Edible LA | No. 7

edibleLA FALL 2018

Issue No. 7

Sharing the Story of Local Food, Season by Season

holidays local chefs share holiday memories | annual gift guide | cocktails with a sense of place | the history of tamales Member of Edible Communities

IN THIS ISSUE

15

GET OUR EDIBLE GIFT RECIPES — CANDIED SPICED HAZELNUTS, CHOCOLATE BARK, AND MORE! — ON EDIBLELA.COM

34

EDITOR’S LETTER p. 4

features

departments

ANNUAL GIFT GUIDE Tempering is the key to better grilling and better steaks.

BY SHAUNA BURKE

19

BETTER FOOD FOR PEOPLE & PLANET Chefs and restaurateurs explore the demand for transparency on the plate.

8

INGREDIENT SPOTLIGHT: PERSIMMONS

9

WHAT’S IN SEASON NOW

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READING CORNER

34

SIP ON THIS Local bartenders share cocktail recipes with a sense of place and seasonality.

BY AMANDA M. FAISON

BY KRISTINE BOCCHINO

A KID AT THE BIG TABLE Four local chefs recall their fondest holiday memories of food from home—with recipes to boot.

37

LOCAL HEROES Behind the scenes at Homegirl Cafe, where former inmates get a second chance.

BY LISA ALEXANDER

BY LISA ALEXANDER

40

THE FOOD HISTORIAN Learn about our city’s tamale history.

32

BY LINDA CIVITELLO

42

LAST BITE Leftover latkes and no-fuss blender hollandaise make a better Eggs Benedict.

BY RYAN CAVEYWOOLPERT

30 recipe index

FOOD

29

CONTRIBUTORS p. 6

12 13 14 15 30 31 32 32 33

CLEMENTINE SALAD WITH BLACK OLIVES SESAME POTATOES GRILLED ENDIVE WITH BLACK BUTTER GIANT STUFFED PUMPKIN WHOLE ROASTED DUCK GENEVIEVE’S FAMILY STUFFING MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIES BISOCHITOS (ANISE COOKIES) BRAISED SHORT RIB DUMPLINGS

DRINK

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•

34 34 36 36 36 36

EL MAGICO GOING BACK TO CALI OCEANS OF VIOLETS IN BLOOM AN ENGLISH TRIFLE GIN TONIC CLASICO TWILIGHT ON THE MED

editor's note

NO. 7

THE POSSIBILITIES OF FALL Fall is my favorite season—no question. Summer traffic has finally gone away and things start to feel normal again, casual even. Weekends no longer mean beach days, but now they’re road trips to pick pumpkins in Ventura or Santa Barbara counties, southeast for apples and cider, maybe even a trip up to Paso Robles or Los Olivos to stock up on red wine. The possibilities of the season are endless.

One of my favorite pieces in this issue can be found on page 27, where we asked a handful of local chefs to recall their favorite childhood holiday memories and share a meaningful recipe with us. It completely captures what this time of year is all about: family, whatever that means to you, and creating memories to last a lifetime.

In the spirit of holiday gifting. I love to give and receive edible gifts—that is, something that doesn’t need to become a permanent fixture in my home, it’s disposable! Head to ediblela.com to find some of my favorite ways to gift edible goodies, from candied spiced hazelnuts to chocolate bark to homemade jam. If you don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen making your gifts, check out our gift guide in this issue!

Enjoy the season...

With much love,

Shauna

Shauna Burke, Editor in Chief edit@ediblela.com

FALL 2018

PUBLISHER Pulp & Branch LLC EDITOR IN CHIEF Shauna Burke CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Lisa Alexander Kristine Bocchino Shauna Burke Ryan Caveywoolpert Linda Civitello Amanda M. Faison

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COVER: Fresh hazelnuts photographed by Nataša Mandić.

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our contributors our contributors tell us how they

CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAY SEASON IN LA! Share your thoughts with us on Instagram @EdibleLAMag #FeastOnLA and we’ll repost our favorites!

our contributors

"Every year, I bring one of Urth Caffe’s famous pumpkin pies to our family celebration,” says contributing writer

“I can’t wait for the first cool autumn evening of the season so I finally have an excuse to drink a hot cocktail,” says contributing writer RYAN

LISA ALEXANDER (A Kid at the Big Table, p. 27; Homegirl Heroes, p. 37). "It’s deep dish and spicy and

CAVEYWOOLPERT (The Last Bite, p. 42). “Seven Grand DTLA is known

perfect. Only problem is, I can never bear to leave the leftovers, and everybody gets mad at me. This year, I’m buying two and keeping one safe at home just for myself!”

for its extensive whiskey selection and they also happen to make a great, classic hot toddy — topped with nutmeg, cinnamon, and lemon.”

"For the holidays, I do the most SoCal thing I can think of: head to Marina del Rey,” says contributing writer LINDA

CIVITELLO (The Food Historian, p. 40). “First for the annual Holiday

Boat Parade, then to Killer Shrimp for a big bowl of steaming, spicy shrimp and bread to sop up the sauce. Maybe warm spinach salad. Definitely sweet potato pecan pie. All of it comes with a great view.”

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“Every fall, I like to spend an afternoon with friends visiting Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark during the Fall Harvest Festival,” says contributing writer KRISTINE BOCCHINO (Sip on This, p. 34). “They open their pumpkin fields to the public so families can come out to pick their own pumpkins — kids love it! — and other seasonal vegetables. Old Moorpark is also filled with cute restaurants and cocktail bars for the adults!"

Photo ©istockphoto/egal

"Panettone with candied chestnuts is a beloved holiday tradition in my family. Any leftovers are made into a buttery French toast on Christmas morning,” says our editor-in-chief and contributing writer SHAUNA BURKE (Annual Gift Guide, p. 17). "If I can’t manage to get over to Republique to pick up their fresh panettone, I’ll head to Guidi Marcello in Santa Monica or Sorrento Italian Market in Culver City to pick up a boxed version imported from Italy. The store’s owners can guide you to the best — just ask!”

@EdibleLAMag

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7

FAll SPOTLIGHT:

PERSIMMONS In Season: early-mid fall

What to Look For:

you’ll likely find two varieties: Hachiya (needs to ripen and soften) and Fuyu (should always be firm)

Ways to Use:

Thinly slice and dehydrate to make chips.

Wrap wedges with Prosciutto or other thinly sliced meats.

Add slices or wedges to any cheese platter.

Saute wedges in butter and brown sugar to spoon over vanilla ice cream Add chopped chunks to your favorite smoothie for a fall twist.

GO TO EDIBLELA.COM FOR OUR PERSIMMON AND CAMEMBERT CROSTINI RECIPE.

GET OUR EDIBLE GIFT RECIPES — CANDIED SPICED HAZELNUTS, CHOCOLATE BARK, AND MORE! — ON EDIBLELA.COM

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what’s in season

FALL & EARLY WINTER

Photo ©istockphoto/jaimax

APPLES ARTICHOKES ASIAN PEARS BEETS BROCCOLI - late fall BRUSSELS SPROUTS CAULIFLOWER - late fall EGGPLANTS HARD HERBS (rosemary, thyme) KALE LIMA BEANS MANDARINS MUSHROOMS PARSNIPS PEARS PERSIMMONS POMEGRANATES RUTABAGAS SWEET POTATOES TURNIPS WINTER SQUASH

what’s in season

SPINACH SALAD WITH PERSIMMONS, FETA, AND SPICED WALNUTS

Photo ©Mariela Naplatanova/Stocksy United

GO TO EDIBLELA.COM FOR THE RECIPE

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reading corner

SOME OF THIS SEASON'S

MOST DELICIOUS READS

BONG APPETIT MASTERING THE ART OF COOKING WITH WEED Editors at Munchies (Ten Speed Press) Based on the popular Munchies and Viceland television series Bong Appetit, this cannabis cookbook features 65 “high”-end recipes sweet and savory dishes as well as cocktails. Think butterbasted chicken and weed chimmichurri. They also touch on marijuana politics, dosage, pairing strains and flavors, and more.

CATALAN FOOD CULTURE & FLAVORS FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN Daniel Olivella with Caroline Wright (Penguin Random House) This Spanish region is known for its wildly diverse indigenous ingredients, from Mediterranean seafood to jamon Ibèrico to plump strains of rice, and its richly flavored cuisine has remained uniquely Catalan throughout its complex and fraught history. In this spirit, Daniel Olivella serves historical narratives alongside 80 carefully curated recipes.

Get recipes for Lamb Broquettes and Grilled Salad on ediblela.com

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reading corner

Clementine Salad with Black Olives recipe on page 14

THE MEZZE COOKBOOK SHARING PLATES FROM THE MIDDLE EAST Salma Hage (Phaidon) More than 135 recipes explore the regional diversity of Middle Eastern sharing dishes, from Lebanon and Iran to Turkey and Syria. Divided by style of dish, the book features both meat-based and vegetarian dishes, along with suggested mezze-style menus and a glossary of ingredients. From Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini and Smoked Paprika to Pistachio and Pomegranate Cakes, this book is packed with both traditional and modern takes on this age-old way to share food.

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SESAME POTATOES recipe on page 14

THE INDIAN VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK Pushpesh Pant (Phaidon) Vegetables are an integral part of Indian cuisine. Drawing inspiration from India’s myriad regions and culinary traditions, Pushpesh Pant simplifies this hugely popular cuisine with easily achievable, nourishing, and authentic dishes.

reading corner

Clementine Salad with Black Olives

Adapted from THE INDIAN VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK by Pushpesh Pant (Phaidon,

INGREDIENTS

Giant Stuffed Pumpkin

(continued from page 12)

3 tbsp walnut oil 4 seedless clementines, halved around the middle 2 large oranges 20 pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped handful of mint, leaves only flaky sea salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Heat 2 tablespoons of walnut oil in a small skillet or frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, place the clementine halves cutside down in the pan and cook for around 4 minutes, until the fruit is caramelized and sticky.

2. Meanwhile, cut the bottom off the oranges so that they sit flat on the board and use a sharp knife to cut the skin and membrane away, so that no white pith is visible, only the bright orange of the juicy fruit inside.

3. Slice the oranges into the thinnest rounds you can, reserving any orange juice you can save (including any juicy bits from the skins you’ve cut away).

4. Arrange the slices on a plate, picking out any visible pips as you go. When the clementines are cooked, remove to a board to cool. Pour the reserved orange juice into the same pan with the remaining tablespoon of walnut oil and warm over low heat.

5. When the clementines are cool enough to handle, peel the skins away then tear into irregular pieces and scatter over the top of the orange slices, along with the chopped olives and mint leaves.

Drizzle the warmed juice and walnut oil over the top, then season with salt and pepper. Let the salad sit for 15 minutes for the flavors to mingle before serving.

Adapted from THE MEZZE COOKBOOK by Salma Hage (Phaidon, 2018)

Sesame Potatoes (continued from page 13)

INGREDIENTS 2 tbsp white sesame seeds 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp hot chili powder 1 tsp amchoor (mango powder) 2 tbsp mustard oil ½ tsp cumin seeds ½ tsp ginger paste ½ tsp green chili paste 1 lb 2 oz/500 g potatoes, boiled, peeled when cool, and quartered 2 fresh green chiles, finely chopped salt,to taste

INSTRUCTIONS 1. In a small skillet (frying pan), dry-roast the sesame seeds over low heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, stir the dried spices into a teaspoon of water and set aside.

3. Heat the mustard oil in a large, heavy-based pan, add the cumin, ginger, and green chili pastes, spice mixture, and potatoes, season with salt and cook over med heat for about 2 min, stirring constantly. Add the roasted sesame seeds and stir to evenly coat the potatoes. Sprinkle over the chopped chiles before serving.

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2018)

(continued from page 15)

INGREDIENTS 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing 8 oz wild mushrooms, torn into bite-size pieces 2 cloves garlic, minced 1⁄4 cup water 1 large bunch kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped 3 1⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 (11-to 12-pound) pumpkin, such as Long Island Cheese or Cinderella, or a Sweet Meat squash 1 1⁄4 cups heavy cream 1 1⁄4 cups milk 2 tsp sweet paprika 1⁄2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 1⁄2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1⁄2 loaf of levain bread, or crusty sourdough, sliced

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Warm the oil in a large, deep skillet or wide saucepan over mediumhigh heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender and beginning to brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Pour in the water, then add the kale and 1⁄2 teaspoon of the salt. Use tongs to toss the leaves into the mixture. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is wilted and just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the cover and continue cooking until any liquid in the bottom of the pan is evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside, uncovered, to cool slightly.

3. Cut a cap off the top of the pumpkin that gives a large enough opening to fill it, 8 to 10 inches in diameter. Scoop out and discard the interior stringy bits and seeds. Place the pumpkin on the prepared baking sheet and rub all over the outside with oil. Sprinkle the inside with 2 1⁄2 teaspoons salt.

4. In a large bowl, whisk the cream, milk, paprika, nutmeg, pepper, and remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon salt.

5. Fill the pumpkin beginning with a layer of about one-third of the toasted bread slices, followed by one-third of the cheese, then half of the chives, and half of the cooked mushrooms and kale. Pour in about one-third of the cream mixture. Add another one-third of the bread slices and firmly press them down to pack the filling a little tighter. Repeat layering with another one-third of the cheese and the remaining half of the chives and mushrooms andkale. Pour in another one-third of the cream mixture.

Top with the remaining one-third of the bread slices, pressing down as needed to fit in as much as possible. Top with the remaining one-third of the cheese. Pour the remaining cream mixture over the top. (Don’t be surprised if all of the filling doesn’t quite fit in the pumpkin. Pumpkins differ in thickness, which will affect how much you can pack inside.)

Replace the cap, trimming excess flesh from the bottom of it, if needed, so that it fits snuggly. The pumpkin can be stuffed up to 1 day in advance and kept in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before roasting.

6. Roast the pumpkin until the filling is hot in the center, the pumpkin flesh is very tender, and the exterior looks browned and wrinkly, 2 1⁄2 to 3 hours. Removethe pumpkin from the oven and set aside to rest for about 10 minutes. With the cap on, it will stay hot for about 30 minutes before serving.

7. Serve the pumpkin at the table, scooping out spoonfuls of the filling, along with some of the interior flesh, into warm shallow bowls.

Reprinted with permission from Wine Food, copyright 2018 by Dana Frank and Andrea Slonecker. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Photographs copyright © 2018 by Eva Kolenko.

Giant Stuffed Pumpkin WINE FOOD NEW ADVENTURES IN DRINKING AND COOKING Dana Frank and Andrea Slonecker (Ten Speed Press) A new way to talk about wine pairing, coined by the evolving breed of wine drinker and cook who wants to discover a wider range of wines and match them to the rustic, casual, global food they love to eat.

reading corner

Grilled Endive with Black Butter, Apple Balsamic Vinegar, Pear, & Fresh Thyme BESTIA ITALIAN RECIPES CREATED IN THE HEART OF LA Ori Menashe & Genevieve Gergis (Ten Speed Press) This debut cookbook from DTLA’s wildly popular Bestia restaurant features rustic food that is driven by intense flavors, including house-made charcuterie, pizza and pasta from scratch, and innovative desserts inspired by home-baked classics. serves 4 INGREDIENTS 3 tbsp Black Butter (recipe follows) 1 tbsp apple balsamic vinegar, aged balsamic vinegar, or saba 6 heads Belgian endive or Coraline chicory, quartered lengthwise (do not remove the cores) 1 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 very ripe pear, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves Maldon or other flaky sea salt INSTRUCTIONS 1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the vinegar and stir to combine. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Drizzle the endives with the olive oil, season with kosher salt and pepper, and toss well.

3. Build a hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill to very high. Brush the grill grate with olive oil. Arrange the endives on the hottest spot of the grill and sear, tossing occasionally with tongs, until the leaves are charred around the edges but remain somewhat firm, about 3 minutes. If the flame gets too high, or the endives start to burn, move them to a cooler spot of the grill.

4. Pile the charred endives on a large serving plate. Arrange the sliced pear on top and spoon the butter mixture over the dish. Finish with the thyme leaves and Maldon salt and serve.

BLACK BUTTER 1 pound unsalted butter Melt the butter in a sauté pan over high heat. Once melted, turn the heat to the lowest setting and let cook, undisturbed, until the solids have settled to the bottom of the pan and blackened and the butter turns a dark amber color, about 30 minutes.

Let cool, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 month.

Reprinted with permission from Bestia: Italian Recipes Created in the Heart of L.A. by Ori Menashe, Genevieve Gergis and Lesley Suter, copyright © 2018. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Photography credit: Nicole Franzen © 2018 ◆

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2018 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

‘TIS THE SEASON FOR FOODIE GIFTS!

CURATED BY SHAUNA BURKE

@EdibleLAMag

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17

Organic California Olive Oil Brightland; $37 brightland.co

Brightland offers two distinct products — “Awake” and “Alive” custom blends — featuring heirloom Arbequina and Arbosana olives harvested from a single family farm in California’s Central Coast and milled on-site through organic methods. Pristinely packaged in UV-protected opaque glass bottles.

Organic Eggnog

Straus Family Creamery; $6.99

Around the Table Cookbook The Lark Santa Barbara; $35 thelarksb.com

Bring home some of the best of Santa Barbara with The Lark’s new cookbook and get to know those that raise and farm for a true farm-to-table experience in each chapter.

strausfamilycreamery.com

Eggnog is so worth the calories when it’s the real deal — a favorite holiday tradition, Straus Family Creamery’s old-fashioned Organic Eggnog is rich, creamy, and not overly sweet. It’s worth waiting all year for.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Maple Pecans Ice Cream Salt & Straw; $10.50/pint saltandstraw.com

I’m a sucker for anything that incudes pecans around the holidays. One of Salt & Straw’s best holiday flavors (this one is available in November), it’s sweet and spicy roasted sweet potato ice cream with maple sugar caramelized pecans mixed throughout. You can also order a pint pack online for $65.

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holiday gift guide Chocolate Covered Caramelized Almonds with Raspberry and Pink Sea Salt Milla Chocolates; sm$11 / med$16 / lg$22 millachocolates.com

Roasted and caramelized almonds with pink sea salt, covered in several layers of 70% Single origin chocolate and dusted with organic raspberries. An indulging blend of tart and sweet combined with the richness of dark chocolate. Presented in a beautiful Weck jar from Germany.

Copalli Barrel Rested Rum Copalli Rum; $34.99 copallirum.com

Copalli Rum is an organic single estate rum made in the heart of the Belize jungle from just three ingredients including non-GMO heirloom sugar cane and pure rainforest canopy water sourced directly from the distillery’s farm and made from a blend of pot and column still distillation using French-style technique. The distillery is zero-impact and powered by sustainable, regenerative biomass that supports the local community as the largest employer in Southern Belize and with educational grants for children.

Holiday Cheers Kombucha Health-Ade; $3.99 health-ade.com

The Mezze Cookbook Phaidon; $39.95 phaidon.com

Holiday Cheers is a limited-edition raw and organic brew that Health-Ade debuts each year to celebrate the winter holidays. It’s prepared in super-small 2.5 gallon batches with their original base kombucha alongside organic cold-pressed ginger juice, vanilla, cacao and allspice for a festive combo of autumnal flavors and spices.

More than 135 home-cooking recipes in this book explore the regional diversity of Middle Eastern sharing dishes, from Lebanon and Iran to Turkey and Syria.

Divided by style of dish, the book features both meatbased and vegetarian dishes, along with suggested mezze-style menus and a glossary of ingredients. From Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini and Smoked Paprika to Pistachio and Pomegranate Cakes, The Mezze Cookbook is packed with both traditional and modern takes on this age-old way to share food. @EdibleLAMag

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No. 27 Spring 2013

Austin

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Celebrating Central Texas food culture, season by season

Number 31 Summer 2016

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WELLNESS W

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Issue

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so goooood!

foraging in the Valley

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ISSUE 6 | Spring 2018

Celebrating the food culture of Central Virginia

Barboursville’s wondrous garden

easy, seasonal recipes

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PRICELESS

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Celebrating local, fresh foods in Dallas, Fort Worth and North Texas—Season by Season

No. 23 Fall 2014

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TELLING THE STORY OF HOW THE LOWCOUNTRY EATS & DRINKS

CAPITAL DISTRICT

Issue No. 15

Celebrating Local Foods, Season by Season

Fall 2013

Eat. Drink. Read. Think.

Petal Pusher

Fall Comfort Food

Raise the Roof

Southern Born and Bred

Support Local Community, Food & Drink

OBERLIN • GRANARIES OF MEMORY • INTEGRATION ACRES • STONEFIELD NATURALS SCHMALTZ • THE APPLE • WILLOW BASKETS • OHIO’S HISTORIC BARNS

Cheers, Honey!

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The FruiTs OF The Fall harvesT

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green mountains celebrating vermont’s local food culture through the seasons

N O. 37 • S P R I N G 2018

HUDSON VA L L E Y

Celebrating the Bounty of the Hudson Valley

denver • boulder • ft.collins EAT. DRINK. THINK. LOCAL.

The Liquid Assets Issue

THE LIQUID ASSETS ISSUE

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WINTER 2015

NEVERSINK SPIRITS • SYLVIA WOODSTOCK FISHING THE ESOPUS • CUKES & SQUASH • LOCAL GINGER

No. 12

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MARIN & Summer 2017 WINE COUNTRY

Celebrating the harvest of Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties, season by season

EDIBLE FLOW ERS • OYSTERS • FA R MERS M A R K ETS

Local Scoop Shops Sonoma County’s Brand Power Wild Huckleberries No. 1 | SPRING 2018

Cowgirl Creamery Sells

No. 1 | SPRING 2018

EDIBLE FLOWERS • OYSTERS • FARMERS MARKETS

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Explore a world of local food through the magazines and websites of Edible Communities. We’ll introduce you to the chefs, farmers, brewers, home cooks and others who inspire and sustain local flavors across the US and Canada.

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Issue #33 | Summer 2017

Celebrating the Local Food Community of Fairfield, Litchfield, and New Haven Counties

MARKET DAY AT BARBERRY HILL FARM • YUMI ECO SOLUTIONS SUMMER RECIPES • HOW CONNECTICUT RAISED THE MODERN CHICKEN

N O. 18 S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 017

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FALL 2014

A LOCAVORE THANKSGIVING HOTEL DINING: AN INSIDER’S GUIDE

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CELEBRATING THE ABUNDANCE OF LOCAL FOOD IN AMERICA’S FARM-TO-FORK CAPITAL

Celebrating the Bounty of Rhode Island, Season by Season

CHEF MATT MASERA

Good food. Good drink. Good read. • No. 42 • July-August 2017

THE WORLD’S NEWEST VEGETABLE

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ISSUE 47 MARCH / APRIL 2017

695880 - Cover Toronto

LUCKY DOG RANCH

State Bird 695880 - Cover Toronto

COOKS CSA Cooking with Chef Felmley Farmer Sandra Broussard Cooks Fresh Fisherman Dan Major and Local Box Crab Young Baker Gets Creative with Cupcakes Exploring Imperial Beach

FRESH START MARCH / APRIL 2017

ISSUE 21 • SPRING 2014

Santa Barbara Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

5

YEAR

Anniversary Issue

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Chefs and restaurateurs explore the demand for transparency on the plate.

BETTER FOOD FOR PEOPLE & PLANET

BY AMANDA M. FAISON

Pictured: Chef Suzanne Goin at Lucques in LA (photo by Dylan + Jeni)

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edible NATION

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hen Erik Oberholtzer, David Dressler, and Matt Lyman launched Tender Greens in 2006 in Culver City, California, they had a mission: to change the way people eat, not just in the Los Angeles area, but across the country. At the time, the dining landscape was largely split between whitetablecloth restaurants and fast-food joints without much in the middle.

“If you wanted a good meal that aligned with your values, you had to pay for it,” Oberholtzer says. “We wanted you to pick what you wanted to eat instead of what you could afford.”

Their answer was Tender Greens, a fastcasual restaurant with scratch cooking and topquality ingredients. The menu was designed to mimic the type of meals you would cook at home if you had the time: salt and pepper chicken, grilled salmon, spinach salad. These cravable dishes championed produce from nearby Scarborough Farms, grass-fed beef, and heritage pork. With the farm-to-table movement in full swing, Tender Greens could have simply been looked at as quaint.

Except for the fact that Scarborough Farms was an equity partner, everything on the menu was $9, and the concept was built with national expansion in mind.

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“One restaurant doesn’t make an impact,” Oberholtzer says. “Many do.”

Across the country in Atlanta, Georgia, Jason Mann and George Frangos opened Farm Burger in 2010 with a similar mission: to bring a high-quality, affordable burger made with impeccably sourced grass-fed beef to the masses.

“We didn’t want to be too didactic or preachy about it,” says co-owner and rancher Mann. “But we want people to ask ‘Why does this burger taste different? Why are there pictures of cows on the walls? Why are you putting me in the uncomfortable situation of seeing the animal I’m about to eat?’

We want to push that education.”

For many in the food industry, there are two critical figures in the farm-to-table movement: Alice Waters, who opened the legendary Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California, in 1979, and Carlo Petrini, who created the Slow Food Movement in Italy in 1986. To this day, Petrini’s approach is a democratic pushback against industrialization and homogenization. At the 2017 Slow Food Nations, an international gathering in Denver, Colorado, he said, “We don’t want food that doesn’t have an identity. High-quality food comes with a story.”

Chefs of all backgrounds have come to understand the value of those stories. Knowing thy farmer, rancher, and producer is not only critical for business, but also for flavor, nutrition, ingredient diversity, and the overall satisfaction that comes from enjoying a thoughtful meal. After all, who doesn’t want to eat a fairy-tale eggplant grown and harvested by an overalls-wearing farmer a few miles down the road? But it’s that very image that also underscores the real need for transparency.

“People buy their meat from the grocery, and there’s a picture of the sun over the horizon on a beautiful farm and they don’t even think of where it comes from,” says Kate Kavanaugh, coowner of Denver’s Western Daughters Butcher Shoppe which opened in 2013. “Food is so many times removed from what it is.” That divorce from reality, coupled with inexpensive prices, has allowed Americans to conveniently overlook the negative impacts of commodity food.

For well-intended chefs and restaurants, vetting the good from the bad is a full-time job. “Real food is what I stand for,” says Kimbal Musk, who founded The Kitchen in Boulder, Colorado, in 2004. “That’s food you can trust to nourish your body, nourish the farmer, and nourish the planet. There are terrific indoor and soil-based farmers and there are indoor and soil-based farmers that aren’t terrific.”

For consumers, however, even well-versed ones with ready access to farmers’ markets, it can be tricky to track where their food is coming from. That becomes exponentially more difficult when, according to the USDA, nearly 50 percent of total U.S. food dollars is spent on meals away from home—to the tune of $799 billion annually.

With chefs feeding us so regularly, they have unprecedented control over what we’re eating and its effects on both our health and the planet. Conscious diners seek out reputable restaurants because they trust the chef to make purchasing decisions that align with their own beliefs.

PHOTOS (top to bottom): Erik Oberholtzer, Tender Greens (photo by Sean Marier); George Frangos, Farm Burger; Jason Mann, Farm Burger. @EdibleLAMag

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WELL INFORMED = WELL FED A field guide to dining out.

Food is complicated, especially when it comes to eating outside of the home. And with so many choices, going out to dinner (or lunch or breakfast, or even coffee) has morphed from mindless entertainment to the ballot box. Here’s how to exercise your vote while still enjoying your meal.

1.

Commit. “When you ask where [something is] from and you don’t like the answer, don’t order it. Make that decision once and stick to it. That’s your food freedom, and it’s the only way we can get system change,” says butcher Kate Kavanaugh.

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Ask questions. “If your server doesn’t know, another person working should— especially the manager and the chef,” says chef Renee Erickson.

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Request access. A truly transparent restaurant will walk you through their process.

“You want to see our farm? I’ll take you next week. Want to see our processing facility? I’ll set up a tour,” insists farmer and restaurant owner Jason Mann.

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Be reasonable. No restaurant is perfect and local isn’t always better. “Any local product is not guaranteed to be good,” restaurateur Kimbal Musk says. “It’s truly a case of knowing your farmer and knowing how they’re growing food.

5.

Keep on, keep on. “If we can convince people to eat food that’s better for their bodies, the environment, and the community, food can have a positive impact on every thread of life,” chef Erik Oberholtzer says.

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“People want to know where their food comes from. We want to eat our values,” says Sara Brito, co-founder of the Good Food 100 Restaurants, a nonprofit dedicated to examining chefs’ sourcing practices. At restaurants like Lucques and A.O.C. in Los Angeles, James Beard Award–winning chef and co-owner Suzanne Goin says, “We used to get more questions—like ‘Is this the swordfish we’re not supposed to eat?’—but now our diners trust us and know we’re already in that camp.”

But as revealed in Laura Reiley’s Pulitzer Prize– nominated Tampa Bay Times’ greenwashing story “Farm to Fable” in 2016, not every operation is so transparent. In many cases, a chalkboard menu naming farmers and ranchers records mistakes, if not flat-out lies. For a number of consumers, a restaurant’s word is no longer binding enough to earn their dining dollars.

So what’s a concerned eater to do?

Enter programs like Brito’s annual Good Food 100 Restaurants list, the James Beard Foundation’s Smart Catch, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, the latter two of which steer chefs and diners toward more sustainable seafood. These entities serve as third-party auditors designed to keep chefs honest and instill consumer confidence so they are empowered to make the best possible dining decisions. When guests see the organizations’ logos posted on the wall, door, or menu of a restaurant, they know the staff is taking steps to be conscious of the ingredient itself, its producers and purveyors, and the environment.

With the term “farm-to-table” itself getting greenwashed (remember a few years back when McDonald’s claimed to be farm-to-fork?), the newer, more democratic Good Food movement has taken shape. “To me this is much more about all-ingredient sourcing and a bigger awareness of farming practices, waste, sustainability, and health of food systems,” says Renee Erickson, the James Beard Award– winning chef of The Whale Wins, The Walrus & The Carpenter, and other popular restaurants in Seattle.

This is just what organizations like the Good Food 100 measure. And that’s not all. Through its annual survey of restaurants, Brito’s nonprofit takes a snapshot of the restaurant industry at large by examining the impact sustainable supply chains have on the state, regional, and national economy. This year’s data reports that the 124 restaurants (from all regions of the country) included on the list spent $78.3 million dollars on good food purchases, which contributed to a $249.4 million economic impact on the national good food economy.

“It would be so much easier to buy produce from just one vendor who isn’t local,” says Suzanne Cupps of NYC’s Untitled at the Whitney, opened by Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group in 2015, while addressing the challenges of sourcing from area farmers. “[The producers aren’t] always going to have the tomatoes I like or the same size eggplants. You have to be flexible.”

Sometimes that means taking a dish off the menu or adjusting it last minute. This is easier for high-end restaurants that print their menus daily and have customers who understand the unpredictable world of agriculture.

Depending on where you sit in the country, buying local isn’t always the best—or even an option. Musk cites his salmon fish monger in Alaska, who isn’t close to any of the five

Kimbal Musk at Next Door

Bottom four photos courtesy of Next Door

(photo by Ryan David Brown)

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locations of The Kitchen, seven outlets of the more affordable Next Door, or the single home of Hedge Row. What matters most, says Musk, is transparency, and being honest about where you’re sourcing your ingredients.

“None of our supply chains are perfect. If we’re serving a salad in January in Colorado we have to figure some things out,” Musk says. “We might have a farmer in California send us arugula. But with total transparency that’s OK because the diner knows what they’re getting.”

Frangos of Farm Burger, which now has 12 locations ranging from Birmingham to Berkeley, agrees, “Farm Burger was built on tradeoffs,” he says. “We have non-negotiables with our beef but we knew we couldn’t only have Georgia potatoes and local greens.”

More than ever, chefs and restaurateurs shoulder the burden of earning—and honoring—the public’s trust that they are doing right. “Chefs and restaurants have the opportunity to sway consumer behavior and shift it in a direction that’s better for everyone,” says Oberholtzer, who now operates more than two dozen Tender Greens’ locations coast-to-coast.

“But without buy-in three meals a day from the public, it’s just theoretical.” And that’s critical. The restaurant community can provide the platform and leverage relationships with reputable farmers and producers, but it’s the diner who provides the demand. And only when those two forces intersect does real change takes place. That point came up again and again at 2018’s Slow Food Nations, but it was James Beard Award– winning chef Rick Bayless of Topolobampo, Frontera Grill, and many other acclaimed Chicago restaurants who put it best: “Small steps are the best steps. Focus on the community that’s right in front of you and let that be a beacon to others.” ◆ 26

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Above: Chef Suzanne Cupps working the line at Untitled at the Whitney Museum in Manhattan (photo by Melissa Homm)

These local restaurants made the list!

A.O.C. Border Grill Fishing with Dynamite Manhattan Beach Post Preux & Proper Tender Greens The Arthur J

For more information: Good Food 100 Restaurants, goodfood100restaurants.org James Beard Foundation’s Smart Catch, jamesbeard.org/smart-catch Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, seafoodwatch.org

A KID AT THE BIG TABLE Four local chefs recall their fondest holiday memories of food from home—with recipes to boot.

BY LISA ALEXANDER

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ny chef could spend a lifetime recreating not only the tastes and scents, but the inescapable emotional responses to the foods first experienced at grandma’s kitchen table—that chunk of gingerbread with applesauce that no one could ever make as well as she did, those sweet yams covered with gooey marshmallows, that perfect stuffing, the spicy pumpkin pie with toasty pecans on top. I decided to have conversations with three local chefs, all from very different places, about this unifying topic — their own holiday traditions and food memories from childhood. The most glorious part of discussing childhood food memories is the sense of pure love and nostalgia, which is something we can all relate to in one way or another.

Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis, the creative husbandand-wife team behind the wildly popular Bavel (and the acclaimed Bestia) in DTLA, focus on Eastern Europe and the flavors of the Middle East at home.

We meet at their restaurant, a place famous for Menashe’s 400-recipe-walkabout to find the perfect hummus. It’s fantastic, silky smooth, redolent of garlic and dabbed with red and green sauce that adds a new dimension, to say nothing of the blistered pita from their wood-fired oven. It’s all an addiction waiting to happen, and the whole menu is surprising and familiar at the same time, right down to chef Gergis’ spectacular roasted fig and semolina tart with thyme.

The restaurant itself is gorgeous too, with an unusual centerpiece that covers almost the entire ceiling, an herbaceous chandelier.

“This dude from Malibu designed it for us,” Gergis tells me.

“It’s completely hydroponic.” And deeply cool, with curtains of ivy hanging down.

Ori and Genevieve of DTLA’s Bavel

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Chef Teresa Montaño of Otoño

These chefs are a magical couple; they have a feisty foodaholic four-year-old, appropriately named Saffron; and they seem to lead a charmed if insanely hardworking life at the restaurant and their house in Silver Lake. They also finish each other’s sentences as they tell me how their childhood memories inform their food.

A flavorful mix of nationalities—Menashe grew up near Tel Aviv with a mom from Morocco and a Lebanese dad. Gergis’ mom is Ukranian and her dad’s Egyptian.

“My mom has nine brothers and sisters and my dad has four brothers and sisters, and every holiday had at least fifty people,” Menashe tells me, admitting to missing the crowd. His most vivid memory is when he and his dad managed to talk his grandmother into making her special kninkali. “It’s Georgian, but my grandfather did the Jewish version with no mixing of yogurt and meat. She would boil ground beef and stuff these pockets with it and then serve it with raw onion and tons of garlic and black pepper,” he remembers.

“I love it because whenever we would visit Pittsburgh, we’d go to the Catholic church and pick up a bunch of pierogis,” Gergis adds. “It has the same chewy, dense dough, though my mom’s were filled with potatoes and cheese or potatoes and sauerkraut.”

Menashe continues to tell me, “my dad would pull up a table that was long and wide and topped with a little bit of flour, and then me and my cousins would just roll and cook, roll and cook. We’d each eat forty or fifty and, when I got older, I got to drink vodka as well.”

If Menashe is savory, Gergis is all about sweet and sweet with her holiday memories. “Every year my mom made these Mexican wedding cookies that I did not appreciate,” she said, “but now they’re my favorite cookie ever.” (get the recipe on p. 32)

Gergis has made the recipe her own by adding more pecans and salt, as well as the Swedish press cookies she’s obsessed with. She tells me, “I have my own Italian Swedish press cookie machine that I got at a vintage place…I want to give it to my daughter someday.”

“I crave her desserts,” Menashe admits, a little sheepishly.

“It’s a problem, actually. I finish my shift and I’m over on her station, snacking on everything.”

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“I tested eight or nine different versions of the Swedish press cookie,” Gergis agrees. “He was like, can you stop making these, because I can’t stop eating them!”

When it comes to the holidays, she also loves her mom’s stuffing (get the recipe on p. 31) with apples, raisins, celery, onions, and chestnuts. “No one cares about the turkey, they care about the stuffing,” she said.

“That’s why I do a duck as well,” Menashe tells me (get the recipe on p. 30). “I’ll air dry it for a week so that it’s aged and the skin gets super crispy and paper thin.” His version is stuffed with oranges, dill, black peppercorns, garlic, and orange blossom water.

“It’s actually amazing to be married to someone who has totally different holidays,” Gergis said. “There’s no competition.

Even if Hanukkah lands during Christmas, it doesn’t matter because there’re eight days of it. And Christmas Day and Christmas Eve are like two different holidays.”

“Yeah,” Menashe says. “I like it. There’re more festivities [for everyone to take part in].” ◆ ◆ ◆ Chef Teresa Motaño’s Highland Park restaurant, Ontoño, occupies a long, narrow space with sea green doors and gold and white tiles that radiate pink at sunset. The name means autumn in Spanish, because that’s chili season in Albuquerque, where chef Motaño grew up, and from the passion she’s put into every detail of the restaurant, I can tell that it’s a distillation of everything she comes from, of her terroir. Integral to her memories is her grandmother, a huge entertainer who always had a big spread during chili season.

“We’d all get together—and there were a lot of us, five siblings and tons of cousins—and every family would bring their grills and a hundred pounds of chilis over in trucks to my grandfather’s,” she tells me. “We’d roast the chilis and then have kind of an assembly line to peel off the skins and pack them into little bags. That would be our chili supply for the year,” she explans.

Chef Motaño glows telling me, “it’s tattooed on my brain, the smell, that first taste of the season.” She also remembers being a little girl, picturing her grandfather giving her a freshly charred chili on a tortilla, so perfect and so delicious. “My family is always definitely about food,” she said.

Motaño was a tomboy growing up, an athlete who loved to be outside in her mother’s garden. She’d keep a salt shaker outside and eat apples and drink hose water, then go back to the game.

“Tomatoes are a big part of that memory,” she tells me, and that’s why pan con tomate is now a staple on her restaurant’s menu—a perfectly charred sliver of bread with a thin layer of fresh garlic and the ripest tomatoes.

The flavors of Otoño are not of her childhood in New Mexico, but are more traditionally Spanish. It’s a story that she clearly loves to tell as we sit in the front window. It all began when she worked for Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken at the nowshuttered Ciudad restaurant. “They used to do a weekly paella on the patio,” Motaño tells me, “and as a young line cook, I was super eager and wanted to learn, so they handed me that project… it got me really turned on to the flavors of Spain.”

It also started her wanderings. Her first restaurant, the acclaimed Racion, was based on the Basque region of Spain, then she went to Valencia, where she particularly loves the old town callad Barrio del Carmen. She explains, “I loved the gorgeous old architecture juxtaposed with buildings that were so modern and beautiful, and the street art!”

It not only inspired her, but reminded her of her own food as well: market-driven, seasonal, and spicy. Motaño couldn’t wait to research flavors when she got back home. She even invited two graffiti artists from Valencia—collectively named Pichiavo—to paint Otoño’s spectacular mural. A peach-colored deconstruction

Ori’s Whole Roasted Duck, courtesy of the Bestia cookbook (Ten Speed Press. Photo: Nicole Franzen © 2018.

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of classic and contemporary urban art, “it just speaks volumes to the concept [of the restaurant] and what I saw during my travels,” she tells me.

Otoño has its own Spanish bar program: Spanish gin for G and T’s with homemade tonic, vermouth, sherry, brandies, beer, and wine—all from Spain. There’s even a porron, a festive glass wine pitcher with a very narrow spout that pours wine straight into your mouth. “So we’re playing on the classics in a neighborhood where people are wanting something new,” she explains.

The restaurant is casual and meant to be used daily. Come to a happy hour and have some snacks. Come on a date. Come for a drink. Have a more adventurous meal, like one of Motaño’s paellas, where the flavor’s soaked into the fat grains of rice. Around Christmastime, she’s planning to give out biscochitos too (get the recipe on p. 32), a very Spanish-inspired cookie that she used to have back home.

“It’s a sugar cookie with anise and wine and it’s just so good…my younger sister makes the best ones. When she’s producing dozens and dozens of these [to give away], she and I are in her kitchen with a fire going.” She smiles, recalling the memory, “and drinking wine. It just ties everything together and makes sense with my food.” ◆ ◆ ◆ Chef Nyesha Arrington of Native in Santa Monica has childhood memories that form the foundation of her cooking as well. As a child, she never played house, but played restaurant instead.

Armed with her Easy-Bake Oven at nine years old, she’d have her school friends come over and serve them broth.

“I was obsessed with it,” she tells me. “I’d take water and soy and add little things like fresh garlic and it would always make this heartwarming thing.”

Sitting on the sun-warmed patio of her sleek westside restaurant, she tells me that her strongest influences are from her biracial (Korean and African-American) family. Arrington also relates how the first thing she tried to make from start to finish was a disaster of an apple pie. “I didn’t put sugar in the apples,” she explains. “In my little-kid mind, I thought apples were sweet and all

Chef Nyesha Arrington of Native Santa Monica. Photo: Jim Sullivan

you needed to do was slice them up…I went to taste it—I remember this moment—and I thought, that isn’t how it’s supposed to taste! It was definitely my first understanding of how to build flavor, to take nuances and make them taste more like themselves. A little sweet, a little tart, what happens if we accentuate this? What happens when we apply heat?”

Chef Arrington’s menu tastes like comfort food until you realize the subtlety that she brings to each plate. A Top Chef contestant, she was also named one of Zagat’s “30 Under 30” chefs to watch in LA. Her Jidori chicken with yucca and roasted chicken jus seems like the best chicken you could ever taste, something your mom might have made, until you realize that the sauce has been reduced to absolute perfection. The bumble bee potatoes with tandoori butter are a revelatory fusion of cultures.

The foraged mushroom spaghetti manages to be silky, delicate, savory, and slightly crunchy, all at the same time. Somehow I can tell that her creativity comes straight from her personal history, and she also wants you to connect to yours. As she tells me, that’s why the restaurant is called Native, because everyone’s a native of somewhere.

Arrington’s mom is Korean and her dad is AfricanAmerican, but it was her maternal grandmother who first showed her how to express love through sustenance.

“At that time, it felt golden,” she says. “Going to grandma’s house was like a hug for the soul…. we’d lay out newspaper on the table, then stand around and make wontons and dumplings,” she remembers (get the dumpling recipe on p. 33). “That would be our offering of love…and it had a huge impact on my life: taking something and making food from the heart and soul that could nurture another being.”

The idea of sitting down at a dining table every night and breaking bread set a foundation for her, as well as the times they insisted she eat her vegetables. “It helped me to understand how powerful food is. It should never be wasted…it comes from Mother Nature and it nurtures our bodies and it should never be garbage,” she explains.

She considers herself a “seedling” of both her parents for sure, but even more of a daddy’s girl. “He’s my moon and stars,” she tells me. “He comes from a martial arts background, and I studied martial arts too. My dad and I talk seventeen times a day and he’s always asking me for cooking tips—‘I’ve got this red snapper, how should I do it?’—he’s so proud of me, and it’s literally the thing that gets me out of bed every day, seeing that joy on his face.”

Another feature of the holidays for Arrington is opening up a dialogue. As she tells me, “I celebrate food every day. And bringing that to the holiday season is what makes me me. My legacy is well-rooted in the farmers, growers, ranchers, the seasonality of Mother Nature. Food and understanding people through culture is definitely what I love to do.”

She continues, “in a world of tech where you can download anything these days, you cannot download grandma’s recipes. I feel like those things that are passed down on oily, creased pieces of paper that I can adapt and make my own and give to someone, there’s a story and a meaning and a purpose behind it and that’s real history.”

Whole Roasted Duck with Dill and Citrus courtesy of Chef Ori Menashe | Bavel in DTLA serves 4 “This is my go-to recipe for every holiday feast. It’s one of those 30

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recipes where you can just season it, put it in the oven, and then walk away. That’s because we’re cooking the meat for a longer time at a lower temperature until it falls apart. This way you get the flavor from the bones into the meat. The key is dry-aging the duck first in the refrigerator to help the fat render and the skin to crisp, and then cooking the meat breast-side down for added moisture.”

Find this recipe in the new Bestia cookbook (Ten Speed Press, 2018).

INGREDIENTS 1 whole duck (3 1/2 to 4 pounds) kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 cloves garlic 6 juniper berries, smashed 10 black peppercorns 6 sprigs dill, cut in half 3 sprigs thyme, cut in half 1 sprig sage 1 small sprig rosemary 2 fresh bay leaves or 1 dried 1 orange, cut into 8 wedges 1 tbsp grapeseed oil fennel pollen, for garnish

Baking is Better c Bob’s

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Using a sharp knife, remove the wing tips from the duck. Season the body cavity of the duck with 1 tablespoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Place the garlic, juniper berries, and peppercorns in the cavity. Line the bottom of the cavity with half of the dill sprig pieces, half of the thyme sprig pieces, the sage, rosemary, and bay leaves. Top with the orange wedges, then pile the remaining herbs on top of the oranges.

2. Cut two 10-inch lengths of kitchen string. Use one piece to tie the ends of the legs together. Use the second piece of string to tie the wings closed behind the back. Place the duck, breast-side up, on a baking sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel and refrigerate uncovered for 24 to 72 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 325°F. 4. Rub the outside of the duck with the grapeseed oil. Season the duck exterior with 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt, applying a bit more salt to the breast, then season with ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Transfer the duck, breast-side down, to a roasting pan and roast for 3 ½ hours. Wearing oven mitts and working carefully, rotate the bird at the following intervals: 45 minutes breast-side down; 45 minutes left-side down; 45 minutes right-side down; 25 minutes left-side down; and 25 minutes right-side down.

5. Remove the bird from the oven, rotate it onto its back, and let rest, breast-side up, for 15 to 30 minutes.

6. To carve, pull the legs back from the body; they should easily separate. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut half of the breast meat off the body and transfer to a cutting board. Repeat to remove the other half. Carve the breast into thick slices against the grain on the bias. Arrange the slices on a serving platter and finish with a pinch of fennel pollen.

DEAR FRIENDS,

Genevieve’s Family Stuffing courtesy of Chef Genevieve Gergis | Bavel in DTLA

INGREDIENTS 1 loaf of good challah or ciabatta bread, cubed 4 tbsp unsalted butter 1 brown, yellow or white onion, chopped 3 stalks celery, chopped 1 Granny Smith or other tart apple, peeled and chopped ½ Fuji or other sweet apple, peeled and chopped

Whether you’re making bread or cake, the best part of baking is sharing the bounty with your dear ones. That’s why we make the very best flour—because baking is a way to share your talents and show your love. May these precious gifts shine through in everything you bake!

To Your Good Health,

BOBSREDMILL.COM @EdibleLAMag

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wedding cookies are nicely salted, extra buttery, and have a good amount of nuts. I whip the butter first, which makes a delicate, meltin-your-mouth cookie, but Ori prefers his denser and meatier. If you do too, you can skip whipping the butter in the first step and the cookies will still be great, just sturdier. Whichever way I make these, Saffron will put an entire cookie in her mouth and chew it really slowly in her adorable little chipmunk cheeks until it melts.”

Find this recipe in the new Bestia cookbook (Ten Speed Press, 2018).

INGREDIENTS 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 3/4 cups pecan halves, very finely chopped 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp kosher salt

Genevieve’s Mexican Wedding Cookies, courtesy of the Bestia cookbook (Ten Speed Press). Photo: Nicole Franzen © 2018.

1/2 cup golden raisins 1 cup fresh chestnuts, chopped kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste poultry seasoning, to taste chicken broth, warmed optionally, to make it a sausage stuffing, add 1 cup browned, crumbled sausage of choice INSTRUCTIONS 1. Slowly bake cubed bread on a sheet tray in the oven at around 250°F until completely dry and lightly toasted. Allow to cool.

2. Melt butter in a skillet and slowly sauté onions on low-med heat until soft and translucent. Add celery and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until softened a bit. Remove from heat and combine all of the above ingredients, except for the broth, in a large bowl.

3. Once everything is mixed, pour in about ½ cup of warm broth to dampen ingredients, mixing well, and adding a little bit more as needed. Taste stuffing for seasoning, and adjust with more salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning as desired. Keep in mind that the apples will moisten the stuffing as it cooks in the bird, so don’t get it too wet; it should be lightly most and not soggy. Stuff into your turkey or chicken and cook accordingly.

Mexican Wedding Cookies courtesy of Chef Genevieve Gergis | Bavel in DTLA makes about 40 cookies “These cookies have been a family holiday staple for as long as I can remember. My mom and sister used to use a recipe from some generic Christmas cookie book, but my version of Mexican 32 ediblela.com @EdibleLAMag

INSTRUCTIONS 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until pale and glossy, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then add the powdered sugar and beat on low speed until incorporated. Raise the speed to high and beat until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl again about halfway through.

2. Add the vanilla and beat for 1 minute, then add the nuts and beat briefly on low speed just until incorporated.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt, then add it to the batter and mix on very low speed until just incorporated and the mixture forms a loose, shaggy dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

5. Once chilled, shape the dough into smallish Ping-Pong-size balls and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Transfer the whole sheet to the refrigerator for 5 minutes to rechill briefly, then bake until just barely golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

6. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool on the sheet briefly, then use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the rack and let cool completely.

Dust with powdered sugar before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Biscochitos (anise cookies)

courtesy of Chef Teresa Montaño | Otoño in Highland Park makes about 5 dozen cookies INGREDIENTS 5 ½ cups of all-purpose flour 5 ½ tsp baking powder 1 tsp kosher salt 2 large eggs 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp anise extract 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened 1 tbsp anise seeds 1 cup rosé wine cinnamon sugar, to coat INSTRUCTIONS 1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Separately, either by hand or with a mixer, cream together eggs, sugar, vanilla and softened butter. Add dry ingredients and

Above: Teresa Montaño’s Biscochitos (anise cookies)

incorporate thoroughly, take care not to over mix.

2. Fold in anise seeds and wine.

3. Divide dough in half, wrap both with plastic wrap, and allow to chill for an hour. Once rested, on a flour-dusted work surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness and cut out your desired shape with cookie cutters.

4. Preheat oven to 400°F. 5. Prepare a shallow dish with cinnamon sugar. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and nonstick spray or a silicone baking sheet, dredge stamped out cookies in cinnamon sugar on all sides, and place neatly on cookie sheet. Bake for about 7 minutes, until slightly browned around edges.

Braised Short Rib Dumplings

courtesy of Chef Nyesha Arrington | Native in Santa Monica makes about 30 dumplings for the filling: INGREDIENTS 8 lbs trimmed short ribs 2 small sweet onions, peeled roughly chopped, separated 1 small pear, peeled and cored 1/3 cup mirin 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped into 2-inch chunks 1½ cups of soy sauce 2 tbsp of minced garlic ½ cup of brown sugar Heavy pinch of Korean Chili flakes ¼ cup sesame seed, toasted and pulverized 5 cups water 3 tbsp chopped parsley 2 tsp chopped thyme INSTRUCTIONS Note: Have your butcher trim your short ribs in advance to save time!

1. Put them in a large pot or Dutch oven, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Boil ribs for five minutes, skimming off any residue, then drain and rinse.

Above: Nyesha Arrington’s Braised Short Rib Dumplings

2. In a food processor, pulse one onion and pear until smooth and pureed, scraping down the sides as you go.

3. Scrape the puree into a bowl and stir in the mirin.

4. Place the clean short ribs in a heavy bottom pot on med-high heat and spoon the onion and pear puree over the meat. Place the carrot and the other onion around the short ribs and sear on medhigh heat. Continue to cook until golden brown.

5. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, minced garlic, brown sugar, a heavy pinch of Korean chili flakes, and ground sesame seeds.

6. Add the soy sauce mixture and 5 cups of water to the pot, give everything a good stir, then cover and bring to a boil.

7. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 2 hours or until the vegetables and meat are cooked through and you can easily pierce through them with a fork. Allow to cool in the liquid, then remove the short ribs. Continue cooking the liquid over med-high heat until reduced by half. for the dumpling dough: INGREDIENTS 1 lb high-gluten flour, sifted 2 ½ cups boiling water 1 tsp kosher salt ½ tsp baking soda INSTRUCTIONS 1. Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer with dough hook attachment on medium speed until it all comes together.

2. Wrap the dough and allow the it to rest for at least thirty minutes or overnight, then roll it out into a thin sheet.

ASSEMBLY / TO SERVE: 1. With two forks, shred the braised short ribs and fold in roughly chopped cooked vegetables, then fold in 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley and 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme.

2. Begin to roll the dumplings by cutting the sheet into little squares, about 3 inches by 4 inches.

3. Place mixture into a piping bag and put a small dollop in the center of each square. Spritz the edges with water, then roll until the seams can be pinched closed.

4. Sauté in hot oil and serve. ◆ @EdibleLAMag ediblela.com 33

sip on this

A SENSE OF PLACE

In the world of wine, the term terroir is commonly used to describe the unique characteristics of a wine from a specific place — with its environment playing a critical role in the reception of the final product.

But can the same be said for spirits? In some cases, the answer is yes. If we use Italian amari as an example, many makers use botanicals that speak for a specific region in the country. Sipping on a certain liqueur can always bring me back to a certain time or place in Italy…in the same way a comforting dish of pasta could.

We asked a handful of local bartenders to help us travel through a cocktail so to speak, by sharing a recipe that transports them to a favorite destination, near or far.

BY KRISTINE BOCCHINO

note: all recipes make one cocktail

EL MAGICO Taylor Hall, bar manager at Grain in Playa Del Rey, takes us to a place close to his heart: Oaxaca — a state known for its rich culture and influential role in the culinary world. He drew his inspiration from local Mexican produce and paired the ingredients with a smooth mezcal. A little citrus and tamarind brighten up the expected rich, smoky notes of mezcal, and with the addition of chili, pomegranate, and cilantro, one sip could transport you right to Oaxaca.

INGREDIENTS 2 oz mezcal 1 oz tamarind syrup (recipe follows) 1 oz pomegranate juice 3/4 oz fresh lime juice 6 drops scorpion pepper tincture (recipe follows) 1 sprig cilantro 1 tsp ancho chili salt, for rim TO PREPARE COCKTAIL Add all ingredients to a shaker full of ice, shake to chill and pour over ice into a rocks glass TAMARIND SYRUP INGREDIENTS 1 cup water 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/3 cup seedless tamarind paste METHOD Cook all ingredients in a saucepan on low heat until well incorporated. Strain into a container and cool.

SCORPION PEPPER TINCTURE 34

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INGREDIENTS 2 Scorpion peppers 2 cups Everclear METHOD Soak chopped peppers in everclear for at least 7 days, strain into dropper bottles.

GOING BACK TO CALI (The Notorious B.I.G.) Saeed House, lead bartender of EverBar at the Kimpton Everly Hotel, is a Cali boy to the core. His California Sour calls for a base of tequila, which is an homage to the flavorful Latin influence here in Southern California, and rosé wine to represent our world-class California wine regions. House’s goal was to combine these two ingredients in a chill way, just like the attitude of the beach cities here in LA — a fine balance of sweet, tart, creamy, and dry all in one.

INGREDIENTS 2 oz Herradura silver tequila ¾ oz fresh lemon juice ¾ oz simple syrup 1 egg white ¾ oz Hacienda De Arinano rosé wine dehydrated rose, for garnish lemon peel, for garnish TO PREPARE COCKTAIL Add the tequila, lemon juice, and simple syrup to an ice-filled shaker and shake for about twenty seconds. Use a stainer to remove ice, then add egg white and dry shake for another fifteen seconds or so. Double strain into an ice-filled glass and express a lemon peel over the top and discard. Top with rosé wine, then garnish with a dehydrated rose and serve.

Oceans of Violets in Bloom by BC Hoffman

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sip on this

right to Catalonia.

INGREDIENTS 2 oz Gin Mare 4 oz Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic water Botanicals, such as whole star anise or fresh rosemary, for garnish lemon slice, for garnish Spanish olives, for garnish

Cali Sour by Saeed House at EverBar

OCEANS OF VIOLETS IN BLOOM As the beverage director of The Edison in DTLA and GM of Sassafras Saloon in Hollywood, BC Hoffman isn’t about following the norm when it comes to fall cocktail flavors. As he tells me, “it’s getting to be that time when pumpkin spice everything goes into full effect. Alternatively, I prefer to transport my taste buds to another part of the world where potatoes are purple and the gin pours like vodka.”

INGREDIENTS 2 oz Hendricks gin 1 oz fresh lime juice ¾ oz ube and butterfly pea flower tea syrup (recipe follows) dried lily, for garnish TO PREPARE COCKTAIL Add all ingredients to an ice-filled shaker and shake until cold, then strain over large ice into a fancy double rocks glass.

Garnish with a dried lily.

UBE BUTTERFLY PEA FLOWER SYRUP INGREDIENTS 1 large ube (purple potato) 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups granulated sugar 2 cups water 2 grams butterfly pea flower tea 36 oz hot rich simple syrup (two parts sugar, 1 part water) METHOD Wash outside of ube and pat dry. Poke some holes in the ube with a fork and place it directly on rack in a 375° oven. Bake until soft, roasted, and caramelized, approximately 1 ½ hours.

Peel off the skin and allow to cool. Grate the ube and place in a blender with the vanilla, sugar, and water. Blend until smooth, then pass through a strainer. In a separate container, place the tea with the simple syrup and allow it to steep for 5 minutes. Strain the tea from syrup (a French press works best).

In another container, combine the ube purée with the butterfly pea flower tea syrup.

GIN TONIC CLASSICO The newly launched Otoño in Highland Park is all about bold and beautiful Spanish flavors, so for bar manager Josh Suchan, creating a cocktail list that would complement the cuisine has been a fun and creative ride. When enjoying bright and sometimes spicy cuisine, the best way to go is with a light, crisp and refreshing tipple, like this classic gin and tonic that takes us 36

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METHOD Add ingredients to a large, ice-filled wine glass and garnish with a lemon slice, Spanish olives, and botanicals such as whole star anise and fresh rosemary.

AN ENGLISH TRIFLE Our editor-in-chief, Shauna Burke, shares a recipe for one of her favorite cocktails to serve at a holiday party, sort of a riff on a classic Pimm’s Royale, incorporating London Dry gin with English sparkling wine, Pimm’s, and muddled red berries, which, luckily, we have year round here in Los Angeles (you can also use frozen and thawed berries). As she tells me, “England holds a very pecial place in my heart and many people don’t even realize that they produce some fantastic sparkling wine!

Head to your local wine shop to see if they carry any, otherwise use your favorite local dry sparkling wine.”

INGREDIENTS 4 oz English sparkling wine 1 ½ oz Pimm’s No. 1 ¾ oz London Dry gin 1 fresh strawberry, quartered 2 fresh raspberries fresh mint, for garnish fresh raspberries, for garnish TO PREPARE COCKTAIL Add strawberry and raspberries to a shaker tin and muddle, then add Pimm’s, gin, and fill with ice. Shake until cold, then strain into an ice-filled wine glass. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and a cocktail pick with a few fresh raspberries.

TWILIGHT ON THE MED One of the many things that I feel is so special about Italy is experiencing the variations in food and drink from region to region. This cocktail incorporates three spirits and a sparkling wine, from four different regions of Italy, and the color reminds me of the golden glow of the sun as it sets over the Mediterranean Sea on a hot summer evening in Cinque Terre.

INGREDIENTS 1 oz Sabatini gin ½ oz Amaro Montenegro ½ oz Figaro liqueur 3 oz Ferrari Brut sparkling wine caramelized or dried fig, for garnish TO PREPARE COCKTAIL Add first three ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir to chill. Strain into a champagne glass or coupe, then top with sparkling wine. Add a caramelized fresh fig as garnish, otherwise use a dried brandied fig. ◆

local heroes

HOMEGIRL HEROES Former gang members and inmates are getting a second chance—and may just be making LA’s best blueberry pancakes.

BY LISA ALEXANDER

H

omegirl Cafe looks like any other busy organic pit stop in Los Angeles.

The tables are filled with families and office workers noshing on staples like chilaquiles or mango upside-down cornbread. Something’s a little different here, though — take the servers’ face tattoos, the Radical Kinship t-shirts, the seamless energy of the entire staff.

There’s a palpable sense of pride here.

Sit down with Arlin Crane, who’s been head of Homeboy Industries’ social outreach for six and a half years, and you can begin to see why. Homeboy has an amazing rehabilitation program that works, and maybe that’s why their social enterprises are growing like crazy — so fast and profitable that it’s hard to keep up.

“We now have the cafe and catering and a production grab-and-go line. The bakery’s expanding too—someone donated a gluten-free bakery so we’re training people there— and then there’s the commerce and product line for the holidays.

We ship cookies and cakes, everything organic and made from scratch, from the beginning of Thanksgiving all the way through Christmas,” she tells me.

Crane speaks quickly, as if there’s so much more to do, but also with the intensity that comes from knowing she’s making a dent in a vicious cycle. “I was an executive chef at Whole Foods Market, I worked corporate and numbers, and I

came here for three months and had no intention of staying. I had no idea who Father G was (that’s Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries)…but now I can’t imagine doing anything else. I have a hundred employees, some that have been with me for six years, and some that have been with me three months, and I feel like a giant mom,” she said.

The dining room’s closing up, her workers are stacking chairs, putting food away, and cleaning floors in a productive din as we talk. She tells me about the sixty-five-year old who just got out after twenty years inside. She’s teaching him not only how to work in a restaurant, but how to read and write as well.

Crane explains, “as much as you’re teaching them job skills, you’re also on their journey, and I think the coolest part about being here is that you’re constantly getting new people, and then you also get to watch the ones that you’ve mentored mentor other people…they’re allowing you into their lives to say, ‘okay, help me… and love me unconditionally’ and that’s what we do…

It’s hard, but it’s amazing work.”

Homegirl Cafe is more than a restaurant, because of its staff. The road to recovery starts on the other side of the building in Homeboy Industries. As Crane tells me, sometimes when she gets to work, the lobby is full of people straight out of prison because Homeboy’s specialty is reentry. Father G visits at-risk teens, gang members, and inmates in juvenile halls, prisons, jails, and probate programs, letting people know that Homeboy is there to help and, @EdibleLAMag

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more often than not, it’s the first and best stop when they get out.

“We have people who are lifers,” Crane said. “Some who went in at fourteen and are now thirty-four…They went through the juvenile system and they don’t have any life skills, as well as having so much trauma…. we have three or four right now — you can’t see in jeans — who are on ankle monitors. And I have people who meet me from federal parole, who are working on federal cases. We also have juveniles as well as adults coming over, so it’s a big mix and that’s unique about Homeboy.”

Father Greg’s special passion is gangs and—amazingly— the organization has engaged with 120,000 gang members so far with another 10,000 coming through the program each year. As he says, Homeboy is trying to give them “an exit ramp off the freeway of violence, addiction, and incarceration.”

Homeboy’s radical approach is many-faceted and starts with an eighteen-month program that includes individual, couple, substance abuse, and art therapy, as well as legal advice, case management, tattoo removal, and job placement. They also consider education to be an integral part of the program and, in addition to a core curriculum of life skills, personal development, wellness, vocational, and court-mandated free classes, there’s a partnership with Learning Works Charter School in Pasadena, so exiting inmates can, if necessary, earn their GED. Most importantly, they treat former gang members as human beings.

“They come into the program to heal,” Crane tells me.

“And then they come over to Social Enterprise (at Homegirl Cafe) usually at the nine-month mark…they’re paid from the moment they’re hired, we’re very unique that way. We pay you to work on yourself because when you come out of jail, the first thing you need is a paycheck otherwise you’re not going to make it… if you don’t have that you are going to look at reoffending or using. You could end up on Skid Row or anywhere else because you’re not going to have somewhere to live…at Homeboy, we’re also unique because in prison you can be hooked up with different gangs or different races, but here we blend you. For instance, here there are people whose supervisor was their enemy. We just throw you together.”

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I ask: so sometimes kids who were in enemy gangs find themselves side by side honing their knife skills on vegetables and planning a menu together?

“Yes,” Crane says. “Social Enterprise is so much more than just a plate of food. It’s being able to see people who would harm each other now working at a pace in a restaurant that’s getting tense, and they’re learning how to just breathe and get through it…they’re putting their effort and their ownership in the food and, in the process, breaking the stigma,” she continues, “to know that you get to break even one cycle, that brings me to tears.”

The future is exciting too, especially because in addition to the gluten-free branch of the bakery and the diner at CITY HALL (www.lacity.org) , there’s a groundbreaking cafeteria style eatery that will be on the ground floor of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, home of the LA County Supervisors. It’s mindblowing that the same civil servants who just voted to replace the crumbling and notorious Men’s County Jail will now be served a meal by some of its former inmates. It’s all about giving high-risk former gang members and inmates a second chance, when some of them never even had a chance to begin with. It’s also about establishing a support system, a therapeutic environment and, most importantly, securing jobs so they can have a real shot at succeeding and moving forward.

Crane tells me, “When you see… the light bulb start to flutter, and they’re getting it, it’s bigger than a plate of tacos. It’s seeing the neighborhood come together, and someone who would maybe be wanting to harm you start being able to work with you and call you brother.”

She checks her watch because she really has to move on but, before she goes, she says, “One less person is going to be hurt by making tacos or pouring coffee and it’s just that simple. Food can break so many boundaries.”

To support the mission, head to homeboyfoods.com where you’ll find cookies, cakes, jams, coffee, gift baskets, and more for holiday giving! ◆

Photo © iStockphoto.com/yelo34

the food historian

Feliz Tamalada Los Angeles’s Tamale Trajectory

BY LINDA CIVITELLO

T

amales have been festival food for more than two millennia. The Aztecs distributed free tamales at religious festivals — as many as each person could hold in one hand. Now in Los Angeles, tamales are holiday food, and making them has a name and is a festival itself: the tamalada.

Elaborate, sophisticated recipes for tamales are in El Cocinero Español (The Spanish Cook), the first cookbook written by a Hispanic in the United States, published in San Francisco in 1898. There are copies of the manuscript in the DTLA Public Library Special Collections and at the Huntington Library. The author, Encarnación Pinedo, wanted to leave a record of the cuisine of the Californios, the ruling class before statehood in 1850.

Encarnación has recipes for Tamales de elote de maíz dulce, made of sweet corn and chicken; Tamales de carne de buey, with beef, onion, olives, oregano, and red chiles; Tamales de dulce have a sweet filling of egg yolk, sugar, pine nuts, cinnamon, and acitrón—candied barrel cactus fruit.

Encarnación goes into great detail about how to make the time consuming and labor intensive masa:

“Add two tablespoons of strong lime and enough water to a quart of dried corn kernels. Simmer the corn, and if the skin doesn’t slip, add more lime. After a while, the corn will start to whiten. Take it and wash it in several waters to remove the lime and the skin. Then grind the corn for dough and tortillas.”

The grinding was done on a metate, or one of the new grinding machines.

Unfortunately, the racism that affected the Californios was evident in the food system as well. Tamaleros — tamale

sellers — were nocturnal, and vulnerable. In one court case, a “fresh young man” was slapped with a five dollar fine for trying to skip out on twnety cents’ worth of tamales. But Los Angeles Mayor Meredith P. Snyder defended the tamaleros: none of them were getting rich, and they were feeding people who couldn’t afford to eat in any sort of restaurant.

In 1892 and 1893, Los Angeles was embroiled in tamale wars as dueling Texans named Hunter and Drake tried to take over. Both sold tamales on Spring Street, at First, Second, and Temple.

And then it was all over. On January 22, 1894, the Los Angeles Herald wrote an obituary: “The Passing of the Tamale.”

A fickle public had shifted to street vendors selling Ham and Eggs, and Wienerwurst—hot dogs. The following year, “Tamales Knocked Out” declared the end of street sellers in Pasadena because city council members didn’t think tamales were “respectable.”

In 1899, tamales became more than respectable; they became fashionable when Mrs. Collis P. Huntington gave a Spanish-themed dinner in San Francisco. In Los Angeles, the inevitable charity fiestas followed, featuring tamale booths and young Anglo women dressed as Spanish señoritas. These meals also celebrated America becoming an empire and our defeat of Spain in the Spanish-American War. They completely ignored the indigenous origin of tamales.

By the 1950s, tamales had degenerated into Tamale Pie, a school lunch staple. The ingredients—ground meat and tomato sauce—were the same as Sloppy Joes, but with a different delivery system: a cornmeal crust instead of a white bread bun.

Fortunately, in Southern California, even if we aren’t part of a tamalada, we can get true tamales all over Los Angeles and beyond, especially around the holidays, and we aren’t limited to how many we can hold in one hand.◆ @EdibleLAMag

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LAST BITE

BY RYAN CAVEYWOOLPERT

LATKE BENNY Leftover (or even frozen) latkes make for a stunning Eggs Benedict.

T

he downside of being a restaurant chef is that cooking at home ends up being the complete opposite of fun or enjoyable.

Holidays are usually the only days of the year where I can sit back and enjoy someone else’s cooking — it’s a welcomed treat, even though I still have to field endless cooking questions from family members all day long.

When it comes time to go home with a pile of leftovers, it’s all about finding fuss-free ways to make a restaurant-quality dish at home with minimal effort and ingredients. Two things that I always have in my refrigerator are eggs and butter, so topping leftover latkes with poached eggs and whipping up a quick hollandaise are very simple, approachable, and affordable.

NO-FUSS BLENDER HOLLANDAISE makes enough for 4 people

INSTRUCTIONS Allow butter to cool until it’s just warm to the touch, but easily handled. Add yolks, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and salt to a blender and start processing on medium speed. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter until smooth and thick. If it’s too thick, add about one teaspoon of warm water as needed to reach desired consistency. Serve immediately or keep in an insulated beverage container (if you have a reusable lidded coffee mug, use that) until ready to serve.

To assemble the Benedict, heat leftover latkes by sautéing in butter or just microwaving until hot. Place two latkes on a plate, top each with (optionally) a slice of smoked salmon, a poached egg, and a drizzle of hollandaise. You may garnish with some fresh dill, a sprinkle of everything spice, or another pinch of cayenne for extra heat. If you want to get fancy, top with a dollop of caviar!

Serve immediately. ◆

Photo © iStockphoto.com/YelenaYemchuk

INGREDIENTS 4 large egg yolks 2 sticks (16 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted 1 1/2 - 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

pinch of cayenne pepper pinch of kosher salt warm water, as needed

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