There's Always a Place for You at Our Table

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It’s the month of giving, and as we ask you to give to our holiday campaign, we want to give you something in return.
There is always a place for you at our table, so sit back and relax as we share some of our favorite recipes…
with our own little twist!

Week of December 23

I like cooking to be easy and flexible. Here is a baked fish dish that can be just about anything you want: swap in ingredients! Make it your own! Let’s call it fish in a garden. On many nights when our kids were young this was one way I could make a healthful meal quickly and easily—so it relies a lot on using what I had in the cupboard, or what I found immediately at the market. (Yes, we did get them to eat fish—at least some of the time…).

Get enough fish for your group. I favor halibut, because my wife loves it; but halibut can get pricey, so just about any solid fish you like can work, cod, tilapia, even salmon. Cut it so there is one piece per person. Put the fish in a baking dish with a little bit of olive oil to coat it. A little salt and pepper too. Use salt and pepper at every step of this recipe (and everything you cook). I use Diamond Kosher salt and that is important—not table salt, or can oversalt which is a point of no return!

Oh and notice about how thick the fish is at the thickest point of the biggest piece.

In a pan heat up plenty of olive oil; chop an onion (or two or as much as you like). Chop it coarsely; do everything for this recipe coarsely; remember, I said easy. Put the onion in the pan so it can cook down a bit, get glassy. You could also substitute chopped garlic, or even throw in garlic and onion together. If you find fennel at your market, chop up a bulb or two and put that in the pan too. (Remember, Kosher Salt and pepper.)

While the onion (garlic, fennel) is getting soft, chop up one or more tomatoes. You could also use cherry tomatoes if they look good, or different colors or whatever kind of tomatoes look good. At this time of year it’ll be the hothouse and there’s nothing wrong with that! When the onion etc has cooked a bit, add the tomatoes, skin, liquid and all.

Cook that all down together—it should become a glorious sludge. Once it is cooked a bit, add plenty of fresh thyme (or dry thyme, or a different herb you like, or no herb). Add plenty of capers too, and I like to slosh in some of the brine from the jar. You could also add some lemon juice now.

Give it all a few minutes to cook together and marry (see “glorious sludge” above). Kosher salt and pepper to taste. Preheat your over to 350.

Pour this all over fish pieces in the baking dish. Cover with foil.

Remember how thick the fish is? Put it in the oven and cook it for 10 minutes per inch. That’s it! Put a piece on each plate and spoon the sauce over it.

You get the idea. You can cook just about any combination of vegetables and herbs together in olive oil, smother whatever fish you like in it, and cook it. It only gets better. You may also notice there are no measurements in this recipe. Welcome to my world. I am here to free you from that. Trust yourself.

Happy Holidays!

 

I love food, and I don’t mind cooking but I don’t need it to be super complicated. This No Bean Turkey Chili is a go-to all year long because it’s yummy, it’s fast, you can make it with one pot and it’s mostly good for you. There’s something so satisfying about sitting down with a big bowl of chili topped with all the things  – my tweak is to go nuts with the toppings and do that full fat sour cream! Cozy and delicious!

20 ounces 93% lean ground turkey, 1.3 lb package
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
10 ounce can Rotel mild tomatoes with green chilies
8 ounce can tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp cumin, or to taste
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1 bay leaf
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes, 8 oz
fresh cilantro, for garnish

Stove Top:
Spray a large skillet with oil and heat over medium-high heat. When hot add the turkey and cook, breaking it up as it cooks into smaller pieces and season with 1 teaspoon salt.
When meat is browned and cooked through add onion and garlic; cook 3 minutes over medium heat.
Add the can of Rotel tomatoes, sweet potato, tomato sauce, water, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt and bay leaf.
Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until potatoes are soft and cooked through, about 25 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add 1/4 cup more water if needed. Remove bay leaf and serve.

Instant Pot:
Press saute, spray the pot with oil and brown the turkey breaking it up as it cooks into smaller pieces and season with salt and cumin.
When meat is browned and cooked through add onion and garlic; cook 3 minutes.
Add the can of Rotel tomatoes, sweet potato, tomato sauce, water, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt and bay leaf.
Cover and cook high pressure until potatoes are soft and cooked through, about 15. Natural release.
Remove bay leaf and serve.

 

Week of December 16

My dad, like many, becomes a one-man cookie factory during the holidays, and it allllll started with the Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookie: a tasty, heartwarming, refreshingly original treat which he stole from Debra at the office.  Dad has two variants on this cookie; with and without the frosting.  As a small and ignorant child, I opted for the frosting-less cookie for no other reason than I knew nothing of the world.  Now, as an adult who knows everything and never makes any mistakes ever, I always go for the frosting.  Also as an adult, I need the taste of coffee in everything I eat and drink in order to not become a raging, club-wielding hell demon.  With that in mind, I’ve added a small twist to the timeless McGee-family-via-Debra classic: why not put a bit of espresso in the frosting?  That same sweet, chocolatey-cherry goodness, with that slight kick in the pants we all need to get through a day spent with family.
CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY COOKIES
1 ½ cups flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ cup softened butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 10oz jar maraschino cherries
1 6oz pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 shot of espresso
Frosting
 
Directions:
Stir together flour, cocoas powder, baking powder, and baking soda.  In a separate bowl, beat together margarine, sugar, egg and vanilla until fluffy; add to dry mixture.  Shape dough into 1” balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Drain cherries; saving juice.  Press dough balls with thumb and place a cherry in the center of each.
 
Bake in 325 degree oven for 10 minutes; let cool, then spoon frosting over cherries.
 
Frosting – over low heat, melt together chocolate chips and condensed milk.  Add 1-2 tsp. cherry juice.  Add 1-2 tsp. espresso (or to taste).

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When I was 19, I spent a semester doing the Trinity/La MaMa performing arts program in the East Village, and even though I’m from Staten Island, living in Manhattan for the first time felt like a totally new world.

I would spend my weekends exploring new corners of the city, but found a particular interest in seeking out the best chocolate bars and hot chocolates in the city. That winter, I came across a small chocolate shop with unusual flavor combinations in their chocolate bars. That’s when I saw the sweet curry milk chocolate bar and fell in love with the combination of flavors. The savory and sweet spices were dreamy, making me seek out sweet curry powder to incorporate in my baking. After a few experiments, I eventually settled on adding sweet curry powder to a favorite brownie recipe I had found online. Hence, sweet curry brownies were born.

SWEET CURRY CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
Makes 16

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tsp sweet curry powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla

3 tsp Sweet Curry Powder (if you don’t have it):
1/4 tsp: turmeric, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, ginger, nutmeg, fennel, cinnamon, white & black pepper, cardamom, cloves and cayenne

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly spray an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper.
In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, sweet curry powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs. Then add canola oil, water, and vanilla. Add dry mix to wet mix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth the top. Bake for 40 to 48 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs attached.

Week of December 9

There used to be a bakery and cafe in Park Slope called Sweet Melissa. Every time I would get together with my friend Sasha, we’d meet up at Sweet Melissa and I’d get the honey chestnut madeleines. Oh my goodness. They were the best madeleines I had ever tasted – full of flavor and texture. Not blandly spongey like most. These were not your nostalgic Proust cookies. These snapped you into the present moment and declared “you are here!”

I tried in vain to find that recipe and recreate it. But ironically these honey chestnut wonders have faded into memory. So, I decided it was time to figure out something different and new – my own madeleines. I took a recipe from Dorie Greenspan and tweaked it a bunch to come up with Orange Cardamom Madeleines. They are citrusy and peppery and a little finicky – but so am I in this present moment. I hope you enjoy them or decide to make up your own recipe.

ORANGE CARDAMOM MADELEINES
Makes 12 large or more than 36 mini madeleines

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch of salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons fragrant honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Orange Glaze (see below)

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, salt and pepper and keep at hand.

Working in a mixer bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment, add the eggs to the bowl and beat until the mixture is light, fluffy and thickened; beat in the honey, then the vanilla. Then, very gently fold in the dry ingredients followed by the melted butter. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the batter and chill for 3 hours or, if you have the time, overnight.

Getting ready to bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Let the oven stay at this temperature for at least 15 minutes before baking. Butter 12 full-size madeleine molds (or 36 mini-molds), dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Place the pan on a baking sheet.

Spoon the batter into the molds, filling each one. Bake the large madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes and the minis for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the madeleines are golden and the tops spring back when prodded gently. Remove the pan from the oven and release the madeleines from the molds by rapping the edge of the pan against the counter. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. Once cooled, dip each madeleine into the orange glaze and let the glaze set before eating. Then you can enjoy!

ORANGE GLAZE
1 teaspoon of orange zest
2 teaspoons of fresh orange juice
3/4 cup of powered sugar

Mix ingredients. That’s it.

I’ve listed amounts here, but this is really more about feel and consistency. You may have to use more or less juice – you may need to add more powdered sugar. What you are going for is a glaze with a thicker consistency – if it’s too runny it won’t stay on the cookie and if it’s too thick it will just taste a bit chalky. It should thickly drizzle off a spoon. You’ll figure it out.

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There’s an Arabic phrase you say when someone makes you a meal – ysalem dayatek – which basically means “bless your hands”. Food in my family has always been a means to express love and gratitude. The holidays, of course, are showtime. An opportunity to give so much love that you’re all set through the New Year. Each bite gives us the opportunity to celebrate the hands that came before us and to embrace those in our lives that we hold dear. This core value is something we all share at TMT – there is no better way to care for someone than to break bread with them.
When I married my partner, it was important to me to continue this celebration. I didn’t know where to start with Cantonese cooking, so I turned to the The Woks of Life by the Leung family. This cookbook is beautiful, varied, and for a complete noob like me, a warm and generous welcoming. It felt like strangers took me into their home and placed their love and traditions into my hands for me to begin my own. This is how I learned how to make Char Siu, an iconic dish that is easy enough for a weeknight but with enough star power to be the diva on your holiday table.
CHAR SIU BBQ ROAST PORK – serves 6
3 garlic cloves finely minced
¼ cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
2 teaspoons of fine sea salt
2 teaspoons molasses (honestly, I never have this so I just use either maple syrup or brown sugar)
½ teaspoon of five-spice
½ teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
¼ teaspoon of white pepper
1/8 teaspoon of red food coloring (this is optional but sort of not if you want it to look like it came from a restaurant)
3 pounds of boneless pork shoulder or butt (with plentiful fat!)
Mix all of your ingredients into a bowl. Congrats! You made the marinade.
Cut the pork into long strips of chunks about 2-3 inches thick and 1 pound each. Don’t trim off the excess fat (unless it’s like, crazy, use your judgement). Add the sliced pork to your marinade, mix, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Okay, usually, you roast char siu in the oven for what feels like ages, and it involves a lot of changing oven times and checking constantly. But here’s the twist, I use the air fryer and it comes out perfect every time (not an ad).
Place the pork in your air fryer in a single layer. Do this in batches if you need to. Brush the pork with the marinade. Air fry at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes, brushing the pork with more marinade every couple of minutes and moving them around a bit. Cooking times can vary, so keep your eye on it. You’ll know it’s done when it smells amazing, and you can see the charred pieces on top.
Enjoy with rice and vegetables!

Did you enjoy our little twists on recipes? Great! Please consider giving to our holiday campaign, as we prepare for one of our biggest productions yet in 2025, Show/Boat: A River. Your donation at any amount will help us bring this reimagining to life.