8 minute read
FOOD: Taste of Summer
SAVOR
taste of SUMMER
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Royale chef and family man Jeff Seizer gives the food of his childhood a North Carolina spin
by ADDIE LADNER
— Jeff Seizer
On a given weekday morning, you might find Jeff Seizer looking over the heirloom tomato section at the Ronnie Moore Farms stand at the Farmers Market, or searching for the sweetest blueberries and blackberries at a nearby berry patch with his wife, Sally Stark-Dreifus, and their two young children, Sophie and Luca. Seizer takes full advantage of North Carolina's spectrum of year-round offerings: Cherokee Purple tomatoes, Thai basil, chili peppers and more. These are not only staples at his downtown Ralegh bistro, Royale, but at his home, too. “Our region is such a wonderful one for growing,” says Seizer. “We have all the vegetables here, so it's easy to eat seasonally.” A lifestyle centered around food and family comes naturally to Seizer. Born
Dinner from the grill on Jeff Seizer's family table (recipes next page).
and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Seizer comes from a large Italian family. His mom was a single parent who worked as a college professor, so he planned the days’ menus alongside his grandmother. It was she who taught him the ways of the kitchen. “She was an amazing cook. Every Sunday, we had a huge family dinner,” he says. Stuffed artichokes, antipasti, meat, pasta and gravy (that’s red sauce, for the non-Italians out there) and cookies from local bakeries would fill the table. “Food was extremely sought after and praised,” he says. While Seizer could easily learn a recipe or the ways of a knife, he says his severe learning disabilities made it clear to him early on that college wouldn't be an option. Instead, he found his education in the kitchen and at the table with his family. “I wanted to cook. That was where it all started for me.” Come summer, the Seizer family’s kitchen and garden are full of activity. Little hands turn ripe stone fruits and mint into refreshing popsicles. Homegrown rosemary and oregano elevate dressings for crisp salads. Cuts of chicken and sweet corn wait for the grill’s flame. “When Jeff is home, he loves cooking with the kids and teaching them,” says Stark-Dreifus. “Every year, we try to grow herbs and vegetables. This year has been more successful than others!” It’s a good thing, too, because Seizer and his family mastered homemade pizza, the quintessential food of his childhood, during the recent stay-athome order—just in time to top it with all of North Carolina’s summer bounty. “I had this rare opportunity to be at home, and I’d always wanted to dive into sourdough,” says Seizer, with a laugh to acknowledge that he wasn't the only one. While a trained chef, Seizer says sourdough was uncharted territory. “My only advantage was I had a scale and mild knowledge of different flours.” He also had a chef's confidence and comfort with repetition. “When you cook professionally, you make four to six dishes, 100 times a day, every day, for a couple weeks or months,” he says. At home, he did the same, practicing with his sourdough starter (“Sweet Baby,” the family calls it) to get a perfectly soft-but-crusty pizza dough. It’s now a mainstay on their home menu. It’s all come full circle, Seizer says: not just the Italian-inspired recipes, but spending hours in the kitchen teaching his children about cooking in the same way that his grandmother taught him. “It’s about making the ordinary, extraordinary,” says Stark-Dreifus. Here, the family shares their go-to recipes.
Blueberry Lemon Cornmeal Muffins
“We enjoy Jeff’s amazing cooking to the max, but I am always trying to incorporate healthy items into our meals. These muffins are so versatile and easy to make. You can substitute various fruits, citrus or herbs you have and kids love them as breakfast or snack.” —Sally Stark-Dreifus
2 cups ground oats or oat flour 1/2 cup cornmeal 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1/3 cup olive oil 2/3 cup sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups fresh berries Zest of 1/2 lemon 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients until you get a smooth, pudding-like consistency. Fold in the berries.
Portion out into a muffin tray. If desired, top with additional lemon zest and a sprinkling of sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Whole Wheat Bread
454 grams (nearly 2 cups) sourdough starter 680 grams (5 1/2 cups) whole wheat flour 100 grams (1 cup) bread flour 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons instant yeast 50 grams (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
Lightly mix all ingredients by hand or with a mixer to make an unfinished dough (it should not look fully mixed). Rest for 20 minutes.
Knead the dough until smooth and slightly sticky, then transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Let rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until it has more than doubled in size.
Turn the dough out onto a floured table and fold a couple of times. Divide dough in half and loosely shape each into a loaf.
Place the loaves in lightly greased bread pans and let rise again for 60 to 90 minutes, until the dough has risen above the rim of the pan. Near the end of rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown (an internal temperature of 210 degrees). Rest in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto a resting rack. Let the bread cool before removing, then enjoy!
Maple BLT
“Mayo is the best for pan-toasting bread— better than butter.” —Jeff Seizer
Slab bacon for a thicker cut Maple syrup Fresh cracked black pepper Fresh local tomatoes Lettuce or leafy green of choice 1 garlic glove, mashed Good quality bread Good quality butter and mayonnaise
Place bacon on a baking sheet and brush with maple syrup. Sprinkle fresh-cracked black pepper on top. Bake at 375 degrees to your preferred texture.
Pre-season the sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper.
Spread mayonnaise on both pieces of bread. Heat a pan to medium. Add a pat of butter and mashed glove of garlic. Toast bread to desired crispness.
Assemble sandwich and enjoy.
Dinner from the Grill
“I love to finish anything from the grill with a big squeeze of fresh lemon, EVOO and some thin-sliced radishes. The flavor of a bright herb marinade complements anything that comes from the gill.” —Jeff Seizer
CHICKEN & VEGETABLES
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 parts Vegetables such as corn, ramps, eggplant, yellow peppers or summer squash
HERB MARINADE
1 cup each of basil, parsley and cilantro Fresh herbs of your choice (in addition to the below, or as a substitution) 4 cloves garlic 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon ground fennel 1 tablespoon Zatar (optional) 1 tablespoon chili flakes (or less depending on desired spice level) Juice of one lemon 1 cup extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper to taste
Blend all ingredients except olive oil in a blender or food processor. Slowly add olive oil until combined.
Marinate the chicken and vegetables (separately) overnight or for at least four hours.
STEAK FRIES
4 to 6 russet potatoes 4 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped 4 cloves garlic, crushed Salt and pepper 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
To prepare the steak fries: Wash and cut potatoes lengthwise, about 8 fries per potato. Toss fries in a bowl with rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Bake at 375 degrees until tender. Cool and reserve for the grill.
To finish potatoes on the grill: Once the grill is hot, place a cast iron pan on a hot spot with enough oil to coat the pan. Toss in the potatoes and fry until crisp and golden brown. Transfer to a plate and lightly salt.
To grill the chicken and vegetables: The chicken can go right from the marinade to the grill. Season with salt once it's on. Keep an eye on the chicken so it does not catch fire. Don't be afraid to move it around. Cook for about 20 to 30 minutes, to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
When the chicken is almost done, throw on your corn and other vegetables. Grill until nice and charred, about 10 minutes.
Plate the chicken, vegetables and steak fries, and enjoy!
Sourdough Pizza
“A scale is a great tool if you’re into baking and pizza. Get creative with your toppings (corn, thinly sliced zucchini, various cured meats) and be generous with your flour. Bake on sheet trays or a preheated pizza stone.” —Jeff Seizer
Ingredients:
500 grams (a little more than 2 cups) flour 312 grams (1 1/3 cups) of warm water 175 grams (3/4 cup) sourdough starter 38 grams (3 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil 13 grams (3 teaspoons) of salt 13 grams (3 teaspoons) of sugar 1 gram (1/2 teaspoon) instant active yeast
Weigh out all the ingredients, then mix in a bowl with your hands. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and leave out to rise at room temp for 2 to 3 hours.
Once it has begun to rise, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Take out the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Separate into three equal portions, give each section a quick knead and mold into balls.
Place each ball into individual greased bowls or small storage containers, then return to the refrigerator for 24 hours. Pull out dough one hour before you want to bake it.
To prepare pizza: preheat oven (with pizza stone, if you have one) to 500 degrees. Stretch dough onto a pizza peal or sheet pan and top with desired ingredients. Turn on broiler and bake in oven for 6 to 10 minutes.
