Stuff to eat. Mostly around St. Louis.
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.
Buckwheat & Pecan Waffles
People often ask me, "Spencer, how do you keep such an amazing physique while eating out so often? I didn't know it was possible for a food writer to have such defined abs!" in my dreams. The answer is simple: I start the day off right! I wake up every morning looking just like Patrick Bateman, and while I do my stomach crunches (I can do 1,000 now), I heat up some waffles. Waffles?! you gasp. Yes, waffles. Buckwheat flour waffles with toasted nuts keep this machine running all day.
I'm a morning person, but that doesn't mean I want to spend time cooking right when I wake up. I want to have things that are easily crammed into my face so I can move on with my day without being hangry. Back when I worked a 9-5, this often meant toasting some kind of whole grain waffle I picked up at the grocery, but once I started reading the ingredient lists, I decided I'd be better off just making them myself. I make them, let them cool, then break them apart and freeze. All it takes is a quick visit to the toaster—or the microwave if you're really lazy—for these to be ready for a quick breakfast. Cover them with a little almond butter and honey and you're golden.
I set off on months of waffle research, ultimately finding my favorite recipe and waffle maker. My favorite base recipe for waffles came from all-time great Alton Brown. Whether you're looking for crispy waffles or softer Belgian waffles, it works great. This is an adaptation of his, which you can read here.
As for the waffle maker itself, I use this Chef's Choice 840 WafflePro Express. The packaging looks straight out of the 90s, but this thing spits out either wonderfully crispy waffles or puffy, Belgian style ones. I love it. Plus, it's super easy to clean and doesn't require any cooking spray.
So here you go, a relatively healthy addition to your breakfast portfolio. Also, waffles are 1,000x better than pancakes.
Buckwheat & Pecan Waffles
Buckwheat & Pecan Waffles
YIELD: 5-8 | PREP: 15 MIN | COOK: 10 MIN | TOTAL: 20 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
1 C AP flour
1 C buckwheat flour
1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
3 T sugar
2 eggs, beaten
16 oz buttermilk, room temp
2 oz butter, melted
1 C nuts (pecan/walnut)
METHOD
Toasted Nuts
Preheat the oven to 350F. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, 5-10 minutes. Remove and let cool. Chop (or HULK SMASH) into little pieces.
Waffle Time
Plug that waffle maker in and get it heating up.
Whisk all the dry ingredients together in one bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and butter, then add the buttermilk. Add the wet mix to the dry mix (not the other way around or you’re the worst) and stir. Let rest for at least 5 minutes.
The WafflePro recommends 1/2 cups of the batter, but I find just under 1 cup works better. You do you. Put the waffles on a wire rack when they’re done if eating later, otherwise you can go ahead and nom away.
Nduja Nachos
Cleaning up after making my hockey game nachos, I opened the fridge door to put away the jalapenos, and I saw it. Shining bright like a diamond was a log of Salume Beddu's nduja, a fiery hot spreadable salami. It beckoned me closer and whispered, "put me in the cheese sauce." I had no choice but to obey, and into the cheese sauce went the nduja. Within seconds, the pale orange sauce turned dark with specks of red throughout. I had created liquid gold.
This cheese sauce recipe, while simple, is just outstanding. Pour it over a burger or hot dog, dip stuff in it, toss macaroni in it; the possibilities are endless!
I quickly poured the cheese over the chips, took a picture, then devoured them all.
Nduja Nacho cheese sauce
I then sent the picture to Marco, the brains behind the Beddu, and asked him how he would make the perfect Salume Beddu nachos. His answer was simple: nduja cheese sauce, crispy potatoes, radicchio slaw, roasted serrano peppers, and roasted scallions.
The resulting dish could (and should) make an appearance as one of Beddu's incredible Saturday specials. It's got heat from the cheese sauce and serranos, it's got salt and crunch from the potatoes and chips, and it has vegetables, which I hear are healthy.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Calabrian nduja (nn-do-yuh), it can be found at Larder & Cupboard, Straubs, or Salume Beddu itself. Next time you go to Pastaria, get the nduja pizza and you'll really understand just how wonderful it is.
These are, without a doubt, the most beautiful, colorful nachos I've ever made. These are the kind of nachos you can make for your girlfriend's parents to really impress them that first time they come over for dinner. Nothing says "I'm an adult man who deserves your daughter" like salami cheese sauce.
Nduja Nachos
Nduja Nachos
YIELD: 4-6 | PREP: 1 HOUR | COOK: 5 MIN | TOTAL: 1 HOUR AND 5 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
NDUJA CHEESE SAUCE (ADAPTED FROM SERIOUS EATS)
4 oz American cheese, shredded
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
1 T corn starch
1 c evaporated milk
2-4 oz nduja
SLAW
1/2 head radicchio
1 lemon, juiced
CRISPY POTATOES
1 russet potato, diced
salt
pepper
canola oil
SLAW
1/2 head radicchio
1 lemon, juiced
ROASTED SCALLIONS
4 large scallions, whole
olive oil
ROASTED PEPPERS
4-6 serrano peppers, whole
olive oil
METHOD
Note: I recommend buying blocks of cheese and shredding them yourself instead of buying pre-shredded cheese.
Crispy Potatoes
Fill a small pot with water. Add salt. Bring to a boil.
Dice the potatoes, then blanch in the boiling water for about 3 minutes. Remove the potatoes and set them in a colander to dry.
Once dry, you can cook them one of two ways: you can toss them in oil then roast in a 450F degree oven until crispy (about 20 min.), or you can put them in a hot cast iron pan with oil. You pick! After they’re done, toss them with some salt and pepper, then set aside.
Slaw
Chop the radicchio up into thin strips. Toss with lemon juice. Set aside.
Toppings
Put foil on baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Place whole scallions on the sheet, then drizzle with olive oil. Roast at 450F until they start browning (5 min. or less).
Remove scallions from the tray and roughly chop. Set aside.
Turn the oven to broil. Put serrano peppers on the sheet and broil, rotating every few minutes, until the skin is mostly charred. Remove from the oven and put in a plastic bag for 5 minutes to steam. Peel the skins and remove the seeds. Chop, then set aside.
Putting It All Together
Cover all the plates you’re going to use with chips. Put the crispy potato over the chips.
Put the shredded cheeses and cornstarch in a small pot and mix. Add the evaporated milk and cook on low, continuously stirring with a whisk. Once the cheese 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 nduja. Prepare yourself for a foodgasm. Keep adding nduja until it has the spice level and texture you’re looking for.
Pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes and chips, then scatter the scallions, peppers, and slaw on top.
Nduja Nachos macro