Viral Stew and Other Very 2018 Things
Plus good reads, good focaccia, and cookie indecision
Hi friends,
Welcome to This Needs Hot Sauce, a weekly newsletter about cooking, dining out, and making the most of it. I’m Abigail Koffler and I’m so excited you’re here. Seriously. It’s mid-December, I’m so tired and I finally have some time off in about a week!
Let’s dive in:
Something to cook:
For lunch this week (isn’t it crazy you still have to make lunch in the middle of holiday party szn/frenetic socializing), I made spaghetti squash burrito bowls from Cookie and Kate. I didn’t make the avocado sauce and just used avocado and salsa as toppings but the whole thing was very good and the leftovers kept well (keep the squash separate from the bean/cabbage stuff or everything will turn purple.)
I’m making cookies this week for the Cojolya Pop Up Shop on Sunday, December 23rd (if you’re interested in attending, email me and I’ll share details since the facebook event is private) and am deciding between this, this and this. Please weigh in!
Finally, last night Frida and I made The Stew, an Alison Roman recipe that’s gone somewhat viral on Instagram (meaning there are thousands of posts of people making it). You can see more on Instagram stories (check #TheStew highlight). Alison Roman is the woman behind the cookies but let’s face it, cookies have a lot more mass appeal than a vegan chickpea stew. Anyway, this stew is a very good dinner. It took a little over an hour to make and we made a half batch, with one can each of chickpeas and coconut milk, which was more than enough for two people. Next time, I would definitely add lime at the end (Frida had a bright herb sauce that we used for some acid) and more greens, but the flavors were very comforting.
Was it the best stew I’ve ever made? Hard to say. Why is it viral? Because it’s attractive (hello tumeric) and people have cooking fomo and Alison Roman’s personal brand is STRONG. Should you try it? Sure! And please let me know what you think.
Something to order:
Olivia moved to New York(!) and we got drinks at Grimm Ales. They have a lot of very affordable fruity aged sours, which are perfect if you like kombucha more than beer. The apricot one was delicious. The food menu is good too, from Samesa, a Mediterranean spot in Williamsburg. Big fan of the warm pita and labneh and the spicy cauliflower.
In other local booze news, Brooklyn Cider House turned 1! I’m a big fan of their cider and the entire team so it was great to celebrate with all of them. Some exciting updates from the BCH fam: they launched cans, which will hopefully be everywhere soon. They’re really cute and keep the cider perfectly carbonated. The Half Sour and the Raw are my two favorites. Julia, Julianne and I also tried their nachos for the first time and they were amazing. They’re not greasy bar nachos and tasted super fresh, with a moderate amount of cheese, mushrooms and very smokey salsa. Two thumbs up and happy birthday, Brooklyn Cider House.
I’m in Eater’s food focused book club, which is a whole lot of fun. So far, we’ve read this and this and this is up next. Every month, Sonia, the organizer orders food that relates to the book and this month we had Superiority Burger. I’ve been to the restaurant once and feel like I didn’t order enough but this time made up for it. The signature burger is very good and slider sized, the salad was amazing, with olives and roasted squash, there was a killer bean soup, and a broccoli thing. The two stars were the tomato focaccia, which is one of the best pizzas I’ve had all year, even without cheese. It’s only made on fridays and if you can play hooky this friday, go try it! The other highlight was the sorbet and gelato. The flavors were so strong: tortilla, grapefruit, and chocolate and the consistency was perfect. Follow them on Instagram for oddball vegetable cooking and focaccia news.
Something to read:
This cheese aging cave in Crown Heights is unfortunately not open to the public but the photos are the next best thing.
It’s time to stop making “crack” foods. Crack pie has always irked me (plus it’s way too sweet) and I’ll have to rename matza crack in time for Passover.
I read this personal essay/meditation on oat milk in 2018 and then I saw this. LOL.
Three excellent bits of Samin Nosrat content (watch Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat if you haven’t yet): her appearance on the Eater Upsell podcast where she gets very real about success, this Ringer interview on why they couldn’t film in Iran, and this Man Repeller piece where she finally tries Popeye’s.
Stop having expensive group birthday dinners. Yup.
Made me laugh:
A private equity firm acquired one of my favorite hot sauces: Cholula.
One last piece of Hanukkah content: this delightful video of Carla and Miz Cracker making latkes. Miz Cracker is super knowledgable about food and Jewish culture and it felt great to see that in a BA video.
Finally, some stuff I wrote and made:
For Eater, I spoke to a group of experts on how to improve your food photography. Some of the tricks are free and there are some great equipment recs and fun behind the scenes details in there as well.
For Bushwick Daily, I created and launched the Passport to Bushwick, a key part of a better 2019. For $25, you’ll get a free drink at 19 different Bushwick bars, anytime throughout 2019. It’s been really fun creating this book, which we did only in the last month or so and they’ve been selling fast. Get yours today (and one for a friend or roommate!) and get a discount with code BROKE at checkout. We’ll also be hosting Passport Parties at the various venues so more details on that soon.
I also wrote a guide to Bushwick date spots for those with dietary restrictions.
Last week, we talked about holiday baking and other treats!
Sophia: In terms of holiday cookies, my mom always makes half a dozen and gives pretty tins of with a mix of all the different kinds inside. She favors bars, as they're easy to bake a sheet and then cut up. We made this tart recently and gave it the bar treatment, and it was a hit. For chocolate lovers (and anyone who happens to be vegan), it's amazing! Plus, we used the extra filling to make truffles, so it was a winner x2.
Hilary: Sesame cashew bars: the indulgently buttery, gooey goody created by the Cambridge, MA hotspot Sofra (recipe in their cookbook Soframiz or approximated by someone here). As a Jew dating a non-Christian, he and I spend Christmas day making "involved recipes" from his Iranian upbringing. Typically this includes Ash (a beans/greens/herbs/caramelized onions soup) but this year I'm adding this sweet, which he'll adore.
Isa: Anyway, holiday treats wise - I used to love making these Spice Roll-out Cookies (though they do require an electric mixer - BOO!).
While not a tradition, I'm preparing for this week's upcoming GBDBO (Great BizDev Bake Off) at work and practiced making a lemon tart with raspberries yesterday. Used this recipe by David Lebovitz - the curd was divine (I added a splash of vanilla extract) and it was worth pushing through a mesh strainer to get it extra smooth. I was a little nervous about the pastry recipe he suggests, since it's unlike a short-crust (i.e. putting butter, sugar, flour in a food processor and then adding liquid) and instead involves heating up butter, oil, water, sugar, and salt in the oven and then adding flour once it's bubbling. I was surprised with how crispy and easy to maneuver the tart dough was - no soggy bottoms for me! Plus, not a mixer in sight :)
This week, it’s time for TWO BIG QUESTIONS as we tackle the Best of 2018.
What was the best thing you ate (at a restaurant) in 2018?
What was the best thing you made (in a kitchen) in 2018?
Feel free to share more than one response, as I don’t really believe in one best thing when it comes to food. I’ll share your answers and mine in the next few issues of This Needs Hot Sauce!
That’s all for now. Happy eating and thanks for reading.
xo, Abigail
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