Five Things We're Into Right Now
Thought it was about time for a little what-we're-excited-about dispatch from DALS headquarters, starting with what you're looking at above. Ever since we've decided to cut back on the meat in our house, I've made sure to stock up on ingredients that feel like they might be good things to build a meal around. That means tofu, eggs, and lots and lots of avocados. (It's a literal emergency in my house now when we are out of avocados.) Recently, I've added something new to the list...
. ...1. Halloumi! It's cheese, so it's not exactly good for you, but if you cut it into cubes, then fry it for a few seconds in a cast-iron pan (or a very lightly greased skillet) it's just enough of a substantive hit that upgrades in a regular old salad (above, paired with butternut squash, almonds, an herby-yogurt dressing I'm completely blanking on) or a dutifully green Buddha bowl. (Recipe for that one coming soon.) Look for halloumi in better supermarkets near the feta and cotija.
. 2. Cauliflower, Reimagined Dan Barber blew everyone's mind a few years ago when he reinterpreted a head of cauliflower as a "steak" and served it over cauliflower puree. Perhaps that's why it seems like everywhere I look these days, clever types are now seeing the cruciferous vegetable as something it decidedly isn't, i.e meat (Cauliflower Bolognese, above); or chicken ( Cauliflower Parm); or pasta (Cauliflower and Cheese). I do like where this is headed. Photo of "Bolognese" for Bon Appetit by Chelsea Kyle.
. 3. Our Oxo Pour-Over Kettle Phoebe is right in the thick of junior year (ACTs and college visits in addition to the usual intense homework load) and though she hasn't said as much to me, I can tell she's finding comfort in her morning rituals: walking to school while listening to music or her podcasts, and, as of this January, making her own pour-over using the Oxo kettle we gave her as a Christmas gift. She's officially a coffee addict, and I'm not sure why, but get a little heart-swell every time I come downstairs at 7:15 am and see my fetishistic barista-in-training patiently drizzling the sleek spout (it's all about the spout) over whatever coffee grounds she's feeling into that day. The kettle gets room-temperature water to 200 degrees (the exact temperature needed for optimum pour-over conditions) in under 60 seconds, helpful when you're in high school and can't be late for physics. (Oof, physics.)
. 4. Bob's Red Mill Muesli Ever since Andy returned from a business trip in Germany three years ago, he's been on a search to replicate the muesli he ate every morning in his hotel lobby. If we are to believe him, there's nothing close to it Stateside. When he makes declarations like this, of course my first instinct is to prove him wrong. To that end, I've picked up bags of it everywhere from Ikea to little boutique food shops in the Hudson Valley with no success. I even tried a homemade version for Valentine's Day one year, tying up the Mason jar with a red ribbon. He was polite about it, but that jar sat on the counter for months, virtually untouched, before I finally tossed the concoction and accepted defeat. Then just last week, I grabbed a pouch of the gluten-free muesli from the Bob's Red Mill display at a local supermarket. (There's no specific reason why I picked gluten-free over the other options.) While I was traveling over the weekend, he texted me a photo of his breakfast. "I've had it twice this weekend. So good!" #smallvictories #marriage #problemsolved #niceproblems #HiBean!
. 5. Samin Nosrat's Buttermilk Chicken. Anyone who's already watched Nosrat's Netflix series Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, knows about her instant-icon chicken, which requires precisely three ingredients: A 3-4 lb. whole chicken, 2 cups of buttermilk, and salt. "If you've never roasted a chicken, this is the perfect place to start," Nosrat says. The buttermilk provides the acid and the fat, tenderizes the meat, and offers the most "delicious kind of insurance" if you cook it five or ten minutes too long. We made the magical chicken within days of watching her prepare it and I urge you to do the same -- it couldn't be easier or tastier.
Related: Five Bright Ideas