Ask George: What’s your favorite simple dish to make that always impresses family and friends?

Courtesy of Pastaria

Courtesy of Pastaria

It doesn’t get any simpler or more delicious than cacio e pepe, the classic Roman pasta dish traditionally made from only three ingredients: Pecorino Romano, freshly ground coarse black pepper, and pasta. The creamy texture of the sauce comes from adding starchy pasta water to the finely grated cheese. I admit that I complicate the matter by adding Grana Padano cheese to mellow Pecorino’s sharp, salty tang, as well as a wee bit of butter to help the sauce emulsify—lessons learned from Gerard Craft at Pastaria, which makes theirs that way using large canestri noodles. Pastria’s cacio is the gold standard to which I aspire.

We reached out to several local chefs and SLM’s dining team for their input, and most responded almost immediately.

Josh Smith, Neon Greens, Biscuit Town: “Grilled pizza. I buy the dough from a pizzeria (you can usually buy a dough ball for around $5—it’ll make two small pizzas). I par-bake the crust on a stone and throw it over an indirect flame to melt the cheese and finish. It’s perfect for entertaining, and you can do any combo you dream of; creme fraiche, fresh dill, caviar, smoked salmon, and red onion is one of my favorite combos ever.” 

Kevin Nashan, Sidney Street Cafe, Peacemaker Lobster & Crab, La Tertulia: “Rotisserie fish with chimichurri…outside, spit-roasted. It’s always easy, fun, and delicious.” 

Bonnie Moore, Olive + Oak: “If it’s summertime, it’s a squash ditty. I don’t know what else to call it. I do a hard toast on sliced garlic and shallot, fry out ripe or over-ripe tomatoes, add fresh basil, and simmer until the juices come together and get right. Then I fold in julienned zucchini, cook till tender, and murder out on Parmesan! Top it with a grilled protein—we do a lot of chicken at home—and some grilled bread.”

Tim Adams, Madrina: “It has to be my pomodoro sauce. It’s so simple to make, but the ingredients are important…really good olive oil, tomatoes, Parmesan, and fresh basil. The secret is to only cook the pasta halfway in the water and finish in the pomodoro sauce adding pasta water until fully cooked.” 

David Sandusky, BEAST Craft BBQ Co.: “Skirt steak with board sauce. I use a Vortex to concentrate heat from the coals to make sure I get as much char and caramelization possible (without burning it, of course), while basting in achiote and lime to keep the skirt moist and flavorful. The board sauce usually consists of drippings, lime, soy sauce, cilantro, and something with a bit of heat.” (You’ll see I didn’t venture far from this formula to beat Bobby Flay.)

Frank Romano, The Parkmoor Drive-In,Madrina: Roast chicken, mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts with pan jus. Simple and amazing! Into a ripping hot pan, drop the chicken breast in skin side down, and finish it in the oven. Holy smokes.” 

Jesse Mendica, Olive + Oak: “My first answer is an obvious one in my world: Everybody loves it when I bring the coconut curry kettle corn. But what I bring to every family event? Sweet potato biscuits. It doesn’t matter if I bring them with collard greens or if I bring them with sausage gravy or just some good butter and jam. Everybody loves it!”

Natasha Kwan, Frida’s, Diego’s Cantina, Station No. 3, Bonito Bar: “You’re assuming I have time to hang out with friends, LOL. How about a bottle of vodka and elderflower soda from Whole Foods? Haha. In all honesty, we are rarely cooking for friends but have them over often. Rather than cook, we offer up pistachios and cheese. This week, it’s a Port Salut and Goodie Girl cookies that are the gluten-free version of Thin Mints and a stiff drink or a glass of wine.”

Cheryl Baehr: “I make a shockingly easy and delicious feta dip. It’s nothing more than a container of crumbled feta cheese, some cut-up tomatoes and green onions, olive oil, and Greek seasoning. It takes about five minutes to make, and it’s a total crowd-pleaser. In fact, it’s so good that my legendary cook of a mother-in-law asked me for the recipe and now puts it on every family-gathering spread—the ultimate compliment.” 

Mabel Suen: “A chocolate chip skillet cookie chock full of milk, dark, and white chocolate chunks. It’s the easiest dessert to make and such a crowd-pleaser. Sometimes, I’ll decorate it with some buttercream and sprinkles for special occasions and serve it as a rustic cookie cake. Or if I’m feeling extra indulgent, I’ll top a mini cast-iron version fresh out of the oven (while it’s still warm and gooey) with a scoop of homemade cream cheese ice cream and salted caramel sauce.”

Lynn Venhaus:  “I’m actually known in the family and with friends for baking from scratch and for tossing a really tasty salad. But those are not really ‘simple.’ Stuffed mushrooms are. However, I’ve found that a container of button mushrooms can make the tastiest quick bite once you clean and decap them, and stuff them with savory ingredients. Throughout the years, I’ve softened cream cheese, added garlic, Parmesan cheese, some herbs, then drizzled melted butter on top, and baked in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Or stuffed them with crab, shredded cheese, and green onions—or cooked Italian sausage and mixed with marinara and Parm. People are quite complimentary.”

Bill Burge: “Grilled broccoli. Most people don’t think to grill it, so it’s new to them.”

Denise Mueller-Peterson: “Our star is Spicy Tuna and Avocado Dip. We mix diced sushi grade tuna with sriracha mayo, soy sauce or tamari, and chopped scallions, place it atop ripe avocados mashed with salt, pepper, and lime juice. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve with crackers.”

Holly Fann: “An impressive dinner needs to end with an impressive dessert. My back pocket dessert which will please even the most fussbudget foodie is the elegant and understated Pavlova. It’s the little black dress of desserts. Traditionally built upon 3 components – a blank canvas of meringue gently baked until crisp and cracked on the exterior but with a tender and chewy center, seasonal fruit and topped w/ whipped cream – it is endlessly versatile and easily adaptable. It also can be prepped ahead of time simplifying serving. I like to bake a single Pavlova, but making individual plated Pavlovas is no extra work. I baked one that served 40 guests for a friend’s baby shower. Loaded with seasonal berries still warm from the vine, a whipped cream flavored with rosewater and prettied up with some edible blooms, it was gone in the blink of an eye.”  

Heather Riske:  “I tried Ina Garten’s mustard roasted fish for the first time last year, and it quickly became a go-to for entertaining. There are only a handful of ingredients: fish fillets (I usually use red snapper), crème fraîche, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, minced shallots and capers. The whole thing comes together in less than 20 minutes. No one would know, though—it tastes like much more effort went into it!”

Dave Lowry: “Paella. Outside, on the grill. It’s Valencia on the Char-Broil.”

Pat Eby: “During the pandemic, I added Antipasto Sheet Pan Salmon to my repertoire. It is incredibly easy and delicious, beautiful to look at, and a real conversation starter at the dinner table. I have shared this recipe from the Fresh Thyme website with many friends, who also swear it’s too darn easy to taste so good. I usually serve it with cilantro rice, an easy cheese plate appetizer, and a seasonal fruit cobbler dessert. There’s no need to make a salad—there’s plenty of veggies baked right with the salmon.” 

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