Back in the Saddle…er…Blogosphere

Since Bon Appétit recently renewed interest in my family’s Cheese Thing, which then renewed interest in my blog, I’ve decided to revive the sleeping Cook and Eat Better from its mothballed state. (In high school I worked in Ontario’s energy utility, Ontario Hydro, and “mothballing” was what they did to nuclear reactors that were taken offline.) What the heck, I continue to cook and eat better, so maybe there’s a reason to keep sharing more than just an Instagram post or tweet. (Maybe not.)

I’ll take the Cheese Thing enthusiasm to mean that home cooking of homey recipes continues to be popular. And considering since I last posted here I’ve been included on epicurious.com’s list of the 100 Greatest Home Cooks of All Time, and the Forward’s list of the 50 Most Influential Jews in America, I thought I’d rev up the family’s Kasha Varnishkes recipe, thereby killing two lists one groat.

I was honored to be asked to write an ode to KV for Tablet Magazine‘s recent compendium of the 100 Most Jewish Foods.Who am I to argue. Here’s how it begins:

“My husband is a palliative care doctor who helps people with serious illness make critical decisions, often at the end of their lives. Several years ago, I told him he had better learn how to make my family’s kasha varnishkes because they would be among my final requests. A combination of…[READ MORE]”

That ode didn’t include our recipe (my mother never used one). But for those with less of a yiddishkeit culinary gift, here’s my closest approximation for you, adapted from my book, The Mensch Chef:

Davis Family Kasha Varnishkes

Makes 2 quarts, about 12 servings

2 cups boiling water, stock, or chicken soup

Salt

1 cup dry, medium granulation kasha

1 large egg, beaten

Freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 large yellow onions, chopped

12 ounces assorted fresh mushrooms, chopped

1 ounce assorted dried mushrooms, rehydrated and chopped

1/2 pound bowtie pasta (farfalle) or egg noodles

2 cups

In a small saucepan heat the water or stock and salt until boiling. Place the kasha in a wide saucepan or sauté pan. Add the beaten egg and stir into the kasha to distribute. The kasha will clump together, but don’t worry about it. Set over medium-high heat and stir the kasha continuously to toast. As it heats, the clumps should break apart into grains and the kasha should give off a distinct buckwheat aroma. Once the kasha has browned slightly, about 5 minutes, pour in the hot liquid. Add 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, cover, turn down the heat to very low, and simmer until all of the water has been absorbed and the kasha has plumped, 7 or 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, prepare the mushrooms and onions. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan or large frying pan. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, 7 or 8 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms, 2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have given off most of their moisture, about 20 minutes. Add the reconstituted dried mushrooms and cook 5 minutes more. Adjust the seasoning, which should be salty and peppery.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (about 4 quarts of water with 2 tablespoons salt). Cook the bowties until just past al dente. Drain. In the same pasta pot or large bowl, toss the noodles with the mushrooms and onions and then add the kasha. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a 2- or 3-quart baking dish. At this point you can cover and refrigerate for a few days before serving. Before serving, preheat an oven to 325°F. Spoon about 1/2 cup of stock or chicken soup (even better is brisket pan juices) over the kasha, cover with foil, and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, turn up the heat to 375°F. and bake another 15 or 20 minutes, until the top begins to brown. Serve piping hot (or my grandmother would send it back).

Eating Notes from a Recent Visit to Florence

Tortino with artichokes and white truffles at Buca dell’Orafo

If I add it up, I think I’ve spent about a full year’s worth of time in Florence over the last 20 years or so. About six months of that time I must have spent eating. And Florence’s food offerings still charm me with old favorites and new finds. In town a few weeks ago to give a keynote address at the conference Florence: A City of Many Appetites, on the 500th anniversary of the publication of Machiavelli’s The Prince, I was able satiate my own appetites between panels and presentations in a few of my favorite haunts.

First, a few notes on trends spotted on this visit:

Seasonal persimmon gelato at Vestri

Likely due to the economic realities of Italy right now and the outsize success of a few popular holes in the wall, panini shops have taken hold of Florence like cupcake shops in Manhattan. There used to be a few famous places—my favorites were Nerbone in the Mercato Centrale, I Fratellini, by the Duomo, and Antica Noe near the gelateria Vestri—but now you see one on every block. What is sad is that only a few are busy. One, All’Antico Vinaio, is so busy it must be the inspiration for everyone’s hope. Everyone presumes that those that are the busiest must have the best sandwiches and the freshest ingredients. But you really never know. The popular are just the ones most written about.

Also new to me this trip are the glass boxes outside ristorantes and caffès on historic piazzas, which seem to have replaced tents to protect “outdoor” tables and chairs. Especially at night, these illuminated cubes seem like elegant cages in which to view gesticulating Italians having a good time. These see-through cubes may have been a function of the season (we were visiting in November), but sitting inside any of them on the warm, sunny days we were fortunate to have was not appealing.

Food

Buca dell’Orafo
Via dei Girolami, 28r
Tel. +39-055 213619
This is my favorite restaurant in town. Maybe my favorite restaurant in Italy. Nate’s, too. It’s right near the Ponte Vecchio, in a covered alleyway that leads to the Uffizi. It’s an old place, but locals I know wouldn’t go near it because of the location—too touristy—until a gastronomically trustworthy friend insisted. The restaurant, run by Giordano Monni, is tiny and attracts mainly a local crowd. Totally seasonal, classic and creative Tuscan dishes are all prepared with care, most better than anywhere else I’ve had them. From the fritto misto of vegetables to the bistecca alla fiorentina, to the pastas, the soups, and desserts, everything I’ve ordered (which is just about everything) has been great. Other favorites include the tortino (omelet), which is sometimes made with porcini, sometimes artichokes, white truffles in season. The tortino’s delicious flavor and creamy texture defy its few basic ingredients, eggs, olive oil, salt, vegetables. If your are a fan of anchovies, order the classic Jewish Italian dish of plump, anchovies, grilled bread and butter. The pastas are all perfect. Gnudi (ricotta dumplings in browned butter with sage) were excellent, gnocchi were light and delicate. And the secondi are all deeply satisfying, particularly the signature gropa scalopata (layers of rare grilled beef with pecorino, black pepper, fried herbs and olive oil). Desserts, a chocolate cake or a poached pear, are also lovely. And get a bowl of bocconcini Dai Dai, little bites of vanilla semi freddo covered in chocolate and hand wrapped in paper from an artisanal gelateria in a small town not far away. We went to Buca dell’Orafo twice in four days and were sorry we didn’t go more.

All’Antico Vinaio di Firenze
Via de’ Neri, 65
Tel. +39-055 2382723
We finally broke down and got on line with 25 or 30 others to try this, the most popular panini shop in Florence. You will know this place when you arrive because there is always a line and crowds of people crouching on the street eating oversized sandwiches. (Nate called it “the Artichoke Pizza of Florence.” I think it may be more like Magnolia Café.) The hordes come because this former hole in the wall has received a lot of Trip Advisor recommendations (the most in the world, in fact) and because they won a televised street food competition. And honestly, it’s pretty good. They stuff salumi or porchetta sliced to order into warm schiacciata (Tuscan focaccia) and condiment it with spreads of artichoke or eggplant or cheese, and top it with marinated eggplant, sliced tomatoes, and whatever else you want. For five euros the oversized sandwiches are a deal, even if the wait is taxing. Pour your own wine, honor system, two euros for all you can drink.

Club del Gusto
Via De’ Neri, 50/r
Tel. +39-348 0903142
Funny to be recommending this tiny tripe restaurant that’s across the street from All’Antica Vinaio (see above). We went in looking for a quick plate of pasta, assuming that a tripe shop would really only cater to locals, which it does. And the pastas, made to order by the owner, who chops the garlic and squishes the tomatoes once he hears what you are having, are very satisfying. (To me, it’s like the Shopsin’s of Florence.) Rigatoni with pancetta and pecorino were perfectly satisfying. The meatballs in tomato sauce obviously home made and delicious. The surprise is that the primi and secondi are all about five euros apiece. A satisfying lunch for ten euros is a surprise anywhere. That we enjoyed so much is even more shocking. Note, that the exemplary Gelateria dei Neri is just down the street.

Ganzo
Via dei Macci, 85r
Tel. +39-055 241076
Ganzo is an unusual restaurant. Actually, it’s not really a restaurant. It’s a classroom and a private gourmet club run by the students of the Apicius International School of Hospitality. It’s open for brunch and special dinners and aperitivi for members (anyone can become a member) and there’s usually something interesting going on. It’s run by the students, overseen by their professional chef/instructors, who are being graded while they work and learn. There’s a beautiful outdoor lounge area, and some lovely other sitting environments. Stop by and do your part for hospitality education.

Cocktails

Hotel Continentale
Rooftop Bar
Vicolo dell’Oro, 6R
Tel. +39-055 27262
Located at the base of the Ponte Vecchio, this outdoor, rooftop lounge has become our favorite place in Florence for cocktails. It’s atop the boutique Continentale hotel, part of the Ferragamo family’s chain. Even the elevator ride is entertaining. An iPad allows you to take selfies on the way up or you can change the ambient music. On the roof the setting is white and chic, the views of Palazzo Vecchio, the Oltrarno, and Brunelleschi’s dome are amazing. The soundtrack is chill. And the drinks are good. The aperitivi snacks used to be more substantial, but this time all we got was a big bowl of olives. Still, a perfect respite, day or night.

Four Season Firenze, Atrium Bar
Borgo Pinti, 99
Tel. +39-055 26261
The Four Seasons has raised the bar, almost too high, that is, too stiff, perhaps, for a sophisticated hospitality environment in Florence. Previously, you had to take a taxi ride up to Villa San Michele if you wanted such a formal setting for a drink. This is just a 10-minute walk from the duomo. It’s not full of Florentines, but it is full of beauty. During the day, the atrium let’s in gorgeous light, and the gardens of the hotel are magnificent. The whole thing is very grown up, piano music, and all, and the cocktails and snacks are, too. The hotel has a Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant, too, that’s very good, but pricey.

Gelato

Vestri
Borgo degli Albizi, 11r
Tel. +39-055 2340374
No trip to Florence for me is complete without a stop in this chocolate shop cum gelateria. Signore Vestri is a master. Each gelato is superb, with the chocolate-based ones bordering on sublime. Chocolate mint, chocolate cinnamon, chocolate orange, and chocolate chili (which has a pleasant kick in the aftertaste), are like eating the frozen center of fine truffles. Pistachio is “Wow!” A friend I led there once commented, “It’s so perfect, it seems French.”

Rivareno
Via Borgo Degli Abizi, 46/r
Tel. +39-055 0118039
There is plenty of good gelato in Florence (Carabè, Gelateria dei Neri, Badiani, Grom, Cantina del Gelato). Like Grom, the new Rivareno is part of a national chain. Also like Grom, the quality is excellent. Of particular note is the pleasingly chewy texture of their gelato. Don’t let the sterile space turn you off. Their dark chocolate is like frozen chocolate pudding. Just down the street from Vestri, it pains me to have to divide my allegiances, but they are both really good.

Caffès/Pasticceria

Caffè Libertà
Piazza della Libertà, 26
Tel. +39-055 474978
This is my favorite caffè in Florence, where you’ll find my favorite pastries in town. It’s a little off the beaten path, north of the center, on the Piazza Libertà, but I think it’s worth the trip, and I always go for one breakfast, at least, and hopefully two. Daily life unfolds in this caffè as you sit under the arcade and watch elegantly dressed women in high heels pull up on their bicycles to grab a cappuccino and a pastry on their way to work alongside workmen taking a break from a nearby construction job. And the pastries and salati (mostly panini) are, I think, the best in the city. Don’t miss the sfoglia, a glazed puff pastry turnover filled with vanilla pastry cream, or sweetened ricotta, or chocolate, or chocolate and pear, that may be the best puff pastry thingamagig I’ve ever had. The Florentine classic budino di riso (rice custard tart) is the best I’ve found in town, too They have decent coffee, too. A great place to sit and watch the real city unfold. And they are open (and very busy) on Sundays.

Fedora
Via Guelfa, 116
Tel. +39-055 2658135
Like Ganzo, this jewelbox of a pasticceria is operated by students of the Apicius International School of Hospitality. It’s overseen by pastry chef Simone de Castro, and the quality and beauty of the offerings, not to mention the environment, are on par with the best in town. Maybe better.

One final note, this trip I was intrigued by a new, expensively renovated place near Santa Croce called Cucina Torciacoda. It turned out to be only one month old and not one but five separate food operations in one: a pizzeria, an osteria, a ristorante, a gelateria, and a shop. It  clearly cost a fortune to remodel, and I thought we should check it out. We had lunch in the Osteria. DON’T. It was horrible and will forever go down in history as the only time I’ve been served pasta in Italy that was inedible. Gloppy and disgusting. We regretted we wasted an entire meal time.

Shekerato at Caffè Libertà

Seasonal persimmon gelato at Vestri

Gropa scalopata at Buca dell’Orafo

Baccalà on chickpea puree at Ganzo

Tortino with artichokes and white truffles at Buca dell’Orafo

Porchetta panino on warm schiacciata at Antico Vinaio

“Pumpkin pie” at Bistrot Targa

Porchetta at Antico Vinaio

Gnudi at Buca dell”orafao

Riccotta gelato at Grom

The line at Antico Vinaio

Tortino with porcini and white truffles at Buca dell’Orafo

Bolito panino from Nerbone in Mercato Centrale, 130 years ahead of the panino craze

Satisfying lunch bargains at Club del Gusto

Grandma’s ravioli at Antica Noe’s trattoria

I’m Not Bluffing: The Inn at Palmetto Bluff in Bon Appétit

How happy was I to be asked to write about the Inn at Palmetto Bluff for the current issue of Bon Appétit, which ranks seventh on the magazine’s list of the country’s best resorts for food lovers? You can read the Bon App report here. The image that appeared was of the resort’s annual Music to Your Mouth Festival. What’s missing, though, are photos of the incredible food you can enjoy in that amazing setting. Here’s a slide show of images I took during a visit last year. Of course, to really know how delicious the food is and how beautiful the place is, you’ll just have to go experience it for yourself.

 

 

Jewish Spaghetti and Other Family Secrets

While staging in a Piedmontese restaurant in Torino years ago, I was startled by the reminiscent flavor of spaghetti al pomodoro we were eating at family meal one night. The tomato purée, canned earlier in the year when the fruit was at its peak, was as sweet as candy. Finished with a large spoon of butter, a technique Italian chefs call montecare al burro, the sauce had a pleasing richness. The combination of flavors was resonant with my childhood memories of a favorite family dish we called Jewish Spaghetti.

Jewish Spaghetti? What on earth? It was staple side dish in my mother’s repertoire, a dish that her grandmother Eva had apparently conceived, and that each of Eva’s four daughters passed on down to their families. (I suppose her four sons, though likely fans of the dish, probably didn’t know how to make it.) My grandmother made it. My mother made it. I make it. I recently learned on one of my radio shows that my cousin Madeline Poley, the celebrated chef/owner of the Soho Charcuterie and creator of other New York city food faves, hated her mother’s Jewish Spaghetti. We loved ours so much that I assumed it was a known pasta variant, like spaghetti bolgonese and fettuccine alfredo. So, imagine my surprise at the reaction of my classmates when I referred to Jewish Spaghetti in elementary school.

I wrote home from the restaurant in Turin to tell my family I had found an Italian antecedent to our family’s Jewish Spaghetti.

The recipe is simple.

The Cheese Thing

If there is one dish that my family can claim as its own, it is The Cheese Thing. Truth be told, the recipe probably came from some other source lost long ago. But my mother adapted it and made it so often—especially once my brother became a vegetarian in the 1970s—and my siblings and I continue to make it often enough—sometimes coincidentally on the same day—that it stands as a Davis family original. I actually don’t make it as often as I would like to because I can’t control myself around it. As I wrote in Cook Something, I believe one batch serves 1 to 8, depending on my mood and my self control. I like it before it’s baked, once it’s baked, after it’s cooled to room temperature, chilled the next day, reheated to a crisp in a frying pan the next night, any which way.

Clearly, The Cheese Thing is a flavor that reminds me of my mother and my childhood and my family. But I’ve never served it to anyone who didn’t like it almost as much. Tonight I made it because the other day Nate said to me that he’d only had it once or twice. When we ate it—bubbling out of the oven, the points of the penne brown and crisp—he said we may call it The Cheese Thing, but it’s really just macaroni and cheese. Technically, he’s right, it’s macaroni and cheese (plus tomatoes). But the sum is more than it’s parts. And without a cream sauce to make or cheese to grate or anything to prep that can’t be finished before the pasta is cooked, it’s a simple dish that’s simply delicious.

The Cheese Thing

1 pound (500 g) penne rigate, zitti, rigatoni, or other tubular pasta, preferably cut on a diagonal (so it browns), and ridged

8 ounces mild cheddar

8 ounces extra sharp cheddar

1 28-ounce can tomatoes, without basil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon sugar

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente according to the package. Better to under cook than to over cook, as the noodles will continue cooking in the oven.

Meanwhile, cut the cheddars into 1/2-inch cubes or smaller. Don’t grate. the cubes melt into puddles of bubbling cheese. Also don’t try to use all medium cheddar or all of one or the other. The two different, mild and old, cheddars melt differently so the texture and flavor of the finished dish is more interesting.

Now, do as my mother did and insert a small, sharp knife into the can of tomatoes to cut the whole tomatoes up into bits with the juice.

When the pasta is done, drain well but do not rinse. Return it to the hot pot. Add the butter and stir until the butter is melted and coats the noodles. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cubed cheese and stir to evenly distribute. Don’t worry if it starts to melt. Add the cut up tomatoes with their juice and the sugar and mix well. Transfer to a rectangular 2-quart baking dish or casserole. Don’t flatten the noodles on top, rather, let the ends stick up to create an uneven surface. This will encourage browning.

I find the dish best if you now cover it and let it sit a few hours or a day in the refrigerator, so the noodles soak up some of the tomato juice, but you can also just bake it right away and it is delicious. Set the dish in a preheated 400°F. oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is brown nicely browned. Don’t worry if some of the noodles look burnt. These are the ones people will fight over. Let sit for 10 minutes, if possible, before serving. Enjoy. Serves 1 to 8.

The Walrus Profile: I’ve Been Consumed By Food My Entire Life

Walrus reporter and fellow Torontonian Sasha Chapman and I spent an interesting day together after the James Beard Foundation’s Annual Food Conference last October, discussing the history of the Foundation, the state of American cuisine, the challenges facing our global food system, and my thoughts on the role of discourse and taste in shaping the decisions we make about food. You can read her profile of me that came out of it by clicking here.

Photo by Landon Nordeman

Where Has the Time Gone?

This isn't me, but it's how I've been feeling lately when I look at my email inbox.

Okay, so I’m a lousy blogger. It’s not for lack of wanting to comment on things I see and taste, or because I don’t want to keep people up to date on the goings on in the food world and in other worlds and in my underslept, overfed mind. It’s just that life has gotten away from me. A summer of travel (to Japan, to Vermont, to Toronto, well, Orangeville really, to Maine, to Copenhagen, to San Francisco) has made me fall behind on work and emails and all sorts of planning and projects. If I owe you an answer to something, please don’t take it personally. I’m working my way through the back log.

I had built a week into my flight schedules in August to catch up, and then I got called to be a judge on a new series on Food Network that took up a good 20 hours of each day for about a week, and then I was off to Maine from the show’s set. I would tell you all about my fascinating and exciting entry into the world of reality food television, but according to a nondisclosure agreement I signed, that would set me back a fine of $100,000. And believe me, it isn’t that interesting. You’ll have to wait to see for yourself when it airs next May. Divulging the details of a guest spot I taped on a special that will air around Thanksgiving could cost me $1,000,000, so you won’t be hearing about that either (but you won’t have to wait as long to see it). These TV people take their secrecy very seriously.

Anyway, one project I was working on that I can share is a review of The Foie Gras Wars by Mark Caro that I wrote for Gastronomica. Although the book came out last year and I think I wrote the review at least a year ago, it’s in the current issue. Its timing couldn’t be better because I am busy making travel plans with friends for a week at a stunningly beautiful, historic house in France we are renting over the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s in the Dordogne, sometimes called Périgord Nord, but known more widely as “foie gras country.” By November it will also be “truffle country,” and when those two countries come together, you know there is going to be one delicious feast. Okay, so we’ll be the sort of Pilgrims who will be eating duck instead of turkey, but we will certainly all be thankful.

I can also tell you about a few things I am doing that you can actually come to see and/or participate in. On September 23,

Looks Good Enough to Eat: Welch Rarebit

Looks Good Enough to Eat: Welch Rarebit

Originally uploaded by Kitchen Sense

The Welch rarebit at St. John. Melted cheese flavored with beer,
mustard, and cayenne broiled on homemade white bread.

Looks Good Enough to Eat: Like Peas in a Pod

Looks Good Enough to Eat: Like Peas in a Pod

Originally uploaded by Kitchen Sense

A bowl of delicious sweet peas served in the pods at Sr. John. Cuts
through the marrow and pork fat nicely.

Looks Good Enough To Eat: London Tart

Looks Good Enough To Eat: London Tart

Originally uploaded by Kitchen Sense

This beautiful passion fruit meringue tart was shot at Ottolenghi in
Belgravia in London. I bought both of their cookbooks!