066: South Asian Woman and Queer Ashkenazi Man unite against J*ke C*hen
It is so bad I wanna give you a zero, but that's not possible, so instead I'm gonna give you a deputy mayorship
(JS) What’s up, baby? Take me out to dinner. Is bingbong culture still relevant as we head into the second half of January? It’s hard to believe it’s been only six weeks since we last found ourselves in your inbox, but I must milk these silly little memes for all they’re worth. ANYWAY… Our best laid travel plans gang aft agley – in lieu of eating/praying/loving in mother India and Boca Raton, Salonee and I enjoyed some end of the year hyperlocal R&R as Miss Omicron did her thing.
To continue my unapologetic Gen-Z pandering, so far 2022 has been extremely not the vibe, between bad takes from our new POS mayor, a violently neglectful landlord on his transition team, temperatures in the teens, and tales of another toxic work environment in food media (and let’s not even start with their B*rthright shill of an editorial lead – the simultaneous gall and absolute cringe of branding oneself as a Nice Jewish Boy… a total shanda, tbh). I hope you’re staying warm, bingeing Yellow Jackets, and eating well – I can claim at least two of the three, but more on that next week!
A few culinary highlights from the past month:
Revisited David Tanis’ roast duck with orange and ginger over cabbage (a la Deb), paired with a persimmon and walnut salad from the Bar Tartine book that I tragically cannot find on Al Gore’s internet
A delightful little brunch at Crown Heights newcomer Agi’s Counter with the official Hungarian friend of the newsletter Kinga: split the confit tuna and the 2nd generation (Hungarian pimento and fried green tomatoes), both served on thick slices of fluffy potato bread, plus an order of their Hungarian donuts aka fánk (weekends only; fánk me later for this hot tip)
Lots from Woks of Life, including baked pork buns (swapping Sichuan pork cheeks in lieu of char siu), Shanghai scallion oil noodles, and Cantonese ginger scallion lobster
(SB) Dearest readers, it’s good to be back in your inboxes! As mentioned above, your humble co-editors have largely been hunkered down in the City for the last several weeks. We saw each other, we laughed, we ate, we played cards… until we didn’t. Clearly, it’s been an odd time in the City of New York: case counts are up, things remain open, it feels weird to do things while also feeling bad not to do things. Rather than immersing myself even more deeply in Gen Z meme culture, my most recent cultural intake has been decidedly vintage. Namely, I’ve recently binge watched Cycle 6 America’s Next Top Model, waded thigh-deep into a few seasons of Downton Abbey, and begun reading Anna Karenina. Sometimes you’re in the mood to encounter the term “valet” in a few different places.
While I was fairly bummed (shall we say “devastated”?) to cancel my trip to India, I have eaten fairly well over the last six weeks. Here’s some of it:
Friend of the letter Eric and I really did some good work eating both takeout and outdoors in frigid temperatures. Of particular note was a transcendent roti-and-doubles meal from De Hot Pot (don’t sleep on the veg options…!) and khinkali & khachapuri from Tone Cafe, enjoyed on the water.
I cooked a fair amount from both Bryant Terry’s Vegetable Kingdom and the Afro-Vegan Cookbook, including a saffron-scented sweet potato and lima bean tagine, red beans and rice, and hominy in a tomato-spinach broth.
Lots of freestyle experiments and things I’ve been meaning to try: Genevieve Ko’s sheet pan eggs & bacon; Austrian potato salad under Eric’s tutelage; an attempt at broiling a pork knuckle for New Year’s Eve, a veg version of this camembert dutch baby… it’s been a wild ride!
I LUH YA SAD PAPI
(JS) My unpopular truth is that more often than not, cinnamon rolls have let me down. I’ve happened upon a couple outstanding versions from bakeries in the past year (sourdough from Apt. 2 Bread, laminated maple from Crumb Bum in Littleton, NH) but most recipes I’ve tried at home have left me wanting more: King Arthur’s soft cinnamon rolls delivered on texture thanks to the introduction of tangzhong, but fell flat in terms of flavor; Melissa Weller’s cardamom cinnamon rolls with buttermilk glaze skewed too saccharine for my tastes and quickly lost their softness upon cooling. Despite my disappointment, I still wanted to believe, and so I held onto the dream that someday my soft and sweet-but-not-cloying bun prince might come. As it turns out, his name is Brandon Skier, aka TikTok’s @sad_papi.
Friend of the newsletter and trusted baker Ava gushed about Sad Papi’s cinnamon cardamom rolls – the lightly sweetened dough uses melted butter and can easily be kneaded by hand, while a one-two punch of softened butter in the filling and warm heavy cream poured over the proofed buns before baking ensures a supremely pillowy result. Finished with a tangy maple bourbon cream cheese icing, these buns showed serious promise, though I wondered what else I could do to dial up the sweet and salty contrast. Friend of the newsletter Viv and I had been seeking a baked treat to lace with some pork floss we bought in Sunset Park and this seemed like as good an opportunity as any – in keeping with a loosely Chinese flavor profile, I swapped out the cardamom for five spice, but otherwise more or less proceeded as written, proofing the buns overnight in the fridge for to nurse a house full of impending New Year’s Day hangovers.
Perhaps because I was using a pyrex rather than metal, my buns needed significantly more bake time than the 20-25 minutes – I eventually pulled them around 40 minutes and they’d only just begun to brown. In truth we blew through all of our whiskey during the previous evening’s festivities, so I ended up swapping the bourbon for a bit of vanilla extract, but the cream cheese maple combo was plenty flavorful. The pork floss soaked up the butter and brown sugar with ease, though in a few buns a bit of this mixture escaped through the bottom and caramelized (a delightful mistake worth further exploration). Paired with a bloody Mary, it was the perfect treat to kick off a day of doing absolutely nothing.
GOOD SOUP: MSG Gibson
(SB) In what feels like another lifetime, my illustrious co-editor and I shimmied our way into the packed antechamber of Bonnie’s on opening night. The crowd was cute, the food was elusive, the drinks were strong, and everyone was discussing the New York Magazine Diner-at-Large job. Best of all, we were introduced to the deeply polarizing and intensely savory new girl in town: the MSG martini. Though we didn’t yet know we were reveling in the heady and rapidly dwindling halcyon days before Omicron (and Thanksgiving), we made the most of the night and had three each.
The Bonnie’s version of an MSG martini is probably a gold standard: MSG-infused gin or vodka, a little Shaoxing wine and olive brine are shaken or stirred into perfection. I had a little trouble sourcing drinkable Shaoxing on short (read: completely impulsive same-day) notice while attempting to recreate it at home, and instead decided to pivot and lean (bend and snap, if you will) into those initial notes of “soup” that Jake and I detected. I love the drink that emerged, but will warn that it’s intensely savory. I recommend it for all Bloody Mary girls who have felt they’re stuck in a Mimosa town.
Start by quick pickling some scallions. Then, in a heat-proof pint glass or cocktail shaker, combine one and a half healthy teaspoons of MSG in just enough hot water to dissolve. Pour in two ounces vodka or the right gin (YKTV), and stir vigorously until combined. I used my Golde frother to really combine things here. Add three (no more!) drops of Maggi sauce, half an ounce of the driest vermouth you can find (extra points if you can find something herby), and some olive brine. Shake or stir vigorously and pour over 2-3 of pickled scallions. Savor.
FRY SOMETHING NEW
(JS) It’s no secret that I loathe to deep fry at home, though I’ll more readily, and in some cases even eagerly deep fry in someone else’s kitchen. I don’t especially care for Saltines – they’re key for the crust in Atlantic Beach pie, but even when I’m feeling sick I never really crave them. And frankly I’m lukewarm on most cheese plates (Radical honesty in 2022! Listen to your body!). But seasoned readers know that when it comes to Gabrielle Hamilton’s recipes, I’m like a moth to the goddamn flame, and her recent writeup of McSorley’s-inspired fried saltines with cheddar and onions was no exception. (SB: I love McSorley’s, I hate the pandemic, I want to be eating mustard on saltines with the Irish of New York.)
A quick dip in sizzling hot oil transforms these bland and boring crackers into crisp, deeply bronzed vessels just begging to be slicked with yellow mustard, then stacked with nutty cheddar and pungent raw onions. Commenters suggest that spreading your Saltines with butter and baking them achieves a similar result, but I beg you to try frying them at least once – with a small saucepan, you can reduce the oil by half and fry in batches. The combination brings together so many familiar flavors and textures (the makings of a great burger, hold the meat), yet this simple little snack is a textbook example of a whole which is greater than the sum of its parts. My only suggestion is to season your Saltines as they cool – contrary to what their name might otherwise suggest, they could use an extra pinch.
PERMANENT ROTATION: You can’t go wrong with some tomato soup from the queen herself this season.
WISH LIST
JS: I’ve been threatening to upgrade my winter jacket from the puffer I bought as a college freshman for the better part of three years – I think I want something thigh length and am partial to Patagonia (~material gworl~), but am open to suggestions if you’ve got ‘em.
SB: I’ve coveted all things Tiipoi on here, from trays to masala dabbas. While doing a little lite online browsing, this elegant 6-cup teapot caught my eye. Oh, to be so hydrated!
JS & SB: There are quite a few funds, clothing donations, and food drives underway to help survivors of the large fire in the Bronx last week. Gothamist has gathered some here and we encourage you to donate if you’re able.
Was your New Year’s resolution to be more online with Digestivo in 2022? Consider following us on Instagram and/or emailing us questions at askdigestivo@gmail.com! Also, perhaps reconsider your resolutions!