Apartment Dining

My senior year of college was a scramble to cram as much of the “college experience” into my days as possible. This involved a lot of assisting— I was an assistant music director at the radio station, a teaching assistant for a creative writing class, and an intern for a professor finishing his first book. I sang in a co-ed a cappella group (let’s keep that piece info just between us, though), and I held down a coveted job as Subway Sandwich Artist to help fuel my addition to overpriced coffee and clove cigarettes. Fifteen hour stretches would go by with only a few minutes to stop by my on-campus townhouse to switch books or change into my work uniform.

This year of limited time and funds lead to an equally limited diet. I existed on frozen pierogies and Subway sandwiches, but I would occasionally indulge with baba ghanouj from the Mediterranean Bar at the local supermarket. After days of running around, I would find a moment to pull out some pita bread, sit down on the couch, and enjoy bad television and an eggplant spread.

Despite my love of baba ghanouj, I didn’t try making it until this afternoon when I found myself with two beautiful eggplants and a bit of time. Here’s the simple recipe: » Read the rest of this entry «

Photo by Ramsey (he stole my camera while I was in the kitchen and took the best shot of the evening)

Most people cite family members as having the most influence over their personal taste and culinary development, but for me, that person is my friend Vince. We’ve known each other since I was born, and without him, I would have never experienced such a wide range of foods and cooking styles over the years. He’s managed to track down every wonderful restaurant off the beaten path in our declining upstate NY hometown, including Korean restaurants hidden in strip malls, Thai restaurants on residential side streets, small restaurant/bars serving cocktails and sticky toffee pudding. He researches new restaurants in New York and is always ready with a recommendation when he is in town (he took me to Momofuku Ssäm Bar for the first time). The man even gives me cooking supplies and candied chestnuts as gifts on holidays.

Culinary finds aside though, I believe what’s had the most influence on me is Vince’s attitude towards food: he works hard to find the best and shares it with those around him. Meals are meant to be shared with friends and food is a glue that holds together the social fabric of a circle of friends, or brings together new ones.

One of Vince’s finds during our college days was a dish listed on a menu as “Awesome Chicken” at a Thai restaurant in Buffalo. It was chicken with peanut sauce over rice, but as I discovered during one of my visits to the city, the restaurant was correct in their assessment. I tried to recreate it last night, and while I don’t think it reached “awesome” status, I’d dub it “pretty good.” » Read the rest of this entry «

As a child, I despised Fig Newtons more than any other lunch bag item. I couldn’t stand the mealy texture of their filling or the moist cookie surrounding it, even though the commercials hailed them as a refined confection. They had no animated mascot or commercials featuring rebellious kids with fruit heads. All I wanted was a pack of Dunkaroos or a bag of Gushers before running off to band practice, so more often than not, the Newtons would end up traded to an unsuspecting 2nd grader or in the trash.

This hatred of Fig Newtons resulted in me never trying a fresh fig until last year. They were easy to avoid in the Northeast, however when I came across a fig and prosciutto salad during my lunch hour, I decided it was time to grow up and I’m so glad I did. Fresh figs are nothing like their mashed and mangled cousins in Fig Newtons. They’re incredibly sweet and have a texture unlike any other fruit I’ve tried.

I was inspired by this salad from Last Night’s Dinner and I made my own version for dinner today. It’s a combination of figs, goat cheese, blueberries, and greens that come together with a balsamic vinaigrette. Recipe and more photos after the jump. » Read the rest of this entry «

I went to a cookout a few weekends ago in a backyard in Queens. There was grilled corn, burgers, and the standard cookout foods, but my favorite had to be the mango avocado salsa that someone brought to share. It was light and refreshing in the afternoon heat, plus it involved my absolute favorite fruit. The salsa was served up with a bag of multigrain tortilla chips, but I could see it working with tacos or with a grilled chicken breast that’s been marinated in lime and cilantro for a few hours.

I finally made my own version of it today for an afternoon of TV viewing with friends and it went well with discussions about the worst series in the Aaron Sorkin canon. It’s simple to make and you can easily modify the ratios to meet your taste, or add more peppers for extra heat. » Read the rest of this entry «

I recently heard an interview with the authors of a book called What We Eat When We Eat Alone, and while I haven’t read it yet, I think it’s a fascinating concept. What do you eat when no one is around? I for one eat spoonfuls of Nutella with a peanut butter chaser, simple turkey sandwiches from a Polish deli near my apartment, and the occasional BBQ pork banh mi. It’s not always take-out and jarred food though.

Ramsey spends a few nights a week in meetings for his sketch team, so depending on his schedule, I will make dinner for just myself from scratch. The ingredients are always a combination of anything fresh from the fridge or kitchen cupboards, but the results are (usually) healthy and delicious.

My stand-by combo is bean, green, and onion + rice + egg. Here’s the simple recipe with a very descriptive name: » Read the rest of this entry «

It’s the end of the week. If you’re like me, you feel like collapsing on the couch, but as you walk through the door of your apartment, you realize you still have to make dinner. The fridge and cupboard are nearly bare, save for a few canned goods and leftover ingredients from meals earlier in the week. Where do you turn? Why, to the culinary namesake of the women employed in the world’s oldest profession of course: pasta puttanesca, or “whore’s pasta.” Legend has it that prostitutes would make this dish because it was fast, easy, and didn’t require fresh produce as they didn’t have time to run out to the market a daily basis.

While the name may not sound appetizing, this simple combination of onion, tomato, capers, and olives really is good, especially with a few slices fresh bread. Recipe after the jump. » Read the rest of this entry «

Asparagus is an industrious little vegetable. Its spears can grow up to 10″ over the course of a 24 hour period, shooting above the soil ready for harvest like so. It’s also one of the more unique vegetables to cross my cutting board, as it’s not a leaf, flower bud, or root system, but the stem of the plant itself. Asparagus’ flavor is unique as well and in my experience, it is best served as the star of a side dish…or wrapped in bacon.

I normally just roast the spears with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper, but after finding a sheet of leftover puff pastry in my freezer this evening I decided to make a simple tart with mushrooms and gruyere. » Read the rest of this entry «

Polenta seemed to be everywhere I turned this week. Mark Bittman made a breakfast pizza with it, Anthony Bourdain came across it in one of his travels during a late-night marathon of No Reservations, and an unopened bag of cornmeal was sitting in my kitchen, originally intended for a cornbread that never happened. This creamy cornmeal dish, similar to grits, is a blank canvas for a wide range of flavors. I decided to go the simple route since it was my first time making it, choosing to flavor it with chicken stock and parmesan cheese. I then paired it with maple pork loin chops and collard greens for a plate of serious comfort food. » Read the rest of this entry «

A curry is a perfect way to enjoy all of the vegetables in your kitchen when you realize you went a bit overboard at the farmer’s market, but you don’t want to waste any fresh, delicious produce. It does call for a bit of chopping time, but once everything is in the pan, an occasional stir is all it needs until the vegetables are tender. It also tastes great the following day for lunch at work. Here’s the recipe: » Read the rest of this entry «

I’ve spent the past two Sundays making variations on Alice Waters’ Minestrone Soup, outlined in her invaluable book The Art of Simple Food. It’s a straightforward recipe that gives you the freedom to improvise based on what’s available at the farmers’ market that day. Making soup from scratch also serves as a wonderful escape on a cold Sunday afternoon. Putting on headphones and catching up on podcasts while cutting vegetables lets you forget about impending elections and financial chaos for a little while. » Read the rest of this entry «