HORS D’OEUVRES, SNACKS, AND SMALL DISHES2 HORS D’OEUVRES, SNACKS, AND SMALL DISHES
| —1870s— | • If people are making hors d’oeuvres at home, they aren’t writing in to the Times to tell anyone about them. |
| —1897— | • Salted and Deviled Almonds (here). |
| —1909— | • Eggs are seasoned and stuffed, deviled and otherwise (see here). |
| —1940s— | • The few dips that ever appear in the Times appear now. |
| —1950s— | • The dark ages: pigs in a blanket and bacon-wrapped chestnuts. |
| —1960s— | • The canapé. |
| —1970s— | • Pimento Cheese Spread (here) and Duck Rillettes (here) bridge the gap between dips and pâté. |
| —1973— | • Shrimp Toast (here). |
| —1978— | • Scotch Eggs (here). |
| —1980s— | • Endive leaves become the quintessential hors d’oeuvres boat. • Hors d’oeuvres go international: satay, guacamole, and hummus. |
| —1990s— | • A dish of olives and a bowl of olive oil with bread becomes the default amuse-bouche at Mediterranean restaurants and on the coffee tables of Mediterranean-obsessed home cooks. • Cocktail party mainstay: smoked salmon, in mousse, on toasts, in pastry cups. |
| —1999— | • Deviled eggs escape the picnic and wind up as bar food. |
| —2000s— | • The French gougère (here) reclaims its place at top New York City restaurants. • Diners shift their searchlight from Italy to Spain and illuminate tapas. |
| —2002— | • In homes, the crostini trumps the canapé. • Marian Burros notes the popularity of small plates. |
| —2006— | • Pork belly meets the tea sandwich (here) at Fatty Crab in New York City and becomes an instant classic. • Marcona almonds become standard snack fare at dinner parties; their price soars. |
HORS D’OEUVRES, SNACKS, AND SMALL DISHES
RECIPES BY CATEGORY
Warm Hors d’Oeuvres
Craig Claiborne’s Swiss Fondue
Cromesquis d’Hûitres à la Sauce Tartare (Fried Oysters with Creamy Tartar Sauce)
Janice Okun’s Buffalo Chicken Wings
Fried Sambal Wings with Cucumber Cream
Chicken Wings with Oyster Sauce
Sophie Grigson’s Parmesan Cake
Marina Anagnostou’s Spanakopetes (Spinach Triangles)
Potato, Ham, and Piquillo Pepper Croquetas
Poached Eggs with Date-Chorizo Paste
Salmon Cakes with Yogurt Chipotle Sauce
Cold Hors d’Oeuvres
Lidia Bastianich’s Swiss Chard and Scallion Frittata
Russ & Daughters’ Chopped Chicken Liver
Rillettes de Canard (Duck Rillettes)
Cucumber–Goat Cheese Dip with Radishes and Scallions
The Best Spinach Dip, with Chipotle and Lime
Julia Harrison Adams’s Pimento Cheese Spread
Caramelized Onion and Quark Dip
Olive Oil–Tuna Spread with Lemon and Oregano
Fresh and Smoked Salmon Spread
Joyce Goldstein’s Pickled Salmon
Pork-and-Toasted-Rice-Powder Spring Rolls
Crostini with Eggplant and Pine Nut Puree
Ricotta Crostini with Fresh Thyme and Dried Oregano
Cheese Ball with Cumin, Mint, and Pistachios
Goat’s-Milk Cheese, Buttered Brown Bread, and Salted Onion
Buckwheat Blini with Crème Fraîche and Caviar
To Sugar or Crystallize Pop-Corn
Sweet-and-Salty Popcorn with Orange Blossom Honey
Dips and Spreads
Russ & Daughters’ Chopped Chicken Liver
Rillettes de Canard (Duck Rillettes)
Cucumber–Goat Cheese Dip with Radishes and Scallions
The Best Spinach Dip, with Chipotle and Lime
Julia Harrison Adams’s Pimento Cheese Spread
Caramelized Onion and Quark Dip
Olive Oil–Tuna Spread with Lemon and Oregano
Fresh and Smoked Salmon Spread
Nuts and Popcorn
To Sugar or Crystallize Pop-Corn
Sweet-and-Salty Popcorn with Orange Blossom Honey
Cheesy Hors d’Oeuvres and Snacks
Sophie Grigson’s Parmesan Cake
Cheese Ball with Cumin, Mint, and Pistachios
Julia Harrison Adams’s Pimento Cheese Spread
The Best Spinach Dip, with Chipotle and Lime
Caramelized Onion and Quark Dip
Craig Claiborne’s Swiss Fondue
Cucumber–Goat Cheese Dip with Radishes and Scallions
Goat’s-Milk Cheese, Buttered Brown Bread, and Salted Onion
Marina Anagnostou’s Spanakopetes (Spinach Triangles)
Ricotta Crostini with Fresh Thyme and Dried Oregano
TO SUGAR OR CRYSTALLIZE POP-CORN
Otherwise known as caramel corn. See here for a modern interpretation with nuts, orange blossom honey, and sea salt.
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Corn oil
½ cup popcorn
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons water
¾ cup sugar
Salt (optional)
1. Cover the bottom of a large heavy pot with corn oil. Add the popcorn, stir to coat, cover, and place over medium-high heat. Cook, shaking frequently, until all the popcorn has popped. Remove from the heat and keep covered.
2. Combine the butter, water, and sugar in another large pot, bring to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to caramelize, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, pour in the popcorn, and stir quickly to coat the kernels with the caramel—some will stick to the pot. Season with salt if desired, and scrape into a serving bowl.
MAKES 4 QUARTS
COOKING NOTES
I added salt to the recipe to contrast with the sweetness, but feel free to keep to the original.
SERVING SUGGESTION
Ginger Lemonade (here)
FEBRUARY 10, 1878: “THE HOUSEHOLD: USEFUL FAMILY HINTS.” RECIPE SIGNED M.W.K.
—1878
ANCHOVY CANAPÉS
This is a recipe that I changed liberally. The original instructed you to make “a little hollow” in slices of stale bread, then fry them in lard—a sure way to kill a piece of bread. Yet toast, anchovy butter, and Roquefort were all flavors I’d happily combine, so I just cut out the fat, literally, and toasted the bread rather than frying it. Magically, you could taste the bright salinity of the anchovies and blue cheese, unmarred by lard. The toasts are meant to be served after dinner with coffee, but I think they’d make a fine snack or hors d’oeuvre—and besides, I don’t have an “after dinner” chapter in the book, so here you go.
These toasts appeared as part of a Lenten dinner story, in which the writer, Juliet Corson, pointed out that otter is the ideal Lenten staple, but that in absence of “a tame otter running around” the home cook’s backyard, he may instead dine on salmon, trout, eels, wild duck, and anchovies. I’ll leave the main course up to you.
———
4 slices day-old country bread
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ounces Roquefort cheese, cut into thin slices
1. Toast the bread and let cool.
2. Mash together the anchovy paste and butter in a small bowl. Spread the butter on the toasts, and serve them with the cheese.
SERVES 4
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Astoria Cocktail (here), Gin Rickey (here), and Singapore Sling (here) have just enough oomph to stand up to these salty toasts. And to accompany: Onion Rings (here), Salted and Deviled Almonds (here).
MARCH 5, 1882: “HINTS FOR THE HOUSEHOLD: A BILL OF FARE FOR A LENTEN DINNER,” BY JULIET CORSON.
—1882
SALTED AND DEVILED ALMONDS
In 1897, the Times featured a review of two cookbooks, one by a well-known New York maître d’, the other by a top chef—the equivalent of today’s Sirio Maccioni and Eric Ripert. Oscar Tschirky, who first ran the dining room at Delmonico’s and later the Waldorf Hotel, released The Cook Book (which contained this recipe) and Adolphe Gallier, the chef at the Majestic, published The Majestic Family Cook Book.
Neither became Fannie Farmer, but New York’s center-of-the-universe attitude was already firmly in place—the food editor remarked, “There are no cooks, and there is no cooking anywhere in the world, so people of experience say, such as are to be found in New York.” Paris may have disagreed, but no one in New York was listening.
———
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup whole almonds (skins on)
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon coarse and flaky sea salt
Heat the butter in a small saucepan until foamy. Add the almonds, then shake the pan and cook until the almonds are lightly toasted. Season with the cayenne and salt. Pour into a bowl.
MAKES 1 CUP, ENOUGH TO SERVE 4
VARIATIONS
I’ve also made these with olive oil in place of the butter, adding a large pinch of smoked paprika. Rather than cooking them on the stove, I toasted the nuts in a small casserole dish in a 350-degree oven.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Ramos Gin Fizz (here), Singapore Sling (here), Coconut Daiquiri (here), Billionaire Cocktail (here), Delft Blue Cocktail (here), Sweet-and-Salty Popcorn with Orange Blossom Honey (here), Cheese Straws (here), Parmesan Crackers (here), Anchovy Canapés (here), Hot Cheese Olives (here), Seasoned Olives (here)
JANUARY 3, 1897: “WISDOM OF TWO CHEFS: OSCAR OF THE WALDORF AND GALLIER OF THE MAJESTIC TALK.” RECIPE ADAPTED FROM OSCAR TSCHIRKY, THE MAÎTRE D’HÔTEL AT THE WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL IN NEW YORK CITY.
—1897
EGGS SUFFRAGETTE
Deviled eggs too tame for you? Eggs suffragette are the love child of deviled eggs and egg-and-anchovy canapés. A century ago, these eggs were considered “the novelty of the moment” at the Colony Club, the first New York social club created for women. But were the anchovy-laden eggs meant to be amusing or earnest?
Stuffed eggs are a cinch to make—you simmer the eggs, then mash the yolks with the seasonings and stuff the yolks back into the eggs. Keep in mind that egg yolks are more cooperative if mashed while warm, and that the recipe doesn’t need any salt: the mayonnaise, mustard, and anchovy add plenty.
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6 large eggs
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
½ teaspoon sweet paprika, plus more for garnish
1. Set the eggs in a saucepan large enough to hold them in a single layer, cover with cold water, and place over high heat. Bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and run the eggs under cold water until cool enough to handle.
2. Peel and halve the eggs and remove the yolks. Mash the yolks in a wide shallow bowl with the back of a fork. Blend in the mayonnaise, mustard, anchovy paste, and paprika. Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl.
3. Spoon the yolk mixture into the whites—if you want them to have a peak, then use a pastry bag with a ¼-inch plain round tip to do this. Dust with additional paprika.
SERVES 6
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Astoria Cocktail (here), Nicky Finn (here), Pâté Watch Hill Farm (here), Parmesan Crackers (here), Goat’s-Milk Cheese, Buttered Brown Bread, and Salted Onion (here)
APRIL 4, 1909: “WAYS OF COOKING EGGS: THE ART OF THE CHEF IS BENT ON INVENTING REAL NOVELTIES AT EASTER.”
—1909
PÂTÉ WATCH HILL FARM
This chicken liver and liverwurst pâté, served stuffed into celery stalks, with glasses of dry sherry, was the hors d’oeuvre for a press lunch hosted by the American Spice Trade Association at the Astor Hotel in New York City. Improbable as it seems, the trade association had already been around for forty-one years. The publicity push that year was to announce the return of spices that had been in short supply during World War II, such as black pepper, Hungarian paprika, poppy seeds, and cinnamon. The seasonings in this pâté—curry powder and paprika—are fairly mild. Taste as you go and add as much as you like.
———
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ pound chicken livers, trimmed and chopped
1 pound best-quality soft liver sausage, such as Braunschweiger liverwurst
1 cup heavy cream
9 ounces cream cheese
½ teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon paprika, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Celery stalks or rye bread for serving
1. Melt the butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. When it is bubbling, add the chicken livers and sauté until just cooked through. Puree in a food processor.
2. Skin the sausage, cut it into chunks, and add it to the livers in the food processor. Add the cream, cream cheese, curry powder, paprika, and Worcestershire and pulse until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Fill celery stalks with the pâté and add a dash of paprika to each for garnish. Or serve on rounds of toasted rye bread (or in sandwiches).
MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS, ENOUGH TO SERVE 16
COOKING NOTES
If you like a coarser pâté, you can chop the livers and mash the rest of the ingredients into the livers by hand.
This makes a lot of pâté—you can halve the recipe.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Nicky Finn (here), Eggs Suffragette (here), Parmesan Crackers (here)
MAY 7, 1947: “NEWS OF FOOD: LUNCHEON ENDS SPICE TRADE’S CONVENTION AND RESULTS IN SOME TIPS ON SEASONING,” BY JANE NICKERSON. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM THE AMERICAN SPICE TRADE ASSOCIATION.
—1947
EGGS LOUISIANA
If you crossed deviled eggs with croquettes, you’d get eggs Louisiana. To make them, you mash the yolks of hard-boiled eggs with blue cheese, grated onion, and parsley, then put the seasoned yolks back inside the whites, press the whites together, bread them, and send them for a dip in boiling oil. The frying gives the eggs a crisp, bubbled shell and warms the interior. They are meant to be served with tomato sauce and bread, but you can simply lift them from the oil and declare your work done. Pick up a napkin and an icy beer on your way to the porch.
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6 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled
2 teaspoons grated onion
1 teaspoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
½ cup fine dry bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
3 cups warm tomato sauce, preferably homemade (here)
Country bread for sopping up the sauce
1. Halve the hard-boiled eggs lengthwise and remove the yolks. Keep the pairs of whites together. Mash the yolks with the onion, parsley, and blue cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Pile the mixture into the halved whites and press the halves firmly together. Chill.
2. Lightly beat the egg with the water in a small bowl. Spread the bread crumbs on a small plate. Roll the stuffed eggs in the beaten egg, then in the bread crumbs to coat. Set on a plate.
3. Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a medium deep saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough to brown a bread crumb in 30 seconds, it’s ready. Carefully lower the eggs into the oil, one at a time, and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides. Adjust the heat as needed.
4. Serve the eggs in a shallow pool of warm tomato sauce, with good country bread on the side.
SERVES 6
COOKING NOTE
As I made these eggs, I kept finding myself dreaming up other stuffings to add, like mustard and smoked paprika, or ricotta and thyme. Think of this recipe as a stepping stone to seasonings. And while you ponder the options, take a look at the recipe for Scotch Eggs here for more fried eggs possibilities.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Vermouth Cup (here), Vermouth Cassis (here), Mint Julep (here), The Cuke (here), Pickled Shrimp (here), Cheese Straws (here)
JUNE 19, 1947: “NEWS OF FOOD: BOYS, 10 TO 14, LEARN COOKING AT THE RITZ: CITY OFFERS IDEAS ON BEATING MEAT PRICES,” BY JANE NICKERSON. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM 90 TEMPTING WAYS TO PREPARE EGGS, A COOKING PAMPHLET PUBLISHED BY THE CITY DEPARTMENT OF MARKETS.
—1947
AVOCADO SANDOWSKY
Jane Nickerson, a longtime food columnist for the Times, got the recipe for this pale, buttery avocado spread from Reah Sandowsky, a pianist with the New York Philharmonic. I was tempted to add lemon or lime juice to the spread, but it really doesn’t need the acidity. We ate it on Triscuits, which I promise was a good choice.
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1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, and peeled
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon onion juice (see Cooking Notes)
1 tablespoon light cream
Salt
Salty wheat crackers or sturdy tortilla chips
Mash the avocado in a bowl with an electric mixer (preferably with a paddle attachment). Mix in the cheese, beating until smooth. Add the onion juice, cream, and salt, and mix until light. Serve with crackers or chips.
MAKES 1 TO 2 CUPS
COOKING NOTES
Midcentury cooks used onion juice the way we now use garlic. They added it to sauces, dressings, and dips to punch up the flavor. You make it by grating onion, putting the pulp into a sieve set over a bowl, and pressing on it with the back of a spoon to extract the juice.
Do not let this spread sit, or it will brown; serve within an hour. And let your guests put the spread on the crackers—if you do it in advance, the crackers will get soggy.
VARIATION
Top the spread with chopped cilantro or finely slivered preserved lemon (homemade, here, or store-bought).
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Vermouth Cup (here), La Paloma (here), Anchovy Canapés (here), Egg and Olive Canapés (here), Blue Cheese Dip (here), Seasoned Olives (here), The Best Spinach Dip, with Chipotle and Lime (here), Smoked Mackerel on Toasts (here)
APRIL 7, 1948: “NEWS OF FOOD: PIANIST SANDOWSKY’S CULINARY CAREER PROVES RESULT LARGELY OF NECESSITY,” BY JANE NICKERSON. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM REAH SANDOWSKY.
—1948
BLUE CHEESE DIP
This is the quintessential dip, founded on cream cheese, enriched with a more flavorful cheese, splashed with booze, and seasoned with onion juice. What’s not to love?
This recipe reminded me that dip is essentially a cheese ball with more liquid. See here and here for this dip’s extended family.
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3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ pound blue cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
Onion juice (see Cooking Notes, here), to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
About 3 tablespoons heavy cream
About 3 tablespoons dry sherry
Crudités, such as sliced cucumbers, celery, carrots, and fennel, for serving
Beat together the cheeses and butter in a bowl with an electric mixer (preferably with a paddle attachment) until smooth and light. Season to taste with onion juice (1 to 2 teaspoons) and pepper, and thin with the cream and sherry. Serve with the sliced vegetables.
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
The Vesper (here), Martini (here), Junipero Gibson with Pickled Red Onion (here), Seasoned Olives (here), Hot Cheese Olives (here), Onion Rings (here)
PERIOD DETAIL
Jane Nickerson, a Times food editor, suggested serving the dip and crudités on a lazy Susan. For a mundane item, the lazy Susan has garnered plenty of lore. First advertised in 1917 in Vanity Fair, its invention has been attributed to everyone from Thomas Edison to Thomas Jefferson, and the name has been linked to Susan B. Anthony. And somehow, after a brief period of mainstream popularity in the mid-twentieth century, lazy Susans became a (revolving) fixture in Chinese restaurants.
MAY 1, 1953: “FOOD NEWS: VEGETABLES FOR APPETIZERS,” BY JANE NICKERSON.
—1953
CRAIG CLAIBORNE’S SWISS FONDUE
Before Craig Claiborne became the most famous food columnist in the history of the Times, he was a popular subject and source for other food writers at the paper. In a holiday story, Jane Nickerson—whom Claiborne would replace the following year—featured recipes from “four fine cooks” in New York, including Claiborne, whom she described as the “gentleman with the charming Mississippi accent.” At the time, he worked for Seranne and Gaden, food consultants and photographers. (See Ann Seranne’s Rib Roast of Beef here.)
“As you know,” Claiborne explained, “the ‘fondue procedure’ is to let guests spear cubes of crusty bread on two-pronged forks, dip them into the melted cheese, and eat them while they are hot. This recipe is from a wonderful carnozet (fondue hideaway) near Lausanne.”
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1 clove garlic
1¾ cups dry Swiss white wine, such as Fendant or Neuchâtel, or as needed
¾ pound Gruyère cheese, grated
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons kirsch
Freshly ground black pepper
6 cups cubed country bread
1. Rub the bottom and sides of a casserole or chafing dish with the garlic. Add the wine and heat just below the boiling point; do not let it boil. Add the cheese, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Blend the cornstarch and kirsch. When the fondue is creamy and barely simmering, add the cornstarch mixture and stir until it bubbles. Season with pepper.
2. Set the casserole over an alcohol burner with a slow flame. Keep the fondue hot but not simmering. If it becomes too thick, add a little more white wine.
SERVES 4
COOKING NOTES
Claiborne’s fondue is quite a boozy affair; you can start with 1¼ cups wine and add more later if you want. It’s also thinner than most, which I liked because it drapes the bread with a wispy but pungent veil of cheese sauce.
If your mother didn’t give you her old chafing dish or fondue pot simply bring the casserole hot to the table and set it on a trivet, then reheat the casserole when necessary.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
To make a light meal of this, serve the fondue followed by Green Goddess Salad (here) or Salade à la Romaine (here). For a bigger meal, here are some ideas: Carbonnades à la Flamande (Flemish Beef and Onion Stew; here), Boeuf Bourguignon I or II (here), Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew (here), or Arundel (Sausages in Ale; here), with Poached Pears in Brandy and Red Wine (here) or Toasts with Chocolate, Olive Oil, and Sea Salt (here).
DECEMBER 16, 1956: “WHEN THE GUESTS LINGER ON,” BY JANE NICKERSON. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM CRAIG CLAIBORNE.
—1956
STUFFED HARD-COOKED EGGS
Butter is the secret ingredient to great deviled eggs—it lightens up the yolks and tempers the anger of Tabasco (or cayenne, if that’s what you prefer).
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6 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco sauce
6 anchovy fillets, drained and halved
1. Fill a small saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the water to a simmer and gently lower the eggs into the water. When the water returns to a boil, cook for 9 minutes. Immediately place the eggs under cold running water. This will cause a jacket of steam to form between the shells and hard-cooked whites and make the eggs easy to peel.
2. Crack the eggshells and remove, still under cold running water. Split the eggs lengthwise, in half then into quarters if desired. Remove the yolks and reserve the whites.
3. Combine the yolks, butter, and mayonnaise in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Work with a fork to form a smooth, stiff paste. Add Tabasco sauce, making the yolks as spicy as you like, and blend well.
4. Using a spoon or fork, stuff the whites. Or, if desired, push the stuffing through a fluted pastry tube into the whites. Garnish with pieces of anchovy.
SERVES 4 TO 6
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Beet Tzatziki (here), Goat’s-Milk Cheese, Buttered Brown Bread, and Salted Onion (here), Hot Cheese Olives (here)
NOVEMBER 25, 1957: “APPETIZERS TO PRECEDE THE THANKSGIVING FEAST,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE.
—1957
CUCUMBER SANDWICHES
All you need for these sandwiches is a cucumber, a sweet onion, bread, and mayonnaise. This isn’t a recipe, just an idea—one you shouldn’t forget, especially when guests are arriving on short notice.
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Trim the crusts from thin slices of sandwich bread and spread the bread with mayonnaise. Cover with wafer-thin slices of cucumber and Bermuda onion. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cut into quarters. Or, using a small cookie cutter, cut into circles.
SERVES AS MANY AS YOU LIKE
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Vermouth Cup (here), Mint Julep (here), Stuffed Hard-Cooked Eggs (here), Pickled Shrimp (here), Egg and Olive Canapés (here), Seasoned Olives (here)
MARCH 6, 1958: “MENUS FOR THE WEEK-END.”
—1958
If you read the ingredient list, you won’t think much of this hors d’oeuvre (and it is a quintessential 1950s hors d’oeuvre, so get out your doilies), but when all the components are right—the shrimp lightly cooked and at room temperature, the toasts crisp yet springy, the dill fragrant—the world is a happier place. Serve them for parties, of course, but a couple of these also make a respectable lunch.
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18 medium shrimp, cooked, shelled, and deveined
12 toast rounds (about 2½ inches diameter)
Salted butter, softened
Mayonnaise
12 dill sprigs
Freshly ground black pepper
12 small lemon wedges
1. Slice the shrimp lengthwise in half.
2. Butter the toast rounds and arrange 3 shrimp halves in a spiral on each round.
3. Garnish the canapés with mayonnaise “stars” pressed from a pastry tube—or just dollop it on (a scant ½ teaspoon). Top with dill sprigs and season with pepper. Serve with the lemon wedges.
SERVES 4 TO 6
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Park Avenue Cocktail (here), The Vesper (here), Martini (here), Egg and Olive Canapés (here), Seasoned Olives (here), Salted and Deviled Almonds (here), Blue Cheese Dip (here), Olive Oil–Tuna Spread with Lemon and Oregano (here)
JANUARY 8, 1959: “DINNER MENUS, RECIPES LISTED FOR THE WEEK-END.”
—1959
EGG AND OLIVE CANAPÉS
Nothing says 1959 like a canapé. In French, a canapé is a couch, and in food, it’s traditionally a thin and slightly stale piece of bread—a couch built to host salty and spicy foods. If you’d like to compare these toasts—mounded with mashed egg salad and sliced olives—to a modern canapé, take a look at the Crostini with Eggplant and Pine Nut Puree here and the Pan con Tomate here.
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Salted butter
4 slices thinly sliced sandwich bread, such as Pepperidge Farm
2 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled
1 tablespoon mayonnaise, or more to taste
Salt
12 pimento-stuffed olives, cut crosswise into 3 slices each
1. Toast the bread, then butter and cut each into 4 rectangular pieces.
2. Mash the eggs with a fork and fold in the mayonnaise, adding more if desired. Season with salt. Spread a thin layer of the mashed egg on each toast, and top with 3 olive slices.
SERVES 4
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
If I had a lawn here in Brooklyn Heights, I’d whip these up and pass them around outside with glasses of Wine Lemonade (here), Gin Rickey (here), or Claret Cup (here), and serve the Cheese Ball with Cumin, Mint, and Pistachios (here) or Avocado Sandowsky (here). But since I don’t, I’d just have the party inside and screen Mad Men.
PERIOD DETAIL
In the column containing this recipe, Craig Claiborne featured more than two dozen canapés from the book Buffet Catering by Charles Finance, the chef at the Sheraton-Palace Hotel in San Francisco. At the end of the story, he suggested that anyone who wanted to buy the book simply send $12 to the publishing house. That doesn’t work anymore.
JUNE 14, 1959: “GOOD TASTE ON TOAST,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM BUFFET CATERING BY CHARLES FINANCE.
—1959
There is little, if anything, Florentine about this dip, but you will love it anyway.
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3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons anchovy paste
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons chopped chives
2 teaspoons chopped capers
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ clove garlic, minced
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Sliced vegetables and/or sturdy potato chips for serving
1. Using a wooden spoon, blend the cream cheese and anchovy paste in a medium bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well blended. Place in the refrigerator for several hours to season.
2. Spoon the dip into a bowl and serve with sliced vegetables or potato chips, or both.
MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Park Avenue Cocktail (here), Sir Francis Drake (here), Seasoned Olives (here), Deep-Fried Soft-Shell Crabs (here), Fresh Salmon and Lime Cakes (here)
AUGUST 13, 1959: “SOUR CREAM CAN BE USED AS A BASE FOR EVERY COURSE,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE.
—1959
BAGNA CAUDA
Nearly fifty years ago, just before Julia Child unleashed a torrent of whisk-intensive French dishes on a nation of canned-string-bean devotees and a decade before Marcella Hazan introduced us to northern Italian wonders like risotto and frittata, Craig Claiborne, the Times’s food editor, was ushering groundbreaking recipes into the paper at an astonishing rate. He wrote about lebkuchen, Chinese spareribs, navarin d’agneau, and even an obscure Piedmontese peasant staple called bagna cauda.
Bagna cauda, also spelled bagna caôda, means “hot bath.” The bath—olive oil—is gently warmed with garlic cloves and anchovies until the oil is scented, the garlic is softened, the anchovies dissolved and tamed. Essentially it’s Italian dip. The Piedmontese eat it with fennel, cardoons, peppers, and carrots. Claiborne suggested cauliflower, green pepper, and cucumber. You can use whatever you like.
Although the original dish was very simple—often thrown together, as Matt Kramer noted in his book A Passion for Piedmont, “as a morning snack for chilled-to-the-bone vineyard workers pruning the vines in midwinter”—it has since moved into the realm of the home and been spruced up. In Alba, you might find it with truffles. Sometimes it’s made with milk or butter. Sometimes it’s made with walnut oil. The sauce is sometimes served over a candle to keep it warm.
While many of the dishes that Claiborne championed have lived on for decades—David Eyre’s pancake (here), boeuf bourguignon (here), and paella (here), to name a few—his bagna cauda vanished into the archives. But so did Marcella Hazan’s and Fred Plotkin’s and Matt Kramer’s. All of these wonderful writers, and none of them could get us to embrace this extraordinarily good, simple recipe? Some blame the longstanding dearth of quality anchovies, but because this is no longer an issue, it’s time, no? My husband makes bagna cauda, and it has become a staple of our dinner parties because it’s delicious, involves no anxiety, and encourages people to mingle around a bowl of warm, garlicky oil.
Get out your saucepan—or that little cazuela you bought in Europe that’s been collecting dust. Assemble the olive oil, butter, garlic, and anchovies you already have in your kitchen. Then trim that overload of vegetables from your C.S.A., and make the dish.
You can play around with the butter-to-oil ratio. Claiborne, a Francophile at heart, made his more about butter than oil. Hazan, from Emilia-Romagna, includes butter but emphasizes the oil. Plotkin, a Liguria expert, favors all oil. (I prefer more oil to butter, because I find the butter conceals the flavors of the garlic and anchovy.) Kramer cares most about the anchovy. “If someone’s going to make this dish and they’re going to take any trouble at all,” he wrote, “they should get salt-dried anchovies.” These anchovies are broader, longer, and altogether a higher-quality fish.
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8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, sliced tissue-thin
One 2-ounce can anchovy fillets, drained
Salt
Fresh vegetables, left whole or cut into small pieces or slices, for serving
1. Combine the butter and oil in a small saucepan and add the garlic. Cook over the lowest possible heat for about 15 minutes; do not let the mixture boil.
2. Chop the anchovies and add to the garlic-oil mixture. Stir until the anchovies dissolve; do not let the sauce boil or brown. Season with salt.
3. Meanwhile, prepare an assortment of raw vegetables, such as sliced cucumber, cauliflowerettes, strips of green pepper, celery, carrots, and leaves of endive.
4. Keep the sauce hot over a candle or spirit lamp. Serve the vegetables separately to dip into the sauce.
SERVES 10
COOKING NOTES
The sauce is timeless, but you may want to update the selection of vegetables you serve. I love bagna cauda with sliced fennel, radishes, roasted beets, and lightly blanched Romanesco broccoli.
If you stick to this ratio of butter to oil, you will need to add a fair amount of salt. Keep tasting.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Pork Braised in Milk and Cream (here), Rigatoni with White Bolognese (here), Chicken Canzanese (here), Italian Beef Stew with Rosemary (here), Coda alla Vaccinara (Oxtail Braised with Tomato and Celery; here), Raspberry Granita (here), Bolzano Apple Cake (here)
PERIOD DETAIL
I left the line “Keep it hot over a candle or spirit lamp” in the recipe because it’s a snapshot of a time when chafing dishes and double boilers were kitchen staples. If the recipe had been written in the 1970s, it might have called for a hot plate. Now, in the twenty-first century, I’d simply say, eat right away!
SEPTEMBER 4, 1960: “ANCHOVY COOKERY,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE.
—1960
CHINESE PORK BALLS
These are more “Chinese” pork balls than Chinese pork balls, but that doesn’t mean they don’t taste great.
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Three 5- to 6-ounce cans water chestnuts, drained, rinsed, and finely chopped
1½ cups finely chopped scallions
3 pounds lean ground pork
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1½ cups fine dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
Cornstarch for dusting
Oil for deep-frying
For the Sauce
1¾ cups unsweetened pineapple juice
1¼ cups cider vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
⅔ cup sugar
1½ cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
½ cup cornstarch
1 cup water
1. Place the water chestnuts, scallions, pork, salt, soy sauce, and eggs in a large bowl. Mix with your hands. Add the bread crumbs and ginger, with your hands, mix well. Chill the mixture for 1 hour.
2. Shape the pork mixture into ¾- to 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in cornstarch.
3. Heat 2 inches of oil to 370 degrees in a large pot or deep skillet. Carefully drop the balls into the oil one at a time, a dozen at one cooking, provided the oil does not foam up dangerously near the top of the pot (the oil should not extend above the halfway mark). Fry the balls for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until they are golden brown and rise to the top of the oil. Break one open to make sure it is cooked though; there should be no pink color left. Drain on paper towels. Reheat the oil in between batches.
4. Meanwhile, to prepare the sauce, place the pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, broth, and ginger in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Mix the cornstarch with the water and, using a wire whisk or a wooden spoon, stir into the boiling mixture. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Then reduce the heat to very low or place over hot water to keep hot while you continue frying the meatballs.
5. Place the pork balls in a chafing dish and stir in enough sauce to coat them. (The balls, without the sauce, can be refrigerated overnight, covered with aluminum foil. To serve, heat the pork balls, covered, in a preheated oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. Reheat the sauce while stirring.)
MAKES ABOUT 12½ DOZEN PORK BALLS; SERVES 20 TO 25
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Ginger Daiquiri (here), Oriental Watercress Soup (here), Takeout-Style Sesame Noodles (here), Poached Pears with Asian Spices (here)
PERIOD DETAIL
The original recipe called for “imported soy sauce.”
JUNE 4, 1972: “TOPICAL MEATBALLS,” BY JEAN HEWITT.
—1972
SHRIMP TOAST
No one seems to know for sure where shrimp toast—an oddball dish made by spreading Asian-flavored shrimp paste on Western sandwich bread and deep-frying it—came from. But according to Andrew Coe, a food scholar, it appears to be a cross between creamed chipped beef (see Delmonico Hash, here), which is minced meat bound with cream or béchamel and spooned over toast, and Chinese fried shrimp balls. Coe deduced that the dish’s likely birthplace was Shanghai, sometime between 1900 and 1945, when the city enjoyed a healthy population of Western businessmen. Shrimp toast didn’t become popular here, however, until the 1960s, when American food writers grew enchanted with it.
Shrimp toast is typically made on white sandwich bread, but this version uses English muffins, an innovation that earned John J. McGuire, a New York City police officer, first prize in a Thomas’ English muffin cooking contest. McGuire’s tweaking of an otherwise classic shrimp toast is fantastic, and if you haven’t had shrimp toast in, say, thirty years, it’s time to revisit.
Don’t make this recipe—or any requiring deep-frying—for a large party, or you’ll spend the whole time over the stove.
———
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ pound shrimp, shelled, deveined, and finely chopped
½ teaspoon sugar
4 Thomas’ English muffins
Corn or canola oil for deep-frying
Salt if needed
1. Beat the egg with the cornstarch, soy sauce, and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir in the shrimp.
2. Split the muffins and toast only to lightly crisp; do not brown.
3. Heat 2 inches of oil to 360 degrees in a medium deep heavy saucepan. Meanwhile, spread the shrimp mixture on the rough side of the muffin halves. Cut each half into quarters.
4. Place the toasts a few at a time, shrimp side down, in the oil and fry until golden, about 1 minute. Turn and fry for about 30 seconds longer. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt if desired. Serve immediately.
MAKES 32 TOASTS; SERVES 6 TO 8
COOKING NOTES
I tried some without toasting the muffins first, and preferred them this way, lightly toasted. They have a better mix of textures—crisp on the outside, tender inside—and for some reason, they taste more strongly of shrimp.
Some shrimp toasts of the period—they were a fixture of the 1960s and 1970s—contained scallion and ginger. If you like these flavors, add 1 tablespoon chopped scallion and 1 teaspoon grated ginger to the shrimp mixture.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Start with Ginger Daiquiri (here) or The Cuke (here), and follow with Chinese Barbecued Spareribs (here), Takeout-Style Sesame Noodles (here), Chinese Pork Balls (here), Oriental Watercress Soup (here), or Clams in Black Bean Sauce (here).
FEBRUARY 17, 1973: “WHEN THE SERGEANT COOKS, LOCAL CHILDREN RUSH INTO HIS HOME,” BY JEAN HEWITT. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM JOHN J. MCGUIRE, A POLICE OFFICER IN NEW YORK CITY.
—1973
ONION RINGS
These are not fried onions, but round onion tea sandwiches trimmed with parsley, a recipe popularized by James Beard. The recipe actually came from Bill Rhode, one of Beard’s partners in a Manhattan catering business they opened in the 1930s. Rhode apparently first tasted the dainty onion sandwiches at a Paris bordello.
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6 thin slices firm white bread, on the sweet side, or 12 slices challah
Approximately ½ cup mayonnaise
1 small yellow onion
Salt
Approximately ¾ cup very finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1. With a 1½- or 2-inch cookie cutter, cut 4 rounds from each slice of white bread or 2 rounds from each challah slice. Arrange them in 12 pairs. Spread each round with mayonnaise.
2. Using a mandoline or a very sharp vegetable peeler, thinly slice the onion (you need 12 slices). Put 1 slice on a bread round, salt lightly, and top with a second round.
3. When all 12 are assembled, thinly spread some mayonnaise on a piece of wax paper, and have the chopped parsley ready in a bowl. Take each sandwich between thumb and forefinger and roll the edges first in the mayonnaise, then in the chopped parsley. Make sure there are no bare spots; if there are, dab a bit of mayonnaise on the spot and dip again in parsley. Place on a plate lined with wax paper and cover with wax paper. Chill well.
MAKES 12 FINGER SANDWICHES
COOKING NOTE
Craig Claiborne said, “If it is too hard to get very thin slices of onions perfectly round, part slices will do too; use two or more parts. The thinness is important.” Pepperidge Farm very thin white works well.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Something gutsy like Ginger Lemonade (here), James Beard’s Champagne Punch (here), Improved Holland Gin Cocktail (here), The Vesper (here), Astoria Cocktail (here), or Sazerac (here); a plain old Martini (here) would also be swell. Then: Smoked Mackerel on Toasts (here), Hot Cheese Olives (here), Pickled Shrimp (here), Russ & Daughters’ Chopped Chicken Liver (here), Anchovy Canapés (here), Toasted Mushroom Rolls (here).
JUNE 9, 1976: “ONION SANDWICHES: A MEMORABLE WHIMSY OF HUMBLE ORIGIN,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE.
—1976
BLUE CHEESE CHEESECAKE
Somewhere between a cheese ball and quiche lives the humble but lovable blue cheese cheesecake. Make this for a large party and serve it with crackers or toasts and something pickled, like onions and radishes.
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⅓ cup fine dry bread crumbs
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Three and a half 8-ounce packages (28 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
4 large eggs
⅓ cup heavy cream
½ pound bacon
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 to 6 drops Tabasco sauce
Crackers or toasts, for serving
1. Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Butter the inside of an 8-by-3-inch springform pan (if the pan does not close tightly, wrap the outside in foil). Sprinkle the inside with the combined bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Shake the crumbs around the bottom and sides until coated. Shake out the excess crumbs.
2. Place the cream cheese, eggs, and heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until thoroughly blended and quite smooth and fluffy.
3. Sauté the bacon until very crisp. Drain on paper towels; reserve the rendered fat. Finely chop the bacon and set aside.
4. Sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat until wilted, 5 to 7 minutes.
5. Add the bacon, onion, crumbled blue cheese, and salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce to taste to the basic mixture, blending thoroughly.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and shake gently to level the mixture. Set the pan in a slightly larger pan and pour 2 inches of boiling water into the larger pan. Do not let the edges of the pans touch. Bake until the cheese cake springs back in the center when touched, about 1 hour and 25 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the cake sit in the oven for 15 minutes.
7. Lift the cake out of its water bath and place it on a rack to cool for at least 2 hours before unmolding.
8. Unlock the sides of the springform pan and remove. Place a round cake plate over the cake and carefully turn both upside down to unmold the cake. Or, take the easy way out and simply serve the cake on the springform pan base set on a platter.
SERVES 12 TO 20
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Peppar Tomato (here), Salade Niçoise (here), Watercress Salad (here)
DECEMBER 4, 1977: “FOOD: . . . SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE WITH PIERRE FRANEY. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM LORA BRODY.
—1977
SCOTCH EGGS
Scotch eggs, a picnic snack of yore, are typically made by wrapping sausage meat around hard-boiled eggs, breading them, and deep-frying them. These Scotch eggs, a creation of Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey, are made with ground pork seasoned with marjoram and parsley. Scotch eggs can be served warm or cold. As recipes from the British Isles go, most seeming to originate in the days of King Arthur, Scotch eggs are fairly modern; they didn’t appear until the nineteenth century.
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8 large eggs
1 pound ground lean pork
¾ cup fine fresh bread crumbs, preferably made from English muffins
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1½ teaspoons crushed dried marjoram
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Flour for dredging
1½ cups fine fresh bread crumbs, made from trimmed day-old sandwich bread (about 8 slices)
Vegetable or canola oil for deep-frying (about 8 cups)
1. Place 6 of the eggs in a saucepan and add lukewarm water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Drain the eggs and immediately run them under cold water. Drain once more, peel, and set aside.
2. Lightly beat 1 of the remaining eggs. Combine the pork, English muffin bread crumbs, beaten egg, salt and pepper to taste, marjoram, parsley, and cream in a large bowl. Blend well with your hands.
3. Divide the pork mixture into 6 equal portions. Place one portion on a sheet of plastic wrap. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap. Press down evenly and smooth the meat into a flat oval large enough to enclose 1 hard-cooked egg. Remove the top sheet of plastic wrap.
4. Dredge the hard-boiled eggs in flour, shaking off the excess. Place 1 egg in the center of the meat and bring up the edges of the plastic wrap to enclose the egg, pinching the seams together and pressing so that the egg is neatly and evenly enclosed in the meat. Remove the plastic wrap, and finish the shaping in your palms. Continue until all the eggs are wrapped in the pork mixture.
5. Lightly beat the remaining egg in a rimmed dish. Dredge the wrapped eggs once more in flour and dip in the beaten egg, turning to coat evenly. Spread the bread crumbs made from sandwich bread on a plate. Dredge in the bread crumbs.
6. Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep skillet, it’s ready when a bread crumb added to the oil browns in 30 seconds. Add the eggs (do in batches if needed) and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, turning often, until the meat is cooked though and the coating is golden brown—the bubbling will get louder and hollow-sounding as the eggs get closer to being done. Serve the eggs hot or lukewarm, sliced in half, with the mustard mayonnaise described in the Cooking Note below.
MAKES 6 SCOTCH EGGS, ENOUGH FOR 6 FOR LUNCH
COOKING NOTE
This recipe ran with a from-scratch mustard-mayonnaise accompaniment, but since you’re already deep-frying, I thought having to also make mayonnaise might cause you to miss the point of the eggs themselves. They’re the kind of thing you make instead of grilling burgers. So just get out your store-bought mayonnaise—Hellmann’s or Miracle Whip, whichever camp you live in—and blend it with Dijon mustard and a little Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. Start with a few tablespoonfuls of mayonnaise and add the condiments to taste, and you can’t go wrong.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Claret Cup (here), Wine Lemonade (here), Olive Oil–Tuna Spread with Lemon and Oregano (here), Brie with Herbs in Bread (here), Mezzaluna Salad (here), Sand Tarts (Pecan Sandies; here)
PERIOD DETAIL
A recipe for Scotch eggs stuffed with pickled tongue ran in the Times in 1879.
JANUARY 22, 1978: “FOOD: A CANNY WAY WITH EGGS,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE WITH PIERRE FRANEY.
—1978
MARINA ANAGNOSTOU’S SPANAKOPETES (SPINACH TRIANGLES)
Although many people recommended this recipe, it took me months to work up the enthusiasm to try it. Every spanakopete I’d ever had was a greasy, saggy, soggy blight on my respect for Greece. Clearly I hadn’t been eating the right ones. In this spanakopete, which came from Marina Anagnostou, whose family owned the Poseidon Confectionery Company in Manhattan, the phyllo billows like a jib, protecting a bright dill and feta filling beneath.
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1 pound fresh spinach in bulk or one 10-ounce package fresh spinach
1½ tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups chopped onions
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 cup chopped scallions
1 cup crumbled or chopped feta cheese (about 4 ounces)
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup finely chopped dill
⅓ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup pine nuts
12 sheets phyllo pastry
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. If using spinach sold in bulk, discard any tough stems and blemished leaves, wash, and drain well. If using packaged, rinse once and drain. Coarsely chop the spinach.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Drain well in a colander (set the pan aside) and press with the back of a large spoon to push out excess moisture.
3. Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium heat and cook the onions, garlic, and scallions until wilted, stirring often. When the mixture starts to brown, transfer it to a mixing bowl. Let cool.
4. Add the spinach, feta, Parmesan cheese, dill, and parsley to the onion mixture. Beat the egg and yolk together lightly and add to the spinach mixture. Add very little salt, and season with pepper. Stir in the pine nuts—be careful not to overmix, you want the ingredients to remain distinct.
5. Use 1 sheet of phyllo pastry for each 2 spinach triangles. Brush a smooth work surface (or sheet of plastic wrap) with melted butter. Spread out 1 sheet of phyllo and brush with butter. (Keep the rest of the phyllo covered with a slightly dampened cloth, or it will dry out.) Using a sharp knife, cut it lengthwise in half. Fold each rectangle lengthwise in half to make a smaller rectangle. Place 1½ tablespoons of the spinach mixture in the bottom of one of the rectangles. Fold one corner of the rectangle over the spinach filling to make a triangle. Fold this triangle over itself toward the top—as you would fold a flag—and continue folding up until triangle is produced. Brush this all over with butter and put on a baking sheet. Continue making triangles until all the spinach filling is used.
6. Bake the triangles for about 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm.
MAKES 16 TO 20 TRIANGLES
COOKING NOTE
You can also use baby spinach, in which case you don’t need to chop it.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
This is a great lead-up to Shrimp Baked with Feta Cheese, Greek-Style (here), Salade à la Grecque (here), Broiled Lamb Leg Chops on Eggplant Planks with Mint-Yogurt Sauce (here), Lemon Lotus Ice Cream (here), Hazelnut Baklava (here).
MAY 17, 1978: “PHYLLO PASTRY: MIRACLE ON 9TH AVENUE,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM MARINA ANAGNOSTOU.
—1978
JULIA HARRISON ADAMS’S PIMENTO CHEESE SPREAD
To the untrained eye, pimento cheese spread looks woefully sloppy, like a hodgepodge of leftovers or a sterling example of WASP cuisine (perhaps the two are synonymous). But they eat pimento cheese by the bucketful in the South, and it’s rare that Southerners go wrong with food.
The recipe calls for a meat grinder to mash the cheese, but the coarse side of a box grater works just fine and is easier to deal with. Make sure the cheeses are at room temperature so they mash up well, and don’t skimp on the mayonnaise. If it’s not slippery and goopy, it’s not pimento cheese.
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½ pound mild yellow cheddar or longhorn cheese
½ pound aged white sharp cheddar cheese, preferably Vermont or New York
One 7-ounce can pimentos, with their juice
1 cup chopped scallions
½ cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade (here)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, or more to taste
6 dashes Tabasco sauce, or more to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Crackers or raw vegetables, for serving
1. Use a meat grinder or the coarse side of a box grater to grate the cheese; for a grinder, use the cutter with large holes. Put the ground or grated cheese in a mixing bowl and add half the juice from the canned pimentos. Dice the pimentos and add them. Add the chopped scallions.
2. Combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and garlic. Add this to the cheese mixture. Add the Worcestershire, Tabasco, and black pepper and blend well; taste and adjust the seasoning.
3. Serve at room temperature as a spread for crisp crackers and raw vegetables or use as a sandwich spread. (Pimento cheese can be tightly sealed and kept for several days in the refrigerator.)
MAKES ABOUT 6 CUPS; SERVES 8 TO 12
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
There’s no better cracker than a Triscuit, and it’s particularly apt here. To go with: The Bone (here), Mint Julep (here), Wine Lemonade (here), Pan-Barbecued Shrimp (here), Shrimp Creole (here), Crab Cakes Baltimore-Style (here), Paul Prudhomme’s Cajun-Style Gumbo (here).
“Recipes from the Times have been my cooking class for many years, no matter where I lived. Especially valuable to me were the recipes of the ’70s & ’80s because we had just purchased a weekend cottage upstate in Columbia County, and I did need HELP. . . . On July 4, 1974, another full-page article, enclosed, came to my rescue—picnic recipes. One from that article is still a family favorite: Julia Harrison Adams’s Pimento Cheese Spread.”
Jeanne Y. Miles, Santa Fe, NM, letter
JULY 4, 1979: “TANGLEWOOD: A PICNIC AMONG THE MASTERS: SOME PICNIC HAMPER FAVORITES FOR A BANQUET ALFRESCO,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM JULIA HARRISON ADAMS.
—1979
RILLETTES DE CANARD (DUCK RILLETTES)
Rillettes can be made with almost any kind of meat or fish. Although they are similar to pâté and to potted meat, an English standard containing nuggets and dabs of meat (see Potted Salmon, here), rillettes differ in that you slow-cook the meat in fat and then rake it with a fork or spoon as it cools, breaking it down into fine, delicate threads until the mixture is so smooth it’s spreadable. Serve with hard rolls or buttered toast.
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2 ducks (4 to 5 pounds each)
Salt
1 medium onion, cut into quarters
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic
2 cups dry white wine
Freshly ground black pepper
Melted lard
1. Quarter the ducks: Cut out the backbones with poultry shears, then quarter. Save all the scraps of fat, the necks, gizzards, and backbones. Carefully trim all the peripheral fat from each quarter. Add this and the other scraps of fat to a large wide casserole or Dutch oven and cook over low heat, without browning, until the fat is rendered.
2. Season the duck pieces with salt. Add the pieces of duck, skin side down, to the pot, then add the backbones, gizzards, and necks, and raise the heat to medium-low. As the pieces brown, stir and turn them. When they are lightly browned, add the onion, bay leaf, garlic, and wine. Cover and cook over low heat until the duck is very tender, about 3 hours.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and transfer the duck to a plate. Strain the fat into a large bowl, preferably stainless steel; set aside. Remove the meat and skin from the bones. Shred the meat with your fingers. Chop the skin, if desired. Discard the bones.
4. Add the skin (if using) and meat to the duck fat. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Rillettes are improved with a considerable quantity of black pepper.) Stir briskly with a wooden spoon, then chill the rillettes in the freezer for about 30 minutes; do not let the dish freeze. Stir and rake the rillettes until very stiff. Repeat until the rillettes are finely shredded.
5. Spoon the rillettes into earthenware crocks. Cover with melted lard and refrigerate until ready to use; the lard keeps the air out. (Rillettes will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.) Scrape off and discard the lard before serving.
MAKES ABOUT 10 CUPS
COOKING NOTES
If your pan isn’t large enough, you may need to brown the duck in batches. You could also use a small roasting pan for browning the duck, as long as the burners on your stove are large enough to heat it evenly; then transfer the browned pieces to a Dutch oven or casserole.
Step 3 is the most fun, because you get to remove the meat from the duck bones and shred it with your fingers. This step also instructs you to chop up and add the skin. I didn’t do this—my duck skin was rubbery and I thought it would take away from the silky meat.
Step 4 is the most crucial. It will seem strange to alternate freezing and stirring the duck mixture, but this technique is what creates the fine texture of the rillettes. As the duck chills, the fat hardens the mixture, and as you stir, this tension helps shred the meat more finely. You’ll need to stir the mixture a few times over the course of 3 to 4 hours, then you can transfer the rillettes to the fridge.
Oh, and do be generous with the pepper. Rillettes are extremely rich, and you need the heat and spice of pepper to counteract the fat!
This is enough for a large party, and then some. You can easily halve or quarter the recipe for smaller get-togethers.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Nicky Finn (here), James Beard’s Champagne Punch (here), Holiday Punch (here), Grapefruit Wine (here), Fennel, Orange, Watercress, and Walnut Salad (here), Diana Vreeland’s Salade Parisienne (here), Steak au Poivre (here), Filet de Boeuf Rôti (Roast Fillet of Beef) with Sauce Bordelaise (here), Fricassee of Chicken with Tarragon (here), Rabbit in Mustard Sauce (here), Tarte aux Fruits (here), Apple Galette (here), Judson Grill’s Berry Clafoutis with Crème Fraîche (here), Chocolate Mousse (here), Almond Cake (here)
PERIOD DETAIL
This recipe was one of eight suggested by Times readers as good holiday gifts. When was the last time you received a pot of rillettes?
DECEMBER 12, 1979: “RECIPES FOR A CHRISTMAS FROM THE KITCHEN,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE.
—1979
BEEF SATAY WITH PEANUT SAUCE
The peanut sauce here is a beauty—smooth as lacquer, with a flavor that rambles from chiles to peanuts to ginger.
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For the Peanut Sauce
1 tablespoon corn, peanut, or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
¼ teaspoon shrimp paste
3 tablespoons tamarind syrup
1½ tablespoons sugar
1 cup crunchy or smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
Salt
1¼ cups boiling water
For the Satay
1 pound flank steak
Three 2-inch pieces lemongrass, finely chopped, or one 2-inch strip lemon zest
½ cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons ketjap manis (see Cooking Notes)
2 tablespoons corn, peanut, or vegetable oil
½ teaspoon shrimp paste
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
Salt
½ teaspoon sugar
8 wooden skewers
1. To make the peanut sauce, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring, until wilted. Add the pepper flakes, ginger, shrimp paste, tamarind syrup, sugar, peanut butter, lime juice, and salt to taste, then add the boiling water, whisking rapidly. When blended, remove the sauce from the heat. If it starts to curdle, add a little more water.
2. To make the satay, cut the steak into 1-inch cubes and put them in a bowl.
3. Put the lemongrass, onion, ketjap manis, oil, shrimp paste, cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt to taste, and sugar in a food processor or a blender and puree to a fine paste. Pour this over the meat and blend well. Let stand for 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, light a charcoal or gas grill. Soak the wooden skewers in water.
5. Thread equal portions of the meat onto each skewer. Place the meat on the grill and cook for about 2 minutes. Turn and cook for about 2 minutes on the second side, until browned on the tips. Serve with the peanut sauce (which you may need to re-emulsify by whisking).
SERVES 4
Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey, who wrote about this satay, said that if you can’t find ketjap manis, a thick, dark, sweet Indonesia condiment (often containing star anise, garlic, and palm sugar), you can substitute “a dark soy sauce, blended with an equal volume of sugar, a touch of water, and a couple of crushed garlic cloves.”
The beef needs to be grilled because you want it to caramelize and char a bit. In this case, a broiler is not a good alternative—you won’t get a good crust on the meat.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Kaffir Lime Lemonade (here), Zombie Punch (here), Malaysian-Inspired Pork Stew with Traditional Garnishes (here), Pork-and-Toasted-Rice-Powder Spring Rolls (here), Green Beans with Coriander-Coconut Crust (here), Basmati Rice with Coconut Milk and Ginger (here)
AUGUST 28, 1983: “FOOD: AN INDONESIAN TREAT,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE WITH PIERRE FRANEY.
—1983
SAUCISSON SOÛL
This dish lives in the fiefdom of pigs-in-a-blanket—it’s sliced kielbasa in a sweet mustardy glaze. The saucisson serves six at a civilized party with other hors d’oeuvres. At my house, a recipe testing factory, it lasted for six minutes.
———
½ kielbasa (about 12 ounces)
¾ cup dry white wine, or as needed
1 scant teaspoon sugar (optional)
1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard, more to taste
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
1. Cut the kielbasa into 1-inch-thick slices and then into quarters. Put in a heavy skillet large enough to hold all the pieces in one layer and add wine to cover. Bring to a boil and boil rapidly until the wine has almost evaporated and looks syrupy—a scant teaspoon of sugar added here makes a nice glaze. Add the mustard to taste.
2. Toss the kielbasa with the parsley and serve hot or at room temperature with toothpicks.
SERVES 6
COOKING NOTE
I needed 1½ cups wine to cover the kielbasa.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
These are fine alone, but they can also be accompanied by Hot Cheese Olives (here), Toasted Mushroom Rolls (here), Onion Rings (here), or Blue Cheese Dip (here).
OCTOBER 23, 1983: “TAILGATE FEASTS,” BY BRYAN MILLER.
—1983
GUACAMOLE TOSTADAS
Think of this as the Tex-Mex version of a layered terrine—a foundation of beans supports levels of avocado, cumin-scented sour cream, tomatoes, scallions, olives, cheddar, and coriander. Tortilla chips are the toast points. Happy excavating!
———
1 cup dried pinto beans, rinsed and picked over
½ cup chopped onion
1 large clove garlic, pressed or minced
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
Salt
2½ tablespoons mild pure chile powder
1 tablespoon white vinegar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4½ tablespoons tomato paste
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
8 drops of hot pepper sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
2 ripe avocados
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup sour cream
2 large tomatoes, chopped
¾ cup chopped scallions
1 cup chopped pitted black olives
2 cups coarsely grated sharp white cheddar cheese
⅔ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
Good-quality tortilla chips
1. To prepare the beans, either cover with water in a bowl and soak overnight, or cover with water in a saucepan and bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes, then allow to stand for 1 hour.
2. Drain the beans and transfer to a medium saucepan. Cover the beans with fresh water, cover the pan and bring to a boil. Add the onion, the garlic, ½ teaspoon cumin, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Drain.
3. Place the beans in a food processor with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¾ teaspoon cumin, 1½ tablespoons chile powder, the vinegar, butter, tomato paste, coriander, and hot pepper sauce. Process until smooth. Adjust the seasoning, adding salt and pepper if desired.
4. Peel and pit the avocados and coarsely mash with the lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Mix the sour cream with the remaining 1 tablespoon chile powder and ¼ teaspoon cumin.
6. To serve, spread the bean mixture in a shallow serving dish. Top with the mashed avocados, then with the sour cream mixture. Scatter the tomatoes evenly over the sour cream, sprinkle on the scallions, olives, and cheese, and top with the cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips.
SERVES 16
COOKING NOTES
For the hot pepper sauce, I began with Tabasco but, finding it too mild, switched to Sriracha (Thai hot sauce).
Marian Burros, the Times columnist who wrote this story, noted that “the beans may be cooked a day or two ahead and mixed with seasonings. Remaining ingredients, with the exception of the avocado, may be prepared early on the day of the party.”
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Moscow Mule (here), Classic Rum Punch (here), La Paloma (here), Tortilla Soup (here), Yucatán Fish with Crisp Garlic (here), Moroccan Chicken Smothered in Olives (here), El Parian’s Carne Asada (Grilled Beef; here), Black Bean Soup with Salsa and Jalapeño Corn-Bread Muffins (here), Maida Heatter’s Cuban Black Beans and Rice (here), Nueces Canyon Cabrito (Goat Tacos; here)
MAY 25, 1985: “MEXICAN TREAT FOR HOLIDAYS,” BY MARIAN BURROS.
—1985
HUMMUS BI TAHINI
Hummus takes much more salt than you think—keep tasting it until it’s right. And please, please, please use the very best olive oil you have. If you don’t have great olive oil, go buy some. It’s an essential counterpoint to the chickpea puree.
———
1¾ cups freshly cooked or canned chickpeas
5 tablespoons chicken broth (see Cooking Note)
¾ cup tahini (sesame paste)
½ to ¾ cup fresh lemon juice
Salt if needed
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1½ tablespoons olive oil
Pita for serving
1. Put the chickpeas in a food processor or blender, and add the broth, tahini, and lemon juice to taste. Blend until smooth. Add salt if needed. Add the garlic and pulse to mix.
2. Spoon the hummus into a wide shallow serving dish. Sprinkle with the parsley and drizzle with the olive oil. Serve with pita.
SERVES 6
COOKING NOTE
Claiborne and Franey wrote, “If the chickpeas are freshly cooked, use ¼ cup of the cooking liquid as a substitute for the chicken broth. To cook dried chickpeas, use ⅓ cup of dried peas to produce 1 cup of cooked. Soak the chickpeas overnight in cold water to cover. Drain and add fresh water to cover to a depth of 1 inch. Add salt to taste if desired. Bring to the boil and cook about 3 hours, or until tender, adding more boiling water as necessary.”
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
I like hummus with other small dishes like Beet Tzatziki (here) and Seasoned Olives (here). To round out the meal, try: Iraqi Grape Leaves Stuffed with Lamb, Mint, and Cinnamon (here), Arnaki Araka (Lamb with Peas; here), Spicy Orange Salad Moroccan-Style (here), Pepper-Cumin Cookies (here), Honey Spice Cookies (here), Pine Nut Cookies (here).
PERIOD DETAIL
Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey, the authors of the story, noted, “It is perhaps a commonplace to say that the American kitchen has become the most adventure-filled room in the house during the last decade.” (Focused on the culinary revolution, they seem to have missed the sexual revolution.) “If you look in the pantry and refrigerator now,” they explained, “you are apt to discover herbs, spices, and other flavors that were all but unheard of in most American homes ten years ago. These might include fresh or bottled jalapeño peppers; fresh coriander leaves; radicchio and arugula lettuces; a spate of oils, mustards, and vinegars in various flavors; an abundance of sophisticated cheeses; and so on.”
JUNE 9, 1985: “FOOD: SESAME PASTE,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE WITH PIERRE FRANEY.
—1985
BRIE WITH HERBS IN BREAD
An abundantly filled pressed sandwich. I believe that the best sandwiches owe their success as much to design as to ingredients, and this one conveniently proves my theory: the pressing unifies the texture and flavors and the order of layering is designed to moisten the interior while leaving the exterior firm and crisp. It is meant to be served as an hors d’oeuvre, but you’re welcome to eat it as a sandwich.
———
1 baguette (about 10 ounces)
¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons dry white wine
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (about 1 teaspoon)
One 10-ounce piece ripe Brie cheese
3 tablespoons chopped chives
1 cup coarsely shredded basil leaves
1½ cups loosely packed coarsely shredded sorrel (other herbs or greens can be used instead, such as watercress and arugula)
1. Halve the baguette lengthwise. Sprinkle the cut surface of each half with the oil, wine, pepper, and garlic, dividing the ingredients evenly.
2. Trim the Brie to remove any rind and cut into long ¼-inch-thick slices. Spread half the herbs on the bottom half of the loaf and arrange the cheese slices on top of the herbs. Spread the remaining herbs on top of the Brie and place the top half of the bread on top to re-form the loaf. Press firmly together. Cut the sandwich in half. Roll each half as tightly as possible in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. (Tightly wrapping the sandwich makes the bread absorb the juices better.)
3. Put the sandwich on a baking sheet, top with another baking sheet, and refrigerate with 3 to 5 pounds of weight (a couple of cans or jars, perhaps) on top for 4 to 5 hours.
4. Cut the sandwich into slices to serve. It can be eaten cold or lukewarm.
SERVES 6
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Place a teaspoon (or so) of Limoncello (here) in a Champagne glass and fill with prosecco; or think about Grapefruit Wine (here). Also, Scotch Eggs (here), Stuffed Hard-Cooked Eggs (here), Tom’s Chilled Cucumber Soup (here), A Loose Interpretation of Cobb Salad (here), Salade Niçoise (here), Brownies (here), Lemon Bars (here), Flat-and-Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (here).
SEPTEMBER 4, 1988: “FOOD: THE LAST PICNIC SHOW,” BY JACQUES PÉPIN.
—1988
SOPHIE GRIGSON’S PARMESAN CAKE
You will notice that many of the recipes in the book have someone’s name in the title (see, for instance, Lucas Schoormans’s Lemon Tart here, David Eyre’s Pancake here, and Kathleen Claiborne’s Hot Cakes here). People’s names usually become attached to a recipe in one of two ways—either the person who created the recipe knew it was great and wanted to be sure no one else took credit, or, more often, a beneficiary of the recipe added it as a gesture of affection. In either case, it’s usually a signal of something good to come—as it is here.
Grigson suggests serving it with hors d’oeuvres, which would be lovely (think of it as a cheese straw in cake form). I used it to accompany Braised Stuffed Breast of Veal (here), which is eaten cold. You could also treat it like Yorkshire pudding and serve it warm with roast beef, to soak up the juices.
———
1 cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated
¼ cup semolina flour
Freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs, separated
¾ cup whole milk
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan. Sift the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Add the Parmesan cheese, semolina, and pepper to taste, mixing well.
2. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the butter, egg yolks, and milk and mix vigorously.
3. Beat the egg whites until stiff, and fold them into the batter.
4. Spoon into the cake pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until firm to the touch and browned. Serve cut into 4 to 6 pieces as an hors d’oeuvre, or as a bread with stews to mop up the sauce, or merely toasted.
SERVES 4 TO 6
COOKING NOTE
For the Parmesan, use a Microplane grater if you have one; it produces featherweight cheese strands, which melt completely in the cake batter so you don’t end up with leaden pockets of cheese.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Eat this cut into thin slices as an accompaniment to cocktails, such as Kumquat-Clementine Cordial (here) or Vermouth Cassis (here), or make thicker slices and use them to soak up the gravy in Boeuf Bourguignon I (here).
APRIL 30, 1989: “FOOD: ALL IN THE FAMILY: CHILDREN WHO FOLLOW IN THE CULINARY FOOTSTEPS OF THEIR FAMOUS PARENTS,” BY JOAN NATHAN. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM SOPHIE GRIGSON.
—1989
CUCUMBER–GOAT CHEESE DIP WITH RADISHES AND SCALLIONS
While this recipe is called a dip, it can also be used as a salad dressing for a sturdy green like romaine. If making dip, add less cucumber juice (¼ cup); if making a dressing, add more. Either way, you’ll probably have leftover juice—a perfect excuse to try the Cucumber Risotto with Yellow Peppers and Herbs here.
———
2 large cucumbers, peeled, plus 1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into small dice
6 ounces reduced-fat or regular goat cheese, at room temperature
8 radishes, trimmed and cut into small dice
2 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Raw vegetables, for dipping
1. Pass the 2 large cucumbers through a juice extractor into a bowl, or coarsely chop, then puree in a food processor. Skim off the foam. (If using a food processor, strain through a fine-mesh sieve.)
2. Place the goat cheese in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in ¼ cup cucumber juice until smooth; add more as desired. Stir in the diced cucumber, radishes, scallions, and mint. Season with the salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until cold.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Mint Julep (here), Ginger Daiquiri (here), Egg and Olive Canapés (here), Stuffed Hard-Cooked Eggs (here), Seasoned Olives (here), Crostini with Eggplant and Pine Nut Puree (here)
JUNE 20, 1993: “FOOD: ADD AND EXTRACT,” BY MOLLY O’NEILL.
—1993
GRILLED ONION GUACAMOLE
I’m not a big fan of tarting up classic dishes, but chef Dean Fearing’s guacamole is an exception. The grilled onions add sweetness and smoke, and there’s just the right balance of heat, acid, and cilantro.
———
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 large red onion, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
3 avocados
1 large tomato
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 serrano chiles, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Fresh lime juice
Tortilla chips, for serving
1. Combine the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pour into a shallow dish, add the onion, and let marinate for 1 hour.
2. Heat a charcoal or gas grill until hot (or heat the broiler, with the rack 6 to 8 inches from the flame).
3. Drain the onion and place on the grill (or on the broiler pan, under the broiler). Grill for 3 minutes per side (4 minutes per side if broiling). Let cool slightly, then coarsely chop, discarding any bits that have charred.
4. Peel, halve, and pit the avocados, and cut into ½-inch dice. Dice the tomato.
5. Combine the grilled onion, avocado, tomato, garlic, chiles, and cilantro in a bowl, mashing the avocados slightly as you go. Season with salt and lime juice. Keep at room temperature, and serve within 30 minutes.
SERVES 4 TO 6
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
La Paloma (here), Yucatán Fish with Crisp Garlic (here), Moroccan Chicken Smothered in Olives (here), Black Bean Soup with Salsa and Jalapeño Corn-Bread Muffins (here), Maida Heatter’s Cuban Black Beans and Rice (here), Tortilla Soup (here), Nueces Canyon Cabrito (Goat Tacos; here), Rosa de la Garza’s Dry Chili (here)
JULY 4, 1993: “FOOD: THE TEXAS THREE-STEP,” BY MOLLY O’NEILL. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM DEAN FEARING, THE CHEF AND OWNER OF THE MANSION ON TURTLE CREEK IN DALLAS.
—1993
FETA SPREAD
The Greek name for this fiery red pepper and feta spread is htipiti, which means “beaten,” a possible reference to the way it is made, according to Aglaia Kremezi, the cookbook author whose recipe this is. Her version is done in a food processor, but if you own a mortar and pestle and are looking for a way to kill time, by all means have at it.
I used the red pepper flakes instead of a fresh chile, and the heat—which can make or break a dish like this—was palpable but not overbearing. I served the spread with a platter of zucchini and cucumber sliced just thick enough to hold it, about ⅛ inch.
———
2½ tablespoons olive oil
1 Thai chile, seeded and minced, or ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
1½ cups crumbled soft feta cheese (about 6 ounces)
2 roasted red bell peppers, peeled, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the chile and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the garlic and remove from the heat. Let cool for 3 minutes.
2. Place the feta and red peppers in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the chile-oil mixture and process until well combined. Scrape the spread into a bowl and serve.
MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS
COOKING NOTE
The darker you roast the peppers, the smokier you’ll make the dip.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Moussaka (here), Broiled Lamb Leg Chops on Eggplant Planks with Mint-Yogurt Sauce (here), Shrimp Baked with Feta Cheese, Greek-Style (here), Sea Scallops with Sweet Red Peppers and Zucchini (here), Cantaloupe–Star Anise Sorbet (here), Honey Spice Cookies (here)
APRIL 3, 1994: “FOOD: GREEK REVIVALISM,” BY MOLLY O’NEILL. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM THE FOODS OF GREECE BY AGLAIA KREMEZI.
—1994
TOASTED MUSHROOM ROLLS
A friend of mine described these rolls as “stuffing you can hold.” They are, essentially, old-school duxelles—minced and sautéed mushrooms—and béchamel rolled up in toast. I made them with plain old white mushrooms, but feel free to upgrade to more potent varieties like shiitake or morels.
———
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus melted butter for brushing the rolls
½ pound white mushrooms or more exotic mushrooms, like portobello, cremini, shiitake, or morels, or some combination, trimmed and finely chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup light cream or half-and-half
1 tablespoon minced chives
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
20 slices white sandwich bread (like Pepperidge Farm)
1. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté them until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and blend in the flour. Stir in the cream, return to medium heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat. Stir in the chives and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and let cool.
2. Remove the crusts from the bread. Roll each slice with a rolling pin until flat and thin. Spread each slice with some of the mushroom mixture, roll up, and place seam side down on a baking sheet. Brush with additional melted butter. Refrigerate, or pack and freeze if desired (see Cooking Note).
3. To serve, heat the oven to 400 degrees, defrost the rolls if they have been frozen. Bake the rolls, turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until the rolls are golden on all sides. Cut each roll into 3 or 4 slices and serve warm, not hot.
MAKES 60 TO 80 ROLLS
COOKING NOTE
Marian Burros, whose recipe this is, said that you can freeze the rolls for up to 2 weeks before baking and serving them, but you can also bake them right away.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Sazerac (here), The Vesper (here), Florentine Dip (here), Onion Rings (here), Blue Cheese Dip (here)
DECEMBER 11, 1996: “PREPARING A PARTY, WITH TIME TO GOSSIP,” BY MARIAN BURROS.
—1996
FRESH AND SMOKED SALMON SPREAD
This ordinary-seeming salmon spread epitomizes many of the changes that swept home cooking as we neared the twenty-first century. People had become so accustomed to dining out—and the quality of cooking at most restaurants had improved so markedly—that they wanted food of equal sophistication at home. And they got it by embracing restaurant techniques and threading new subtleties of preparation into their cooking.
This salmon spread from Le Bernardin, a 4-star Manhattan landmark, vastly improves on the standard. It rounds out the smoked salmon with cubes of flash-poached fresh salmon, which are mashed into the spread. This odd-seeming touch is shrewdly conceived—by poaching the fish in cubes, you increase the surface area that’s heated, and 40 seconds is just enough time to cook the outside but leave the center pink and delicately textured. Plain smoked salmon spread can land with a salty thud, but the fresh fish lightens the mix, both literally and sensually.
———
1 (750-ml) bottle dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
2 pounds skinless salmon fillet, fat trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
6 ounces sliced smoked salmon, fat trimmed and cut into tiny dice
2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise, homemade (here) or store-bought
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Toasted baguette slices for serving
1. Place the wine, shallots, and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the fresh salmon and poach for 40 seconds. Drain in a sieve and run cold water over the fish to stop the cooking. Drain well and refrigerate until cold, at least 1½ hours. (Discard the poaching liquid.)
2. Place the smoked salmon in a large bowl and stir in the chives. Add the poached salmon and use the side of a wooden spoon to shred the fish as you mix. Stir in the lemon juice, mayonnaise, and pepper. Season with sea salt.
3. Refrigerate the spread for up to 6 hours, then serve with toasts.
MAKES 4 CUPS; SERVES 8 TO 12
COOKING NOTES
I was skeptical about the large amount of mayonnaise that’s folded into the fish mixture. At first, I added just ½ cup. The spread was sublime. Then I mixed in the rest. It was still good, but quite wet. When I tasted it a few hours later, though, it was perfect. The fish had absorbed the mayonnaise, and had I skimped, the spread would have been dry. If there’s anything this recipe needs, it’s a few more drops of lemon juice, which can be added to taste.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Eric Ripert, the chef of Le Bernardin, says to serve the spread on toasted slices of baguette. For a casual dinner party, why not use potato chips? Also, Kir Royale 38 (here), The Vesper (here), Saketini (here), Edamame with Nori Salt (here), Salted and Deviled Almonds (here).
SEPTEMBER 9, 1998: “BY THE BOOK: A TALE OUT OF BRITTANY,” BY FLORENCE FABRICANT. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM LE BERNARDIN COOKBOOK: FOUR-STAR SIMPLICITY, BY MAGUY LE COZE AND ERIC RIPERT.
—1998
TOASTS WITH WALNUT SAUCE
This tasty little sauce can also be used on pasta.
———
7 ounces (about 2 cups) walnuts, broken
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, peeled
Sea salt
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch of dried marjoram leaves
¾ cup fresh ricotta
2 to 3 teaspoons tepid water
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Toasted slices of country bread for serving
1. Combine the walnuts, bread crumbs, garlic, and a large pinch of salt in a large mortar. Pound with the pestle to form a coarse-textured paste. Add the Parmesan and marjoram. Pound again to blend. Add the ricotta, along with the tepid water, stirring with the pestle to mix. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
2. Serve the spread on small slices of toasted country bread.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Peach Bowl (here), The Normandy (here), or a glass of good rosé or prosecco
APRIL 21, 1999: “TEST KITCHEN: ONE MOVING PART, NO BATTERIES: WHO’D EVER BUY IT?” BY AMANDA HESSER. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM RECIPES FROM PARADISE, BY FRED PLOTKIN.
—1999
PORK-AND-TOASTED-RICE-POWDER SPRING ROLLS
These spring rolls come from Bao-Xuyen Le, a wonderful home cook in southern California who makes them for her family’s Vietnamese-influenced Thanksgiving dinner. I’d eat them any day of the year.
———
For the Dipping Sauce
½ cup superfine sugar
½ cup fresh lime juice (from about 4 limes)
½ cup Asian fish sauce
For the Spring Rolls
1½ cups dried pork skins
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon rice vinegar or white vinegar
½ pound roasted pork tenderloin, cut into julienne (about 2 cups)
3 tablespoons toasted rice powder
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
Sixteen 8-inch round rice paper spring roll wrappers
8 red-leaf lettuce leaves, stems removed and cut in half
1 to 2 large bunches cilantro, trimmed
32 shiso leaves
16 sprigs mint
1. To prepare the dipping sauce, combine the sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
2. To prepare the spring rolls, combine the pork skins with the salt, vinegar, and water to cover in a medium bowl. Soak until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain well.
3. Combine the pork skins, roasted pork, rice powder, and garlic in a large bowl and mix well. Add just enough fish sauce to moisten the mixture, mixing well.
4. Heat a large pot of water just until hot to the touch. Dip a rice paper wrapper into the water and place on a large clean surface. Repeat so you have 4 wrappers laid out. Lay ½ lettuce leaf on the half of a wrapper closest to you. Cover evenly with several sprigs of cilantro, 2 shiso leaves, and a sprig of mint. Spread with about ¼ cup of the pork mixture. Roll the bottom half of the wrapper partway over the filling, fold in the sides, and continue rolling to the other end of the wrapper to make a neat, tight log. Place the finished roll seam side down on a plate, and continue to make the spring rolls.
5. Serve with the dipping sauce.
SERVES 8
COOKING NOTE
Although many of the ingredients are probably not available at Safeway, you can find them at any decent Southeast Asian grocery store.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Kaffir Lime Lemonade (here), Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce (here), Chinese Pork Balls (here), Roasted Brine-Cured Turkey with Shiitake and Lotus Seed Stuffing (here), Sticky Rice with Mango (here)
NOVEMBER 15, 2000: “ADD A LITTLE VIETNAM, FRANCE, AND CALIFORNIA, AND MIX,” BY AMANDA HESSER. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM BAO-XUYEN LE, A HOME COOK IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
—2000
ALOO KOFTA
These fried potato croquettes were featured as an example of something you could cook in a kadhai, a flat-bottomed wok-like pan, but you can also use a cast-iron skillet, as I did. Whatever you choose, the pan should have a heavy bottom that disperses and holds heat evenly, to help develop the lacy potato shell that cloaks the croquettes. The garam masala (a spice blend available at Indian groceries and stores like Whole Foods) that you mix into the potatoes defines the flavor of the croquettes, so make sure you like the blend before using it here!
———
1 pound white potatoes (about 3 large)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup cooked peas
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt
Cayenne pepper
¼ cup finely chopped scallions
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup ghee (clarified butter, available in Indian grocery stores) or vegetable oil
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain, cool, and peel.
2. Mash the potatoes in a large bowl. Add the cornstarch, peas, cumin, garam masala, and lemon juice. Season with salt and cayenne and mix well. Fold in the scallions and cilantro.
3. Roll the mixture into 1½-inch balls, then roll in flour to coat lightly. Place a 5- to 6-inch kadhai or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the ghee and allow it to heat again. Working in batches, fry the kofta until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, season with salt, and serve hot.
SERVES 6
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Sweet (or Savory) Lassi (here), Mango Lassi (here), Crab and Coconut Curry (here), Tuna Curry (here), Ceylon Curry of Oysters (here)
JANUARY 24, 2001: “THE PAN THAT CAME FOR DINNER,” BY DENISE LANDIS.
—2001
GOAT’S-MILK CHEESE, BUTTERED BROWN BREAD, AND SALTED ONION
This is more of a sequence than a recipe, but I’ve included it because it’s a delicious combination and the kind of dish that ambitious cooks sometimes forget about. When Prune opened on the Lower East Side in 1999, the hors d’oeuvre list was made up almost entirely of home-grown snacks—radishes with fresh butter and salt, Triscuits with sardines and mustard, and this brown bread with cheese and onion. Crowds soon flocked, and continue to.
———
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced into ribbons
Kosher salt
4 slices brown bread
Softened unsalted butter for spreading
4 thick slices (the dimensions of a playing card) Spanish Garrotxa or other aged goat’s-milk cheese
Extra virgin olive oil for sprinkling
Coarsely ground black pepper
1 sprig thyme
1. Place the onion in a bowl and season with salt. Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, spread the bread with a generous layer of butter. Cut the bread into triangles and arrange on a plate. Lay the slices of cheese next to the bread.
3. Lift the onion from the bowl (letting the juices run off), and mound at the edge of the plate. Sprinkle the bread, cheese, and onion with olive oil and black pepper. Garnish with the thyme.
SERVES 2
SERVING SUGGESTION
The Junipero Gibson with Pickled Red Onion (here), also from Prune
MAY 16, 2001: “THE CHEF: GABRIELLE HAMILTON,” BY GABRIELLE HAMILTON AND AMANDA HESSER.
—2001
Jonathan Reynolds wrote of the gougères at Eleven Madison Park, “Imagine a gossamer of Gruyère so light that it can be brought to your table by a butterfly and evaporate on your tongue seconds after making contact—leaving behind only the sound and memory of a thin crunch, the nutty aroma of milk’s leap toward immortality, and a child-like impatience for more.” The crisp, salty poufs have since become a fixture at the restaurant, where they’re served while you sip a cocktail and browse the menu.
Good gougères like these are the kind of food that provokes the question “Why don’t I make these more often?” The answer: any recipe that requires piping from a pastry bag is never going to be one you turn to regularly. But when you’re in the mood, these can be fun to make: you get to whack the dough around the mixer until it’s smooth and supple.
Reynolds offered three prudent suggestions: “First, after piping out the dough, refrigerate it for a couple of hours or freeze it overnight—it will rise better in the oven. Second, eat these . . . balloons immediately—like topical plays, they lose value every couple of minutes. And third, if you’re serving them to friends, make millions.”
———
1 cup water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
About ½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup bread flour
4 large eggs, at room temperature
6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (about 1½ cups), plus extra for sprinkling
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees if you will be baking the gougères right away. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Bring the water, butter, ½ teaspoon salt, and the cayenne to a boil in a small saucepan. Place the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, add the boiling water mixture, and blend well (or use a wooden spoon and a large bowl; don’t use a whisk—the dough is too heavy). Beat in the eggs one at a time until the dough is smooth. Beat in the cheese and mix until the dough is thick and the cheese has mostly melted. Place the dough in a pastry bag fitted with a medium (¼-inch) plain tip.
3. Pipe the dough into small (¾-inch-diameter) mounds on the lined baking sheets. Sprinkle each with a pinch of grated cheese and salt. The gougères can be baked right away or refrigerated or frozen before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and puffed about 3 times their original size. Don’t open the oven door for at least the first 12 minutes, to keep them from deflating. Serve and eat IMMEDIATELY!
MAKES ABOUT 4½ DOZEN GOUGÈRES
COOKING NOTES
Forget about the French canvas pastry bag and being green: disposable clear plastic pastry bags are the way to go. You’ll do less damage to the environment than you do with paper towels, and you’ll be a lot happier. They’re available at www.sugarcraft.com.
Nicole Kaplan, the restaurant’s pastry chef, pipes the gougères, sprinkles them with cheese, and refrigerates them for a few hours or freezes them overnight. Let the frozen gougères thaw at room temperature while you preheat the oven. Then sprinkle them with cheese and salt and bake until puffed and golden.
SERVING SUGGESTION
Kir Royale 38 (here) and cocktail napkins
SEPTEMBER 30, 2001: “FOOD: SAY CHEESE BALLS,” BY JONATHAN REYNOLDS. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM NICOLE KAPLAN, THE PASTRY CHEF AT ELEVEN MADISON PARK IN NEW YORK CITY.
—2001
SWEET-AND-SALTY POPCORN WITH ORANGE BLOSSOM HONEY
Popcorn is so easy to season, so willing to take on new flavors, and so relieved when it’s not sprayed with fake butter that you really can’t fail with it.
———
1 cup salted roasted nuts (one kind, or a mixture; optional)
½ cup sugar
⅓ cup orange blossom honey
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1. Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Place the popcorn and nuts in a large ovenproof bowl and keep warm in the oven.
2. Pour the sugar into a small heavy saucepan and place over medium-low heat. When the sugar is melted and a light caramel color, add the honey and stir until smooth and liquid. Remove from the heat.
3. Remove the popcorn from the oven, sprinkle it with salt, and pour the sugar syrup over it. Using a pot holder to steady the bowl with one hand, stir quickly with a large fork to fluff and coat the corn. Spread on a greased baking sheet and let cool.
4. Break into large pieces, and store in an airtight tin.
SERVES 6
SERVING SUGGESTION
Hot Buttered Rum (here) and a good movie
OCTOBER 3, 2001: “NOW PLAYING IN THE HEARTLAND: THE GREAT POPCORN HARVEST,” BY AMANDA HESSER
—2001
CROSTINI ROMANI
I learned this recipe from Paola di Mauro, an owner of Colle Picchioni, a winery in the Castelli Romani in the hills outside Rome. Mauro, who often found herself feeding visiting wine buyers, eventually became more well known for her cooking than for her exceptional wines, and American chefs from Mario Batali to Piero Selvaggio began flocking to cook with her, hoping that some of her culinary charm would rub off on them.
I spent a day with her in her kitchen, where, shuffling from counter to stove, she whipped up one of the best meals I’ve ever had—a feast of bucatini alla Amatriciana, baked zucchini with herbs (here), saltimbocca (here), and a peppery potato and calves’ liver casserole.
We began the lunch with this Roman crostini, a small dish layered with slices of fresh mozzarella and bread. It had been baked until bubbly and then slathered with a warm, creamy anchovy sauce. The sauce ran in rivulets over the cheese, giving each bite a candid pungency.
———
About ten ¼-inch-thick slices country bread or baguette (sliced diagonally)
¾ pound fresh mozzarella, sliced ¼ inch thick (about 10 slices)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons anchovy paste
¼ cup whole milk
1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Generously butter a small casserole dish. Stand a slice of bread up against one end of the casserole. Follow it with a slice of mozzarella and continue until the entire casserole is filled loosely with bread and mozzarella. Dot with 1 tablespoon butter.
2. Bake until the bread is toasted and the mozzarella is bubbly on the edges, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, anchovy paste, and milk in a small sauce pan. Heat until the mixture is warm, stirring so that it is smooth and loose.
4. When the casserole is done, remove it from the oven and spoon the sauce on top. Spoon onto plates, making sure to get a little sauce on each plate.
SERVES 6
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Salade à la Romaine (here), Fennel and Blood Orange Salad (here), Fettuccine alla Romana (here), Risotto with Radicchio and Sausage (here), Limoncello (here)
DECEMBER 5, 2001: “A ROMAN MUSE FOR AMERICA’S GREAT CHEFS,” BY AMANDA HESSER. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM PAOLA DI MAURO.
—2001
I served these sandwiches at a party and a friend’s child, who thought they were PB&Js (as opposed to FG&Js) and took a large bite of one. It didn’t end well. Save these for adults, who love them!
———
8 slices white sandwich bread (soft and buttery, not dry)
½ cup foie gras mousse, at room temperature
Coarse sea salt
¼ cup berry jam (preferably tart berries, like cranberries, blackberries, or currants)
1. Lay the slices of bread on a bread board. Spread the foie gras mousse on 4 of the slices. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Spread the jam on the other 4 slices of bread. Join the jam slices with the foie gras slices to make 4 sandwiches.
2. Using a bread knife, cut off the crusts with gentle sawing motions, then cut the sandwiches diagonally into quarters, so you end up with triangles. Stack on a serving platter and march them out to the party.
SERVES 4 PEOPLE, AGE 12 AND OLDER, AS AN HORS D’OEUVRE
SERVING SUGGESTION
The Vesper (here)
MAY 12, 2002: “FOOD DIARY: PERSONAL BEST,” BY AMANDA HESSER.
—2002
CROSTINI WITH EGGPLANT AND PINE NUT PUREE
The very first recipe for crostini—a toast with a savory topping—to show up in the Times was for toasts topped with chicken livers, anchovies, capers, and butter. It was published in 1960, before Mario Batali, today’s king of crostini, was even in diapers (he was born nine months after it appeared).
Eggplants provide great material for spreads because their insides puree smoothly, hold together, and soak up flavor well. Deborah Madison, who evolved from a vegetarian cooking expert to a vegetable cooking expert, came up with this recipe for Local Flavors, one of the eight cookbooks she’s written. You broil eggplant slices, then grind them up with toasted pine nuts, garlic, and lemon juice in a mortar and pestle. To finish, you mix in chopped mint, parsley, and basil, capping it with an array of vibrant flavors. But I also loved the spread without the herbs.
———
1 pound eggplant, trimmed, peeled, and sliced into rounds about ½ inch thick
Olive oil
⅓ cup pine nuts
1 to 2 cloves garlic
Sea salt
Fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped basil, plus whole leaves for garnish
Toasted baguette slices or crackers
1. Heat the broiler. Lightly brush both sides of each eggplant slice with oil and arrange on a baking sheet. Broil about 6 inches from the heat until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and brown the second side. Remove from the broiler and stack the slices so they steam to finish cooking.
2. Toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over low heat, shaking often, until golden. Cool.
3. Using a large mortar and pestle (or a food processor), grind the pine nuts with the garlic and ½ teaspoon salt until smooth. Coarsely chop the eggplant, add to the mixture, and work into a somewhat rough puree with the pestle (or food processor). Add a little lemon juice to sharpen the flavor. Taste for salt and add more if needed, and season with pepper. Stir in the herbs.
4. Spread on baguette slices or crackers, and garnish each with a basil leaf.
MAKES 12 TO 16 CROSTINI
Eggplant chars quickly under the broiler—keep a close eye on it.
Don’t go too crazy with the garlic—use 1 large clove or 2 small—or the eggplant (and everything else) will be overwhelmed by it.
You can use a food processor to puree the eggplant but then you lose some of the texture and moistness.
If the puree seems dry, add a little oil or water to loosen it.
I used about 2 teaspoons lemon juice.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Toasts with Walnut Sauce (here), Ricotta Crostini with Fresh Thyme and Dried Oregano (here), Seasoned Olives (here)
AUGUST 14, 2002: “BY THE BOOK: A CHEF BEATS THE DRUM, LOUDLY, FOR FARMERS’ MARKETS,” BY REGINA SCHRAMBLING. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM LOCAL FLAVORS, BY DEBORAH MADISON.
—2002
THE SPICE BOYS’ CHEESE BALL
I included this cheese ball for its kitsch value. Serve it to people who have a sense of humor, because it looks like a tropical sea creature with fuchsia skin and glowing green scales. I set it out at a dinner party, embarrassed by its electric appearance, but my guests, most of whom grew up in the 1970s, devoured it.
———
1 pound cheddar cheese, grated, at room temperature
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ pound blue cheese, at room temperature
¼ pound smoked cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon onion salt
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
Port
2 tablespoons bottled horseradish
½ cup pickled beets, finely chopped
Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Crackers or rye or pumpernickel toasts for serving
1. Combine all the cheeses except 8 ounces of the cream cheese with the mustard and onion and garlic salts in a bowl and mix with enough port to soften. Form into a ball or log (or 2 of each). Cover with a coating of the remaining 8 ounces cream cheese mixed with the horseradish and chopped beets. Refrigerate for several hours.
2. Dust the cheese ball with finely chopped parsley. Set out on a tray with an assortment of crackers, or rye or pumpernickel toasts.
MAKES 1 GIANT OR 2 MEDIUM CHEESE BALLS OR LOGS
COOKING NOTES
This makes an enormous cheese ball—I recommend forming the mixture into 2 balls.
Before coating the ball with the beet-stained cream cheese, chill both the cheese ball and the cream cheese mixture. This will make the latter easier to apply.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Go all-out low-brow and make the Caramelized Bacon here too. Then North Carolina–Style Pulled Pork (here) or Cleo’s Daddy’s Barbecued Ribs (here).
NOVEMBER 10, 2002: “MEMBERS ONLY,” BY DAVID FELD. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM THE SPICE BOYS, A SUPPER CLUB IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
—2002
CHEESE STRAWS
After years of making too many different dishes for dinner parties and pulling my hair out just before people arrived, I finally discovered that all you have to make for the cocktail hour is cheese straws. Everyone likes them, no one eats too many (they’re rich and spicy), they go with practically everything, and as with any dish that requires making a dough, people are always amazed that you assembled them from scratch.
Don’t tell them that the dough only takes 5 minutes to put together. With cooking, smoke and mirrors are part of the fun.
As frequent Times contributors Matt Lee and Ted Lee pointed out, cheese straws are typically coin-shaped. Their way of cutting the dough into strips makes the straws, paradoxically, both more rustic and more elegant. Try them and see.
———
¼ pound extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon half-and-half, or as necessary
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt, and red pepper in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the half-and-half and pulse until the dough forms a ball. Add more half-and-half if needed.
2. On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured pin, roll the dough out to a rectangle 8 by 10 inches. With a sharp knife, cut the dough crosswise into thin strips, ¼ to ⅓ inch wide. Gently transfer the straws to an ungreased baking sheet, leaving a ¼ inch between them. (The dough is fragile, so use the knife to slide the straws from the work surface onto the baking sheet.)
3. Bake for 17 minutes, or until the ends of the straws are barely browned; check on them after 12 minutes to see if the pan needs to be rotated. Let cool.
MAKES ABOUT 30 STRAWS
COOKING NOTES
Orange cheddar gives the straws a pleasant golden color.
If you don’t have a food processor, these can be made by hand. Use a pastry blender to mix the dough to coarse crumbs.
The recipe instructs you to slice the dough into strips ¼ to ⅓ inch wide, but I think the thinner, the better: they’re more delicate and attractive when the straws are just less than ¼ inch wide. Keep in mind that they’ll bake more quickly.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
With these, you need a refreshing drink like the Claret Cup (here), Vermouth Cup (here), or Moscow Mule (here). For a full meal: Caramelized Bacon (here), Pickled Shrimp (here), North Carolina–Style Pulled Pork (here), Docks Coleslaw (here), Light Potato Salad (here), Chocolate Dump-It Cake (here).
PERIOD DETAIL
The earliest cheese straws in the Times appeared in 1878. The dough was very similar to this one except that it included Parmesan cheese in addition to cheddar and used cayenne for heat rather than crushed red pepper. Curiously, the dough was cut into both strips and a ring. After baking, the strips—just ⅛ inch thick—were strung through the cheese straw ring, like a bundle of sticks. The same could be done with the Lee brothers’ recipe.
NOVEMBER 27, 2002: “WHILE THE BIRD’S STILL STUFFED, BUT BEFORE THE GUESTS ARE,” BY MATT LEE AND TED LEE.
—2002
SMOKED MACKEREL ON TOASTS
Here I’ve treated smoked mackerel as you do salt cod in brandade and whipped it together with potato, garlic, olive oil, chives, and a little crème fraîche. Then all you need is something to transport it to your mouth: toast points or slices of baguette do the trick.
———
1 medium white potato (about 7 ounces), peeled
1 clove garlic
Sea salt
½ pound smoked mackerel or trout fillets, skinned
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons crème fraîche
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon thinly sliced chives
20 thin slices baguette, toasted
1. Place the potato and garlic clove in a small saucepan, cover with water, season with salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potato is very soft, about 20 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of liquid.
2. Mash the potato in a bowl with a potato masher while it is still warm. Add the mackerel and oil and mix with the potato masher or a fork until smooth and loose enough to spread. Thin as needed with the reserved potato water. Add the crème fraîche and season with pepper. Taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Stir in the chives. Spread on toasts and serve.
SERVES 6
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Astoria Cocktail (here), The Vesper (here), Kumquat-Clementine Cordial (here), Onion Rings (here), Salted and Deviled Almonds (here), Seasoned Olives (here)
NOVEMBER 27, 2002: “PAIRINGS: SOMETHING SHARP FOR A WINE THAT DOESN’T BELIEVE IN UNDERSTATEMENT,” BY AMANDA HESSER.
—2002
BUCKWHEAT BLINI WITH CRÈME FRAÎCHE AND CAVIAR
It’s impossible to go wrong with tangy cream and sturgeon eggs on salty, tender buckwheat blini. But these buckwheat blini are so perfect they deserve to be unyoked from the caviar and allowed to run free with other fish and fowl. Serve them with the Smoked Mackerel here, or the Fresh and Smoked Salmon Spread here or, if you’re in a hurry, fresh ricotta and a dribble of good olive oil will do.
———
1½ cups whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for frying and serving
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
One 8-ounce container crème fraîche or sour cream
3 ounces caviar, preferably osetra, and preferably sustainable
1. Heat the milk and 4 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter is melted. Let cool to room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and warm water in a large bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand in a warm place until the yeast is frothy, about 5 minutes.
3. Pour the milk mixture into the yeast mixture, add the egg yolks, and whisk to blend. Combine the flours and salt and gradually whisk into the yeast mixture until smooth. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the batter rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Stir to deflate the batter. (The batter can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before proceeding.) Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold into the batter just until blended.
5. Set a large griddle or skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add enough butter to coat the pan. When the butter sizzles, drop tablespoons of batter onto the surface to make blini roughly 2 inches in diameter. Cook until bubbles appear on top and the bottom is golden brown, about 1 minute. Turn and cook until the bottom is lightly browned, 15 to 20 seconds. Place the blini, overlapping but not stacked (or they will get soggy), on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining batter. Stop using the batter when bubbles no longer appear on the top of the blini (there may be up to 1 cup left), or the blini will be thin and tough.
6. To serve, brush the blini lightly with melted butter and top each with a dab of crème fraîche and a small dollop of caviar.
MAKES ABOUT 6 DOZEN
COOKING NOTES
The batter is strangely elastic—don’t let this put you off. Use two spoons to drop your batter onto the griddle: one to scoop, one to scrape.
Julia Reed, whose recipe this is, offered this convenient tip: “Blini may be made ahead, wrapped well, and frozen. Thaw, place on a baking sheet, cover loosely with foil, and heat in a 350-degree oven until warm, about 10 minutes.”
Holiday Punch (here), The Vesper (here), Martini (here), Improved Holland Gin Cocktail (here), Rillettes de Canard (Duck Rillettes; here)
DECEMBER 29, 2002: “FOOD: PARTY OF ONE,” BY JULIA REED
—2002
RUSS & DAUGHTERS’ CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER
Jason Epstein, a contributor to the Times Magazine, called the Lower East Side’s Russ & Daughters “New York’s most hallowed shrine to the miracle of caviar, smoked salmon, ethereal herring, and silken chopped liver. It is the mother church of those latter-day temples—Zabar’s, Barney Greengrass, and Murray’s Sturgeon Shop that dot the Upper West Side and serve the great-grandchildren of Joel Russ’s original customers.”
You will understand what he means when you taste this chopped chicken liver, into which you mix hard-cooked eggs and caramelized onions. As it turns out, the sulphur and sweetness are just what chicken livers need.
———
1 pound chicken livers (about 16 livers)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (schmaltz, rendered chicken fat, is available from some butchers, and can be used as a substitute)
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 large Spanish onions (1 pound each), coarsely chopped
3 large hard-boiled eggs, chilled
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Matzoh or crackers for serving
1. Rinse the chicken livers and pat dry. Remove any connective tissue. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the livers until they are firm and but still slightly pink in the center, about 5 minutes, do not overcook. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate to cool.
2. Melt the shortening in a large clean skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until caramelized, 35 to 45 minutes; reduce the heat to low as the onions soften. Remove from the heat.
3. Coarsely chop the livers in a food processor and place in a bowl (or chop the livers with a knife, or a mezzaluna).
4. Peel the eggs and mash with a fork in a bowl. Add to the livers. Add the onions and mix well, stirring in just enough of their cooking juices to moisten the mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Cover the chopped liver and let mellow in the refrigerator for at least a few hours. Remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving, with matzoh or crackers.
SERVES 8 TO 10
COOKING NOTES
In Step 3, you are given the option of using a food processor or chopping the liver by hand. The food processor is obviously tempting, and I succumbed to temptation, which I later regretted, because although the top of the mixture was nice and coarse, the livers down by the blade were far too smooth. Food processors are difficult to control, and with something as delicate as chicken livers, using the machine means toying with disaster. Better to get out your best knife or mezzaluna—it’s called chopped chicken liver, after all.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
The Vesper (here), Onion Rings (here), Eggs Suffragette (here), Shrimp Canapés à la Suede (here)
PERIOD DETAIL
In 2009, after 100 years in business, Russ & Daughters went online with both a blog—Lox Populi—and a Twitter stream.
JANUARY 12, 2003: “LOX, STOCK, AND BARRELS,” BY JASON EPSTEIN. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM RUSS & DAUGHTERS IN NEW YORK CITY.
—2003
SPICED PECANS
The earthy sweetness of pecans is often overwhelmed by their buttery flavor, but here, bitter and fiery spices underscore the nuts’ loaminess.
———
½ teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 teaspoons vegetable or canola oil
2 cups pecans
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the salt, sugar, cumin, and cayenne in a medium bowl. Stir in the oil to make a smooth mixture.
2. Toss the pecans with the seasonings to coat. Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Toast for 8 to 10 minutes, until they take on a little color. Let cool. (The pecans will keep in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for a week.)
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Park Avenue Cocktail (here), The Bone (here), Sir Francis Drake (here), Billionaire Cocktail (here), Sweet-and-Salty Popcorn with Orange Blossom Honey (here)
JANUARY 15, 2003: “EATING WELL: PASS THE NUTS, PASS UP THE GUILT,” BY MARIAN BURROS.
—2003
HOT CHEESE OLIVES
A friend of mine once complained to me, “If I see one more Julia Reed recipe with mayonnaise or cheese, I’m going to stop buying the paper.” This is a common form of threat: if you substitute Meyer lemons and crème fraîche for the mayonnaise and cheese, I’m sure the same protest has been lodged with colleagues about my work. Writers fall into ruts, and readers get tired of writers. Now that I’ve cooked many of Reed’s recipes, though, I couldn’t disagree more with my friend. Reed, who was a columnist for the Sunday Magazine, and is a staff writer for Vogue, hails from the South and has done more to revive Southern foods at the paper than anyone since Craig Claiborne (he was from Mississippi; she’s from Louisiana). It just so happens that many foods from the South contain cheese and mayonnaise (and even the occasional Ritz cracker). What I like about Reed’s recipes is what I like about any great food writer’s recipes: they take you on a journey with memorable detours and eye-opening asides until you reach something delicious. These olives, which are swaddled in a thin, spicy dough, are dangerously addictive.
———
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
1½ cups all-purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons cold water
50 small pimento-stuffed cocktail olives, drained and patted dry
1. Beat the butter until creamy in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Add the cheese and mix well. Stir in the flour, salt, cayenne, and Worcestershire until smooth. Add the beaten egg and mix just until incorporated. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Flatten out a piece of dough about the size of a hazelnut into a thin round. Place an olive on top and shape the dough around the olive, pinching to repair any breaks and rolling it between your palms to smooth the seams. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and olives.
3. Bake until the dough sets, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.
MAKES 50 OLIVES
COOKING NOTES
Grate your own cheddar cheese. Don’t buy the preshredded nonsense.
To make these for a party, you can roll the olives in the dough, place them on the baking sheet covered, and refrigerate for up to a day. Then pop them in the oven just before your guests start arriving.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Astoria Cocktail (here), Park Avenue Cocktail (here), Martini (here), Salted and Deviled Almonds (here), Onion Rings (here), Caramelized Bacon (here)
MARCH 30, 2003: “HOSTESS CUPCAKES,” BY JULIA REED.
—2003
These are a more polite version of Cheese Straws (here), a whisper to their shout.
———
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Combine the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and form it into a log 1½ inches in diameter. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
2. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease 2 baking sheets. Cut the log of dough into ¼-inch-thick slices, and place them 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.
3. Bake until firm, about 12 to 13 minutes. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and raise the temperature to 500 degrees.
4. When the temperature has come up to the correct heat, return the sheets to the oven and bake for 3 minutes more, or until the crackers are deeply golden brown all over. Let cool on a wire rack.
MAKES 40 CRACKERS
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Ramos Gin Fizz (here), Moscow Mule (here), Singapore Sling (here), Salted and Deviled Almonds (here), Puntarelle with Anchovies (here), Italian Beef Stew with Rosemary (here), Veal Chops with Sage (here), Panna Cotta (here), Figs in Whiskey (here)
SEPTEMBER 10, 2003: “TEMPTATION: DELICIOUS DECEPTION TO GO WITH WINE,” BY MELISSA CLARK. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM MARILY MUSTILLI.
—2003
CARAMELIZED ONION AND QUARK DIP
Quark is like schmaltz: no matter how good it may be, the name is a buzz kill (and when conjoined to the word “dip,” there’s almost no salvaging it). I don’t know anyone who actually cooks with quark, but there it always sits in the grocery store. And thankfully so, because when it came time to make this much-recommended recipe, the quark—made by Vermont Butter & Cheese Company—was right there waiting. Quark is like a less artery-clogging crème fraîche (it has 10 percent fat to crème fraîche’s 30 percent), and it shares flavor genes with cottage cheese. Which makes it perfect for dip: tart and bright.
I had long thought of our love of dip as a bad habit we needed to break. But this dip by Melissa Clark is a great example of twenty-first-century cooking; an old idea, dip, is sliced and diced and reexamined, its flavors magnified and focused. In this case, the dip transcends its roots and becomes a perfect blend of creamy and sharp, amiable yet prickly. Unfortunately, this process of improvement usually entails more ingredients, more chopping, and more cooking time. But the preparation time here isn’t unbearable, though you must caramelize onions, which involves hanging close to your stove for an hour. Then you blend them with the quark and sour cream (to underline the tartness of the quark) and raw onions (to contrast with the sweetened onions) and several other tasty ingredients. And then you’re done, and your dip is an überdip and you can proudly set it out on your coffee table with good crackers and endive and celery.
———
2 medium onions, 2 tablespoons minced, the rest thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1½ cups quark
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup chopped chives
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
Crackers, endive, or celery, for serving
1. Place the minced onion in a small bowl. Add the lemon juice and set aside.
2. Place a large heavy skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Toss in the sliced onions, thyme, salt, and sugar, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are caramelized, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs and cool to room temperature.
3. Coarsely chop the caramelized onions. Combine the quark and sour cream in a bowl. Stir in the caramelized onions, raw onion mixture, chives, and paprika. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then transfer to a serving bowl.
MAKES ABOUT 2¾ CUPS
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Peppar Tomato (here), Sir Francis Drake (here), Janice Okun’s Buffalo Chicken Wings (here), Pork Burgers (here)
NOVEMBER 12, 2003: “CHEESE FOR ROCKET SCIENTISTS, AND OTHERS,” BY MELISSA CLARK.
—2003
CHEESE BALL WITH CUMIN, MINT, AND PISTACHIOS
Cheese balls were probably a step below the kind of cooking the Times advocated, so recipes for them didn’t show up until they had moved out of the mainstream and into the realm of irony (see The Spice Boys’ Cheese Ball here). Here I took the recipe my mother used throughout my 1970s childhood and restrung it with twenty-first-century flavors.
———
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, preferably Fulvi
1 teaspoon toasted, ground coriander seeds
1 teaspoon toasted, ground cumin seeds
½ cup finely sliced celery heart with leaves
⅓ cup chopped mint
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt
⅓ cup salted pistachios, coarsely ground
Very thin plain crackers, for serving
1. Beat the cream cheese and goat cheese in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until creamy and light. Beat in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Fold in the Pecorino Romano, coriander, cumin, celery, mint, and pepper. Season to taste with salt.
2. Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter. Using a spatula, scrape the cheese mixture onto the center of the plastic. Pull up the edges of plastic wrap and form the cheese into a ball. Wrap tightly, place in a bowl to maintain the shape, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
3. Pour the ground pistachios into a shallow bowl. Unwrap the cheese ball and roll it in nuts until coated. Place the ball on a serving plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until ready to serve (or for up to 2 days).
4. Half an hour before serving, unwrap the cheese ball and let it come to room temperature. Serve with crackers.
SERVES 8
COOKING NOTE
To toast spices or seeds, spread them in a small sauté pan and place over medium-low heat; shake the pan occasionally. As soon as you can smell the spices (or see that the seeds have turned golden), remove from the heat and pour into a bowl to cool.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Classic Rum Punch (here), Gin Rickey (here), Wine Lemonade (here), Egg and Olive Canapés (here), Oliver Clark’s Meat Loaf (here), High-Temperature Roast Lamb (here), Epigram of Lamb (here)
DECEMBER 24, 2003: “IF YOU WANT IT DELICIOUS, MAKE IT YOURSELF,” BY AMANDA HESSER
—2003
This tradition-bound tortilla is served with an aioli that’s anything but classic. The tortilla, as usual, is turned many times, sealing the eggs, potatoes, and onions in a crisp, rounded shell, so that by the time you’re done, it’s like a firm wheel of cheese. To make the aioli, however, you simmer the garlic cloves in sweet sherry and then, rather than using the garlic in its usual way to form the foundation of the mayonnaise, you add it at the very end, giving the aioli a beguiling sweetness.
Andy Nusser, the chef at Casa Mono in New York, who created this dish, also serves the aioli with patatas bravas, or Spanish fried potatoes. You could just as well serve it with the Saratoga Potatoes here.
———
12 garlic cloves, plus 1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup sweet Spanish sherry
3½ pounds baking potatoes (about 7 medium), peeled
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large Spanish onion, diced
12 large eggs
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the garlic cloves and sherry in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the sherry is reduced to a syrup and the garlic is soft, about 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
2. While the garlic is simmering, thinly slice the potatoes (1⁄16 to ⅛ inch thick), preferably with a mandoline. Toss the potatoes with about ¼ cup olive oil in a large bowl and season liberally with salt and pepper (this is the only seasoning, so be generous). Spread the potatoes on the baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes. Let cool.
3. Place a large skillet over medium heat, add the onion and 2 tablespoons olive oil, and sauté until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. Coat a 12-inch nonstick frying pan with olive oil. Beat the 12 eggs with the parsley and minced garlic in a large bowl. Add the potatoes and onions, stirring to combine, and transfer the mixture to the skillet, pressing down on the potatoes to create horizontal layers.
5. Place the pan over medium-low heat and cook, uncovered, until the eggs are set, about 40 minutes. Carefully loosen the tortilla from the sides and bottom of the pan with a rubber spatula. Hold a plate (or rimless baking sheet) over the pan with one hand, grasp the pan handle with the other, and then flip; the tortilla should easily fall onto the plate. (If it does not, use the spatula to remove it, then add more oil to the pan.) Slide the tortilla from the plate into the pan, and cook on the other side for 15 minutes. Continue to flip, cooking on each side 2 additional times for 5 minutes each, or until the center is firm and the edges are rounded. Transfer to a plate and let cool to room temperature.
6. Meanwhile, to make the aioli, combine the egg yolks, vinegar, and ¼ cup oil in a food processor. Process until the mixture has emulsified, then drizzle in the 1¼ cups more oil in a slow, steady stream. When the aioli has thickened, add the cooled garlic-sherry mixture and blend until smooth. Check for seasoning, and refrigerate.
7. Immediately before serving the tortilla, slather a thick layer of aioli over the top, like icing on a cake. (Refrigerate leftover aioli for sandwiches or grilled vegetables.)
SERVES 12
COOKING NOTE
The tortilla must be flipped several times, and it is large and heavy. I laid a rimless nonstick baking sheet atop the skillet, inverted the skillet and sheet, and then slid the tortilla from the baking sheet back into the skillet. You cannot do this process timidly—you must flip it quickly and confidently, like a juggler with flaming torches.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Sangria (here), Sir Francis Drake (here), Rebujito (here), Pan con Tomate (here), Potato, Ham, and Piquillo Pepper Croquetas (here), Fried Chickpeas (here), paella (here), Cocido (Chickpea, Sparerib, and Chorizo Stew; here), Rabbit Soup with Garlic, Peppers, and Chorizo (here), Caramel Custard (here)
SEPTEMBER 29, 2004: “NEW YORK STORY: LOCAL GARLIC MAKES GOOD,” BY DANA BOWEN. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM ANDY NUSSER, THE CHEF AT CASA MONO IN NEW YORK CITY.
—2004
FRIED OLIVES
If you’ve never had a fried olive, do not let another day pass without tasting one. Going the extra step of stuffing olives with an anchovy or a slip of tuna, or perhaps the two together, then breading and frying them, yields plentiful rewards: crunch, warm brine, and a taste of the sea, readying you for the sip of a crisp white. “With anchovy- or tuna-stuffed olives, I serve small wedges of lemon,” Mona Talbott, a contributor to T Living, wrote. Fried Cerignola olives, “benefit from a dusting of Parmesan cheese. Put out a saucer of fennel slices or radishes and slow-roasted almonds.” If you can’t already tell from the ingredients, Talbott is an Alice Waters acolyte; she now runs the kitchen at the American Academy in Rome, which is overseen by Waters.
———
24 mild brined olives, preferably Nyons, pitted
Slivers of anchovy, nuggets of oil-packed tuna, strips of roasted peppers, or almonds
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 cup dry bread crumbs
Mild olive oil for deep-frying
1. Stuff the cavities of the olives with the anchovies, tuna, roasted peppers, or almonds—or some combination thereof.
2. Put the flour in a small bowl. Beat the eggs with a fork in a second bowl. Put the bread crumbs into a third bowl. Begin what is known professionally as “standard breading”: one hand is reserved for dry ingredients, the other for wet. Dip an olive in the flour, rolling it around to coat evenly. Drop the olive in the beaten egg and, with your “wet” hand, swish the olive in the egg, then roll the sticky olive in the crumbs with the floured hand. Place on a plate and bread the remaining olives. Cover the breaded olives with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to fry (or fry them right away).
3. Heat 2 inches of olive oil in a medium saucepan or a small wok over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot (375 degrees), add a few olives at a time and fry until golden brown; don’t crowd the pan, because you need room to roll the olives around with a fork. Using a slotted spoon, lift out the olives and drain them on a paper towel.
SERVES 4
COOKING NOTE
The olives can be prepared up to 8 hours in advance.
VARIATION
If you don’t like any of the stuffings listed in the recipe, Talbott said, “Feel free to use whatever tasty bits you find in the fridge. In Italy, they’re often stuffed with braised meat, prosciutto, and cooked lemon.” Talbott noted that she also likes frying Cerignola olives, “but they are difficult to pit, so fry them without stuffing.”
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Park Avenue Cocktail (here), Sir Francis Drake (here), Grapefruit Wine (here), Kumquat-Clementine Cordial (here), Nicole Kaplan’s Gougères (here), Fried Sage Leaves (here)
NOVEMBER 7, 2004: “THE DISH: NIBBLES AND SIPS,” BY MONA TALBOTT.
—2004
FRIED SAGE LEAVES
This delightfully simple snack, which seems to have been designed to go with a glass of chilled albariño, comes from Kurt Andersen, the novelist and founder of Spy magazine.
———
Olive oil for frying
Sage leaves, rinsed and patted dry
All-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat ¼ inch of oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot enough to toast a bread crumb in 30 seconds. Toss the sage leaves in flour, shake vigorously to remove as much flour as possible, and fry until golden brown, 15 to 20 seconds per side. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Peach Bowl (here), Wine Lemonade (here), Fried Olives (here), Nicole Kaplan’s Gougères (here)
JULY 17, 2005: “KITCHEN VOYEUR: KITCHEN SAGE,” BY JONATHAN REYNOLDS. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM KURT ANDERSEN.
—2005
FRIED CHICKPEAS
Keep a can of chickpeas and a jar of smoked paprika in your pantry, and you have the instant makings of an impressive hors d’oeuvre. When the chickpeas hit the oil, their skins fly out like wings, encasing their soft bellies in a delicate shell. You can season the chickpeas with either hot or sweet smoked paprika, but if you go for the hot, count on serving more drinks.
———
Canola oil for deep-frying
One 16-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and patted dry
Maldon sea salt
Spanish smoked paprika (pimentón)
Pour 1 inch of canola oil into a deep saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough to toast a bread crumb in 30 seconds, it’s ready. Carefully add the chickpeas to the oil and fry until the outer skins form crisp shells but the peas are still creamy inside, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels, and season with Maldon salt and smoked paprika.
SERVES 4
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Sangria (here), Rebujito (here), Potato, Ham, and Piquillo Pepper Croquetas (here), Seasoned Olives (here), Pan con Tomate (here), Catalan Tortilla with Aioli (here), Paella (here), Cocido (Chickpea, Sparerib, and Chorizo Stew; here), Rabbit Soup with Garlic, Peppers, and Chorizo (here)
SEPTEMBER 11, 2005: “THE WAY WE EAT: RAISING THE TAPAS BAR,” BY AMANDA HESSER. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM TÍA POL IN NEW YORK CITY.
—2005
PORK BELLY TEA SANDWICHES
Cheers to the cheeky Times editor who ran a recipe for tea sandwiches as part of a story on food for the Super Bowl, the most testosterone-fueled event of the year!
These are probably the huskiest tea sandwiches you’ll find: white bread fused with chile fish sauce, and one fatty piece of pork. It’s like Slash lunching at the Colony Club.
———
1⅓ cup ketjap manis (a sweet soy-based sauce, available in Asian grocery stores)
¼ cup Chinese black vinegar
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime
One 2-pound piece fresh pork belly, with skin
2 bunches scallions
Salt
½ cup rice vinegar
1½ cups mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, put through a press or minced
2 teaspoons sambal oelek (Indonesian Malaysian chile paste) or Sriracha (Thai chile sauce)
24 thick slices white bread
24 large sprigs cilantro
1. Combine the ketjap manis, black vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and lime juice in a bowl. Place the pork belly in a heavy 1 gallon freezer bag with a zip closure, pour in the soy sauce mixture, and seal the bag. Place it in another freezer bag or bowl in case of leaks, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours (and up to 48 hours), turning from time to time.
2. The next day, heat the oven to 225 degrees.
3. Place the pork skin side up in a roasting pan with a close fit, pour in the marinade, and add about ⅓ cup water (more if needed), so the liquid comes halfway up the sides of the pork. Cover with a sheet of parchment, then cover tightly with foil. Roast for about 3 hours, until a skewer inserted in the pork meets little or no resistance. Allow to cool in the pan for about 30 minutes.
4. While the pork cooks, trim the scallions, discarding all but about an inch of green, and slice very thin on an angle. Place in a bowl, toss with a little salt, and pour the rice vinegar over. Cover and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.
5. Mix the mayonnaise with the garlic and sambal oelek in a small bowl; refrigerate.
6. When the pork has cooled, remove the skin. Cut the pork into 4-inch-long chunks and cut each into very thin slices. You should be able to get at least thirty-six slices.
7. Place the bread on a work surface and spread with the mayonnaise mixture. Drain the scallions and scatter them over half the bread slices. Top each of these with 3 slices of pork lined up side by side. Place 2 cilantro sprigs on the pork, then cover with the remaining bread, mayonnaise side down. Trim the crusts from each sandwich. Leave the sandwiches whole or cut into thirds, between the slices of pork, and serve.
MAKES 12 SANDWICHES OR 3 DOZEN PIECES
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Moscow Mule (here), Ginger Lemonade (here), Kaffir Lime Lemonade (here)
FEBRUARY 1, 2006: “TEMPTATION: REFINED BUT READY FOR THE BIG GAME,” BY FLORENCE FABRICANT. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM ZAK PELACCIO, OWNER OF FATTY CRAB IN NEW YORK CITY.
—2006
BEET TZATZIKI
This tzatziki is made with beets rather than cucumber, so it’s sweet, tangy, and very pink.
———
5 baby beets (about the size of a golf ball), or 1 full-sized beet, peeled and quartered
½ teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Salt
1½ cups plain whole-milk yogurt, preferably Greek-style
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped dill
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Boil the beets until tender, about 20 minutes, drain. When the beets are cool enough to handle, rub the skins off with a kitchen towel (one you don’t care about) or a paper towel. Coarsely grate the beets.
2. Combine the garlic, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the yogurt and olive oil, then the beets and dill. Season with additional salt and pepper. Chill until cold.
SERVES 6 TO 8
COOKING NOTE
You can boil the beets as the recipe instructs, but for more concentrated flavor, I recommend roasting them. Lay the beets on a sheet of foil, sprinkle with a little olive oil, and season with salt. Fold up the foil to make a packet, rolling the edges to seal them. Lay the packet on a baking sheet and roast in a 350-degree oven until tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool, then peel the beets.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Hummus bi Tahini (here), Iraqi Grape Leaves Stuffed with Lamb, Mint, and Cinnamon (here), Arnaki Araka (Lamb with Peas; here), Cumin-Mustard Carrots (here)
JUNE 21, 2006: “THE CHEF: ANA SORTUN: A BAZAAR FROM THE HARD YANKEE SOIL,” BY JULIA MOSKIN. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM SPICE: FLAVORS OF THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN, BY ANA SORTUN.
—2006
THE BEST SPINACH DIP, WITH CHIPOTLE AND LIME
Yes, I was skeptical too. But this dip avoids the goopy absurdity of most spinach dips—it’s smoky and raspy with spice.
———
Two 10-ounce packages frozen spinach, thawed and drained
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
½ cup sliced scallions
⅓ cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped chipotles in adobo sauce
1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Tortilla chips for serving
1. Bundle the spinach in a clean dish towel and squeeze very tightly to remove all excess moisture.
2. Blend together all the ingredients except the spinach (and tortilla chips) in a food processor until very smooth, about 90 seconds. Pulse in the spinach just until combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve with tortilla chips.
MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Gin Rickey (here), Classic Rum Punch (here), La Paloma (here), Caramelized Onion and Quark Dip (here), Salted and Deviled Almonds (here), Parmesan Crackers (here), Cheese Straws (here)
MAY 23, 2007: “A GOOD APPETITE: SUMMERY, SMOKY, AND SPICY: NUDGING SPINACH DIP UPWARD,” BY MELISSA CLARK.
—2007
SEASONED OLIVES
Smashing firm green olives before marinating them allows the seasonings to permeate their flesh. Contrary to the forensic evidence in those grocery store olive bins—soggy bits of rosemary, dregs of unidentifiable spices—you don’t need much to improve an olive. Just a little minced carrot and celery leaf, garlic, a slice of lemon or two. Within a few hours, the flavors integrate, and you have densely scented olives.
———
3 cups (about 12 ounces) firm whole green olives in brine (such as Lucques), drained
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped celery leaves
½ teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons finely diced carrots
3 paper-thin slices lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Using a meat pounder, crack the olives one by one, leaving the pits intact.
2. Place the olives in a bowl. Stir in the oil, celery leaves, garlic, carrots, and lemon. Season with a dash of salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for at least an hour at room temperature, or 4 hours in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.
SERVES 6
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Junipero Gibson with Pickled Red Onion (here), Blue Cheese Dip (here), Avocado Sandowsky (here), Ricotta Crostini with Fresh Thyme and Dried Oregano (here)
JULY 22, 2007: “THE WAY WE EAT: LOW FOOD,” BY AMANDA HESSER. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM GABRIELLA BECCHINA, CO-OWNER OF OLIO VERDE OLIVE OIL.
—2007
SQUASHED TOMATOES
My friend Nancy Harmon Jenkins taught me to make these squashed tomatoes, which can work as a topping for toasts scraped with garlic, a simple room-temperature pasta sauce, or a side with grilled chicken. You take small tomatoes, no bigger than golf balls, place them on a baking sheet, and put them under the broiler or on the grill until the skins begin to blister and singe and the fruit starts to soften. Then comes the fun part, as you take a fork and do what you should never do with meat: squash the tomatoes to release their juices. Next you season them with salt and a crumbled red chile and douse them with good, buttery olive oil. Unexpectedly, they’re actually better in this rumpled form: released of their juices, and soaking in oil, they taste ripe and luxurious.
———
2½ pounds large cherry tomatoes
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 dried red chile, crumbled
6 slices country bread, toasted and rubbed with a garlic clove
1. Heat a broiler or grill. Set the cooking rack 3 inches from the heat.
2. Place the tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until they soften and the skins start to blister and split, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, flip the tomatoes and broil until blistered but not totally soft, 2 minutes more. Or put them on the grill rack and cook, turning once.
3. Transfer the tomatoes to a serving dish and lightly squash with a fork so some of the juices run out. (Be careful to avoid spattering.) Sprinkle with the oil, salt and pepper, and chile and fold gently to combine. Serve over the toasted country bread.
SERVES 6
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Junipero Gibson with Pickled Red Onion (here), Seasoned Olives (here), Ricotta Crostini with Fresh Thyme and Dried Oregano (here)
JULY 22, 2007: “THE WAY WE EAT: LOW FOOD,” BY AMANDA HESSER. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM FLAVORS OF PUGLIA, BY NANCY HARMON JENKINS.
—2007
PAN CON TOMATE
Spanish pan con tomate—bread with tomato—is usually not so much a dish as it is an accompaniment to other tapas like serrano ham and grilled octopus. While it shares a kinship and an ingredient list with Italy’s tomato bruschetta (and the Squashed Tomatoes here) it’s an entirely different recipe. With bruschetta, the tomatoes function as a topping. Here the tomato functions as a flavoring and tool. You rub the belly of a halved tomato onto the surface of hot toasted and oiled bread, softening the coarse edges, soaking the juices into the bread, flavoring it without adding substance. The order in which you add the toppings makes all the difference. The oil moistens the bread, the salt seasons between the layers of oil and tomato, and the tomato goes on last, because you want the first taste to be of fresh sweet tomato, followed by a touch of acid, salt, and oil.
I’d skip one ingredient in this recipe, which comes from Melissa Clark, a columnist for the Dining section (and the author of many excellent recipes in this book). She offers the option of topping the bread with sliced tomatoes, which seems unnecessary in my view. But I thoroughly agree with her when she says she could eat this Catalan dish “every single day.”
———
4 slices country-style bread, toasted and still hot
1 fat clove garlic, halved
Good-quality extra virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt
1 large tomato, halved crosswise
Sliced tomatoes for serving (optional)
Rub the bread with the garlic halves. Drizzle the slices with oil and sprinkle with salt. Rub the tomato cut side down on the toasted bread, generously squeezing the insides out as you go. Sprinkle with salt, and top with slices of tomatoes if desired.
MAKES 4 TOASTS
COOKING NOTES
Don’t use a dense, heavy bread. You need one that has a firm crust but an airy interior. Rub the garlic onto the bread gently and sparingly. The garlic should be submissive.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Sangria (here), Rebujito (here), Catalan Tortilla with Aioli (here), Potato, Ham, and Piquillo Pepper Croquetas (here), Fried Chickpeas (here), Paella (here), Cocido (Chickpea, Sparerib, and Chorizo Stew; here), Rabbit Soup with Garlic, Peppers, and Chorizo (here), Caramel Custard (here)
AUGUST 22, 2007: “A GOOD APPETITE: SO MANY TOMATOES TO STUFF IN A WEEK,” BY MELISSA CLARK.
—2007
ROASTED FETA WITH THYME HONEY
This is not the most beautiful hors d’oeuvre—the feta emerges from the oven with a war-torn look, and your casserole strewn with singed oil and blackened burned bits. But the abuse of the dish is all in the service of the feta, whose honey-slicked exterior turns to savory candy and whose interior softens to custard. Plus, the recipe is a breeze—it’s a great hors d’oeuvre to include when you have a more ambitious meal to follow.
———
One 8-ounce slab Greek feta cheese, blotted dry
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Greek thyme honey or other honey
Freshly ground black pepper
Greek-style pita bread, toasted and cut into wedges
Heirloom tomatoes, roasted beets, nuts, or pickled vegetables (optional)
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Select a small oven-to-table earthenware dish or a small ovenproof sauté pan and line it with aluminum foil, to help transfer the cheese to a plate after roasting.
2. Place the feta in the dish and cover with the olive oil. Bake until the cheese is soft and springy to the touch but not melted, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and heat the broiler.
3. Heat the honey in the microwave or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water until it is fluid enough to be spread with a pastry brush, and paint the surface of the feta with it. Broil until the top of the cheese browns and just starts to bubble. Season with pepper. Serve immediately, with pita wedges and, if desired, sliced heirloom tomatoes, roasted beets, nuts, or pickled vegetables.
SERVES 4 TO 6
COOKING NOTES
If you can’t find thyme honey—I couldn’t—use a mild-flavored honey like acacia and warm it with a few sprigs of fresh thyme.
Use a dish that’s just large enough to hold the cheese, or the oil will pool on the open surfaces and could catch fire under your broiler.
I’d serve the feta not with pita, as in the original recipe, but with a rustic cracker or toasted thinly sliced country bread.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Astoria Cocktail (here), Peppar Tomato (here), Peppadew Martini (here), Billionaire Cocktail (here), The Normandy (here)
SEPTEMBER 9, 2007: “THE WAY WE EAT: OLYMPIC DINNERS,” BY SARA DICKERMAN.
—2007
EDAMAME WITH NORI SALT
My three-year-olds devoured the whole batch of this edamame—who knew? It could become the go-to snack at kids’ birthday parties: down with Veggie Bootie!
———
Sea salt
20 sheets nori
1 pound edamame, fresh or frozen and defrosted
1. Combine 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Meanwhile, quickly pass the nori sheets over an open flame, one by one, to toast and dry them. Tear into small pieces. Using a spice/coffee grinder grind the nori to a fine powder.
3. When the water has reached a rapid boil, add the edamame and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain well (do not cool) and quickly transfer to a large bowl. Add a generous dusting of nori powder and sea salt—taste it, because you may need more than you think. Serve immediately.
SERVES 4
Saketini (here), Fresh and Smoked Salmon Spread (here), Alaskan Salmon (here), Coconut Rice Pudding with Lime Syrup (here)
JANUARY 9, 2008: “NORI STEPS AWAY FROM THE SUSHI,” BY J. J. GOODE. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM EVAN RICH, THE CHEF AT SUMILE SUSHI IN NEW YORK CITY.
—2008
CARAMELIZED BACON
The craft of recipe writing isn’t a hot topic, even in food circles. No one is going to hold forth at a dinner party about whose recipe writing is crisper, more layered, or more thoughtful, Julia Child’s or Marcella Hazan’s. (And if someone does, you should probably strike that person from your dinner party list.) That said, the current trend toward pared-down, robotic instructions is abominable. Recipes should be more like a letter from your mother—somewhere between an instruction manual and a personal note. A good recipe will guide you with specifics and help you understand what the results should be. Which is why I like this recipe by Patricia Marx, a novelist, so much.
———
1 pound bacon
One 1-pound box light brown sugar (about 2 ¼ cups)
¼ cup water
1. Go to a butcher and spend as much money as you have on very good bacon. Cut it into medium-thick slices, say, 3⁄16 of an inch.
2. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Dump a box of brown sugar into a big bowl. Light brown sugar is best, but if you want to use dark brown, I won’t stop you. Add ¼ cup of water, so that the sugar becomes more than damp but less than soupy. Some bacon caramelizers add a dash of cayenne pepper, but I think this makes the dish too nutritious.
3. Dredge the bacon in the sugar, one slice at a time. If the sugar isn’t sticking to the bacon, add some more water a teaspoon at a time until it sticks. (By the way, you won’t use all of the sugar, but it’s good to have extra.) Place the bacon strips on the parchment paper. I then smear some sugar on top of the bacon, on the theory that if a little sweet is good, more is better.
4. Place the bacon in the oven. It’s impossible for me to tell you how long to cook the bacon, because it depends on whether you like it chewy or crispy. Some recipes tell you to keep it in the oven for 8 to 13 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the bacon. I keep it in on the longer side. You should take yours out when it resembles the kind of bacon you would like to eat. Cut it into roughly 1½-inch triangles. Serve at room temperature.
SERVES 8 TO 10
COOKING NOTE
Marx said, “You can make this up to 3 days in advance. Keep in a tightly sealed container at room temperature. This is a dish that can’t be ruined. You can freeze the leftovers. But why are there leftovers?”
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Patsy’s Bourbon Slush (here), The Bone (here), Martini (here), Zombie Punch (here), Hot Cheese Olives (here)
JANUARY 13, 2008: “EAT, MEMORY: A NOT-SO-SIMPLE PLAN,” BY PATRICIA MARX.
—2008
RICOTTA CROSTINI WITH FRESH THYME AND DRIED OREGANO
Fresh ricotta is fresh in every sense. A fresh take on milk. A fresh cheese. And so fresh that if it’s great, it will turn on you overnight. For this crostini, it really is worth seeking out a local producer, because with excellent ricotta, you’ll want nothing more than to spread it on toasted bread dabbed with a little oil. You whip the ricotta with milk and season it with herbs and a flash of salt. That is all.
If you can’t buy top-quality ricotta, you can make your own; see here.
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About 8 slices (¾-inch-thick) crusty bread, such as ciabatta or levain, chewy and substantial but not very sour
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher or flaky sea salt (like Maldon)
2 cups fresh ricotta, at cool room temperature
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 large cloves garlic, unpeeled, halved
1. Heat a charcoal or gas grill or broiler to very hot. If the bread slices are very large, cut them in half or thirds. Brush the slices on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher or flaky sea salt.
2. Beat the ricotta and cream together in a bowl with an electric mixer (preferably) with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add 1 teaspoon kosher or flaky salt and mix well. Transfer to a shallow serving bowl and sprinkle with the coarse sea salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano. Drizzle olive oil on top, about 2 to 3 tablespoons.
3. Grill or broil the bread, turning once until toasted all over and lightly charred in places. Lightly rub one side of each slice with the cut side of a garlic clove. Serve hot, with the ricotta on the side.
SERVES 6 TO 8
VARIATIONS
Julia Moskin, the author of the article, offered two other ricotta crostini:
Lemon Zest and Hazelnut (adapted from Lunetta in New York City)—Whisk together the ricotta, ¼ cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and the grated zest of 1 lemon. Spread on the toasted, garlic-rubbed bread and sprinkle with ½ cup hazelnuts, toasted, skins rubbed off, and coarsely chopped or smashed with a heavy skillet.
Pine Nut and Honey Variation (adapted from dell’Anima in New York City)—Spread the ricotta over the toasted bread (do not rub with garlic), drizzle on ¾ cup honey, preferably a farmers’ market–type with good flavor, and sprinkle on ½ cup toasted pine nuts.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Peach Bowl (here), Peppadew Martini (here), Rhubarb Bellini (here), Kumquat-Clementine Cordial (here)
MAY 28, 2008: “SUDDENLY, RICOTTA’S A BIG CHEESE,” BY JULIA MOSKIN. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM ANDREW CARMELLINI, THE CHEF AT A VOCE IN NEW YORK CITY.
—2008
POTATO, HAM, AND PIQUILLO PEPPER CROQUETAS
While architectural food and gold-leaf-speckled desserts have come and gone, dishes born of thrift tend to last. Among the many examples are panzanella (Italian bread and tomato salad), bread pudding, leek and potato soup, apple cake, and croquettes. All these dishes are simple but satisfying; they don’t try too hard.
There are dozens of recipes for croquettes in the Times nineteenth-century recipe files, and I was surprised to see that in this recent version, little other than the seasonings have changed. These Spanish croquetas use fancier meat and seasonings—serrano ham, smoked paprika—and employ a neat trick: after forming the croquetas, you chill them so they crisp well and hold together when sautéed. But the soul of the dish is unchanged—you’re still taking a leftover meat and stretching its bounty through the cunning use of bread and potatoes.
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3 cups seasoned mashed potatoes, chilled
2¼ cups plain dry bread crumbs
2 ounces serrano ham cut into small dice (about ½ cup)
½ cup piquillo or roasted red peppers, cut into small dice
5 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (pimentón)
1 cup all-purpose flour
Olive or vegetable oil for frying
1. Combine the potatoes, ¾ cup bread crumbs, the ham, pepper, 1 egg, the yolk, a pinch of salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and the paprika, in a large bowl. Mix well.
2. Lightly beat the remaining 4 eggs in a wide shallow bowl. Place the remaining 1½ cups bread crumbs in a second bowl, and the flour in a third. Season the bread crumbs with ½ teaspoon each salt and the remaining ½ teaspoon pepper.
3. Using about 2 tablespoons of the croqueta mixture for each, form it into 3-inch-long fingers. Dip each finger in the flour, tapping off the excess, then dip in the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off, and then in the bread crumbs. Transfer to a large baking sheet. When you have finished forming the croquetas, cover the tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, or overnight.
4. When ready to fry, heat ¼ inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the croquetas in batches, turning once, until dark golden all over, 2 to 3 minutes a side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt if desired. Serve hot.
MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN CROQUETAS
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Sangria (here), Rebujito (here), Pan con Tomate (here), Catalan Tortilla with Aioli (here), Fried Chickpeas (here), Paella (here), Cocido (Chickpea, Sparerib, and Chorizo Stew; here), Rabbit Soup with Garlic, Peppers, and Chorizo (here), Toasts with Chocolate, Olive Oil, and Sea Salt (here)
NOVEMBER 19, 2008: “A GOOD APPETITE: ALMOST HEAVEN; LEFTOVER MASHED POTATOES, UPLIFTED,” BY MELISSA CLARK.
—2008
OLIVE OIL–TUNA SPREAD WITH LEMON AND OREGANO
This is the hors d’oeuvre version of tonnato sauce (see Vitello Tonnato, here). With some strong seasonings (lemon, dried oregano, garlic) and plenty of fat (butter and oil), canned tuna can truly surprise. Here the tuna acts as anchovy does, offering a baseline ocean flavor. The seasonings provide tang and heat and the fats transform the shredded fish into silk.
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One 6½-ounce can tuna packed in olive oil (do not drain)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 plump clove garlic
Breadsticks, crackers, or toasted slices of baguette brushed with olive oil for serving
Place the tuna, including the oil, in a food processor, add the remaining ingredients (except for the bread or crackers), and process until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl and serve with breadsticks, crackers, or toast. Or refrigerate for up to 3 days; remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before serving and stir well.
SERVES 10 TO 12; CAN BE DOUBLED EASILY
COOKING NOTE
Use the best oil-packed tuna you can find—preferably the imported variety in glass jars. It’s a bit more expensive but worth it.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Rhubarb Bellini (here), Parmesan Crackers (here)
NOVEMBER 26, 2008: “JUST A NIBBLE BEFORE WE GORGE OURSELVES,” BY JULIA MOSKIN. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM PATRICIA WELL’S TRATTORIA, BY PATRICIA WELLS.
—2008
PICKLED SHRIMP
This makes a huge amount, which you can easily halve, but the shrimp are so good you’ll want to feed twenty. They’re best with a full day to marinate, so plan ahead.
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3 pounds shrimp, shelled, deveined, and boiled or steamed just until pink
2 medium onions, quartered and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 lemons, preferably organic, thinly sliced
14 bay leaves
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 dried hot chile peppers
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss thoroughly. Transfer to a serving bowl or glass crock, cover, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
2. One hour before serving, remove the shrimp from the refrigerator. Remove the bay leaves. Serve on small plates or with toothpicks.
SERVES 15 TO 20
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Vermouth Cup (here), Sazerac (here), Mint Julep (here), The Cuke (here), Kumquat-Clementine Cordial (here), Caramelized Bacon (here), Eggs Louisiana (here), Onion Rings (here), North Carolina–Style Pulled Pork (here), Cheese Straws (here), Julia Harrison Adams’s Pimento Cheese (here)
NOVEMBER 26, 2008: “JUST A NIBBLE BEFORE WE GORGE OURSELVES,” BY JULIA MOSKIN. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM FRANK STITT’S SOUTHERN TABLE, BY FRANK STITT.
—2008
