VittlesVamp

Chinese, But Make It Cold

When I have thought of cooking Chinese food with friends, I imagined several of us gathered around a table making dumplings, pinching them closed with a flourish, steaming them up, drizzling with black vinegar and enjoying them with abandon.

But to quote Cole Porter: "It's too darn hot!"

Nonetheless, my pals Brett and Emily were thinking about cooking Chinese food. Now, I was too. Thank goodness for the various cold dishes on the Chinese menu.

A non-negotiable was Cold Sesame Noodles. Made this recipe from the NYT. Despite my using tahini instead of Chinese sesame paste, this dish was a serious win.

Then Emily and I tag-teamed on Chinese Smashed Cucumbers with Sesame Oil and Garlic...

...Yes, the recipe was also from the NYT. And, yes, Emily did the heavy lifting on this dish, but I found the recipe and did a tidbit of the work, so I am staking some claim.

Finally, Brett brought it altogether with his rendition of a Chinese Wood Ear Mushroom Salad. You want to see it? Sorry! My photos were way too fuzzy for blog use. You'll just have to trust me. It was a beautiful dish - and delicious as well.

Did we stop there? No. We succumbed to the call of the stove. Brett whipped up some Mapo Tofu, and it was fantastic.

Still, I feel like the meal was centered on chilled Chinese. Maybe next time I'll try my hand at a Cold Jellyfish Salad? Hmmm...Maybe not. But those Sesame Noodles? Hell-to-the-yes! Perhaps with the addition of cucumbers and cold poached shrimp or chicken...Lots to consider, and I am already getting hungry.

Dinner Party Healing

On the work front, the past month has been a crazy, crisis communications whirligig. It has been relentless. My days and nights have had me walking a precarious tightrope - an effort that demanded energy, unwavering attention and an unfortunate lack of sleep. And, yes, I was trying to balance on that tightrope while still recovering from ankle surgery. I literally was trying to regain my foothold.

So, what did I do in the midst of the madness to settle my nerves and feed my soul?

Feed my friends.

Last weekend, I hosted a dinner party for eight hungry pals who helped in the kitchen and raised a glass (or two) as we enjoyed cheeses aplenty at the cocktail hour, followed by Scallop Crudo, and then plates of perfectly al dente Rigatoni alla Norma.

Guests brought bottles of precious wines and a glorious kombucha to accompany.

With plates cleared, Dried Apricots were passed as a palate cleanser before a duo of desserts. We started with generous slices of my tender Olive Oil Cake served with fresh raspberries doused in orange blossom water. Next, we dived into some gourmet chocolates fetched from the Tin Building by one of my friends and some homemade Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies baked by yet another one of my guests.

It was utterly decadent.

It was truly healing.

Did I still need sleep? Absolutely. But until time for rest was available, I had friends and leftover chocolate. A damn fine combination, if ever there was.

For The Best Shrimp Ever...

I got a little nuts. Last week, I threw a Christmas Day dinner party for eight, Italian-style. Then on Wednesday, I threw yet another dinner party, this time for six and a Vietnamese fare-theme.

Both meals were delicious. The standout on Christmas was most definitely a Seafood Salad with Fennel and Celery.

At the Wednesday dinner, a deconstructed Summer Roll salad -- which, if I'm honest, was really a Bun -- was the dish everyone ooh-ed and aah-ed about. (Coconut Ice Cream with Mango Compote almost came in as a tie on that one, but the salad surprisingly edged it out.)

A special trick that connects the two wins?

Dry-brining the raw shrimp in a mix of a 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon Kosher salt per pound. Stir and let sit in the fridge for 15 - 30 minutes before cooking. It improves the texture of the shrimp tremendously. Have to tip my hat to Serious Eats for this intel.

So, go forth into 2024 and make delicious shrimp.

Southern Supper

I adore the magazine Garden & Gun. Sounds like a oddball subscription for a nice gal from Long Island, yes?

Well, yes.

Nonetheless, I love the way turning its pages makes me feel like I am taking a leisurely holiday in an idyllic dream of the modern South.

We all could use a dream right now, can't we?

I decided to take guests on a quick trip to my dream of below the Mason-Dixon with a Southern-themed dinner party that hit all the right notes -- starting with cocktail hour, of course. Sazeracs and French 75s were the go-to drinks. To make sure that no one was going to fade away before dinner, we had Deviled Eggs, Pimento Cheese, and paper-thin slices of Benton's Country Ham with Ritz Crackers.

Let me say that I had forgotten how good a Ritz Cracker can be. They are very good. Very, very good.

Then we sat down to a Bitter Lettuces Salad with Fried Pork Cracklings. The latter weren't exactly traditional Southern. Technically, they were Balkan since they came freshly fried from Muncan in Astoria. But were they good? They were very, very good.

The main dish was a winner too...

Chicken and Dumplings hot and bubbling out of the oven. Recipe by New Orleans Chef Donald Link. Not just good. Very, very good.

And them came dessert -- and it was a showstopper...

Banana Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Buttercream inside, blanketed with Vanilla Buttercream and dotted with Candied Peanuts. Guests swooned. I love a good swoon. It was good. Very, very good.

Since the holidays are upon us, I am going to be very, very good to you -- and share the Peanut Butter Buttercream recipe. Enjoy it, y'all!

Peanut Butter Buttercream

1 lb. unsalted butter, softened
4 cups smooth peanut butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cream the butter and peanut butter with an electronic mixer until completely smooth. Sift the powdered sugar and then add to the butters. Add vanilla. Beat in until fluffy.

Note: You only need to make half this much if you are just using for one internal frosting layer of a cake.

Easy Peasy Pasta

Despite the title of the post, this pasta recipe doesn't include peas. But it could.

I happened upon this recipe by Chef Jonathan Benno in the Wall Street Journal. Very simple - and very delicious. I immediately started adding things to make it my own. My go-to version includes a tin of lightly smoked mackerel or sardines and some toasted pinenuts atop for some nutty goodness and crunch.

You should feel free to substitute both. Have some leftover rotisserie chicken? Chop that up and add it instead of the tinned fish. Have some slivered almonds or panko bread crumbs? Sprinkle them on top and forgo the pinenuts.

As implied earlier, add-ins are welcome. Think steamed broccoli florets, slivers of roasted red peppers, some halved cherry tomatoes, a handful of spinach leaves - and, yes, even a fistful of peas from the freezer.

Pasta Facile
(Serves 4)

1 pound linguine
1 can of tinned fish such as mackerel or sardines
⅓ cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons minced parsley
1½ teaspoons red chile flakes
6 tablespoons minced parsley
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Kosher salt

Fill a large pot with salted water, set over high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Add linguine and cook until almost al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking water.

Set a large pan over low heat and swirl in olive oil, garlic and chile flakes. Gently heat oil until garlic is aromatic but takes on no color, about 1 minute. Add canned fish. Increase heat to high and add drained pasta, butter and half the reserved cooking water. Quickly toss pasta without stopping until sauce emulsifies, thickens and coats noodles, 1-2 minutes. If necessary, add splashes of remaining cooking water to stretch sauce until it looks creamy and completely coats the noodles.

Off heat, toss in half the parsley, half the lemon zest and half the juice. Season with salt and more juice to taste. Serve with toasted pine nuts and remaining parsley and grated lemon zest scattered over top.

My Pasta Obsession

Fusilli was so last year. Rigatoni? Fine, but not getting me all that excited. How about Penne? What can I say? It's sort of commonplace.

A new pasta shape has caught my fancy. And, you know how I like my fancy struck!

It's called Reginetti. They are gorgeous ribbons with curlicue edges, cut into bite-sized, ruffled pieces.

Above, I served them in a White Ragu made with veal, guanciale and marjoram.

Below, they are enveloped in a Creamy Mushroom Ragu.

If Italy Magazine is to be believed, there are 350 pasta shapes in the Italian food canon. Will I find another shape that sets me aflutter? With 350 to choose from, I would imagine so. That said, right now I am seriously enjoying my infatuation with Reginetti. And, so are the guests at my table, if I do say so myself!

Flexing My Dinner Party Skills

Ever since I came home from Rome, my kitchen has been busy. As I mentioned in my earlier post, Passover seder dinner was made -- and had with gusto. (Damn, that was some tasty Brisket!) But, I didn't stop there. Not even close.

There was the Scandinavian dinner, for which I made a soup that I first had in Copenhagen as a teen - a rich cream soup studded with mussels called Billi Bi. Sounds like a piece of Ikea furniture, right? Did some research to discover that it is a French soup. Decided it didn't matter, and made it for the party nonetheless. Also infused some Aquavit with strawberries for an opening cocktail with Prosecco to give it some light fizz.

Then there was a weeknight Roast Chicken with Caramelized Onions dinner, complete with Frisee Salad and baguette with softened French butter. And then leftover chicken turned into the star of a Composed Salad dinner with yet another friend.

Only a few days later, I had a couple of other friends at the table for a dinner that began with a recipe out of the Via Carota cookbook - Butternut Squash with Red Onions and Currants. Served room temperature, this dish is lush and comforting all at once, with a hit of sweet and sour vinegar and shower of toasted pine nuts. (The latter happened after I snapped the photo above.) The main was Chicken with Trumpet Mushrooms and Wine, which was followed up by a fragrant Almond Cake with Raspberries.

Was I done for a while after that one? Heck, no!

Let's think brunch. In this case, made a Tre Colori Salad to start things off slow before heading into a Rigatoni with a White Ragu, made with stewed beef, carrots, celery, onions, and wine. Dessert was homemade Strawberry and Balsamic Ripple Ice Cream.

Then I hosted a dinner that brought me back to Mama Vamp's table when I was a kid -- making her Corned Beef. Served it up with a dish of Red Cabbage with Apples. Those were the central players in a dinner that started with a Tortilla Español with Creme Fraiche and Caviar. Dessert was a refreshing homemade Tangerine Sorbet.

And, I kept going...

This past Wednesday had some pals over for a dinner of Sheet-pan Chicken with Chickpeas, Cumin, and Turmeric. Scooped out homemade Mango Ice Cream and topped it with Raspberries doused in Orange Flower Water to cap it off with something sweet.

Am I cooked out?

I would think so.

And, yet I keep proving myself wrong. A trip to a market today and I was eyeballing cuts of pork and thinking about what I could whip up...

Well, better get some invites out soon. And, y'all better come hungry!

Haute Indian Winter in Brooklyn

After my trip to London, I couldn't stop thinking about the superlative Indian restaurants I visited there. I needed a replay - but London is far. And, the high-end Indian spots in NYC are so popular that it is hard to score a table. So, I needed to put the matter in my own hands. Well, my hands and my pal Brett's hands as well.

We started with the above - a brunch of Bombay Scrambled Eggs from the late great Chef FLoyd Cardoz, and Curried Potatoes and Cashews, a riff on a Madhur Jaffrey recipe.

It wasn't just good. It was delicious.

A dinner party idea was born. And so it was...

That plate of Dal? It was in-freakin-credible. Brett outdid himself.

Next up, an Indian Chicken Rice Pilaf scented with coconut milk, ginger, tumeric, and more. Alongside, an umami-packed Oyster Mushroom Curry.

And then there was dessert...

Hell-to-the-yes! Tejal Rao's Quick Mango Kulfi recipe is pure genius. The trick? Canned mangos from India. Seriously. Canned. Soooo good.

Do I still want to return to London's haute Indian restaurant scene? Do I want to nab a reservation at Sona and Semma in Manhattan? Yes and yes! But in the meantime, I am trying my best to get Brooklyn to deliver as best as my kitchen (and Brett's) can muster.

Tis The Season To Be Cooking

No one will be surprised, but I have been cooking for a crowd as of late. Many dinner parties at my table this season. Frankly, just the fact that I can gather friends at my table is reason enough to celebrate!

Some of the menus? Happy to share...

First up was a post-Thankgiving fêtê which started with Oysters from my pals David and Catherine, who shucked with glee, while I shook up cocktails. At the table, the first course was a Dayboat Lemon Sole Crudo with Fresh Chives and Toasted Pinenuts. That was followed by two lovely Buttermilk-Brined Chickens with Thyme under the skin, roasted atop slabs of Sweet Vidalia Onion. The glorious birds were served with a Chicory Salad in a Champagne-Shallot Vinaigrette, sliced Baguette from L'Appartement 4F, and softened French butter.

Dessert? So glad you asked...

--Lowcountry Peanut Pie - from a recipe in Garden & Gun - topped with fresh Whipped Cream.

The next dinner party was a collaboration with my friends Wendy and Mark - a Sicilian dinner. After some antipasti during cocktail hour, the two served up a Seafood Salad with Celery and Fennel. Then came a pasta course from yours truly - Rigatoni alla Norma...

...pasta tossed in a spicy tomato sauce with chunks of eggplant, oodles of fresh basil and a shower of shaved ricotta salata. My recipe combined one from Chef Sara Jenkins and some ideas from an article about this mainstay Italian dish in The Guardian.

This pasta elicited some serious oohs and aahs.

And, then there was dessert - a collaborative dessert. We made a Deconstructed Cannoli: scoops of my Ricotta Sorbet, each bowl graced with a sprinkle of chocolate flakes, crushed pistachio, chopped Luxardo cherries, and a glorious Vanilla Pizzelle Cookie from Wendy and Mark's kitchen. The cookie was joyfully plunked in the middle to resemble "Cosmo's Moon."

The following week, I went in a different direction - a distinctly New Orleans direction. I whipped up a Cajun/Creole feast for friends. It started with Shrimp Ravigote over Wedges of Iceberg. We then moved onto to steaming bowls of Chicken and Andouille Gumbo, with a smattering of heat from the combination of cayenne and Crystal.

It was lovely, but dessert was the real showstopper...

--Almond Croissant Bread Pudding, served warm.

Did I have one more dinner party in me before Christmas came barreling by?

Why, yes. And, it was quite the festive repast, if I do say so myself!

Jumbo sous-vided Shrimp Cocktail grabbed the spotlight during the cocktail hour. Seated, the spotlight moved over to a Wild Salmon Tartare...

...the gorgeous Toro-grade fish from Shipwreck Seafood Boutique and the recipe from Ottolenghi. Bite-sized chunks of glistening salmon were tossed with lemon, olive oil and shallots, topped with tarragon and chopped pistachio, and drizzled with brown butter with cumin seeds, served with wafer-thin slices of watermelon radish.

Oh, hell, yes!

The main was a Roast Pork Loin with Wild Fennel Pollen and a homemade Apple Chutney. Alongside, there was a Bitter Lettuce Salad and my go-to marriage of 4F Baguette with French butter.

Dessert was low-key - individual Chocolate Soufflés with Pistachio Gelato.

Jealous? Want to angle for an invite to my next get-together? Smart idea.

Meanwhile though, sharing my recipe for Rigatoni alla Norma, so you can taste a bit of Chez Vamp at your own table.

Rigatoni alla Norma

2 medium eggplants, cut into 3/4″ cubes
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
3/4 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-oz.) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, undrained and crushed by hand
1 lb. rigatoni
4 oz. ricotta salata, grated
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn by hand
Kosher salt & black pepper

Sprinkle eggplant with salt (about 2 tsps.) and let sit in a colander for a half-hour. Squeeze out excess liquid out of the cubes with a dishtowel.

Set oven to 450 degrees. Put eggplant into a bowl and drizzle with 3 tbsp. oil. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper. Transfer eggplant to 2 baking sheets and bake, turning occasionally, until soft and caramelized (about 20 minutes). Put aside.

Heat remaining oil in a large pot and saute onion until soft over a medium flame and then add garlic and chile flakes. Stir another 3 minutes and then add the tomatoes, crushing them a bit as they hit the pot. Add half the basil. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Cook down for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil rigatoni to al dente, following the manufacturer's instructions. Save a little of the starchy water if needed to help bind the sauce. Strain the pasta and toss into the tomato sauce along with the eggplant. Stir to combine.

Serve topped with the remaining fresh basil and the ricotta salata.

My Kind of Comfort Food

There is something undeniably comforting about a plate of Lox, Eggs and Onions for dinner. A few snips of fresh dill on top and it is practically gourmet.

Thinly sliced onion caramelized until golden brown. Nova scotia smoked salmon seared. A quick whisking of eggs tossed into the sizzling pan.

So simple. So good. Lox, Eggs and Onions. It's what's for dinner.