What to Cook This Week - The New York Times

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What to Cook This Week - The New York Times

What to Cook This Week - The New York Times

Posted: 17 Jan 2021 07:30 AM PST

Good morning. I miss traveling. I miss the humid mangrove tang that hits you when you walk out of the airport in southwestern Florida and the angle of the sun when you're driving around Los Angeles and the weird squawking birds in the trees of Sydney. I miss the whoosh of air that comes out of the Central Line tunnel at Marble Arch station in London, Berlin graffiti, the birds you can see walking the Beluga Slough trail near Homer, Alaska.

Most of all, I miss the food. I miss discovering restaurants, visiting unfamiliar supermarkets, miss cooking in dodgy little weekly rental kitchens, miss street food perhaps most of all. I'd perform dark magic to secure a hamburguesa from a cart in Chapultepec Park in Mexico City or a curry laksa from a Singapore hawker stand. I'd love to conjure a bake and shark from Richard's in Maracas Bay, Trinidad, and a fat thumb of Louisiana gas-station boudin to follow it.

But I can't. Travel's still out for most of us, and dark magic's not allowed. There's a metronomic sameness to our days — even our weekend days, with so many either working from home or out of work entirely — and if you're not careful that can extend to your food and to your eating. It leads to boredom, heavy thoughts, maybe to days spent on the couch not doing much of anything at all. We can't have that.

So, travel in your kitchen: to recipes new to you, to ingredients you've never used, to techniques you've not yet learned. Make five or six new recipes this week and think of it as a vacation from the same-old, a chance to experience the pleasing shock of discovery at a time when that is otherwise very hard to do.

Failing all those, you can explore the thousands and thousands of other recipes we've assembled on NYT Cooking. Go browse the site and see what you discover, what interests, what might bring joy. Save the recipes you want to make. Rate the ones you've made. And, please, leave notes on them, if you've come up with a hack or made a substitution that you want to remember or share with your fellow subscribers.

Because, yes, you need to be a subscriber to enjoy the benefits of NYT Cooking. Subscriptions support the work of the dozens of people who make NYT Cooking possible. Subscriptions allow that work to continue. If you haven't already, I hope you will subscribe to NYT Cooking today. Thank you.

Meanwhile, please ask for help if anything goes wrong in your kitchen or on our site and apps. We're at cookingcare@nytimes.com. Someone will get back to you.

Now, it's a far cry from tea cakes and bread-and-butter pickles, but our architecture critic Michael Kimmelman's review of the new Moynihan Train Hall in Manhattan is, quite simply, exhilarating.

I kinda dig this mid-90s Mitsubishi van, profiled in Jalopnik.

In case you missed it, here's Lila Shapiro in New York with a deep dive into the controversy surrounding Jeanine Cummins's novel "American Dirt," and how it became a best seller anyway.

Finally, and with a grateful tip of the hat to Lindsay Zoladz, here's Celeste, "Love Is Back," live on the BBC on New Year's Eve. Listen to that. I'll be back on Monday.

Cooking with Chef Martin: Mexican Birria de Res - KMOV.com

Posted: 17 Jan 2021 04:52 PM PST

3. (Beef Stew)Makes 12-15 tacos We will break down this recipe in three parts for ingredients and directions, one is the making of the "The Adobo" the main component to flavor a good Birria, secondly, we will do the cooking of the "The Meat" and third the "The Assembly" of the dish. The Adobo Ingredients: Ingredient Checklist 6 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded 4 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded 4 dried cascabel chiles, stemmed and seeded 1 large white onion, cut into 1-inch wedges 10 garlic cloves 2 tablespoons roughly chopped peeled fresh ginger 8 cups water, divided 2 tablespoons white vinegar 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 6 thyme sprigs 3 dried bay leaves Directions: 1- Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium. Add chiles to skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer chiles to a large saucepan; add onion, garlic, ginger, and 6 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until chiles are softened, about 8 minutes. Drain chile mixture; discard cooking liquid. 2- Combine chile mixture, vinegar, salt, black pepper, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, thyme, bay leaves, and remaining 2 cups water in a blender. Secure lid on blender, and remove center piece to allow steam to escape. Place a clean towel over opening. Process until smooth, about 45 seconds. Let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover and chill until ready to use. You can make the adobo ahead and it can be chilled in an airtight container up to 3 days. The Meat Ingredients: 1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast (about 2 1/4 inches thick) 2 pounds English-cut beef short ribs (about 3 ribs) 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste Adobo 8 cups water Directions: 1- Sprinkle chuck roast and short ribs all over with 2 tablespoons salt. Combine roast, ribs, and adobo in a large nonreactive bowl; toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. 2- Preheat oven to 300°F. Transfer adobo mixture to a large (9 1/2-quart) Dutch oven; add 8 cups water. Bring to a simmer, uncovered, over medium, stirring occasionally. Cover with lid, and place in preheated oven. Bake until meat is fork- tender, about 4 hours. 3- Remove chuck roast and short ribs from braising broth, and transfer to a large bowl; cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Return broth in Dutch oven to heat over medium, and cook, uncovered, skimming off fat as needed, until reduced to about 8 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Season broth with salt to taste. Shred meat; discard bones. Toss meat with 1 1/2 cups of the broth. The Assembly Ingredients: 1 cup finely chopped white onion, rinsed 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro Canola oil, for greasing 32 (6-inch) fresh corn tortillas or 16 packaged corn tortillas Lime wedges, for serving Directions: 1- Stir together onion, cilantro, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; set aside. 2- Heat a large nonstick electric griddle to 400°F or a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Using a paper towel dipped in canola oil, lightly grease griddle. If using fresh tortillas, stack 2 tortillas, and use tongs to dip them together into adobo broth. (If using packaged tortillas, dip 1 tortilla per taco.) Place stacked tortillas on griddle; top with 1/4 cup meat. Repeat with as many tortilla stacks as will comfortably fit on griddle. Cook until bottom tortilla is lightly browned and crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Fold tacos in half, gently pressing with a spatula. Transfer to a serving plate. Repeat process with oil, adobo broth, remaining tortillas, and remaining meat. 3- Serve tacos hot with onion-cilantro mixture, lime wedges, and remaining adobo broth for dipping or sipping. Chef Martin Lopez ChefMartinLopez.com

Small-kitchen cooking tips from a camper-living chef - Salon

Posted: 17 Jan 2021 03:59 PM PST

When many New York City dwellers fled to smaller towns and rural areas last year, I, like many others, was skeptical of their intentions. But the journey of one of my favorite voices in the city's food scene, Lee Kalpakis, was one that felt inspiring (and soothing!) to follow during this time. When the pandemic hit, Kalpakis — who has worked as a recipe developer, food stylist, culinary producer, and video host—and her partner both lost their jobs; they decided to give up their Brooklyn loft and move to the Catskills, where they both grew up. But instead of another apartment, they purchased a bare-bones 1976 Fleetwood Prowler van to refurbish. Now, they're on their own land — much more isolated than when they had started out in 2020 — but building a home all their own.

Though Kalpakis has spent most of her professional life working in restaurants (including her parents' growing up) and large test kitchens, she's accustomed to cooking in small spaces by nature of living in NYC apartments. Now, she's figuring out how to evolve her cooking, not just for a weekend camping trip, but for the long haul in the woods.

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Here, Kalpakis shares her tips for cooking in a small kitchen — whether or not you live in a cozy camper in the woods.

Make everything in a Dutch oven

When working in what is essentially a miniaturized version of an apartment kitchen (already quite small!), you don't want to do a lot of dishes. "Even two dirty bowls can make the place feel messy," says Kalpakis. In turn, aside from grilling outside, she prefers to make everything she can in her Le Creuset Dutch oven. "It's particularly simple in the colder months, because we just want to eat soups and stews anyway, and when we're finished eating, I refrigerate the leftovers directly in the pot to make it easy to heat up the next day." Of course, Dutch ovens can do even more: Kalpakis also uses the vessel for proteins and vegetables, crisped on the stovetop or braised in the oven.

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Pare down your spices (but leave room for hot sauce)

Even with little room for a full pantry, there is a plethora of dishes you can keep in your roster that come alive with just a few spices or seasonings. Still, make it personal: Inside Kalpalkis's pantry you'll find three kinds of hot sauce: Cholula, sriracha, and Frank's Red Hot — "I need all three, because they all serve different purposes!" When it comes to the rest of the pantry, flaky Maldon salt and Diamond Crystal kosher salt are a must, as are olive oil, vanilla extract, and furikake. She also makes seasonal spreads for toast in the morning (right now there's cranberry-persimmon compote.) Finally, the pantry is rounded out with a special tin of saffron that her boyfriend's mom gave her. Says Kalpalkis: "I am so afraid to run out of it!"

Make cleaning products out of what's already in your kitchen

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Living off the grid, Kalpakis attempts to minimize the use of any chemical cleaning products. "It all goes back into the earth, so we clean everything with white vinegar," she says. With gallons of it on hand, they also often use the vinegar in salads and for pickling vegetables.

If you do live in a camper (or have a backyard), do your batch cooking outdoors

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Even in the winter months, Kalpakis enjoys grilling a big piece of meat or a large batch of veggies outside—they'll last her a few days. "I keep [seasonings] basic so it's versatile," she says. She recently grilled chicken thighs rubbed with smoked paprika, honey, and garlic and served them with rice, feta, dill, and lemon. "The next day, I sliced the leftover thighs and mixed them with grilled pineapple, because I was craving al pastor but didn't want to go out to get pork."

A smaller refrigerator could mean less waste

"In my old kitchen, I'd lose things in the back of the fridge pretty frequently. Now, my fridge is so tiny, nothing is forgotten," says Kalpakis. If she grills lamb chops and fennel for dinner, she'll keep the bones and scraps to make stock the next day. "There's no delivery out here in the woods, so everything gets used. That feels good." Bonus: "It saves a lot of money in the process."

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Dessert can be a drink (and you don't need a full set of glassware)

Kalpakis developed a sweet tooth during the pandemic and has been enjoying making a pot of hot chocolate or horchata to keep on the stove for a quick sip when she pleases. Though there's no separate vessel for switching from cocoa to wine at the end of the night. (And really, why bother?) "When we downsized, I got rid of a large mug collection. I pretty much kept just one, and now I use it all day, every day, for everything I drink."

You probably don't need separate "pet food"

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"Look, I love my dog, but I'm not trying to fuss over his meals," says Kalpakis. While she assures me that Mac eats high-quality dog food, if she's having burgers, he'll get some raw beef for dinner, and perhaps some vegetables, too. "I get sweet potatoes from our local farm stand pretty often." Feeding dogs and humans similarly presents another unintentional (but certainly appreciated) money-saving tip.

Your hands are the best cooking tools

Without room for added appliances, Kalpakis has simplified her cooking. "If a recipe calls for a stand mixer, I can't make it. I can only do things by hand," she says, whether it's a quick cake batter or a dough that requires kneading, like focaccia. "It's easy to get frustrated, but it has been a positive experience overall because it makes me feel like I'm doing things the way my great-grandparents would've done."

Still, she kept a few tools that expedite certain recipes, like the whisk she recently used to whip cream for an apple crisp. She was pleased to learn that the camper does indeed have enough power to allow her to use her old Vitamix, but in the meantime she's been drinking "baby versions of 'smoothies,'" by mixing spirulina with water and a splash of apple cider or pineapple juice to "get some extra nutrients in."

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Most of all, set realistic expectations

"I love this journey, but I don't want to portray it as glamorous — I always want to be realistic about it," she says, noting that when she began watching "Van Life" videos, they sometimes felt alienating in their perfect portrayals of the experience. Whether you're in a camper or any other small kitchen, it can be challenging to keep things tidy and cook efficiently. It takes time and work to create a functioning — and eventually, comfortable and inviting — tiny cooking space. "Yes, this is a wonderful thing I've always dreamed about, but it's also fucking hard."

Tucson High grad takes cooking talents to Gordon Ramsay's 'Hell's Kitchen' - Arizona Daily Star

Posted: 16 Jan 2021 08:08 AM PST

After four appearances on celebrity chef Guy Fieri's "Guy's Grocery Games" and competing now in the 19th season of Gordon Ramsay's "Hell's Kitchen" on Fox, Tucson native Amber Lancaster is starting to get recognized.

Especially at her neighborhood nail salon in Montclair, New Jersey.

She was getting her nails done earlier this month and the salon had "Hell's Kitchen" showing on its TV.

One of the workers, who was rubbing Lancaster's shoulders as another tech did her nails, pounded her on the back: "Oh you're on the TV! You're on the TV!" the woman screamed.

"She just freaked out," Lancaster recalled last week, the day after the second episode aired; the show runs Thursdays on Fox.

When the show debuted on Jan. 7, the nail salon staff showed up for a small viewing party at Allegory, the Montclair restaurant at the boutique MC Hotel where Lancaster has been executive chef since last September.

Just how the 2006 Tucson High grad, who trained at the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Scottsdale and Le Cordon Bleu Paris, landed on Ramsay's elite cooking competition is a tale of somebody knew somebody who knew somebody.

"I have been very lucky in my career. I have never once done an application for a television show," said Lancaster, 32, who landed in New Jersey after five years of cooking in Chicago, including with the renown molecular gastronomy chef Grant Achatz at his Michelin-rated restaurant Alinea. "It's kind of like word of mouth. I had done 'Guy's Grocery Games' a few times and word just traveled and somebody through somebody reached out to me."

The 19th season was filmed in Las Vegas in 2019 before COVID-19 shuttered Sin City and all of its restaurants.

"It was fun. It was really intense. It's kind of like you don't know what to expect," she said. "It's very different than filming a one-off show to do a whole series. I thought I was prepared and I really wasn't."

Lancaster is among 18 chefs vying for Ramsay's ultimate prize: to helm the award-winning chef's new Hell's Kitchen restaurant in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. We can't give away any show secrets, but suffice it to say, she survived the first two rounds.

In addition to being cheered by her nail salon, Lancaster said she is also getting texts and emails from old Tucson classmates and friends, many of whom wonder how the girl whose only restaurant experience growing up was hostessing at El Charro Café has become something of a celebrity chef.

It all started, Lancaster said, at her uncle's kitchen table the Christmas after she graduated high school.

After partying away her first semester at the University of Arizona, where she was majoring in political science, she was lamenting her life and future with her uncle, a successful lawyer.

At the dining room table that night, he asked her a question that turned her life around: "If you could do one thing every day for the rest of your life where money was no issue, what would you do?"

"I said I would cook," she recalled.

She dropped out of the UA and enrolled in the Scottsdale campus of the famed Le Cordon Bleu, later taking more advanced training in Paris to earn her Le Grande Diplôme in 2008. She remained in France for three years, working in the kitchens of the prestigious Guy Savoy and Hôtel de Crillon before relocating to Chicago in 2011 to study molecular gastromony at Alinea. Other stops in Chicago, where she earned her bachelor's degree in communication and French from Loyola University, included running the culinary program for Sur La Table and helming the kitchen at Sable Kitchen & Bar.

Her latest move to New Jersey came after a long courtship by MC Hotel's owner, Aparium Hotel Group, which owns a handful of neighborhood-centric boutique hotels around the country. When COVID-19 prompted the London-based food tech startup where she was working to lay off their entire staff, she took the leap to New Jersey, where she is introducing diners to the small-plates cuisine she describes as being on the "verge of Mediterranean or Spanish-French-Italian" with a hints of Tucson.

"Some of those flavors that I relate to Tucson, like a lot of cilantro and these lovely salsas and tomatillos and even cactus, I kind of incorporate into my type of cuisine that I cook now," said Lancaster, who hasn't been home in a year because of the pandemic. "I think just having that growing up, eating that way there, influences me a lot."

Lancaster said she hopes to get home once the pandemic threat eases.

And when she does, in addition to cooking for her dad — "I love to feed my dad because there is no one more excited. … My dad is literally blown away." — she plans to hit a few of her favorite restaurants including El Charro, El Molinito, No Anchovies, Maynards Market & Kitchen and, of course, Eegees.

Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com or 573-4642. On Twitter @Starburch


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