Everybody All Eat In!

06 March 2010 ~ 1 Comment

In New York City, if you’re an aspiring something-or-other, it’s important to see and be seen. Eating out is more than just about food: for some, where you’re dining counts just as much as what you’re wearing while, who you’re eating with and what they’re wearing, and for others, who sees you. So to not eat out at least once a week means you’re out of the social loop, and then, well, what’s the point of living in NYC?

Many months ago, my partner and I found ourselves weighing over our dinner plans. Did we feel like going out to a restaurant, and if yes, what were we in the mood for? If we stayed in, what did we feel like cooking? Unable to agree on a restaurant and bored with what we had on hand, we headed to the local supermarket in hopes of inspiration. When the groceries rang up to about $50, we looked at each other and said, “Damn.” “For 50 bucks, we could have gone out to eat….And we still have to go home and prepare it,” he observed. “And wash the dishes,” I added glumly.

I don’t recall what we purchased, but it wasn’t anything special and it certainly wasn’t a lot of food. And for someone who prepares most of our meals (most of my meals, anyway), I didn’t expect to pay that much for a few groceries at a run-of-the-mill supermarket. It wasn’t Whole Paycheck or anything remotely close, mind you. So when I heard that Cathy Erway of Not Eating Out in New York was about to release a memoir on the subject, I was immediately brought back to that moment.

Thankfully, The Art of Eating In is not a few things. First, it’s not her blog, so if you’ve been following her adventures over the past few years, you don’t have to worry that you paid to read something you already read. Second, it’s not a make-you-feel-guilty-for-being-so-lazy-you-can’t-even-fry-your-own-eggs-or-make-a-bowl-of-soup-and-while-you’re-at-it-shop-organic-ALWAYS-and-cruelty-free-and-save-the-world-book. Cathy shows us that she’s a real person, trying to live within her means and have a little fun while she’s at it. Lastly, she confesses that she’s not a gourmand, so if you can’t boil water, there’s no excuse why even you can’t try one of the recipes that ends each chapter. And plenty are worth checking out. I’m looking forward to trying out the Moroccan dishes inspired by her trip.

So how does a twentysomething manage to spend two years in NYC eating in without committing social suicide? By discovering some of NYC’s underground supper clubs, dumpster diving and urban foraging, amateur cook-offs, and the best no-knead bread, that’s how.

I eat out about once or twice a week, on purpose. And yes, I managed to do this living in NYC. (I don’t anymore). When I talk to people about their eating habits, the three things that come up the most are cost, convenience, and cleanup. When I mention that I generally don’t spend tons of money on food or a lot of time cooking, I’m met with the slanty eye or the screwface. I imagine that the idea of cooking at home, for most people, conjures up visions of expensive ingredients and huge productions that leave you too exhausted to enjoy the meal. So I was relieved to read that Erway herself wasn’t sweating it out in the kitchen every night turning out 4 course meals from scratch. Dishes are a whole other thing for me and something I haven’t quite been able to figure out. Not using 10 dishes to cook one thing, that is.

Cooking doesn’t have to be a chore, nor does it have to take up most of our time. Even the most passionate home cooks streamline their weekly cooking schedules with meals that take less than a half hour to throw together. I’ve got a dozen or so recipes that I work from the most, adding to some, taking away from others, improvising with what I have on hand.

So clear off your kitchen counter, stop using your oven for storage (or learn a sad lesson like Erway’s mom did) and try your hand at this recipe.

Peppercorn, Potato, and Parmesan No-Knead Bread

Makes one, 1 1/2 pound loaf

Note: this is not potato bread. You’ll be see as you read on.

Time: About 2 days

Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/4 t active dry yeast

1 1/2 t salt

About 3 tbs black peppercorns, cracked

1 5/8 cups water that was used to boil a potato, slightly cooled

Parmesan, grated

In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt, and pepper. Add water and stir until blended; the dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap [or a dish towel]. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18 (or two days) at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to work surface or your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball, tucking folded parts underneath. Sprinkle and gently pat the grated Parmesan across the top of the loaf.

Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, semolina, or cornmeal, and place loaf seam-side down on it. Coat another cotton towel with flour and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least a half hour before dough is ready, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex, or ceramic) in an oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under the towel andplace dough Parmesan side up in the pot. Cover with lid and bake 20 minutes; then remove lid and bake another 15 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned.

Cook on a rack.