to take that gyro meat and make the ultimate gyro nachos, giving you all the tastes of a classic gyro wrap. Using pita chips would make them even more like the real thing, but I'm a sucker for salty corn chips.
You could also skip all the greens and chips and just cover your gyro meat with the harissa cheese sauce. I wouldn't judge.
Gyro Nachos
Gyro Nachos
Yield: 4-6 | Prep: 1 hour | Cook: 5 Min | Total: 1 hour and 5 minutes
INGREDIENTS
HARISSA CHEESE SAUCE
(ADAPTED FROM SERIOUS EATS)
8 oz American cheese
1 c evaporated milk
1 T corn starch
3-4 T harissa
GYRO MEAT
(ADAPTED FROM SERIOUS EATS)
1 lb ground lamb
1 lb ground beef
3 slices bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
4 t kosher salt
1 t black pepper
1 t dried oregano
Pinch of dill pollen
YOGURT SAUCE
(ADAPTED FROM SERIOUS EATS)
3/4 c plain yogurt
1/4 c mayo
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons parsley
water
TOPPINGS
1 c tomatoes, diced
1 c white onion, shaved
1 c mint, roughly chopped
METHOD
Make Ahead
Gyro Meat
Mix the ground lamb (Whole Foods always has it; or call Bolyard’s to order), ground beef, salt, pepper, and oregano in a bowl. Use your hands, so wash them first, you animal. Cover the bowl and put in the fridge overnight for best results.
Preheat oven to 300F. Take your meat mix out of the fridge and put it in a food processor with onion, garlic, and bacon. Blend until it becomes a meat puree.
Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with oil. Dump your meat puree (mmmm) on the sheet and form it into your favorite shape. Throw it in the oven, checking on it after about 40 minutes. The temperature of the meat should be 155F. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
When you’re ready to use the meat, take it out of the fridge and slice it, then cut the slices into bite sized bits. Lay the gyro meat on a foil lined tray and broil on both sides until you’ve got your ideal level crispiness.
Yogurt Sauce
Put the yogurt, mayo, garlic, lemon juice, and parsley in a bowl and mix. It’s going to be pretty thick, like sour cream. I personally don’t like those heavy globs of sauce, so I thin mine would with water until it’s got enough viscosity that I can drizzle it off my spoon onto the nachos. Your call. You can also blend the sauce.
Toppings
Shave the onion (I use a mandolin slicer, but you can always do it by hand) and dice the tomato. Hold off on chopping the mint until just before serving.
Putting It All Together
Dice your mint so you don’t forget!
Cover all the plates you’re going to use with chips. Evenly distribute the meat onto the chips so that you get the most and everyone else gets nothing.
Put the shredded American cheese and cornstarch in a small pot and mix it up. Add the evaporated milk and cook on low, stirring with a whisk continuously. Once the cheese sauce has melted, dip a chip in and make sure that the taste of the cornstarch has cooked out. If it’s all good, add the harissa. Depending on how spicy you like things (and how spicy your harissa is—I like to use the hot Mina harissa), you can adjust the amount.
Pour the cheese sauce over the meat and chips, then put the onions, tomato, mint, and yogurt on top.