"Serious Eats: A Comprehensive Guide to Making and Eating Delicious Food Wherever You Are" by Ed Levine (Clarkson Potter, $27.99)
Levine and his team of SeriousEats.com editors sometimes skip world-class beaches and other perks to eat. And they go home still having had one of the best vacations of their lives.
As a warmer vacation season is right around the corner for many of us, it might be best to take Levine's advice and determine whether we are "Serious Eaters" before we leave home.
That's because Levine's multiple James Beard Award-winning food blog SeriousEats.com and the fun, funky, colorful cookbook based on it sport the following philosophies when it comes to being a "serious eater":
—Do you plan your day around what you might eat?
—When you are heading somewhere, anywhere, will you go out of your way to eat something delicious?
—When you daydream, do you often find yourself thinking about food?
— Have you strained relationships with friends or family by dictating the food itinerary, changing everyone's plans to try a potentially special burger or piece of pie?
—Do you live to eat, rather than eat to live?
Though answering "yes" to many of these questions on dieting questionnaires gets you into hot water, in Levine's blogosphere, it's all good.
"Foodie" is what most of us have called this kind of behavior before. And it is that, but more. "Foodie" generally has meant "snooty," exceptionally picky and only going to try what everyone else also considers "the best" restaurants (translation: usually expensive, five-star rating).
Levine, who has been a New York Times contributor and is a recurring judge on Food Network's "Iron Chef America," has a much more fun, individualistic and cheaper spin on things. In his world, you are just as likely to hear about a great street vendor as a Michelin-rated chef.
His book lists the best of the best of these innovative cooks, their recipes and addresses. Kimchi quesadillas emerge from some of the many Koreatowns in the United States. Smokra is a smoked okra dish. Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies from Brooklyn, New York, are plugged in the guide, as are many other fun features, such as Levine's "Best Breakfast I Ever Had." Surprisingly, like so many things in the whimsical book, the breakfast is pie — all pie.
"I am ready to nominate Hoosier Mama proprietor and pie-ologist Paula Haney for a MacArthur 'Genius' award. That's how delicious her pies are," writes Levine. "Her double-crusted fruit pies have gorgeous all-butter crusts made with just the right amount of salt and sugar, and her fruit fillings always taste like the essence of whatever fruit is in them, nothing more and nothing less.
"Recently, Serious Eats' editors ... descended on Hoosier Mama for my all-time favorite specialty meal — the all-pie breakfast.
"I was first introduced to the all-pie breakfast by Magnolia Grill's incredibly gifted pastry chef and co-owner Karen Barker; she completely blew my mind with an array of pies eaten on one fine morning in 2007 and I've been wanting to replicate the experience ever since. That's why we ordered one slice of every pie on Hoosier Mama's menu."
Yes, everything the Serious Eats team does is that thorough. You'll find not only scores of chefs and restaurants raved over but cross-referenced. (There are page numbers for both Magnolia Grill and Karen Barker, as well as bios on some specific editors Levine mentions.) Every recipe is not only clearly explained but has gourmet touches — in both ingredients and techniques — that only very good cooks would know, which elevates them well above ordinary cookbook fare. But then Levine is not only a serious eater but also one serious contender who you should keep your eyes on in the future for further important culinary contributions.
KIMCHI QUESADILLAS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups cabbage kimchi, roughly chopped into approximately 1/4-inch shreds
2 pickled jalapeno peppers, minced into about 2 tablespoons (see note)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 tablespoons canola oil
Kosher salt, to taste
Yields 4 quesadillas.
Heat butter in a 10-inch, heavy-bottomed stainless-steel cast-iron skillet over medium heat until the foaming subsides and the butter starts to brown slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the kimchi and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kimchi is well browned. Transfer the kimchi to a large bowl and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add the jalapenos, cheese, cilantro and sesame seeds and toss to combine.
Spread one-fourth of the mixture evenly over half of one tortilla, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Fold the tortilla in half and flatten firmly. Repeat with the remaining three tortillas.
Heat 1/2 tablespoon of canola oil in the skillet and set over medium heat until the oil simmers, about 1 minute. Add two quesadillas to the skillet. Brush the tops with an additional 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Cook until crisp, blistered and brown on the first side, about 2 minutes. Flip the quesadillas, season the tops with salt and cook until the second sides are crisp and brown, about 2 minutes longer.
Transfer to a cutting board, allow to cool slightly, cut into thirds and serve immediately.
Note: Experts recommend wearing latex gloves and not touching your eyes while or after handling peppers.
SMOKRA
1/4 pound (about 3 cups) okra, stems trimmed
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Yields 1 quart.
Add the okra, garlic, cayenne, paprika, curry, mustard seeds and red pepper flakes to a 1-quart sterilized glass jar with a lid. Pack down until the okra fits.
Combine the cider vinegar, 1 cup water and the kosher salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then allow to cool for 2 minutes. Pour the hot brine over the okra until the jar is filled to the brim. Immediately, tightly screw the lid onto the glass jar. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least two weeks and up to one year before opening. Refrigerate after opening.
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