Grill, baby, grill
It's a new month and we're eating well
Hi friends,
Welcome to July and to This Needs Hot Sauce, a weekly newsletter by Abigail Koffler about cooking, dining out, and making the most of it. We also host monthly events, save July 23rd for the next one!
Now, let’s dive in.
Something to cook:
I didn’t cook much last week, which is what it is. Summer is always busy, but I’m trying to be better this week
The thing I did cook last night was so needed: my never fail cabbage wraps with tofu, peanut sauce, and mango salsa. Julia and I love making this when we want something refreshing. It’s a team effort as she always makes the salsa and I do the peanut sauce and cook the tofu. We’ve also made this with a group of friends with some peanut lime rice to round things out. I had leftover mango salsa which I ate with my lunch today–it’s good on almost anything.
I’m excited to share a recipe from Delia, of Deez Links fame (subscribe, guys) for her mom’s lian mien aka cold garlic noodles. It’s easy.
1. Cook yaki-soba noodles, drain & rinse in cold water. Drain again. 2. Mince 3 cloves of garlic (or 2 tsp of jarred minced garlic) and put in a bowl. 3. Add 2 tsp water, 2 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp sugar to the garlic. 4. Microwave this mix for 30 seconds. 5. Add 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar adn a little water to dilute it. 6. Add in scallions or scrambled egg if you’d like and toss with the noodles.
This week is July 4th. While celebrating America feels really inappropriate right now, I’m still into a rooftop barbecue with friends (and supporting organizations like Immigrant Families Together, Lower East Side Girls Club, and Brother Box). We do it potluck style and I’m planning on bringing guacamole and a salad (or this one). My barbecue style is filling up on the appetizers, since I don’t eat burgers or hot dogs, so I like to bring something that will be eaten right away. Veggie burgers vary so widely that I’ll eat one in a pinch, but it’s all about the sides and desserts
Some other recommended recipes:
Peach pecan crisp (and vanilla ice cream)
These insane looking ice cream sandwiches
A peach caprese salad if you can get good tomatoes
Bright crudité with dip, like sugar snap peas and cucumbers with hummus (or Cava dips, which are sold at Whole Foods).
An aperol grapefruit margarita (scale this up)
Grilled asparagus
Blueberry muffins for breakfast before the festivities
I’d love to hear what you’re making so please send me photos via email or on Instagram!
Something to order:
We had a lovely happy hour last Thursday at the Tuffet. The L train was in rare form which made getting there a bit of a challenge for some guests, but I’m so grateful to everyone who showed up. We loved the Tuffet’s air conditioning, frozen drink selection (they had negroni slushies and rosemary rosé sangria), and overall vibe. There’s a highlight on Instagram, too.
This newsletter believes in transparency so I have to tell you that I got Dominos on the way home from happy hour (it was after midnight) and enjoyed it wholeheartedly. When I lived in Guatemala, it was the pizza of choice for people’s birthdays and honestly, it just hits the spot sometimes.
Allow me to fangirl for a minute about Hunky Dory. It’s an all day cafe and bar in Crown Heights that truly does it all. Free sparkling water? Check. A menu with reasonably priced options for every mood, from an egg sandwich with curried onions to everything bagel cucumbers? Check. A cocktail menu focused on reducing food waste? Check. Oh, and there are outlets next to the bar stools and extremely friendly people working there. If you haven’t been, it’s time to fix that. I spent most of Friday there with Frida and Sarah and will be back soon.
I also went back to Ops this week (it had been too long) and loved introducing Hillary to the cicero pizza, the square pie and the special salads and wine.
Dale and I got brunch at the Rabbithole and I’m still thinking about the blueberry scone we split. I think I need to make blueberry muffins soon
Summer is best spent by the beach. It seems crazy to take the subway to the beach, but it’s so worth it. Julia and I went to the Rockaways yesterday and grabbed lunch at Cuisine by Claudette off the 116th Street stop. The menu has something for everyone from acai bowls and coconut yogurt to hummus plates and turkey burgers. You can get a nice filling lunch for $10 and then hit the beach. I also love Tacoway Beach, but it gets very crowded (more on that here).
One last PSA, the Cava in Soho has a back patio so you can eat vegetables outside with your friends and not spend a lot of $. Sophia, Dana and I had the place to ourselves.
A little coffeeshop spotlight:
I used to talk about coffee shops more here since I often work from them. I stopped mostly because it’s not helpful for most of you, but am back to spotlight a few new spots that I’ve been working out of. If you grab coffee to go, just skip past this section.
I heard about Rose Wolf Coffee from Austin Tosone, who used to live in my neighborhood. It’s women owned and so wonderful. There’s a spacious room with big tables (the worst is the small tables where you can barely fit a laptop), wifi, coffee, and a grilled cheese I hope to try soon. They had free samples when I arrived which really started things off on the right foot and it’s a 15-20 minute walk from me. I love walking to a coffee shop to get the gears flowing and this place is going into my neighborhood rotation alongside Cafe Beit, the West, Hungry Ghost, and Mountain Province.
Meanwhile, in Manhattan, Hillary recommends Ole and Steen, a danish transplant with excellent cinnamon rolls, wifi and seating options. There’s a location near Union Square that I need to try. My other Manhattan go tos are Think Coffee, City Bakery and the Brooks Brothers Red Fleece store in Flatiron.
Something to read:
A new trend: wine in kegs and on tap
What’s really in margarita mix? A strong case for making your own.
How lunch was invented, yes invented
The Bourdain day stuff was really hard for me look at, but I was glad to see that Tim Carman from the Washington Post took it as a chance to talk about his depression.
Inside the algorithm: how I write high performing recipes for Food 52
Will read any interview with David Lebovitz and this is no exception
How to approach the stress of having the best summer ever
Happy birthday to the negroni, one of my favorite cocktails.
Ryan Sutton’s take on Bar Pisellino, which I visited last month.
This zucchini pizza looks very doable and good, aside from shredding the zucchini.
A Q+A with Ramona founder Jordan Salcito.
Adam Roberts was one of the first food bloggers I followed and it’s so great to see him blogging again.
Read this when you’re shopping for your summer parties: dry white wines under $20 that are not sauvignon blanc.
The origin of the everything bagel
This peanut butter ice sounds very good, but I always get lemon or cherry at Lemon Ice King of Corona
Some shady behavior from Grub Hub.
Adding a long overdue visit to L&B Spumoni Gardens to my summer list.
How the taste of home sustained my refugee parents
My story on glamping options in New York State is up. Check it out if you’re planning a getaway.
Now, let’s talk about grilling.
Hilary’s setup sounds fab: My go-to grill food is eggplant, bell pepper, onions, and zucchini together. No seasonings besides oil, salt and pepper required, but even some ketchup or hot sauce make them delicious. If I'm not starving (i.e., have patience) I love to drizzle my plate of grilled veggies with good tahini, za'atar, mint, a squeeze of lemon, and hot pepper. A thick slice of toasted bread is delicious with this, as is any kind of burger or sausage or protein, as desired and depending on the company (but I always go for the veggies first!)
Julianne values teamwork: I don't "grill" but I'm always the grill assistant! I love prepping asparagus that someone else handles on the grill! I love leadership!!! LOL. i would love some grilled pineapple on july 4th. Ian has made the most delicious ribs of my life on a grill once (slow cooked in the oven all day then seared on the grill) & they've ruined me for all ribs after that!
Kaitlin’s bf is a grillmaster: Well this is definitely the newsletter for my boyfriend since he is the King of grilling (texas boy). So basically every time we have dinner together its "hey wanna grill something." A recent favorite of mine is grilled avocado to add on top of a homemade turkey burger with some grilled pineapple on the side! Also, he mentioned the other day grilled eggs....haven't tried them yet but very intrigued.
This week, I need to know what you’re eating during this heatwave. Give me your refreshing snack and dinner ideas. It’s so hot and all I’m craving are peaches and cucumbers.
Wishing you short week of work and lots of relaxing in the sun. Happy eating and thanks for reading.
xo, Abigail
Be sure you’re following on Instagram to see July 4th eats, my favorite restaurants, and weekly cooking recaps. And if you like this newsletter, I’d love if you shared it with a (hungry) friend.