Food & Wine February 2018

I’M CRAVING FEIJOADA TONIGHT. A rare snow blanketed Alabama yesterday, so an afternoon fire, the inky black bean stew, and a bottle of Malbec with my wife and friends are on today’s agenda. Out comes my battered blue Dutch oven and in go pork sausages and oxtails to brown in olive oil and begin building the foundational flavors of the stew. Soon onions, carrots, cumin, and garlic will be sweating in the rendered fat before black beans, meat, and chicken stock go in for a long, slow braise. It’s a riff on feijoada inspired by JJ Johnson’s Spicy Black Bean Stew with Lamb Sausage (p. 62) and his other big-hearted recipes. Johnson is a New York City chef, helming the stove most recently at Chefs Club as its first-ever chef in residence.…

ANNIE’S ORGANIC BUTTER & SEA SALT POPCORN We dig Berkeley-based Annie’s organic popcorn, big time: The popped kernels are large, fluffy, and entirely addictive. $3 for 1 (4-oz.) bag; annies.com LESSER EVIL BUDDHA BOWL HIMALAYAN PINK While the coconut taste threw some of our editors, most loved this unique flavor. Plus, the coconut oil keeps calories down to a mere 110 per serving. $10 for 3 (5-oz.) bags; lesserevil.com NEWMAN’S OWN LIGHT BUTTER MICROWAVE POPCORN The butter quotient on these kernels is juuust right: enough to taste like movietheater popcorn without leaving your hands greasy. $4 for 1 (10.5-oz) box; newmansown.com POPCORN, INDIANA KETTLECORN There really is a place called Popcorn, Indiana (population 42), and that’s where this kettle corn originates. With a dash of salt and a little bit of sugar, each bite is perfectly balanced.…

DINNER OF CHAMPIONS When I was younger, my pregame meal before every competition was spaghetti with tomato sauce. We’d travel with a pasta cooker to boil water and pack jars of tomato sauce in our luggage. Comfort food is still my go-to in life. Even for my wedding, I was like, “We have to have french fries.” So we had french fries. FISHY BUSINESS After I stopped competitive skating, I went on this healthy kick of trying to incorporate fish into every meal I ate—and I got mercury poisoning. Everything in moderation, right? COMPETITIVE SPIRIT What I miss most about figure skating is competing all the time. When you’re in the middle of the ice, with all the pressure in the world on your shoulders and so much on the line—the feeling of landing that…

YOUR HOME KITCHEN is about to get a lot smarter. For a few years, tech giants like Logitech and Philips have been playing up the idea of the internet-connected “smart home,” automating everything from thermostats to washing machines. Now, with these new smart speakers, that tech extends to the kitchen. While these gadgets won’t chop onions for you, they can help your cooking and party planning run smoothly from start to finish. APPLE HOMEPOD What Makes It Special: When it’s finally released later this year, the HomePod will be able to help you start the party by, say, dimming the lights on demand. You also can have the device text party guests with last-minute requests for bags of ice for the cooler. What It Costs: $349 Who It’s For: Busy hosts AMAZON ECHO SHOW What Makes…

The first time radio DJ Alice Levine and TV host Laura Jackson co-hosted a big dinner party, they botched the lamb and the flowers wilted mid-meal. But their guests had a blast, and the duo’s London supper club Jackson & Levine has been a sold-out hit ever since. They share tips on how to be a killer host in their new cookbook, Round to Ours ($35), out this spring. SONGS FOR YOUR SUPPER Jackson & Levine’s top tunes for a dinner party playlist. “Two Can Have A Party” Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell “Getting Mighty Crowded” Betty Everett “Soul Time” Shirley Ellis “He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin’” The Velvelettes “You’re Gonna Need Me” Ted Ford “Night Train” James Brown “Green Onions” Booker T. & The M.G.’s “Tainted Love” Gloria Jones “You Hit Me Like TNT” Linda Jones “Take Me In Your Arms” Kim Weston…

LONG BEFORE NAOMI POMEROY was a Best New Chef (at Beast in Portland, Oregon), she was just a flower-obsessed kid with dreams of becoming a florist. Finally, after arranging the blooms at her restaurant for years, she’s opened her own flower shop, Colibri (colibri pdx.com). Here’s her advice on how to create a tabletop-friendly floral display. GO LOW “For a table arrangement, you want a vase that is low and wide, or you can opt for tiny bouquets. To stabilize shorter stems and keep them from popping out of the bundle, I use flower frogs or chicken wire.” SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL “There are people, all the wine glasses, and of course the food, so keep that in mind. Flowers always end up getting moved to the side if they take up too much space.” KEEP…