If the thought of preparing a big holiday meal in your tiny kitchen sounds impossible, remember: This is New York. Nothing is impossible.
“The biggest thing is how much we get done during the day,” advises chef Anthony Sasso who successfully serves upward of 150 diners a night from Casa Mono’s 12-by-4-foot kitchen.
Chef owner Amanda Cohen of the diminutive Dirt Candy in the East Village, on the other hand, says, “A kitchen that works really well is like a closet that works really well.” In other words, get rid of what you’re not using.
Along with three other chefs who cook in spaces that are a fraction of the 2,000-
square-foot commercial kitchen average (think Spice Market and Tao), Sasso and Cohen offered recipes for a tasty holiday meal, guaranteed to leave a big impression on your guests. Bon appetit!
The dish: Braised turkey legs
The chef: Anthony Sasso
The kitchen: Casa Mono, 52 Irving Place, 48 square feet
“You can get a lot done when you’re less crowded,” says Sasso, so try tackling dishes one by one and then bringing them all together at the end, in a hot oven.
Also, rethink tradition. Instead of roasting an entire turkey in your oven — the oft-served holiday centerpiece — focus on one part of the bird. Sasso’s recipe for braised turkey legs will give you moist, tender meat without taking up the space of a huge fowl.
A side benefit: “The oven is a great hiding place for a nice entree,” Sasso says, so you can surprise your guests with a last-second grand “reveal.”
BRAISED TURKEY LEGS
2 turkey legs, split in two at the joint (will leave you with a drumstick and a thigh for each leg)
1 apple, quartered
1 celery root, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 4 pieces
2 stalks of celery, cut into 4 chunks
2 onions, peeled, cut in half
3 ounces of olive oil
4 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
1 cup white wine
2-3 quarts of turkey stock (or chicken stock), preferably homemade
Kosher salt
Season the turkey legs aggressively with kosher salt and place on a sheet tray. Roast at 375 degrees for 45 minutes until the skin is nice and brown. Remove. Meanwhile, in a large low-sided pot with about 3 ounces of olive oil on the bottom, sauté your chopped apple, celery root, celery, carrot and onions. Once they’re golden, add wine and cook until reduced by half. Add 2 quarts of the stock and bring to a simmer. When the turkey legs are done roasting, add them to this pot of vegetables and cook at a low simmer for 1½ to 2 hours, adding more stock as necessary. Contents of the pan should always be ¾ submerged. The meat is done when it is completely falling from the bone. At that point, remove the meat and, once cool enough to handle, pull all of it from the bone. Strain the contents of the pot and use that flavored liquid to keep the pulled meat moist by pouring it on top. Serves 8.
The dish: Roasted parsnip soup
The chef: Joe Dobias
The kitchen: Joe Doe, 45 E. First St.., 75 square feet
One reassuring piece of advice when you have limited kitchen appliances? “Not everything has to be hot.” Not even soup. Dobias’ roasted parsnip soup is flavorful enough that it can be served hot or cold, giving you the flexibility to make it in advance and set it aside if you need the stove for other dishes. The secret weapon is the Greek yogurt that lends it a creamy texture without any use of heavy cream. Plus, with the right balance, even just a few ingredients can make a big impact — and leave less to clean up on the counter. “The cocoa nibs pair well with the acidity of the yogurt,” the chef says of his seven-ingredient starter.
Not only are the elements simple, they’re interchangeable. “Versatility is important,” he says. So if parsnips are not your cup of tea, he suggests subbing pumpkin, cauliflower or butternut squash.
ROASTED PARSNIP SOUP
1 quart roasted parsnip (measured after roasting)
1 to 2 cups water
¾ cup Greek yogurt
½ cup almonds (with skins)
2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
cocoa nibs (to garnish)
Roughly chop parsnips in quarters and roast with olive oil, salt and pepper at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour. Place in a blender with remaining ingredients. If your blender is small, do two batches. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cocoa nibs.
Serves 4.
The dish: Brussels sprouts
The chef: Gabe Thompson
The kitchen: Dell’anima, 38 Eighth Ave 60 square feet
“A one-pan dish is always great in a small kitchen,” explains Thompson. And he should know: Dell’anima serves up 120 dinners a night from a mere 60 square feet — including his tasty Brussels sprouts side dish. Though it relies on just eight ingredients and one saucepan, all the contrasting flavors make it seem a lot “bigger.” And as you’re cooking this dish and assembling your entire meal, remember: “Be creative with where you put stuff to rest.” This means you might want to use your dining-room table or bathroom sink for some typical kitchen duties.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES AND PUMPKIN SEEDS
1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 red onion, quartered
½ cup dried cranberries, diced
½ cup pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon
1 tsp plus 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Toast pumpkin seeds in one teaspoon of olive oil and one pinch of salt until lightly brown in a saucepan over medium heat and they start to puff up a little. Set aside. In same saucepan, add the tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, onions and Brussels sprouts. Cover over medium-high heat until nicely browned. Season with salt. Add the cranberries, pumpkin seeds and honey. Caramelize the honey for about one minute. Finish with lemon juice and taste for salt. Serves 6.
The dish: Popcorn pudding
The chef: Amanda Cohen
The kitchen: Dirty Candy, 430 E. Ninth St., 150 square feet
Besides its creativity, what’s great about Cohen’s popcorn pudding is that it relies mainly on ingredients you already have on hand, along with only the most basic equipment. “Everything else just clutters,” the Dirt Candy chef sayss.
To keep your precious counter space clear, Cohen comes back to the closet analogy. “Hang everything,” she says. At Dirt Candy, she employs dozens of hooks to keep everything from strainers and spatulas to pots and pans suspended, yet accessible — so no time is wasted searching for a tool or moving stuff around.
POPCORN PUDDING
1 quart milk
1 cup corn kernels (frozen or fresh)
50 grams cornstarch
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
¼ of a fresh vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla
extract)
2 large eggs
4 ounces butter
Beat your two eggs together. Pop your popcorn in the oil.
In the same pot add your milk and corn and turn the heat down to low and let sit for half an hour, covered. In a separate bowl, whisk your sugar with your cornstarch and eggs until incorporated. Temper your eggs by bringing the egg mixture to the same temperature as the milk and corn mixture so that the eggs don’t cook when you pour them in. To do this, whisk two tablespoons of the hot milk and corn mixture into the egg mixture. You’ll probably have to whisk in about ½ cup of the corn and milk mixture, two tablespoons at a time, to get them even.
Slowly whisk in your egg mixture to your corn and milk mixture. Add butter and vanilla bean and stir. Continually stir until the back of the spoon is thickly coated with your filthy mixture. Remove from heat and press through a chinois. Chill. Re-whisk to serve. You re-whisk it because it will set in the fridge and you want to break it up.
Add caramel sauce and popcorn to garnish.
Serves 4.