Feast of the Seven Fishes (Italian and Beyond!)

FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES (ITALIAN AND BEYOND!)

It’s only a few days to Christmas and time to commit to a decision on what to make for your holiday dinner (if you haven't already!). The thought of turkey makes you cringe, with good reason….so what else is there to make? In my house, the go-to for Christmas dinner is always a plump, juicy roast (think standing rib roast or rack of lamb), but this year I am inspired by the ‘Feast of the Seven Fishes’, which is a traditional Italian celebration on Christmas Eve. This meal typically consists of 7 seafood and fish dishes but I've seen some families have upwards of 10! I'm sticking to 3 or 4, thank you. After enduring a 3 day food coma from Thanksgiving, the thought of an array of light seafood dishes for Christmas sounds delicious and not overly filling (not to mention getting a kick start on that New Year's resolution of eating healthy!).

FIRST COURSE: EASY APPETIZER

I like to have a couple simple snacks ready for when guests arrive. Everyone always arrives hungry and ready to eat, and this means they can snack and stay out of the kitchen! ;) Small bites or spreads are best for this feast since there are many more courses to come, so try to keep it simple and easy to make ahead! I love this Peruvian Clams à la Parmesana recipe that's in my cookbook. I learned about these in Lima, clams with a little chili paste, garlic and pisco and then topped with buttery-parmesan breadcrumbs. You can assemble them ahead of time and pop them in when guests arrive - they only take 3 minutes under the broiler! These Quinoa-Crusted Shrimp are another great, healthy option.

SECOND COURSE: RAW BAR OR SEAFOOD SALAD

For me, nothing beats a great raw bar to truly showcase the flavors of the sea. Stone crabs, cooked lobster, or gorgeous jumbo shrimp served with a flavorful cocktail or tarator sauce are showstoppers. Pair with a seasonal salad (think: fennel, mache, oranges and pomegranate) with a bit of balsamic and oil.

THIRD COURSE: HEARTY, WHOLE FISH

This course and the next should be the big dishes, the ones that showcase the entire meal. A whole fish, such as red snapper or striped bass would be perfect here with a couple side dishes to go along. A whole fish doesn't have to be daunting, and salt-crusting is the perfect technique! Take 4 cups kosher salt plus 8 egg whites and thoroughly mix together. Make a bed on the baking pan with the salt mixture, lay the fish on top and add a thick coating on top, patting down to seal it all around. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes at 400° F. Crack open the salt layer with a spoon and peel back the skin for the most tender, flavorful (not salty I swear!) fish you've had. Serve with your favorite chili-garlic sauce, chermoula or a lemon-basil vinaigrette.

FOURTH COURSE: PASTA OR, IN MY CASE, PAELLA!

If we were creating a traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes, this course would showcase a pasta dish. But, since the feast is just a guideline to this epic meal, I am choosing to replace the pasta with a delicious seafood paella recipe. The key to a great paella is the rice! You can use short grain rice but if you can find it, bomba rice is what most fine-dining restaurants use and is the traditional rice for this dish. And remember, you want that crunchy rice on the bottom of the pan….that’s the best part!

FIFTH COURSE: SOUP OR SEAFOOD STEW

Yes, can you believe it? We are still eating! If you have room after consuming the previous courses, take it down a notch with a warm brothy seafood or fish soup. This recipe for Ginger Crab is nothing short of amazing and is the type of food I grew up eating - food particular to the East Coast of Africa that blends all that's amazing about African, Indian and Arab foods.

FINALLY: PALATE CLEANSER + DESSERT!

Ok, so I’m combining the last two courses because I just don’t think I can eat anymore at this point! A great palate cleanser could be a simple citrus sorbet or semifreddo. The traditional dessert with this feast is an array of Italian cookies, but since we are skipping the sixth course, I’ve decided to do a decadent South African Cape Malva pudding, a moist, butter-y cake with caramelized edges steeped in a warm brandy sauce. Done!

Enjoy!

The (Non) Eggnog I'm Making For The Holidays

THE (NON) EGGNOG I'M MAKING FOR THE HOLIDAYS

In a few days, I'm having a (very) small group of friends over for a holiday get together. This year, after Thanksgiving fatigue, I'm taking it easy and going to enjoy my friend time. I'm doing some fun holiday drinks; there's going to be serious spades playing, and we are all going to eat my favorite delivery pizza (which in Brooklyn is nothing short of amazing)! Christmas eve will be my blowout cooking event with my family, so I'll get my cooking fix then.

One of my favorite things to do for holiday parties is serve little, sweet, liqueured up shots for dessert! And this year, I'm making this (non) eggnog for the occasion. I love how the Caribbean does eggnog and have put up the recipe for West Indian Ponche de Crème in the past - a sweet, creamy spiced eggnog with a touch of bitters. For this recipe, the inspiration is coquito, the Puerto Rican version which I like to think of as coconut eggnog!

I made some key changes to a traditional coquito here. Instead of canned evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk, which are traditional, I infused heavy cream with sugar and the signature spices of the drink - cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise and cloves - making my own sweetened and spiced condensed cream! Because I use heavy cream, I omit the eggs which is great because it's creamy enough. Also, I have some friends that aren't so into the "egg-y" flavor and are a bit skeeved out about the whole raw eggs thing, so it works all around.

This drink is so rich and delicious - it's creamy and scented with coconut. I love that it has the traditional cinnamon and nutmeg, but the star anise, if you have it, is such an unusual touch. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields a little over 8 cups

4 cups heavy cream

3/4 - 1 cup coconut or white sugar

5 cinnamon sticks

6 star anise pods (optional)

6 whole cloves

pinch ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

zest of 1 lime

3 ½ cups fresh coconut milk or 2 cans coconut milk

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup light rum

½-1 cup gold rum

Optional: Amaretto or Coffee Liqueur

Garnish: Ground or whole cinnamon, more star anise pods

Procedure

In a medium saucepan, add the heavy cream, sugar, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, nutmeg, salt and lime zest. I give a range on the sugar because I like mine a bit less sweet (3/4 cup), but a traditional one would be more sweet (1 cup) - do to your tastes and remember you can always taste and add more! Bring up to a boil and then remove from the heat.

To a blender, add the coconut milk, vanilla extract and rums (again, to your booziness level). Blend until it's uniform. In a pitcher, pot of whatever you are going to store this in, stir together the blended coconut mixture with the spiced heavy cream. Chill completely before serving. I prefer letting it sit in the fridge a day or two before serving so all the flavors come through, but it's pretty amazing after a few hours too.

If you want to put a twist on this, substitute 1/2 cup amaretto or coffee liqueur in lieu of the same amount of the gold rum. Just drop down the sugar to 1/2-3/4 cup to balance out the sweetness.

Strain out the whole spices and serve over ice with some ground cinnamon, a cinnamon stick or some star anise pods.

Enjoy!

Global Holiday Cookies

GLOBAL HOLIDAY COOKIES

Holidays = cookies, and we are fast approaching that time of year where you are either getting your baking skills ready for holiday parties and family get togethers or you’re thinking about yummy gifts for your friends and co-workers. Because, honestly, it’s impossible to buy everyone presents this time of year, but it's sooo easy to bake delicious cookies for them! To keep it interesting, I like to make different types of cookies for the holidays and incorporate some from around the world. The following are just a few to get started on your lists - click through for the recipes. There are so many to choose from - happy baking!

KOURABIEDES-INSPIRED MADELEINES

Nothing is more impressive than nailing a great madeleine. This traditional French small cake is unmistakeable with its distinctive shell-like shape and delicate, cake-y textures. Kourabiedes are a Greek shortbread that's usually had around the holiday - almond-scented and perfumed with rosewater, and that was the inspiration for this combo cookie. They are best served right away and warm, so I would use these for a holiday party rather than as a gift.

SOUTH AMERICAN ALFAJORES

Although alfajores originated in Spain, the South American version is twice as good, namely because the cookies sandwich dulce de leche. These can be chocolate-coated, dusted with coconut, or holiday-decorated and are the perfect gift!

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MINT COOKIES

These are the ultimate double chocolate mint cookies - brownie-rich, chocolate chip cookies scented with peppermint. The dough freezes really well too.

ITALIAN RAINBOW COOKIES

Rainbow cookies are a childhood favorite and one I love to make around the holidays. They do take a couple days (just to set the layers and cool) but the end result is equally impressive as it is yummy! Originally colored to represent the Italian flag by Italian - American immigrants, you can play around with the (all natural...) food coloring to the occasion. A little more red and green for the holidays please!

TURKISH BAKLAVA

Okay, so baklava isn't technically a cookie, but it really doesn't matter. My recipe for these is the easiest out there!

WEST INDIAN CASSAVA PONE

Okay, okay! This isn't a typical cookie either! But this is a beautiful cake that I make into squares. Pone is a super dense, slightly gummy cake, and in different West Indian countries, I’ve seen pone made with root vegetables – cassava here but also carrots and sweet potato. It always has coconut, and some even have pumpkin and raisins. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and a touch of black pepper makes this complete holiday fare.

AUSTRIAN LINZER COOKIES

An Austrian favorite that is seen around the holidays is the linzer cookie. These are sandwich cookies with jam in the middle and cutouts in the center to peek at the filling, usually hearts but I like to do Christmas trees, stars or candy canes for the holidays. Also, a good time to use the preserves you made earlier this year!

PUERTO RICAN MANTECADITOS CON GUAYABA (ALMOND SHORTBREAD WITH GUAVA)

Jam-filled and thumbrint cookies are one of my favorites, and I love that these use guava paste in lieu of other preserves. It's a totally unique flavor - tart and sweet - and an unexpected twist, and yet they have such a traditional look about them.

SOUTH AFRICAN CRUNCHIES

These are classic, South African cookies - crunchy (of course), buttery and coconut-ty. These are a one bowl, easy cookie to make, so great if you need to feed a crowd.

SWEDISH GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Really, not much needs to be said about these. Gingerbread (wo)men, different holiday shapes - these are a must!

Enjoy!!

Black Friday Brunch

BLACK FRIDAY BRUNCH

It’s the day after Thanksgiving, and your fridge is filled with leftovers! You can't think about cooking another thing for the rest of the week. This is my favorite time to be creative and come up with new ways to re-purpose the delicious meal from the night before (instead of just reheating the same old plate). And why not turn the dreaded Black Friday into a yummy brunch day with friends and family while having them help you clear out your fridge!

THE TURKEY

Everyone’s go-to the day after will most likely be a quick turkey sandwich or a one pot hash mix up, but there are so many other options out there to choose from! The word brunch and "benedict" go hand-in-hand so why not a Turkey Benedict? A traditional eggs benedict is your basic starting point and can be played up with whatever your leftover situation looks like.

- Let's start with the base: instead of using English muffins on the bottom, use any leftover parker house rolls or biscuits. If you’re feeling really adventurous with your Benedict, you can even use the stuffing as the base and just mold in to a patty and sear in a pan on the stove to give it a nice crust. You could even crumb coat leftover mashed potatoes to make a patty.

- Next comes the bacon. Substitute here with your turkey or ham (or short ribs in my case!), if that’s what you cooked…or both if you’re like my family and completely over do Thanksgiving! I like to warm them up in a sauce pan real quick.

- Get some eggs poaching: bring a pot of water to boil, and once it comes to a rolling boil, add a couple tablespoons of white vinegar - this will help the eggs stay together once in the water. Stir the water a bit and drop the egg in slowly, as close to the surface of the water as you can without poaching your fingers!

- The finishing touch: sauce. Hollandaise with the runny yolk is what makes this dish, but I’ve come across some recipes that use the gravy instead (equally delicious). Warm up some of the leftover gravy in the pot and pour away once the benedict is assembled!

- For the vegetarian option, omit the turkey and add any leftover vegetable side you might have (think creamed spinach or roasted brussels sprouts). The possibilities are endless with this dish, you can’t go wrong!

THE VEGETABLE SIDES

Another no-brainer when it comes to brunch is quiche. I love quiche because you can pretty much fill them with whatever ingredients you happen to have on hand…hopefully you over-shopped and have an extra pie crust in your freezer or some puff pastry lying around to make your life easier! If not, use my crab and callaloo quiche recipe as a starting point for your crust and quiche procedure (think roasted brussels sprouts and bacon quiche, green bean casserole, stuffing and turkey quiche etc…) so easy! Don’t have a ready made pie crust and don’t feel like dealing with homemade dough? Try this frittata recipe and replace the butternut squash with your chosen Thanksgiving leftover (even better if you do have leftover squash!).

MASHED POTATOES & STUFFING

Honestly, I can just eat the stuffing the next day right out of the fridge (and may even be too lazy to heat it up...) - it is so delicious and something I really only cook once a year…so why not!? But if you want quick bites to initially satisfy your hungry brunch guests these recipes for croquettes, samosas and steam buns are the most genius way to combine stuffing, mashed potatoes and your turkey leftovers…who knew!?

CRANBERRY SAUCE

What to do with the massive amount of leftover cranberry sauce? Make some pancakes, waffles, or use my recipe for these breakfast clafoutis and substitute the cranberry sauce for the mixed berries, so delicious and compliments the season so well! For a more savory recipe, try this cranberry and brie puffed pastry bite. Also, how good would leftover cranberry sauce be, as is, on top of spiced potato samosas?!?

Enjoy the holiday everyone!

Spiced Up Thanksgiving Sides

SPICED UP THANKSGIVING SIDES

With Thanksgiving a week away, I'm getting my menu in order and always find myself a bit stumped on the sides, not only what to do but also the big jostle for oven room! I'm a big believer in keeping the turkey classic and mashed potatoes luscious, buttery and minimal as a canvas, but beyond that, it's open season. Experimenting with sides gives Thanksgiving that signature, that little mark that makes it particularly yours.

The Standard: Stuffing

How to Change it Up: This has to be one of the best places to start experimenting! There are so many variations on stuffing that there literally isn't enough room to write about them. I make a version with challah, bacon and Aleppo chilies, but, really, it comes down to a great bread (brioche, sourdough, cornbread), aromatics (garlic, onion, shallot, celery), liquid (chicken broth, eggs, cream), and herbs (parsley, sage, chives). From there, you can play with meats (pancetta, bacon, spicy chicken or pork sausage), fruits (apples, quince, apricots, currants), nuts and spices. I loved the fruitiness of Aleppo chilies, but a bit of allspice or fennel seeds would also be great.

The Standard: Mac 'n Cheese

How to Change it Up: I love a good mac 'n cheese, but I love macaroni pie even more: a baked mac 'n cheese with onions, garlic, and chilies that comes from my husband's side of the family. The one above is a version with porcini mushrooms (to die for!). This is a great do-ahead dish that needs a bit of reheating in the oven, but if it's stovetop for you, throw in some chipotles in adobo and top with garlic breadcrumbs, lobster and brandy if you're being fancy, or go Greek with feta, Kalamata olives and spinach. Even a basic mac 'n cheese recipe can be taken to the next level with different cheeses (Gruyere, smoked cheddar, mascarpone) and a great topping (panko, fried onions, or an extra layer of cheese broiled to perfection).

The Standard: Sweet Potatoes

How to Change it Up: I never really grew up with sweet potato casserole, canned or fresh sweet potatoes kicked up with brown sugar and topped with marshmallows. I happen to love them simply roasted or mashed and lightly sweetened like in this bake, but there are tons of ways to prepare them. This version uses pecans and cornflakes in lieu of marshmallows to top the casserole. If you're going the pie route, a few key spices can bring out that beautiful sweet potato flavor. I personally add a bit of chai spice to make mine special.

The Standard: Green Bean Casserole

How to Change it Up: Green beans are deliciously versatile and take on flavor easily! I love the idea of simply cooking them a day in advance. Then, you can sauté them right before serving using different sauces (homemade or store bought) to take them to the next level. Think harissa and marcona almonds, basil pesto and cherry tomatoes, thai curry and butternut squash. Want to go a totally different route? This recipe calls for tempura-battering them and serving them with a shallot dip - I'm so tempted for this year!

The Standard: Parker House Rolls

How to Change it Up: I personally love parker house rolls as they are - fluffy and buttery. But where I always like to play with breads is the butter. Mixing in a few ingredients can totally change the tone of a bread dish, even store-bought ones. I top my rolls with miso-butter, but I also love to add a bit of honey and spice for a chili-honey butter. Sesame oil can add nuttiness, and herbs can add both brightness and elegance to your table butter.

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Aliya LeeKong X Jill Lindsey Supper Club + Carrot Tartare

ALIYA LEEKONG X JILL LINDSEY SUPPER CLUB + CARROT TARTARE

A few weeks ago, I hosted a supper club at a gorgeous store in Brooklyn, the namesake of the equally gorgeous Jill Lindsey. It is the perfect venue - beautiful handmade home goods, rugs and furniture from Nicaragua (designed by Jill!), candles, jewelry; they host events and have a café area in the back. Jill is the perfect partner, having worked in restaurants and well-versed in all of the front-of-the-house needs. The one catch? ....no kitchen! So, yes, I served (with the help of the amazing Tamsin Kelly! thank you again!) a 5-course, sit-down dinner with my "easy-bake" countertop oven and an induction burner, both of which I brought with me. Fun! and Terrifying!

Here is the menu and some great photos of all of the people (so many friends surprised me!) who came. Photos are all by the talented MJ Batson of Corac Studios

I wanted to share the recipe with you for the star of the Carrot 3 Ways dish, a carrot tartare. The inspiration for the tartare is an Ethiopian dish called kitfo. I posted the recipe for kitfo yeeeeeaars ago, but it's basically a hand-cut steak tartare warmed in a spiced butter infused with cardamom, black pepper, and cayenne. It is out of this world!! I thought the spices played really nicely with the sweetness of seasonal carrots here in lieu of beef. I served mine with dehydrated carrot chips and a brown butter carrot-sunchoke purée. Enjoy!

CARROT TARTARE

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

3 medium carrots, peeled

5-6 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

¼-½ teaspoon cayenne

1 shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt, to taste

Chives, for garnish

Procedure

Bring a medium pot of water up to a boil and season heavily with salt. While the water is coming up, prepare an ice bath (a bowl of cold water with ice). You want to cook the carrots and then shock them in the ice bath to stop the cooking.

When the water comes up to a boil, add the carrots and cook until a fork slips easily into the thickest part of the carrot. That can vary depending on the width, so I would say anywhere from 6 to 12 minutes. Transfer immediately to the ice water to stop the cooking. Remove and dry thoroughly. At this point, you can move ahead or save them in the refrigerator for use a day or two later.

If you have a stand mixer with a meat grinder attachment, pass the cooled and dry carrots through the larger, coarse grinding plate. If not, you can use a ricer or a food processor to achieve a ground carrot texture. You don't want mush, so try not to take it too far!

Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add spices and toast for a minute or so until fragrant and nutty. The butter should brown a bit. Add the shallot and garlic and cook another 30 seconds to a minute. Toss in the ground carrots until they are heated through. They should be warm and touchable.

Serve warm (you can use a ring mold if you like) and top with chopped chives.

10 Picks for a Beautiful Thanksgiving

10 PICKS FOR A BEAUTIFUL (AND SMOOTH...) THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite, favorite holiday! We all know it's all about the food, and, in the past, I have blogged about more recipe ideas than a few to spice it up. But, I thought I would also share a few other picks with you - things to beautify your table and kitchen, (in some cases) streamline your cooking, and remind us that we should all be thankful for our family, friends and food this holiday....

WELL-WRINKLED LINEN TABLECLOTHS | TERRAIN

It all starts with the tablecloth, and I love a great linen tablecloth. If you're like me, you're thinking decorative plates, servers, candles, flowers....why not let them shine? This tablecloth is the perfect, simple backdrop. Besides, it's supposed to be wrinkled - so throw it on without worrying about wrinkles and creases.

METAL CANDLE LANTERN | WAYFAIR

Come on, now. You know I wasn't going to let the table be all plain vanilla! I love these candle holders - they give such a romantic edge to the table, and, most importantly, they aren't too tall. It's the worst when you can't see the person across from you!

EXTRA LARGE GOLD ICE BUCKET | FOOD 52 & PUNCH BOWL WITH LADLE | CB2

Keeping the crowd happy during cooking (and the meal) is key to a smooth Thanksgiving, but if you're like me with 25-30 relatives and friends, the last thing you want to do is stop mashing the potatoes to pour someone a drink! At our house, my mom and I make a ridiculous sangria that we put out and let people help themselves. Wine works too, and the key is to put these beautiful pieces outside the kitchen so no one interrupts your flow. :)

PREMIER 2-PIECE CARVING SET | SHUN

The turkey is always the main event, so here are a few picks to make it the best it can be. First, a carving set - you need one! And this one is just too pretty. It's a bit of a splurge, but a girl can dream....

LARGE BRINING BAGS | FIRE AND FLAVOR

If you are reading a food blog right now, there is no excuse not to brine; it's the gold standard - more flavor, more juiciness. It just needs to be done. These are some awesome all-natural bags to use, and there are also brining kits on the site with all of the ingredients (except water...) to make it easier for you.

GRAVY BOAT WITH WARMING BASE | WILLIAM SONOMA

You worked really hard on that turkey, got the most delicious drippings, and turned it into a gravy to die for. Now, you could go out and find some antique, artisanal, super delicate gravy boat that stuns on the table. OR you could have warm gravy. Seriously, the thought of cold gravy is up there with like wilty, slimy greens (eek factor).

WOLF GOURMET COUNTERTOP OVEN | SUBZERO

I know, this may look like an easy-bake, toaster oven, but it is much much more! I LOVE my countertop oven - in fact, I did a pop-up last week at a cute store that had no kitchen and brought my little oven with me (5 courses; nobody knew the wiser). Yes, it toasts, but it also bakes with convection and convention settings. If you are like me and don't have a double oven, you understand the trials and tribulations of Thanksgiving. How do I roast my turkey and make stuffing / mac n' cheese / roasted veggies, etc?!? Here is your answer. It heats up in no time, fits most casserole dishes and is up for the job. Can you tell I love this oven? By the way, I'm showing you my dream buy (i don't have this one), but there are options up and down the price range with Hamilton Beach's coming in under $100.

JAN BURTZ GOLD LUSTER SERVING BOWLS | ABC HOME

Whatever you make, you have to make it look good on the table, and these serving bowls are simple, gorgeous and happen to be dishwasher and microwave-safe (key!). Also, I love this bakeware because it goes from oven to table and looks flawless.

DONATE | FEEDING AMERICA

Food insecurity is real. Donate $ or food to help others this holiday season. My little PSA.

Enjoy!

Handmade Pasta: How-To + Recipe

HANDMADE PASTA: HOW-TO + RECIPE

If pizza is my ultimate comfort food, pasta is a very close second. I actually haven’t made pasta from scratch for a really long time and, lately, with the weather getting cooler and the fact that I'm going to serve it at my pop-up in a few weeks, I’ve been wanting to break out my pasta roller and get started. I bought a couple cookbooks for inspiration to get me started. The dough recipe is actually super simple, and I find myself wondering why I don’t make pasta from scratch more often at home instead of buying it at the store. Oh right, time! That little thing that tends to escape all of us...But if you are planning on having a dinner party, nothing is more impressive than serving a plate of homemade tagliolini! And it's something you can make in advance and cook quickly while your guests are enjoying a drink (or two...).

MAKING THE DOUGH

There are two types of dough when making pasta; one for the different shapes of noodles (spaghetti, tagliatelle, fettuccini etc…) and one for filled pastas (ravioli, tortellini, agnolotti etc…). The only differences between these two is that the filled pasta dough just adds a little bit more liquid to make the dough more pliable for making shapes and is a bit thinner since you are often double layering it.

My go-to recipe is pretty simple:

Serves 6-8

2 cups 00 or all purpose flour

2 eggs + 3 yolks

1 1/2 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mixing is very simple. Just create a mound with the flour ( “00” is the most commonly used in Italy, but all purpose works just as well) pour all the liquid (whole eggs, yolks, water) in the center and slowly, with a fork, combine everything until the dough starts to come together and is not sticky. Now comes the hard part: kneading! You want to knead the dough for at least 10-15 minutes, doesn’t sound like a huge task but it is essential to create a smooth pasta dough. You will see as you knead the dough the roughness when the dough first comes together starts to disappear the more you work the dough. Once the dough is nice and smooth, form in to a ball and cover with plastic wrap and let it rest. If you're rolling it right away, you can allow rest it for 30 minutes at room temperature. If you're rolling it later, keep it in the fridge and allow the dough to come back up to room temperature just before. Because of the eggs in the dough, you want to use this within 24hrs to ensure freshness or freeze it for later use.

HAND ROLL OR MACHINE?

Having a pasta machine is essential to rolling out the dough. You can, of course, do it with a rolling pin, but it will take a lot more time and effort, not to mention a lot of upper body and arm strength! The process of kneading alone makes my arms and hands ache, but the result is just too delicious to give up on. There's also just something soothing about the process of rolling out the dough with a machine, going through every size on the rollers and then creating your pasta shape. The key is to start the pasta dough on the largest setting of the machine and work down from there, cutting the dough and doing it in batches.

Start by cutting the dough into quarters. Flatten the quarter piece a bit and put the dough through the largest setting, once through. Fold the dough on itself (take both ends fold over and meet in the middle) rotate 90 degrees and put through the machine on the same setting again - you basically just want to get a rectangular shape to start. Raise or lower the setting (depending on the machine) and run through again. You want to get thinner and thinner, running the dough once at each incremental setting. If it gets too long, cut it in half and roll each piece separately. After the dough has made its way through, I usually end on the second to last setting for stuffed pastas or the third to last for thick noodles.

SAUCES AND FILLINGS

And now for the good stuff: the filling and the sauces! First, though, a note on cooking. In boiling, heavily salted water, fresh pasta only takes 1 to 2 minutes to cook, so if you spend the time up front, know that, at the very least, you are saving on cook time!

For my pop-up, I'm doing a roasted maitake mushroom pasta with pickled chilies, garlic and some Egyptian Dukkah. I know - major and not so traditional. BUT I love a good simple tomato sauce with noodles, and this recipe is such a great go to. There are so many others to choose from; Bolognese, avocado-basil pesto, and classic brown butter and sage. The possibilities are endless - it really just depends what mood you are in! Same with choosing the filling for stuffed pastas, you can go the traditional route and do a ricotta filled ravioli or go with the season and do a pumpkin ravioli for fall, a pea ravioli for spring etc…

The important part is to make sure you have all the essential tools to create and roll out the perfect dough - the rest you can just make up as you go along! That is the fun part after all..

Enjoy!

The Very Versatile Winter Squash

THE VERY VERSATILE WINTER SQUASH

The leaves are changing colors, the air has a cool crisp smell to it and the farmers' market is booming with a ton of winter squashes. Nothing says cold weather comfort food than a great squash soup, roasted root vegetables with your Sunday supper or a nice, warming Indian curry. The only difficulty is choosing which squash to use in your dish! I put together a few of my favorite ways to bring some warmth to your dinner table this winter.

SOUPS

The first weekend of October has passed, and the heating has kicked in. You know winter is looming around the corner, and the upside is that it’s perfect soup-making (and eating!) weather. Everyone loves a great squash soup; they are so versatile, being sweet and savory, and take easily to different cuisines depending on the spices you use. My Sopa de Flor de Calabaza (Squash Blossom Soup), inspired by a traditional Mexican soup, is a delicious, silky and rich soup without any cream that uses butternut squash. Another warm and comforting soup is my Pumpkin Soup with Garam Masala & Creme Fraiche. This soup uses the traditional South Asian spice blend, garam masala (it’s spicy and full-flavored but has no real heat to it), and the warming spices in the blend pair perfectly with pumpkin.

ROASTED

Roasting squash is a no brainer, and cut into pieces, a good squash only needs about 20 to 30 minutes in a 400° F oven. Of course, the old standby butternut is fantastic here, but kabocha, which is an Asian variety of winter squash, is also delicious. It has a strong and sweet flavor that pairs well with spices. Delicata is another great options because it has super thin skin and is really easy to peel.

Above is a photo from my cookbook for a savoury, winter vegetable crumble; roasted squash on its own would be delicious with a salty, Parmesan-laced crumble topping.. The great thing about roasted squash is you can eat it as is, purée it (see below), stuff it before roasting, make it into a hash by itself or with sweet potatoes or even toss it into a salad that day or the next! I personally love this Miso Harissa Delicata Squash salad recipe.

PURÉES

Another great use for winter squashes is purées. They make a great substitute for the stand-by mashed potato side and are beyond easy to make. This recipe is the most basic - a great building block in your kitchen arsenal that you can tailor to your tastes. A few ideas: add roasted garlic, truffle oil, chopped olives, pickled chilies or sprinkle with za'atar to make it extra special.

CURRY

To me, nothing is more satisfy or warming to the soul than curling up on the couch with my pajamas, a good movie, or book, and a hearty bowl of curry and rice. Curries originate from the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They can be wet or dry with wet curries resembling stews in a significant amount of sauce and dry curries cooked with little liquid that evaporates and leaves a coating on the ingredients. Curries usually involve a variety of spices with the main spices being turmeric, coriander, and cumin on the Indian side of things; chili is always a player. Southeast Asian curries make use of different chili pastes and other herbs, aromatics and spices like kaffir, lemongrass, and galangal. Lucky for us, squashes play well with all different types of curry. Check out this one for Acorn Squash with Fenugreek, Chili, and Amchur.

PASTA

When the weather turns cool, who doesn’t love coming home to lasagna or a big bowl of pasta on the table? To make traditional lasagna a bit more interesting, try adding some squash in between the lush layers of pasta, cheese and sauce. OR get a bit more advanced and try this gnocchi. If gluten isn't your thing, spaghetti squash makes a fantastic substitute. Raw, it looks just like other squashes on the inside, but after it is cooked the insides fall out in ribbons resembling spaghetti. This recipe uses the spaghetti squash as the star of the “pasta dish”.

DESSERTS & BREADS

Being such a versatile vegetable, squashes can also find themselves in the dessert category. Hello…..pumpkin pie anyone!? But don’t just let the pumpkins have all the fun in the pies, butternut and acorn squash can hold their own in this category too! Try my bread recipe using butternut squash with apples and maple to make a delicious moist bread to serve with afternoon tea.

Enjoy!

Blueberry-Hibiscus Smash

BLUEBERRY-HIBISCUS SMASH

It feels like the long wait is over and the warmth has finally arrived! I've been doing fam brunches for the past couple weeks - inviting friends to come by when they can on a Sunday, cooking up a storm, and letting the day linger as we all eat and chat and have a few cocktails. One of my favorite things to do is make a huge pitcher of (unsweetened) hibiscus tea ahead of time; it's the perfect mixer. I love combining it with freshly squeezed juice from the market or from whatever I have on hand for an arnold palmer of sorts. With a great, infused simple syrup (ginger, mint, rose, clove), I have endless variations for both mocktails and cocktails.

For this cocktail, I keep it super simple - muddling together mint, fresh blueberries, and lemon. Honey sweetens it up a bit, and, of course, the hibiscus tea adds tartness. The smash was created as a simpler version of the mint julep - it only requires a bit of muddling rather than making a mint simple syrup or extract. It was originally made with whiskey, but there are tons of versions with vodka, rum and gin. For this one I flip flop between using rum and vodka (I can't decide which I like better!), so pick your own poison and enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields one cocktail

6 or 7 mint leaves

8 or 9 blueberries, divided

2 lemon slices

2 teaspoons honey

4 ounces unsweetened, hibiscus tea*

2 ounces vodka or rum

Procedure

In a cocktail shaker, muddle together the mint leaves with the 4 or 5 blueberries and the lemon slices to release the juices and oils. Add the honey, hibiscus tea, and spirit and shake well to combine.

Transfer to a rocks glass filled halfway with ice and garnish with the remaining blueberries and a mint sprig.

*For loose hibiscus tea, my ratio is 1 cup dried hibiscus leaves per 10 cups water. I generally let mine sit overnight before straining,

Butternut Squash & Apple Bread with Maple and Cardamom

I posted a photo of this on Instagram a few days back, and a number of people came back and asked for this recipe to bake for the holidays. And here it is! It’s a bit lighter than other fruit or vegetable breads (think: cake), and relies much more on butternut squash than apple for flavor. That said, the great thing about this bread is that the squash doesn’t have to be precooked or pureed or anything before being added in. Grating it up in a processor does all the work you need, and the squash cooks in the baking time.

I made this cake for my daughter, who hated squash (until now…hah!). And for that reason, I changed out the flour using an “all purpose” mix of oat, brown rice, and almond flours. Really, it isn’t so much about the gluten, though being gluten free is a benefit for some here. It’s more about the fact that oats and brown rice and almonds have a lot more nutritional value than AP flour. Same goes for the maple sugar, a sugar from the maple tree that has a flavor very close to the syrup. Again, maple sugar has antioxidants and minerals not found in refined sugar. It has a lower glycemic index, and I always use a lot less of it in recipes.

These are just my choices, but feel free to use all purpose flour here and substitute another sugar if you can’t find maple. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields 1 8½” x 4¼” x 2¾” loaf pan

2 cups raw, peeled, and grated butternut squash

1 cup peeled, cored and grated apple

scant 1 cup maple sugar

1 cup oat flour

½ cup brown rice flour

½ cup almond flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp baking soda

2 tsps baking powder

¼ cup organic, unrefined coconut oil or ½ stick butter, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs, room temperature

Procedure

Preheat oven to 375˚ F.

Place grated squash and apple in a bowl along with 3 tablespoons of the maple sugar. Stir to combine and let stand to macerate for 15 minutes.

In another bowl, sift together flours with salt, spices, baking soda and baking powder.

In a stand mixer, cream together remaining sugar and coconut oil or butter. With mixer on medium-low, add vanilla and then the eggs one at a time. Turn mixer down to low, and add in the flour in three increments, stopping to scrape down the sides. Mix until almost combined. Fold in the macerated squash and apple with any liquid that’s accumulated and mix until thoroughly combined.

Pour batter into a greased loaf pan, and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool before unmolding.

My Classic Braised Short Ribs

Inevitably, there are certain dishes in a cook’s culinary arsenal that get whipped out from time to time and become their signature. It’s usually something that’s a big crowd pleaser, that they can basically do in their sleep, and that fools others into thinking they slaved for hours making it. The dish often becomes something close friends (close enough to get repeat dishes) associate that cook with, and other friends (who may not get the repeat) leave asking for a detailed recipe. For me, and you can ask any of my friends, it’s my classic braised short ribs (I know, not exactly exotic, but damn good).

I happened to serve these at Thanksgiving this year, and, like any cook who is cooking from muscle memory and not a recipe, I decided to tweak my method a bit based on timing, what’s on hand. I thought my short ribs were already delicious but this version outdid all the previous ones! SO the time has come for me to actually write this recipe down, and I’m now sharing it with you.

When you look at any classic short rib recipe, there are some basic truths – sear the ribs, cook vegetables down, add wine and stock, simmer for hours. Most of the recipes start with the ribs, salt and freshly ground pepper and go from there – and they are fantastic. But what I did differently this year was simple – I marinated the ribs in some onions and garlic and a few spices the night before I cooked them…and it just took this dish to the next level! This has now become my classic braised short ribs – rich, red wine-infused, flavorful, fall completely and utterly off the bone….Enjoy!

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

For the marinade:

1 onion, quartered

8 garlic cloves

1 small red chili pepper

1 ½ tsps whole black peppercorns

2 tsps Spanish paprika

¾ tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

¾ cup of vegetable oil

5 lbs short ribs, bone-in (5 to 6 ribs)

For the braise:

2 medium onions, cut into a medium dice

1 leek, thickly sliced

1 stalk celery, cut into a medium dice

5 – 6 garlic cloves, minced

1 small plum tomato, roughly chopped

1 cup red wine

small bunch thyme

1-2 fresh bay leaves

3 ½ cups chicken stock

2-4 tbsps heavy cream (optional)

vegetable oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedure

In the bowl of a food processor, add the onion, garlic, chili pepper, black peppercorns and ground spices. Pulse until finely chopped, scraping down the sides. With the food processor on, stream in the vegetable oil until a uniform paste forms. Place short ribs in a resealable plastic bag and toss in the marinade. Try to remove as much air as possible before resealing. Move ribs around until all are coated with the marinade. Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Remove ribs from the marinade, wiping off all excess (should be dry). Let ribs come to room temperature. Season all sides generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Heat a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Sear ribs in the pan for about 2 minutes per side to develop a nice brown. You don’t want to overcrowd the pan, so it’s best to work in batches of 2 to 3 ribs at a time. Set ribs aside and drain pan of any excess oil.

Turn heat down to medium-low and add onions, leeks, and celery with a bit of salt to draw out the moisture. You want to cook the vegetables until they have softened and the onions are translucent, about 7 to 9 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds and then throw in the chopped tomato. Cook for another 2 minutes.

Add red wine and use your wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan. You want to dislodge all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan so they really flavor the cooking liquid. Let the red wine simmer and reduce until the vegetables are almost dry.

Nestle the browned ribs back in the pot amongst the vegetables. Don’t forget to throw in any accumulated juices from the plate where you were resting the ribs as well. Add in the thyme, bay leaves, and chicken stock and increase the heat to bring it all up to a boil.

Immediately, cover tightly with a lid or foil-line and then place a lid on top. Place pot in the oven and cook for 3 to 3 ½ hours until the meat is fork tender (or basically falling off the bone…). Season to taste.

Now, these are absolutely delicious like this. You have a number of choices depending on what kind of time you have:

(1) You can serve as is with a bit of the cooking liquid (thin). Completely delicious.

(2) You can remove the ribs and skim off as much fat from the top of the cooking liquid using a ladle. Then, reduce the liquid by half over a medium flame, strain through a mesh strainer into another pan, and add heavy cream to thicken. The ribs can be simmered in this if you want to heat them up a bit.

(3) This is what I like to do. I like to make the night before and cool the ribs in the cooking liquid. The fat solidifies in the fridge, so it’s really easy to spoon off. Then, I just follow #2. I love to just throw the ribs back into the strained sauce and reheat.

Thanksgiving Ideas

Thanksgiving has to be my favorite holiday! I love the gathering of friends and family, that crisp fall weather, and, of course, the serious spread of food…I admit I get a little insane for the few days leading up to it with a master recipe list and plan of attack for prepping for the 3 days before (last year it was 14 pages long. I know, crazy.). And although I go a bit traditional for the turkey, I like to use the sides, apps and desserts to be creative and incorporate all of the delicious exotic flavors you guys have been reading about here. SO I thought I’d give everyone some ideas today on how to spice up your Thanksgiving…

Let’s start with appetizers. I love a big, beautiful cheese plate dressed with some membrillo, a great variety of honey, a rich balsamic vinegar to accompany the blue cheese, and perhaps some concord grapes. I’m doing that this year along with a bit of Indian street food called pani puri that I’ll have to post soon! Pani puri are little crispy puffs stuffed with a mixture of chickpeas, red onion, tamarind, yoghurt and cilantro-mint chutney. I wanted to keep the apps light this year because of how much food I’m making for the main meal, but if you’re going for hot apps, pao de quiejo is always a winner; you really can’t go wrong with Brazilian cheese bread, chewy cheesy goodness. I also love these harissa cheese-stuffed fried olives, this mushroom pissaladière and lamb meatballs with quince and black olives.

This year I’m doing red wine-braised short ribs to accompany my heritage turkey. For the sides, I love love macaroni pie, a West Indian version of mac ‘n cheese that has onions, garlic, and habanero and is baked in the oven– you can stick to the traditional one or try the porcini version (which is what I’m making…). My brain goes straight to casseroles when I think Thanksgiving sides, so smoky spicy corn pudding is always on my list as is South African shepherd’s pie or bobotie as it’s called there, a layered dish with spicy-sweet ground beef or lamb cooked down and topped with a velvety egg custard. The recipe I have shows how to make individual ones, but you can easily transfer it all to a gratin or casserole dish and just adjust baking time. I’m also planning for simple roasted, market vegetables and a rice dish. This pilau makes a beautiful accompaniment.

Ah, and now for dessert. Definitely, apple pie with star anise brown butter that I’m going to serve with vanilla ice cream and some homemade dulce de leche and some of the Greek-inspired madeleines. This recipe for cape malva pudding, another South African treasure that features a moist cake drenched in a bit of brandy cream works really well and is something I’ve served at previous Thanksgivings OR, if you’re going a bit more elegant, these Arabic coffee panna cottas are also silky and gorgeous. The easiest by far though would be these amarena cherry and dark chocolate clafoutis – yum…

Whatever you choose to do, I hope everyone has a warm, fun-food-family-friends-filled Thanksgiving!

Sugar Plum Sherbet with Star Anise

My tongue just twisted writing the title to this! The unbearable heat in NYC has lead me to more inventive ways of cooling down. What could be better than a homemade, refreshing fruit drink made with seasonal ingredients and interesting flavors?

Sherbet in America has come to take on a sorbet-like connotation, but the origins are really in the word “sharbah”, which is Arabic for “a drink”. Sherbet (or sharbat as we called it growing up) is a soft drink of sorts made from fruits, flower petals, and/or herbs. These are often extracted with sugar and lime juice to form a syrup, which is then diluted with water, milk, or evaporated milk and served over ice. Falooda, a South Asian sherbet, has always been a favorite of mine; it’s intoxicatingly flavored with rose syrup – will have to make it soon. Hibiscus, screw pine (amazing and unique), and saffron are other flavors often used in sherbets.

Turkey, India, Afghanistan – to name a few – all have their versions of sherbet. I’ve been researching Turkish food more as I’m planning a trip there for later this year (seriously canNOT wait), and I came across a recipe for sour cherry sherbet. That was the inception of this recipe. In the greenmarket, I stumbled upon these luscious, burstingly-ripe sugar plums and thought these one-up a sour cherry any day.

I also personally love the combination of plum with vanilla, and the star anise creates a beautiful perfume to the drink. The plum-tartness is balanced out well by the creaminess of the evaporated milk, and the result is actually quite delicate, more fruity than creamy. The milk can be left out of the recipe for those who don’t tolerate it well or simply want to watch calories – it’s delicious as a simple fruit drink over ice. I mixed a little sugar and cinnamon to create a rim on a martini glass and served it that way – lovely. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields approximately 9 to 10 cups

8 cups water

1 ½ cups sugar

1 ¾ lbs sugar plums (1 carton)

½ vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

2 star anise pods

1 can evaporated milk

Ground cinnamon and sugar (for glass rim, optional)

Procedure

This is super easy.

In a medium pot, heat water on high. Add sugar and stir to dissolve.

Add whole plums, vanilla, and star anise. Bring up to a boil and lower to a simmer. Simmer, partially covered for 15 minutes. Uncover, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Throughout the simmering process, you want to mash the plums with a spoon – they come apart really easily.

Strain through a cheesecloth- lined mesh strainer. Pick up the ends of the cheesecloth and twist to squeeze all of the juice out of the plums. You may need to let it cool a bit before doing this. Discard the solids.

Let juice cool for a few hours in the fridge. Add evaporated milk. Serve over ice or in a cinnamon sugar-lined martini glass.

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