I am now in New York. I think the last time I was in New York during winter may have been in 2007. Let's just say it's been a minute since I've faced the elements in this incredible city. Lucky for me, it was one of those incredible January days that is around 50 degrees and sunny. God, I love this city.
You would think that after a 13 week hiatus from Manhattan I would be in a rush to eat somewhere new, somewhere familiar, somewhere in general. Not this trip. After 8 weeks in Los Angeles, the last thing I wanted to be was social at a restaurant. Naturally, I decided to cook. Honestly, this all stemmed from picking up this months "Food and Wine" magazine and being inspired to undertake their somewhat complicated recipes.
Since I was in someone else's kitchen -without my tools and without my ingredients, I decided to keep it simple. I was cooking for four; I also wanted to be able to interact with my guests.
I decided to make soup: Beer Cheddar Soup (www.foodandwine.com/recipes/beer-and-cheddar-soup). If you watch "30 Rock" you may be thinking I made Cheese Stew. I did not, nor does this taste like it sounds. I made this soup last fall and fell in love with its flavors. Between the smokiness of the cheddar (The recipe calls for sharp and smoked cheddar, the latter is difficult to find, I tend to just use a smoked Gouda), the bite the jalapenos have and the lightness that the pilsner infuses (in this particular case Delirium), make this a perfect soup for winter, and simple enough to prepare ahead of time. Also, getting thyme and other fresh herbs in the middle of winter in New York City turned out to be a bit of a challenge. However, I tend to add a little more of their dry counterparts to balance out flavor. A sensible bowl of this soup is plenty to satisfy your craving, open your appetite and warm up your soul. Not to mention, this soup has bacon. We all know everything with bacon is just better.
For a main course I kept going back and forth between white or red meat. My friend Nicole doesn't eat red meat, so once I remembered that it made my decision much easier. After doing a quick recipe search on the "Food and Wine" website I came across a recipe for chicken breast with a salsa verde (www.foodandwine.com/recipes/sauteed-chicken-breasts-with-salsa-verde). After reading through the recipe, I realized that it was more of a "chimichurri", but what was new and different was using it on chicken breasts. Chimichurri is an Argentine salsa that is used to accompany grilled meats, usually flank steak. Being that it's New York, and the middle of winter, using a stove top and a stainless steel pan is my only option. Moderate heat and 5 minutes later per side, I had perfectly cooked chicken breast. This "salsa verde" as my recipe called it has a lemon and anchovy paste base which add natural seasoning to it, along with parsley and garlic, very little salt is needed, and the chicken breast needed no seasoning what so ever. All of your flavor will be coming from the sauce, and with the chicken coming straight out of the pan, you're in for a treat.
To go along with this dish, I decided to make fried green plantains, tostones as they are called, and a cherry tomato side with a beer (basically the rest of the Delirium) white truffle oil vinaigrette. That was my own concoction which was inspired by the salad dressing of a restaurant called Beer Bistro in Toronto.
All in all, a successful dinner party. My friend Emilie brought dessert, so I cannot take credit for that. I haven't had this much fun in NY in a long time. Sometimes a simple dinner party can generate great memories, and is a little easier on the wallet without losing flavor nor style.
P.S. Shout out to the guest of the night, Harley, the Frenchie.
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