Your Life Needs More Cinnamon Sugar

Hi there,

Welcome to This Needs Hot Sauce (And Other Food Thoughts), a newsletter sharing something to cook, somewhere to eat out, and something to read. I'm a native New Yorker who spends far too much time thinking and reading about food. I love helping people find great things to eat and solving problems, so let me know how I can help. Let's dive in.


Something to make:
Charred Cauliflower Quesadillas
I lived in Guatemala for a year and these were my go-to dinner when I had friends visitings or a potluck. They're also proven very popular in the US. The filling is based on the Smitten Kitchen recipe and the extra touch is something I picked up from my friend Chepe in Santiago Atitlán. The secret ingredient here is refried beans, which are so useful to have on hand. They make these more filling and also act as a perfect glue for the filling so it doesn't completely fall apart with the crumbly cauliflower.

2 jalapeño peppers (You can also use one poblano and one jalapeño if I can find them)
1 head of cauliflower, cut into small pieces
Scallions, sliced
Cilantro
Lime juice
Salt 
Pepper
Chili powder
Cayenne
Cumin
Shredded cheese (I like mozzarella)
Small flour tortillas
Refried black or pinto beans (I like the trader joe's ones with jalapeño) – in Guatemala our favorite restaurant had the BEST beans and we finally found out that they used both black and pinto beans in a 2 to 1 ratio. Buen Apetito, you were good to us.

1. Char your hot peppers over a gas stove. I rest them on a burner above the flame. Flip them with tongs and wait until the entire outside is charred. Remove and put in a bowl with a cover (this helps the skin come off). Once they're cool, chop them up into small strips, removing seeds if you'd like less spice.

2. Heat olive oil in a heavy pot, add the cauliflower bits and the spices, to taste. I always do lots of cumin and chili powder. This cauliflower needs to get charred so keep the heat fairly high and give it some time, usually about 20 or so minutes, to develop nice color. Taste for seasoning. Remember, the cheese/tortilla/beans will dull the spice so I like to make this part spicy. When it's close to done, add the scallions and chopped cilantro as well as the chopped peppers and a squirt of lime juice.

3. Make quesadillas. Heat a dry skilled over medium heat. Take one tortilla and spread it with refried beans using the back of a spoon. Place it in the pan. Let it get a bit golden before adding some of the cauliflower filling and shredded cheese. Top with a second tortilla. When the cheese has melted a bit, flip with a spatula and let the other side brown. When they're sufficiently melted, take off and cut into quarters with a sharp knife. Repeat until you and your friends are fed and serve any extra filling as a side. You can keep these warm on a plate with a towel over it and they taste pretty good cold.

Enjoy!

In other cooking adventures, I just made a batch of pickled swiss chard stems and will report on how they are in a week. I've never pickled before and have my fingers crossed. I also bought persimmons and will take any suggestions for how to prepare them. 


Something to order:

I spent the weekend in Philadelphia, one of my favorite cities of all time. It's also an excellent place to eat and a truly pleasant place to visit (the train is an hour and twenty minutes from Penn Station and you arrive in a gorgeous station). If you're going, let me know and I will talk your ear off about coffee, byos, bars and the school system (the city will be in control again, woo!).

Dinner at Vientiane Cafe: This Vietnamese-Laotian spot on Baltimore Avenue is cash only and byob. The dish I dream about the is the Naam salad which combines marinated rice with toasted coconut and all kinds of other things (mints, scallions, parsley lime leaves and chili, topped with crushed peanuts) into this addictive dish you eat in lettuce wraps. Highly recommend the red curry with sticky rice as well.

Brunch at Rooster Soup Co: Michael Solmonov, the Israeli chef behind Zahav, Dizengoff, Federal Donuts, etc., is doing something great here: this old school luncheonette donates 100% of its proceeds to the Broad Street Ministry, a soup kitchen that operates like a restaurant to provide hospitality, a hot meal and other services to hungry Philadelphians. The leftover chicken bones from Federal Donuts go into soup for Broad Street and it seems like a very longterm partnership.
Even better, the food was fantastic. 
Try the breakfast potatoes (a sort of latke bomb), a bloody mary, the egg sandwich and most importantly, the chocolate chip coffee cake muffin. I have fond memories of cinnamon sugar topped pancakes but can't say I eat it on a regular basis. This muffin was pure joy: cinnamon streusel, chocolate chips all throughout and a not too sweet batter. Muffins like this need to be consumed at a meal time, they're too crumby to take on the go or tackle at your desk. If you're in Philly, grab this muffin or find something with cinnamon sugar in your own neighborhood. Make up a batch to spice up your oatmeal or a weekend french toast. I'd love to hear about it.

This morning I had a great breakfast at Bluestone Lane which made me want to visit one of their New York locations. Huge fan of the smashed pea cashew butter toasts and very pro flat white (ask them to add cinnamon).

One New York pick: While the pizza scene is crowded here, I have nothing but good things to say about Best Pizza in Williamsburg. Their seasonal vegetable square slice had beets on it last week and fresh corn in September; the white pizza has caramelized onions, a great idea, and they nail the classic "italian salad" with crisp romaine, pickled peppers, cherry tomatoes and an herby vinaigrette. Pro tip: This is a perfect spot to grab pizza with a date if you're at one of the many nearby bars. The window booth is quite inviting.

Something to read:

Dare you not to tear up reading Kim Severson's piece on José Andres' work in Puerto Rico. 

I got Smitten Kitchen's new cookbook this week and also loved hearing her on the Bon Appetit foodcast. 

Burning questions: Which food magazine has the best thanksgiving cover? 

My friend Linlin sent me this recipe for linguine with clams and I'd love to try it next time I'm at my parents house. 

Now, I want to share my first reader question, from my friend E. 
Q:
"What's a good place for a special occasion dinner? Something a little pricey and memorable. 

A: 
A fancy dinner is a good excuse to time travel. You want to feel like a version of your future is possible at that meal. That means in some unspecified time, maybe this meal will be affordable, maybe your brownstone is around the corner, and maybe you and the person across the table are celebrating 2 digit anniversaries or birthdays that start with 3. 

Four ideas and the futures they suggest:

Your future involves biking across the Williamsburg Bridge; at least one of you works from home, and you're wearing some delicate jewelry with personal significance.
Your dinner, is at Lilia , a beautiful space in a former garage with absolutely fantastic Italian food. Reservations are tough (they go up a month before on resy) but walking into the bar is usually a less than hour wait if you come early. There's a cafe area for wine while you wait and sitting at the bar means snagging snacks (cocktail peanuts and potato chips). You'll want the grilled clams, at least one pasta (my favorite is the pink peppercorn mafaldini, a twist on cacio e pepe) and dessert (try the soft serve or olive oil cake depending on the weather).

Your future involves lots of cashmere. Union Square's Greenmarket is your main produce store. You love a booth and you are committed to pasta and vibes.
Babbo, on a quiet street off Washington Square Park is a testament to the power of a good room. Simultaneously romantic and old school, it's the kind of place that makes you want to move to New York. While I've never eaten here, I walked in once to inquire about a last minute reservation and almost sat down at the bar for a glass of wine even though it was 3 pm. It's that inviting. 

Your future involves a backyard and a grill, you belong to a food co op, you started learning a new language on Duo Lingo.
La Vara is a Spanish/Jewish restaurant that has a Michelin Star but is also very underrated. The chef Alex Rajj has written books about Spanish cuisine and this is her flagship with her husband and business partner. Try the fried garbanzos, stroll the Clinton Hill streets and plan your next vacation. 

Your future involves frequent European travel and you finally live in a space where your roommate doesn't keep breaking your wine glasses. Celebrate at Charlie Bird, a Soho space with great lighting, offers incredible wine and service and a menu that makes it hard to choose. Definitely get the farro salad and the octopus and probably a stuffed pasta. The wine glasses are the super fancy skinny ones that make any night feel special and just a lil swanky

Have fun celebrating!

Thanks for reading this week's newsletter! Please send in questions and share any DC food suggestions. I'm going next weekend for a bar mitzvah and need ideas.

Enjoy your eating!
xo,

Abigail