The Art of Eating In: DIY Food adventure with Souther Salazar
Well, our week of eating in is complete and we went out (only figuratively!) with a bang if we do say so ourselves (full recap to come). One thing we realized is that skipping restaurant meals is kinda hard, especially if you have guests in from out of town. Case in point: this past weekend our awesome friend and amazing artist Souther Salazar was visiting New York from L.A. with his super rad girlfriend Monica for the opening of his gallery’s five-year anniversary group exhibition and we couldn’t take them to a single one of our fave Brooklyn restos. No leisurely brunches, no dinners out on the town—it was then that we felt the pain of our pledge. But we’re nothing if not determined. Luckily, Souther was game for a DIY food adventure so instead of having him pick a place to eat, we picked the spot (our kitchen!) and let him choose the menu (we think Cathy Erway would be proud). His first request was a dish he’d discovered on Nate Cooks (Vanderbilt-inspired Sriracha Brussels sprouts), which we were happy to oblige. And when his love for pulled pork sandwiches came to light, we jumped at the chance to break out our long-neglected slow cooker and try out a recipe Kelly had just been raving about (chipotle orange barbecue pork). Topped with some homemade pickled cucumbers and red onions, it was a meal of epic tasty proportions and the most memorable way to wrap up our week of not eating out.
Chipotle Orange Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwiches adapted from Simply Organic via WhirlyGirlCoffee
Makes 8 sandwiches
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. ground mustard
1 chipotle chili pepper, canned in adobo (minced)
1 tsp. adobo sauce
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 lb. pork butt
Annie’s Natural Smoked maple barbecue sauce (optional)
Hamburger buns
In small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, honey, vinegar, mustard, chili pepper, oil, garlic, salt, cumin, and cinnamon. Place pork in slow cooker and pour mixture on top. Cook for 24 hours on low.*
*We weren’t prepared enough for such a slow cook so we did 5 hours on high and it was still deliciously tender.
Pickled Cucumber and Red Onion from Martha Stewart Living
Makes about 4 cups
2 English cucumber, sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds
1 small red onion, sliced into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
¼ cup coarse salt
2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. whole black peppercorns
2 tsp. mustard seeds
2 tsp. whole coriander seeds
Toss vegetables with 2 Tbsp. salt in a large colander set over a bowl, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Rinse well, pat dry, and place vegetables in a clean glass jar or glass bowl. Bring remaining 2 Tbsp. salt, the vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, mustard and coriander seeds to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes. Pour over vegetables, and let cool for 1 hour. Cover, and refrigerate overnight or up to 3 weeks.
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Honey, Lime, Sriracha adapted from Nate Cooks
2 cups Brussels sprouts
1 Tbsp. oil (canola or olive)
1 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
Juice of 2 limes
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. Thai fish sauce
1 tsp. Sriracha
2 tsp. sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove the outer leaves of the Brussels sprouts and chop them in halves or, for the bigger ones, quarters. Pour olive oil and sesame oil in the bottom of a baking pan. Toss the Brussels sprouts in it until they are lightly coated and arrange in a single layer. Roast in the oven for about ten minutes, then pull them out, give the Brussels sprouts a vigorous shake, add the sesame seeds, and pop them back in the oven for another ten minutes or so.
In the meantime, mix the lime juice, honey, fish sauce, and Sriracha in a small saucepan. Feel free to adjust the measurements to create your own perfect version of a sweet, salty, sour, spicy sauce. Reduce the sauce over a low simmer until syrupy (about 15 minutes).
Remove the sprouts from the oven. At this point they should be starting to brown and the leaves that have fallen off the sprouts will be getting crispy. Shake them again, then put them under the broiler for a few more minutes (3 – 4) so they get nice and browned. Then toss with the sauce in a big bowl.
Food Talk with Souther Salazar
1. What is your favorite meal to eat in?
Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat in, and to eat out. Sometimes I want to eat three breakfasts a day.
2. What is your favorite breakfast to make at home?
Veggie Scramble—spinach, tomato, orange bell pepper, avocado, and salsa on sprouted grain toast with melted Gruyere and bacon on the side.
3. Do you have any food rituals?
Coffee, breakfast, and morning time is usually the highlight of my day. I used to cook as soon as I woke up, but these days Monica, my girlfriend, usually makes something amazing while I play records and dance around. My favorite time to draw is usually during breakfast.
4. Do you have a favorite food truck in L.A.?
I haven’t tried many, but Taco Zone on Alvarado in front of Vons is delicious. And so is the Kogi Truck.
5. Did you have a favorite childhood meal?
Cantaloupe and peanut butter on saltines. And Tab.
4 Comments »
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Wow, I’ve never seen Salazar’s work before, but it’s amazing!
Comment by Vanessa — March 2, 2010 #
i love:
-drawing in the morning (too)
-taco zone (too)
-lisa
-caroline
-souther
-monica
xoxo
Comment by krunkla — March 2, 2010 #
Oh. My. Gosh. This food looks so yummy I am now hungry.
And his art is delicious to look at, too!
Comment by Stella — March 3, 2010 #
Those look really delicious!
Comment by Lee — March 3, 2010 #