Bon Appetit May 2021

feeling energized

WHEN I THINK OF THE ADVENT OF SPRING, I usually think of color, a riot of yellow daffodils and purple crocuses, the bright male goldfinch returning to New York. But this spring, what comes to mind is motion, perhaps because my own movement has been restricted due to the pandemic. There is the energy (and the audacity) of a tulip defying gravity to shoot up out of the earth. Then there’s downward motion too, the power unleashed in a terrific rain or pollen storm. The energy required to gather and feed friends comes to mind as well. The menu planning, the shopping, the mad dash to declutter the apartment before friends arrive. As of press time it’s not yet safe to entertain, but I’m already daydreaming about it. When friends arrive,…

family meal

RECIPE DEVELOPER Ali Slagle was a self-proclaimed “never-breaster” who only tolerated chicken breasts when they were breaded and fried schnitzel style. Then she developed a method for crackly-skinned, juicy roast breasts that has quickly earned a spot in her regular rotation. Preheating the skillet before adding the chicken jump-starts the browning process; the bones provide a buffer that protects the meat from drying out as the skin gets golden. Use the leftover drippings to make any kind of side, from sautéed greens to warm salad dressing to the herby peas and croutons shown here. Lemony Tortellini Soup With Spinach Similar to Greek avgolemono, this soup gets its silkiness from a mixture of eggs and lemon juice, making this dish comforting yet light RECIPE BY SARAH JAMPEL 4 SERVINGS 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. vegetable or chicken…

a short and sweet guide to the vast world of: honey

The 101 What Even Is Honey? Gloopy, sweet honey is made by the tireless work of thousands of female bees who suck up nectar into a special stomach called the honey sac. They create an assembly line and regurgitate that nectar into each other’s sacs (sorry) until it thickens into honey. The bee nearest the honeycomb then spits it into one of those tiny perfect hexagons. BUYING Your best bet is to find local or regional honey at your market. Mass-produced stuff is usually a cooked-down (pasteurized) blend of hundreds of different honeys and not nearly as delicious. STORING Keep honey in a cool dark place and you’ve got about two years before it might start to taste off—but it will never spoil if kept free of moisture. If it crystallizes a bit, just run the…

better spirits

WE’RE CUT TING BACK ON red meat and asking where those out-of-season tomatoes were grown. But how often do we consider how the whiskey in our Manhattan was made? Distilling spirits is a water-and-energy-intensive process, and often the crops used to make them are industrially farmed. But some distillers are committing to the climate: partnering with local farmers, using alternative sources of energy, and reusing heat from their stills. These are a few brands, big and small, that are taking steps to make booze better. MONTANYA Colorado’s Montanya rum eliminated all plastic from its packaging and tasting room and teamed up with an organization that funds plastics recycling programs around the world. NOVO FOGO Many of Brazil’s tree species—including some that have traditionally been used for cachaça barrels—have been decimated by logging. Cachaça brand…

breaking fast

1. The Dates “Dates signify a blessing from God,” Ahmed says. “Breaking your fast with one gives you energy for the evening prayers and subsequent feast,” Farhan adds. Prepared for iftar, the post-fast meal, this box comes with Medjool dates—which Farhan loves for their rich taste and high sugar and vitamin content—plus seasonal fruit. 2. The Kheer “Kheer is just quintessential to Ramadan for us,” Farhan shares. This cardamom-y rice pudding is made for dessert at least a few times during Ramadan in the Momins’ Indian American household. 3. The Samosa Samosas are a must at iftar parties Farhan has attended. One big samosa, filled with potatoes and peas and served with cilantro and tamarind chutneys, is nestled in the box. 4. The Nihari Sandwich Of course, the Momins’ bestselling dish had to be included. Lamb nihari,…

reduce, reuse, rejigger

SUSTAINABILITY WAS ALWAYS the focus of Oyster Oyster, chef Rob Rubba’s veg-forward tasting menu restaurant in Washington, D.C. “Climate change is pretty darn real,” he says. “So I was thinking about what a plate of food will need to be 10 years from now.” At Oyster Oyster that means no citrus or olive oil (due to the carbon footprint of transporting them), no meat (just shellfish), and ingredients sourced from nearby farms. “We’re a restaurant that’s about restraint,” Rubba says. “It was an exercise that prepared us for takeout.” COVID-19 not only delayed the restaurant from opening last March but also forced the team to reimagine their fine-dining setup as packaged meals to go when it did finally open last summer. And that same sustainability-minded ethos drove the way Rubba…