20 Questions with April

Hello reader! On this day last year as I was driving my daughter Sara from Baton Rouge to the MSY airport in New Orleans, I ran an idea past her: Me: I’m thinking about a 20 questions blog series, one post each week for the year, and I’ll interview friends…” She: 20 questions is too long/will you be able to get that many people to interview?/will you be able to do this every week? 

Valid questions from a smart girl. While I drove, she wrote the questions as I thought them up. Then we brainstormed a list of cooking friends from the different chapters of my life and the blog series was born. The exercise was just what I needed after spending the second half-plus of 2019 in what I call trauma timeout with my daughter Reilly who had a life-altering accident in May. Having spent most of my life in the kitchen and much of it cooking with friends and family, that ritual was lost (temporarily!) while Reilly healed in three hospitals from May to September. 

Now she is healing at home and at 20 months and 21 surgeries and counting, the finish line is coming into view. Much of my healing has been in the kitchen where I can brew coffee in the morning, make meals around the clock, and every week, catch up with a friend and then cook their ‘20 minute’ recipe. Cooking is my therapy! I could keep going with interviewing friends into the next decade. For now, though, I shift my focus to a book to chronicle family and healing post-trauma. Of course there will be recipes to comfort and nourish!

I would like to thank everyone who played along with my interviews and all you readers for joining the fun. We now have a collection of simple recipes and some great ideas for restaurants, cookbooks, cooking schools, family traditions and more! Many many thanks and always Happy Cooking! ~~April

What’s your 20 minute recipe? Fresh squeezed orange juice. I was raised on it and the hum of the citrus juicer gets me giggling! I know a glass of sunshine is on the menu when I hear it. Living in Louisiana has the bonus of beautiful citrus all winter. When my husband challenged that this isn’t really a ‘recipe’ I reminded him of a quote he shared with me years ago from the great Spanish chef Ferran Adrià:

If you go home and you eat an apple, is that cooking? For me that's not because there's no aptitude as far as cooking goes. That might be gastronomy. Because if you want to eat it and enjoy it, make it pleasurable because it might be a really good apple, there might be some gastronomy aptitude there. But if you were to put that very same apple on a plate, for me that's cooking.

What’s your favorite city? Tough question! I love to explore and never dreamed I would leave my beloved Florida where I was born and lived until after college. It’s still home to me. To find myself now living just an hour from one of the world’s greatest food and music destinations is pretty dreamy! I’ll say New Orleans. Oh but I probably need an ocean so maybe San Diego where the weather is perfect and there’s sand, sunshine and saltwater, just a stone’s throw from Mexico.

What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten in an airport? I had a HOT chicken sandwich with some pretty incredible french fries at Chicken + Beer in Atlanta, with iced tea. 

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? Jar of pickled jalapenos from the farmer’s market. 

Who taught you to cook? My mom! She was feeding a big family and everyone helped in the kitchen. As the youngest, I was her shadow. I say I was born in the kitchen.

What’s your go-to dish for company? We love to do some good Mexican food and no matter the menu, call it a fiesta! People go wild for the simplest well-cooked black beans and rice. I make them per Rick Bayless. The beans start with some almost-browned onion and the rice first gets sauteed with onion and olive oil before the liquid goes in.

What’s on your cooking playlist? I am the worst DJ! There is a world of amazing music at our fingertips and I’m not that great at navigating it. I do love some NPR and am happy to wash dishes to the tune of The Splendid Table. Also, streaming Mountain Stage always makes me smile! And at this moment it’s Todd Snider singing Sanity and Madness. That sums it up!

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? Coffee! I’d rather not live without it. Brewing a pot in the morning is like stoking a fire.

Date night--at home? or out? Date night is almost always at home unless we’re traveling, and sometimes even then! Good bread, hunk of cheese, bottle of wine. When our girls were little, we would tuck them in by 8:00 and cook up a little storm together. 

Most stained cookbook? I have a well-loved copy of Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen. It’s a textbook of all the ingredients and regions of Mexico and I read it like a novel when Chuck gave it to me for Mother’s Day in….1997! Now I have all but one of Rick’s cookbooks. Yes I am obsessed. 

Surf? or Turf?. Surf! My love at first bite seafood was blackened mahi-mahi. I can pass on the mollusks unless it’s chargrilled oysters.

Indispensable kitchen tool? I have a tiny kitchen that’s well stocked with all the tools. I’d be lost without my collection of rubber scrapers and my long OXO tongs. When I moved to citrus-rich Louisiana, I got a Breville juicer that lives on the counter all winter long. It brings me such joy!

Staple childhood comfort food? Mom’s fried chicken.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Long list. I’ll say Molly O’Neill who I have adored since long before she taught me to be a food writer. I’ve shared many meals with her which seems so implausible. She left us too soon. I am so grateful to have her voice in my head and for the community of Cook N Scribblers I met through Molly. I fantasize about a big reunion of all the people Molly could assemble at a never ending table.

Ideal grilled cheese? I’ll go with the classic white cheddar on good wheat with summer tomato. Cook it in the cast iron skillet with plenty of butter. 

Favorite pizza topping? We’ve been making a spinach and garlic pizza since we first tasted this combo at Star Pizza in Houston as newlyweds. It’s always a hit! We have the good fortune of living two doors down from an outdoor wood oven. Pizza night al fresco is hard to beat!

Where would you want to take a cooking class? Can I go on a one year odyssey and take classes all around the world?  

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Cook with kids. 

Three things next to your stove? My pretty butter dish from Anthropologie, Tabby’s fleur de lis spoon rest, big pitcher of tools.

Favorite Sports Team? I love my Florida Gators! Living next to LSU is exciting and I’ve become a fan unless they’re playing the Gators. It’s really fun rooting for the Saints, too!

Squeeze a glass of vitamin C and sunshine! Satsumas from the neighborhood pictured here for an almost neon shade of orange and cut in half on my favorite cutting board, a gift from my daughter Emma.

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

Is it really a recipe?! Absolutely! It’s a day maker, a game changer, truly a luxury!

Gather some fresh citrus into a colander and give the fruit a good rinse. Cut in half through the horizon and squeeze with your juicing device of choice. Sip sunshine. Repeat. Refrigerate any extras in a mason jar for tomorrow morning. Happy Cooking!

20 Questions with Janet

Charleston, West Virginia welcomed me with a first and unforgettable friendship the moment I walked into Cucina Luisa on Bridge Road. Janet Wakefield paused her work at the pastry station to greet me. (Maybe the entrance door had a bell that chimed?), a hungry newcomer temporarily living in a hotel while house hunting. I remember in crisp detail Janet describing every delicious dish in the illuminated takeout case. She helped me load up to feast with my husband when he finished his workday: Luisa’s famous Lasagna Bolognese with her Caesar salad, a crusty baguette, and Janet’s irresistible white chocolate raspberry tart. Taste memories are some of the best! 

Janet changed gears after Luisa closed her shop, returning to the healthcare field as a massage therapist. With gifted heart and hands, she works wonders to heal aching muscles, pinched nerves, you name it! She is an instructor at the Mountain State School of Massage where she blends her talents for massage technique with teaching and is a walking talking encyclopedia of every muscle, bone, and function of the body.

Janet and her husband Jeff love to ski as much as they love the West Virginia Mountaineers and they are quick to travel in search of both. 

What’s your 20 minute recipe? I’m kind of an on the fly cook. Pasta alla vodka - it's so quick and easy and you can put it with anything. Everybody has the ingredients for it, I mean because everyone has the vodka, right? Good vodka. I use the recipe from New York Times Cookbook or Marcella Hazan. I prefer it vegetarian without ham.

And always save room for dessert! I’m here for dessert more than food, but my food is good, too! Espresso tortoni or chocolate mousse.

What’s your favorite city? Rome! The first time I went was after Luisa closed her catering business in 1998 and Jeff and I went to stay with her and her sister. They lived by the Spanish Steps. I could walk out of the apartment and be at the Spanish Steps in 5 minutes. I feel like I’m home when I’m in Italy.

What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten in an airport? Pastries in Venice. 

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? Limoncello, I brought some back from Val Gardena years ago. I always keep some on hand at my home here and at our house at Snowshoe, it’s delicious! 

Who taught you to cook? My paternal grandmother. She was originally from Alabama. She would come to our house for four days with no recipes and just cook. She loved to cook and feed people! She could feed an army. I really take that from her. She had a teeny tiny little kitchen and could cook large amounts nonstop. She was happiest when she was cooking and so am I! Cooking has saved me during this pandemic.

What’s your go-to dish for company? Anything they want, any kind of pasta! I don’t really have a go-to, I'm used to winging it. I feel like it’s a gift! I keep my pantry stocked so I can make just about anything. Planning too much stresses me out. 

What’s on your cooking playlist? I change a lot, right now I’m trying to be really cheerful and move more! I find myself playing more jazz and hip hop. Lebanese Blonde channel on Pandora. Echophlekz band, Thievery Corporation band. They use a lot of synthesizers, it’s really interesting. You’ll like it! I also like Caro Emerald.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? Coffee for sure. Cappuccino! I got familiar with cappuccino when I was in Rome in 1998! Cafe Greco, It’s like a museum! I’ve always chased the perfect cappuccino after that experience. It’s a memory! I get euphoric recall with food.

Date night--at home? or out? Definitely out! We will travel an hour or two for a fine dining meal and turn around and drive home. We are the type of people who will travel  for a meal! Though we do have date nights at home, with candles and everything. 

Most stained cookbook? It’s my own cookbook. When I stopped working at Luisa’s I wrote down every recipe that we had been preparing in her shop. I have notes to serve four or 250. I put it all down, it’s my go-to for everything. Also my Thailand the Beautiful Cookbook, it’s a big beautiful coffee table book and it is stained! 

Surf? or Turf? I’m surf, for sure! I had the BEST langostino risotto in the British Virgin Islands that I dream about. Oh and I had branzino in Rome that was killer! These are things I can’t get here.

Indispensable kitchen tool? Chef’s knife for sure, but can I say convection oven?! Lots of people have a convection oven and don’t know how to use it. Quick tutorial: it’s rare that I don’t use convection, I’ve learned how to modify everything I do and it comes out perfect! It gets rid of the oven’s cold spot and makes it heat evenly.

Staple childhood comfort food? My grandmother’s homemade yeast rolls, her strawberry jam, fried chicken, lemon meringue pie and butterscotch pie. I’ve tried to recreate her fried chicken and it doesn’t come out the same. I think it’s because she’s not here.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Anthony Bourdain for his food experiences and exploration of culture. I would want to eat, talk food and culture with him. It would be fun and spiritual! 

Ideal grilled cheese? OK here’s my grilled cheese. Charleston Bread’s Blue Monday bread with browned butter. I take asparagus spears and saute or roast them with garlic, s&p and olive oil. In the same pan I do my grilled cheese. Freshly grated havarti. Spread dijon on both slices of the bread, sprinkle with havarti on both sides, put the asparagus in the middle and cook it with the browned butter on the outside of the bread. It sounds hard but it’s really simple. Cook it til it’s really brown and gooey. The asparagus spears stick out and so it’s really pretty. I like visuals. I like to sprinkle it with parmesan on top and a balsamic drizzle is really good. You can improvise from here. 

Favorite pizza topping? If I could get some fresh mozzarella di bufala, I’d have to be in Italy, that would be it! 

Where would you want to take a cooking class? I know exactly where. It’s on the Amalfi coast. It’s in a place called Villa Montepertuso. Gastronomic Trekking, it’s all about walking, cooking and eating. You go on tours, find where the food is! Cook with the people and drink and eat and talk! Doesn’t it sound like the BEST?! This is more than doing a class in a restaurant kitchen. It seems like the most fun thing to do! We should do it!!

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Here’s my main tip! Read a recipe as a template. It’s only a guide. Go beyond the confines of the recipe and experiment and document so you remember. I do better without a book in front of me trying to follow something to a T. With that, turn your failures into opportunities! If something doesn’t turn out how you expect, you can probably turn it into a success. 

Three things next to your stove? Villa di Trapano olive oil, Maldon and JQD salts and a good balsamic. Can I do four things? I have Kurbiskernol Pure Styrian roasted pumpkin seed oil.

Favorite Sports Team? WVU Mountaineers! For sure! Any sport they play. I’m a sports junkie! I could be a referee!

Can I add one thing? I have a little story. We were skiing in Chamonix and had this pasta e fagioli and it was delicious! After lunch you pass around this tribal bowl with grappa and orange slices and when it’s your turn, you say “sante bonheur! Que grand bien te fasse” and then take a drink. HEALTH AND HAPPINESS, much good may it do you. It’s a universal statement there in Chamonix. You say this when you drink the grappa and then you go back out onto the slopes. 

Janet’s legendary grilled cheese is not her ‘official’ 20 minute recipe but it qualifies and is crazy good!

Janet’s Grilled Havarti Sandwiches with Asparagus

When Janet described her ideal grilled cheese I was prompted to make it straight away. My husband called it legendary, so here goes! Here’s a rough formula for one. Treat your family and make a whole skillet full, and as Janet suggests, improvise at will! Pasta alla Vodka is delicious. Make that, too! 

For this grilled cheese masterpiece you will need 2 slices of good bread (Charleston friends, the Blue Monday from Charleston Bread is the perfect loaf for this sandwich and more! Consider yourself very lucky to have access to this exceptional bread!) some cooked asparagus (steam, saute, or roast and while you’re at it, cook the whole bundle and add to your morning egg scramble), some grated havarti cheese, some Dijon mustard, browned butter (like the asparagus...if you’re making a little browned butter, brown a whole stick and keep it handy for more tasty projects). 

BRUSH the outside of your bread with browned butter. Spread the inside of the bread with some Dijon mustard and top each slice with some grated havarti. The Dijon will help the cheese stick to the bread. Lay a handful of asparagus on top of one bread slice and top with the other slice. Slide this into a skillet heated over medium low. Cook on both sides until deep golden and cheese is melting out a little bit. Go the extra mile and serve your sandwich with reduced balsamic vinegar. Happy cooking!

20 Questions with Natalia

My daughter Reilly has an amazing group of friends from the different chapters of her life. I include Natalia Ghorbani in the ‘college friends’ category since they met while studying abroad in Spain their junior year. After a fun-filled semester in Valencia with extended European excursions, their farewell was not good-bye forever, but a see you again soon. Who knew they would actually live in the same city?!

We met Natalia when we visited Reilly in Valencia and reunited with her again last spring when we were in New York to see Reilly. Two weeks later, Natalia witnessed Reilly’s accident and has been by her side through this ongoing recovery (physically, virtually, the thick and the thin!) Their plans to be roommates hasn’t come to fruition just yet.

Natalia is from San Francisco and stayed close to home for college. Ready for something completely new, she moved to New York City after some post-graduation travel. She works for Yelp as a bilingual account executive. We love it when she comes here as a ‘work from home’ option and celebrate her success with her career.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? A Mediterranean salad bowl with Persian cucumbers, tomato, pickled onions, arugula, a dollop of hummus. I kind of throw it together with what I have on hand. I love to throw some nuts or seeds on top for a little crunch. I have a super quick way to add protein with frozen falafels from Trader Joe’s. I drizzle hot chile oil for some spice and a simple olive oil vinaigrette. 

What’s your favorite city? That’s such a hard question, can I come back to it? I’m the type of person who goes to a city and says I’m gonna live here! I say that everywhere I go. The answer changes. At the moment the one that’s coming up is Tel Aviv. I went last year for Thanksgiving, that was my last big trip before Covid. 

What’s your Favorite restaurant in your current city? DOMODOMO, a Japanese restaurant in Soho is my current favorite. They make amazing omakase. I even get their takeout. It’s super fresh fish with a modern twist. My favorite is their scallop nigiri. 

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? Pickled onions, I put them on everything! I eat them right out of the jar, even in the morning. I love pickled anything and I love onions! 

Who taught you to cook? Can I cook is the question! Where I’ve gained the most knowledge of cooking is from my roommates over the years. I’ve lived with a lot of different people. In college we would go to the Asian market May-Wah in San Francisico and get everything to make Summer rolls. Those are so fun! We would cut up all the ingredients and I was in charge of making the sauce. We’d have a DIY bar to make the rolls. 

What’s your go-to dish for company? The last time I had friends over, it was sushi. I like to get the ingredients and make it a DIY dining experience. I got the fish from a Japanese supermarket in East Village.

What’s on your cooking playlist? The Bee Gees. They are my first memories of music. That’s what shaped my music influence. I love 70’s and 80’s music! It’s the most feel good, I turn up the music really loud and do a little dance.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? Coffee! Coffee every day! Now that I’m working from home, I knew I couldn’t spend $8 on an iced oat latte, that wasn’t sustainable for every day. So I bought a Nespresso machine and it changed my life! I’m not kidding! I make myself an iced coffee with hemp milk. It feels like I’m treating myself!

Date night--at home? or out? Out. 100%. There are too many good places to try in New York CIty.

Most stained cookbook? Yours! 

Surf? or Turf? I’m for sure more surf.

Indispensable kitchen tool? My wine opener. Pour myself a glass of red. I’m gifting myself a glass of wine at the end of the workday.

Staple childhood comfort food? Beans, refried pinto beans. Honestly my favorite childhood dish is a simple tostada smeared with refried beans, Mexican crema, cotija cheese and sliced avocado. I will eat 10 of those in one day! It’s so simple but so delicious. There was always a big tub of refried beans in our fridge!

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? My grandmother from Mexico. The older I get the more I appreciate our culture and wish I could learn more from her. 

Ideal grilled cheese? Sourdough with three cheeses and I don’t want to sound too California, but throw some avocado in there!

Favorite pizza topping? Onions. All onions!

Where would you want to take a cooking class? Mexico City. Or maybe South Korea in Seoul. I think those two are good examples of the foods that I love! My favorite cuisines are Mexican and a variety of Asian cuisines.

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Take pictures of your food, of the things you randomly concoct, so you can remember how to recreate a dish.

Three things next to your stove? My Nespresso machine, my whole kitchen and my living room. 

Favorite Sports Team? If I had to answer I would say Golden State Warriors.

A bed of greens is the canvas for Natalia’s edible masterpiece.

Natalia’s Favorite Salad with Falafel

Natalia discovered a treasure in the freezer case at Trader Joe’s: frozen falafel. She heats them in the oven to get them crispy and crowns a bed of greens and veggies with them. Follow along for her favorite combo and tweak with your preferences or what you have on hand. 

Put a handful of washed salad greens in a pretty serving bowl. Arrange cucumber slices, halved grape tomatoes, pickled onions, sliced carrots, dollop of hummus, toasted sunflower seeds or pine nuts. Top with a some toasted falafel patties and drizzle with olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Spice it up with a few drops of chile oil if you like. Concoct a masterpiece of your own! Happy Cooking!

20 Questions with Luisa

Luisa DiTrapano came back to her hometown of Charleston, West Virginia after college and adventure and opened her catering and gourmet take out business, Cucina Luisa, in the popular Bridge Road shopping district. Twenty-eight years ago, I was the new girl in town and wandered into her shop, first meeting her pastry chef Janet Wakefield. The rest is history and when I described how I met my dear friend Luisa to my daughter’s boyfriend he said, ‘ah, that sounds like a fairytale!’

Luisa and Janet created gourmet spreads for events all around Charleston and I eventually  joined them for catering fun. About 10 years later when Luisa started teaching cooking classes in a kitchen design showroom, I enlisted as her assistant, then added my own teaching topics into the mix. Such was the launch of our hundreds of cooking classes in three different showrooms and in home kitchens in Charleston.

Luisa hung up her chef’s coat a couple of years ago for a career change. Now she works at the Charleston law firm Calwell  Luce di Trapano as the facilities and events manager and says, “Everything I’ve done my whole life has all come together. I manage the building, plan all the events, book all the travel and do all the cheffing. I love it!” Booking travel is as natural to her as cooking Italian food. She has combed the globe and is eager to book a table on another continent the moment the current situation allows.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? Probably Amatriciana sauce because I usually have all the ingredients. I alway have guanciale or pancetta in the freezer, Pomi tomatoes, onion, Italian crushed pepper flakes. I hit it with a little wine before adding the tomatoes. Fresh parmigiano reggiano. I never do the right pastas with the right sauce. I use what I have in the pantry. My grandmother used the classic pairing with bucatini but I prefer other shapes. Spaghetti or linguine is a good substitute. 

What’s your favorite city? Roma! Certo! I was 18 when I first went and have possibly been every year since then. I lived there for a year after I sold my first catering business in 1998. It was wonderful.

What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten in an airport? I would have to say it was sushi in Tokyo. 

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? My cooking wines, marsala. It’s not in the fridge, it’s in the pantry. My italian grandmother put marsala on everything! When she made peas or sauteed green beans, or cooking a steak. Everything! A nice dry one. You use the sweet ones for zabaglione and I love to make that to put over fresh fruit for dessert. I really love that. Florio from Sicily makes a really nice marsala.

Who taught you to cook? My love of food started in both my grandmother’s kitchens. I was fortunate to have two grandmothers who were fantastic cooks, one from England and one from Italy. My English grandmother taught me to bake. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.  We had dinner every Sunday at my Italian grandmother’s house. She made a ciabatta style bread every Saturday. She made enough for her children and all their families for the week. With the same dough she would make the best pizza I’ve ever had in my life. She squished San Marzano tomatoes over the dough, put Italian sausage, fresh basil and mozzarella. My father’s friends used to beg him to take them over for Saturday pizza. It was an event!! Also, my mother is a fabulous cook! She can cook as good as any Italian.

I had some really good friends at college in Miami who were from Italy and relocated to Caracas, Venezuela. She’s from Florence and her mother taught me her amazing sauces. That’s when I really started loving to cook.

What’s your go-to dish for company? You know how organized I am, it’s not like anyone just shows up here on the fly! Everything is planned. I do love to make Thai food! Beef panang is always a favorite with lime leaves that I always keep in the freezer.

What’s on your cooking playlist? Sade

What’s your go-to olive oil? Villa Di Trapano made from the olives at my family’s property in Sezze.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? Coffee! I froth skim milk with my mocha crem, a little frother device and put in some sweetener. I pour in very strong coffee.

Date night--at home? or out? Out, especially when traveling.

Most stained cookbook? My Marcella Hazan The Classic Italian Cookbook. It’s my only cookbook that the cover is torn to shreds. Janet Wakefield and I call it the Bible. It is the best, most complete Italian cookbook ever written. She is the queen, in my mind anyway.

Surf? or Turf? Turf! You know, I really like T-bones, preferably in Florence, Italy. Bistecca alla Fiorentina. I’ve always loved T-bones, best of both worlds. You get the New York strip side and a bit of the filet.

Indispensable kitchen tool? Besides my chef’s knife, I use my kitchen shears a lot. I replace them regularly because they are hard to sharpen. 

Staple childhood comfort food? My mom is such a fabulous cook, I loved her leg of lamb with our family’s Veazey sauce. It’s a family recipe from when my mom’s father was growing up. Stick of butter, jar of apple jelly, ketchup and whole cloves. You know how delicious it is! I’m talking a long time ago, probably 100 years. Oh and her mashed potatoes which are phenomenal! I think I’ll call Luisa's mother to score her secret to phenomenal mashed potatoes!

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? That’s a hard question! Maybe my grandmothers. They used to go on vacation together. They never knew I learned how to cook,  didn't know I became a chef. I would like to cook dinner for my grandmothers since they never had a chance to eat my food after I became a chef. She got emotional 

Ideal grilled cheese? I make them all the time especially since I don’t have a lot of time to cook right now. Ezekiel bread, lots of butter, Swiss, honey mustard and hot sweet jalapenos. Made it for dinner last Thursday night. I may not have much in the fridge but I always have all those things!

Favorite pizza topping? When I'm in Sezze I get a pizza margherita. The best mozzarella di bufala is made right there. 

Where would you want to take a cooking class? Bangkok!

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? One thing I always said in my cooking classes, everything needs salt & pepper. There’s not a lot of things that don’t. With salad, kosher salt. For finishing, JQD salt,  and always fresh ground pepper from my favorite pepper mill

Three things next to your stove? Villa DiTrapano olive oil, JQD salt and my favorite pepper mill. And a bottle of good balsamic from Modena.

Favorite Sports Team? When I lived in Miami I loved the Dolphins and Hurricanes. And because my dad was a Notre Dame Double Domer, the Fighting Irish. 

Flecked with tomato and pancetta, Amatriciana sauce with pasta is a weeknight winner.

Amatriciana Tomato Sauce with Pancetta and Chili Pepper

Through her extensive cookbooks, Marcella Hazan brings classic Italian food into our kitchens and I will forever cherish making many of these recipes with Luisa! Guided by her ‘queen’ Marcella, Luisa has served delicious Italian dishes at hundreds of catered parties and has taught these recipes in her celebrated series of cooking classes. This one is close to 20 minutes. Marcella suggests simmering the sauce for 25 minutes. I used a deep pot so it could simmer with some vigor for 15 minutes and called it done. And delicious! Buon Appetito! 

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• A ¼-inch thick slice of pancetta, cut into strips ½-inch wide and 1 inch long (I used a 4 ounce package of diced pancetta)

• ⅓ cup wine, optional (I splashed some Sauvignon Blanc into my pot to deglaze, Luisa uses red wine)

• 1 ½ cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, drained and cut up (I followed Luisa’s lead and used half a box of Pomi chopped tomatoes with their puree)

• Chopped hot red chili pepper, to taste

• Salt

• 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

• 2 tablespoons freshly grated romano cheese

• 1 pound pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for pasta. Time the cooking of the pasta to correspond with the sauce being finished. It is most important not to leave the cooked pasta waiting...so if the sauce is done, it can wait a few minutes for the pasta to finish. 

HEAT the oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion when the butter has melted and saute until it becomes pale gold, about 7 minutes. Add the pancetta and cook a few minutes to render its fat. Add the wine, if using, and stir to deglaze the pan. Stir in the tomatoes, chili pepper and salt and cook in the uncovered pan at a steady simmer for 25 gentle minutes, or 15 vigorous minutes. Taste and add chili pepper or salt if needed.

DRAIN the pasta and toss with the sauce. Add both cheeses and toss thoroughly before serving in heated bowls. 

20 Questions with Doctor Amy

Doctor Amy Rabalais relaxes at home (perhaps the crockpot is cooking her kids’ favorite feast while she takes 5 listening to Amy 2020 or Christmas carols??)

Doctor Amy Rabalais is my hero. She’s mom to two grade school children, an ear, nose and throat doctor with a director’s role at Ochsner, a kitchen designer and more, all wrapped up into an energetic and energizing woman. She has been on the front lines of the Coronavirus pandemic and, eyes wide, sums it up in a simple sentence: “This has been wild!” Adding, “homeschooling was not for us. I’m just so glad to have grass, we haven’t had grass since August,” referring to their backyard pandemic project.

Amy and I met two years ago, almost to the date. I worked with her mom Margie Gaudet and sister Sara MacDowell at an event at Thrive Academy and Sara had a thought: ‘could you do a surprise birthday cooking class for my mom at my sister’s house? It’s her birthday, too.’ And so I did! We made a warm cheese dip, French onion soup with homemade stock, a seasonal salad with local greens and chocolate soufflés for dessert. It was a delicious evening of new friendships for me and we long to recreate the occasion when life allows.

Amy’s kitchen is a showstopper and when she told me she designed it, I suggested she consider that as a profession. The doctor detail hadn’t been disclosed until dessert. When I visited on her day off for this interview, she was unloading groceries that had been delivered while she was out to assist with a surgery. Do doctors really get a day off? Not this doctor! When she’s not in her scrubs, she is managing her household with finesse and loves traveling with her husband Mike and their two young kids. She is also an accomplished cook and participates in a supper swap co-op with two of her friends.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? I feel like everything I do takes more than 20 minutes. Crockpot turkey meatballs. You make the meatballs with egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan and herbs from the garden. Put them in sauce raw and cook them in the crockpot. They’re done in four hours on low and IT WORKS!! They stay in little balls and it makes the whole house smell good!! My kids LOVE it, it’s their favorite! Its’ my embarrassingly easy go-to. It doesn’t make sense that they hold together but they do! I make the meatballs a little smaller. 

What’s your favorite city? Taos, New Mexico. That’s my place. Four or five years ago we got a house there. My son had a writing prompt at school, ‘describe a place that makes you feel comfortable’ and he wrote about being in the hammock and reading his book in the mountains. 

What’s your Favorite restaurant in your current city? I do love so many restaurants! Going out to eat in the pandemic has been a nice change of scenery. We have only done outdoor dining. I’d say we have blown up Curbside! We can ride bikes there. My overall favorite in Baton Rouge is BLDG 5. We got our Thanksgiving dinner from Rocca. It was awesome! I had two days off at Thanksgiving and I really wanted to have some time to relax with my kids. We put the silver and china on our porch table and it was really great, Rocca cooked! We even ordered a cocktail mixer and it was delicious! 

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? I always keep pecans in the freezer. Bergeron pecans. Katey Bergeron is my PA. Her husband’s family has the pecan business. She gives me a box of them every year. We toast them to put on salads or top our desserts. I love having my big box of go-to pecans. 

Who taught you to cook? My Mom, definitely my mom! Big smile

What’s your go-to dish for company? It’s gonna sound weird, shrimp and grits. I do the grits ahead of time. The grits casserole from the old River Roads cookbook. I do a vodka cream sauce for the shrimp and you can do that ahead, just add the shrimp at the end. Grits souffle. I keep that cookbook with no cover just to get to that recipe. It feels fancy for a dinner party but the components don’t have to be timed. It works for company-- gluten free, pescaterian. It’s just easy and feels festive, I also deliver this meal to someone who’s had a baby. Deliver the grits, the sauce and the shrimp.They can add the shrimp when they heat everything up. 

What’s on your cooking playlist? Kind of a long story. Mike is so into music. That’s how he communicates. He spends hours making playlists. He makes me a playlist every year and the theme is that he takes songs from the the previous decade. So the 2016 playlist had songs from 2016, 2006, 1996 and so on. He spends months on these. His family is so music oriented. Right now we are playing the Amy 2020 playlist. It has all the songs he thinks will make me happy. We are listening to the 2020 mix right now. Very eclectic mix. It lost the theme, just happy songs. And right now we are listening to Christmas carols. Have you listened to the She and Him mix? They have two Christmas albums. 

OH the sun is out

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? Coffee. 100% coffee! I’m obsessed with the Trader Joe’s almond peppermint mocha creamer. I haven’t been able to find it recently.

Date night--at home? or out? Right now I’m thankful for date nights at home. I don’t know if it’s happened here, but it would be awesome to have date night at home while the kids are away, when things get back to normal.

Most stained cookbook? It’s the River Roads, one two or three. It doesn’t have a cover.

Surf? or Turf? Surf. I enjoy having other people cook me seafood. My mom is really good at cooking seafood. My parents have a home in Gulf Shores and we can get really great seafood there. I love the red shrimp in a boil, they are huge and taste amazing! 

Indispensable kitchen tool? Chef’s knife. 

Staple childhood comfort food? Pita bread, my granddaddy made it every week and we ate it with butter. I still make it and have been making it more during pandemic. My brother John who is in his residency in Boston makes bread all the time. When he was in town before Thanksgiving he made crawfish bread! it was divine! I remember grandpa’s pita bread and my kid’s love Uncle John’s bread, they talk about it all the time. Do you know about the yeast podcast? It is soooo good! Gastro Egyptology. Talk about going down a rabbit hole! 

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Right now, Anthony Fauci!! I just want to tell him thank you!! He has done so much for this country that people don’t even understand! I’d like to know what has gone on behind the scenes. I would like to cook him dinner, now I’m super intimidated. I think I would be too nervous! I think we would end up ordering pizza. 

Ideal grilled cheese? My favorite grilled cheese to buy is at BLDG 5. It’s a mixture of different cheeses on really good bread. In pandemic we have had some Rabalais bootcamp classes! The best grilled cheese is the one I don’t have to make. My son got a mild burn on his arm, it was a teaching moment. Use kitchen safety and plow ahead! It’s a big milestone. It’s whatever cheese we have, whole wheat bread and butter. 

Favorite pizza topping? I like the salty ones. Prosciutto, capers, dressed arugula. 

Where would you want to take a cooking class? MMMMM Napa. That is on our list! There are two places. In Bhutan they make these dumplings. We were there last year, in retrospect I wish I had taken a class to learn to make those dumplings. Bhutan is a vegetarian country. It’s an amazing country to learn about! They are the only carbon-neutral country in the world. Actually carbon negative! It’s an incredible place. They do a happiness survey: gross domestic happiness. It is beautiful!!

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Like a secret cooking tip? Everything is better with cheese! You know, if something isn’t working out so great, just put some cheese on it!

Three things next to your stove? Olive oil always, salt and pepper.

Favorite Sports Team? LSU!

just add garlic bread and Amy’s turkey meatballs are a meal in a bowl

Amy’s Crockpot Turkey Meatballs

Embarrassingly easy is right and equally delicious! Combine ground turkey with breadcrumbs, egg and cheese, season to your preference and shape them into petite meatballs. Drop these into some red sauce in the crockpot and put your feet up while dinner cooks itself. Amy shares ‘my crockpot liner can go on the stove, so I sizzle some crushed garlic in a little olive oil, add crushed canned tomatoes for sauce. Then the liner with sauce goes into the crockpot cooking element, I put the meatballs in and dinner is done.’ When I recreated her recipe in my kitchen, I went with a jar of good marinara that began heating right in the crockpot while I mixed and shaped the meatballs. Since I was trying to beat sunset for the photo, I rushed things and turned my crockpot to high. Two hours, done and so delicious!

Whisk 1 egg in a mixing bowl, add 1 teaspoon garlic salt, ½ teaspoon pepper and a tablespoon or two of chopped fresh herbs basil or oregano or Italian parsley, or even a combo, or even dried (reduce amount to 2 teaspoons) Crumble in a pound of raw ground turkey (I used the breast meat). Sprinkle with ¼ cup each of breadcrumbs and grated parmesan. Gently mix together and form into small balls (you should get about 24 one-inch balls, and a cookie dough scoop makes it easy!) Place the balls into 3 cups of your sauce of choice that’s waiting in your crockpot. Cook at low for 4 hours or high for 2, checking to see that the meatballs are cooked through. Your house will smell so good! Serve with your choice of pasta or some garlic breadsticks for dipping. Add a salad for balance. Happy Cooking!

20 Questions with Katie

Katie McKenna makes me laugh. Sometimes I make her cry. We met literally by accident, our paths crossing in the post-trauma arena. Her book, How to Get Run Over By A Truck, which she reads on Audible, is a MUST. Somehow, the softcover edition landed in my daughter’s ICU room in Manhattan last May. I could only glance at the book’s colorful cover and imposing title and slide it back into my tote bag for later. 

By late January, a mutual friend implored us to meet Katie, “a woman who got run over by a truck wrote a book about it. You should read it.” In the throes of trauma timeout, I finally screwed up the courage to give the Audible version a listen and here is where the laughter comes in. Katie’s story as she reads it grips you like a nightmare then shifts you into knee slapping. She has a rare gift.

We started with a phone call in February when the world was mostly right. My daughter Sara met Katie for coffee in New York and then...Quarantine. Or as Katie calls it: Quaran-TINE (like Valentine). She’s been married for a year and a half and says “yep, half of our marriage we’ve been living with my parents, our Quaran-Team!” 

She’s a fifth generation New Yorker and when she’s talking tough, calls herself McKenna. Her friends call her Katie Mac and her dad describes her as “this is my daughter Katie. She will bust your balls like a Wall Street Trader in the 80’s, but she will hug you so hard you can feel her heart beat.”

Thriving as a trauma survivor, Katie is a life coach and professional speaker who can cheerlead anyone away from the blues.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? My favorite thing to make is a pasta dish with julienne carrots, red onion and red bell pepper sautéed with garlic and olive oil, s&p. Turn it all into the pasta pot with some soft goat cheese and some of the pasta water. Minimal dishes is my goal in life. My older brother’s girlfriend introduced this to us. It’s a fridge cleaner and the goat cheese makes a nice silky sauce.

What’s your favorite city? Ummmmmm is it bad to say New York? I guess I’ll say Dublin. It’s a real sweet city.

What’s your Favorite restaurant in your current city? My comfort restaurant is Il Pasatore, a northern italian restaurant in Williamsburg. They have a shaved Brussels sprouts salad with apples, walnuts and parmesan with a lemon vinaigrette that I just love. I love their carbonara with the egg, pancetta and cheese with beautiful homemade spaghetti. 

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? You mean if I found something and was just over the moon?! Some of my mom’s homemade pesto. 

Who taught you to cook? Is it bad to say myself? My mom taught me the beauty of chop a bunch of things up and put it in balsamic vinegar and everything will be fine. 

What’s your go-to dish for company? It is Allison Roman’s garlic braised short ribs with red wine.

What’s on your cooking playlist? I’m a podcast person! I love This American Life while I’m cooking. I listen to Brene Brown’s Unlocking Us, and Hidden Brain or How I Built This

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? I like to make myself every morning: Coffee, 2 scoops of Bulletproof collagen, unflavored, I put in a glurp/ about ¼ cup coconut eggnog and then i put in a dash of ginger, turmeric cinnamon and ground clove and some oat milk. Yeah, there’s only a little bit of room for coffee. Then I froth it and we are good to go.

Date night--at home? or out? If things are normal, date night out

Most stained cookbook? The New York Times cooking app.

Surf? or Turf? If it’s lobster, SURF!

Indispensable kitchen tool? I do use my frother every single day. 

Staple childhood comfort food? Probably truthfully whole wheat toast with butter and jam. I do bake the no-knead bread from the New York Times.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Right now I would love to share a meal with Elizabeth Gilbert. 

Ideal grilled cheese? Oohhhhh heavily buttered white toast, it would have to be cooked open face so the cheese melts fully, then you put them together. I want straight gooey and this way It’s done faster, I’m a fast kid! I’m a bit of a grilled cheese connoisseur. My brother says I’m the best at grilled cheese, flattery will get you everywhere! White cheddar, Cabot sharp and bacon if I’m allowed.

Favorite pizza topping? Sausage, red peppers and onions is my favorite, I mean if I’m gonna do it. I’d get it at Williamsburg Pizza in Williamsburg. With a side of garlic knots because I’m not an idiot!

Where would you want to take a cooking class? I have actually taken a really great cooking class at Brooklyn Kitchen, they do really great classes. 

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Everything will taste good if you chop it up really small. Think of an area of the world, say Mexico: chop up tomatoes, jalapeños, onion, squeeze of lime. Same same, pick a region...all that stuff. Add the appropriate acid.

Three things next to your stove? Olive oil, kosher salt, crushed red pepper and probably like a head of garlic 

Favorite Sports Team? New York Giants. 

Continuing with the sunshine theme, Katie’s pasta dish is so much sunshine in a bowl!

Katie’s (Game Changer) Goat Cheese Pasta

A few ingredients from your produce drawer do a delightful dance with goat cheese and pasta. Prep the veggies while the pasta pot comes to a boil. Sauté them while the pasta cooks. Toss them all together and you have delicious kitchen heroics in honestly 20 minutes.

Get a big pot of salty water going for pasta. I cooked a pound of thin spaghetti and kept about one quarter of the cooked noodles plain to make buttered noodles in case there was a request (and yes of course there was!) While the water comes to a boil (hello turbo burner!), julienne/matchstick cut a big peeled carrot, a red bell pepper and a red onion. Mince or crush a couple cloves of garlic. Take a 4 ounce log of goat cheese out of its wrapper. Timing is kind of key here…My thin spaghetti said ‘al dente in 7 minutes’ and al dente is a good time to drain it since it will cook a bit longer back in the pot with the veg, goat cheese and pasta water.

As you drop your pasta with a good stir into the boiling water, heat a large skillet over medium/almost medium-high heat and drizzle in a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Add the julienned carrot, bell pepper and onion, season well with s&p. Stir your pasta and if you’re feeling cheffy, give the skillet a nice toss with a flick of your strong wrist or stir. When the veg are just softening, add the garlic. When the pasta is done, use a large mug or Pyrex measuring cup to scoop up at least a cup of the hot pasta water (I like to set the heatproof cup in my colander, that way I won’t forget!). Drain the pasta and return it to the pot over the still hot but turned off burner. Add the veg and use about a half cup of the pasta water to ‘deglaze’ the skillet. Swirl the skillet and add this flavorful liquid to the pasta. Crumble in the goat cheese, scattering it around, and stir. Add more pasta water to make a silky sauce that just coats the noodles. Lift into warmed bowls (stack them on the back of the stovetop while you’re cooking = warm:) ) and serve after taking a bow. Happy Cooking!

20 Questions with Chuck

My husband Charles Hamilton is my number one cooking companion and can follow almost any kitchen command. He calls it ‘cooking by remote control’: I can sit back and give instructions and he will get it done. Mostly, though, we cook together. Pizza night is a favorite that we started as newlyweds almost 30 years ago. If I ask, he will put a mean edge on our knives and then puts those sharp blades to work on a board full of vegetables. He also makes a great DJ.

This mystery man is an inimitable girl dad and has roughly zero social media presence. He loves to surf, cycle and get into some fun carpentry projects from whittling chopsticks to creating our work of art front entry bench. For Mother’s Day 20-something years ago, he gave me my first of many Rick Bayless cookbooks and that’s where we discovered and he perfected the recipes for salsa negra and poblano rajas.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? Poblano rajas. I think poblanos are a superfood.  Blister ‘em thoroughly under the broiler or on a grill. Then let them steam in a covered bowl until just cool enough to handle. There are some more steps, I’ll let you give the recipe. Usually the spice level is manageable for most.  Sizzle the rajas in the butter before adding the scrambled eggs to the pan and add the cheese at the end. Fantastic on a pizza with salsa, pepper jack, black beans and chorizo maybe.  Reilly just eats them in a bowl with a flurry of salt.

What’s your favorite city? Barcelona, it’s on the water, near the mountains, the food is great and everybody wants to be outside. 

What’s your Favorite restaurant in your current city?  Cocha.  The owners are our friends and neighbors and serve super fresh Venezuelan inspired food.  The new dog-friendly sidewalk patio is a game changer!  

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? Black magic.  Salsa Negra is the real name but your brother Johnny took a late night first taste and declared “Black Magic”. 50 chipotle peppers are quick fried and reconstituted in molasses water with garlic and then cooked down down down.  It looks like tar, spreads like tar, with a heat profile that comes on slow and then lasts with smokey sweet heat.   

Who taught you to cook? You did!

What’s your go-to dish for company? I really like that chicken florentine that YOU make for company.  Pounded chicken breast rolled with spinach and fontina cheese covered in a luscious beurre blanc sauce.  Rice or orzo with it.  So good.

What’s on your cooking playlist? Cooking with music is the best.  It’s fun to pair the music with to the cuisine sometimes. It's crazy that we have access to almost any song ever recorded at our fingertips.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? Strong black coffee in the morning. After eggs.

Date night--at home? or out? I’m a homebody.  Love, love, love, date night at home.

Most stained cookbook? I take good care of your books...

Surf? or Turf? Surf.  I like those red snapper fingers served with black magic tartar sauce.  I’m more of a Surf & Chirp guy.  Chicken thighs are the best.  Salt & pepper and grilled.  

Indispensable kitchen tool? It’s a toss up between a sharp knife and a bottle opener.

Staple childhood comfort food? My mom Claire’s mac and cheese. Made with Velveeta and I think margarine was a factor. You have to serve this with an iceberg lettuce salad dressed with Good Seasons dressing, with little bits of celery on a good night.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? I would have breakfast with my two grandfathers, at a local diner in Philadelphia or Chicago. I wouldn’t even say who I was, we’d just have breakfast, sip coffee and talk about the day ahead. Family, sports, work and then walk out in different directions. 

Ideal grilled cheese? Ruth Reichl’s. The one with as many varieties of alliums (white onions, red onions, yellow onions, garlic, shallots, green onions, leeks? ramps?) as you can find in the house. Dice ‘em small and mix with your cheese. Raw. Yes I was skeptical... thinking it would be too raw oniony. The ciabatta bread is prepped with butter on the inside! A spread of mayo on the outside and smashed with bit of cheese/onion mixture. Grill in an iron skillet low/med for awhile. Decadent.  

Favorite pizza topping? Caramelized onions. Don’t believe those recipes that say you can caramelize onions in 20 minutes or less. Settle in and don’t rush it. Go for the deep sweet mahogany. 

Where would you want to take a cooking class? I’d go back to Oaxaca and get a masters in mole.  Grab a paper cone of spicy chapulinas (fried grasshoppers) at the zocalo while shopping for ingredients.

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Learn Julia Child’s technique for mincing garlic. Crushed/smashed is right for some dishes but minced cooks way differently. Peel the cloves without crushing it, keep the stem intact, and cut through the cloves horizontally to form three or four layers, then slice vertically, then chop. The stem keeps it together.

Three things next to your stove? April, a glass of red wine and Gus.

Favorite Sports Team? Florida Gators and Kelly Slater.

Chuck’s poblano rajas make an excellent quesadilla filling.

Poblano Rajas

These are a staple in our kitchen. You can get a small batch done in 20-something minutes, but we usually make a huge skillet full as an all hands on deck affair. They keep well in the fridge for up to a week and add a festive note to everything they touch. Scrambled eggs, pizzas, blended with a little cream for pasta. Let your imagination soar! Poblanos are deep emerald green cone-shaped chile peppers, best known as the star of chiles rellenos.

Recipe from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen cookbook.

• 1 pound (6 medium/large) fresh poblano chiles

• 1 large (8-ounce) white onion

• 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

• 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and freshly chopped

• ½ teaspoon dried oregano

• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme

• Salt, about ½ teaspoon

Heat your broiler to high. Lay the chiles on a baking sheet and roast them about 4 inches beneath the broiler until blistered on all sides, turning occasionally.

Place the blistered chiles in a large bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel and let them steam for 5 minutes. Carefully peel off the charred skin, then use a paring knife to cut out the cores and scrape out and discard the seeds. Cut them into ¼-inch wide slices.

Cut the onion in half through the root end. Cut off the ends and remove the skin, then slice along the grain into ¼-inch slices. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until nicely golden but still slightly crunchy, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and herbs and stir for one minute. Mix in the chiles and stir to heat through, about 1 minute. Taste and season with salt. 

20 Questions with Grant

Grant Guidroz and his wife Allison are the power farming couple behind Fullness Farm, a bustling one acre plot that they carefully tend for great yield and delicious harvest. They make it so easy to eat with the seasons! I first met Grant at the Red Stick Farmer’s Market and got hooked on the salad greens which are popular in some of Baton Rouge’s finest restaurants as well as home kitchens across the city. I was so intrigued I had to see the farm for myself and have visited in all seasons. 

Knowing the salad you’re enjoying tonight was harvested and washed just days before it reaches the kitchen is a huge win! The greens are a rainbow of flavor and for me it was love at first taste. Ditto for the sweet baby carrots, the fresh herbs, the eggplant, peppers and tomatoes. And the broccoli! The broccoli is prettier than a bridal bouquet.

Going with the adage ‘start ‘em young’ Grant and Allison are raising their two young children on the farm and it won’t be long before their preschooler is filling cartons with eggs from their chicken coop.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? Roasted vegetables. When I was a kid, all the vegetables were steamed. I really love roasting them. We try to eat something that we grow with every meal. I chop up some slices of frozen cooked bacon and whole cloves of garlic and it really elevates it! I can get the rest of the meal going on the stove while the vegetables are in the oven.

What’s your favorite city? It’s Baton Rouge, man! We go visit places but we always want to come back home. 

What’s your Favorite restaurant in your current city? Definitely Nino’s, that’s where we go! We have a lot of history there. They have our invoice number one. The chef Elton and his wife Randee Hyndman are family friends and it was a no brainer when we started selling. We did a farm to table dinner at Inglewood Farm when we were interning up there. He says “The more I’ve gone farm to table the more I’ve been rewarded” It took his restaurant to the next level. They are really cool. 

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? Probably some really good hot peppers in vinegar. Put the peppers in the jar raw and pour hot vinegar over them. We take off the stems and put them in. We’re experimenting now with different vinegars. We put a little salt and some peppercorns and that’s about it. You can add more vinegar to make a second batch.

Who taught you to cook? My dad did most of the cooking growing up. He’s from the Westbank of New Orleans and has a lot of Louisiana food traditions. He really knows how to cook all the classic dishes without a recipe. Etouffee, red beans and rice. My mom is from Jonesboro, LA, up north. The food is very different from south Louisiana. My aunt always had a summer garden and made a really great salsa. I spent time up there in the summer, having those experiences influenced me to go into farming. Looking back, having been exposed to it, yeah it definitely had a big influence. City kid going to the country. It was awesome having more space 

What’s your go-to dish for company? Probably grilling. That’s what we do the most when we have people over. The vegetables are always the biggest hit! When we go over to friends’ houses, we always bring vegetables to put on the grill. They are always a surprise hit! Any vegetable is great on the grill! Eggplants, peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes. Okra is the surprise thing, it is so great on the grill! 

What’s on your cooking playlist? Lately I’ve been listening to musicians on YouTube. There’s a guy who does piano mash ups. He’s a combo of Beethoven and Pink Floyd. I’ve got an affinity for Beethoven especially when I’m working

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? Coffee!! I do love all those! Coffee is my mainstay. Super strong, as much coffee grounds as the thing will hold. It is black!! I like to add a little cream from Feliciana’s Best. We put the extras in a mason jar with a little honey and put it in the fridge so it’s hot brewed iced coffee. I pretty much drink it all day long. I also love hibiscus tea with honey.

Date night--at home? or out? If we really want to do a date night we go out. We’re also a big fan of the staycation. We can make a fire and pick up a nice meal and enjoy it at home. It’s hard to get out with young kids. El Tio and margaritas from Superior. 

Most stained cookbook? I don’t even have a cookbook. I google recipes. I’m part of the new generation. Allison does these zucchini fritters from a recipe from 225 Magazine. 

Surf? or Turf? Turf!

Indispensable kitchen tool? Cast iron, the 10 or 12 inch skillet. So easy to clean and when it’s dry I rub it with a little avocado oil so it keeps its sheen.

Staple childhood comfort food? Pot roast. 

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Jesus for sure! All the questions.

Ideal grilled cheese? Oh wow. On Dave’s Killer Bread with Kerrygold butter, butter both sides of the toast, extra sharp white cheddar cheese. And I take one of the kids’ organic mozzarella cheese sticks and slice it lengthwise and lay it on there, you get that nice pull when you tear it apart. We like it with tomato soup.

Favorite pizza topping? Pepperoni with fresh arugula on top after the pizza is done. Secret ingredient is quail egg. We’ll  put 5 or 6 on a pizza. I really don’t like a lot of toppings. I love pizza, it’s such a great meal. 

Where would you want to take a cooking class? Probably Red Stick Spice. I would want to do a fermenting class. I’d love to learn to make a fermented hot sauce. 

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Roasting things in the oven changed the game. It turned turnips into, you know, like the value of a rock into something as good as gold! 

Three things next to your stove? Spoon rest, cast iron and avocado oil. Some pink Himalayan salt. The cast iron is technically on the stove.

Favorite Sports Team? Lately none of them. It’s so crazy, I grew up loving sports! But I don’t know it seems like season 33 of Lost. If I had to pick one, it’s LSU football. I really just want them to win because it makes everyone else happy! It seems like everyone’s life is better here when LSU is winning! 

In Grant style I fired up my cast iron skillet to roast the broccoli. A rimmed baking sheet also works well. Make sure you have it in a single layer for best crisping.

Roasted Broccoli

Start your oven! Grant shares his praise for roasting all vegetables and his treatment for broccoli is a game changer. He also has a fun tip for adding quick flavor--he keeps cooked bacon in the freezer so it’s ready to add to any dish. The whole bouquet of broccoli from Fullness Farm is a work of edible art. It can all be roasted--stalks, leaves, florets--for a delicious and nutritious side dish.

HEAT a rimmed baking sheet or large cast iron pan in a hot oven (425) while you prep your broccoli. Roughly chop a whole head of broccoli into chunky stems, large leaves and bite-sized florets. Peel some whole garlic cloves and cut them in halves or quarters. Tear a slice or three of cooked bacon into bite-sized pieces. When the oven is HOT, carefully remove the heated pan and slide all the broccoli onto the pan. Toss with the garlic and bacon and drizzle with a tablespoon or so of avocado oil or olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Roast until leaves are crisp like kale chips and florets are sizzling and starting to brown, about 15 minutes.

20 Questions with Tracey

Tracey Scalia has worn a lot of hats since we first met at the beach in Florida when we were teens in bikinis. She went to college for respiratory therapy, worked through the medical field for a bit and traded her Mercedes for a Subaru and left the beach for Boulder. She channeled her love of cheesecake and went to pastry school. Now with two college age kids, she has turned her pastry degree into hospitality management, helping run the family business, The Burns Pub & Restaurant in Broomfield.

Back in the day when our pre-married names were so similar people thought we were sisters, we would hop out of the ocean and race up the steps to her parents’ kitchen for lunch, doctoring up ramen and boxed mac and cheese as teens will do. We were in each others’ weddings in the early 90’s and though we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like, our shared love of the Florida Gators and our hometown beach finds us reuniting in Florida from time to time. Hoping we can savor her fabulous coffee cake together soon!

What’s your 20 minute recipe? That’s a tough one! Coffee cake, I have one you can whip together really quick. Breakfast is my favorite meal, this one is really easy and it makes the house smell really good.

What’s your favorite city? Rome because of everything it has to offer! I love Rome, I love Italy! I would move there if I could!

What’s your Favorite restaurant in your current city? I eat a ton of Mexican food. I usually go with independent and family-owned restaurants. Tres Margaritas. I go there a lot, they have great Tex-Mex. My go-to is always enchiladas. I just love enchiladas! They have a fish dish I love with mangos and avocados so it’s a little healthier. 

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? I always have a few ziploc bags of homemade sauce. I learned to make Chuck’s grandmother’s sauce, Nana’s sauce. My kids love it. Her secret was making the sauce with some fatty pork shortribs in it. If I can’t find those I use Italian sausage. You get the flavor from the meat and take it out for a smooth sauce. It’s funny because after I was divorced, Chuck called me to ask how to make his own grandmother’s sauce! He said the kids said his didn’t taste right. They still say mine is better.

Who taught you to cook? Mom, my mom was a great cook! I wish I had paid more attention. Because she was European, she knew how to cook a little bit of everything. Then I went to school for pastry and learned baking. Lots of trial and error. 

What’s your go-to dish for company? Typically a dessert, I would say cheesecake. People love my cheesecake! I went to culinary school because people loved my rum cake. I’ve had a lot of people ask me for the rum cake recipe and I haven’t given it out.

What’s on your cooking playlist? Oh you’re gonna laugh at this! I actually listen to country music. Modern country like Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood. It’s kind of soothing. I like to concentrate so I don’t like anything too distracting.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? KOMBUCHA! I drink Kombucha every day, I believe in its health benefits. I love it, I think it’s great! Some are better than others. I really don’t drink much caffeine because I have terrible insomnia. 

Date night--at home? or out? I’m a single empty nester. I’m married to my work! If I do date, I like to go out and I like to travel just FYI for all those bachelors reading your blog. How are you going to date in COVID anyway?

Most stained cookbook? Sort of my cookbook folder, the collection of recipes that I’ve collected and perfected. My mom gave me my first cookbook in high school The Joy of Cooking and I used it until it fell apart.

Surf? or Turf? Surf of course! Actually I hardly eat any meat outside of seafood. I run a kitchen where I have to taste meat but I almost never cook any meat. I’ve thought about making my sauce vegetarian but I don’t think it would be the same.

Indispensable kitchen tool? Rubber spatula. I can’t imagine a kitchen without one. I have every color shape and size. Even the little teeny baby ones. They are so great!

Staple childhood comfort food? Probably anything custard. That’s why I love cheesecake. My mom made everything with custard. It makes me think of her a lot when I eat custard.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? This is kind of random. Because I love Italy and Italian food so much I think It would be Pavarotti! I think he would be really fun to have a meal with. I picture him being boisterous and fun, someone who knows how to enjoy food and drink!

Ideal grilled cheese? Sourdough bread with slices of tomato, I like a really good cheddar. We do Irish cheddar here on our Shepherd’s Pie but it doesn’t really melt well. 

Favorite pizza topping? Sundried tomatoes and anchovies. I love it! I love thin crust pizzas like they make in Italy.

Where would you want to take a cooking class? Oh gee I wonder! I’ve actually looked into taking a cooking class over there. There are cookie shops on every corner in Italy. My daughter is minor-ing in Italian so I’m hoping to go over and visit her if she gets to study abroad. 

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Overbeating anything with flour in it is a huge pet peeve. Don’t overbeat a cake! People don’t understand how tough a cake will be if it’s overbeaten. Also make sure you get your ingredients to room temperature when you’re baking. The butter, eggs and milk should all be close to the same temperature when you’re mixing your batter.

Three things next to your stove? My utensils, my Vitamix and my stand mixer. I use them constantly. A Vitamix is awesome! I got it in the divorce. 

Favorite Sports Team? Florida Gators. I bleed orange and blue!! 

Writer’s delight! Tracey’s coffee cake is perfect any time of day

You’ve gotta love a good old fashioned handwritten recipe! Use Tracey’s tip of ‘tempering’ the butter, sour cream and eggs to cool room temp before mixing. I used butter instead of shortening and pecans in the topping. One of my tasters wished it had four times as much apple…Play around and enjoy! Happy Cooking!

20 Questions with Michelle

Dr. Michelle Foster, a native of Guyana, started her career as a chemical engineer which led her to West Virginia where she worked for Union Carbide in the 90’s. She volunteered with Kanawha Institute for Social Research & Action, Inc. (KISRA), a community-based, non-profit that strengthens West Virginia families through health, employment, asset development, and learning initiatives, where she found her true passion for community development. 

Michelle got her PhD in community economic development and became the CEO of KISRA. That’s where we met! I was volunteering with AmeriCorps Farm to School and discovered a treasure of local food in KISRA’s farm and greenhouses. What a feast for the senses and great fresh produce to nourish the families in the area. (A highlight of my Farm to School service was touring the KISRA farm with my fellow Farm to Schoolers and hauling the harvest to an all local cooking event).

Michelle expanded her reach of serving the community when she became the president and CEO of The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation in 2016. She is a champion for equity and her education credentials are impressive, as are the accolades recognizing her achievements. I imagine she will always continue learning and growing, working to make West Virginia better and better.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? I’m pescaterian. I eat lots of seafood and I love spicy, Salmon is my favorite fish. I do a jerk salmon in the oven with Walkerswood Traditional Jamaican jerk seasoning, hot and spicy version. I used to get it at the International Grocery and now they sell it at Kroger. Growing up we ate a LOT of rice. My cousin turned me onto quinoa. She taught me how to do a fried rice with vegetables and quinoa instead of rice. Lots of colorful bell peppers, scallions, carrots. One of my favorite greens is Swiss chard and I actually get it at KISRA! I have a Szechuan sauce that I love. Once you use that you don’t need a lot of seasonings. I do love Tony Chachere’s!

What’s your favorite city? New York, of course!! My family is there.

What’s your Favorite restaurant in your current city? I like Tidewater.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? I recently moved, so my fridge is very clean. There’s a delicacy from Guyana, air dried shrimp. It adds so much flavor to foods. Guyanese style dried shrimp

Who taught you to cook? My mom and both my grandmas.

What’s your go-to dish for company? Some kind of fish dish. I ran across this recipe for Tuscan Butter Salmon. It has greens, sliced cherry tomatoes, butter and cream. It’s very very rich. Lots of flavor!

What’s on your cooking playlist? I stream WBLS radio station from New York. I like having that music in the background when I’m cooking. Old and new school R&B.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? Tea, I love tea!

Date night--at home? or out? Lately at home. she’s laughing

Most stained cookbook? I’ve been using a lot of Pinterest for new things that I want to try. They even have Guyanese cooks who share things on Pinterest.

Surf? or Turf? Surf surf surf!

Indispensable kitchen tool? Very sharp knife. It’s so annoying when you have a dull knife.

Staple childhood comfort food? Something from my native Guyana, peanut butter fudge.

I remember eating fudge growing up. When I eat it I feel so nostalgic. 

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? President Obama AND Michelle! 

Favorite pizza topping? Veggies! Bell peppers and hot peppers with extra cheese and lots of veggies.

Where would you want to take a cooking class? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a cooking class in France?! when they ever open things up again!

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? The spicier the better! Spice it up!

Three things next to your stove? A fruit bowl, i leave out my smoothie blender and a plant.

Favorite Sports Team? I’m not a big sports fan, I like LeBron James.

Favrote thing about Charleston? The people. I think we have the best people who really care! It's great collaborating with Mayor Goodwin, she is so passionate! Now I live in the city limits of Charleston and get to work to help make our city more attractive.

Bathed in Jamaican jerk seasoning and cloaked with lemon slices, Michelle’s salmon is a 20 minute wonder! Served here with a fresh Swiss chard salad with a kick of jalapeño.

Michelle’s Jerk Salmon

There’s a new condiment on my refrigerator door, thanks to Michelle’s recommendation! Walkerswood Traditional Jamaican Jerk Seasoning has the same ingredients I use when I make it myself. It is so delicious and ready the moment you’re craving a getaway to Jamaica! No peppers to puree, it’s all there in the jar. The recipe is super quick, too. For the best flavor, plan a day ahead and marinate your salmon overnight.

Spritz each salmon filet with fresh lemon juice or a little vinegar, then coat the fish with a generous layer of the jerk seasoning paste, maybe a teaspoon or three. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Heat your oven to 400. While the oven heats, place a cast iron skillet* over medium-high heat and when it’s hot, lay in the salmon, skin side down so it quick sears the skin. Place the skillet in the oven and cook the salmon until your desired degree of doneness, about 7 minutes for medium. Serve with lemon wedges and your favorite greens or a nice batch of quinoa ‘fried rice.’

*if you don’t have a cast iron or oven-proof skillet, salmon can be cooked in a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet. Add a few minutes to the cooking time since it will not be pre-seared on the stovetop.