Quarantine Cooking
Sometimes I fantasize about a world where I can cook delicious things, anytime, in my underwear, for me and/or multiple people. Completely uninhibited by any extraneous factors or forces beyond my control.
Will I have time to hit the grocery store after work today? I don’t want to start cooking at 9pm on a Wednesday…
Will the grocery store even be worth going to? It’s always crowded as f*** after work since everyone in New York has the same goddamn idea?
What do I already have in the fridge at home? Damn, I wish I’d bit the bullet, and set up a Nanny Cam in the produce drawer.
All of these and more have been alleviated as of late, but for reasons I’d rather they not be. Yes, I’ve been home, making delicious food at all hours in my slippers and embroidered “Stoph” apron (thanks, Mom). Seemingly, my fantasy has been actualized. However:
I’d prefer it if humanity weren’t collectively suffering, society wasn’t at a standstill, and nations under duress by the invisible force that is COVID-19.
I’d prefer it if I didn’t feel like I should hold my breath while standing in line to buy frozen berries.
I’d prefer it if I could enjoy the oncoming spring weather in full effect.
I’d prefer it if people of Asian descent weren’t being subjected to xenophobic and racist comments and threats from strangers.
I only hope that throughout this, we can all love our neighbors, cook for ourselves, our friends, our families, and be kind. It’s strange times indeed when something on a mass scale reminds us to act this way. Love should be de facto behavior.
Cooking under quarantine has been a poignant form of stress relief for me these past few weeks, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Whether it’s my work-from-home lunches or a collaborative dinner with the Willoughbois*, I’ve been able to toss my anxieties into boiling water, chiffonade my fears like basil leaves, and grind my stress into a fine paste in the food processor.
* An affectionate name for my roommates and I. We live on Willoughby Ave.
Here are a few of the delicious meals I’ve been lucky enough to cook for myself, or the three of us, in the past couple weeks. In an effort to support my favorite local bottle shops during this time, I’ve also been drinking an inordinate amount of natural wine and you can find my take on each bottle below.
The “We Need To Use All This Stuff Before It Goes Bad” Dinner
Smoked kielbasa sausage.
Green beans with almond gremolata.
Pearl Couscous with herbs.
Stoph’s sundried tomato hummus.
Wine
A bottle of Occhipinti’s Nero D'Avola - Frappato Sicilia SP68 (2018)
Sicily providing the goods here - deep but gluggable dark red. Tastes like you dropped your packet of dried black fruit into a field of flowers, and ate them directly off the earth.
The “Stoph Makes Pizza Because He Remembered He’d Frozen Some Pizza Dough Two Months Ago” Dinner
Pie #1 - prosciutto, asparagus, post-oven arugula, fresh tomato sauce, mozz, parm.
Pie #2 - caramelized mushrooms and shallots, various herbs, fresh tomato sauce, mozz, parm.
Wine
A bottle of Château Barouillet’s Splash Pet Nat (2018)
Insanely glou glou. Like, dangerously chuggable. A perfect pizza pairing that tap dances around on your tongue with lots of citrus and sweet sparkling pineapple juice. Higher on the acidic side with soft bubbles. Would be a dream to have this as your sunbathing beverage.
The “Remote Brunch”
We FaceTimed with close friends, each making a brunch feast in their respective homes, and sat down for a while with my phone propped up facing us, catching up with our buddies not so far away from here.
Stoph made a farro salad with roasted rutabaga, shallots, feta, arugula, and toasted pumpkin seeds.
Cole made scrambled eggs with smoked salmon.
And an incredible pomelo juice + gin cocktail (not pictured)
Sam made crepes with caramelized bananas.
The “I Woke Up And Saw A Melissa Clark Recipe I Wanted To Try” Collaborative Dinner Dance
Holy moly, gang. We really sent it with this one. Here’s that aforementioned recipe.
Stoph made smashed crispy Fingerling & Ruby Crescent potatoes, white beans, anchovy/caper brown butter sauce. He also made roasted brussels sprouts with bacon, red scallion, and balsamic vinegar.
Cole made caesar salad with savoy cabbage and broccoli. Cole and I emulsified this caesar dressing by hand. BY HAND.
Sam was the heavy lifter, providing necessary prep and mise en place.
The “My Whole Workday Was Spent Making Lunch” Lunch
Smashed chickpea salad sandwich with pickled red onion, pickles, avocado, and homemade sun-dried tomato hummus.
Chickpea salad (because I know you want to know the details): stewed chickpeas, capers, tahini, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, all smushed together.
The “Bastardized Bibimbap” Lunch
Welcome to Stoph’s fridge. A place where too much produce is constantly being acquired, and all of it must be utilized in some form or another before it goes bad.
Roasted Koginut squash with sage, thyme, and shallots.
Raw green daikon radish.
Savoy cabbage and kale, dressed in tahini, white miso, lemon juice.
Kimchi.
A humble fried egg.
The “Cole Cooks” Dinner
This title is self-explanatory. And thank goodness for it. This was a triumph. Bravo, Cole.
Crispy baked pasta with mushrooms, sausage, and parmesan cream sauce. A J. Kenji Lopez-Alt gift to the world.
More salads should be eaten with one’s hands. Romaine, lemon vinaigrette, candied walnuts, parm. Point one end at your face and begin to munch. So simple, yet so effective.
Perfectly executed sourdough from Ops.
Wine
A bottle of Partida Creus’ Blanco Natural (2018)
Zippy, with loads of acid. Think fresh squeezed lemon juice dancing on your tongue, with a middling aftertaste reminiscent of baking spices. All the sweet notes of apple cider vinegar, with the same look - cloudy, and unfiltered, which lends more body than your typical white. Puckered up for eternity after.
The “Remember Those Potatoes From Earlier? These Are Them Now” Breakfast
I’m convinced there’s nothing better than a slow start on a rainy Sunday involving friends/family and classic American breakfast food at home. We all made:
Soft scrambled eggs.
Bacon.
Leftover Ruby Crescent and Fingerling potatoes fried in bacon fat.
Dangerously buttered sourdough from Ops again.
Butter. (This gets its own line based on volume consumed)
I’m eternally grateful that I am:
Healthy
Able to provide for myself and others
Cooped up semi-permanently with friends
I continue to count my blessings, and send warmth, hope, and support to the families and individuals impacted by this virus, whether in health or employment. Not to mention healthcare workers on the front lines, fighting a never-ending war against an invisible and terrifying enemy.
I’ll see you guys after putting on the de facto “Quarantine 15” from eating all this homemade cornbread, sporting a dirtstache and unruly hair. Stepping out into the sun, shaking off the dust, and breathing deeply (once again thinking about how busy Whole Foods probably is right now) will feel glorious.