food – Page 2 – Sam’s Food Blog

Simplicity

I can’t stand when a chef says that the recipe they use for something is “simple” but then use an ultra specific piece of equipment only really available in restaurants or the kitchens of wealthy people that can afford it.

Great, simple recipes are not made so based on the amount of ingredients. The method to get to the other side of raw components

The clip that comes to mind is of a European chef claiming that his “simple dessert” is perfectly delicious, despite his effort. He isn’t lying, because it is simple to him. He takes créme englaise (most likely supplied by one of his lackeys) and adds it to chocolate. Super simple!

The problem is that he dumps this shit into a $2200 Thermomix that can also be used to heat cook the mixture.

Most chefs of a certain level are so sickeningly disconnected from reality that “simplicity” in their presence is only really found after digging through layers and layers of technique and currency. Of course it’s possible to recreate his method and dish in more common home equipment, but the effort and thought required to convert his technique to the real world make the recipe inherently not simple anymore.

It’s hard to say why so many chefs fall into this fallacious habit of over simplifying description and approach, but I would bet money that it’s simply due to them being a bit too disconnected from reality. They’ve been in their realms for so long surrounded by vacuum sealers, Pacojets and Hobarts to realize that the ground that they’re looking down upon is actually just clouds.

De-Elitizing High Quality Food

The year is 2024.

Consumers are scrutinizing what they put into their bodies more than ever. Regular, middle class people are actually caring about how they eat, going so far as to label certain ingredients as “toxic” based on advice from non-experts on social media, and further blacklisting a ton of seemingly inconspicuous products because they can’t pronounce a handful of the listed ingredients. These people needlessly fear mongering over “seed oils” and other superfluous buzz words only do so because they can afford to. Meanwhile, the rest of us have become practice dummies for the greedy corporations to crank prices up to see just how much stress they can put on the working class beneath them. The real issue isn’t antibiotics in your chicken, it’s the fact that a lot of people can’t afford anything but the cheapest option in the meat section.

I’m all for caring about this side of processed food, and holding a magnifying glass up against greedy companies pushing “health food” to people desperate for nourishment. More than ever has it become clear that a lot of the mass-produced foodstuff that we see advertised as wholesome and healthy are really just a branding exercise on how deeply misinformed so many of us are about food. In terms of fresh produce, prices are unsettling to say the least. We can tout “eat organic” all day, but when the organic onions are almost 50% more expensive than their non-organic counterpart ($1.69 for non-organic vs. $2.49 for organic), it feels like less of a “rule of thumb” and more like a luxury most available to those who are ahead financially.

I understand the concept of making more money and rightfully being able to provide yourself with a better quality of life. Love it or hate it, that is the reality of the capitalist society we live in. I would be pissed if my raise in pay ended up not showing in how well I can live for myself. However, it should affect things like your brand of sneakers, the size of your TV, or the maker of your car, not the quality of your necessary provisions. After all, from early childhood onward we are told that god himself wants us to have access to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Obviously that “life” isn’t guaranteed, the “liberty” has become a shrinking list of shit choices, and the “pursuit of happiness” has been reduced to a desire to achieve what others have, rather than an actual path upward in life.

I’m not saying that everyone needs organic everything all the time. I’m not even saying the organic issue is the most pressing part of our food system here in the USA. What I am saying is that eating healthily shouldn’t be a luxury. Having access to clean, well processed meat and poultry should be expected in the “richest country of the western world,” without exception. Our cultural obsession with always getting bigger and faster and more profitable has officially undermined our ability to properly provide for ourselves, and even when a company comes along to provide that service, it’s typical, sooner or later, for that small business to sell-out to the highest bidder and rid themselves of the headache of operating a business like that as a non-corporation. And the cycle begins again and again. “We want our high quality product on she shelves of every grocery store in America,” is what we hear time and again from local mom-and-pop brands on the come-up. The American Dream was never about creating a better America, it’s been about winning at life. And now it’s not even about that, it’s become more about just getting to the finish line of line with you and yours intact and nothing more. Don’t worry about your neighbors getting screwed, just keep your head down and make it to the end and you’ll be just fine.

I don’t know about you, but I want better for my fellow American no matter how differently they look, think, or vote than me. Better starts at the bottom with strong integrity of individuals, and I fear that we may never return to that type of strength. Yes, an 80¢ difference in onion prices seems insignificant. It’s a minute difference that a lot of people won’t notice, but it is a sign of something that’s wrong with the priorities of our leadership.

Yes, I think everyone at some point in their lives should experience the taste of a perfectly ripe, in-season tomato. Yes I think that sort of experience can convert seasonal produce detractors to agreeing that local, seasonal produce might be good for our communities, even if a little more expensive. But that’s the difference in that sort of thing. Produce like that is a luxury right now for a disturbingly large majority of our populous, not an expectation.

My goal is not necessarily to make the absolute best version of every single dish or idea. My goal is to make the best version of things that can be made just as well for a family who eats produce exclusively from Walmart-Mart or any other large-scale chain grocery store with mediocre produce. I used to easily get caught up on specifics like particular ingredients and brands. I used to get very frustrated when people didn’t take specifics like that as seriously as me. Now I know that technique, intuition, and the ability to adapt are the most important aspects of cooking, and the world would be a better place if everyone had that capacity.

Seasoning Mastery: part 1

To make food truly delicious, you must master seasoning. It’s a daunting undertaking to be sure, but a necessary one if your aim is to have your guests leaving fat and happy as can be. If I have the option, I only ever use Diamond Crystal kosher salt because it’s widely available and the salt crystals themselves are nice and coarsely ground, which helps prevent over seasoning. A little goes less of a long way than other, more finely particled salts, and I like that.

The crucible for this process of proficiency must be cheap and satisfying, giving aspiring home cooks no excuse not to try and fail, at the very least, until they get consistent with their technique. To check these boxes I almost always reach for the humble chicken leg.

They’re one of the cheapest per-pound pieces of fresh meat that can be bought at all supermarkets, and they’re delicious to boot; fried, grilled, roasted, braised, confit. All take fairly little effort to reach a fantastically succulent end result. My reaction from guests is usually something along the lines of “What the hell did you put on that chicken?!” and when I say simply salt and time they gasp and feign disbelief. I get a kick out of it every time.

Getting to that point take some time and trials; you’ll probably end up over and under seasoning quite a few legs. I strongly recommend eating it no matter if it tastes perfectly seasoned, bland as cardboard or salty as the sea. It will help you internalize your results and remember for next time the mistakes you made. You’ll need a chicken leg, some cooking oil, salt, tongs, a plate, an oven-safe sauté pan, paper towels, and a meat thermometer. All of these things are equally as important as the next and will give you a great end result with enough practice,

Now for the actual process:

With washed hands, you take your chicken leg. Dry it with a paper towel until there is no residual moisture on the surface and sprinkle enough salt on the surface to lightly coat the whole thing with no spots unseasoned. Put it on a plate with paper towels underneath to absorb moisture pulled out by the salt. Now is the time to be patient. For now, leave it uncovered for 24 hours in your fridge. With time, the salt will dissolve and disperse itself throughout the meat, the skin will dry out from the cold circulating air and the flavor will concentrate.
Flash forward. It’s the next day and you’re giddy about your experiment. Take the plate with the chicken out of the fridge and let it sit on your counter for 30-45 minutes. Preheat your oven to 400℉ and preheat an oven safe pan over medium heat on a burner for a couple minutes. Once it’s nice and hot, add a tablespoon of neutral oil (I recommend peanut or canola) and use a paper towel to remove any accumulated moisture from your chicken and place it skin side down in the pan. Turn it down to medium-low and let it sit for 5 minutes. Flip it and immediately place the pan in the hot oven. Let it roast in the oven for 10 minutes and the check the temperature. You want to insert it into the thickest part of the meat and make sure to not touch the bone because it will give you an inaccurate reading. If it reads 155℉, move the chicken onto your reserved clean plate to rest for 10 minutes before digging in.
Take mental note of what you taste: the texture, flavor, seasoning, juiciness. Your end result should taste seasoned all the way down to the bone, but not salty. It should be supremely juicy and intensely satisfying. If it isn’t, there’s always next time! No matter the outcome, you just took your first step towards mastering your seasoning technique!

Now do it until you have a consistently delicious final product every time, and you’re golden! This is just the beginning of a great journey of delicious memories. Keep at it until you’re confident and it will pay off tenfold.

Creamy Spinach Flatbread

makes 4 servings

2 tbsp Olive oil

6 cloves garlic minced or grated on a microplane

3 scallions, sliced

1/2 a small yellow onion, small diced

1 bundle spinach (not baby) washed and chopped with stems removed,

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp rice vin

1.5 cups cream, reduced by half

7 oz freshly grated gruyere

Salt to taste

4 pieces 6-8″ store-bought pita bread or flatbread

8 oz low moisture mozzarella, cut into small cubes

Equipment: large sauté pan, chef knife, cutting board, microplane, salad spinner, cheese grater, tbsp measuring spoon, 1/2 cup measure, 1-2 sheet pans, cooling rack

Preheat your sauté pan with the oil in it. Once the oil is hot, add the scallions, onion, and garlic and cook until soft, avoiding brow. Avoid
By the end you should have just under a quart’s worth of the creamy spinach topping. You can use it as a filling, spread, or dip, but today we’re using it to make flatbreads.
Preheat your oven to 400℉ and spread a quarter of the filling on each flatbread from edge to edge. Place 2 oz of the cheese on each flatbread. The cheese shouldn’t cover it completely.
Place your flatbreads onto your sheet pan and then put that on the lowest rack of your oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the bottoms have crisped and the edges have browned slightly. If your cheese hasn’t melted all the way, move the pan to the top rack in the oven and bake until molten and bubbly.
Cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes, cut into quarters and enjoy!

Zucchini Ribbon Salad

1 zucchini, shaved longways

1 squash, shaved

Salt

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp high quality vinegar (rice or sherry)

1/2 tbsp agave

10 grape tomatoes, halved

2 larger or 3 smaller scallions, cut thinly on a bias

1 cob’s worth of corn

8-10 mint leaves, chiffonade large ones and leave small ones whole

1 pack of tarragon (6-8 stems worth), picked and left whole

4 oz crumbled fresh feta

Salt to taste

A lot of freshly cracked Black pepper (at least 10 cranks, but to taste)

Equipment: large mixing bowl, 1 small mixing bowl, utility/ paring knife, cutting board, mandolin

Cut the ends off of the zucchini and carefully slice it from end to end with the mandolin. You should have long, thin ribbons of zucchini.
Cut the ends off of the squash as well, but cut it with the madoline into thin rounds. Combine with the zucchini ribbons and add a hefty pinch of salt. Carefully mix until everything is coated in salt and let it sit for 15 minutes.
While that’s sitting, mix the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and agave until fully incorporated. Slightly undersalt the dressing to account for the salty feta on top at the end.
Drain the liquid from the sliced zucchini and squash and add the mixed dressing along with your prepped tomatoes, scallions and corn.
Plate the the dressed salad and garnish with the fresh herbs, crumbled feta and black pepper.
Enjoy!

Cornbread Muffins with Berries and Cream

Cornbread Muffins (makes 9 muffins)

130 g ap flour

130 g stone ground yellow cornmeal

8 g baking powder

25 g toasted milk powder

big pinch of salt

2 large eggs

245 g buttermilk

60 g melted butter

80 g honey

1 tbsp butter (for toasting)

Equipment: scale, measuring cups/ spoons (1/3 and 1 cup, 1 tbsp and 1/4 tsp), 2 small mixing bowls, 2 larger mixing bowls, piping bag, 3×3 muffin pan, whisk, serrated knife, small sauté pan

Thoroughly whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl and the wet in smaller one.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until no pockets of dry ingredients remain, lumps are good so be careful not to overmix. Transfer to a piping bag and rest in the fridge for 30 mins.
Preheat the oven to 400 ℉ and prepare your 3×3 muffin pan by spraying with nonstick spray, or brushing the muffin pan walls with butter.
Fill your muffin molds 3/4 of the way up and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the middle comes out with a little bit of moisture and crumbs stuck to it.
Once removed from the oven, flip the muffin pan over on a cooling rack and flip them individually right side up to cool.

Macerated Berries

1 cup Blueberries

1 cup Raspberries

50 g lemon juice

100 g light brown sugar

pinch of salt

In the other small mixing bowl carefully mix the ingredients together every 10 minutes until all the sugar is dissolved into the accumulated juices

Whipped Cream

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla paste/ extract

1 Pinch of salt

In a larger mixing bowl whip all the ingredients to soft peaks

To Serve

Cut the corn muffins down the middle and toast in a pan with butter
Plate the cut muffins next to each other with a heavy dollop of whipped cream laid across the top and plenty of berries and sauce spooned over the middle and around the edges. Garnish with fresh mint.
Enjoy!

Chick o’ Stick Cookies

Recipe makes 8 cookies

1 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/4 cups desiccated coconut (separated into 3/4 cup and 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup Turbinado sugar

Equipment: hand mixer, mixing bowl, baking sheet, parchment paper, oven

with a hand mixer cream together the peanut butter, brown sugar and 3/4 cup of the coconut until it’s light and airy
add the egg and blend until smooth
with clean hands, roll the dough into 8 equal sized balls
mix the rest of the coconut and the turbinado sugar together and roll the dough balls in that mixture
bake the cookies 1 inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350℉ for 10-15 minutes, or when the edges just start to darken

best enjoyed with coffee or tea

Vegetarian Cabbage Frittata

Frittata:

3 tbs olive oil

1/4 of a head of cabbage diced

1/4 a small yellow onion diced

2 stalks of celery sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 tsp salt

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

2 tsp chipotle chili powder

8 eggs, scrambled thoroughly with a fork or whisk

3 oz feta cut into small cubes (1/2 inch)

3 oz smoked gouda cut into small cubes

Crema:

1/2 cup sour cream

juice from 1 lemon

1/2 a bunch of dill, chopped

2 scallions, sliced very thin on a bias

Equipment needed: chef knife, cutting board, flexible spatula, fork/ whisk, pan with nonstick capabilities (I recommend a well-seasoned carbon steel pan but regular nonstick is fine), plate for flipping

In a nonstick pan of your choice, preheat 2 tbsp of your oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, sauté the prepped vegetables until the edges just start to brown.
Add your spices and cook for 30 seconds, then turn the heat down to medium-low.
Add the rest if your oil to the pan and pour the eggs on top of everything. Evenly distribute the ingredients in the pan with your spatula.
Add the cubed cheese and let the whole thing cook, undisturbed for 10 minutes. Be careful to keep your eye on it in case the heat is too high.
Once the eggs are cooked most of the way through and there is very little liquid egg sitting on top, flip the frittata over using a plate turned upside-down on top. With your hand firmly pressed on the plate, turn the pan over with the plate and slide the frittata back into the pan once it’s flipped.
Let it cook for another minute or two and remove it from the pan and let it rest on a non-plastic cutting board.
While the frittata rests and cools slightly, make the crema. Mix together the sour cream with the chopped dill and lemon juice.
Cut the frittata into wedges and serve with the crema dolloped on top and the sliced scallion sprinkled over the plate.

For some extra protein, sauté some dry Spanish chorizo with the vegetables and leave out the 3rd tbsp of olive oil.

I hope you enjoy my recipe!

Restaurant Review: The Dutch on 131 Sullivan St.

On June 8th 2024, I dined at the restaurant with a few of my colleagues from my day job. We had a 7 pm reservation and sat until just after 9:30.

The space was dimly lit with a large bar and small tables. Our server was fantastic, always checking on us and keeping our drinks from being dry for too long. The bathroom was beautiful.

Dutch gets a 6.5/10

Here’s what I drank:

Fort Copper cocktail ($20): rye, sweet vermouth, aperitivo

A great start to the meal, this cocktail was well balanced. It had 1 large cube of ice and was served with an strip of orange peel that was imprinted with their logo. The taste was equally as orange-y as it was herbaceously bitter. Aperol Spritz’s manly sibling, if you will.

Torch and Crown ‘Bat Flip’ Spring Ale ($11): draft beer

This draft was freshly juicy and hoppy, slightly bitter and quite refreshing. It was a perfect pair for many of the dishes that we enjoyed. This is the type of beer that you dream of after a long and hot day.

Saratoga still water for the table

Nicely chilled and we never went without for too long.

Here’s what we ate:

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail (shared, $25 for 4 pcs)

Shrimp cocktail is one of the things I can’t resist ordering when I eat at a restaurant that’s new to me.

The shrimp came out on the same ice tray as the oysters. I’m not sure which garnish specifically came with which items, but they all sort of went with each other. There was cocktail sauce, mignonette, fresh grated horseradish and what appears to be either ketchup or mild cocktail sauce.

The red shrimp were cooked nearly to perfection. I prefer my cocktail sauce to have a bit more of a kick that what came out in the ramekin, but the extra horseradish helped compensate.

1/2 dozen Blue Pool Oysters (shared, $5 per pc)

This was their only west coast oyster. I’m guessing this was to prioritize more locally sourced selections, which I respect. Having said that, I tend to prefer the smaller, sweeter taste of west coast oysters and these did not disappoint. These bivalves were very clean with little to no grit, coming across the palate with a lot of fresh flavors. Think creamy oceanic cucumbers on petite half shells. The mignonette that came with it was pretty classic and delicious, shallots in vinegar.

House-Made Scallion Chipotle Cornbread (shared, $9 for 1 pc)

A rather small portion in my opinion. A litlle dry, which was compensated for by the whipped butter it was accompanied with. The butter was light yet decadent.

Crab-Stuffed Devilled Eggs (shared 2 orders, $9 per order of 2 pcs)

Delicious, but needed a little salt. Also a little light in portion size, I would like to have seen the same amount of crab split between 3 eggs.

Beef Tartare Cones (shared 2 orders, $16 per order of 2 pcs)

This was the best thing I ate all night. The Keller-esque snack was presented as crispy cone shaped tuiles filled with beef tartare garnished with caviar and one hazelnut. I would arrange the prevalence of flavors within this dish in this order: hazelnut oil, caviar, leen beef. Though I tend to prefer beef tartare where the beef shines first and foremost, this was a scrumptious couple of bites. The hazelnut oil came across my tongue very truffle-like. It was either that or they used truffle oil and just didn’t list it on the menu. I wouldn’t assume this to be the case since it was one of the most clear-to-taste components of the dish, and one would assume that what you taste the most of would be listed in the menu description.

“Chef’s Garden” Lettuces (shared 2 orders, $12 per plate)

Salad is an essential part of a balanced meal in my opinion, and this “chef’s garden” example checked all of my boxes. High quality greens with a lot of texture dressed lightly with a little extra lemon on the side and a garnish of grated parmigiano on top for a balanced finish. No bells and whistles because none were needed; I love salads like this.

14 oz Smoked Pork Chop with Mustard Jus ($45)

I was pretty excited for this pork chop, however I ended up a bit disappointed. There was nothing too exciting about it. The “Mustard Jus” was fine, its accompanying mashed potatoes were fine. It all needed just a bit more salt.

Honestly the sauce itself came across as bland. Given how heavy the char was on the outside of the chop, maybe the flavors cancelled each other out. I adore a good char on meat, but in this case it tasted shallow. With the dim lighting of the restaurant, it looked almost black all over.

The mashed potatoes were good, but there was so little of it I had to damn near ration it throughout eating the dish. It was definitely not a bad plate of food, but what was there almost felt like each component was not quite seen to its most delicious state.

The other gents I was with had their own drinks and entrees, totalling to approximately $456 before tip.

All in all I had a nice time at The Dutch. The food was good, not great. Everything was certainly on the higher end price-wise, which I guess I should’ve expected given the neighborhood where it’s located. My most prevalent critique throughout the meal was the mildness of seasoning on most of the dishes.

If you eat here, prioritize the raw bar, small plates and cocktails since that’s where you’ll get the most satisfaction.

Vegan Beans

makes approximately 1 gallon of beans

2 quarts dried beans

1/2 cup olive oil (plus enough to sear the aromatics)

2 large shallots, halved pole-to-pole and root “hairs” trimmed

1 head of garlic, halved orbitally

1 poblano pepper

1 lemon, halve

2 packets of Sazon Goya

1 tbsp dried mexican oregano

1 tbsp Aleppo chili flakes

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp mustard oil (or 2 tsp dried ground mustard)

water

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Equipment: 6-8 qt pot, chef knife, broiler/ torch

Start by preheating a large pot with 1/4″ of oil over medium heat until the oil shimmers. With their cut sides facing downward, place the shallots, garlic and lemon into the oil. Cook until thoroughly browned. Remove everything from the pot and reserve.
Char your poblano pepper under your broiler or with a butane torch. Your end result should have all of the chile’s skin black, blistered and starting to separate from its flesh. Place the freshly charred poblano in a metal bowl and cover with a pot lid or plastic wrap and let it steam for 10 minutes. At this point, rub the burnt skin off using a dry paper towel. Cut off the stem and remove as many seeds as possible. Place aside with the other seared aromatics.
After checking your beans for debris, add them to the pot along with the 1/2 cup of olive oil, Sazon, oregano, chili flakes, paprika, four 4-finger pinches of salt and 10-12 cranks of freshly ground black pepper (approximately 2 heaping tsp). Fill the pot with water so that the beans are covered by at least 2 inches.
Add your reserved fruit and veg to the top and bring the whole thing to a boil. At this point, reduce the heat to a gently bubbling simmer.
The beans will need to cook between 2.5-4 hours, or until they are tender all the way through. Be sure to keep your eye on the water level, making sure to cover the beans in water whenever needed.
Remove the aromatics from the beans. At this point, you have 2 choices: you can dispose of the aromatics to keep your broth clearer and thinner, or you can blend them in a food processor (careful to de-seed the lemons beforehand) and add them back to the beans. The latter makes your broth thicker and more unctuous. All the flavor has been cooked out of the aromatics, so this step is primarily for texture and appearance.
Turn the heat off on your burner and add your apple cider vinegar and mustard oil. Mix thoroughly and taste your beans. At this point you want to add more salt/ pepper/ vinegar a little at a time until they are seasoned to your liking.
Enjoy with rice or alone as a delicious vegan protein source!