Milk Street TV has been in the spotlight this March. Our kitchen turned into a studio to film Season 3 over the last few weeks, while a marathon of Season 2 has been running on CreateTV. Also, you can now watch our show anytime on PBS’s just-announced new streaming site, PBS Living, available on Amazon Prime.
Of course, we’ve kept plenty busy online, on the road and on our radio show, which just won a Taste Award for Best Food or Drink Podcast. And if you haven't checked out Milk Street's Online Cooking School yet, we've got three great classes—The Spice Kitchen, Not My Mother's Chicken and Pasta Perfect—and more coming soon. See below for a collection of highlights from this month at Milk Street.
A Nigella-Inspired Sheet-Pan Chicken:
Nigella Lawson inspired us to make a traybake (a sheet-pan recipe) involving chicken roasted with the makings for a sauce. It's much faster than roasting a whole chicken and simmering a sauce after the fact. Simply roast spice-rubbed chicken legs, thighs and breasts on a sheet pan along with ingredients for a sauce: poblanos, habanero, garlic, tomatoes and onion. Roast for 40 minutes and then mash the veggies into a sauce.
Milk Street Radio: Food Fraud Is Bigger Than Narcotics
In this weekend's Milk Street Radio show, we discover that fake foods, from Parmesan (could contain cardboard) to oregano (strawberry leaves), are a multibillion-dollar business worldwide.
Online: For Better Scrambled Eggs, Hold the Butter
When we revisited one of our favorite #MilkStreetTips this month—for faster, fluffier scrambled eggs, cook with olive oil, not butter—readers had something to say. Weigh in on the debate, and keep up to date on weekly free recipes and other tips like this on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
On the Road: Live Like a Local
If you find yourself with a long layover in Copenhagen—as Milk Street Editorial Director J.M. Hirsch recently did—fill your time like a local: Bicycle around the city and do a little day drinking. Rental shops are everywhere and the city has a sophisticated network of bike lanes. Start at Torvehallerne, a stunning market with dozens of choices for baked goods, coffee, an amazing array of smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches) and plenty of great beers. Or head to Jægersborggade, a street lined with funky shops and two of the city's best—yet least pretentious—restaurants: Manfreds and Restaurant Relæ. Both serve terrific locally sourced foods and boast impressive wine lists.
Across the city at Ved Stranden 10 Vinhandel og Bar, the vibe is bookshop chill (tons of light, heaps of journals and magazines, comfy chairs in cozy rooms) and the wines are by the glass. For something a bit stiffer, go to Lidkoeb, where craft cocktails are served in the courtyard of a 133-year-old pharmacy. And if you like pizza with your beverage, head to ever-popular BÆST. Before you grab a slice, go upstairs to Bæst Cocktailbar, a gin-centric place with a hip ambience.
*Travel Tip*
Food Editor Matthew Card likes to bring his own utensils with him when he's on the road. Snow Peak, a Japanese camping equipment company, makes excellent tools as appropriate for back-country hiking as frequent flying. They make a terrific set of bamboo-and-stainless steel “Wabuki” travel chopsticks that unscrew and fit into a compact pouch, as well as a smartly designed titanium spork that weighs virtually nothing.
When he checks a bag, Matt brings a folding pocket knife for hotel room charcuterie, cheese and baguettes. His current favorite is a modernized version of a classic Corsican resolza, which has been the traditional shepherd’s knife for hundreds of years. The modern version, produced by Italian company Extrema Ratio, pairs the classic willow leaf-shaped blade with a comfortable and elegant aluminum handle matching the original wood or horn handle. The blade locks into place for safety and can even be used for kitchen paring in a pinch. It’s available in two sizes.
In Our Store: Gear Up for Summer
Whether you're packing lunch or gearing up for summer picnics, the Milk Street Insulated Grab 'n Go Tote is the item all of us here at Milk Street are really excited about right now. It's large enough to hold up to 24 cans.
In the Kitchen: Long Live the Ancho Chile
We love ancho chiles (dried poblanos) because they're a fabulous pantry staple. We use them to make a rich and chocolatey Salsa Roja. You can also seed and tear one ancho and throw it into a pot of tomato sauce—it adds nice heat and depth.
*Cooking Tip: Whole Spices*
Two spices, cumin and coriander, are wonderful when lightly crushed from whole seeds. Use them to dress potatoes. Or toast the whole seeds and then grind them in a small coffee mill and use with everything from eggplant to chicken. Toasted whole spices are much better than pre-ground and will amp up your cooking quickly.
On Our Minds: Neapolitan-Style Stovetop Coffee
The “cuccumella” is a stovetop espresso maker that works backward! That is, it boils water on the bottom section first, and then the pot is flipped upside down so that the water drips through the ground coffee. You get a milder, smoother espresso than with a stovetop moka pot. Find them on Amazon.
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