Food & Wine - February 2022

THE

HOME ISSUE

WINTER WARMERS 29 Recipes to Cozy Up With

SHORT RIB CHI LI W ITH

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4 4

P. 5 5

BIG-VALUE RED WINES

P. 4 6

DREAMY CHOCOLATE DESSERTS

P. 3 9

EASY WEEKNIGHT DUMPLINGS

FEBRUARY 2022

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LEXUS CULINARY MASTER STEPHANIE IZARD TALKS DRIVE, INSPIRATION, AND THE

POWER OF FOOD

Chef Izard’s quail and noodle dish, topped with Chili Crunch from her This Little Goat product line.

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Q+A What role did food and cooking play in your childhood?

My mom was a really amazing cook. Every Sunday, we would sit together and go through her cookbooks and recipe index and all her different food magazines, then we would plan the menu for the week. It was always stuff from around the world. My mom used to make her own Mandarin pancakes for moo shu, and we would have tempura night, and Yorkshire pudding! We were so lucky to have our eyes opened to so many things.

Lexus Culinary Master Stephanie Izard chats about favorite food memories, the power of a good meal, and what keeps “the goatness” going.

Chef, restaurateur, mom, “Top Chef" winner, Lexus Culinary Master—Stephanie Izard wears all these titles like a champion. As with many who’ve reached the heights of their field, Izard’s success has been about more than just hard work, but also finding and carving a path based on personal passions. So what has inspired her journey—and helps drive her constant innovation?

We got to the heart of the matter with the celebrated chef.

What about later on—are there restaurant experiences that blew you away?

When I was traveling in Australia in my 20’s, I went to eat at Tetsuya. It was the first time I went to a restaurant that I had the cookbook from—I was so excited; I went by myself and had a 12-course tasting menu. It was so amazing to see it all come to life, so fun watching people enjoy a meal and talk about it.

What inspires you, and what helps you keep it all going?

I call it my “Olympic champion mentality”—to just go for it. And I surround myself with awesome people who help me figure things out. In terms of challenges, it’s “how do I find more hours in the day? How can I be in two places at once?” And “how do I keep the ‘goatness’ going?” I think it’s getting people to be on the same page as you, cook the same, taste the same—it takes time to build those relationships.

Has all this evolved your food philosophy over the years?

I’m still not sure what my personal food philosophy is.

I just try to have fun with food, make it super flavorful, and celebrate flavors from all over the world.

TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT LEXUS HAS BEEN COOKING UP, VISIT LEXUS.COM/NX.

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THE HEART OF THE HUSTLE

When did you realize this was a career you could have?

Back in the mid-90’s, people didn’t talk about chefs the way they talk about them now. I just thought I was supposed to go to business school! I got a degree in sociology, but ended up going to an accelerated culinary program afterwards, and from the second I got there, I felt like I had found my people. It felt so comfortable, and I was so excited—I didn’t miss a second of it.

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CONTENTS

The Home Issue F E AT U R E S

72

82

94

8

RECIPES

Badmaash at Home

10

A home-cooked feast with plenty of flavor with the Mahendro family, the restaurateurs who brought modern Indian fare to Los Angeles. By Khushbu Shah

37

Warming brisket chili, sweet potato cheesecake empanadas, and a bounty of breads E D I TO R’S L E T T E R

Bakers on the Rise The future of baking is defined by women who tame heirloom grains, master the art of gluten-free bread, and, best of all, pave the way for others. By Laura Lazzaroni

The Soul of a Neighborhood At Boricua Soul in Durham, North Carolina, owners Toriano and Serena Fredericks are famous for their pernil mac and cheese and big-heartedness. By Von Diaz

FEBRUARY 2022

HANDBOOK

FEBRUARY

14

What is home anymore, anyway?

55

OBSESSIONS 17

How to cook alfresco in the city, why dried flowers are our favorite decor trend, pantry hacks from a pro, and more

T R AV E L

Weeknightfriendly porkand-shrimp dumplings, dreamy chocolate desserts, plus braises and soups to ward off the winter chill

65

BOTTLE SERVICE

104

High-value red wines to sip through the coldest months, how to put snow tires on your favorite summer drinks, and the case for having a house cocktail for dinner guests

A luxurious getaway in Baja California Sur, Mexico, is the perfect home base for an epic fish taco tour.

BACKSTORY

Iconic glassware brand Pyrex is still going strong 107 years in.

ON THE COVER photography by VICTOR PROTASIO; food styling by TYNA HOANG; prop styling by CHRISTINA DALEY

PHOTOGRAPHY: CAITLIN BENSEL; FOOD STYLING: MARGARET MONROE DICKEY; PROP STYLING: AUDREY DAVIS

ChocolateRaspberry French Crullers with Fudge Glaze (recipe p. 48)

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41

•

• staff favorite

STA F F- FAV O R I T E

COCKTAILS

PA I R I N G

Gingerbread •• Margarita Toasty •• Gin •• Ho-Ho-Jito

CITRUS-ANDFENNEL CHICKEN WITH OLIVES AND CALABRIAN CHILES

P. 62 P. 62 P. 62

with spicy Calabrian red: 2018 Librandi Duca San Felice Cirò Rosso Riserva

SALADS, SIDES & SAUCES

Noodle • Anu’s Salad with Crunchy

•• ••

Fruit P. 78 Candied Beet Salad with Horseradish– Cashew Cream P. 25 Herb-Infused Simple Syrup P. 62

Pique •• Spiced Orange Syrup • Vegan Collards •

Catfish • Fried Sandwiches with

P. 101

P. 62

P. 101

••

BREADS

•• Fluffy Italian Flatbread Starter • Gluten-Free Gluten-Free • Vollkornbrot Loaf Apple-Rye •• Rustic Bread • Sicilian Scacciata P. 88

P. 93

P. 81

Mac and • Pernil Cheese Shrimp, and • Pork, Chive Dumplings Rib Chili • Short with Pickled Red

P. 92

P. 103

P. 91

P. 39

P. 93

VEGETARIAN MAINS

Spaetzle with ••• Buttery Roasted Cauliflower and

•• •

103

STA F F- FAV O R I T E PA I R I N G

PERNIL MAC AND CHEESE

with crisp Puerto Rican lager: Medalla Light

Cumin Slaw P. 77 Italian Wedding Risotto P. 42 Peppercorn-Crusted Roast Beef with Horseradish Cream

Onion P. 44 DESSERTS

Shallots P. 40 Mashhurda (Mung Bean and Vegetable Soup) P. 53 Tofu-Tempeh Sloppy Joes P. 43

• Chocolate Puddings with Miso

••

MAIN DISHES

Citrus-and-Fennel • Chicken with Olives and

•• •

Calabrian Chiles P. 41 Curry Chicken–and– Sweet Potato Galette P. 31

Caramel P. 50 Chocolate-Raspberry French Crullers with Fudge Glaze P. 48 Sourdough Spice Cookies P. 91 Sweet Potato Cheesecake Empanadas P. 99

What Ray’s Pouring Now Executive Wine Editor Ray Isle’s favorite things to drink this month

Need a red to tame any kind of winter stew? Taurasi, from Italy’s Campania region, is made with the powerful Aglianico grape. Too often, the wines are overwhelmingly tannic; this one, though, is perfectly balanced, its gamy intensity playing against gorgeous, dark plum fruit.

10

FEBRUARY 2022

2020 TIEFENBRUNNER PINOT GRIGIO ($19) A breath of springtime in the middle of winter, this vivacious white from northern Italy has a pretty nose of spiced pears and mint and more substance than you often find in Pinot Grigios at this price. It will make you forget that it’s still frozen outside; it would be excellent with a similarly springy green salad.

2019 BLACK STALLION NAPA VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($28) I tasted this on a recent trip to Napa Valley with winemaker Ralf Holdenried outdoors on a cold and rainy afternoon, and it warmed me both with its sumptuous dark fruit and fine-grained tannins, and also with its modest price—the latter rare for a Napa Valley Cabernet these days.

ILLUSTRATION: WINSLOW TAFT

2017 COLLI DI LAPIO ROMANO CLELIA VIGNA ANDREA TAURASI ($45)

Food & Wine (ISSN 0741-9015) (February 2022) (Volume 45/Issue 1) is published monthly except for a combined issue in December/January by TI Inc. Affluent Media Group, a subsidiary of Meredith Operations Corporation. Principal Office: 225 Liberty St., New York, NY 10281-1008.

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FEBRUARY RECIPES

•

key: fast vegetarian

editor in chief

Hunter Lewis senior director, content strategy Michelle Edelbaum deputy editor Melanie Hansche executive editor Karen Shimizu executive wine editor Ray Isle

managing editor Caitlin Murphree Miller

FO O D & ED ITOR IAL restaurant editor

senior food editor

Khushbu Shah

Mary-Frances Heck food editor Josh Miller

associate food editor Kelsey Youngman associate culture editor Oset Babür-Winter associate features editor Nina Friend business manager Alice Eldridge Summerville editorial assistant Andee McKenzie editorial fellow Lauren Musni wine fellow Lucy Simon

COPY & R ES EA RC H copy editor Erin Clyburn copy editor Winn Duvall

ART creative director Winslow Taft designer Rachel Carney

PHOTO photo director Tori Katherman photo editor Dan Bailey

vice president/publisher

Tom Bair

associate publisher, marketing Kerri Fallon Dilley executive director, global sales Vince Kooch

BRAND SAL ES new york executive director, sales Lindsey Levine chicago Hillary Pavia los angeles Lewis Newmark miami (blue group media) Jill Stone, Eric Davis northwest (sd media) Steve Dveris las vegas/southwest/northwest (baak media) Tricia Baak southwest/southeast Jennifer Fan Messer boston (wnp media) Jennifer Palmer hawaii (media links) Laurie Doerschlen asia Scott Thoreau canada (dodd media) Bob Dodd, Lori Dodd mexico (advantage media) Pablo Glogovsky switzerland (media interlink sa) Neil Sartori direct media Breana Tolla assistants Maria Garza, Alexandra Scelzo

MAR KET ING executive marketing director Amanda LaFontaine directors, brand marketing Antonia LoPresti Giglio, Kristi Naeris brand strategy director Cara Wolf Erwin associate director, brand marketing Rob Sampogna senior manager, brand marketing Doug Murphy manager, brand marketing Michelle Pallotta-Calcagni marketing assistant Catherine Weppler executive director, event marketing Diella Allen associate director, event marketing Amanda DeRienzo event marketing associate manager Hannah Soltys event marketing coordinator Gabriela Garcez Kramer special projects producer Devin Padgett

COMMU NICAT IO NS senior director, corporate and brand communications Elizabeth Marsh

PRO DUCT ION production director Liz Rhoades

D IG ITAL digital deputy editor Sean Flynn senior editor Kat Kinsman senior editor Maria Yagoda

OP ERAT IO NS production director Melanie Stoltenberg production manager April Gross director of quality Joseph Kohler

HUM AN RESOURCES director Carole Cain

senior digital food editor Chandra Ram senior social media editor Sam Gutierrez social media editor Merlyn Miller associate news editor Adam Campbell-Schmitt staff writer Bridget Hallinan visuals editor Sarah Crowder digital operations editor Elsa Säätelä e-commerce editor Megan Soll

MER EDIT H NAT ION AL ME DIA G ROUP president Catherine Levene president, consumer products Tom Witschi president, meredith digital Alysia Borsa evp, strategic & business development Daphne Kwon

EX ECUT IV E V ICE P RESIDEN TS chief revenue officer Michael Brownstein

culinary director at large

executive producer

Justin Chapple

Kwame Onwuachi

CON T R IBUTORS Betsy Andrews, Steven Blaski, Beth Brinsfield, Kate Cunningham, Charlotte Druckman, Anthony Giglio, Joe Harper, Kate Heddings, Megan Krigbaum, David Landsel, Clarissa León, Andrea Nguyen, CB Owens, Jamila Robinson, Gail Simmons, Joshua David Stein, Julia Turshen, Andrew Zimmern

digital sales Marla Newman finance Michael Riggs marketing & integrated communications Nancy Weber

SEN IOR VIC E PR ESIDEN TS group publisher, luxury Giulio Capua consumer marketing Steve Crowe consumer revenue Andy Wilson corporate sales Brian Kightlinger foundry 360 Matt Petersen product & technology Justin Law research solutions Britta Cleveland strategic planning Amy Thind strategic sourcing, newsstand, production Chuck Howell

F& W COO KS Jocelyn Delk Adams, Zoe Adjonyoh, Javier Cabral, Samantha Fore, Paola Briseño González, Leah Koenig, Damira Inatullaeva and The League of Kitchens, Vallery Lomas, David McCann, Hetty McKinnon, Andrea Nguyen, Ann Taylor Pittman, Todd Richards,

V ICE P RESI DE NTS brand licensing Toye Cody, Sondra Newkirk business planning & analysis Rob Silverstone finance Chris Susil strategic development Kelsey Andersen strategic partnerships Alicia Cervini vice president, group editorial director Stephen Orr

Yasmin Sabir, Samantha Seneviratne, Nik Sharma,

chief digital content officer Amanda Dameron

Andrea Slonecker, Susan Spungen, Molly Stevens,

director, editorial operations & finance Greg Kayko

Pierre Thiam, Marcela Valladolid, Hetal Vasavada, Karla T. Vasquez

MER EDIT H CO RP ORAT IO N chairman & chief executive officer Tom Harty chief financial officer Jason Frierott chief development officer John Zieser president, meredith local media group Patrick McCreery senior vice president, human resources Dina Nathanson senior vice president, chief communications officer Erica Jensen vice chairman Mell Meredith Frazier

Customer Service and Subscriptions: For 24/7 service, please use our website: foodandwine.com/myaccount. You can also call 1-800-333-6569 or write Food & Wine, PO Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. For syndication or international licensing requests or reprint and reuse permission, email syndication@meredith.com. FOOD & WINE Cookbooks Service, 800-284-4145. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

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EDITOR’S LETTER

WINTER MVP

Home Team HOW HAS YOUR IDEA OF HOME

changed in the

past two years?

For me, home will continue to double as my part-time office, one with the fringe benefit of a well-stocked snack drawer. For my daughters, junior Siskel and Ebert for the Netflix Kids set, home is a movie theater several nights a week, one equipped with a wood-burning fireplace.

In this annual Home Issue, we tackle the evolving meanings of home now that winter is upon us. For the Mahendro family, the restaurateurs behind Badmaash, a modern Indian concept in Los Angeles, the lines between home and work blur. As Restaurant Editor Khushbu Shah reports, the Mahendros, who operate three restaurants and a catering kitchen in Los Angeles, make cooking together in their off hours a priority. That’s when, away from the bustle and gleam of their professional kitchens, they nurture a sense of home while sharing family recipes like roast beef (recipe p. 81) and noodle salad (p. 78).

Cookbook author Von Diaz opens the door to Boricua Soul, a restaurant in Durham, North Carolina, that became a safe harbor for her during the pandemic thanks to the generosity and community-mindedness of owners Toriano and Serena Fredericks (not to mention their Puerto Rican–meets–Southern

14

FEBRUARY 2022

cooking; get the recipe for their pernil mac and cheese—cheesy noodles topped with garlicky, tender shredded pork—on p. 103).

A common thread in these stories is the sense of connection fostered by gathering around food, whether we share it in our own kitchens or at a favorite eatery. It’s a theme that writer and mental health advocate Alexander Hardy explores in “A Room Full of Love.” After difficult years living in homeless shelters and struggling with depression, Hardy found his sanctuary and self-acceptance through the simple, generous act of cooking for his friends.

(He also shares his root vegetable galette, the pastry inspired by his grandmother’s legendary empanada crust recipe, on p. 31.)

Building on my dabbles with sourdough and a full-blown pizza obsession, my kitchen island has become a place to experiment with whole grains and flours. Former editor in chief of Food & Wine Italia Laura Lazzaroni’s story, “Bakers on the Rise” (p. 82), includes recipes from women on the cutting edge of artisan baking, and I can’t wait to try Lazzaroni’s own fluffy Italian flatbreads (p. 88), made using Italian semola rimacinata flour.

We hope this issue brings you moments of discovery, delight, and comfort in your own homes, whether it’s a new bread recipe to try, or Culinary Director at Large Justin Chapple’s short rib chili (p. 44) that he developed for you with cozy nights in mind.

HUNTER LEWIS HUNTER@FOODANDWINE.COM

The ideas crackle in Momofuku founder David Chang and writer Priya Krishna’s cookbook Cooking at Home ($35, Clarkson Potter), which delivers inspiration when I’m in a rut. It’s had me simmering whole chickens to yield tender meat and rich broth for dishes like chicken rice and plugging in my immersion blender to make easy condiments like sesame dressing.

STAFF FAVES Social Media Editor Merlyn Miller likes the Kobenstyle White Butter Warmer ($55, dansk.com) to reheat coffee and soup. The woodhandled saucepan is stylish enough to use as a gravy boat or to keep on your stovetop all year. Our tea-loving Associate Culture Editor Oset BabürWinter swears by the Zojirushi 17Cup Water Boiler and Warmer ($150, bedbathandbeyond .com). Find more kitchen ideas in Obsessions (p. 17).

CORRECTION On p. 57 of our December 2021/ January 2022 issue, in “From the Keys to the Kitchen” by Osayi Endolyn, the musician Patrice Rushen’s pet greyhounds were changed to Greyhound buses due to an editing mistake. We deeply regret the error.

Subscription Help: foodandwine.com/ myaccount or email us at FAWcustserv@ cdsfulfillment.com or call 1-800-333-6569.

photography by RAMONA ROSALES

PROMOTION

: IT’S YOUR

BUSINESS

The food and beverage industry has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with thousands of small businesses shuttered and millions of restaurant and bar employees out of work. Food & Wine is partnering with Southern Smoke Foundation to help raise money for those in crisis. You can help support an industry we all love by making a donation at southernsmoke.org/foodandwine.

To keep up with what the food community is doing to recover and rebuild and to get the most relevant business news delivered to your inbox weekly, sign up for the F&W Pro newsletter from Editor in Chief Hunter Lewis at foodandwine.com/newsletter-sign-up.

OBSESSIONS TRENDSPOTTING

Forever Florals Stunning preserved flowers bring spring to any space.

PROP STYLING: AUDREY DAVIS

By Oset Babür-Winter

produced by OSET BABÜR-WINTER

photography by JENNIFER CAUSEY

FEBRUARY 2022

17

OBSESSIONS

D

a big decor trend of the 1970s that quietly petered out into bowls of potpourri, have made a colorful comeback across homes, weddings, and events in a movement that’s both beautiful and sustainable. For florists across the country, preserved arrangements of pampas grass, eucalyptus, and safflowers are a different way to delight customers who already trust their talent for sourcing the best fresh blooms—while maximizing the use of each flower. “We find that we can get all of the textures and colors of fresh flowers without the heartbreak of having to throw them out in a week or two,” says Carla Wingett, who owns California-based Idlewild Floral with her husband, Michael. They began experimenting with drying flowers in 2020, during the early months of the pandemic, when they found themselves with a studio full of cut flowers and no wedding venues to decorate. The couple nimbly decided to dry their supply to make preserved bouquets for Mother’s Day and fell so deeply in love with the process of working with dried florals that they decided to open a dried flower shop soon thereafter. “There are also so many new varieties of flowers and colors that they’re being preserved in,” Wingett says. “These aren’t your grandma’s dried flowers anymore.”

Here are a few of our favorite head-turning dried arrangements to gift (or keep) this year.

RIED FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS,

URBAN STEMS Brighten up the shorter, drearier winter days with bursts of yellow and orange broom blooms and strawflowers in a preserved arrangement from Urban Stems, which arrives in a sleek white ceramic vase. (urbanstems.com)

MEET THE MAKERS

POPUP FLORIST Not only does a portion of the proceeds from Popup Florist’s bouquets go toward providing meals to New Yorkers in need, but also each bouquet is unique, with bunny tails, larkspur, and more, sure to delight for months. (popupflorist.com)

18

FEBRUARY 2022

IDLEWILD Idlewild’s dried flowers are guaranteed to stay stunning for at least a year after purchase, making a bouquet of lavender or delicate stems of baby’s breath the ultimate gift for anniversaries or birthdays. (idlewildfloral.com)

FARMGIRL FLOWERS Farmgirl Flowers uses a proprietary method to preserve each flower’s natural texture. Lavender, teal, and blush hues of eucalyptus and globe thistles shine in the Owl That bouquet, channeling the spirit of winter. (farm girlflowers.com)

EAST OLIVIA A mainstay of NYC fashion shows, East Olivia pulls together vibrant arrangements like The Olivia: an everlasting vision in pink bursting with pampas grass, miscanthus, and fluffy bunny tails. (shopeast olivia.com)

FEBRUARY 2022

19

Tea Time 2.0 The world’s most popular drink has new stateside champions. my days were naturally punctuated by having a cup of tea, whether I was concluding a hastily enjoyed breakfast before school or a never-ending family dinner. I can hardly contain my excitement, then, about discovering these offerings from first-generation Americans whose families hail from the tea-treasuring countries of India, Japan, China, Vietnam, and beyond. Each has turned their beloved cultural rituals into beautifully branded direct-to-consumer businesses. —OSET BABÜR-WINTER GROWING UP IN A TURKISH HOUSEHOLD,

AL AYA TE A

T EKU NO

“Back in 2016, I had the opportunity to visit tea estates in Darjeeling,” says Alaya Tea cofounder Esha Chhabra, who was born in Delhi.

“These growers are going through a lot with the changing rain patterns.” She and her cofounder, Smita Satiani, source their offerings from women in Darjeeling, who hand-roll the leaves. (alayatea.co)

Catherine Jue is the proprietor of the San Francisco tea shop Tekuno, which specializes in high-end Japanese teas and “doesn’t treat customers like babies,” but instead trusts that their palates will welcome a delicate sencha with notes of roasted tomato, warm milk, and pea shoots. (teawith tekuno.com)

TH E Q I US T WO TE A From stress-relieving jasmine to a woodsy yet creamy baozhong (one of Taiwan’s most popular tea varietals), Us Two Tea founder Maggie Xue sources directly from farms across Taiwan.

Steep the black tea and watch the breathtaking ruby hue erupt seemingly out of nowhere— you’ll thank me later. (ustwotea.com)

Lisa Li shares restorative teas made using edible flowers like blue lotus, chrysanthemum, and sakura blossoms, all of which are sourced from sustainable Chinese farmers.

“We’re the counterpoint to coffee culture,” she says.

“This is very much about taking a few minutes in your day to enjoy something beautiful and joyful.” (the-qi.com)

T H E T E A LOV E R’S TO O L K I T

KOTODO HAND-LACQUERED TEA CANISTER Tea leaves need shielding from light and humidity. These canisters preserve precious cargo and can also be used for spices. ($22, teawithtekuno.com)

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FEBRUARY 2022

BLOOM GLASS TEAPOT

ASAHIYAKI HOURGLASS

SMALL GLASS CUPS

The Qi collaborated with Sophie Lou Jacobsen to create this handmade teapot with ball feet and a signature squiggle handle. Drop in a flower and watch it bloom. ($75, the-qi.com)

Time is of the essence when brewing a proper pot. This hourglass timer elapses 90 seconds, perfect for sencha, or you can turn it over to make gyokuro. ($48, teawith tekuno.com)

With glimmering hand-painted gold rims, these miniature, heatresistant tasting cups are just as perfect for enjoying tea as they are for digestifs. ($30 for 2, the-qi.com)

photography by GREG DUPREE

FOOD STYLING: MARGARET MONROE DICKEY; PROP STYLING: CLAIRE SPOLLEN PHOTOGRAPHY: (ALAYA, TEKUNO, THE QI, CANISTER, CUPS): CAITLIN BENSEL; (HOURGLASS): GREG DUPREE; (US TWO TEA): COURTESY OF US TWO TEA

OBSESSIONS

THE OBSESSIVE

Chef Camilla Marcus lets intuition guide the placement of the menus on her wall.

THE OBSESSIVE

MIX AND MATCH

START WITH ONE

Menu Mementos For Camilla Marcus, the writing for the best meals is on the wall.

For framing, Marcus lets the restaurant’s decor and the experience guide the way. For instance, the menu from River Café in London is encased in a bright blue matte wood frame that looks like pottery.

“It speaks to the restaurant’s logo and the fact that it’s on the River Thames, but also that the restaurant is so unafraid of the boldness that they’ve carried through their 35 years.”

Instead of waiting for an expensive tasting menu or special celebratory dinner, start your collection with any great meal.

If you’re enjoying yourself and you want to remember the moment, seal the deal by asking the team to sign the menu—something Marcus and Siegel always do. “The team signatures remind us of the people who worked so hard to make these moments special.”

GO WITH THE FLOW

DON’T OVERTHINK IT

If a restaurant doesn’t have a menu, get creative! After eating at Hugo Desnoyer’s butcher shop in Paris, Marcus asked the team to sign her bill; at L.A.’s Yamakase, chef Kiyoshiro Yamamoto signed a bag of seaweed, and, yes, it’s hanging up on the wall. “It’s almost like quilting, these memories.”

Marcus rebuilds the menu wall each time she moves to a new home. It’s been in about six different locations at this point, and she never pre-plans the arrangement. “I do it intuitively.

Sometimes by color, shape, size, or from older memories to newer memories. We build it as we go in each home.”

Camilla Marcus and her husband, Josh Siegel, have been collecting menus together since they were in college. The collection has grown throughout the years and is now displayed in their Los Angeles home. “For us, it’s the perfect encapsulation of food experiences, memories, travel, and people that we love, all in one place,” Marcus says. The menu that started it all is from Dell’anima in New York City— Marcus’ first restaurant job. A recent addition is from Bell’s in Los Alamos, California, where the couple traveled in February 2020. Everything in between reflects Marcus and Siegel’s shared passion for food and restaurants. “People spend so much time and effort crafting how a menu is going to look and what it’s going to communicate to the guest. I think there’s something really special in honoring that.” Here, Marcus shares her tips for curating a menu wall of your own. —NINA FRIEND

PHOTOGRAPHY: NICKI SEBASTIAN

CHEF AND RESTAURATEUR

FEBRUARY 2022

21

A Breath of Fresh Air Her city home couldn’t keep chef Carine Ottou from cooking outdoors.

By Morgan Goldberg

22

FEBRUARY 2022

PHOTOGRAPHY: CATHY PYLE / COURTESY OF YOKO KLOEDEN DESIGN

OBSESSIONS

AT H O M E

AbsolutelyScottsdale.com

the desert is

of their cooking outside. Though she’s adapted to a European lifestyle over years of moving around the continent, she still prefers to make her food while immersed in greenery—even in her London home.

When Ottou’s culinary businesses (including a global cuisine supper club, pickling workshops, and a line of sauces called Marie’s Little Jar) outgrew the cramped kitchen in her Victorian terrace house, she knew its renovation would have to include an open-air cook space seamlessly connected to the interior. “I wanted people to be able to see me cook. I wanted to be able to talk to them about what I’m doing and really make that essential to the experience,” she says.

Ottou’s vision featured an earthy color palette and natural materials to match her organic culinary ethos, which made for a successful collaboration with Japanese designer and historic architecture specialist Yoko Kloeden. The duo connected over a shared love of nature and created an indoor-outdoor chef’s oasis that maximizes the compact footprint and functions flawlessly for Ottou’s businesses.

The magic starts on the Siberian larch deck, where a vertical garden grows wild greenery for a lush backdrop. Just below the wall, custom mudcloth cushions adorn a bench that spans the width of the yard. The Malian fabric seats not only offer the ideal spot for guests to sip on cocktails and watch Ottou in action, but they also provide a subtle nod to her West African heritage.

A modular, charcoal-hued concrete counter sourced from the Netherlands cleverly holds a built-in Big Green Egg, which lets Ottou smoke up to three whole chickens at once. The stainless steel sink beside it is an invaluable convenience that enables her to be entirely present while hosting on the patio.

When Ottou moves inside, her antiqueinspired, patinated zinc-topped island follows.

It’s equipped with wheels for smooth transitions to the center of the newly expanded kitchen, which is lined with handleless oak veneer cupboards on both sides. Between cookware and jars of fermented vegetables, Ottou needed as much storage as she could get.

With strategic placement, Kloeden managed to squeeze in all of Ottou’s desired appliances as well. She requested a spacious refrigerator, high-tech oven, plate warmer, and wine cooler to help her achieve restaurant-quality service. “I wanted a large stove, too, where I could grill whether it was winter or summer,” she adds.

But when the season permits, Ottou can be found in her outdoor kitchen. She feels most at ease among her plants, cooking the way she did as a child—and she’s thankful her updated home allows her to do so. “There are far more beautiful houses, and bigger ones,” she admits. “But this house, for some reason, has everything.”

FOOD STYLING: MARGARET MONROE DICKEY; PROP STYLING: AUDREY DAVIS

OBSESSIONS

GROWING UP IN CAMEROON, chef Carine Ottou and her family did most

Equal parts aesthetically pleasing and functional, Ottou’s recent kitchen expansion leaves ample room for entertaining and cooking, both indoors and out.

SHOP THE SETUP: Ottou’s outdoor dining and cooking upgrades include a classic Medium Big Green Egg ($699, biggreenegg.com); modular, modern outdoor concrete countertops from WWOO Design (prices vary, wwoous .com); and sturdy mudcloth pillows in a variety of patterns, colors, and sizes (from $50, hauslife.co.uk).

24

FEBRUARY 2022

food photography by JENNIFER CAUSEY

2 Tbsp. chia seeds 1 1/2 Tbsp. poppy seeds 1/8

tsp. fine sea salt

CASHEW-HORSERADISH CREAM 3/4

cup raw cashews, soaked in water at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours

1/4

cup fresh lemon juice, plus more for serving

1/4

cup water

2 Tbsp. freshly grated horseradish 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar 1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes (optional) 1/4

tsp. fine sea salt

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENT

Baby salad greens, pea shoots, or torn beet leaves 1. Make the beets: Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange beets, separated by color, in an even layer in a 13- x 9-inch baking pan. Add garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs to pan; drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven until beets are tender and slightly wrinkled, about 1 hour. Let stand at room temperature until cool, about 45 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the crisps: Increase oven temperature to 375°F. Pulse flax seeds in a spice grinder until coarsely ground, 4 to 6 pulses. Stir together ground flax seeds, 2 tablespoons water, chia seeds, poppy seeds, and salt in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature, uncovered, 10 minutes.

Spoon mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and top with an additional parchment paper sheet. Roll mixture to 1/8-inch thickness. Remove top parchment sheet. Bake mixture at 375°F until hardened, about 15 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Break into about 2-inch pieces.

3. Make the cashew-horseradish cream: Drain soaked cashews. Place cashews, lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, horseradish, vinegar, nutritional yeast (if using), and salt in a blender; process until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Candied Beet Salad with Horseradish-Cashew Cream ACTIVE 20 MIN; TOTAL 2 HR SERVES 4

Using a variety of beets, such as red, golden, or Chioggia (sometimes called candystripe), adds stunning color to this vibrant salad. The beets are cut into wedges and then roasted, which intensifies their earthy sweetness. Nutty and crunchy, the flax, chia, and poppy seed crisps stand in for croutons; soaked and pureed cashews serve as the creamy base of the vegan horseradish sauce.

BEETS

2 lb. trimmed multicolored baby beets (from about 3 lb. beets with greens, or 12 to 14 beets), unpeeled, scrubbed, and cut into 1-inch wedges 5 unpeeled garlic cloves 3 (3-inch) rosemary sprigs 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil 1 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt 1/4

tsp. black pepper

CRISPS

2 Tbsp. golden flax seeds or brown flax seeds 2 Tbsp. water

4. Remove and discard rosemary sprigs from pan with beets. Peel garlic cloves; discard skins. Arrange salad greens on a large platter, and top with beets and garlic. Sprinkle with crisps, and dollop with cashew cream. If desired, sprinkle with additional lemon juice. —CARINE OTTOU MAKE AHEAD Store leftover cashew-

horseradish cream in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week, or freeze up to 6 months.

NOTE Baby beets have a thin skin that gets

tender after roasting. If using larger beets, peel before roasting.

FEBRUARY 2022

25

OBSESSIONS

ASK AN EXPERT

Pantry Perfect Organize your way to smarter cooking.

Baskets with labels, stackable bins, lazy Susans, and glass jars aren’t strictly necessary, but they are attractive, maximize space, and enhance organization.

Before buying, use what you already own. Repurpose a takeout container collection to store baking flours or napkin rings. Water pitchers used for entertainment can hold napkins, acting as storage until the next soiree.

the shelves of your pantry, but when organized properly, it can serve as a sleek storage superstar that makes your time in the kitchen much more enjoyable. As a professional organizer, I’ve got five tips and techniques that are sure to get any pantry mindfully and stylishly in shape. —FAITH ROBERSON IT’S EASY TO OVER-STUFF

How you use your kitchen should significantly affect how you organize. Open the kitchen cabinets and identify the themes you find. Do you bake? Do you have an infinite supply of snacks?

As you examine your habits, take stock of how things are stored. Are they spilling over, tucked away, and stuffed wherever they can fit? If so, improve accessibility by relocating less frequently used items.

This is a helpful technique to determine what stays in the kitchen and what should go in the pantry. Separating food by area will alleviate kitchen congestion. For example, the pantry can house snacks and surplus refreshments, while heavily used items such as spices can stay near the stove, with everyday items like pots or prep colanders and salad spinners in lower cabinets near the sink.

Exhausting as it may be, pulling everything out before you declutter the kitchen is absolutely critical. Consider this an excellent opportunity to disinfect surfaces and shelves, check expiry dates, match lids to pots, and begin separating categories that are kitchen essentials versus what you can tuck away in your pantry.

The less you have, the easier it will be to navigate your kitchen and enhance your cooking experience.

Get rid of any cracked, broken, or unused appliances or dishes.

SHELF HELPERS

26

GLASS MASON JARS

LAZY SUSANS

STORAGE BINS

CHALK MARKERS

Glass mason jars make for a convenient way to store food or liquids in the pantry or freezer—and they stack nicely, too. (Budiwati, $24 for 12, amazon.com)

Sturdy stainless steel models are good for heavy items like tall bottles or canisters of flour; ones with walls and dividers are good for smaller jars and bottles. (From $14, containerstore.com)

Stacked bins let you make the most use of that height between shelves. Wire ones are especially great for produce that does not need to be refrigerated. (From $20, containerstore.com)

Nontoxic Chalk Ink fine-tip markers are a great alternative to a label maker. Write directly on plastic or glass containers, and wipe off later. ($10 for 2, container store.com)

FEBRUARY 2022

illustration by ABBEY LOSSING

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:

Signature Kitchen Suite’s Pro Range with gas, induction, and sous vide; BlueStar appliances can be the same hue as cabinets; Samsung’s BESPOKE fridge in myriad tones.

PHOTOGRAPHY: (CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT) COURTESY OF SIGNATURE KITCHENS; COURTESY OF BLUESTAR; COURTESY OF SAMSUNG

EDITORS’ PICKS

The Bespoke Kitchen Choices abound when it comes to the color, finish, and configuration of your appliances.

CAST YOUR MIND BACK to a time when the

color choices for your new fridge were white or ... white. The stove? If you were lucky, you could pick one that came in black. I remember when my parents installed dark gray kitchen appliances in the early ’90s, and I thought they were fancy as hell, even as I clung to my double-denim wardrobe. And while the world of appliances (and my wardrobe) has progressed swiftly since the monochromatic ’80s and the stainless steel– accented ’90s and aughts, it’s really only in the past 10 years that manufacturers have leaned into more choices from the color wheel.

There are those companies that offer sleek, primary colors, like Viking, Fisher & Paykel, and Bertazzoni, or retro pastels (looking at you, Smeg and Big Chill), but the latest innovations allow customers to customize their appliances to reflect their design sensibility and lifestyle. The choices don’t stop with color or finishes, either: A growing number of appliance

makers are giving consumers the freedom to choose the configuration of their fridges, cooktops, and ranges.

I’ve been debating the merits of gas versus induction with my husband for years as we plan our dream kitchen (he is team tactile flame; I am team precise induction), but our argument has become moot thanks to Signature Kitchen Suite, which lets us imagine a rangetop with both: The 36-inch Pro Rangetop (pictured) includes two gas burners, an induction zone, and a sous vide bath ($4,499, signaturekitchensuite.com).

In April 2021, Samsung premiered its Samsung BESPOKE range, featuring four-door fridges in eight colors, including Champagne rose and navy, and two finishes: steel and smooth, sleek glass.

Not only can you stash your perishables in a two-toned fridge, but you can also select whether the fourth compartment is configured as a fridge or freezer. Flex further by choosing whether water is tapped into an internal dispenser or into

an auto-fill pitcher, and even dictate the shape of your ice: cubes or nuggets (from $3,799, samsung.com).

Meanwhile, BlueStar is perhaps the king of customization. We’re talking over 1,000 colors and even patterns that mimic gorgeous textured fabrics and wallpapers. I once saw one of their show kitchens with a vintage-looking floral motif covering the fridge, dishwasher, oven range, and the hood. They can also integrate griddles, burners, charbroilers, and more into your ideal custom cooktop, and you can even choose the style of door openings on your range, such as French doors (bluestarcooking.com).

If screaming florals are a bridge too far, there are muted choices to be had in fixtures such as handles and knobs. Take the Café Appliances collection, where you can pick the hardware on your range, fridge, dishwasher—even your microwave. Choose from brushed copper, bronze, black, or stainless steel. They make for a lovely accent on the matte white or matte black appliances they offer (cafeappliances.com).

And this is where the trends come full circle. White and black appliances are back, baby, albeit in super elegant matte finishes. Everything old is new again! Perhaps even my denim jacket.

—MELANIE HANSCHE

FEBRUARY 2022

27

A Room Full of Love For Alexander Hardy, the path to self-acceptance begins at the stove.

28

FEBRUARY 2022

photography by JENNIFER CAUSEY

FOOD STYLING: MARGARET MONROE DICKEY; PROP STYLING: AUDREY DAVIS

OBSESSIONS

T H E E S S AY

FEBRUARY 2022

Alexander Hardy, shown in the kitchen of his new apartment, runs Mental Health First Aid training, grief workshops, and literary therapy writing sessions in New York City.

PHOTOGRAPHY: BRANDON NICK

OBSESSIONS 30

A

of unstable housing and powering through what felt like a personal horror movie, I moved into an apartment of my own. And I woke up each morning hoping to feel at home.

For most of the first year, disbelief greeted me daily. I’d kept it together while living in loud, chaotic shelters in Manhattan and the Bronx for almost three years. After signing the lease, I unlocked and locked my door for months, listening for someone coming up the stairs to kick me out. My logical mind knew I wasn’t homeless anymore, but getting the rest of my hypervigilant body on board took some time.

I pieced together my very own place, one calming blue, plantain-yellow, and pimiento-orange-pink paint stroke at a time. I bought a ballet barre, a mint green bookcase, and a desk for procrastinating in a very organized way. But even after acquiring an entire Rhythm Nation of plants and investing in a fancy mattress and colorful furniture that matches my personality, I still longed for the safety, joy, and community I’d felt in the sanctuaries I grew up in—of my childhood home in Hampton, Virginia, and my grandmother’s across town. Both had houseplants and carryout containers aplenty.

Things didn’t click for me until I heard my grandmother’s voice while I was working on a béchamel sauce for butternut squash macaroni and cheese. I was sweating in the kitchen beside my friend Darby as we prepared a holiday-level spread for our merry squad of homos and trans sisters.

We usually keep in touch through regular group video chat check-ins, a virtual village that has been a lifeline amidst the pandemic. We’ve seen each other in the mud and also in moments of glory. We’ve cried and created together. But this was one of the first times we were able to connect in person, and I was overjoyed to finally share the fruits of the experimentation and I FEEL MOST growth they’d witnessed me nourishing ALIVE IN MY in the kitchen on our calls over the previous year.

KITCHEN. IT’S This crew knew that I had been makTHE PLACE ing quiches, berry pies, and galettes to WHERE I AM work through the dough-making anxiFIRMLY ety that I’d held about tarnishing my PLANTED IN grandmother’s empanada legacy.

THE LAND OF Grandma’s empanadas were golden, with a crisp, turmeric-hued crust; she THE LIVING. baked them nearly all of her life, starting in her early twenties, and her process took two days: meat on one day, dough and assembly the next. To lessen my stress, rather than striving to re-create her flavors, I carved out my own lane. I made sweet potato cinnamon rolls; orange meringue pie; blackberry, raspberry, and blueberry curd.

But what freed me was finding a simple shortcrust recipe that I could grasp and adapt. I graduated to crusts for quiches, adding fresh thyme, garlic, turmeric, and such, expanding on the color and flavors of grandma’s beef patties. The required focus, tangible growth, joy, and reward of improving my process helps my soul glow.

But this was my first time cooking for loved ones in my own place. Reaching for the salt after adding roasted squash puree FTER FIVE-PLUS YEARS

to my béchamel, I could hear my grandma’s lilted Panamanian accent telling me to taste my food every step of the way.

“If you don’t like it, they ain’t gon’ like it either.”

When I had been at my lowest point several years earlier, my therapist suggested I start a “Reasons to Live” list in my journal. I had struggled to see my life past the end of the day or as worth something more than what I could provide to others, so after some tears and silence, I wrote, “To have somewhere to have a good day, and not kill myself, in peace.”

When I was unhoused, I never bought a plant to add a splash of color to the sparse rooms at the shelters because I didn’t want to get too comfortable among the fistfighting neighbors and broken dreams. I couldn’t spend 30 minutes stirring grits with love because eight floors of residents shared—and occasionally tussled over—four burners and one oven.

Now, as I made magic over my own oven, I realized I feel the most alive in my kitchen. It’s the place where I am firmly planted in the land of the living, and I feel connected to my mother and grandmother. I hear my mother reminding me to add flavor to my food when I add smoked turkey necks to collard greens. Her voice interrupts the dark thoughts that shadow my daydreams. The gratification from slicing into a colorful galette, brought to life in a flaky, buttery crust I flavored, mixed, rolled, and crafted, cuts through the most hateful self-deprecation. Each person I feed also feeds me. I could never have envisioned that hosting a house of happy sissies would be my reason to live, but here we were.

I’ve seen my mom and grandmother sink into a postgathering sigh of relief, satisfaction, and exhaustion after sending people home with plates of food. Surviving to cackle, debrief, and celebrate victory with Darby like my grandmother did countless times with her good friend Ms. Violetta, I was finally convinced that I’m safe in my own sanctuary. I had stressed over not having a grand dinner table to accommodate my village. But all that mattered was a room full of love.

2/3

cup chopped red bell pepper

1 small red onion, roughly chopped (about 2/3 cup) 1 small white onion, roughly chopped (about 2/3 cup) 4 medium scallions, roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup) 8 medium garlic cloves, smashed 2 Tbsp. grated peeled fresh ginger 2 Tbsp. olive oil 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh Scotch bonnet chile (optional), seeded, if desired 3/4

tsp. kosher salt

6 (3-inch) thyme sprigs SWEET POTATO FILLING

Curry Chicken–and– Sweet Potato Galette ACTIVE 30 MIN; TOTAL 2 HR 35 MIN SERVES 6

1 medium-size (8-oz.) sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1/4 -inch-thick rounds, and then cut into quarters 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. ground ginger

Flavored with turmeric and garlic, this flaky, golden crust surrounds a savory blend of green seasoning–spiked chicken thighs, sweet potatoes, and mixed bell peppers. Choose jarred sofrito for a shortcut, or make the piquant, herbal green seasoning from scratch.

CHICKEN

1 cup finely chopped yellow onion 1/2

cup thinly sliced scallions

2 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic 2 Tbsp. curry powder, divided 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh Scotch bonnet chile (optional), seeded, if desired 1/2

1

1/2

tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger tsp. kosher salt

1/4

tsp. black pepper

2 (4-oz.) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks 2 Tbsp. olive oil

FOOD STYLING: MARGARET MONROE DICKEY; PROP STYLING: AUDREY DAVIS

1/2

tsp. kosher salt

SEASONED SOUR CREAM 1/4

cup sour cream

3 Tbsp. Green Seasoning or sofrito 1 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1/2

tsp. kosher salt

1/2

tsp. black pepper

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

5 yellow bell pepper slices 5 green bell pepper slices 5 orange or red bell pepper slices 1 large egg, lightly beaten

tsp. ground allspice, divided

1/2

1/4

1 tsp. smoked paprika

cup water

SAVORY PASTRY

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 63/8 oz.), plus more for work surface 10 Tbsp. unsalted butter (5 oz.), cut into 16 cubes and frozen 1 tsp. ground turmeric 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves 1/2

tsp. kosher salt

1/2

tsp. black pepper

1/2

cup ice water, as needed

GREEN SEASONING

1 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 2/3

cup chopped yellow bell pepper

2/3

cup chopped green bell pepper

photography by JENNIFER CAUSEY

1. Make the chicken: Combine onion, scallions, garlic, 1 tablespoon curry powder, Scotch bonnet chile (if using), ginger, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, salt, and black pepper in a ziplock plastic bag or an airtight container with a lid. Add chicken; seal and toss to fully coat. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight (12 hours).

2. Make the savory pastry: Pulse flour, frozen butter, turmeric, garlic powder, thyme leaves, salt, and black pepper in a food processor until combined, about 6 pulses. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed, pulsing until mixture begins to come together and resembles coarse sand. Transfer dough mixture to a lightly floured work surface; gather and knead gently until combined. (Chunks of butter should be speckled throughout.)

Place dough in center of a sheet of plastic wrap; using a rolling pin or your hand, flatten dough into a 1-inch-thick disk.

Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight (12 hours).

3. Make the green seasoning: Process parsley, chopped bell peppers, red and white onions, scallions, garlic, ginger, oil, lime juice, Scotch bonnet chile (if using), salt, and thyme in a blender or food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use or up to 3 days.

4. Make the sweet potato filling: Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss together sweet potato, oil, garlic powder, ginger, smoked paprika, and salt a large bowl until coated.

Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast in preheated oven until golden brown and tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool about 15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, cook the chicken: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add remaining 1 tablespoon curry powder and remaining 1 teaspoon allspice to oil, and cook, stirring constantly, until spices begin to toast and darken, about 1 minute.

Remove chicken from marinade; brush off and discard excess marinade. Add chicken to skillet, stirring to coat in oil mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add 1/4 cup water; cover and cook until chicken is tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest portion of meat registers 160°F, 6 to 8 minutes.

Uncover skillet; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

6. Make the seasoned sour cream: Stir together sour cream, green seasoning, turmeric, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside.

7. Assemble the galette: Roll savory pastry dough out into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured work surface. Transfer pastry to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread 1/4 cup seasoned sour cream over pastry, leaving a 2-inch border. Arrange sweet potato filling on sour cream within border. Top with cooked chicken. Arrange bell pepper slices on and around chicken.

8. Fold pastry edges up and over the outer 1-inch edge of galette, pleating crust as needed. Brush top of pastry with beaten egg. Bake at 375°F until crust is golden brown and bell peppers are starting to wilt and brown, about 45 minutes.

Remove from oven. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with additional seasoned sour cream and green seasoning. —ALEXANDER HARDY MAKE AHEAD Savory pastry can be made

and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead or frozen up to 1 month.

NOTE Find store-bought jarred sofrito at

loisa.com.

FEBRUARY 2022

31

IT’S YOUR HEART THAT TAKES YOU PLACES We make your travels to the world’s most magical destinations possible.

But it’s your endless passion for discovery that leads you there.

E XQ U I SI T ELY C R A F T ED C U I SI N E . C U R AT ED T R AV EL E X PER I EN C E S . S M A LL S H IP LU X U RY. C ALL 855 - OCE ANIA (855 - 623-26 42) | VISIT OCE ANIACRUISES.COM | CONTAC T YOUR TR AVEL ADVISOR

OBSESSIONS

How to Complain The best way to give feedback about a bad dining experience

HOW TO REACT ... AFTER THE FACT

of “Celebrities Read Mean Tweets.” It takes place on the occasional Monday night at a restaurant in Nashville. “We hold dramatic readings of bad Yelp reviews with our hospitality family; it’s very funny and cathartic,” says chef, restaurateur, and Chopped star Maneet Chauhan.

The concept had a room of F&W Best New Chefs erupt into deep belly laughter during a recent panel on how to manage negative customer feedback. Comedy aside, Chauhan encourages her staff to regularly read reviews, but she won’t stand for bad behavior: “You cannot come into our restaurant if you disrespect our restaurant family,” she says.

Customer entitlement has long been an issue in the hospitality industry, but heightened emotions during the pandemic made the problem—as well as snarky online reviews—more pervasive.

It’s hard not to let these things suck the emotional life force out of you as a business owner. (Trust T H E R E ’S A H OS P I TA L I T Y V E RS I O N

me: I’m a F&W editor who also owns a restaurant!)

Panelist Caroline Glover, a 2019 F&W Best New Chef, agrees: “I’m not allowed to read the reviews.

Yelp is a garbage fire. It’s so personal to me.”

Fellow panelist June Rodil, who has opened over a dozen restaurant concepts and is a partner at Goodnight Hospitality in Houston, feels similarly. While she asks her staff to reply to positive reviews before the negative ones (so they come to the yucky feedback with an optimistic mindset), she ultimately wishes that complaints came in person before making their way online.

“I know that confrontation can be perceived as negative or aggressive, but truly, if presented in a genuine way, negative feedback and constructive criticism in the moment give hospitality professionals an opportunity to address, apologize, and ultimately make right a less-than-ideal situation,” she says.

So, the next time you have a crappy night out, don’t be tempted to publish a one-star review later that punishes a restaurant in perpetuity for one occurrence. Restaurant teams truly care about feedback and spend a lot of energy thinking about it. “It is never our intention for a guest to have a bad time,” says Glover. “We take it really seriously if there is something that is keeping that from happening.” —MELANIE HANSCHE

“If it does take some time to gather your thoughts, please write to the restaurant directly and be as forthcoming as possible with what went wrong or less than stellar for you,” says Rodil. Meanwhile, Glover’s restaurant has started leaving comment cards on tables for guests to fill out if they don’t feel comfortable approaching the staff in the moment. ... WHEN WRITING A REVIEW Rodil urges diners to be descriptive.

“General complaints like ‘I had a terrible time’ are difficult to address because we do not know what happened or what we can do to prevent further issues,” she explains. “If there was a dish that you disliked, was it underseasoned? Overcooked? If you did not like your server, were they slow in their service? Too casual and talkative?” Be specific, and the restaurant can respond.

To read more, visit foodandwine.com/fwpro.

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FEBRUARY 2022

illustration by OSCAR BOLTON GREEN

Welcome

COCKTAIL CONNOISSEURS Come raise a glass and explore a cosmopolitan dining scene filled with taste sensations and one-of-a-kind settings.

Plan your culinary beach adventure at VisitLauderdale.com.

HANDBOOK THE TECHNIQUE

FOOD STYLING: RUTH BLACKBURN; PROP STYLING: LYDIA PURSELL

In the Fold Make homemade dumplings any weeknight with chef Anita Lo’s tips.

From a simple scrunch to an elaborate “Buddha belly” pleat, dumplings are made easy thanks to store-bought wrappers.

produced by JOSH MILLER

photography by VICTOR PROTASIO

FEBRUARY 2022

37

HANDBOOK

HANDMADE DUMPLINGS It’s a Tuesday night—you’re home from work late, fresh out of inspiration, and tired of takeout.

Before you reach for that frosty bag of store-bought frozen dumplings, think about how much better they’d taste if you’d made them yourself.

That’s where Anita Lo comes in. As a restaurant industry vet and cookbook author, Lo values the convenience of a shortcut but believes in making every bite of food count. “Food is defining for me; if I’m not eating well, I’m not taking care of myself,” says the 2001 Food & Wine Best New Chef, whose restaurant Annisa earned a Michelin star. And though she’s adept at making dumpling dough from scratch, she’s not above using store-bought wrappers to speed up the process.

Lo prefers white over yellow (“the yellow is just food dye,” she says) and as fresh as you can find. “Look at them through the package; if they’re dry and cracked at the edges, they’ll be less pliable.”

Next up: the filling. Lo’s recipe (opposite) is a quick stir-together mix of pork, shrimp, napa cabbage, ginger, garlic, and Chinese pantry staples such as soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and oyster sauce. When it comes to watery ingredients like the cabbage, Lo has a tip: “After chopping it, place the cabbage in a kitchen towel and wring out the extra moisture. That will prevent air pockets in the dumplings.”

Lo’s next trick is the most crucial: Cook a spoonful of the filling and taste it before assembling the dumplings. “Once they’re all wrapped up, there’s nothing you can do about it,” says Lo. “There’s nothing more frustrating than eating food that’s not seasoned properly.”

Pleating dumplings can be intimidating to the uninitiated, but Lo has solutions for every skill level: a basic scrunch, an intermediate “half Buddha belly” pleat, and an advanced “full Buddha belly” pleat.

(See sidebar, opposite.) Then, the dumplings get a quick pan-fry and a finishing steam before being served, crispy side up, with a spicy-savory sauce. (Psst: Shortcut alert! You can also use Lo’s method to cook store-bought frozen dumplings, if you like.) To ensure pan-frying success, Lo has one last piece of advice: Use a nonstick skillet. “They don’t call them pot stickers for nothing.” —JOSH MILLER WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE:

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MAKE FILLING Place drained cabbage, ground pork, chopped shrimp, and remaining filling ingredients in a large bowl; stir until combined.

ASSEMBLE DUMPLINGS Place 1 tablespoon filling in center of wrapper; gently press filling into an oval shape. Lightly moisten perimeter of wrapper with water.

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4

FOLD TO ENCASE FILLING Holding a filled dumpling in one hand, bring wrapper sides up around the filling to create a taco shape. Pinch corners together on one side.

CRIMP DUMPLINGS Starting at the pinched corner, use your thumb and index finger to create small, even pleats in the front side of the wrapper.

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6

PRESS AND SEAL Continue pleating front side of wrapper, pressing each pleat into back side of wrapper to create a crescent-shaped dumpling.

COOK DUMPLINGS Add dumplings to an oiled skillet, pleated side up. Pour 1/2 cup water into pan; cover and cook until bottoms are crisp, 12 to 14 minutes.

Pork, Shrimp, and Chive Dumplings ACTIVE 45 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 30 MIN MAKES 36 DUMPLINGS

The ideal combination of crispy and chewy, these garlicky pork-and-shrimp-filled dumplings are weeknight-friendly thanks to store-bought wrappers. Before pleating the filled dumplings, moisten the edges just slightly so they stick together.

DUMPLINGS

4 cups roughly chopped napa cabbage (about 5 1/3 oz.)

1/2

tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste

8 oz. ground pork 1 cup chopped garlic chives 4 oz. raw large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup) 1/2

cup plus 2 Tbsp. chopped scallions, divided

1/4

cup plus 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, divided

1 Tbsp. oyster sauce 1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine or dry sherry 1 Tbsp. cornstarch 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar 2 tsp. chopped garlic 1 tsp. finely chopped peeled fresh ginger 1 tsp. sesame oil 1/4

tsp. black pepper, plus more to taste

36 Shanghai-style round dumpling wrappers (such as Twin Marquis), at room temperature All-purpose flour, for dusting 6 Tbsp. canola oil, divided 1 1/2 cups water, divided 3 Tbsp. unsweetened rice wine vinegar 1 Tbsp. chile-garlic sauce (such as Huy Fong) (optional) 1. Pulse cabbage and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until finely chopped, 8 to 10 pulses. Place mixture on a clean towel; squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. Place in a large bowl; stir in pork, garlic chives, shrimp, 1/2 cup scallions, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until combined. Sauté a

small amount of filling until fully cooked; taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

2. Working with 1 wrapper at a time and keeping remaining wrappers covered with a kitchen towel, place 1 level tablespoon of filling in center of 1 wrapper; gently press filling into an oval shape. Lightly wet edge of wrapper with water using an index finger. Place wrapper in 1 hand; bring wrapper sides up around filling to make a taco shape. To make a full or half Buddha belly pleat, see below; otherwise, create a simple scrunch pleat by pressing to seal edges, creating a crescent shape. Place dumpling on work surface; using both hands, scrunch sealed edges toward center, creating zigzag pleats. Place pleated dumpling on a large rimmed baking sheet dusted with flour, and cover with a damp towel. Repeat process with remaining wrappers and filling.

3. Heat a large nonstick pan over high.

Working in 3 batches, add 2 tablespoons oil; swirl to coat pan. Add 12 dumplings,

pleated sides up. Pour in 1/2 cup water to come halfway up sides of dumplings; cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook, undisturbed, until water is evaporated and bottoms of dumplings are golden brown and crispy (sizzling will subside, and dumplings will smell toasty), 12 to 14 minutes (17 to 20 minutes if cooking from frozen). Transfer cooked dumplings to a platter. Repeat with remaining oil, dumplings, and water, wiping pan clean between batches.

4. While dumplings cook, stir together remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce, vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons scallions, and chile-garlic sauce, if using, in a small bowl.

Serve dumplings with sauce. —ANITA LO MAKE AHEAD Freeze uncooked pleated

dumplings on a floured baking sheet, uncovered, until fully frozen, about 2 hours. Transfer dumplings to a large ziplock plastic freezer bag. Cook dumplings from frozen.

WINE Tart New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc:

2020 Astrolabe Marlborough

EXTRA CREDIT HALF BUDDHA BELLY: Pinch corners to

FULL BUDDHA BELLY: Pinch corner to-

seal. Using the index finger and thumb of your free hand, pinch and fold one bottom corner of dumpling in toward center to create a pleat, pressing to seal. Repeat with opposite corner.

gether on one side. Starting at one end, use the index finger and thumb of your free hand to create small, even pleats, pressing each pleat into flat edge of wrapper to create a crescent-shaped dumpling.

illustrations by ELISABETTA CALABRITTO

FEBRUARY 2022

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HANDBOOK

Buttery Spaetzle with Roasted Cauliflower and Shallots ACTIVE 25 MIN; TOTAL 45 MIN SERVES 6 TO 8

Smoky roasted cauliflower and nutty brown butter headline this satisfying vegetarian main course. Springy and chewy when cooked, dried spaetzle are a great alternative to dried pastas; boiled then crisped in butter, they get a finishing lift from fresh dill and crushed red pepper.

1 small (2-lb.) head purple or regular cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets (about 6 1/2 cups) 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced shallots or red onion 1/4

cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste 1 tsp. smoked paprika 1 tsp. black pepper, plus more to taste 2 1/2 qt. water 10 oz. dried spaetzle (such as Bechtle Hofbauer) 1/2

cup unsalted butter (4 oz.)

1 tsp. grated lemon zest plus 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice Dill sprigs, sour cream, and crushed red pepper, for garnish

MAD GENIUS TIPS

Weather Permitting Stay in and stir up these cozy weeknight dinners. of unpredictable, plan-canceling weather. Going out for dinner always seems like the best idea ... until suddenly, it isn’t. But perhaps that’s not a bad thing. For me, a cozy, home-cooked meal is far better than trekking across town in the rain, sleet, or snow (or all of the above!). It’s a reset for my entire week, a sort of self-care session to work out the kinks in my mind and body. Slowly stirring risotto gives me a chance to clear my thoughts, while braising chili in my Dutch oven allows me just enough time to take a Peloton ride, shower, and change into my pajamas. Digging into a bowl of chili by the fire in your PJs—there’s no better self-care than that. —JUSTIN CHAPPLE MIDWINTER IS THE SEASON

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2. Meanwhile, bring 2 1/2 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high. Stir in remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons salt. Add spaetzle, and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Wipe pot dry.

3. Add butter to pot, and heat over medium, stirring often, until lightly browned and foamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add cauliflower mixture, spaetzle, and reserved cooking liquid; gently toss to combine until spaetzle is coated with brown butter. Remove from heat; stir in lemon zest and juice. Season to taste with additional salt and black pepper.

Garnish with dill, sour cream, and red pepper as desired.

WINE Crisp, lightly earthy German white:

2019 Villa Wolf Pinot Blanc NOTE Find dried spaetzle at specialty

grocery stores or online at thetasteofgermany.com.

photography by VICTOR PROTASIO

FOOD STYLING: TORIE COX; PROP STYLING: CLAIRE SPOLLEN

Like tiny gnocchi, German spaetzle are delicious simply blanched but spring to a whole new level when crisped with butter in a pan.

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss together cauliflower, shallots, oil, 2 teaspoons salt, paprika, and black pepper on a large rimmed baking sheet. Spread mixture in a single layer. Roast in preheated oven until cauliflower is tender and browned in spots, 30 to 35 minutes.

Keep a stash of top-shelf items like preserved lemon, Calabrian chiles, and olives on hand to dial up the flavor of your go-to weeknight chicken.

Citrus-and-Fennel Chicken with Olives and Calabrian Chiles ACTIVE 30 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 20 MIN SERVES 4

A mix of citrus, buttery olives, and spicy, oil-packed chiles punches up the flavor of braised chicken leg quarters. Toasted fennel seeds and dry sherry add a pleasant warmth to the sauce, which begs to be served with a baguette for sopping.

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 4 (12-oz.) chicken leg quarters, patted dry 3 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided 1 1/4 tsp. black pepper, divided 1 garlic head, halved crosswise 1 Tbsp. fennel seeds 1/2

cup lower-sodium chicken broth

1/4

cup (2 oz.) dry sherry

1 cup jarred pitted Castelvetrano olives plus 2 Tbsp. brine, divided 6 jarred whole Calabrian chiles plus 1/2 Tbsp. oil from jar, divided

1 small fennel head (about 14 oz.), bulb cut through core into 3/4 -inch-thick wedges, fronds reserved for garnish 4 (1/2 -inch-thick) Cara Cara or navel orange slices 4 (1/2 -inch-thick) lemon slices 2 tsp. finely chopped preserved lemon peel Baguette, for serving 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high.

Sprinkle chicken with 2 3/4 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper.

Working in batches if needed, cook chicken in oil, turning occasionally, until golden brown on both sides, 8 to 12 minutes; transfer to a large plate.

Add garlic head halves, cut sides down, to skillet; cook, undisturbed, until lightly browned, about 30 seconds.

Transfer to plate with chicken.

2. Remove skillet from heat, and immediately add fennel seeds to drippings.

Off heat, stir constantly until fragrant,

about 30 seconds. Add broth, sherry, olive brine, chile oil, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Arrange chicken leg quarters, skin sides up, in skillet. Tuck browned garlic halves, fennel wedges, and orange and lemon slices in skillet around chicken.

Sprinkle with olives and chiles.

3. Bring liquid in skillet to a boil over medium-high. Cover skillet tightly with aluminum foil, and transfer to preheated oven. Roast until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of chicken registers 130°F, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove foil, and roast until chicken registers 165°F and fennel is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle with preserved lemon peel, and garnish with fennel fronds. Serve with torn baguette.

WINE Spicy Calabrian red: 2018 Librandi

Duca Sanfelice Cirò Rosso Riserva NOTE Find Calabrian chiles at specialty

grocery stores or online at gustiamo.com.

FEBRUARY 2022

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HANDBOOK Italian Wedding Risotto TOTAL 45 MIN; SERVES 4 TO 6

Inspired by the classic Italian soup, this heartier risotto is filled with just-wilted spinach and topped with crispy, garlicky meatballs. Remove the risotto from the heat while it’s still a little soupy—it will thicken slightly as it rests.

1 lb. ground pork 1/2

cup panko

1 1/2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated with a Microplane (about 2/3 cup), divided, plus more for garnish 1/4

cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

Use a cookie scoop to quickly portion out these garlicky meatballs; make a double batch and freeze half to whip up this risotto in a flash.

1 large egg, lightly beaten 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped, divided 2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste 1 tsp. black pepper, plus more to taste and for garnish 4 cups lower-sodium chicken stock or broth 2 cups water 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 1/4

cup unsalted butter (2 oz.), divided

1 medium-size yellow onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups) 1 medium celery stalk, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup) 1 1/2 cups uncooked arborio rice (about 10 1/2 oz.)

3/4

cup dry white wine

3 cups packed fresh baby spinach (about 3 oz.), torn 1. Preheat oven to broil with rack 9 inches from heat. Combine pork, panko, 1/3 cup

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Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, parsley, egg, 2 teaspoons chopped garlic, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix gently with hands until just combined. Roll mixture into 20 meatballs (about 2 tablespoons each). Place meatballs 1 inch apart on a broiler-safe baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Broil until browned and cooked through, 6 to 9 minutes. Set cooked meatballs aside at room temperature until ready to serve.

2. Combine stock and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium. Reduce heat to medium-low.

3. Heat oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium. Add onion, celery, and remaining chopped garlic; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add rice, and cook, stirring constantly, until translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine, and cook, stirring often,

until almost completely reduced, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 cup warm stock mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add remaining stock mixture, 1 cup at a time, stirring until liquid has been absorbed after each addition, until rice is al dente, about 20 minutes.

4. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in spinach; cook, stirring occasionally, until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Divide risotto and meatballs among bowls. Drizzle with oil; garnish with additional cheese, parsley, and pepper.

MAKE AHEAD Uncooked meatballs can be

frozen up to 2 months. Place on a rimmed baking sheet; freeze 2 hours. Transfer to a freezer bag. Let thaw before broiling.

WINE Herbal, red-fruited Chianti Classico:

2017 Ruffino Riserva Ducale

Tofu-Tempeh Sloppy Joes ACTIVE 35 MIN; TOTAL 55 MIN SERVES 6

With jalapeño for heat and brown sugar for sweetness, this plant-forward riff on the all-American sloppy joe will please meat eaters and vegetarians alike.

1 (14- to 16-oz. pkg.) extra-firm tofu, drained 1/4

cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium-size yellow onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups) 1 jalapeño chile, seeded, stemmed, and finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 3/4

tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/2

tsp. black pepper, plus more to taste

8 oz. tempeh, finely crumbled 2 Tbsp. tomato paste 2 tsp. ancho chile powder 1 1/2 cups strained canned diced tomatoes 1/2

cup water

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar 1 Tbsp. sriracha 2 tsp. liquid aminos or soy sauce 6 brioche hamburger buns, toasted Bread-and-butter pickle chips, for serving 1. Place tofu on a double layer of paper towels. Top with another double layer of paper towels. Place a plate on top, and weight with a can. Let stand at room temperature to drain at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour. Discard liquid. Coarsely crumble tofu so it resembles ground meat. (It will break down a bit more during cooking.)

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium.

Add onion, jalapeño, garlic, salt, and black pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is lightly browned, about 8 minutes.

Add tempeh, tomato paste, and chile powder; cook, stirring constantly, until tempeh is evenly coated and a crust starts to form on bottom of skillet, 1 to 2 minutes.

Made from fermented soybeans, tempeh gives these meatless sloppy joes a more hearty texture than firm tofu alone.

3. Add tomatoes, 1/2 cup water, vinegar, brown sugar, sriracha, and liquid aminos to skillet; bring to a simmer over mediumhigh, stirring occasionally. Gently stir in tofu. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste. Serve on buns with pickle chips.

MAKE AHEAD Sloppy joe mixture can be

made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container.

BEER Rich, lightly spicy amber ale:

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Boont

FEBRUARY 2022

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HANDBOOK

Boneless short ribs give this chili its rich, meaty flavor, but a more affordable cut, such as chuck roast, would work beautifully here.

1. Make the chili: Heat oil in a large enameled Dutch oven over medium-high. Toss together beef, 4 teaspoons salt, and 2 teaspoons black pepper in a large bowl.

Working in 3 batches, add beef to hot oil, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef to a medium bowl.

COOK THE COVER

Short Rib Chili with Pickled Red Onion ACTIVE 50 MIN; TOTAL 3 HR 15 MIN SERVES 6 TO 8

Fresh jalapeños, smoky chipotles in adobo, and fruity ancho chile powder give this thick, meaty chili layers of heat, while red wine and tomato add acidity to balance out the richness of the tender short ribs. For a more budget-friendly option, substitute cubed beef chuck roast for the short ribs.

garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2

cup tomato paste

1/4

cup ancho chile powder

1 to 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped 2 tsp. dried oregano 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander 1 1/2 cups dry red wine 1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes 3 cups lower-sodium chicken broth PICKLED RED ONION

CHILI

2 Tbsp. canola oil 3 1/2 lb. boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes 5 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste 2 1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided, plus more to taste 1 medium-size red onion, finely chopped (about 2 1/4 cups) 2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

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1 small red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise (about 2 1/2 cups) 1 cup distilled white vinegar 1 cup water 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar 1 Tbsp. kosher salt ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

2. Add chopped onion, jalapeños, garlic, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to drippings in Dutch oven. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, chile powder, chipotles, oregano, cumin, and coriander; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is fragrant and vegetables are evenly coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven, until liquid is slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and broth; bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high. Stir in beef and any juices in bowl. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beef is very tender, 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours, uncovering during final 30 minutes of cook time. Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste.

3. Make the pickled red onion: While chili cooks, place sliced red onion in a mediumsize heatproof bowl; set aside. Combine vinegar, 1 cup water, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high, stirring often to dissolve sugar. Pour hot vinegar mixture over onion, pressing onion pieces with a spoon to keep submerged. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes.

Cover and chill at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.

4. Serve chili topped with queso fresco, cilantro, and drained pickled onion.

MAKE AHEAD Chili can be made up to 3 days

ahead and stored in an airtight container in refrigerator.

Crumbled queso fresco, for serving

WINE Light, earthy red: 2018 Domaine Rolet

Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving

Arbois Poulsard

BREW UP SOME PASSION Want to brew better tea? Start with TAZO Passion. This caffeine-free blend combines crisp, delicious flavors of hibiscus, orange peel and lemongrass for a flavor so good, just one sip will have you head over heels. (Don’t say we didn’t warn you.)

HANDBOOK

EASY BAKES

Choco-Lot Treat your loved ones (or yourself!) to Clarice Lam’s dreamy Valentine’s Day delights. at one of her The Baking Bean pop-ups to creating pastries for hot NYC spot Kimika to competing on popular cooking shows, there’s never a dull moment for pastry chef Clarice Lam. Sporting rosy-pink locks, killer yoga moves, and a cat who slays Instagram (@MisterTuts), she brings a sweet punch of personality to every dessert she dreams up. —JOSH MILLER

FOOD STYLING: MARGARET MONROE DICKEY; PROP STYLING: AUDREY DAVIS

FROM SLINGING S’MORES

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photography by CAITLIN BENSEL

HANDBOOK Chocolate-Raspberry French Crullers with Fudge Glaze TOTAL 1 HR 15 MIN; SERVES 10

Made with a classic choux dough, these crullers feature a crunchy crust and an airy, churro-like center. Dip them in warmed glaze so the dried raspberries stick.

CRULLERS

1 1/2 cups water 1/2

cup unsalted butter (4 oz.)

1/4

cup granulated sugar

1/2

tsp. kosher salt

1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/4 oz.)

1/4

cup unsweetened cocoa

4 large eggs Vegetable oil, for frying FUDGE GLAZE 1/4

cup unsalted butter (2 oz.)

2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. whole milk 1 1/2 cups unsifted powdered sugar (about 6 oz.)

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1/4

cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4

tsp. kosher salt

FEBRUARY 2022

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENT 1/4

cup freeze-dried raspberries (about 1/4 oz.), crushed lightly

1. Make the crullers: Combine 1 1/2 cups water, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium.

Remove from heat. Vigorously stir in flour and cocoa until mixture comes together and begins to form a ball. Return to heat over medium, and cook, stirring constantly, until dough is tight and pulls away from sides of pan and a thin skin forms on bottom of pan, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Transfer hot dough to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until no longer steaming, about 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed to medium; beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until dough is smooth and glossy, about 2 minutes. (The dough is ready when you can draw a line in dough using your finger and the dough slowly caves in on itself.) Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star attachment. Cut 10 (4-inch) squares of parchment paper; pipe a 31/2-inch dough circle onto each parchment square.

3. Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 2 inches in a large Dutch oven. Heat over medium until oil reaches 350°F, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a consistent temperature. Working with 1 parchment square at a time, invert square, and gently place in oil, dough side down. Parchment will release within 5 seconds; remove and discard. Fry cruller until slightly puffed and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Transfer cooked cruller to a wire rack set inside a baking sheet. Repeat frying process with remaining dough circles.

4. Make the fudge glaze: Microwave butter in a medium-size microwavable bowl on medium (50% power) until melted, 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.

Whisk in milk. Add powdered sugar, cocoa, and salt, and whisk until smooth.

Return to microwave, and microwave on medium until warm, about 30 seconds.

Remove from microwave; whisk until smooth. Dip top of each cruller into warm fudge glaze, and quickly sprinkle with crushed raspberries. —CLARICE LAM NOTE Crullers can be fried in batches of 3;

start with 1 at a time and increase to your comfort level.

HANDBOOK

Chocolate Puddings with Miso Caramel ACTIVE 40 MIN; TOTAL 4 HR; SERVES 6

Miso-enriched caramel intensifies the deep, chocolaty flavor of these silky puddings.

2 large eggs 1 large egg yolk 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa 2 Tbsp. cornstarch 1/4

tsp. kosher salt

2 1/2 cups whole milk 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided 1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks 1/2

cup unsalted butter (4 oz.), cubed and softened, divided

3/4

cup heavy cream, warmed

2/3

cup light corn syrup

2 Tbsp. water 2 Tbsp. red miso 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1/4

tsp. vanilla extract Whipped cream, for serving

1. Whisk together eggs, egg yolk, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in a heatproof bowl until smooth; set aside. Cook milk and 3/4 cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium, whisking occasionally, until milk is steaming and sugar is dissolved, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Gradually drizzle hot milk mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly, until well combined.

Return mixture to saucepan; cook over medium-high, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in chocolate and 2 tablespoons butter until smooth. Divide pudding among 6 (8-ounce) glasses; cover each with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cold, 3 hours or up to overnight.

2. Cook cream in a small saucepan over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until steaming, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside. Cook corn syrup, 2 tablespoons water, and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high, without stirring, until mixture is boiling and deep amber in color, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat; gradually whisk in warm cream and remaining 6 tablespoons butter until smooth. Add miso, lemon juice, and vanilla; whisk until smooth. Set aside; let cool until warm but not hot, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Pour 2 tablespoons caramel over each chilled pudding. Top each pudding with a dollop of whipped cream. Serve with remaining caramel. —CLARICE LAM

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HANDBOOK F&W COOKS

in the city of Samarkand, an ancient, beautiful city that’s nearly three millennia old. It was a very important place on the Great Silk Road, which connected the East and the West, and it was a place where many different cultures intersected. Samarkand is famous for its gardens and orchards, and there are many kinds of apples, pears, grapes, and especially apricots. Even in our backyard, we had six trees of different kinds of apricots.

My husband’s family is Tajik, and they cook many old, traditional recipes that are different from the ones my own family cooked. I learned this Mashhurda recipe (opposite) from my I GREW UP IN UZBEKISTAN

mother-in-law. It’s a thick soup made from mung beans, rice, carrots, onions, dill, and cilantro. Right before the soup is done, you add whole dried unsulfured apricots. Rich brown in color, they have more of a sweet, caramel taste than the bright orange sulfured variety. And finally, just before eating, you top your bowl with a spoonful of labneh and a sprinkle of chopped fresh dill and cilantro. Each bite has many different flavors and textures—it’s sweet, savory, and sour, with the flavors of both cooked herbs and fresh herbs. Mashhurda is wonderful any time of year, but it’s especially good in early spring, when the herbs have tender leaves. —DAMIRA INATULLAEVA

COOK WITH DAMIRA INATULLAEVA FROM THE LEAGUE OF KITCHENS Damira Inatullaeva teaches Uzbek cooking through the League of Kitchens, a culturally immersive culinary experience where immigrant women teach cooking classes from their home kitchens. Offered online and in person, each class offers opportunities for connection, instruction, and cultural engagement. ($60 per session, leagueofkitchens.com)

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photography by VICTOR PROTASIO; illustration by ALEXANDRA COMPAIN-TISSIER

FOOD STYLING: TORIE COX; PROP STYLING: LYDIA PURSELL

Melting Pot Humble ingredients shine in this soup that straddles the seasons.

HANDBOOK Mashhurda (Mung Bean and Vegetable Soup) ACTIVE 1 HR 15 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 30 MIN SERVES 6

Damira Inatullaeva learned this risottolike recipe from her Tajik mother-in-law, who uses apricots for a flavorful twist on the traditional versions made with chunks of beef or lamb. Don’t let the list of simple ingredients fool you—this is one of the most complex and delicious vegetarian soups we’ve ever tasted. The fresh herbs, pepper, and labneh at the finish take it over the top.

9 cups water 1 cup dried mung beans 1/3

cup uncooked Turkish baldo rice

1/4

cup sunflower oil

1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped (about 1 3/4 cups) 1 large carrot, cut into 1/4 -inch cubes (about 1/2 cup) 2 Tbsp. tomato sauce 4 fresh or dried bay leaves 2 tsp. table salt, divided 2 1/2 cups chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, divided 1

3/4

cups chopped fresh tender dill fronds, divided

3/4

cup dried Turkish apricots (preferably unsulfured or organic) (about 5 oz.)

1/2

cup plus 1 Tbsp. labneh or Greek-style yogurt

1/2

tsp. black pepper

1. Bring 9 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer.

2. Place mung beans in a small saucepan; add enough cold water to cover.

Bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to

medium, and simmer about 6 minutes to remove any small particles and dirt.

Drain beans in a colander, and transfer to a fine wire-mesh strainer. Rinse under cool water. Set aside.

3. Place rice in a separate fine wiremesh strainer, and rinse under cold water until water runs clear. Set aside.

4. Pour oil into a large saucepan; heat over medium-high until shimmering, about 1 minute. Add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add carrot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrot starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce, and cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are well coated and sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of the hot water, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil, about 30 seconds. Add 1 1/2 cups hot water, rinsed beans, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt, and return to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to mediumlow, and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.

5. If beans are barely covered with water, add 1/2 cup hot water. Cover and cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until beans have fully softened and are starting to break apart, 10 to 25 minutes, adding hot water, 1/2 cup at a time, as needed so that water barely covers beans.

6. Add rice, 2 cups cilantro, 1 1/2 cups dill, 2 1/2 cups hot water, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt to bean mixture. Increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil.

Cover and reduce heat to medium-low.

Cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to make sure nothing sticks on bottom of pan, until rice is soft and tender, 18 to 20 minutes.

7. Check water level in bean mixture; add 1/2 cup to 1 cup hot water, if needed, until mixture resembles a thick soup but not quite a stew. Add apricots, and cook over low, stirring often, until apricots have softened but are not completely broken down, about 5 minutes. Cover pan, and remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes for flavors to meld.

8. Uncover soup. Remove and discard bay leaves. Ladle soup evenly into 6 bowls, and mound about 1 tablespoon cilantro and about 2 teaspoons dill into middle of each bowl. Dollop servings with yogurt, and sprinkle with pepper.

—DAMIRA INATULLAEVA MAKE AHEAD This soup is best served the

day it’s made; to reheat, add a little water, and cook very gently to avoid overcooking the apricots.

WINE Full-bodied, lightly peppery white:

2018 Rousset Crozes-Hermitage NOTE Find Turkish apricots and baldo rice

at kalustyans.com.

FEBRUARY 2022

53

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BOTTLE SERVICE W H AT TO D R I N K N O W

Winter Warmers Great-value reds for everyday drinking

FOOD STYLING: EMILY NABORS HALL; PROP STYLING: AUDREY DAVIS

By Ray Isle

produced by RAY ISLE

photography by JENNIFER CAUSEY

FEBRUARY 2022

55

BOTTLE SERVICE 56

regarding fancy ingredients, “You know, sometimes rice is just rice.” There’s something to that when it comes to wine. The world is full of wines that demand attention—intense, complex Napa Cabernets, nuanced Burgundies, aged Bordeaux that require an hour or two in a decanter—and all of them cause a wince or two when you reach the cash register.

Some days, especially in the depth of winter, you just want a really delicious red that is a pleasure to drink, goes great with dinner, and costs little enough that you don’t have to think about it when you pull out the debit card. Call them everyday reds, or Wednesday night wonders, or what have you. I’m not talking about super-simple, bargain-basement porchpounders; rather, wines that won’t break the bank but also offer enough complexity and deliciousness that you’ll want to go back to them over and over. (And a note on prices: Although we always run a winery’s suggested retail price, realistically many of these wines— the Rodney Strong Cabernet on p. 58, to give one example—are often available for less in stores. Shop around.)

Here are 17 great choices, arranged by style from light and bright to rich and ripe. Open a bottle and dispel that winter chill. And cook yourself some short ribs while you’re at it.

A

CHEF ONCE SAID TO ME,

FEBRUARY 2022

Light and Vibrant 2019 C’EST LA VIE PINOT NOIR–SYRAH ($13) This inviting red comes from well-known Burgundy producer Albert Bichot. It’s labeled as basic vin de France, but so what: Its sweet, lightly smoky plum-berry flavors are delightful.

2019 GIRASOLE VINEYARDS MENDOCINO PINOT NOIR ($16)

2020 GEORGES DUBOEUF BEAUJOLAISVILLAGES ($14)

Made entirely from organically farmed grapes, this strawberry-inflected Pinot offers fine-grained tannins and a hint of oak.

Quintessential happy juice: This widely distributed red doesn’t ask you to ponder it, just to enjoy its ebullient raspberry and cherry fruit.

2018 CANTINA LA-VIS TRENTINO PINOT NERO ($15)

2018 MICHELE CHIARLO BARBERA D’ASTI LE ORME ($18)

Here’s a charming Pinot Noir—rare at this price— from northern Italy: crisp red cherry fruit with tealeaf nuances and a pleasingly tart finish.

The Barbera grape produces wines with modest tannins and bright, crunchy fruit.

This bottling from Chiarlo is a standout.

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BOTTLE SERVICE

Middle-Weight Marvels SAINT COSME LITTLE JAMES’ BASKET PRESS JEUNE SOLERA ($16)

2020 FATTORIA LE PUPILLE MORELLINO DI SCANSANO ($20)

Louis Barruol’s brilliant Gigondas is a benchmark Rhône red, but pricey.

Instead, look for this peppery nonvintage Grenache blend, full of dark, smoky cherry flavors.

This precisely poised, lovely Sangiovese-based red proves that the wines of Morellino di Scansano are just as impressive as those of its better-known Tuscan neighbor, Chianti.

2017 FINCA NUEVA CRIANZA TEMPRANILLO ($20)

2018 VILLA ANTINORI TOSCANA ($20)

This impressive red has pretty aromas of black cherries and fine, firm tannins—you could even put it away for a few years, but why, when you could drink it right now?

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FEBRUARY 2022

Rounder and riper than many Tuscan wines, this blend of Sangiovese, Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon ends on a lush dark-chocolate note.

Pair it with braised pork shoulder over polenta.

2018 RODNEY STRONG SONOMA COUNTY CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($22) This red is so elegantly light on its feet that it’s a surprise for a Cabernet.

The creamy texture and sweet red-currant flavors meld seamlessly here.

2017 GRAMERCY CELLARS LOWER EAST COLUMBIA VALLEY SYRAH ($25) This floral, peppery, layered Syrah from Washington state, while not super inexpensive, wildly over-delivers for its price.

Drink it all winter long.

Rich and Robust 2018 BOGLE VINEYARDS PETITE SIRAH ($11) Inky and purple-black in hue—as Petite Sirah tends to be—this perennial value continues its winning streak with plenty of jammy plum and blackberry fruit.

2018 KILIKANOON THE LACKEY SOUTH AUSTRALIA SHIRAZ ($15) Kilikanoon winemaker Kevin Mitchell packs a lot of spicy blackberry fruit into this red; there’s also an intriguing cola note that adds complexity.

2019 CLINE ANCIENT VINES ZINFANDEL ($25) If you’re a fruit fan, this is your wine. The centenarian Zinfandel vines that produce it yield concentrated flavors recalling spiced raspberries and boysenberries; voluptuous is the word here.

2018 CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE COLUMBIA VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($15) Black currants and mint moderated by vanilla oak are the heart of this Washington state red. It’s plush and palate-coating, an ideal steak wine.

2019 GROUNDED CALIFORNIA CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($17)

2016 DI MAJO NORANTE RAMITELLO ($17)

The definition of a weeknight wine, this Cabernet from winemaker Josh Phelps has up-front red and black cherry notes, hints of pepperiness, and a supple texture.

This Italian blend of Montepulciano and Aglianico offers plenty of plummy fruit, roasted espresso notes, and potent tannins. It’s ideal when the snow’s falling outside.

FEBRUARY 2022

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BOTTLE SERVICE

Gingerbread Margarita

C O C K TA I L H O U R

Put Snowshoes on That Margarita How to turn cool summer drinks into winter warm-ups

By Betsy Andrews

60

FEBRUARY 2022

Ho-Ho-Jito

no more incongruous a thing to drink in winter in Minnesota than a margarita. But at Baldamar in Roseville, bar manager David Marzorati Jr. makes it work. A heady combination of aged tequila, mulling spices, lime, and peak-season oranges, Marzorati’s Gingerbread Margarita tastes like a mash-up of Cinco de Mayo and Christmas.

“We look for our drinks to reflect the intense seasonal changes here, from the days of relaxing on patios to snuggling up inside for warmth,” says Marzorati. “So we adapt our summer cocktails to be in line with that.”

All over the country this winter, I’ve noticed mixologists tweaking the bright flavors of alfresco refreshers—daiquiris and juleps and mojitos—toward richness and warmth, adapting them for bone-warming sipping against the cold. Some bartenders tweak the spirits.

For his margarita, Marzorati swaps out blanco for añejo tequila to bring the charred, caramel flavors to the glass and uses a brandy-based orange liqueur to deepen the drink’s intensity.

He also introduces clove, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg to bring a gingerbread vibe to the drink. “People associate winter with holiday baking, so we play to that,” he says.

At Kata Robata in Houston, bartender Anh Ngo’s winter mojito uses dark spiced rum over summer’s white rum. But that’s just the beginning. “When I think of winter, I think of holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas,” says Ngo. “This means winter herbs.”

For his cheekily named Ho-Ho-Jito, the woody aromatics of the holiday table—sage and rosemary—add savory flavor to the sweet, fresh drink. Ngo is careful to use them in a way that won’t erase the original cocktail’s DNA, though. “I wanted to preserve the classic ingredient of the mojito, which is the mint,” he says. “That’s why I infuse the simple syrup with the sage and rosemary, rather than muddling them inside the cocktail.” For the garnish, all three herbs take their place along the rim, their aromas mingling in an all-seasons perfume.

T

HERE MIGHT SEEM

For Charleston restaurateur Brooks Reitz, the founder of Jack Rudy Cocktail Co., winterizing a gin and tonic is a snap. All it takes is a bit of hot water to give the drink a toddy-like edge.

And while that idea may sound strange, his Gin Toasty is truly delicious. “It’s a great winterized summer drink because the botanicals in a great dry gin are really lovely when heated— almost like mulled spices,” says Reitz.

Using tonic syrup instead of tonic water is crucial to the drink because hot water does the same trick that effervescent bubbles do: It ferries the aromatics in the gin and the syrup right up to your nose. You get the full-on flavor of the summertime drink, but with the comfort of a winter-warming liquid.

4 WAYS TO WINTERIZE YOUR SUMMER COCKTAILS 1. OAK-AGED SPIRITS

2. WARM SPICES

3. WOODY HERBS

4. HEAT

Barrels bring cinnamon, vanilla, and other wintry flavors. At Chicago’s Three Dots and a Dash, Kevin Beary switches light rum for amontillado sherry in a winter daiquiri that’s big on nutty, caramelly taste.

A flaming, rum-soaked tea ball of spices adds drama to the cold-weather version of the namesake drink at Julep in Houston. Any spice you’d throw in a fruitcake or pumpkin pie will do the trick.

Take inspiration from the rosemary-laced gimlet at Pasjoli in Los Angeles: Add earthy, foresty flavor by infusing syrups, shrubs, and even spirits with hearty aromatics, including spruce tips and pine.

Nothing says it’s cold out so much as a hot drink. Heat soothes, and it amplifies flavor.

The Gin Toasty at Charleston’s Little Jack’s Tavern proves that if rum and whiskey can be warmed up, so too can gin.

FEBRUARY 2022

61

BOTTLE SERVICE

Gin Toasty TOTAL 5 MIN; SERVES 1

A gin and tonic takes on the comforting vibe of a hot toddy in this ingeniously simple riff, perfect for a snowy winter day.

1/4

cup plus 3 Tbsp. hot water (3 1/2 oz.)

3 1/2 Tbsp. (1 3/4 oz.) gin 1 1/2 tonic syrup (3/4 oz.) (preferably Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. Classic) Orange peel twist Gin Toasty

Stir together 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons hot water, gin, and tonic syrup in a mug until combined. Garnish with orange peel twist. —BROOKS REITZ, JACK RUDY COCKTAIL CO., CHARLESTON

Ho-Ho-Jito PHOTO P. 61

TOTAL 5 MIN; SERVES 1

Swap out the classic white rum for spiced rum and add a homemade herb syrup to transform a summery mojito into a rich and warming cold-weather sipper.

1/4

cup (2 oz.) spiced rum

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (1 oz.)

1 1/2 Tbsp. Herb-Infused Simple Syrup (3/4 oz.) (recipe follows) 10 to 12 fresh mint leaves 1/3

cup club soda Fresh herb sprigs (such as sage, rosemary, and mint)

Combine rum, lime juice, syrup, and mint leaves in a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice. Cover and shake vigorously until chilled, about 20 seconds. Strain into a 12-ounce Collins glass filled with ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with herb sprigs.

—ANH NGO, KATA ROBATA, HOUSTON

Herb-Infused Simple Syrup ACTIVE 5 MIN; TOTAL 35 MIN MAKES ABOUT 1 1/2 CUPS

This twist on classic simple syrup infuses the sweetener with fresh, piney rosemary and sage to add an aromatic depth.

Gingerbread Margarita

Spiced Orange Syrup

PHOTO P. 60

TOTAL 15 MIN, PLUS 12 HR MACERATION

TOTAL 5 MIN; SERVES 1

MAKES ABOUT 1 2/3 CUPS

This cozy margarita has a warm, wintry, cake-spice panache that wouldn’t be out of place at a holiday party. The spiced syrup is key: It intensifies the orange flavors of the cocktail while adding a seasonal spice hit that brings much-needed warmth during the winter months.

1/4

cup (2 oz.) añejo tequila

1

1/2

Tbsp. fresh lime juice (

1

1/2

Tbsp. Spiced Orange Syrup ( (recipe follows)

3/4

oz.)

3/4

oz.)

1 cup granulated sugar

oz. orange liqueur (such as Gran Gala)

1 cup boiling water

Orange peel twist

5 rosemary sprigs (about 1/2 oz.)

Cinnamon stick

1/2

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FEBRUARY 2022

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/4

tsp. ground cloves

1/4

tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4

tsp. ground allspice

1/4

tsp. ground nutmeg

2 large navel oranges, sliced 1/4 -inch thick (about 3 cups) 1/3

cup classic simple syrup

—DAVID MARZORATI JR., BALDAMAR, ROSE-

Stir together sugar, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

Layer oranges and sugar mixture in a large lidded container. Seal; let stand at room temperature 12 hours. During final hour, shake vigorously every 15 minutes until sugar is mostly dissolved. Pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a 2-cup glass jar. Press oranges with back of spoon; discard solids. Stir until sugar is dissolved.

Stir in simple syrup. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 weeks. —DAVID MARZORATI JR.,

VILLE, MINNESOTA

BALDAMAR, ROSEVILLE, MINNESOTA

5 sage sprigs (about 1/2 oz.)

Stir together sugar and 1 cup boiling water in a heatproof measuring cup until dissolved. Add herb sprigs; press with a spoon until submerged. Steep, uncovered, 30 minutes. Pour through a fine wiremesh strainer into a 2-cup glass jar; discard solids. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 weeks. —ANH NGO, KATA ROBATA, HOUSTON

Layers of oranges and sugar spiced with cloves, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg macerate to yield this versatile syrup.

Fill a mixing glass halfway with ice. Add añejo tequila, lime juice, spiced orange syrup, and orange liqueur; stir until chilled, about 20 seconds. Strain tequila mixture into a coupe glass. Wrap orange peel twist around cinnamon stick, and lay across coupe glass to garnish.

E N T E R TA I N I N G

The Case for House Drinks Unexpected guests? No problem. A house drink can be prepared in a snap. hosting tricks I’ve learned is always having a house drink at the ready when friends come over—ideally something extremely simple, easy to keep on hand, and that’s a sure crowd-pleaser. The house drink can be boozy or alcohol-free, but at its core, it must be unfussy. My go-to is a cocktail so simple that I’m not sure that I can even properly call it a cocktail. It’s a drink I picked up from the team at Saint-Germain in New Orleans: a gentle pour of Dolin Blanc over a good ice cube, with a twist—ideally served in a Nick and Nora glass, but any thin-rimmed cup will do. It’s refreshing, with only three ingredients (if you count the ice cube). Here are three other notable house drinks that I love. —KHUSHBU SHAH

ONE OF THE BEST

illustration by BARBORA IDESOVÁ

SOME OTHER NOTABLE HOUSE DRINKS MANGO SELTZER

WHITE NEGRONI

ARAK AND MINT

Aishwarya Iyer, Founder, Brightland

Jen Pelka, Cofounder, Une Femme Wines & Charles Bililies, Founder, Souvla

Mona Leena Michael, Chef, Lulu Berkeley

Iyer always keeps fruity seltzers on hand and likes offering guests a mango seltzer (she uses Sanzo) along with a splash of Brightland’s citrus Champagne vinegar.

Any bright Champagne vinegar would do the trick.

This husband-andwife duo serves white Negronis. They pour equal parts gin, Lillet, and Mommenpop blood orange vermouth over ice and strain the drinks into Nick and Nora glasses.

Michael likes to muddle arak with ice and mint and then add water to the mix, making the drink slightly cloudy. That’s pivotal, the chef says, for bringing out the distinctive anise flavor of the arak.

FEBRUARY 2022

63

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May 20th-22nd, 2022 Enjoy culinary demos, wine seminars, luxe VIP benefits, and so much more.

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Maneet Chauhan

Nyesha Arrington

Tim Love

Stephanie Izard

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SUPPORTING FARM WORKERS

TRAVEL WHERE TO GO NEXT

Baja the Beautiful A stunning new Mexican hotel makes a perfect base for exploring every incarnation of the fish taco along the coast.

PHOTOGRAPHY: JESSICA SAMPLE

By Tracey Minkin

The infinity pool at Paradero overlooks the desert landscape. The hotel is surrounded by fertile farmland and the Sierra de la Laguna mountains.

produced by MELANIE HANSCHE

FEBRUARY 2022

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T R AV E L

C

will end up agreeing on many things, but our first agreement is a profound one: Tacos are our favorite food.

We’re shooting the breeze after breakfast service at Ríos’ restaurant at the heart of Paradero Todos Santos, a new hotel built on the edge of a farming community amid the arid geological tumble of Baja California Sur. It’s vacation enough for me to absorb the silent desert dotted with cacti, the glittering Pacific in the distance, the vault of blue sky above, and yet I’m even more captivated by the view from my stool. From the polished concrete bar that surrounds the restaurant’s open kitchen, I can see Ríos and his small team stoking wood-fired ovens, stoves, and hibachi grills in amicable silence, sending out plates that reflect the artistry Ríos has acquired from time working in his hometown of Mexico City at Enrique Olvera’s Pujol and from traveling in Hong Kong.

Under Ríos, classic Mexican dishes like burritos, tostadas, and, yes, tacos, emerge with subtle touches from China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Consider shrimp tacos, marinated in soy and chile, cooked in the zarandeado style (grilled over an open flame), and served with togarashi and chile mayo. You’re getting the idea, and so are Baja culinary habitués journeying from Cabo an hour south, from the artsy village of Todos Santos to

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HEF EDUARDO RÍOS AND I

FEBRUARY 2022

the north, and even from surf-forward beach resorts in the area.

Every evening, they join hotel guests like me at the bar, where the mezcal list amplifies the siren song.

Now, though, it’s late morning, and Ríos is doing what any chef does between services—he’s tinkering. He mixes fresh clay to dab at hairline cracks in his Oaxacan comal. I’m loath to interrupt the work, but he asks me first.

“What’s your favorite food?”

I try to think of something sophisticated to level at the Pujol guy, but he saves me the pretense. “Mine is tacos,” he offers.

“Oh my god, me too,” I say with relief. Because of course it’s tacos.

Having grown up on the Southern California coast, I’ve been eating tacos my entire life—especially the fish taco, that Baja specialty that migrated north with Mexican families running restaurants and stands from San Diego to Santa Barbara.

Is there any simpler masterpiece: a cut of fresh fish, battered and fried fast and hot, nestled into the embrace of a warm corn tortilla, with a mound of slaw, a pop of salsa, a counterpoint of sauces? A fish taco is a little sweet, a little salty, a little crunchy, a little creamy, and always messy.

And while there’s some argument as to the fish taco’s exact origin story, there’s agreement that it began on this peninsula,

opposite: The hotel’s lush

grounds contain gardens, from which chef Eduardo Ríos sources fresh produce.

His menu is heavily influenced by Paradero’s proximity to the coast, as with these soft-shell crab tacos. this page: The communal table in the open-air “living room.”

FEBRUARY 2022

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T R AV E L 68

which reaches south from California’s southern border to terminate 800 miles later at the dramatic capes of Cabo San Lucas.

Whether you subscribe to the version that places the first fish taco in Ensenada on the Pacific or San Felipe on the Sea of Cortez, it’s generally agreed that Japanese fishermen in the region introduced tempura-style preparation to the Mexican form. The idea caught on, and by the 1950s, the gospel of the Baja-style fish taco was spreading to workers and tourists alike.

That means any trip to Baja California is potentially a fish taco pilgrimage, and while I could be very happy with any new iteration of taco that Ríos could dream up (another day, it features softshell crab), I’m also instantly lured by Paradero’s taco tour, one of the hotel’s many offerings. When I mention it to Ríos, he says he’s already planning on going.

We begin at a landmark: Barracuda Cantina in the nearby surf enclave of Cerritos Beach. Bordered by blocks of condos, Barracuda hums under its thatch roofing. Bienvenidos—welcome—is painted on a faded blue surfboard. At one end of the Cantina is owner Danny Sanchez’s taco truck; at the other, his tiki-esque cocktail bar, where fresh oranges, ready for juicing, are piled in zinc buckets. Between is an open-air emporium of good vibes, dogs snoozing on the sand beneath blue-and-white-tiled tables. The taco truck sends forth lots of tacos—fish and shrimp grilled or battered and fried—along with ceviches, smoked fish quesadillas, and aguachiles. Sanchez strolls around with his infant daughter on his hip through the blend of Mexican locals, sunbleached expats, and slack-jawed first-timers.

After a round of tacos and margaritas, we head up Federal Highway 19 to Todos Santos. We stop at a new joint on the edge of the town’s historic district along a dirt street, tiny Tiki Santos Bar, an open-air bamboo hut with a full bar and ceviche tostadas topped with fans of lightly oiled and spiced fresh avocado. After a round of iced Pacificos, we decamp into the buzzy heart of town for a stop at another landmark, Santo Chilote.

Here, stucco painted green and hung with small portraits surrounds the shaded patio, along with painted, mural-style portraits of Saint Chile himself, a green pepper with a halo. The tacos are celestial, especially the coconut shrimp ones the place is known for, the shrimp set unadorned on its tortilla and brought to the table. The rest is up to the diner to build from a buffet cart of sauces, salsas, and chopped vegetables. At this rate, I realize, I can come to Santo Chilote every night and create a new taco.

That notion dovetails exquisitely with this beautiful corner of a beautiful country. Whether I’m parked at the Paradero bar, hoping to be adopted into the kitchen family at Barracuda, or returning over and over to the taco joints of Todos Santos, Baja is a wellspring of my favorite food.

What did Ríos also say to me over the comal? That’s right: “Tacos are life.” I could not agree more.

FEBRUARY 2022

top: A colorful spread at Barracuda Cantina including the

Sexi Mexi cocktail, made with mezcal and passion fruit; fish tacos with slaw and guacamole; and the ceviche tostada bottom: The historic architecture of Todos Santos

A SAINTLY PARADISE The Jesuits knew a miracle (water in the desert) when they saw one. No wonder they stayed, founded a mission in 1723, and named the place Todos Santos, or All Saints. The geology behind the miracle: The high peaks of the Sierra de la Laguna mountains

catch the rare but torrential annual rainfall and capture the runoff in a vast aquifer under the valley sand. That aquifer once supplied sugarcane fields here and now supports small family farms growing organic produce, around them the empty desert and the broad, Pacific-pounded beaches. It’s a paradise that has lured expats— especially artists—to revive a historic district of colonial haciendas and sugar warehouses with galleries, boutiques, and an increasingly savvy restaurant scene. The early 2021 opening of Paradero on the outskirts of town, planted as it is at the margin between farm and desert, with its modernist aesthetic and the high-voltage work in its kitchen, heralds a new and very cool era for a long-beloved hideaway.

Credit approval required. Terms apply. See capitalone.com for details.

GETTING THERE Most major airlines offer direct service to San José del Cabo Airport. From there, it’s a one-hour drive to Paradero, which will arrange private transfers in a luxury SUV.

WHERE TO STAY

PARADISE PERFECTED An effortless escape from the everyday and a portal to all that’s exceptional and unforgettable.

Paradise has never felt so perfect .

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feature contrasting textures of concrete, wood, rattan, and soft linens to create a modernist oasis in the desert. bottom: Many operators at San Pedrito Beach, less than a 10-minute drive from the hotel, offer horseback riding (and surfing lessons) along the Pacific coastline.

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The Mahendro family includes (from left) Arjun, Anu, Pawan, Shivam, Nakul, and Saloni (holding Saloni and Nakul’s dog. Timbit). not pictured: Arjun’s wife, Disha Mahendro.

Badmaash at Home BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE FAMILY BEHIND LOS ANGELES’ TRENDSETTING MODERN INDIAN RESTAURANTS

STORY BY KHUSHBU SHAH PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIFER CHONG

FEBRUARY 2022

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Pawan Mahendro is standing shoulder to shoulder with his eldest son, Nakul, on the granite kitchen countertop in the home Pawan shares with his wife, Anu, in Anaheim.

“You’re cutting the onions crooked,” Pawan gently scolds Nakul in Hindi. Across the kitchen island, his younger son, Arjun, laughs as he tussles with the cork of a bottle of wine.

Arjun, Nakul, and their parents are the family of restaurateurs behind Badmaash, a modern Indian concept with two locations in Los Angeles. Since opening nearly nine years ago, Badmaash has helped set a standard for what a modern Indian restaurant looks like, with a cutting-edge wine list, incredible hospitality, and a catchy hip-hop playlist. If your local Indian restaurant is serving chicken tikka poutine, tender lamb burgers, or a saucy fried butter chicken sandwich, you can thank the Mahendros.

When they’re not running their restaurants (they also own a catering kitchen and Burgers 99, a fast-casual burger spot), the Mahendros try to gather weekly for family dinners, though Anu admits that it’s closer to “a twice-a-month thing.” Each person lends a hand in the family kitchen. “Dad is the chef at the restaurants, but mom is the chef at home,” says Nakul, who for his own part is acting as a prep cook, dicing the vegetables for the coleslaw. Anu is in charge of the noodle salad (recipe p. 78); it’s a recipe she came up with nearly two decades ago after wanting to create a healthier and more flavorful version of KFC’s macaroni salad. Pawan, who likes to joke he is Anu’s sous chef, readies fish fillets for his fried fish sandwiches (p. 77), dredging each piece in flour and spices. He uses two stainless steel thalis, or rimmed plates, handed down to him from his grandfather in Amritsar, Punjab. Arjun is on what Nakul calls “vibes duty,” making sure everyone’s wineglasses are filled and STARING AT A CUTTING BOARD

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the playlist remains robust. Conversation zigzags between Hindi, Punjabi, and English, punctuated by raucous laughter and occasional ribbing. Nakul’s wife, Saloni, wanders into the kitchen to grab their energetic three-year-old son, Shivam, who is looking for snacks, as their dog, Timbit, barks in the backyard.

For the Mahendros, work time and family time bleed together the way cream swirls in coffee—it’s impossible to separate the two spheres. This is evident in the way they cook, too. Though they are at home, little details betray the fact that they are a professional restaurant family: the industrial-size roll of cling wrap that sits on the counter, the small plastic bag into which they throw trash and scraps as they cook, the way they clean as they go—just as they do in their professional kitchens. “Pawan taught us all these tricks,” says Anu. But a close look at the kitchen also reveals the Mahendros’ personal family story in small details: the aforementioned thalis from Punjab, the bright red coffee maker stocked with Tim Horton’s coffee that marks the family’s time in Toronto, the bowls of Doritos and sleeves of Oreo Thins on the counter—American snacks that they fell in love with when they moved to Los Angeles.

The Mahendros spend their days in their restaurants making plates of verdant saag paneer, a rich coconut fish moilee, and vats of butter chicken, so when it’s time to relax, their family meals are often less Indian than people might expect. Sure, the coleslaw might be laced with Indian spices like cumin, and there will definitely be cups of masala chai after dinner, but tonight, they just want to eat and enjoy each other’s company and cooking. After all, the most important aspect of the meal is that they are eating it together.

opposite: The Mahendros in the kitchen at Pawan and Anu’s home in Anaheim. this page , clockwise from top left: Mustard and rosemary season

Peppercorn-Crusted Roast Beef (recipe p. 81); Pawan and Anu prepare noodle salad (p. 78); catfish fillets fry for Fried Catfish Sandwiches (p. 77).

Fried Catfish Sandwiches with Cumin Slaw 1. Make the marinated catfish: Whisk together egg, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large, shallow bowl until combined. Add catfish fillets, and gently toss to coat in egg mixture. Let marinate at room temperature 30 minutes.

Tender catfish fillets marinate briefly in garlic and pepper before being breaded and fried for these extra-crispy sandwiches. The usual cast of characters headlines the creamy coleslaw—green cabbage, red onion, and matchstick carrots—but the Mahendro family punches up this classic side with cilantro, bread-and-butter pickles, and a roasted cumin, mayo, and vinegar dressing. Like most slaws, this one gets better after a day in the refrigerator; stir in the cilantro just before serving to keep it fresh.

TOTAL 1 HR 10 MIN; SERVES 6

MARINATED CATFISH

1 large egg 1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic 1 tsp. kosher salt 1/2

tsp. black pepper

6 (4- to 5-oz.) catfish fillets COLESLAW

4 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar 2 Tbsp. white vinegar 3/4

cup mayonnaise

1/2

cup thinly sliced red onion

1/2

cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1/2

cup chopped bread-and-butter pickle chips

1/4

cup matchstick carrots

2 Tbsp. roasted ground cumin 1 Tbsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste 1/4

tsp. black pepper

BREADING

1/2

3/4

tsp. black pepper, divided

2 large eggs 1/2

cup whole milk

2 tsp. finely chopped garlic 2 cups panko ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

6 Tbsp. chopped bread-and-butter pickle chips 6 hamburger buns, split

2. Meanwhile, make the coleslaw: Place cabbage in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with sugar, and drizzle with vinegar; toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Lightly squeeze cabbage mixture to remove any liquid; pour off liquid.

Add mayonnaise, onion, cilantro, pickles, carrots, cumin, salt, and pepper; stir to coat. Season with additional salt to taste.

Cover and refrigerate coleslaw until ready to use.

3. Make the breading: Pour oil into a 12-inch cast-iron skillet to a depth of 1 inch; heat oil over medium to 375°F. Set a wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet. Sift flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper into a wide, shallow bowl. Re-sift flour mixture into a separate bowl; re-sift mixture again into original bowl. Set aside. Whisk eggs in a separate wide, shallow bowl until well blended; whisk in milk, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Stir together panko and remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons salt in a separate wide, shallow bowl. Working in batches, remove 2 catfish fillets from marinade mixture, letting excess drip off, and dredge in seasoned flour; shake off excess. Dip in egg mixture; let excess drip off. Dredge in seasoned panko, pressing to adhere.

Carefully place dredged fillets in hot oil.

Fry until panko is deep golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, carefully flipping fillets halfway through cook time and adjusting heat between batches as needed to maintain oil temperature of 375°F. Transfer cooked fillets to prepared rack. Repeat with remaining fillets.

4. Assemble the sandwiches: Spread 1 tablespoon chopped pickles on each bun bottom; top with 1 fried catfish fillet and about 1/2 cup coleslaw. Cover with bun tops. —PAWAN MAHENDRO MAKE AHEAD Slaw can be refrigerated in

Peanut oil, for frying

an airtight container up to 3 days.

cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/8 oz.)

WINE Bright, unoaked Oregon white: 2019

1 Tbsp. kosher salt, divided

A to Z Wineworks Chardonnay

FEBRUARY 2022

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Anu’s Noodle Salad with Crunchy Fruit

A joyful romp of textures, this refreshing salad combines crisp bell pepper, juicy grapes, pineapple, chewy egg noodles, carrots, and fresh apples dressed with a homemade vinaigrette. While it’s perfect paired with the Fried Catfish Sandwiches with Cumin Slaw, it makes a grand addition to any potluck spread. To maintain the textures, serve it chilled.

ACTIVE 45 MIN; TOTAL 2 HR 15 MIN; SERVES 10 TO 12 DRESSING

1 cup canola oil 1/2

cup white vinegar

1/4

cup plus 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1/4

cup finely chopped garlic

2 Tbsp. dry mustard 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbsp. kosher salt 1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper SALAD

1 (17.6-oz.) pkg. uncooked thick egg noodles (such as Safoco Mi Trung)

MAHENDRO

2 cups chopped unpeeled apples

MAKE AHEAD Dressing can be made up to

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

3 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container.

1 cup seedless green grapes, halved 1 cup seedless red grapes, halved 1/2

cup diced (1/4 -inch pieces) carrot

1/2

cup diced (1/4 -inch pieces) green bell pepper

1/2

cup diced (1/4 -inch pieces) red bell pepper

1 (20-oz.) can pineapple tidbits, drained and halved crosswise 1 cup roasted peanuts with skins 1. Make the dressing: Process oil, vinegar, sugar, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire, salt, and cayenne in a blender until creamy, about 20 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to use.

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2. Make the salad: Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. Drain in a colander, and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process; transfer to a large bowl.

Add apples, cilantro, green and red grapes, carrot, green and red bell peppers, and pineapple tidbits; toss gently to combine. Add dressing, and gently toss to coat salad mixture. Loosely cover, and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Gently toss salad until creamy.

Sprinkle with roasted peanuts. —ANU

FEBRUARY 2022

Peppercorn-Crusted Roast Beef with Horseradish Cream To make this tender beef roast, Nakul and Arjun Mahendro start with a center-cut strip roast, which they spread with peppercorns, salt, mustard, and rosemary leaves. An overnight chill seasons and tenderizes the meat and also dries the outside of the roast nicely, helping to create a crispy crust after roasting. It’s a perfect centerpiece for a Sunday dinner.

ACTIVE 30 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 50 MIN, PLUS 12 HR REFRIGERATION; SERVES 8 TO 10 BEEF ROAST 1/4

cup coarsely cracked black peppercorns

2 Tbsp. coarse kosher salt, plus more to taste 2 (5-inch) rosemary sprigs, broken in half, plus 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves, divided 1/2

cup Dijon mustard

1 (6-lb.) center-cut beef strip roast, fat cap trimmed to 1/4 inch 1 large yellow onion, unpeeled and coarsely chopped (about 2 1/2 cups) 3 medium celery stalks, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup) 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup) 4 medium garlic cloves 2 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter 2 1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 2 cups lower-sodium chicken stock HORSERADISH CREAM

2 cups sour cream 1/2

cup refrigerated prepared horseradish, well drained

2 tsp. coarse kosher salt 1 tsp. black pepper 1. Make the beef roast: Stir together cracked peppercorns, salt, and rosemary leaves in a small bowl. Rub mustard all over roast. Sprinkle roast evenly with peppercorn mixture, pressing to adhere.

Place roast on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 450°F. Arrange onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and rosemary sprigs

in a 16- x 12-inch roasting pan. Place beef roast, fat side up, on top of onion mixture.

Roast in preheated oven 15 minutes.

Without opening oven, reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Continue roasting until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of meat registers 115°F, 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 25 minutes.

Remove roasting pan from oven. Transfer roast to a cutting board, and let rest 20 minutes. (Internal temperature will continue to climb to 125°F.) 3. While beef roasts, make the horseradish cream: Whisk together sour cream, horseradish, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

4. While roast rests, place roasting pan on stovetop over medium. Add butter to onion mixture in pan, and cook, stirring constantly, until melted. Sprinkle flour over onion mixture; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Gradually add stock, whisking constantly until flour mixture is smooth. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium; simmer, whisking often, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Season gravy with additional salt to taste. Pour gravy through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a small bowl; discard solids, and transfer gravy to a gravy boat.

5. Slice beef roast into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and transfer to a large platter. Serve with horseradish cream and gravy. —NAKUL AND ARJUN MAHENDRO MAKE AHEAD Horseradish cream can be

made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container.

WINE Substantial California Cabernet:

2018 Buehler Napa Valley

FEBRUARY 2022

81

S R E K A B

E S I R

on the

SICILIAN SCACCIATA P. 93

VALE RIA MESSI NA

SA RA H OW E NS

A P O LLO N I A P O I LÂ N E

MO N IK A WAL ECK A

CA ROL C H OI

PAM ELA YUN G

MAR I SOL MAL ATESTA

AVA C E L IK

ELVI A LE Ó N H ERN Á N D EZ

ITALIAN BAKER AND AUTHOR LAURA LAZZARONI CELEBRATES A MODERN BREAD MOVEMENT DEFINED BY WOMEN FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE BRINGING NEW, DELICIOUS APPROACHES TO BREADMAKING. PHOTOGRAPHY BY VICTOR PROTASIO FEBRUARY 2022

83

it’s a way of making up for lack of representation: We need to work harder at creating equal opportunities so that women don’t need pink fences to mark our space.

Yet here I am, writing about the women of bread. But I do this to bring attention to an exciting movement and a specific moment in time. Historically, men have baked commercially in shops and kitchens, while women baked at home or in markets.

Today, this old dynamic is being turned on its head, with women leading the charge in the business of baking.

In my personal bread journey, women have taught and inspired me in ways that diverge from the traditional nurturing matriarch narrative. My mentors are professional chefs, as well as sculptors, lawyers, chemists, and actors—a diversity of professions that’s reflected in their wide range of approaches to bread baking. Taking advantage of better working conditions (finally compatible with the pursuit of a life outside of work) and of a renaissance in the supply chain (with younger generations taking on crops and mills), these women bakers are thriving. They are opening microbakeries on farms, revolutionizing bread in restaurants, using dough in lieu of clay or paint in artwork, collecting and preserving seeds (as many women do in many agri-cultures), and baking to forge a path toward autonomy in disadvantaged areas.

The women bakers I most admire seek a complex palette of ingredients, swapping common for ancient wheat, rye, oats, barley, and corn. They honor the tradition of unleavened and naturally leavened breads, whether it’s with sourdough-style country loaves or with flatbreads. Preserving or innovating on the lineage of regional recipes is a given for them. Bread entrepreneurship is their way to pursue a more sustainable food system, a tool for social activism and personal expression.

Beyond their affinity for dough, they share a code, a healthy indifference toward competitiveness and braggadocio. Muscleflexing about the technicalities of the process is not their style, TO THOSE WHO SAY

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though they sure know those technicalities well. Reverse engineering the process is more of a male obsession that has dominated the bread movement in the past few years; there’s a reason why Silicon Valley is home to a big contingent of “sourdough bros” and why science-driven tomes like the Modernist Bread collection are authored mostly by men. (Anecdotally, whenever I post a photo of my ciabatta on Instagram, at least a couple of men slide into my DMs asking me, “H2O%?”, something women never do.) I think we are more interested in delivering flavor, nutrients, and culture than in showing off.

Take, for example, Vanessa Kimbell, founder of The Sourdough School in Northampton, United Kingdom, who is on a mission to prove the benefits of a long fermentation of whole wheat on gut microbiome health. Equally obsessed with stone-ground milling and rich-flavored pain au levain baked in wood-fired ovens is Apollonia Poilâne, gallerist, baker, and CEO of the famous Parisian boulangerie. She took over the family business at 18 while studying at Harvard, following the tragic loss of her parents. Belgium, too, has its queen of wood-fired baking: Sarah Lemke of De Superette, in Ghent, the bakery and restaurant opened by chef Kobe Desramaults.

Italy has the world’s highest number of landrace and heirloom varieties of wheat (heirloom grains are consistently selected by farmers or agronomists and are a few hundred years old; ancient grains like einkorn have been grown for 30,000 years), not to mention evolutionary populations (thousands of old and new varieties of wheat sown in the same field), and almost all artisan bakers incorporate these deeply aromatic flours in their loaves.

Two are former chemists, Aurora Zancanaro, of Le Polveri, a microbakery in Milan, and Lorenza Roiati, of L’Assalto ai Forni, in Ascoli Piceno, a historic town in Le Marche, a region known for its grain. Rural life also becomes Louise Bannon, a Ballymaloe Cookery School trainee, who’s made bread for Noma Australia and in the Pyrenees mountains (with heirloom wheat grown

P. 83: (MESSINA) ELENA FICHERA; (OWENS) NGOC MINH NGO (COURTESY OF ROOST BOOKS); (POILÂNE) PHILIPPE VAURES-SANTAMARIA; (WALECKA) ALEKSANDRA PAVONI; (CHOI) GABRIELE FACCIOTTI; (YUNG) DANIELA VELASCO; (MALATESTA) SIMON CONTI; (CELIK) ROBERT RIEGER; (HERNÁNDEZ) JALIL OLMEDO; FOOD STYLING: TORIE COX; PROP STYLING: LYDIA PURSELL

Whenever the word “woman” or “female” is used as a prefix, you can cue the arched eyebrows and weary eye rolls from millions of women. Female judge, female engineer, female chef— why should a job description need gender specification?

SICILIAN SCACCIATA

BY VALERIA MESSINA

P. 93

“Once the decision to give up my corporate lawyer job was made, I never looked back,” says Messina. As a Sicilian, she was familiar with the history of the island’s varieties of durum wheat and bought flours from local markets to start baking at home. Now, she owns Forno Biancuccia in Catania. With her team (including two young Senegalese bakers who started as interns), she makes breads from old varieties of wheat such as Perciasacchi, Russello, and Timilìa; rye; buckwheat; and einkorn; plus traditional Sicilian focacce and rustic cakes.

GLUTEN-FREE VOLLKORNBROT LOAF

BY AVA CELIK P.

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Born in Berlin to Turkish parents, Celik was a philosophy and film studies major. “I acted for 10 years but didn’t like it and stopped when I was diagnosed with celiac disease,” she says. Celik owns Aera Bread, a 100% gluten-free bakery in Berlin with impressive bread that looks and tastes great, and a curated interior design and Instagram account that’s a reflection of her love for all things minimalistic. While she was developing her secret flour mixes (up to 12 kinds, such as buckwheat, millet, teff, tapioca, potato, rice, and more), she didn’t have much of a life. “The key to nailing gluten-free bread is endless repetition.” Happily, now that she’s nailed it, she’s no longer a recluse.

s r e n n i w d a e r B

ILLUSTRATIONS: BODIL JANE

FROM SOCIAL ACTIVISTS AND MEXICAN MATRIARCHS TO PERFORMANCE ARTISTS, THESE ARE SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST EXCITING BREAD BAKERS.

by Andy Cato of the band Groove Armada). She has opened Tír Bakery on a farm in northwest Denmark, where she bakes with grains freshly milled a few feet away from where they were harvested.

Pam Yung, formerly of Semilla, in Brooklyn, split the last months of 2021 between her role as head chef of James Lowe’s Flor wine bar and bakery, in London, and a residency at Dan Barber’s Stone Barns, in upstate New York.

Even pre-Tartine, California was making sourdough cool, with the bakeries opened by Nancy Silverton and Alice Waters. Today, the Golden State is home to a strong base of cottage bakeries and independent shops owned by women, places like Wayfarer Bread, in San Diego, which Crystal White crowdfunded on Kickstarter after a successful string of pop-ups, or Proof Bakery in Atwater Village, Los Angeles, started by Korean-born Na Young Ma and currently run as a co-op by her employees—proof that small can be not just beautiful but also meaningful, serving the local community, one bread roll at a time.

The most political is Lexie Smith, Queens-based artist and model behind the project Bread on Earth; through her haunting ancestral breads, she brazenly initiates conversations on money, religion, conflict, and sex. The youngest is Kitty Tait, 17-year-old baker of The Orange Bakery, in Oxfordshire. In Mexico, there’s a motherdaughter duo, Patricia Rangel and Breana Bauman, of Breana’s Toast. Rangel, a single mother of two, chose to focus on gourmet pan crocante for its longer shelf life, knowing she wouldn’t have to make it every morning, and used her skills as an industrial designer to create the production line, based in Guadalajara.

As much as we should all celebrate the artistry and vision of these women, we must also remember that not all women have the freedom to run businesses, especially in regions lacking political and economic stability. That is why I’m thankful for projects like Mavia Bakery, a social enterprise in Beirut, Lebanon, that was started by baker Brant Stewart, is run by women, and trains Syrian refugees; or The Women’s Bakery, which was founded in Rwanda by Peace Corps volunteer Markey Culver and prepares vulnerable women to manage bakeries in their communities (much like Jessamyn Rodriguez, who has been empowering immigrants and women of color through bread with Hot Bread Kitchen, her NYC nonprofit). In these pages, you’ll meet other exciting bakers, ideas, and attitudes. Seek them out and support them; try their recipes (starting on p. 88). The world is a richer place thanks to what they do.

Chef Elena Reygadas runs a growing number of eateries in Mexico City, from the original and charming Rosetta to the newer Café Nin and Pizzería Lardo, but her true passion is sourdough, conchas, and guavafilled rolls. Find them at her worldfamous Panadería Rosetta.

Elvia León Hernández makes 90 pounds of fresh masa every day. For 20 years, she’s served tortillas, tamales, and memelas to the neighborhood from her comal in Oaxaca. In 2018, she opened Alfonsina (also a F&W World’s Best Restaurant!) with her son Jorge.

From Lima, Peru, originally, Marisol Malatesta is a performance artist who coruns Tilde Forno Artigiano, in the northern Italian town of Treviglio. Dough is her medium of self-expression; for instance, she reproduces human emotions and faces in cracker form.

What’s a Korean American pastry chef who has worked at Per Se, Noma, and Mirabelle doing in Piedmont? The answer is Rantan, a micro-farm with chef’s table that Carol Choi co-owns with her husband; there, she bakes aromatic sourdough made with Italian heritage flours.

Roxana Jullapat has a journalism degree and a love for the “mother grains,” like barley, buckwheat, corn, oats, and wheat.

They’re the backbone of the menu at Friends & Family, the bakery and restaurant she co-owns in L.A. Mother Grains is the title of her first book (Norton 2021).

In a village of the Central African Republic, Yvette Abaka founded the all-female “boulangerie communautaire,” part of an E.U. project on wildlife conservation and community outreach, an inspiring example of empowerment in one of the most politically unstable pockets of Africa.

FEBRUARY 2022

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FLUFFY ITALIAN FLATBREAD

BY LAURA LAZZARONI

Lazzaroni—the author of this story—is a biology graduate who has researched old varieties and evolutionary populations of wheat and their use in breadmaking. She was the New York correspondent for la Repubblica and features editor of L’Uomo Vogue in Milan before becoming editor in chief of Food & Wine Italia. She is an accomplished bread consultant and author of two bread books: Altri Grani Altri Pani (Guido Tommasi Editore) and La Formula del Pane (Giunti). She also co-authored 10 Lezioni di Cucina (Giunti) with chef Niko Romito, of the threeMichelin-star restaurant Reale, and in 2021, she published her first book in English, The New Cucina Italiana (Rizzoli).

ACTIVE 1 HR 30 MIN; TOTAL 4 HR 30 MIN, PLUS 24 HR REFRIGERATION; SERVES 12

Not to be confused with semolina, which has a texture similar to cornmeal, semola rimacinata (or twice milled) flour is more finely ground. Paired with nutty wholewheat flour, it’s responsible for this bread’s distinctive soft, fluffy texture. Refrigerate the dough for an extra day to allow it to develop a more rich, complex flavor.

3 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour (such as King Arthur) (about 14 oz.)

3/4

cup semola rimacinata flour (such as Caputo) (about 43/8 oz.), plus more for work surface

1/4

cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing, brushing, and, if desired, serving

1/4

cup sourdough starter discard (2 oz.)

1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. flaky sea salt 1 1/2 cups warm water (about 82°F) Ghee or thinly sliced guanciale, for serving (optional) 1. Stir together white whole-wheat flour and semola flour in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil; using your fingers, rub oil into flour mixture until evenly combined and any beads of oil are dispersed, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sourdough starter and salt.

Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water over mixture.

Form your hand into the shape of a hook, and mix dough until dough is smooth and all dry ingredients are incorporated, about 2 minutes. Cover bowl with a clean towel, and let dough rest 20 minutes.

2. Uncover bowl. Using wet hands to prevent dough from sticking, stretch and fold dough over itself in bowl until it feels tight and elastic (a sign that the gluten is well developed), 4 to 6 minutes. If dough starts to tear, stop stretching, and let rest 2 minutes before resuming. Cover bowl with a clean towel, and let dough rest until relaxed and risen slightly, 2 to 3 hours.

3. Turn dough out onto a clean work surface. Divide evenly into 12 pieces (about 27/8 ounces each). To shape each dough piece, form a claw with your hand, and rotate it in a circle, gently pressing down on top of the dough piece. The dough will pull across the unfloured surface and form a tight ball. Arrange dough balls,

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FEBRUARY 2022

evenly spaced, in a lightly greased (with oil) 13- x 9-inch baking pan. Cover pan tightly with plastic wrap. Chill at least 24 hours or up to 48 hours. (Chilling for an extra day gives the flatbread a more complex flavor.)

4. Remove dough from refrigerator. Let stand in baking pan at room temperature until dough is relaxed and no longer cool to the touch, 1 to 2 hours. (If working in a warm environment [around 85°F], let dough stand for only 1 hour.)

5. Working with 1 dough ball at a time and keeping remaining dough balls covered in pan, transfer dough ball to a lightly floured (with semola flour) surface. Dust top of ball with semola flour. Using the palm of your hand, flatten ball slightly; using your fingertips, stretch it into a 5-inch disk. Using a rolling pin, start from center of disk and roll outward, rotating disk often, to form a 71/2-inch round, dusting with flour as needed to prevent

sticking. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium. Lightly brush with oil. (If using a terra-cotta flatbread baking dish or a comal, heat over medium-high or high, and do not grease.) Toss dough round gently between your hands to stretch it into an 8-inch round, and carefully place dough round in preheated skillet. Cook until dough puffs up (in 1 large bubble or several small bubbles) and bottom is covered in a leopard pattern of golden spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook until dough is cooked through and speckled on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove from skillet, and brush both sides lightly with oil. Keep warm in a folded towel or a tortillero with lid. Repeat process with remaining dough balls, wiping skillet clean and brushing with oil between flatbreads.

Serve warm. —LAURA LAZZARONI, MILAN NOTE Find semola rimacinata flour at

specialty grocery stores or online at italianfoodonlinestore.com.

RUSTIC APPLE-RYE BREAD

BY MONIKA WALECKA P.

91

This entrepreneur is as famous for the “bakerinas” of her all-female bakery, Cała W Ma˛ce, in Warsaw, as she is for her obsession with wholegrain rye. After studying Slavic philology and social psychology and working as a TV producer, she discovered bread: “It integrates all of my studies,” she explains. She moved to California and learned the ropes at San Francisco Baking Institute. Of running her own business, she jokes, “I’m the effing boss; I have to be tough,” but her employees talk of her heart of gold.

SOURDOUGH SPICE COOKIES

BY SARAH OWENS

Previously a horticulturist and ceramic artist, Owens is an award-winning cookbook author and baking instructor based in Sonoma, California, where she specializes in sourdough, heirloom grains, and ancestral cooking techniques. “At the core of my sourcing are traceability and flavor,” she says. A strong moral compass has led her to collaborate with micro-entrepreneurs and challenged communities in Colombia, Mexico, Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon. She’s currently working with Pedacito de la Tierra, “an incredible project in Nogales, Mexico, featuring an horno [outdoor oven] that many migrants use both to cook and to start their own businesses.”

Sourdough Spice Cookies ACTIVE 30 MIN; TOTAL 2 HR 45 MIN, PLUS 12 HR REFRIGERATION MAKES ABOUT 20 COOKIES

Richly spiced, these chewy cookies are an excellent way to use excess sourdough starter or discard, which is never in short supply for habitual sourdough bakers. The bountiful mélange of spices in this recipe yields an extremely flavorful dough that develops even more complexity the longer it rests. This is a thick, hefty dough; Sarah Owens sources heavy-duty vintage ice cream scoops to make portioning easier.

DOUGH

2 1/4 cups whole-grain spelt flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill) (about 9 3/4 oz.)

2 cups whole-grain dark rye flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill) (about 8 1/4 oz.)

1/2

cup whole-grain buckwheat flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill) (about 2 1/4 oz.)

1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon 1 Tbsp. ground ginger 2 tsp. ground cardamom 1 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric 1 tsp. ground white pepper 1 tsp. ground black pepper 1 tsp. ground allspice 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 3/4

tsp. ground cloves

3/4

tsp. ground nutmeg

3/4

tsp. kosher salt

1 cup unsalted butter (8 oz.), at room temperature 1 cup loosely packed unrefined coconut sugar or light brown sugar 3/4

cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

well after each addition. Add molasses, sourdough starter, and vanilla. Beat until mixture is well combined and resembles ribbons being pulled by the paddle, about 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl.

3. Reduce mixer speed to low; gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating just until incorporated and smooth, about 1 minute. (Do not overmix. Dough will be thick and soft.) Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and chill at least overnight (12 hours) or up to 5 days. The longer the dough chills, the fluffier and tangier the cookies will be.

4. Remove dough from refrigerator, and let stand, covered, at room temperature until slightly softened, 1 to 2 hours. During final 30 minutes of standing time, preheat oven to 375°F with racks in upper third and lower third positions. Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Make the topping: Stir together granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.

6. Using a 2 1/4-inch cookie scoop, divide dough into 2 1/2-ounce portions, leaving 1 side of each scoop flat. Roll the rounded tops and sides of each dough portion in cinnamon-sugar topping. Place dough scoops, flat sides down, at least 2 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

7. Bake 2 baking sheets of cookies in preheated oven until cookie edges are set and slightly firm and tops are crackled with dull matte, not glossy, cracks, 14 to 18 minutes, rotating baking sheets between top and bottom racks halfway through bake time. Let cookies cool on baking sheets 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack, and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Repeat baking process with remaining cookies. —SARAH OWENS, SONOMA MAKE AHEAD Dough can be made up to 5

1/2

cup unsulfured molasses (such as Grandma’s)

days ahead and stored in an airtight container in refrigerator.

1/3

cup mature sourdough starter or sourdough starter discard (about 2 1/2 oz.), at room temperature

Rustic Apple-Rye Bread

1 tsp. vanilla extract

PHOTO P. 89

ACTIVE 1 HR; TOTAL 6 HR 20 MIN, PLUS 12 TOPPING

HR STANDING AND 12 HR REFRIGERATION

1/3

cup granulated sugar

MAKES 2 (ABOUT 10-INCH) RING-SHAPED

3/4

tsp. ground cinnamon

LOAVES

1. Make the dough: Whisk together spelt flour, rye flour, buckwheat flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, turmeric, white pepper, black pepper, allspice, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

2. Beat butter, coconut sugar, and granulated sugar in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until pale and slightly fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating

Sweet chunks of Honeycrisp apple and chewy raisins stud this ring loaf made from rye flour and just a hint of warming cinnamon. Achieving the distinctive ring shape is easy; just be sure to have two sets of 4-inch and 9-inch nesting bowls on hand.

CRACKED RYE SOAKER 3/4

cup cracked rye berries (about 3 1/2 oz.)

1/2

cup boiling water

1/2

cup buttermilk

RYE LEVAIN 1/4

cup cold water (about 60°F)

1 Tbsp. mature sourdough starter (about 1/2 oz.)

1/3

cup whole-grain dark rye flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill) (about 1 1/8 oz.)

DOUGH

2 1/2 cups warm water (about 80°F), divided 6 1/2 cups bread flour (such as King Arthur) (about 1 3/4 lb.)

1 1/2 cups whole-grain dark rye flour (about 63/8 oz.), plus more for work surface 2 1/2 Tbsp. kosher salt Cooking spray 2 medium Honeycrisp apples (about 13 oz.), unpeeled and cut in 1/4 -inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups) 1/4

cup raisins

1 tsp. ground cinnamon (preferably Ceylon) Hot water, for steaming 1. Make the cracked rye soaker: Stir together cracked rye berries and 1/2 cup boiling water in a small heatproof bowl.

Let stand 1 hour. Stir in buttermilk. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight (12 to 16 hours).

2. Meanwhile, make the rye levain: Stir together 1/4 cup cold water and sourdough starter in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup until starter is mostly dissolved. Stir in flour until smooth. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature until mixture is bubbly, at least doubled in volume, and smells sour like yogurt, 12 to 16 hours.

3. Make the dough: Combine rye levain and 2 1/4 cups warm water in a large bowl. Stir well until levain is mostly dissolved. Add bread flour and rye flour; mix with hands until all ingredients are well combined with no dry spots. Cover with a clean towel, and let stand at room temperature until dough stiffens slightly, about 30 minutes.

4. Add salt and remaining 1/4 cup warm water to dough in bowl. Using a squeezing motion, incorporate salt and water into dough. Stretch and fold dough onto itself in bowl until it forms a tight and mostly smooth ball, 3 to 4 minutes. Cover bowl with a clean towel, and let stand at warm room temperature (about 80°F) until airy and slightly risen, about 2 hours, performing a set of stretch and folds (4 folds in every set and rotating bowl 90 degrees after each) every 30 minutes.

5. Add cracked rye soaker to dough.

Stretch and fold dough back onto itself in bowl until cracked rye mixture is mostly

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combined, about 1 minute. Cover bowl with a clean towel, and let stand until slightly risen, about 1 hour, performing 1 set of stretch and folds after 30 minutes.

6. Turn dough out onto a lightly greased (with cooking spray) work surface. Using hands, gently stretch dough into a 16- x 12-inch rectangle. Sprinkle evenly with apples, raisins, and cinnamon. Starting from a short end, roll dough up jelly roll– style. Fold one-third of roll in toward center and other third on top, like a letter, and return to large bowl. Cover with a clean towel, and let stand at room temperature 1 hour and 30 minutes, performing 1 set of stretch and folds after 45 minutes.

7. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured (with rye flour) work surface, and divide in half (about 2 1/2 pounds each). Shape each half into a ball. Cover with a clean towel, and let stand 20 minutes.

8. Invert a 4-inch bowl, and place it inside of a 9-inch bowl. Line larger bowl with a linen kitchen towel, draping it over inverted bowl to form a ring-shaped moat. Dust towel generously with rye flour. Repeat with a second set of bowls, a towel, and rye flour. Set aside.

9. Working with 1 dough ball at a time and keeping remaining dough covered, uncover and dust lightly with rye flour.

Press bottom of a pint glass (about 2 1/4 inches wide) firmly into center of dough ball to form an indentation. Keeping dough ball on work surface, poke through center of indention using fingers to form a hole, stretching hole to about 4 inches in diameter, dusting generously with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Invert dough ring onto 1 prepared proofing bowl so that hole in center fits around inverted 4-inch bowl. Repeat process with second dough ball. Cover each bowl with a clean towel, and let stand at room temperature until slightly risen, about 1 hour. Transfer covered bowls to refrigerator, and chill overnight (12 to 16 hours).

10. Preheat oven to 500°F with a pizza stone on center rack. Place a baking pan (such as a 9-inch round cake pan) on lowest oven rack under pizza stone during final 5 minutes of preheating. Working with 1 loaf at a time and keeping remaining loaf in refrigerator, invert loaf onto a parchment paper–lined baking sheet or a parchment paper–lined pizza peel. Using a small, sharp knife or a lame, cut about 6 (3- to 4-inch-long) slashes (about 1/4 inch deep) into top of loaf.

11. Slide loaf from parchment-lined baking sheet onto preheated pizza stone.

Using a kettle or a measuring cup with a long spout, carefully and quickly pour hot water into cake pan to a depth of about 1/2 inch. Immediately close oven door to trap steam. Reduce oven temperature to 475°F,

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and bake until loaf is dark golden and internal temperature registers 205°F, 30 to 35 minutes. (Remove cake pan from oven if all water evaporates before loaf is finished baking.) Transfer loaf to a wire rack, and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Meanwhile, repeat process with second loaf, letting oven preheat to 500°F and refilling cake pan with hot water in between loaves.

—MONIKA WALECKA, WARSAW NOTE Find cracked rye berries at specialty

stores or online at janiesmill.com.

Gluten-Free Vollkornbrot Loaf PHOTO P. 86

ACTIVE 25 MIN; TOTAL 4 HR 5 MIN, PLUS 16 HR STANDING MAKES 1 (8 1/2-INCH) LOAF

Hearty, chewy, and nutritious, groats are minimally processed whole grains; here, they’re used to add heft and crunch to Ava Celik’s gluten-free version of German brown bread. Gently sweetened with molasses, this dense bread gets a boost of flavor from a mix of toasted sunflower, flax, pumpkin, and sesame seeds.

OAT GROAT SOAK 1/3

cup boiling water

1/3

cup oat groats

SEED-AND-GROAT MIX 1/3

cup hulled buckwheat groats

1/4

cup flax seeds

1/4

cup raw pepitas

1/4

cup white sesame seeds

1/4

cup raw sunflower seed kernels

3/4

cup room-temperature water (75°F to 80°F)

LEVAIN 1/2

cup room-temperature water (75°F to 80°F)

3 Tbsp. Gluten-Free Starter (recipe follows) (about 2 oz.)

2/3

cup white rice flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill) (about 2 1/2 oz.)

1 Tbsp. teff flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill) (about 1/4 oz.)

DOUGH 2/3

cup white rice flour (about 2 1/2 oz.)

1/3

cup teff flour (about 1 5/8 oz.)

1/3

cup room-temperature water (75°F to 80°F)

1/4

cup whole-grain buckwheat flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill) (about 1 1/8 oz.)

2 Tbsp. unsulfured molasses 2 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

Cooking spray 1/4

cup mixed buckwheat groats and seeds (such as flax seeds, pepitas,

white sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds) Orange marmalade (optional) 1. Make the oat groat soak: Stir together 1/3 cup boiling water and oat groats in a small heatproof bowl. Cover and let stand at room temperature until water is absorbed and groats are softened slightly, 12 to 16 hours.

2. Meanwhile, make the seed-and-groat mix: Combine buckwheat groats, flax seeds, pepitas, sesame seeds, and sunflower seed kernels in a large nonstick skillet. Cook over medium, shaking skillet often, until groats and seeds are toasted and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl; let cool 10 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup room-temperature water. Cover and let stand at room temperature until water is absorbed and seeds are softened slightly, 12 to 16 hours.

3. Meanwhile, make the levain: Stir together 1/2 cup room-temperature water and gluten-free starter in a small bowl until starter is mostly dissolved. Add white rice flour and teff flour; stir until smooth.

Cover and let stand at room temperature until risen slightly and cracked on top, 12 to 16 hours.

4. Make the dough: Stir together levain, white rice flour, teff flour, 1/3 cup roomtemperature water, buckwheat flour, and molasses in a large bowl until dry ingredients are well combined. Cover with a clean towel, and let stand at room temperature 10 minutes.

5. Sprinkle dough with salt. Grab a portion of dough along the side of the bowl, and bring it toward the center. (Dough will feel like wet sand.) Continue this motion for 1 minute, rotating bowl 90 degrees after each fold. Cover and let rest 2 minutes.

Repeat folding process for 1 minute. Set aside. Pour oat groat soak through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a sink to drain any water that wasn’t absorbed. Add drained oat groat soak and seed-and-groat mix to dough in bowl. Mix using your hands until seeds and groats are evenly incorporated.

6. Coat an 81/2- x 41/2-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on long sides of pan. Lightly coat parchment paper with cooking spray. Pour dough mixture into prepared pan, and smooth top. Sprinkle evenly with mixed buckwheat groats and seeds. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature until dough rises to top of pan, 4 to 5 hours.

During final 30 minutes of proofing time, preheat oven to 350°F. 7. Bake loaf in preheated oven until set and internal temperature registers 205°F, 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes, tenting with aluminum

foil after 55 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning. Remove from oven. Let loaf cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan using parchment overhang as handles. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely, about 2 hours. If desired, serve with orange marmalade. —AVA CELIK, BERLIN

countrylifefoods.com. Find teff flour at bobsredmill.com.

Gluten-Free Starter ACTIVE 10 MIN, PLUS 7 DAYS AND 12 HR STANDING; MAKES ABOUT 1/3 CUP

4

3 1/2 cups semola flour (about 1 lb.)

3 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt 2 1/2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

NOTE Find oat and buckwheat groats at

1/2

4 cups white whole-wheat flour (about 1 lb.), plus more for work surface

cups white rice flour (about 18 oz.), divided

3/4

1 1/2 lb. thinly sliced provolone cheese, divided 4 1/2 cups small broccoli florets (about 8 oz.) (from 2 medium heads) 6 oz. spicy or mild Italian sausage, casings removed and broken into small pieces 1 large (about 3 oz.) shallot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)

2 3/4 cups plus 1 Tbsp. cool water (about 68°F), divided

3/4

cup pitted kalamata olives (about 3 1/2 oz.), halved lengthwise

71/2 Tbsp. teff flour (about 17/8 oz.), divided

1/2

cup drained oil-packed julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes (about 3 1/2 oz.)

1/2

tsp. fine sea salt

1/4

1. Stir together cup white rice flour, 3 tablespoons cool water, and 1 1/2 teaspoons teff flour in a small (about 8-ounce) jar. Cover and let stand at room temperature 12 hours.

2. To feed the starter, discard all but 1 1/2 tablespoons (about 7/8 ounce) starter in jar. Stir in 1/4 cup white rice flour, 3 tablespoons cool water, and 1 1/2 teaspoons teff flour. Cover and let stand at room temperature 12 hours.

3. Repeat step 2 (feeding the starter) twice a day (morning and evening) for 7 days before baking with it. The starter will feel sandy when freshly mixed and will crack on top when ready. —AVA CELIK, BERLIN

Sicilian Scacciata PHOTO P. 8 5

ACTIVE 1 HR; TOTAL 1 HR 45 MIN, PLUS 8 HR 30 MIN STANDING SERVES 8 TO 10

Scacciata is a sought-after Sicilian street food featuring a light and crispy bread dough stuffed with a variety of fillings.

Valeria Messina fills this version with gooey provolone cheese, tender broccoli florets, Italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, and kalamata olives.

Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing 1. Make the levain: Stir together 1/2 cup warm water and sourdough starter in a medium bowl until starter is mostly dissolved. Add white whole-wheat flour and semola flour. Stir until mixture is smooth.

Cover bowl with a clean towel, and let stand at room temperature until levain is bubbly, smells fruity, and is at least doubled in volume, about 4 hours.

2. Make the dough: Stir together levain and 2 1/4 cups room-temperature water in a large bowl until levain is mostly dissolved. Add white whole-wheat flour and semola flour. Mix with your hands until all ingredients are incorporated and there are no dry spots. Cover bowl with a clean towel, and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

3. Sprinkle dough with salt, and add remaining 1/2 cup room-temperature water to dough in bowl. Using a squeezing motion, incorporate salt and water into dough. Stretch and fold dough over itself in bowl until it begins to feel tight and is no longer elastic, 4 to 6 minutes. Add oil, and continue stretching and folding until oil is incorporated and dough forms a tight ball, about 1 minute. Cover bowl with a clean towel, and let stand at warm room

temperature (about 80°F) until doubled in volume, 3 to 4 hours, performing 1 set of stretch and folds (4 folds per set, rotating bowl 90 degrees after each fold) every 30 minutes.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured (with white whole-wheat flour) work surface. Divide dough evenly into 4 pieces (about 1 pound each). Shape each piece into a ball. Cover with a clean towel, and let rest 10 minutes.

5. Lightly grease (with oil) 2 (11-inch) disposable aluminum baking pans or 2 (12-inch) aluminum pizza pans. Working with 1 dough ball at a time and keeping remaining dough balls covered, roll dough into an 11-inch round. Transfer dough round to 1 prepared pan, and stretch with your fingers to cover the base of the pan.

Repeat process with a second dough ball and remaining prepared pan. Cover each pan with a clean towel. Let stand at warm room temperature (about 80°F) until dough has relaxed and slightly increased in volume, 30 to 45 minutes.

6. Arrange half of cheese slices (12 ounces) evenly over the 2 dough rounds in pans, leaving a 3/4-inch border in each.

Top evenly with broccoli, sausage, shallot, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. Sprinkle evenly with salt, and top evenly with remaining 12 ounces cheese.

7. Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out remaining 2 dough balls into 11-inch rounds.

Place dough rounds on top of assembled pies so that edges of top rounds just cover the edges of the fillings. Working with 1 pie at a time, twist the edge of the bottom dough round up and over the edge of the top dough round, pressing to adhere. Continue around the edge of pie to fully seal and create a twisted rope pattern. Cover pies with clean towels, and let stand at warm room temperature (80°F) until slightly increased in volume, about 30 minutes.

8. Brush pies lightly with oil. Using a knife, cut a 1-inch hole in top of each pie to allow steam to escape. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove from oven. Brush tops of pies lightly with oil. Let cool 10 minutes. Slice and serve. —VALERIA MESSINA, SICILY

LEVAIN 1/2

cup warm water (about 80°F)

1/4

cup mature sourdough starter (2 oz.)

2/3

cup white whole-wheat flour (such as King Arthur) (about 2 1/2 oz.)

1/4

cup semola flour (such as Caputo) (about 1 1/8 oz.)

DOUGH

WHAT TO BUY Choose stone-milled organic-grown grains that deliver maximum nutrients and flavor and support small, local productions. You can find these flours in select supermarkets, specialty stores, or online. A few to look out for: Anson Mills, Arrowhead Mills, Bob’s Red Mill, Cairnspring Mills, Capay Mills, Grist & Toll, Hayden Flour Mills, and King Arthur. Sicily-based Molini del Ponte exports some old varieties of durum wheat flour to the U.S. through Gustiamo (gustiamo.com).

2 3/4 cups room-temperature water (about 70°F), divided

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Jamie Caple, an activist and model, digs into Vegan Collards (recipe p. 101) at Boricua Soul in Durham, North Carolina.

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THE

SOUL OF A

NEIGHBORHOOD A W R I T E R F I N D S C O M F O RT AT N O RT H CA R O L I N A’ S B O R I C U A S O U L , W H E R E M O U T H WAT E R I N G CA R I B B E A N A N D S O U T H E R N FA R E I S S E R V E D W I T H A H E A P I N G S I D E O F C O M M U N I T Y.

STORY BY

VON DIAZ PHOTOGRAPHY BY

LAUREN VIED ALLEN

Boricua Soul co-owners Serena and Toriano Fredericks with their son, Devin

IT’S THE END

O F A B U S Y DAY AT

BORICUA SOUL,

in the heart of downtown Durham, North Carolina. I’m staying out of the way as I watch tables being pulled in from the light-strung brick patio, the chairs stacked on top; fryers are drained, counters wiped down. And as always, Serena and Toriano Fredericks—the wife-and-husband team behind this food-truck-turnedrestaurant—are there together.

“It’s James,” the cashier calls back to Serena, who runs the front of the house while Toriano, or Tori, as he’s known, manages the kitchen. “Good,” she says. “I need to get his caretaker’s number.” She steps back to the soda machine. James is a small, quiet man in his sixties who appears to be struggling with dementia and comes by the shop each day for a Coke. He never has to ask (and never pays), and Serena always takes a moment to check in with him when he visits.

Their almost-daily exchange exemplifies a kind of ethos that I’ve found is endemic to this Southern town. Here, the word community isn’t just lip service; it’s articulated through doing what it takes to ensure one another’s survival. Boricua Soul, a unique intersection of Caribbean and Southern flavors and identity, has become a neighborhood restaurant that feels particularly special in a world transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Serena and Tori didn’t expect to open a restaurant. They met by chance in 2010 at Tori’s divorce party (yes, party), when they were based in Durham and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, respectively. Tori was working as a dynamic positioning operator for oil rigs, out at sea for months at a time.

The two fell in love hard and fast, and a few months later, Tori moved to Durham, where his sister and grandmother lived. Neither were, as we say, “food people,” but when Tori wasn’t at sea, he published a prolific food blog and daydreamed about opening a food truck.

ILLUSTRATION BY KATIE BENN

A PUERTO RICAN–SOUTHERN RESTAURANT

But life threw the couple some curveballs. Serena experienced a difficult pregnancy before the birth of their son, Devin, followed by a pituitary gland tumor that required substantial treatment; it wasn’t until 2015 that they were finally able to start spending their days on their “Soul Patrol” truck. Tori left the sea for good three years later, and the family hit the road full-time slinging hoecakes—cornmeal pancakes inspired by Tori’s Southern family—as well as dishes that spoke to Serena’s Puerto Rican roots, like alcapurrias (root vegetable fritters) and jibaritos (sandwiches with fried plantains as the bread). The truck rapidly grew in popularity, leading to a pop-up that brought them to the American Tobacco Campus, where former tobacco warehouses were being put to new use. In November 2019, their brick-andmortar restaurant, Boricua Soul, opened at last.

Their new restaurant home seats 40 people and opens out onto a covered patio that seats upward of 75. The light fixtures are upside-down calderos, pots that are commonly used in Puerto Rican cooking, and a large mural by Victor Knight represents the couple’s journey: Tori’s grandmother in Durham on the right, Serena’s Puerto Rican grandmother on the left, and Devin banging on the drums in the center. The menu features an evolution of dishes they served on the truck: sweet potato cheesecake empanadas (recipe p. 99), mac and cheese topped with pernil (Puerto Rican pork shoulder) (p. 103), and Lawry’s-seasoned collards that also happen to be vegan (p. 101). Their dessert options include strawberry crunch and hummingbird cake slices from Tony’s Cake House—a business started by their former cook Tony Dunn. They proudly carry local beers, including pours from smaller breweries such as Spaceway—where Briana Brake (one of the few Black women brewmasters in the nation) makes the Afrofuturist-inspired Don Dada cardamom stout, which Tori uses to make jerk brisket.

“People [who dine with us] often say, ‘That tastes like my grandmother’s,’” Tori says. “Might be abuela, might be grandma. That always gets me.”

When COVID-19 struck, like so many other hospitality businesses, Boricua Soul was hit hard as people went into quarantine. They stopped serving indoors and made use of the patio, but cold days were especially trying. Staffing, too, proved extremely challenging, and the couple ran the operation themselves with a small skeleton crew, all but living at the restaurant for much of 2020.

During this time, I got to know their family. I was

DU RHA M’ S NEW C ROP Durham-based tobacco companies once produced upward of 80% of the tobacco in the U.S., and the state still produces most of the nation’s crop. But by the 1980s, many of the companies that built the city had moved out, disproportionately impacting low-income workers. The tides changed in 1995, when the new Durham Bulls stadium opened and investors decided to renovate the warehouse next door. That space became the American Tobacco Campus (americantobacco.co), which today is home to 85 businesses—including a new crop of restaurants like Boricua Soul.

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born in Puerto Rico and raised in the South, so I was ecstatic to find a restaurant that spoke to my heritage. When the pandemic began, I checked in with Serena often, and she shared their struggles: Some weeks were good, some were terrible, and they were both working around the clock, exhausted and afraid.

“Devin had a pillow and a blanket in the back of the shop because we didn’t know when we would get out of there,” Serena says.

Like many others, I stopped dining out during the early days of COVID-19—but I made an exception for Boricua Soul. So did dozens of other loyal customers, fellow food and beverage folks, friends, and family, who boosted the restaurant with their dollars, words of encouragement, and patience. Isolation made me crave the taste of home, of Puerto Rico and the smoky pinchos, or marinated chicken skewers, I’d get at roadside kioskos, or food stands, near the beach in Piñones; of collards and mac and cheese, a flavor combination that for me epitomizes the South.

I could taste the abuelita vibes in their food, which was always perfectly seasoned, balanced, and comforting.

Ultimately, it’s easy to get behind Serena and Tori because they consistently get behind others. During the summer of 2020, the restaurant advocated for justice for George Floyd and supported Black Lives Matter protests across the state via social media. Each Sunday, they host live jazz I COULD with Bull City in the Basement, a collective supporting TA S T E T H E local musicians impacted by the pandemic—their sets A B U E L I TA draw lines to the register. Meanwhile, children race VIBES through the courtyard; a young artist paints in the IN THEIR corner; a dancer improvises some moves.

F O O D, “When I met them, I thought, ‘That’s a really cool WHICH WAS way to contribute to the culture—both through your cuisine and by lifting up artists,’” says Adam Klein, A LWAYS the director of the American Tobacco Campus, who P E R F E C T LY has known the couple since 2018 and helped secure S E A S O N E D, their restaurant space. “I think that people like Tori BALANCED, and Serena play a huge role in growing the city’s culAND tural scene.”

Aside from boosting the arts and providing a place C O M F O RT I N G . for community, the couple also supports local farmers.

They source collard greens from Stanley Hughes, a third-generation Black farmer who runs Pine Knot Farms in neighboring Hurdle Mills. “At first, we were buying one case, and then three and four, and now six cases,” Tori says. “It means so much to be able to buy from local farmers and see them every week.”

Amid a particularly tough year, the couple managed not only to survive, but to expand. In addition to the restaurant, they offer catering, and their food truck is still running, though the labor shortage has kept them from operating on a daily basis.

Most recently, they opened a stall at the ballpark, where they serve Cuban sandwiches as well as other signature dishes.

There’s something about a neighborhood restaurant that’s really special. The food is often simple, but delicious and consistent. You go for a meal that tastes like home when you’re having a bad day, but you’ll also take out-of-towners because the food is bangin’. That’s the soul of Boricua Soul.

“We’ve been intentional about building our base and roots here in Durham,” Serena says. “This is where we live, where we go to school. These are our people, our neighbors, right?

And if we support this community, this community will always foster us.”

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S W E E T P O TAT O CHEESECAKE E M PA N A DA S

Sweet Potato Cheesecake Empanadas ACTIVE 45 MIN; TOTAL 3 HR 15 MIN MAKES 16 EMPANADAS

Puerto Rico and the American South intersect deliciously in this handheld dessert.

The creamy filling marries the flavors of marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole with spiced pumpkin cheesecake, all encased in crisp empanada pastry.

1 (15-oz.) can cut sweet potatoes in light syrup (such as Princella), drained and mashed 1 lb. cream cheese, softened 1/2

cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2

tsp. kosher salt

1/4

cup marshmallow creme

2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 16 (5 1/2 -inch) frozen empanada wrappers, thawed Neutral oil (such as peanut oil or vegetable oil), for frying Sweetened whipped cream and caramel sauce (optional) 1. Combine mashed sweet potatoes, cream cheese, brown sugar, and salt in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until fluffy and mostly smooth, about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add marshmallow creme, vanilla, and cinnamon. Beat on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Cover and chill filling until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.

2. On a clean work surface, roll out 1 empanada wrapper into a 6-inch circle.

Spoon about 1/4 cup filling onto center of wrapper. Fold wrapper over filling, and press to seal; crimp edges using a fork.

Repeat process using remaining wrappers and filling.

3. Fill a large Dutch oven with oil to a depth of 2 1/2 inches; heat over medium to 350°F. Working in about 4 batches, fry empanadas in hot oil, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, about 4 minutes per batch, letting oil return to 350°F between batches. Using a spider, transfer empanadas to a baking sheet lined with paper towels; let cool 15 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream and caramel sauce, if desired.

MAKE AHEAD Empanadas can be

prepared through step 2, frozen in an even layer on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet, and transferred to a resealable freezer bag. Freeze up to 2 months. Fry directly from frozen.

NOTE Find empanada wrappers in the

freezer section at most Latin markets.

LIKE A LOCAL

Serena Fredericks’ guide to the best bites in Durham

Don’t Miss

The Best Breakfast

“Barbecue is top of mind when you ask what our city’s signature dish is.

The Original Q Shack (theqshackoriginal.com) and Backyard BBQ Pit (sweetribs.com) are our favorites.”

Take a Stroll “Durham Central Park is our happy place. We have spent a lot of time there, from the free summer concert series to the many food truck rodeos and events we have participated in to our son’s dance classes to simple, impromptu picnics.”

Staycation-Worthy Hotel

Destination Desserts “The macarons and pastries at Sweets by Shayda (sweetsby shayda.com) are the way to my heart. They are often among gifts for my birthday and Mother’s Day. The apple galette at Rose’s Noodles, Dumplings & Sweets (roses durham.com) has made our son dance.”

“We spent a staycation at 21C (21cmuseumhotels .com/durham), a really cool hotel in a renovated old bank building, with rotating art exhibits throughout. It’s a perfect downtown location to walk to all the shops, bars, and restaurants.”

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FEBRUARY 2022

“We like to support our local Black farmers, and the Black Farmers’ Market (blackfarmers mkt.com) has some of the best farmers in the area. Perkins Orchard (perkinsorchard.com) is another favorite of ours; we all love to visit this locally owned orchard and take turns filling up our $20 produce bag. Best deal in town. I get a bit excited when I see pictures of their yellow watermelons hit Instagram.”

Fancy Date Night Faves

Greatest Gifts “I tend to put gift baskets together for our friends and family from our local gift shops, including Parker & Otis (parker andotis.com), Bulldega Urban Market (bulldega .com), and Dolly’s Vintage (dollysvintage.net).

Bright Black Candles (brightblackcandles.com) are another great local find to include.”

Must-Visit Markets

Where to Drink “Sean Umstead at Kingfisher (kingfisher durham.com) is mixing some of the best drinks in Durham. I love their Hoodwink Spritz in particular.”

“Tori is a sucker for a great steak, and the prime rib at NanaSteak (nana steak.com) holds a special place in his heart. At Alley Twenty Six (alley twentysix.com), we start with a cheeseboard and order the steak frites. We also really love the porchetta and baked potato gnocchi at Mothers and Sons (mothersandsons nc.com).”

ILLUSTRATIONS BY KATIE BENN

“Our perfect weekend breakfast comes from True Flavors Diner (trueflavorsdiner.com).

Toriano is a dinner-forbreakfast type of guy; he almost always orders the country fried steak.

I keep it simple with the buttermilk French toast. The biscuits from their sister shop, Debbie Lou’s, are what dreams are made of. The brown sugar–glazed ham and blueberry chipotle biscuits are fantastic.”

VEGAN COLLARDS

PIQUE

Vegan Collards ACTIVE 25 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 55 MIN SERVES 8 TO 10

Collards are traditionally cooked with a smoked ham hock to add a meaty, smoky flavor; this mildly spicy vegan version achieves the same depth of flavor with quality vegetable broth, adobo seasoning, and a hint of liquid smoke. Soak up the juices (potlikker) with cornbread, or drizzle over steamed rice.

1/4

cup olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup) 3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 1 Tbsp.)

1/4

cup plus 1 Tbsp. white vinegar

6 medium bunches collard greens (about 10 oz. each), washed, stemmed, and cut into 1/2 -inchthick ribbons (18 to 20 packed cups) 12 cups vegetable broth (such as Zoup! or Brodo) 2 Tbsp. hot sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot) 1 Tbsp. adobo all-purpose seasoning powder with pepper

1 Tbsp. seasoned salt (such as Lawry’s)

Pique

1 tsp. coarse kosher salt (such as Morton’s), plus more to taste

MAKES ABOUT 3 1/3 CUPS

1 tsp. black pepper

Toriano Fredericks’ simple, fiery peppervinegar relish includes both jalapeño and habanero chiles for a more complex chile flavor. Swirl it into a bowl of greens, or add a spoonful over braised meats or tacos.

1/4

tsp. liquid smoke

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot over medium-high until shimmering, about 3 minutes. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add vinegar; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion and garlic are translucent, about 6 minutes. Working in batches, add collards, stirring constantly after each addition, until wilted and all greens fit in pot, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in broth, and bring to a boil over medium-high. Add hot sauce, adobo seasoning, seasoned salt, kosher salt, black pepper, and liquid smoke.

2. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until collards are tender but not mushy, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Season with additional salt to taste. Using a slotted spoon, transfer greens to a large bowl to serve, adding potlikker as desired.

MAKE AHEAD Collard greens can be made

up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container.

TOTAL 10 MIN, PLUS 3 DAYS MARINATING

6 medium jalapeño chiles (about 10 oz.), stemmed, unseeded, and roughly chopped (about 2 1/2 cups) 2 cups distilled white vinegar 6 medium habanero chiles (about 2 1/4 oz.), stemmed, unseeded, and roughly chopped (about 3/4 cup) 1/2

tsp. coarse kosher salt (such as Morton’s)

3 medium garlic cloves, smashed 10 whole black peppercorns Combine all ingredients in a 1-quart widemouth jar with lid. Stir to dissolve salt.

Cover with lid, and let stand at room temperature 3 days. Transfer to narrownecked sealable bottles for easier pouring, if desired.

MAKE AHEAD Pique can be refrigerated

up to 2 weeks in a sealed container.

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Pernil Mac and Cheese ACTIVE 45 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 30 MIN, PLUS 4 HR REFRIGERATION AND 5 HR ROASTING SERVES 10 TO 12

Pernil, a Puerto Rican–style roast pork shoulder, is flavored with garlic, oregano, and sazón—a seasoning blend that includes coriander and annatto. It pairs perfectly with creamy mac and cheese.

PERNIL

1 1/4 cups peeled garlic cloves (from about 4 garlic heads) 3 Tbsp. dried oregano 3 Tbsp. white vinegar 2 Tbsp. coarse kosher salt (such as Morton’s) 1 Tbsp. plus 1 1/2 tsp. sazón with coriander and annatto (such as Badia) 1 Tbsp. adobo all-purpose seasoning powder with pepper 1 (7- to 9-lb.) bone-in, skin-on pork shoulder MAC AND CHEESE

3 qt. water 1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. coarse kosher salt (such as Morton’s), divided 1 lb. uncooked elbow macaroni 4 large eggs 2 cups heavy cream 1 tsp. seasoned salt (such as Lawry’s) 1 tsp. black pepper 1 1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 6 cups), divided Cooking spray 1. Make the pernil: Process garlic, oregano, vinegar, salt, sazón, and adobo seasoning in a food processor until mixture forms a paste, about 45 seconds, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Alternatively, crush mixture using a mortar and pestle to form a paste.

hours of roasting, begin basting pork with pan drippings every hour. Transfer cooked pernil to a cutting board, and let rest 30 minutes. Reserve drippings in pan. Do not turn oven off. Carefully position oven rack in middle of oven.

4. While pork roasts, make the mac and cheese: Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high. Stir in 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain pasta, and rinse well under cold water. Whisk eggs vigorously in a large bowl until frothy, about 1 minute.

Whisk in cream, seasoned salt, black pepper, and remaining 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Stir in 5 cups cheese until well combined. Gently fold in cooked pasta. Spoon mixture into a 13- x 9-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 cup cheese. Cover and refrigerate unbaked mac and cheese until pork has finished roasting.

5. While pernil rests, uncover mac and cheese. Place on middle rack in oven; bake at 350°F until light golden brown on top, about 45 minutes. During final 15 minutes of baking mac and cheese, remove skin from pernil, and finely chop. Shred meat into bite-size pieces. Transfer shredded meat and chopped skin to a large bowl; toss to combine. Discard pork bone, or reserve for stock. Pour pan drippings into a fat separator or a measuring cup; skim and discard fat. Season pernil to taste with skimmed pan drippings. Divide mac and cheese among bowls; top with pernil.

MAKE AHEAD Mac and cheese can be

made up to 1 day ahead, covered, and refrigerated up to 12 hours. Let come to room temperature before baking.

BEER Crisp Puerto Rican lager:

Medalla Light NOTE Find sazón at Latin markets or

online at amigofoods.com.

2. Using a sharp knife, score pork skin and fat cap about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep in a diamond pattern, spacing cuts 1 1/4 inches apart. Cut 8 (2 1/2-inch-deep) slits into bottom and sides of pork. Rub garlic paste over roast, pushing into the slits and scores in fat cap. Place seasoned pork on a rimmed baking sheet; cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 4 to 12 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in lower third position. Unwrap pork shoulder.

Place pork, skin side up, in a medium-size roasting pan; let rest at room temperature while oven preheats. Roast pork, uncovered, in preheated oven until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of meat registers 200°F, 5 to 7 hours, tenting with aluminum foil after 1 hour and 45 minutes if needed to prevent burning. After about 2

Rubbing the seasoned garlic paste into the pork and letting it rest allows the flavors to penetrate deeply into the thick roast.

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BACKSTORY

Good Measure “Bake in glass! The newest method: swift, clean, economical.” —CORNING GLASS WORKS AD FOR PYREX, OCTOBER 1915

Corning Glass Works, in Corning, New York, developed a borosilicate glass that could withstand extreme heat and cold without breaking. They called the glass “Nonex” and used it in battery jars and railroad lanterns. Ironically, Nonex’s strength meant battery jars and lanterns no longer broke and needed replacing, so the company looked for other ways to use its heatproof glass. In 1913, a woman named Bessie Littleton, who was married to Corning scientist Jesse Littleton, found it. After an earthenware baking dish cracked in her hot oven, Bessie asked Jesse to bring home a Nonex battery jar for her to experiment with. The sponge cake Bessie baked in the jar turned out perfectly, and the jar stayed intact. This sent Corning down a new path: cookware. In 1915, the company launched its first Pyrex line (Pyrex combined “pie” and “Nonex”) with 12 pieces, including pie plates and a loaf pan.

The 8-ounce liquid measuring cup came out 10 years later; early versions had a closed, D-shaped handle and tick marks made out of molded glass.

(The red measurements were added in the 1940s.)

In 1983, a redesign gave the cups an open handle, allowing for different-sized cups to be stacked and yielding the model that today is a staple of kitchens everywhere. —NINA FRIEND IN 1908,

COLLECTOR’S CORNER There’s a whole community of Pyrex collectors out there, and prices for vintage pieces can climb into the hundreds—and beyond. In 2015, a Pyrex piece from 1959 with the “Lucky in Love” hearts and clovers pattern sold for more than $4,000.

4M

10

Pieces of Pyrex cookware sold in the U.S. by 1919

Minutes it takes Pyrex cookware to go from being molded to ready for shipping (measuring cups take longer due to the process of adding tick marks)

23M Pieces of Pyrex glassware sold around the world each year

50¢ Original price of an 8-oz. measuring cup

2 Number of spouts on the first Pyrex measuring cup, to allow for left- and right-handed pours

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FOOD STYLING: CHELSEA ZIMMER; PROP STYLING: CLAIRE SPOLLEN

BY THE NUMBERS

FEBRUARY 2022

80 Percent of U.S. homes that own Pyrex today

photography by JENNIFER CAUSEY

SPECTACULAR SOUTH OF FRANCE WITH TOP CHEF BRYAN VOLTAGGIO Embark on a delightful culinary river cruise with special guest Chef Bryan Voltaggio through the flavors and textures of the land that gave the world modern cuisine.

A special welcome reception in honor of Chef Bryan will be held to kick-off a series of events exclusive to this sailing. Included will be an on board cooking demonstration, a collaboration with the ship’s executive chef to create a custom-tailored dinner menu and a special lecture on seasonal ingredients and French cuisine.

Top Chef Bryan Voltaggio

The finest regional flavors

On board our award-winning Space-Ships, enjoy a choice of luxurious suites, dining venues and exclusive, personalized experiences. This is truly all-inclusive river cruising in a class of its own.

Sailing October 20, 2022 Reserve your suite today

Scenic Culinaire cooking school

Truffle tasting, France

Contact your Professional Travel Advisor, call us at 844.332.5504 or visit scenicusa.com/chefbryan

Scenic Sapphire, Avignon

We’r e o p e n .