According to the news, 2017-2018 is one of the worst flu seasons we’ve had in recent history. Flu germs are hard to avoid no matter how diligent we are about washing our hands. Besides keeping our mitts away from our faces and holding our breath when sandwiched between two coughing people on the subway, we can only hope that our immune systems pick up where we left off. But our immune systems are only as good as the vitamins we feed them. Indeed, think of each meal as an intimate date with our oh-so-sensitive immune systems. Why not treat (or even spoil) our immune systems to the stuff they crave?
It’s the Super Bowl this weekend and you should have a party.
People don’t entertain in their homes much anymore. Maybe it’s just my experience because I live in NYC and most apartments are the size of generous walk-in closets. However, even before moving here, it was rare that we’d be invited over to a friend’s. Instead, we met for drinks or reserved a table.
But entertaining at home is more personal. You are sharing your private space. You are demonstrating that your guests are worthy of forethought and effort. No waiter is there to serve as a third-party distraction or drop a check signaling that your time is up.
I’m guessing you are now thinking to yourself, YES, that’s exactly why I don’t have people over. Too scary.
However, there is no better time to start than the Super Bowl. The evening’s entertainment is already built in. People don’t have super high expectations about the food. As long as you have cold beer, a few snacks, a comfortable couch (or cushions on the floor), and a TV, you’re set.
Not convinced yet? As a private chef who regularly prepares memorable meals for 15 in just a few hours, and who prides herself on her ability to throw together a last-minute gathering, let me share a few tips on how you can do it and actually have fun in the process.
What We Eat knows how to throw a feast.
Party-Hosting Hacks
Plan the right menu. The right menu..
Is easy-to-execute. Choose one that can be made almost entirely ahead of time. You should be able to enjoy your party with your guests.
Includes components that can be store-bought and/or delegated to friends. Don’t be a hero. Find a prepared foods purveyor you like and use it. When friends ask what they can bring, actually give them something. People like to contribute.
Keeps your guests’ preferences in mind. It’s nice to ask if they have any when you extend the invitation just so you make sure everyone feels taken care of. When in doubt, serve a BYO meal (build-your-own). People of all ages enjoycustomizing their own dish.The fixin’s for Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili bowls.
Here are several Super Bowl-appropriate easy menus:
BYO Chili Bar (easy cooking)
Your favorite homemade chili with bowls of full fat Greek yogurt or sour cream, sliced avocado, thinly red onion, pulled store-bought rotisserie chicken (if chili is vegetarian), shredded cheddar, cilantro, baked tortillas strips and/or brown rice, and lime wedges
Delegate chips/salsa/guacamole, a simple salad and dessert
BYO Sandwich Bar (minimal to no cooking required)
Fresh French bread and a selection of high-quality thinly sliced meats and cheeses, store-bought or homemade chicken-salad or egg-salad, shredded romaine, sliced tomatoes and red onions, pickles and/or pickled vegetables, hot peppers, mustard and mayo
Delegate potato chips and a fun dip, a simple salad and dessert
Antipasto Party (minimal to no cooking required)
Cheeses – gorgonzola, Grana Padano, mozzarella and taleggio
Meats – salami, mortadella, capicola and prosciutto
Grissini, focaccia and crackers
Cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumber
Giardiniera, olives and pepperoncini
Grapes and/or sliced apples
Marcona almonds and/or pistachios
Delegate any of these components and/or dessert
Pizza Delivery and Homemade Salads (concentrates all effort on one or two special salads)
Enlist the help of your guests. With the exceptions of doing the dishes, most people like being assigned a duty while at a party. Who doesn’t like a sense of purpose? Good assignments are drink duty (making sure everyone gets a drink quickly and stays topped up), easy chopping and plating of dishes.
Lay out serveware, and set the table or wrap silverware in cloth or paper napkins up to a few days ahead of time. This gets your wheels turning about what you need to do and eliminates any last-minute scramble to find that right dip bowl or platter.
If the clean-up is what stops you from having people over, use disposable stuff. Eco-friendly disposable bamboo plates are an attractive and sturdy choice. It’s nice to use your own flatware but if you don’t have enough, there are plenty of greatlookingoptions.
My golden rule: No matter what, always have a drink in hand, candles lit and music on as guests arrive. This signals to your guests that you are relaxed and having fun and they’ll follow suit. Even if I haven’t showered, unpacked the groceries, etc. I’ll do these three things.
Above all else, have faith that your party is going to be awesome. When you invite people over, it’s your responsibility to provide the venue and organize good drinks, food and a little entertainment, whether that’s the game or a solid playlist. It’s your guests’ responsibility to show up and have a good time.
Let this Super Bowl be your gateway into home entertaining for all occasions. Let’s #bringbackthedinnerparty!
In line at Whole Foods perusing food magazines, it’s hard not to notice a theme this time of year. It seems like everyone in food (especially the health food scene) tries to guess what the next Kale, Quinoa, Coconut oil or Kombucha will be. What food trends are predicted for 2018? Paging through my favorite issues while my groceries inch down the conveyer belt, it’s clear that everyone’s thinking about simplicity and ease when it comes to cooking. Meal prep ideas are the rage. As private chefs who basically do that for a living and for ourselves, we’re experts on the matter. Here are four prep ahead food trends we’re predicting for 2018:
A Little Sprinkle Here…
The key to meal prep is having things on hand that you can throw together in a pinch. That’s why I think things like “sprinkles” (coined by Bon Appetit) and sauces are so on trend. They’re perfect for just that–whipping things up and keeping them in the fridge! Not only are these sauces and seed mixes easy to keep on hand, they’re also healthy and protein rich. Sprinkles and sauces are a quick Sunday activity too (#mealprepsundays). Roast your favorite nut (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.), toast some sesame seeds (or pepitas, chia seeds, hempseeds, etc.) and toss with maldon salt, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, granulated garlic…you name it.
Think about the stuff you pinch (or “sprinkle”) onto your plate last minute. Something crunchy, something salty, and something spicy. It’s what granola is to breakfast yogurt. Keep your preferred mix at your fingertips in a jar in your pantry or fridge. Here are a few “sprinkle” recipes to tickle your taste buds: the general idea to build off of and a little something extra to get your creative juices flowing. A good “starter” sprinkle is panko, garlic and parmesan. Saute panko in a little olive oil until golden, adding in minced garlic for the last minute or two. Then add grated parmesan off the heat. Cool and store in the fridge to top soups, salads or other cooked vegetable dishes throughout the week.
Creamy miso tahini dressing with charred broccoli and crispy tofu
…A Little Drizzle There
Sauces work the same way. These homemade condiments can also be packed with nutrients: omega-3 infused anchovies, probiotic rich miso, protein packed greek yogurt to name a few. With the rise of fermented flavors (another food trend, link to Gillian’s take on it here) we’re obsessed with putting a teaspoon of miso in our tahini dressing. It adds tangy, savory flair to the nutty, creamy tahini. Bonus that it’s good for your gut. This dressing can be thinned out and tossed in a salad or better yet drizzled on your roasted veggies. (Here’s a recipe for reference if you need one.)
We love fresh herbs, which means we always have them in our fridge. There’s almost nothing more satisfying than freeing up space in our crisper drawers and putting all the sad, end-of-week herbs in a blender with some olive oil, a little zest and and anchovy filet. Salsa Verde! This stuff is delicious on practically everything. If you throw in some yogurt or avocado, it transforms into green goddess. These sauces are my go-to show stoppers and they’re literally made by just throwing things odds and ends together.
Yogurt With Everything
Our self-proclaimed trend is the rise of plain Greek yogurt or skyr as ingredients. We love to dollop them on everything, from build-your-own rice bowls to chicken tortilla soup. I even put in on top of my scrambled eggs. It adds that creamy richness you get from sour cream but without the guilt. The probiotics make it much better for you. The tang…you’ll love the tang.
Plant-based Bean Stew with Crunchy Wild Mushrooms
A Mostly Plant-Based Diet
Plant based proteins are becoming more popular every year and it feels like the list just keeps getting longer. They include tofu, tempeh, quinoa, lentils, beans, chia seeds, and various nuts. With so many vegan/vegetarian clients we keep this list of possibilities under our belt at all times. It’s becoming clearer that we don’t need as much protein as we think. I try to stick to one animal based protein a day and often end up eating meat just a few times a week. A mix of quinoa and beans (a cup of each) is enough to fulfill half of my recommended daily intake. That’s half in just one meal! With that in mind, I’m always thinking of ways to minimize my need for animal proteins and I’m not the only one. I don’t consider myself a vegetarian, but I’m not limiting myself to animal products and I think that’s where the trend in headed. There’s even a word for it: Flexitarian. This is defined by people who are not committed to a full vegetarian diet but prefer to eat mostly plant-based foods. Long live plant love!
Nothing brings me more joy than a clean, organized kitchen. Not everyone has the time to do a thorough, top-to-bottom sweep each week but there are a few tricks I’ve picked up that make it much easier. That being said, there’s no substitute for a full kitchen overhaul — it’s the difference between a quick sponge here and there and a hardy scrub each week. If you can do a fridge and pantry deep clean once a month, you’ll fall in love with cooking in it!
A happy kitchen = happy chef.
Pantry envy from Food52
As a “home cook” turned private chef, I treat every kitchen as my own. I’ll admit, it’s not easy keeping up with seven (!) kitchens each week, including my own. That’s a lot of kitchen to cover in one week so maintenance has become second nature for me.
Here’s how it works: First thing you do is open up all the drawers and cabinets. You take a detailed inventory and toss the dusty stuff (i.e. those random gift basket jars of artisanal jam and bulky boxes of pasta with only a few noodles left). It’s best to start with a clean slate so taking everything out and scrubbing the shelves is ideal. Restock as you see fit, keeping in mind the things you use on a regular basis and the things you use less frequently, organizing your go-tos on the bottom shelf and your once-in-a-whiles up top.
For the pantry: Consolidate your nuts and grains. If you’re really looking for a makeover you might consider bulk containers, these range from reusable quart containers to streamlined rectangle ones with airtight lids and classic mason jars. I treat each shelf like a puzzle, optimizing every inch, without too much overlap (or clutter). Baskets are great to combine small items like baking necessities and sprinkle varieties.
A note about salt: If you’re like me, you keep your salt next to the stove for easy access when you’re cooking. Use a bowl you can fit a whole five-finger pinch.
Next is the fridge binge: This is the most fluctuating space in your kitchen so it’s understandable if it’s little harder to keep organized. Here are few helpful hints:
Laura taught me a useful trick for crisper drawers that make weekly clean-outs a breeze. Lining the bottom of your fridge drawers with paper towel not only collects little broccoli bits, it also extends the life of your veggies! I replace them every two weeks.
My favorite soup hack: store leftover soup in your a pot for easy reheating directly on the stovetop.
Food52 has an article about how to keep produce fresh that I consult all the time. Since we use so many herbs in our cooking, my favorite trick is keeping herbs in a jar of water like cut flowers. This works especially well with herbs that still have roots, like most cilantro you buy at the store.
I also invested in vejibags. I love them! It keeps hardy veggies like radish, carrots and celery fresh for weeks! They’re perfect for the veggies lingering in your fridge like leftover celery or ones you’re saving for later. All you have to do is give them a good rinse, wet the bags and ring them out until they’re just damp then put whatever you want inside. They claim to work with leafy greens too, although I haven’t had much luck.
However, there’s a great trick for kale fanatics. Simply, wash your kale in a salad spinner as you normally would, dry thoroughly and wipe out the excess water on the inside of the bowl, then store it in your fridge as is, and voilà, you’ve got kale on hand for a whole week!
Food waste: If your neighborhood has compost pick-up, use it! It has transformed the way I cook and how I feel about tossing the stuff I don’t use from the fridge. Maybe it’s the environmentalist in me talking, or the OCD but it feels so good. I read in the Alice Water’s memoir that when she was a kid her parents recycled and composted so much that they only took the trash out once a week. What a dream!
One of my favorite things about cooking is playing with my food. Composing a salad, the perfect toast or (in this case) sushi, allows me to have fun each step of the way! For some, making your own sushi can sound daunting, but it’s actually simple. You don’t even need a sushi mat to make it (although it helps).
In this recipe, I made a vegan sweet potato and avocado sushi roll. Sushi is versatile, so play up your favorite flavor combinations! For the gals at What We Eat, we constantly make many variations of a carrot and avocado salad. So, in light of that inspiration, here is what we came up with!
What you’ll need:
A clean dish towel
Plastic wrap
A bowl of cold water (to help the rice not stick to your hands)
Sushi mat
Ingredients
Nori sheets
2 cups sushi rice, cooked and cooled with a splash of seasoned rice vinegar
Julienned Vegetables of choice (I did sweet potato, cucumber, daikon, avocado, cilantro)
Method:
Place a big square of plastic wrap on top of a sushi mat and place on top of a dish towel. (The towel is there to help with the mess). Place a single piece of nori on top of the plastic.
2. With wet hands, place a decent size scoop of the rice onto the nori and press down until even thickness throughout. The water will help the sushi rice to not stick to your hands. Life hack!
3. Add vegetables of choice in a straight line about ⅓ of the way in. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and top with cilantro.
4. Now the fun part! Using the sushi mat and plastic as a guide, tightly roll the sushi. Make sure the pressure is even when you roll to help prevent lumps. (Note: Chef hands in dire need of a paraffin treatment!!)
5. Allow to sit for 10 minutes rolled in the plastic before cutting.
6. Slice sushi into 8 pieces and enjoy dipped in your favorite sauce.
