For Your Post-Holiday Having People Over

Good morning! Yesterday, in all my almost sixteen years of living in New York, I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced a more quiet Monday. The city feels quite literally empty, which is a good time to go to any restaurant you are wanting to go to but worried you can’t get into. I suggest a solo lunch wherever applicable (sit at the bar, try not to just sit on your phone, people watch, remember why New York is special, etc.) and make a date with someone you’d want to sit with for hours over dinner for the evening shift. 

If you’re in town or visiting, here are some suggestions for places I enjoy that are often annoying to get into that might be easier this week and next: 

• Rolo’s
• Lei Wine Bar 
• Cervo’s
• Bernie’s
• Thai Diner (lunch or dinner) 
• I Cavallini 
• Ha’s Snack Bar (or newly opened Ha’s Bistro)
• Via Carota (lunch or a 430 pm aparativo is my preferred time to dine here) 
• Sunn’s
• Keen’s (lunch or dinner) 
• JR & Son
• Le Veau D’Or (lunch or dinner)

A reminder that restaurant gift certificates also make good last minute gifts– especially nice for those who live in a different city than you (no shipping, etc.). 

If you are like me, the end of year has been too insane and you have not purchased a single grocery, prepared a single thing for this upcoming holiday which you start hosting in, checks notes, 24 hours. But I will do all of my catching up today– The ordering of ingredients, the errand running, the mailing of holiday cards (if they arrive before the new year….hey, that’s okay in my book) will all get done, at some point, praise be. 

Today I’ll also be saying goodbye to our beloved First Bloom pop-up, the most glorious two months in the city we could dream of. More on that in the new year, but thank you from the bottom of our little grocery loving hearts to everyone who came in and purchased a jar of tomato sauce, a beautiful squash, a bar of chocolate, a jar of capers. The response was beyond anything we could imagine. We’re open today from 11-8 for one last hurrah–  we have plenty of things for your purchasing delight before it all heads back upstate. 

All that said, as disorganized as you (I) may be, this liminal space between Christmas and New Years where people are on vacation, at least mentally, is also the ideal week to have people over in a non-holiday way. A sort of no pressure, soft pants type hosting affair. While I think both made together create a fantastic menu, these Spicy Braised Short Ribs and Caramelized Beans with Tomato and Cabbage are also, made alone, worthy of having people over. They’re also both very good make ahead things, long oven things, “cozy” things. From there, all you’ll need is a nice spritely little herb salad (this one is 1 bunch of thinly sliced scallions, 1 bunch of cilantro, torn, tossed and dressed with lemon or lime juice, flaky salt and coarse pepper) and maybe some nice tortillas (I prefer corn) warmed in the short rib fat for which to scoop up all the braised meat bits and caramelized beans. 

Spicy Braised Short Ribs with Garlic & Lemon

Serves 8-10

I feel like many people are always in search of a steady, reliable short-
rib recipe: not too basic or boring but not so loud it couldn’t happily
mingle with anything else on the table. Something satisfying, with a
foolproof technique that yields perfectly tender, shreddable, fall-off-
the-bone meat in a pool of well-seasoned sauce (which I’m tempted to
describe as “beefy”), without being too heavy. Short ribs that can be
made with ingredients you’ve already got on hand, cooked ahead of
time, reheated with ease.

These are those short ribs, the answer to “What is your favorite basic-
but-delicious short rib recipe?” There’s no tomato paste or finely
chopped vegetables, no bottle of Barolo—just a pot of gorgeous short
ribs bathed in a sauce that’s equal parts tangy and salty, sweet and
savory. They are simultaneously so complex and so beautifully basic,
you might wonder whether they are the platonic ideal of a braised
short rib. (I think they are.)

Ingredients

• 5 pounds bone-in short ribs, at least 1½ inches thick, cut into single-bone portions(or 3½–4 pounds boneless, at least 1½ inches thick)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
• 4 lemons, halved
• 2 large yellow onions, unpeeled, quartered
• 2 garlic heads, unpeeled, halved crosswise, plus 4 cloves, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes or 1–2 tablespoons
• Calabrian chile paste, plus more
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ cup sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar
• ½ cup soy sauce or tamari
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 1 cup parsley and/or cilantro, tender leaves and stems, finely chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped chives (from about 1 bunch)
• Flaky sea salt

Preparation

1. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper at least 1 hour (at room temperature)and as much as 48 hours (covered and refrigerated) in advance.
2. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear as many short ribs as will comfortably fit in the pot until deeply golden brown on both large flat sides, 4–6 minutes per side. Transfer the browned short ribs to a large plate or cutting board and drain all but about 2 tablespoons fat from the pot; repeat with the remaining short ribs. Once you’ve seared all the short ribs, remove and discard all the fat from the pot and carefully wipe it out. (There’s no need to wash the pot; just get rid of any scorched bits.)
4. In the same pot over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and add 2 of the lemons, the onions, and halved heads of garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the lemons, onions, and garlic get a bit of color, 5–7 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes or chile paste and cook for a minute or two. Add the honey and cook, stirring, until it starts to bubble furiously and turn a few shades darker, 2–3 minutes. (Caramelizing the honey a bit gives you a more “mature” flavor rather than just “sweet,” which will do the braising liquid many favors.)
5. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, thyme, and 4 cups water (careful, it’ll bubble considerably). Using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pot and bring to a strong simmer. Season with salt and pepper and add the short ribs back in, bone-side up (you want the meat to be as submerged in the liquid as possible). Cover the pot and place it in the oven. Do not look at it or remove the lid for 3 hours. (Nothing bad will happen, promise.)
6. After 3 hours, check the short ribs. They should be extremely tender and nearly falling apart, almost having the jiggly texture of a baked custard or Jell-O. (If not, continue roasting another 20–30 minutes.) Remove from the oven.
7. At this stage—and this is optional!—you can remove the lid and, using a spoon, carefully skim off as much of the top layer of fat as possible (the short ribs might seem a little greasy without skimming, but worse things have happened). Increase the oven temperature to 425°F and return the pot to the oven, uncovered, to let the short ribs brown on top and thicken the braising liquid a bit, another 35–45 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, combine the parsley and chives in a small bowl and season with flaky salt; set aside.
9. Once the short ribs are nicely browned, the sauce is slightly reduced, and you’re ready to serve, remove the short ribs from the oven. Add the chopped garlic to the pot and squeeze the remaining lemons over, letting the raw garlic and fresh lemon juice season the braising liquid. Serve straight from the pot or transfer the ribs to a shallow bowl or plate with high sides, spooning the braising liquid over. Sprinkle with the herb mixture before serving.

DO AHEAD: You can remove the short ribs from the oven after step 6, let them cool at room temperature, and place them in the fridge overnight. When ready to serve, remove them from the fridge and, using a spoon, scrape off the solidified fat on the top layer. Return the short ribs, covered, to a 325°F oven until totally warmed through, 30–40 minutes. Remove the lid, increase the temperature to 425°F, and continue to cook, uncovered, to let the short ribs brown a bit on top and reduce the braising liquid, another 35–45 minutes.

EAT WITH: A bowl of delightfully creamy polenta, a pile of lemony potatoes (page 98), or crusty bread for sopping. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, shred them and fold them into tomato sauce for a gorgeous little ragu.

Caramelized Beans with Tomato & Cabbage

Serves 4

If the idea of having three baked bean recipes in one book doesn’t thrill you beyond belief, we are not the same. They’re all different, all special, all worthy of your time. This saucy, tangy recipe might be the closest of the three to traditional “baked beans,” but these are sweet not from brown sugar or molasses but rather from jammy tomatoes and browned cabbage. I understand that that probably sounds like when people describe dried fruit as “nature’s candy,” but it’s true: When caramelized and concentrated, both tomato and cabbage do become perceptibly sweeter and tangier, truly approximating that baked-bean feeling. While you could scatter a handful of olive oil– doused breadcrumbs on top to soak into the tomatoey broth and wrinkled cabbage leaves, I intentionally leave them out here, since they block the top bean-tomato-cabbage layer from caramelizing— my favorite part, the reason we’re all here.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ small head (about 1½ pounds) cabbage, cut into 1-inch wedges
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 (15-ounce) cans large white beans, such as butter beans, gigante, or cannellini, drained and rinsed
• 8 ounces tomatoes, preferably small, halved if small, quartered or chopped if large
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, or white distilled vinegar
• A hunk of Parmesan cheese for grating on top, ricotta for spooning over, or feta for crumbling (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet (preferably oven-safe) over medium heat. Add the cabbage, cut-side down, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, without disturbing or peeking, until the cabbage is deeply golden brown on one side, 8–10 minutes. Using tongs or a fish spatula, carefully flip and repeat on the other side, another 8–10 minutes.
3. Once the cabbage is well browned on both sides, add the shallots and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring or shaking the skillet occasionally to make sure the shallots can make contact with the pan, until they are nicely browned and totally tender, 5–7 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the beans in a 1½- to 2-quart baking dish. Once the cabbage and shallots are nicely browned and tender, add them to the baking dish, along with the tomatoes, vinegar, and 1 cup water. Season well with salt and pepper and rearrange the goods, adjusting some of the wedges of cabbage and pieces of tomato so that they make their way to the top. (They will get so delicious in the oven.)
5. Place in the oven and bake until the liquid has reduced by quite a bit, everything is bubbling up the sides of the dish in a sticky, caramelized way, and the top is delightfully browned, bordering on crisp, 50-60 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Serve with or without cheese.

DO AHEAD: The beans can be made 2 days ahead, wrapped, and refrigerated. Reheat in a 425°F oven, uncovered, until warmed through and bubbling once more, 20–30 minutes. Leftovers can also be scooped into a skillet and rewarmed on the stovetop.

EAT WITH: A hunk of sour, rustic bread, preferably made with hearty whole grains, for dipping and dunking (a modern “brown bread” perhaps).

Thank you to Señorita THC Margaritas for sponsoring today's newsletter. Several were enjoyed at last weekends Ham Party and are excellent additions to your holiday week. They're made with real juice, organic agave and no alcohol, which means no hangover. Use code Alison20 for 20% off purchase of Señorita THC Margaritas on senoritadrinks.com 

Now go catch up on some sleep, cook something wonderful, watch all your programs, call someone you love, drink lots of water. See you in the new year.