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.

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.

Rome is Offal

It was only a few week ago, but my trip to Rome seems like a faint memory - except for the offal. Yes, you read write. Romans adore their innards, also referred to as quinto quarto. Visited several fine restaurants - Tram Tram, Santo Palato, Trattoria Pennestri, Trattoria Monti, and Trecca - and was happily ordering a range of offal dishes at each and every one.

The Calves Liver with Grapes, Onions and Herbs, seen above, was a marvel. And, became obsessed by the Rigatoni Con La Pajata...

Toothsome, al dente pasta, with a rich tomato sauce ladled on top, featuring seared pencil-thin veal intestines. I know that might sound disgusting to those who are squeamish - but trust me (and all of Rome) that it is deservedly a local classic.

Tongue with a slathering of Salsa Verde was another offal winner...

Will I try making these innard-enriched delights at home? Likely not. Have a hard time seeing the majority of my dinner guests taking to tripe and alike. That said, they don't know what they're missing.

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.

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.

Rice Crack Persian-Style

Rice had always been one of those foodstuffs that was a challenge for me to make -- that is, until I finally bought myself a rice cooker. That device has served me well.

Made me brave enough to raise my hand when it came to being in charge of the Tahdig for a Persian dinner party with friends. For those of you who don't know, Tahdig is a gorgeous mound of fragrant Basmati rice, heaped into a pot to be browned and crisped at the bottom. It's sort of rice crack. And, now I had to make the rice crack.

Well, as you can surmise from the photo above, I did it. Well, almost. This isn't proper Tahdig. It's Samin Nosrat's Persian-ish Rice. And, allow me to say that it is an amaze-balls recipe. Worked perfectly!

Am I still scared of rice? Less and less each day. Sure that there are other grains out there that will thwart me, but between my rice cooker and Ms. Nosrat's recipes for the rest of my rice escapades, I got this!

My Winter Kitchen List

There is nothing like a really great restaurant meal to get me to do culinary cartwheels in my own kitchen. I often end up trying to recreate a dish. Sometimes I simply ride the inspiration into a delightful home-cooked meal.

Well, two brunches last weekend have definitely set me down a gastronomy rabbit hole (and, yes, rabbit might even be involved.)

First up, was Saturday brunch a Agi's Counter in Crown Heights, where the Eastern European fare was front and center. Hungarian pastry lined the countertop. Protected by glass panes, it made for an irresistible window shopping experience while I waited on line to place my brunch order. No surprise, a warm slice of Cinnamon Bread showered with sea salt was had. So was a swoon-worthy Caraway Shortbread Cookie. Savory followed in the form of an open-faced poached chicken sandwich with buttermilk and grapes that was swoon-worthy in its own right. And, then because brunch is about being excessive, we had a Hungarian Nosh Plate that included a buttery chicken liver mousse, 6-minute deviled eggs, housemade pickles, and more.

I loved everything that was served -- but all I could think about was "Why haven't I made Chicken Paprikash in ages?"

And, yes, thinking that homemade spaetzle are a must do too.

But then there was Sunday brunch. It was had at Lowerline near the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The place tasted much more like Bywater than Brooklyn. Take a look at this Crawfish Étouffée...

Yeah. Gumbo needs to be made. Perhaps Rabbit and Dumplings need to be rustled up as well. And, let's say "yes" to Bananas Foster.

Anyone interested in joining my table this winter?

Carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara. It's like a siren's call to my tastebuds.

It's the BEC of pasta. Yes, bacon, egg, and cheese. Do you see "cream" listed there? I think not. My recipe is fairly classic, except for one addition -- minced shallots. Quibble, if you must. One bite and you'll be a convert.

Spaghetti Carbonara
Serves 2

8oz. dried spaghetti (aka half of a box)
1 cup diced guanciale or thick-cut bacon
1 1/2 TBSP minced shallot
1/4 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
1 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Italian parsley for garnish

Whisk one whole egg, one yolk, 1 cup of the cheese, and the pepper in a bowl. Put to the side. In a large pan or pot sauté guanciale or bacon until it starts to crisp and release fat. At the same time, boil water and cook pasta until al dente. Add the shallots to the pan with the guanciale/bacon and cook until translucent. Bottom of the pan will likely be getting rather browned. Add the wine or vermouth and swirl around to get the brown bits. Spaghetti should be done by now, so strain, saving some of the starchy water. Toss a 1/4 cup of the starchy water in with the guanciale/bacon and swirl everything together. Now, add in the cooked spaghetti and egg/cheese/pepper mixture and quickly toss it all together, so every strand of spaghetti is well coated. Serve with a little grated Parmesan on top and garnish with some chopped Italian parsley.

A Kick-Off Cookie

We're all putting a hell of a lot of pressure on 2021 to deliver.

We need to chill.

2020 was a train wreck. So, maybe we start this year without the added pressure of a Dry January or a new strict diet regimen? Take a breath. Just take it one day at a time.

And, something sweet might not be so bad right around now. Add some crunch, perhaps? Chocolate seems appropriate too.

Don't worry. I got you. This is another "oldie, but a goodie" from Mama Vamp's recipe box...

Lace Cookies
Makes 32 - 36 cookies

1 cup quick oats
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick softened margarine (that's right, margarine!)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
6 oz. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie pans with aluminum foil. Mix dry ingredients together. Add softened margarine and mix well. Add the egg, orange juice and vanilla. Combine thoroughly. Drop cookie batter by 1/2 teaspoon. Bake 8 - 10 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on the foil and then peel off gently. Pair cookies by size/shape before sandwiching. Melt chocolate. Spread on shiny side of the cookies and sandwich. Allow chocolate to cool and harden before serving.