Werkin' On My Lunch, pt. 1

Post-graduation life lesson # 72: Living is expensive, especially as winter rolls around and all you want to do at night is crank up the heat and have Mexican hot chocolate delivered to your door. 

It takes effort to save money on food, especially in New York, where there are 5 great restaurants on every block and there are - upon my last count - at least 4 different food delivery apps. Even $1 pizza can get expensive when you have it every day for a week *which has not happened yet just to be clear my record is 3 days in a row thankyouverymuch*. In sum, I am determined to make as many work lunches as possible.

This is challenging because 1) I work in the restaurant world and pretend to justify every meal out as "research" and 2) it is a big enough task to cook myself breakfast and dinner every night, let alone that pesky middle-of-the-day meal! 

So below is a recipe for an easy lunch that transports well, is light and fresh and definitely brightens a work day. It's also a lot healthier than pizza or a number of other delivery options, which means I can get a burger on the way home for dinner, right?

The beets keep well, so I recommend roasting a whole bag or bunch of them and keeping them in the fridge or freezer - that way you can whip them out whenever you need them, for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

SPICY ROAST BEET SALAD

INGREDIENTS
A bunch o' beets (aka 7 or 8)
1 tbsp ras el hanout
2 tbsp coconut oil
Beet greens
Juice of 1 lime
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 400°F. 

Chop the beets into 1/2-inch cubes. Throw them in a roasting or baking tray with the coconut oil, ras el hanout and salt and pepper to taste. The coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so just take a minute to rub it evenly all over the beets. Toss it all together. Put the tray into the oven and let them cook for about an hour, until they're a little darker in colour and tender but not mushy.

the sexiest veggie amiright

Let them cool, then divide them up into airtight containers. Keep about half a cup for the salad, and the rest and go into the fridge or freezer for another day (or lunch).

Take the beet greens and chop them into about 1/2-inch pieces - the idea is to have everything the same size so it's easy to eat (and won't make a huge purple stain on your desk at work!). Sauté them simply in a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper until slightly wilted and tender.

When it's all still warm, toss the beets and greens with the lime juice and about a tablespoon of olive oil (since it's warm it'll absorb the flavors better). Toss the greens with the beets and once it's all cool, you can put it in the fridge for lunch the next day.

You can add some cheese (maybe feta) and nuts for crunch - I like to use toasted squash seeds since I have them around this time of year. Use whatever you like!

here tossed with dill, avocado and toasted butternut squash seeds

HOLD UP. WHAT IS RAS EL HANOUT? Ras el hanout is a delicious blend of spices that originates from North Africa. Much like garam masala, it is a blend that varies depending on the region and who makes it. It often includes turmeric, cardamom, cloves, cumin and a whole bunch of other deliciousness. I love any spice blend that takes spices we typically associate with sweet things (cloves, cardamom, cinnamon) and makes them applicable to savory dishes. I digress, but have you ever had cinnamon with lamb? No? Go take a stab at it and let me know how it turns out. 

The Kings of Meat, pt. 1

It was perhaps not the smartest decision to start a blog one week before moving into an internet-less apartment.
But no matter, I have continued eating and cooking and dreaming about pork in the meantime.

image from here

To keep things interesting (and to make myself keep writing), I have some ideas for a few series. The Kings of Meat is one such series, where I'll take a look and try my hand at cooking some severely underrated cuts of meat.
Pork shoulder deserves so much more love than it gets. Perhaps it gets overlooked because it takes time to transform from a tough, unremarkable hunk of meat to a juicy, tender, rich dish. You also can't shouldn't really buy it in small quantities - you need to cook a big piece of it for it to get tender. This is why there's no such thing, for example, as a pork shoulder steak. But don't feel intimidated - it requires remarkably little attention while it's cooking, and the one I cooked last weekend (photographed below) was 7 lbs and cost about $15. It fed 5 people, plus enough leftovers to make a pile of breakfast tacos and a ramen shop-worthy pork stock.
This recipe is more a description of a method than a detailed set of instructions. It's inspired by Momofuku's Bo Ssam recipe, but you can take it in any flavor direction you want. I used a barbecue rub from Texas, but my dad frequently makes it with Momofuku's Korean flavors, and he brines it for 24 hours beforehand. So do as you like! 

There's also a lil' bonus recipe at the bottom for crackling. The King of Garnish. 

DON'T BE SCARED PORK SHOULDER 

INGREDIENTS

Salt

Brown Sugar 

Barbecue Dry Rub (or any other spices/herbs you like) 

6-7 lbs of pork shoulder 

METHOD

Take the pork out of the fridge for at least half an hour before you're going to put it in the oven - this brings it to room temperature and ensures even cooking. 

lots of love given

Preheat your oven to 275°F. 
Season the pork ALL OVER with generous amounts of salt and whatever herbs/spices you're using. I capitalize because it's very, very important not to forget the bottom and sides the meat, and you must also do your darndest to rub the flavor into all the nooks and crannies of the meat. This is where all the delicious fatty bits are hidden, so you need to show them a lot of love by giving them extra attention. 

Put it in the oven for about 6 hours. You really don't need a more specific time measurement than that - it's about an hour per pound, but it's really hard to under or overcook if you're just leaving it in for an extra half hour or need to take it out 15 minutes early.  You can only really know when it's done by sticking a fork in. If it's tender and falling apart and beautiful clear fat is running out of the meat like a quiet stream made of pig fat, then you're good to go. 

6 hours later...

Take it out of the oven and crust the top with brown sugar (light or dark, doesn't matter). Pack about a 1/4-inch layer just on the top of the pork, crank the oven to 500°F, and let it brown for about 20 minutes. Watch it, though, because ovens are different, and it's just a moment that separates caramelized and burnt. 
Let it rest for fifteen minutes and enjoy! 

HEY SEXY

serving suggestion: coleslaw

You can put it in wraps, tacos, salads (you're already eating pork shoulder, though, so just go whole hog and stop trying to make it healthy). It's super delicious on it's own, with a bunch of fresh, acidic, vegetable-y sides. Pickles required. 

Safety note: please, please watch it when you take the pan out of the oven. Like when you cook duck or goose, a lot of fat comes out of the meat and it is super hot and super easy to take the pan out of the oven too quickly and pour hot fat all over yourself. 

BONUS RECIPE: CRACKLING.  

INGREDIENTS

The skin your pork shoulder came with

Salt 

METHOD

Using a very, very sharp knife, cut the skin into 2-inch wide strips. You need a sharp knife because the skin is tough and if you have to go to the hospital for your sliced hand you're going to miss dinner. Priorities, people!
Put it out onto a baking tray and season generously with salt. Slip it into the oven next to the pork when you're caramelizing the top, and it'll be done by the time the pork is done. Enjoy!

For the Love of Butternut

Though it's been an alarmingly warm October, I've started hitting fall hard: pumpkin spice donuts, hot apple cider and pumpkin beer, which I hadn't had until last week. It doesn't exist in Scotland (I don't think?), and the last time I was in the States to experience this explosion of autumnal spirit was 2009, woefully far away from legal drinking. 

autumn begins

Unsurprisingly, my favorite variety of squash is butternut. It's the most widely used, perhaps because it is the most forgiving. It's got a distinctly warm and loveable flavor, and the creamy texture lends itself well to a variety of applications - you don't have to deal with stringy acorn or chewy spaghetti.

This recipe is nothing if not a snuggly, spicy, orange celebration of the season. My basic requirements for most recipes these days all the same: must be delicious, cheap, require minimal equipment and freeze well. That last one is essential when you're cooking for one or come home exhausted from work on a Wednesday night and need to convince yourself not to order takeout for the third or tenth night in a row. This soup fits all these requirements, and 3/4 of the batch is resting happily in my freezer, waiting to save me from myself. To add a little something different, I like to turn the peels into a little crispy, sassy garnish. This also reduces waste - important when you live in an apartment building without compost (and where taking out the trash is straight up annoying).  

Fun Fact: Whole pieces of ginger actually keep in the freezer. You can just whip it out and grate as much as you need, whenever you need it! 

Bangin' Butternut Soup with a Sassy Garnish 

INGREDIENTS
For the soup 
1/2 a white or yellow onion 
1 whole butternut squash
2 tsbp coconut oil (or whatever's in the cupboard) 
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
5 cups stock or water 
salt & pepper to taste

For the garnish
Butternut squash peels 
1 tsp smoked paprika 
Pinch of salt 
1 tbsp olive oil 

Any fancy equipment? 

• A microplane or other grater 
• A blender or food processor (optional)

METHOD
For the soup
Preheat your soup pot with the coconut oil. Chop your onion into a medium dice and add it to the pan once the oil is hot. Take a 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch piece of ginger and peel it. The easiest way is with a spoon - simply use it as you would a knife when peeling a potato. Grate the ginger into the onion, stir, and cook over low heat. You don't want it to caramelize, just sizzle gently. 

Chopping butternut squash is awkward and there's not a lot we can do. But here are some tips that make it less dangerous: 

1. Have a sharp knife, folks. This makes knife work far less dangerous.
2. Turn it on its side and chop the skinny top half off, so you are working with two pieces. 
3. Cut a bit off the bottom half so you are working with a flat surface, then cut this half in half.

You survived unscathed! Now it's up to you. I like to peel and then scoop the seeds out (save and toast them!) before chopping the flesh into a one-inch dice. Tumble the pieces into the pot with the onions and sauté for a few minutes before covering with water or stock. Bring the whole lot to a simmer and let it cook for about half an hour, until the squash is soft. 

onions & ginger pre-squash

finished soup pre-blending

If you want you can blend it, like I did, or you can just smash it with a fork or potato masher to give it a bit of a rougher texture - totally up to you. 

For the garnish

This can be done while the soup is 

bubbling away on the stove. All you do is take the peels, toss with the other ingredients and pop it all into a 400F oven for about 15 minutes until brown and crispy. If you can wait to use them as garnish, teach me how. I tend to burn my fingers picking at them straight out of the oven.

I served the soup with some buttered, toasted cranberry rye bread. HAPPY EATING! 

Eat Normal

Hello hello! 

I just love eating. 

I say these words aloud to myself at least once a day, whether I am alone, surrounded by strangers on the subway or with friends and family. Food has always been and will always be a reliable and cherished source of joy in my life, and it's just a wonderful bonus that it's necessary. The latter fact gives me five three opportunities a day to do my favorite activity.

I think, though, that American and European food culture is losing sight of this sentiment. The name of this blog is inspired by a classic Julia Child quote: "If you're afraid of butter, use cream." People, it seems, are growing increasingly afraid of their food. Eating is becoming more and more a way to restrict oneself, to deny pleasure, to discuss calories / nutrients / organisms instead of ingredients / dishes / chefs. Gluten intolerance. Lactose sensitivity. Sugar phobia. Food allergies are of course serious, and I begrudgingly admire people who commit wholeheartedly and rationally to, say, veganism (probably because I am related to one such person). But I too am devoted to a food philosophy, which is to refuse to get so damn weird about it.  To eat everything, to think about it, and to love it.

This blog will be one buttery weapon in the battle against dumb food trends. I promise never to encourage you to blot the fat off a pizza, but I also promise to scoff if you pick green veggies off a plate.  When I feel like pork chops, I'll share that recipe. When I want to visit a juice bar, I'll write about that. And when I just can't help myself and need to cook and eat a whole batch of beignets, then that'll pop up here too. 

So in sum, this is a blog dedicated to eating normal. 


all the food love, 
dz