Memory Archives - What We Eat NYC

I’m the new girl at What We Eat so I’ll start by introducing myself. My name is Charlotte and I’m here because cooking is the single most consistent thread in my life. Not necessarily the subject of cooking, but the social and communal aspects of it. Growing up in Chicago, my mom wasn’t home most nights as the committed breadwinner of our household and my father’s cooking ability didn’t extent beyond basting chicken wings with a bottle of “Open Pit” over the Weber grill. Although home cooked meals weren’t a nightly staple, we made up for it on weekends, holidays, family reunions, or just about any excuse we could think of to sit people around our dinning room table. My fondest memories as a kid were, without a doubt, hosting wedding showers for my big cousins in our back yard and travelling to my grandparent’s house with our ETA scheduled the moment the Christmas ham came out of the oven. I understood from a very early age that the key to making people happy and being happy myself was eating well and sharing good food with the people I care about.

In college, cooking was what set me apart from almost everyone I lived with. I struggled to find the balance between expressing my predisposition toward cooking and going above and beyond for roommates who, for the most part, didn’t understand what was so great about homemade pizza crust. I (literally) fed off the satisfaction of pleasing others with food; no matter who it was or at what cost. I went out of my way to cook these elaborate meals for people that were just as content eating ramen for breakfast. I set ridiculous goals for myself and was always disappointed by the results. Ultimately, I lost touch with what cooking for others in a positive, fulfilling way feels like and knew it shouldn’t feel like I’m doing it to impress someone or make new friends. The food you bring to the table should be personal and it should reflect your taste, not just catered to what you think people will enjoy. With this attitude my menus evolved from simple spaghetti with tomato sauce to discovering my favorite combination of veal, pork and beef meatballs and spaghetti. My standards and tastes developed to appreciate new cuisines and adjust old ones. That being said the soul of my cooking originated from my most memorable family meals and to this day the most influential cookbook on my shelf was bound by my aunt and consists of a curated and expanding history of my family’s favorite, most craved and worshiped recipes. I still consult it’s oil-stained pages for my grandmother’s tried and true oatmeal cookies and my mother’s prized mushroom pate but I must admit that I’m motivated more and more by the excitement of trying new recipes with the tradition of family getting together the defining ingredient.

Now, I’m not saying that Thursday morning is the time to test out the cauliflower version of mashed potatoes or a deep fried turkey on your thanksgiving guests (or guinea pigs). So, stick to what you know but challenge yourself to come out of the green bean comfort zone. The easiest adjustment or addition you can make to the spread is to try a new salad or blend of roasted vegetables. It’s no surprise that salad is the most overlooked dish at the thanksgiving table. I mean who wants to compete with creamy mashed potatoes and savory stuffing? But after just three weeks at What We Eat, I’m a believer that salad could steal the show (not that we’re keeping score). Because salads are adaptable and easy to tweak, it makes them hard to screw up. This thanksgiving I’ve nominated myself to make the salad and based on the ones we’ve been making for clients lately, I’m pretty confident my family will be licking their salad plates.

Here are some rough ideas:

Crispy shaved brussels sprout salad with tender farro, pomegranate seeds, pickled red onion, currents with a honey-lemon vinaigrette

Roasted carrots and beets with a red-wine vinegar dressing, toasted pistachios and crumbled goat cheese.

Stay tuned for the results! With love, Charlotte 🙂

Butternut squash soup with greek yogurt and arugula

Fall is in the air! The leaves on the trees are becoming as vibrantly colorful as this season’s offerings at the farmer’s market. It’s officially time to swap stone fruit for sweet and crunchy apples, trade summer squash for the butternut squash, and switch from pea shoots to brussel sprouts. Fall is a warm invitation for comfort; a time for greeting the familiar scent of a bonfire, sipping spiced tea, firing up the oven for roasts and braises.

Food plays such a large role in why I love the fall. Harvest time provides bountiful offerings, a plethora of seasonal recipes for savory, hot meals, and a prolonged sense of happiness and nostalgia as a result from eating such dishes. Pumpkin bread, roasted mushrooms and pork tenderloin with homemade spiced-apple chutney never fail to bring me back to a happy place from my childhood. I remember the joy of submerging myself into the warmth and scents of a welcoming home after walking through the front door on a blustery day. All of these meals are treasured for the memories they carry with them, but in the end nothing comes close to the comfort I remember of curling up on the couch with a bowl of warm, spiced butternut squash soup.

I recently returned home one evening, exhausted from a long day, only to find that my roommate Rian, of What We Eat, had easily whipped up a small meal. The soup was ready and waiting for me while an armchair and a cozy blanket beckoned from the corner. I filled up a bowl and joined in watching a film, but was immediately transported to another place when I tried a spoonful of soup. Creamy in consistency, deeply herbaceous, slightly sweet, and lightly spiced with nutmeg, accented by a subtle heat achieved by a dash of cayenne. This meal embodied that fall represents, all in a 12 ounce serving.

With love, Kristina 🙂

Rian’s Squash soup

1 onion
2 carrots
3 cloves garlic
2 cups butternut squash
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4^th teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
parmesan cheese rind (or grated parmesan if you do not have)

The secret to this soup is to add depth of flavor by deeply caramelizing the onions. Roughly chop the onion and put into a pot with some olive oil on medium-high heat.

Once the onions have achieved some good color, add in chopped carrots and chopped butternut squash and sauté until they are tender, about ten minutes. At this point add in chopped garlic, cumin and nutmeg. Cook for a few minutes longer so that the spices can toast and then add the chicken stock.

For an amazing umami flavor, place a parmesan cheese rind into the pot with the rest of the ingredients. If you do not have a rind, a little grated parmesan added in before blending will be fine too. Allow the soup to come up to a simmer for about ten minutes and then remove from the heat.

Remove the rind now, or add in the grated parmesan. Blend the soup to a thick pureed consistency, either by using an immersion blender or a regular blender. Be careful of splatters if you do not have the patience to wait until the soup has cooled. At this point adjust by adding more liquid if the soup is very thick. To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with toasted bread, (I love mine rubbed with garlic and chopped into croutons) a dollop of Greek yogurt or a sprinkling of fresh herbs such as parsley, cilantro or basil.

Tag: Memory

Rian’s Butternut Squash Soup