As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite wine picks to enjoy with your gluttonous feasts. Since such a wide variety of dishes and flavors are featured on today’s holiday smörgåsbords, I’ve included white and red wines that are both versatile and food-friendly. For the most part, I’ve only listed grape varietals, both well- and lesser-known, rather than specific producers, as what’s available to you will depend on how well-stocked your local wine shops are and on which wines are distributed in your region. A good salesperson at your local wine store should be able to make recommendations on specific producers and bottlings, based on your preference for grape varietal and/or region.

White Wines

Even though I enjoy it, gewurtztraminer tends to polarise  and is one of those love-it or hate-it wines, so a dry or slightly off-dry riesling is a safer bet, especially those from upstate NY. See this New York Times article on Finger Lakes Riesling for a few ideas, like Ravines Dry Riesling, one of my favorites. Other minerally whites with good acidity that pair well with food include grüner veltliner from Austria, albariño from Spain, and vermentino from Italy—wines made from those grapes have become more widely available, so you can likely find them at your local wine store. My other white picks include godello from northern Spain and Loire Valley whites like Sancerre (made from sauvignon blanc) or Savennières (made from chenin blanc). If you want a sparkler to jazz up the occasion, Italian Prosecco or Spanish Cava still offer great values, and if you’re keeping your Turkey day all-American, then look for Gruet from New Mexico—it’s a real find, and a bargain at that.

Red Wines

For the folks who tend to think red wine is too heavy, you could probably please them with a light and fruity Beaujolais Nouveau. More interesting, however, would be a Cru Beaujolais, which can hail from 10 different designated zones, or “crus,” within the Beaujolais region. They’re fuller bodied than a Nouveau and almost reminiscent of a Pinot Noir. A couple lesser-known and lighter red varietals that pair well with turkey include zweigelt (Austria) or lagrein (northern Italy). A medium-bodied pinot noir (Long Island or Oregon) or a cabernet franc (Upstate NY, Long Island, or the Loire Valley) would be great picks too. For something food-friendly and unique, I agree with one of the recent Thanksgiving wine picks from the New York Times: a good, dry Lambrusco from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. This red bubbly has come a long way from the cloyingly sweet Riunite bubbles of yore that Grandma used to drink.

Cheers, and a happy Thanksgiving to all!

This particular recipe, for Ginger Cilantro Salmon Cakes, ended up being served at an event here in D.C., where a number of chefs in attendance apparently tasted the salmon cakes and gave them rave reviews. Now THAT got my attention. Surely all these accomplished chefs, with palates more refined than mine, couldn’t all be wrong, or could they? To satisfy my curiosity, and to disprove the preposterous idea that canned salmon could actually be edible, I decided to put the recipe to the test at home.

After one bite of the finished product, I sheepishly realized that my condemnation of canned salmon had been terribly premature. Damned if those salmon cakes didn’t live up to their billing. Salmon sometimes has a reputation for being a “fishy” fish, and I thought for sure that canned salmon would fall prey to that stereotype, but wrong again. Thanks to lots of grated ginger and chopped cilantro, along with other flavorful ingredients such as garlic, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard, the salmon cakes had a bright, Asian-inspired flavor.  Far from revealing their humble origins, these salmon cakes were instead a Cinderella of a dish, worthy of even the most discriminating palate.

Why use canned salmon?

Today, salmon is one of the most widely available fresh fish in supermarkets, so why on earth would you want to use the canned version, if fresh salmon is so easily accessible?  I can think of a few reasons.

1. Cost.  Even the most inexpensive fresh salmon is still more costly than the majority of canned versions on the market.  You might pay $3.99 for an 8oz. can of salmon but $9.99-14.99 per lb for fresh salmon.
2. Shelf-life.  Fresh fish is extremely perishable, so it has to be used within a day or two of purchase. Canned salmon is shelf-stable, so you can keep it in your pantry until ready to use, or until the expiration date stamped on the can.
3. Convenience.  Canned salmon can be purchased in advance, so you can avoid last-minute trips to the grocery store to buy fresh fish for dinner. The canned version is already cooked, processed and ready to use, so no messy prep, such as filleting, boning, or skin removal, is required.

Fresh salmon will always have a place in my kitchen, but the canned variety offers a welcome and affordable alternative.

Making fish cakes

Inspired by the original salmon cake recipe, I have since made several different versions of fish cakes, some with salmon, some with tuna. Since salmon contains beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, I looked for ways to make the fish cakes an even more balanced meal by adding different types of chopped vegetables, beans for more protein, and a range of aromatic ingredients for varied flavor profiles (smoked paprika, fresh basil or dill, lemon zest, soy sauce, etc.).  One Moroccan-inspired version included canned tuna, oily Moroccan olives, feta cheese, and some spicy harissa.  A Greek-inspired version featured canned salmon, fresh dill, cannellini beans, lemon zest, Kalamata olives, and feta cheese.

Here’s how I typically craft my fish cakes. In addition to the canned fish, I’ll add:

• Base:  I start with a base of chopped and sautéed aromatics, such as onion (or shallot, scallion or leek), garlic, and sometimes celery, if I have it. Perhaps a minced hot pepper, such as jalapeño. Depending on the desired overall flavor profile, you can add citrus zest (lime with Asian flavors, lemon with Mediterranean flavors, etc.), minced ginger, and your choice of complementary spices to the base (e.g., smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, cayenne, etc.).
• Vegetables, Olives, and Extra Protein: Generally, 1 Tbsp to ¼ cup is enough of any of these options. Consider adding finely chopped vegetables like zucchini, summer squash, or red bell pepper. Chopped olives are a flavorful addition.  Feta is one of the few cheeses that go with fish, plus it adds a nice creaminess as it cooks.  I’ve tried adding a few varieties of chopped, canned (drained and rinsed) beans, such as black beans, cannellini beans and chickpeas, but I found cannellini added the best flavor, plus a creamy, not overly firm, texture.
• Binding:  To help bind the mixture together, I add one large egg (beaten) per 8oz of canned fish, a dollop of low-fat mayonnaise, and some whole wheat bread crumbs (¼ cup is usually enough).
• Herbs and Flavorings: Feel free to add any dried or chopped, fresh herbs that will go well with the other flavors you’ve chosen (e.g., dill, cilantro, basil, thyme) – my rule of thumb is usually ¼ tsp dried vs 1 Tbsp (or more, if you love it) of fresh. You can also add flavorings like lemon juice, soy or fish sauce, but a little of those go a long way, so I rarely add more than a teaspoon. Finally, season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Remember to add less salt, if you’ve added a high-sodium ingredient like soy or fish sauce.
• Coating: Panko breadcrumbs make a great exterior coating and give your cakes a crisp, crunchy exterior. You can also try crushing potato chips, crackers, or even croutons in a pinch, if you don’t have panko.

Once the mixture is formed – the ingredients should hold together firmly but not be too gloppy (add more bread crumbs if necessary) – shape it into balls, sized based on how large you want your patties to be, and store them in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before cooking.

When ready to cook, heat 1-2 Tbsp olive or canola oil in a nonstick sauté pan over medium-low heat. Press the balls into patties, then dust them with panko bread crumbs on both sides. Sauté on each side until lightly browned, then serve immediately. You could serve these on buns, with some kind of sauce (remoulade or perhaps a blend of yogurt/dill/garlic or yogurt/chopped chipotle in adobo), or just serve plain, as shown in the picture above, over a lemony arugula salad.

Canned salmon…who knew it could be so good?

When you move five times within a four-year period, it becomes achingly clear just how much “stuff” you own.  And I mean that literally, having done the packing and schlepping myself for most of those moves. As you can see in these photos, my stuff tends to be of the culinary variety. Although my collection of kitchen wares doesn’t qualify me for the Hoarding Hall-of-Fame like a Collyer brother or Bouvier Beale sister, it has nonetheless gotten a bit out of control.

Perhaps having a plethora of kitchen tools is the home cook’s equivalent of Linus’s blanket – we feel more secure in our culinary endeavors, knowing these tools are by our side. Sounds plausible, but nah, that’s just denial talking.  Lately, I’ve been feeling the urge to downsize, which got me thinking about which tools are most essential in the kitchen.

Tool Envy?

Whenever I thumb through the latest Williams-Sonoma catalog, I’m usually amazed at the latest kitchen gadgetry on offer. Not in a “what will they think of next?” or an “I can’t live without this!” kind of way; rather, my first thought is generally along the lines of “are you kidding me, what fool is going to spend $40 on a ‘breading pan’ set?” As described on the W-S website, this set features “three shallow pans [that]  link together to form an efficient workstation for breading foods with minimal drips and mess.” Oh, joy! The answer to all my breading dilemmas, since plates and bowls just won’t do.

banana slicer

Have the marketing geniuses at Williams-Sonoma succeeded in creating a nation of cooks who are addicted to useless gadgets, the kind that might get used once and then land in the drawer graveyard of things-never-to-be-seen-or-used-again? I’d really like to meet the person who can’t live without this $10 banana slicer , because, as we all know, it’s pretty difficult to pull out a knife—even a dull knife or a plastic knife—and SLICE A BANANA.

Apologies if your kitchen includes any of these aforementioned items. I get it. I’ve been suckered too. Hence, the reason for my post.

The Bare Essentials

Whether you’re trying to downsize like me, or simply looking to kit out your kitchen from scratch, it’s helpful to know which kitchen tools are most useful and therefore worth investing in.  I’ve put together a must-have list of tools that are helpful for completing a range of basic cooking tasks. After taking stock of my own collection, reflecting on the tools I find myself turning to again and again, and considering whether a related or simpler implement is likely on hand that can accomplish the same task as a specialty tool (e.g., fork versus whisk), I have determined that only a handful of tools are truly essential.

Here’s my must-have list of tools, in no particular order:

• Knives: chef’s knife (pictured is a 6”, which is perfect for my small hands, but you may prefer an 8”) and paring knife.  Good, sharp knives are both indispensable and non-negotiable tools for completing a huge variety of cooking tasks. These two knives will allow you to perform just about any cutting job. Before making a purchase, test a few different brands and styles. Weights and grips vary, so you’ll want to find something that feels comfortable in your hand.  And if you’re going to invest in a couple quality knives, you’ll want to keep them sharp and functional. I use a honing steel, as well as a sharpening tool. Any good kitchen supply store should be able to recommend and demonstrate how to use an appropriate knife sharpener.
• Silicone spatula/spoonula:  Designed to withstand high temperatures (generally up to 500-600°F), these heat-resistant spatulas are true workhorses in the kitchen. I use mine to mix or fold ingredients into batters, softly scramble eggs, sauté vegetables, and stir sauces and soups. They’re won’t scratch nonstick cookware, are easy to clean, and won’t chip or crack like plastic spatulas. Most are made with silicone heads attached to wood or metal handles, but best are the ones made of a contiguous piece of silicone. Since the shape of mine is curved and more spoonlike, it’s sometimes referred to as a spoonula.
• Mixing bowl:  Pictured is a stainless steel mixing bowl – these come in a range of sizes and can be used for all manner of prep work and mixing.  You can’t have too many of these, especially if you do a lot of cooking and want to stay organized as you cook. Sometimes I use this size bowl as a double-boiler, placing it over a pot of simmering water.
• Cutting board:  A cutting board will help protect your counters and your knives. Some cooks will designate different colored plastic boards for various types of food (e.g., one for raw meat, one for vegetables, etc.), for food safety purposes. I tend to prefer a cutting surface that has a little give, so it’s less hard on my knives. Wood boards look great, but since they can’t go in the dishwasher (where the hot water helps sanitize your boards), I don’t use them for anything that poses food safety risks.
• Saucepan with lid (pictured is a 3½ to 4 qt size): You can use this pot for making soups and sauces, boiling water, steaming or boiling vegetables, and cooking pasta or other grains. Look for one that’s heavy-bottomed, which will help the heat transfer more evenly and reduce hot spots during cooking.
• Flat spatula/turner: I recommend a turner with a silicone head The one pictured is plastic, which doesn’t hold up as well over high heat and is more difficult to clean. You can use this to flip or turn foods in a sauté pan (pancakes, burgers, eggs/omelets), remove foods from a baking sheet (cookies, biscuits, roasted vegetables), and lift slices/pieces from a baking dish (lasagna, brownies, cake, etc.).
  
• Sauté pan with lid (pictured is a 12-inch, nonstick):  this type of pan is very versatile and can complete a wide range of cooking tasks from sautéeing vegetables, fish and meats, to cooking eggs (scrambled, fried, omelet or frittata), to reducing sauces, to braising foods in liquid. Mine has sloped sides, which is helpful for sautéeing and braising. As with the saucepan, best to look for one with a heavy duty bottom.
• Sheet pan (aka baking sheet/cookie sheet): known as a half-sheet pan in the restaurant world, this heavy duty rimmed baking sheet measures approximately 18”x13” and can be used for baking (cookies, rolls, biscuits, etc.), roasting vegetables or fries, and even for kitchen prep work, like carrying ingredients from one part of the kitchen to another or holding prepped items before cooking.
• Silicone-tipped Tongs:  I use these all the time when I’m sautéeing vegetables, tossing salads,  lifting foods out of boiling water, stirring pastas and grains while cooking, and for picking up foods on baking sheets such as hot biscuits or rolls).  Look for tongs that have a locking mechanism at the hinge end, which allows you to keep them in closed position for easier storage, and that have tips with scalloped edges, which makes it easier to pick up foods with them.
• Microplane zester/grater: based on a carpenter’s rasp, this tool is probably one of the biggest kitchen tool success stories in recent years. I use mine to grate hard cheeses, chocolate, fresh ginger or nutmeg, and for zesting citrus fruits. I suppose you could argue that this tool falls more into the nice-to-have category, but based on how often it gets called up for duty in my kitchen, I’ve put it on my must-have list.
• Garlic Press: if you cook with garlic a lot, you’ll appreciate this tool that quickly and easily minces garlic without getting sticky and strong-smelling garlic juices on your fingers.  Some presses, like mine, don’t even require you to peel the clove first.  Like the Microplane zester, this might be considered non-essential, but for someone who uses garlic in a lot of dishes, it’s a useful tool.
  

And finally, although they’re not pictured in the photo, I’m going to add a colander and a can-opener to the must-have list. You don’t need to spend a lot of money for these to be functional: my opener is hand-cranked, and my colander is a hand-me-down from my grandmother; both are very useful in the kitchen. If you cook a lot of meats and fish, a meat thermometer may also be a necessity, since it will help you gauge when your food is cooked to a safe temperature.

That’s my list and I’m sticking to it!  In theory, it should make it easier for me to part with the non-essentials and make more space for…other stuff!

The trick to pulling off the pantry special, especially with any kind of regularity, is a well-stocked pantry. And by well-stocked, I don’t necessarily mean over-flowing, but rather a pantry that’s been stocked with strategy. Whether you’re trying to stretch a limited food budget, or just save time in the kitchen, a smartly stocked pantry can afford more control over your food costs and provide more choices and flexibility when you’ve got to come up with a meal in a pinch.

Working for a nonprofit program that gives low-income families a hands-on education on preparing healthy, low-cost meals (Cooking Matters) taught me some invaluable lessons, such as how to save money at the supermarket (compare unit prices to find the best deal) and how to stretch ingredients across multiple meals.  Over time, particularly during periods when I was putting in long hours at the office and finding less time to cook, I also learned how to build a pantry that allows for making healthy—and relatively low-cost—meals in a snap.

Lots of folks, myself included, struggle with the “what’s for dinner?” question. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of feeling tired or uninspired. We all have those days when cooking feels like a dreaded chore, and yet a healthy, home-cooked meal can be so much more nourishing than fast food.  For many families today, especially in these tough economic times, it’s an ongoing challenge to put an affordable, let alone healthy, meal on the table night after night.  Whatever the case, your choice of pantry staples can make the difference, especially during times when money’s feeling tight or you’re behind on your grocery shopping.

My Pantry List

This photo includes many of my favorite pantry staples, such as olive oil, canned whole tomatoes, pasta, beans, and spices.  I stock up on these ingredients, especially when I find them on sale, because they offer a lot of versatility in terms of the variety of dishes they can make, and because the non-fresh items have a reasonably long shelf life.  The list below is by no means comprehensive, but it includes enough ingredients to provide a host of cooking options using what you have on hand.

Dry or Shelf-stable Ingredients

• Beans:  canned (cannellini, black, pinto, garbanzo) or
  dried beans (cheaper).
• Canned fish: tuna (best and most sustainable quality you can afford), salmon (ditto), anchovies.
• Grains: brown and white rice, quinoa, pearl barley, couscous, whole wheat and unbleached white flour, grits, and oats (old-fashioned oats and Irish oatmeal).
• Oils: Extra virgin olive oil, canola oil
• Pasta: I try to keep a variety on hand, including linguine, Israeli couscous, orzo, and some type of shaped pasta, such as orrechiette, penne or cavatappi.
• Spices and dried herbs: kosher salt, black pepper are must-haves. Additional favorites that go in a range of cuisines/dishes include: cumin, smoked paprika, thyme, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and red pepper flakes.
• Tomatoes:  canned, whole plum tomatoes (best are the San Marzano variety of tomato), crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste.
• Vinegar: I have several types, but find I use cider and white vinegar most often.

Fresh (perishable) Ingredients

• Cheese: Parmesan and Romano can be pricey, but are less perishable than many other cheeses, if stored properly. Best to buy in chunk form. I wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then store in a sealed zip-top bag.
• Condiments: low-fat mayonnaise, dijon mustard, soy sauce, fish sauce, hot or chili sauce.
• Eggs
• Fruits: citrus, such as lemons and limes; olives, such as Greek Kalamata or Moroccan oil-cured.
  
• Herbs: I like to grow my own basil (indoors near a window or outside when the weather allows) and will often keep Italian flat-leaf parsley on hand. I love cilantro, but you have to use it relatively quickly (or freeze). You can extend the shelf life of fresh herbs by rinsing, drying thoroughly, wrapping in paper towels and then storing in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
• Lemons/limes
• Vegetables: Obviously, some have longer shelf-lives than others, and the season will also determine some of what’s available. I tend to keep onions (yellow, shallots), garlic (whole), carrots, and potatoes (white and sweet) on hand. Cabbage keeps better than more delicate greens. Celery and beets also keep pretty well.

Frozen Ingredients

• Vegetables: Sweet, green peas; baby white corn, edamame, spinach.

Creating a Pantry Special

One way to think about pantry specials is in terms of ingredient categories.  Mixing and matching items from the various categories below can provide quite a range of meal combinations.

• Starch (potato, rice, pasta)
• Fat (olive or canola oil, bacon fat)
• Condiment (soy, fish or chili sauce; mayo; mustard)
• Protein (beans, canned fish, cheese, eggs – or meat, if you have it)
• Vegetable (what’s in season? what do you have on hand? what goes well with the other ingredients you’ve chosen?)
• Aromatics (onion, garlic) and herbs or spices – these are your base flavors and will help add depth and flavor to your dish
• Acid (lemon, lime, orange – zest or juice; vinegar) – often helps brighten or lighten a dish’s flavors.
• Liquid: stock (vegetable, chicken), water, tomato juice, cider or apple juice.

Let’s see if this works.  Here’s one potential combination, if you choose items from several categories:

Potato (starch) + Olive oil (fat) + Dijon mustard (condiment) + Tuna (protein) + Green Beans (vegetable) + Salt/Pepper (aromatics) + Lemon Zest and White Vinegar (acid).

I’d probably make a Niçoise-style salad out of the ingredients. Dice and boil the potato, immediately tossing the hot, cooked potato with a vinaigrette made from the olive oil, mustard, lemon zest, vinegar and salt/pepper. While potatoes cook, blanch the green beans. Finally, I’d mix the vegetables together and top with flakes of tuna before serving. A hard-boiled, sliced egg and a few olives would be great on top too, if you have them.  Not too complicated, and it’s healthy, to boot!

I’ll share a few examples of my favorite pantry specials. These are more concepts than recipes, so it’s all about mixing and experimenting to come up with your own preferred flavors.

Linguine with Anchovies and Bread Crumbs (adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe): Cook linguine most of the way and drain, saving about 1/2 to 1 cup of cooking liquid. Set the pasta aside in a colander. In the same pot, briefly sauté minced garlic and several anchovies in olive oil, add some lemon zest and/or red pepper flakes. Add the reserved cooking liquid and pasta back to the pot, and cook for another minute or two to let pasta soak up sauce. Serve topped with dried breadcrumbs and grated Romano or Parmesan.

Hearty Tomato and Bean Stew: Sauté some minced garlic and finely diced onion in olive oil, along with dried herbs or spices of choice (thyme, smoky paprika); add 28oz can whole plum tomatoes with liquid, crushing the tomatoes with your hands as you put them in (careful, they squirt easily). Add some drained and rinsed cannellini (or garbanzo) beans, salt and pepper, and 1/2 to 1 cup water, and bring to boil. Simmer tomato mixture while you separately cook pasta (small shape, like farfalle or elbow) most of the way, removing a couple minutes early. Finish pasta in tomato liquid, adjust seasoning to taste, then serve. You can also add greens like spinach or kale during cooking, for more nutrition and flavor.

Tuscan Tuna and Beans:  Again, start with aromatics like onion and garlic.  For this dish, I mince shallot and garlic, and sauté in olive oil in a saucepan, along with some crushed red pepper flakes, a little dried thyme or sage, and some lemon zest. Rinse and drain a can of cannellini beans and add to pan, along with enough water or chicken stock to cover the beans by ½ inch.  Add salt and pepper (not too much, as beans will reduce), bring to a boil, and then simmer for 10-15 minutes. Toward end of cooking time, crush some of the beans using the back of a spoon, so they thicken the bean mixture.  Serve hot, topped with flakes of canned tuna (best quality you can afford) and some finely chopped raw onion. I usually squirt a little lemon juice over the tuna, and drizzle some olive oil on top too.

Making these dishes on a moment’s notice is possible if you keep your pantry well-stocked. Of course, you can (and I often do) supplement the basics with additional fresh and other ingredients, but if you start with the list shared above, you’ll have the building blocks to create a wide variety of your own pantry specials.

What? Brussels sprouts for dinner?

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Brussels sprouts?  If your early experiences with them were anything like mine, you might shudder to recall a dull green, mushy, stinky excuse for a vegetable—something to be assiduously avoided at all costs.

As I noted in an earlier post, finding those unappetizing-looking orbs on my plate was cause for subterfuge…namely, stuffing them in my pockets when my parents weren’t looking, so they could be properly disposed of in the toilet. Others find them disagreeable because of their propensity to cause potential “embarrassment,” so you might want to stay away from them if you’re on a hot dinner date.

Here’s the thing though, when Brussels sprouts are properly cooked—and by that, I mean not overcooked—they can rival your favorite vegetable any day of the week.  To the Brussels sprouts of yore, here’s what I have to say to you today: you’ve come a long way, baby.  After years of swearing them off, I had a revelatory experience while working as unpaid slave labor in a 3-star restaurant in New York City.  The menu featured a dish of roasted Brussels sprouts, and when I reluctantly tasted them one day in the kitchen, I was absolutely floored by their flavor.  I suppose part of the appeal could have been that my tastes had simply shifted with age, but more likely, it’s that the technique of roasting is so magically transformative. Like the homely frog that’s been kissed by a princess, roasting turns this much-maligned member of the Brassica family into a sexy, handsome vegetable.

The Brussels sprouts recipe that I’m sharing with you is something I’ve been making for several years, and it’s a dish that I look forward to every fall, about the time Brussels sprouts start showing up in the markets.  Roasting the sprouts caramelizes their surface, adding an almost smoky sweetness, and gives them a crackly exterior and tender interior. The walnuts add an earthy assertiveness and crunchy texture that perfectly complement the sprouts, while the Romano cheese provides a pungent saltiness that brings all the flavors together.

When I saw a fresh stalk, covered in bright green sprouts, this weekend, I couldn’t resist an excuse to make and write about this favorite dish.  My preparation is partly inspired by a wonderful Brussels sprouts salad by Chef Jonathan Waxman, whose recipe also makes use of toasted walnuts and Pecorino Romano cheese.

Like other members of the Brassica cabbage family, such as cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, and kale, Brussels sprouts go well with big flavors like mustard and bacon, aromatics like onions and garlic, and acids like balsamic vinegar and lemon.  These roasted sprouts would be delicious served alongside fish, pork or chicken. For example, a super-easy main dish is Dijon-roasted salmon. Just season salmon fillets with salt and pepper, coat the upper flesh side in a mixture of Dijon and whole grain mustard, and then roast skin side down in a 400°F degree oven until the salmon is just cooked through (12-15 minutes, depending on the fillet’s thickness). The mustard adds great flavor and also helps keep the fish moist while cooking.

Alternatively, you could try wrapping fillets of flaky white fish like cod or scrod in bacon and then pan-searing. Roast chicken or quail would be a nice pairing too; or, if the other white meat is your preference, try roasting a pork loin, braising a pork shoulder (perhaps in white wine or beer, chicken stock and mustard), or searing some pork chops.  But the star of the show, as far as I’m concerned, is the roasted Brussels sprouts.

And to all of you avowed Brussels sprouts-haters, I dare you to try this dish and then tell me you still don’t like them.  I’m willing to wager that you’ll be a
convert too.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Makes about 2 cups, but I might double it if
serving to 4 adults, even as a side dish

An original Sugar On My Tongue recipe

This recipe is more about technique than exacting measures. Ingredient amounts can be adjusted based on how many sprouts you have on hand and your taste preferences.  You could also change it up by roasting the sprouts with some sliced shallots or onions, glazing the sprouts with some balsamic vinegar during the last 10-15 minutes of roasting, or even adding some bacon.  It’s hard to go wrong with this dish.

Ingredients:
3-4 dozen Brussels sprouts
½ cup chopped walnuts
3 Tbsp olive oil
Coarse salt
Fresh, ground black pepper
Romano cheese (about ¼ cup, grated)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Place the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant and starting to color, about 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on them, as they can go from perfectly toasted to burned very quickly.  Remove from oven, transfer to a plate, and set aside to cool.
3. Turn the oven temperature up to 400°F after the walnuts have been removed.
4. Trim the stem end of the sprouts (if it has a nub on it, just trim the stem so it’s flush with the rounded bottom of the sprout), and then pull off a couple outer layers of darker leaves to expose the lighter colored interior.  Once they’ve been trimmed, rinse the sprouts under cold water in a colander, then dump them onto a dish towel and give them a brief pat down to dry them off.
5. Cut the sprouts in half and place in a medium bowl.  Add the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Stir together until the sprout surfaces are well-coated.
6. Place the sprouts on a large baking sheet. If they can’t all fit in a single layer without crowding, use two sheets. I like to line my baking sheets with tin foil for easier cleanup.
7. Roast in oven for 30-40 minutes, until sprouts can easily be pierced with a sharp knife and the exterior has some caramelization.  I usually pull them out halfway through the cooking time and use tongs to flip each one over so they get color on both sides.
8. Remove from oven, and transfer the sprouts to a serving bowl. Add the toasted walnuts and grated cheese, and quickly toss together before serving.

A few tips:

• If you buy your Brussels sprouts on the stalk, try to find one with sprouts that are approximately the same size. I tend to prefer medium-sized sprouts, which are about 1½ inches in diameter. You can always leave tinier ones whole or trim larger ones as needed, to make them more uniform in size before roasting. Having spouts the same size means they’ll cook at the same rate.
• The walnuts can be toasted in advance. Once the nuts are cool, store in a covered container until ready to use.
• Serve these as soon as they come out of the oven, while the sprouts still have a crackly exterior.

Note: Get a printer-friendly PDF of this recipe here.

What I am about to reveal will not paint a flattering self-portrait. It will not give you the warm-fuzzies or make you want to become my new very best friend forever (v.b.f.f.).  Yet, it’s a story that plays out daily in kitchens across the country and undoubtedly is the source of “complications” in many relationships. It’s not something I’m proud of, but I’m willing to own up to it, for you see:

I am an alpha cook.

There. I’ve said it. What’s an alpha cook, you ask? In a nutshell, it’s somebody who  must. be. in. charge. in. the. kitchen.  A dictator in an apron.  A cleanliness- and order-obsessed bitch with a whisk.  The person who’s not going to be nominated anytime soon for the Retro Haus Frau of the Year award.  In short, me.

It wasn’t until I had to share my kitchen with a beta cook, we’ll call him B for short, that I became aware of my, shall we say, obsessive tendencies, over matters of the culinary variety.  As B has learned, I will likely turn down any well-intended offers to help me put together a meal, but I will happily bask in your praise for my cooking and let you clean up the kitchen afterwards.

Somewhere out there, some of you will be nodding your head, chuckling in recognition in a slightly guilty, knowing way. Fellow alpha cooks, you know who you are.  As for the rest of you, hopefully, I’ll still be able to look you in the eye after you read this.

Warning Signs
Before B and I moved in together, I had many an opportunity to observe his bachelor-like ways in his own kitchen habitat.  Allow me to elaborate.  B’s idea of a home-cooked meal usually meant waiting until he got home to dive into the container of prepared food he’d just picked up from Whole Paycheck; sometimes, he would even go all out and put it on a real plate before eating it.  His so-dull-they-couldn’t-slice-an-egg knives were haphazardly lying in a drawer together with all five other cooking utensils he owned, located across the way from the catch-all silverware drawer, where you could easily spend 10 minutes spelunking for a fork.  His granite-topped counters camouflaged enough sticky food spills and crumbs to keep a pack of rats fat and happy for weeks. And attempting to use any of his low-grade, poorly-cared-for pots and pans was a certain exercise in frustration and futility, as anything and everything cooked in them would stick to the surface as if it had been super-glued in place. For B, dish washing generally meant filling the sink with lukewarm, slightly soapy water and letting dirty dishes pile up over several hours before finally pulling them out of the then-dingy, cold water for a quick rinse. No wonder, I often hesitated before accepting a glass of water, knowing where those glasses had been. And then there was the refrigerator, whose murky depths held many a science project in-the-making. Once something went in, it was promptly forgotten about until a) it funked up the fridge, b) it started growing fuzzy green hair that was impossible to ignore, or c) it was removed by me, with an accompanying sigh and roll of the eyes. Usually all of the above.

Over time, I managed to make incremental improvements to B’s pantry, like convincing him to buy a toaster instead of using the oven to toast (read: dry out) bread, giving him a sharp, new knife (which unfortunately quickly got tossed into the aforementioned catch-all drawer), and providing a few spices besides salt and pepper, mostly for those times I was forced to cook dinner in his kitchen and had gotten tired of packing my own mini-kitchen on wheels.

We laughed and joked about these things, until the day came when there would no longer be a “my kitchen” and “his kitchen” but “our kitchen.”  For my own sanity (and let’s be honest, his safety), I knew I had to lay down some rules.

Imposing Order
As most smart beta cooks have figured out, it’s easiest and most harmonious to just humor their alpha cook and play by the kitchen rules. In our case, it doesn’t mean B always falls into lockstep and certainly doesn’t mean he’s not in need of some “helpful” reminders and guidance along the way, but overall, we’ve reached a kitchen détente that generally works, as long as he follows the rules, that is (insert evil laugh).

Rule #1: nobody but me uses my knives. If you were to ask chefs about their most prized and indispensable kitchen tools, I am pretty certain they’d agree that sharp, high-quality knives are at the top of the list.  Many a time, I have cooked in someone else’s kitchen and nearly cut a finger off after having been forced to use a knife that had clearly never met a sharpener.  I meticulously care for my knives and unless I’m absolutely convinced that someone else has the same exacting standards, their mitts will never touch my cold, German steel.  So far, B has wisely complied with this rule.

Rule #2: if you use it, wash it and put it back where you found it.  In culinary school, and in restaurants everywhere, the practice of mise en place (French for “everything in its place”) is practically pounded into you. It’s about being prepared, having all your ingredients and equipment prepped and at the ready, to maximize efficiency in the kitchen.  Not only is this concept critical for cooking, it can usefully extend to the cooking space itself.  In my kitchen, my knives are stored in an easily accessible knife block; my colanders and most-used tools are within reach of the stovetop; my prep bowls are always in the same cabinet on the same shelf; my offset spatula and mandoline are always in the same drawer; and so on. When I need it, I know where to find it, and I expect it to be there. Cooking is a lot easier when you don’t have to put out an APB to locate your tools and equipment.

Rule #3: clean up after yourself.   Should be a given, right?  To me, nothing’s worse than walking into a dirty kitchen. Who wants to cook when the sink is filled with dirty dishes or the countertops are covered in remnants from the last meal? (can you tell I don’t have kids?).   Is it too much to ask to wipe up your coffee grounds after grinding beans in the morning? Or take a sponge to the food stains and crumbs on the stovetop? Or load the dishwasher right away after the meal, instead of letting the dishes languish in the sink?  I think not.  B and I are still negotiating this one. He’s come a long way from the bachelor pad of yore, but only with some regular, and sometimes vigorous, reminders.

Survival of the Beta
By now, you’re probably getting a pretty good idea of what it can be like to live with an alpha cook, particularly one who’s somewhat obsessed with cleanliness and order in the kitchen.  While there are some advantages to living with an alpha, such as getting to enjoy complicated dishes that a beta wouldn’t dream of attempting to make on his own, it’s not always easy.  As the New York Times pointed out in a piece on this very topic a few years back, it “can also mean putting up with small culinary humiliations and an unending patter of condescending remarks.”  I try not to go to the bad place when B is cooking in the kitchen, but sometimes it’s hard for us alphas to just stand back and watch the betas operate on our turf. We see you doing things the hard way and want to share our shortcuts (or roll our eyes because you didn’t figure them out for yourself); we find it hard to modulate the exasperation in our voices when we watch you burn the garlic for the umpteenth time; we don’t bother to hide our irritation when yet again, we’re hunting around for the kitchen tool that you borrowed and didn’t put back where it belongs; and of course, we feel reassured about our decision not to let you use our chef’s knives when we see how you abuse your own.  And then there are those non-endearing moments when you go into full dude mode and say things like “where do you keep the x” – recently, it was tupperware containers, because somehow, even after months of sharing the same kitchen, you hadn’t yet found the entire cabinet full of them.

I know, sometimes I make myself cringe too.  (And if B’s family ends up reading this, I hope they remember I have some redeeming qualities…)

While it can sometimes be challenging for an alpha cook to peacefully coexist with a beta cook (and surely vice versa), I think there’s probably some yin and yang to the arrangement as well.  Hopefully, in time, this alpha will learn how to be better at sharing and playing nice in the culinary sandbox; and perhaps her beta will come to appreciate the benefits of keeping a clean, mostly spotless kitchen.

when every meal feels like the first time

The other day I was reflecting on memorable food experiences: the dishes that never disappoint at favorite restaurants (can I get an amen for the roasted rice cakes @ Momofuku?), exotic meals in foreign lands, unusual but interesting flavor pairings, and of course, those first times you taste something that rocks your world. Like that other “first time,” such experiences can be seminal moments.

Growing up in a tiny western New York town, practically a galaxy away from the food mecca of Manhattan, my future foodie’s palate was woefully underdeveloped and underexposed. While there were, and still are, lots of good cooks in my family, their culinary exploits at the time rarely ranged beyond standard meat-and-potatoes type fare: pork chops and apple sauce, beef stew, sloppy joes, roast beef on weck, goulash, and my childhood favorite, beef stroganoff. My nose still perks up at the thought of the delicious aromas that would escape the bubbling crockpot my mother often used. This type of cooking was about comfort and practicality, far from the realm of “cuisine” so accessible to middle-Americans today thanks to the likes of Iron Chef, Top Chef, and their ilk.

Although it felt like cruel and unusual punishment at the time, I’m sure that my father’s unrelenting insistence that my brother and I at least try everything on our plates (and refusal to allow us to move from the table until we’d done so) is partly responsible for the adventurous palate I have today. Luckily back then, I was just sneaky—and angelic—enough to get away with dropping a few hated Brussels sprouts down the toilet after stealing them away from the table in my pockets. My pocket disposal strategy was certainly less messy than my brother’s more melodramatic gag-vomit scheme, although his methods were equally successful in achieving the end goal of not having to eat a hated food (in his case, eggplant Parmesan).

Years later, thanks to jobs that sent me to different parts of the country and required a fair bit of entertaining, a nagging wanderlust that took me to far corners of the world, a year in culinary school, and several years of  living in Manhattan, I had endless opportunities to explore new ingredients, dishes, and cuisines.

Photo courtesy of Travel+Leisure

One such exploration took place at the hands of my friend Jonathan in Washington, DC, when I lived there back in the mid-90s. The scene of this revelatory first-time experience was Kinkead’s, a brasserie-style seafood restaurant in Foggy Bottom. We sat in the more casual downstairs bar area, and I remember ordering a delicious tuna tartare with avocado. Jonathan ordered oysters on the half shell. The sight of raw oysters had reviled me for years, so it was with some surprise that I suddenly found myself feeling interested and daring enough to try one. Reader, I was not disappointed. The taste was unlike anything I’d ever had before and almost instantly intoxicating. Winemakers obsess over terroir, or sense of place, seeking the perfect expression in their wines of the soil, climate, topography, etc. of the region where the product is produced. The best oysters also convey terroir, revealing the influences of the waters where they originate. Salty, cool, refreshing, sweet, glistening, and plump—I can think of no more perfect expression of the sea than an oyster. Its mysteries unfold on the tongue in an almost mystical way. One taste, and I was forever hooked.

Since then, I’ve shucked, slurped and savored oysters with such abandon that I’ve sometimes astonished dining companions by my seemingly bottomless capacity for the slippery mollusks. I’m a bit of a purist, so I think they’re best enjoyed on the half shell, perhaps but not always, adorned with a whisper of lemon or a drop or two of mignonette. You’ll never find me drowning their delicate flavors in spicy horseradish or Tabasco sauce (a travesty!). MFK Fisher called oysters “a lusty bit of nourishment” and wrote that:

“further north, men choose their oysters without sauce. They like them cold, straightforward, simple, capable of spirit but unadorned, like a Low Church service or maybe a Boston romance.”

Exactly!

So what if oysters can kill you;  so can a lot of other things. If my time is up, I can think of worse ways to go than indulging in a few dozen oysters. Of course, all it takes is one, but since the guilty party often announces itself on the tongue or in the nose, there’s ample time to heed the warning and take action. Nothing’s going to stand between me and my oysters.

“He was a bold man that first eat an oyster.”

– Jonathan Swift, Polite Conversation

With that, I leave you to ponder your own “first time” experiences. I hope your culinary epiphanies and memories are as vivid and pleasurable as my own.

As an upstate New York native, I’m accustomed to having four distinct seasons and unlike here in Washington, DC, summers up north don’t wear out their welcome.  Fall has long been my favorite time of year, and I can barely wait to see the landscape explode into a riot of colors.  The days are shorter, the nights are cooler, and the urge to cook and nest takes hold.

When I think back to the autumns of my youth, I remember the excitement of heading back to school; rooting for our home team, the Purple Eagles, at Friday night football games; hiking  at Letchworth State Park (aka “Grand Canyon of the East”) and collecting colorful leaves for pressing between sheets of waxed paper; gathering glossy brown chestnuts in big paper bags from the huge tree down the block from my grandparent’s house; and eating lots and lots of apples.

The town I grew up in is pretty rural and surrounded by acres of farmland and many other similarly situated small communities.  My Aunt Cindy married into a family that owned apple orchards, and I recall her leaving bushel after bushel of Empire apples on my grandparent’s back porch for the rest of us to grab and enjoy.  My mother comes from a family of eight, and I’m the oldest of twenty-two grandchildren on that side of the family, so we went through A LOT of apples.  Empires are a cross between Red Delicious and McIntosh, and they’ve got a fantastic crisp texture and sweet-tart flavor.  Cindy also used to bring us gallons of freshly-pressed cider, and to this day, I’ve yet to find a cider (and I’ve tasted them far and wide over the years) that’s even remotely as good as the one her family made. So many ciders are overly sweet, and theirs used a combination of apples that ensured just enough tartness to prevent the flavors from being too cloying.

Apple tree at Heyser Farms

Guarding the apples

Each year, I look forward to the abundance of apples that the season brings.  I’m not much of a fruit eater, but I make an exception for apples, and you can find me eating them out of hand on a daily basis when they’re in season.  This past weekend, while passing through Colesville, Maryland, we stopped at Heyser Farms to pick up a bushel of apples (and some delicious cider, I might add) and take a brief stroll through the orchard.  To make use of the apple bounty, I’ve developed and road-tested a couple recipes that I’d like to share, along with a third recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart.  I recommend using a red apple variety that’s in season where you live, preferably one that’s crisp and not excessively sweet.  If you try any of the recipes, drop me a line back or comment on this post to let me know what you think.  And feel free to share your favorite way to enjoy apples too.  Happy cooking—and eating!

Smoky Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Serves 4

An original Sugar On My Tongue recipe

A few years ago, I made a paella recipe that called for lots of smoky Spanish paprika. It was my first real encounter with the ingredient, and today it’s become one of the staples in my pantry. There’s just enough in this soup to add a smoky depth and richness that nicely complements the earthy squash and sweet apple flavors.

Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into large dice
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 medium red apples (look for sweet/tart and crisp),
peeled, cored and cut into large dice
1 tsp lemon juice
1 small onion, diced
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1½ tsp coarse salt
1½ tsp cumin
½ tsp coriander
½ tsp smoky Spanish paprika
2 c chicken or vegetable stock
1½ c water
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 sprig cilantro, optional for garnish
4 Tbsp light sour cream, optional for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
2. Toss diced squash with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and spread out on foil-lined baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle pinch of coarse salt over squash. Cook for 30-40 minutes, until squash is fork tender and lightly caramelized.
3. While squash is cooking, toss diced apple with lemon juice, and set aside.
4. Heat olive oil over medium-low heat and add onion. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic, salt and spices and sauté for 2-3 more minutes, being careful not to burn garlic.
5. Add apples, water and stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until apples are fork tender, about 10 minutes.
6. Puree roasted squash in batches with the apple mixture, in a food processor or blender, until smooth, and return to saucepan. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Heat over low, thinning with more water if necessary, for 5-7 minutes before serving.
7. To serve, ladle into shallow bowls, and top each serving with 1 Tbsp of light sour cream (optional) and a sprig of cilantro (optional). For some extra color and flavor, sprinkle some additional smoky paprika over the soup.

Tips:

• Kick up the heat by adding ½ tsp cayenne pepper to the onions in step 4.
• Try using a couple different types of apples for a more complex flavor.
• Sauté the onions (step 4) in smoky bacon fat instead of olive oil for more flavor, or try adding crispy bacon bits over the soup before serving.

Note: Get a printer-friendly PDF of this recipe here.

Ginger-Spiced Apple Walnut Bread

An original Sugar On My Tongue recipe

Nothing makes me salivate more than the aroma of sweet baking spices working their magic in the oven.  This super-moist quick bread offers an unexpected twist, thanks to the addition of fresh ginger and molasses. Their flavors add an extra layer of warmth and spice that’s perfect for Autumn.

Ingredients:
Nonstick baking spray
1 cup all purpose (AP) flour, plus 1 tsp
½ c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp allspice
¼ tsp cinnamon
Pinch of grated nutmeg
½ c canola oil
2 Tbsp dark molasses
½ c granulated sugar
½ c light brown sugar
1 large egg
½ c apple juice, unsweetened
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 c apple, peeled, cored and small diced
½ c walnuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Prepare a 5”x9” loaf pan with nonstick baking spray like Baker’s Joy or use butter and dust with flour.
3. Add flours, baking soda, baking powder, and spices to large bowl and whisk to combine.
4. In another large bowl, add oil and sugars. Mix together with mixer on medium speed until well combined.  Add egg, molasses, apple juice and vanilla, and mix until combined.
5. Reduce speed to low, and beat in flour mixture in three additions. Be careful not to overmix.
6. In medium bowl, toss together grated ginger, diced apples, chopped nuts and 1 tsp AP flour until combined and lightly coated with flour.  Fold fruit and nut mixture into the batter.
7. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Place pan on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet, and bake until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 45-60 minutes.
8. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes.  Make sure bread has pulled away from sides of the pan (run a thin knife blade along the edges, if necessary, to loosen), and invert pan to remove bread.  Cool bread completely on wire rack.

Note: Get a printer-friendly PDF of this recipe here.

Roasted Applesauce

Makes 4 cups

Adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe

Ingredients:
¼ cup water
5 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
Pinch of coarse salt
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 lbs. assorted apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch wide slices
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of allspice
Pinch of ground cloves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
2. Combine water, lemon juice, and salt in a 9”x13” baking dish.
3. Spread apple slices out in the dish, and scatter butter pieces and brown sugar over the apples.
4. Roast in oven until apples are very soft, about 30-40 minutes.
5. Transfer apples to a blender (or bowl, if using an immersion blender), add spices, and blend to desired chunky or smooth texture.
6. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.  Applesauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Tips:

• You’ll need about 3lbs of apples to get 2lbs of cut apples.
• If using very sweet apples, try adding one tart variety, such as Granny Smith, to round out the flavors.

Note: Get a printer-friendly PDF of this recipe here. And find the original recipe here.

Avec Eric is Chef Eric Ripert’s award-winning cooking show on PBS.  I find myself continually impressed and inspired by his commitment to craft, as he constantly seeks new sources of inspiration and knows the value of stepping outside the kitchen walls to learn and grow as a chef.  It’s also heartening to see someone so excited about food and well, just naturally exuberant. He always looks like a kid in a candy store, especially when he’s meeting and learning from other chefs, winemakers, fishermen, growers and food artisans. And I love getting a glimpse of the creative process in Le Bernardin’s kitchen, as he leads his team of cooks through tasting exercises, while they try to develop dishes based on new flavors or ingredients that he’s discovered in his travels.

The episode clip I’m sharing is all about “Star Ingredients.” In it, Ripert spends time with another chef, David Kinch of Manresa restaurant and Love Apple Farm in Los Gatos, CA, whose homage to the ingredients on the plate is truly something to behold. At $170 a pop, it’s more than likely I won’t be indulging in his seasonal tasting menu anytime soon on my pauper’s budget, but I totally respect what this guy is doing. Kinch even grows his own food at Love Apple Farms, which follows organic and biodynamic farming principles. Of course he’s not the first chef to do the restaurant-farm thing (hello, Dan Barber), but the level of culinary artistry he appears to be achieving, while cleaving to his ingredient-as-star aesthetic, is what elevates him above the rest. His restaurant’s signature salad dish is a case in point (see clip below—it’s a snippet of the full video above, even though image looks the same). Some people might call this food fussy, but I think it’s brilliant.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/186257/avec-eric-star-ingredients?c=846:919

And speaking of Eric Ripert, it’s exciting to see that he finally gave his four-star restaurant, Le Bernardin, a long overdue makeover. If early photos are any indication, the new dining room is spectacular—modern, with an understated sophistication—just like its owner.

Growing up, I recall lots of lazy Sunday mornings, with plenty of time for sleeping in, watching cartoons, and doing pretty much anything that didn’t involve homework.  My parents would be drinking coffee in their bathrobes, while my father lorded over the newspaper, doling out sections as he saw fit.  Every now and then, he’d abandon the paper and make his way into the kitchen to cook up a super-sized brunch-for-one (although sometimes he could be convinced to make extra) that always had one essential component: grits.

You see, he was a southern boy, trapped in my mother’s yankee hometown in upstate NY.  Back in those days, my mom did nearly all the cooking, grilled beast notwithstanding, so anything that managed to draw my father into the kitchen surely must have been the holy grail of breakfasts. Perhaps these meals were his way of reclaiming those southern roots; but I bet it was also simply a matter of knowing how well his belly would be rewarded for the time he put in at the stove.

Not a single plate or bowl was ever big enough to hold the always massive pile of buttery grits, fried eggs, toast and bacon; instead, he’d requisition one of my mother’s huge porcelain serving dishes, which on these occasions would lead a double-life as my father’s private breakfast trough. Pig slop it was not, however. Those early exposures to grits fed my lifelong love for this simple porridge.

A couple of years ago, I was strolling through a farmer’s market in DC and came across the booth of a fellow member of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR), Anna St. John, who runs a local catering company.  We’d met a few times before, and I was curious to learn more about what she was tasting and selling at the market.  Among other things, she pointed to a lumpy cloth bag and insisted that I “HAD to try these.” At over $7 for a 2-pound bag, Hoppin’ John’s grits felt a little rich for my nonprofit slave’s budget, but she convinced me these were more than worth it, and I knew I could trust her tastebuds.  Mind you, I’ve tasted my fair share of grits, including on the menus of some of New York’s top restaurants, so the bar was already pretty high for me.

Anna recommended that I follow the cooking instructions included in the little recipe book inside the bag. I heeded her advice, and what resulted were the creamiest, most mouthwateringly-delicious grits this grit-lovin’ girl has ever had the pleasure of eating. I almost couldn’t believe it. It was as if I’d never tasted the real deal before—they were that good.  Turns out the “John” behind Hoppin’ John’s is John Martin Taylor, a cookbook author who’s considered a legitimate authority on regional southern cuisine.  His grits are “natural, whole-grain, stone-ground, and mountain-grown,” according to his website. The corn is heirloom dent corn, which is apparently the traditional corn of the south, so it’s not a modern hybrid nor genetically modified. Like I said, the real deal. Quaker, eat your heart out. His grits can be found in some of the country’s finest restaurants, and in the DC area, you can find Anna selling them at the Palisades and Kensington farmer’s markets.

Alas, I’m nearly down to the last of my current bag of Hoppin’ John’s, so I’ll be seeing Anna soon for my next fix.  Meanwhile, I’ve been enjoying grits three ways this week, as you can see below: grits smothered in greens; hot, buttered grits; and fried grit cakes ‘n eggs.  Alas, the grit cakes turned out to be kind of a failed kitchen experiment (I’ll spare you the photographic evidence); next time, I’ll be sure to cook out more of the liquid so they firm up better for frying. That said, messy grit cakes topped with a fried sunny-side-up egg are still pretty damn good.

Now go get y’self some Hoppin’ John’s grits!

Grits smothered in Swiss chard and leeks

Hot, buttered grits