Archive for January 2009

EVENT: Stew Cook-off
VENUE: Phoebe’s apartment
PARTY SIZE: 20 - 25
TYPE: Casual Buffet, Heated Competition
MENU: Keith’s Drunken Beef Bourguignon, Mama Fritz’s Chili Noodle “Stoup,” Sweet and Savory Moroccan Stew (P), Cous Cous
DESSERT: Apple Compote (C)

January in New York is dismal, cold, and slushy. It gets light around the time we get on the subway to work and dark long before we get out. Recently, we spent a week with barely an above-freezing temperature. If the weather outdoors insists on pretending we’re in Maine, then we’ll follow suit indoors, making slow-cooked stews that warm the whole apartment.

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Apple Compote
Serves 12

Though there’s a case that the dessert that follows a supper of soft, savory stew ought to feature some crunch, I got stuck on the theme and wound up stewing apples—in sugar, lemon zest, and their own juice—just as Phoebe before me had stewed her chicken. To add some crunch and round out the portions though, I’d suggest serving the compote topped with vanilla ice cream and apple crisp-like topping. Read the original post here.

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EVENT: Informal Fish Fry
VENUE: Phoebe’s Apartment, Flatiron
PARTY SIZE: 6
TYPE: Casual Weeknight Dinner
MENU: Lightly Fried Tilapia with Caper Brown Butter and Lemon-Shallot Orzo, Simple Salad
WINE: Finca Allende Blanco (2006), from Tinto Fino (at 85 First Ave.)

For some reason, ever since returning from my semester abroad in Rome, where as far as my daily diet was concerned, water actually did turn to wine, I have been unable to reignite my love affair with the crisp, fruity Chardonnays and Pinot

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EVENT: Joe’s Birthday Dinner
VENUE: Phoebe’s Apartment, Flatiron
PARTY SIZE: Two
TYPE: Formal, Special Occasion Dinner
MENU: Manchurian Cauliflower, Pork Tenderloin with Spinach, Spiced Carrot-Potato Puree, and Cilantro-Mint Chutney

Spices from the Indian market. Ground cardamom, $3.50 for 1/4 lb.

One of the main troubles of cooking in Manhattan actually comes from beyond our small kitchens. The relative ease of getting ready-made food from the outside world can diminish the appeal of cooking inside our apartments. Over the years, Thai takeout has become my ultimate comfort food. And while I’ve tried…

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One night smack in the middle of the carrot-cookie obsession, Sarah was sitting on our couch with Jordana when I walked in, tired from a long day. As I took off my coat and sat down, they both sort of looked at me in a pleading way.

“Will you make us carrot cookies?” they finally said.

Always the sucker, I obliged—or at least I got as far as making the dough. Incredibly, by the time the oven had preheated, there was almost no batter left in the bowl. Jordana and Sarah had eaten nearly all of it.

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One of the biggest deterrents from getting started in the kitchen has got to be the initial stocking of the pantry. But keeping cabinets filled means there’s always the possibility of a meal without having to resort to a) leaving the apartment, b) takeout, or c) a bowl of cereal with stale rice crackers on the side. Not that these alternatives should be shunned. I mean, fresh air does the body good, and sometimes a $10 Pad Thai or half a jar of peanut butter can be just as satisfying…

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DISH: Celeriac, Leek, and Sundried Tomato Frittata
MAIN INGREDIENT: Celeriac
TYPE: Pantry fresh

I have a growing obsession with celery root, also known as celeriac.

It’s a root vegetable, ugly and knotted, but you can get a big old knob of it for just a dollar or two at the farmers’ market. The texture is firm and crunchy, not so crunchy as a carrot or turnip, more like a just-ripe pear. It tastes vaguely of celery, but it’s sweeter and has none of the annoying fibers that make chewing raw celery kind of tedious.

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DISH: My Mother’s Garlic Soup
MAIN INGREDIENT: Roast Turkey
TYPE: Repurposing Leftovers, Single Pot, Good for Several Weeks

Unlike Cara, I’m constantly trying to find ways to put a carnivorous spin on my everyday meals without having to go to the grocery store to pick up a package of chicken thighs every time I want to whip up dinner. What I find myself coming back to again and again at the beginning of a long week: soup. You’ll be hearing us sing the praises of this one-pot wonder quite often as a solution…

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