I’m back home, but Oaxaca may have ruined me. I know that I’m allegedly retired, but still… I returned, however, to find many of my friends in the restaurant business pretty worn down. The Omicron surge had already made diners skittish again and the frequency of breakthrough infections among vaccinated staff members has resulted in many unexpected last-minute closings. Finally, three weekends of snow had precluded almost all outdoor dining. Restaurants had less customers and workers got less hours. Traditionally, St. Valentine’s Day is the beginning of the spring ramp up, but the chilly weather made that a little less so this year.
All of this made me think back to 2019. The restaurant community in the Triangle was sitting pretty. The public supported us enthusiastically. Lots of places had become known nationally. Rather than competitors or rivals, we saw each other as colleagues. There were countless charity events and fundraisers where we all came together to support good causes. We loved being each other’s customers. Then came the pandemic. Nobody has had it easy, but its effects on this industry are beginning to seem endless. People have had to constantly rethink their menus and hours of operation. We’ve lost a lot of places. So, I urge everyone to continue doing what you have been all along. Go out to eat, get takeout, forgive the inconveniences. And cross your fingers for a pretty spring.
It’s gratifying that despite all this, new places have managed to open. I’ve mentioned Momo’s Master and Bouquet Garni, both in Chapel Hill, in earlier columns. This month, I had the pleasure of an impromptu dinner party at Tesoro in Carrboro across from Weaver Street Market. It’s not quite a year old. The chef David Peretin moved down the street from Pizzeria Mercato to open his own place. Getting together with friends for anything still feels novel, so this was a treat for many reasons. The large selection of delicious pastas was at the top of that list.
This year Mardi Gras is on March first, so it seems appropriate to offer a recipe from Louisiana this time. For the first Fat Tuesday of the lockdown, I made a huge pot of Gumbo z’Herbes. This made no sense in a household of one, but like so many of my friends, I found myself in a cooking frenzy. I’ve calmed down some now so here’s something that is more sensible and more delicious than its simplicity would suggest.
Yakamein
The origin story of this soup varies depending on who you talk to, but everyone seems to agree that this is the go-to hangover cure when you are in New Orleans. The first time that I had it was after a particularly harrowing night in that city. My friend and I bought it at a filling station as the sun was coming up. It came in a big Styrofoam cup with a ridiculously small plastic spoon. These days I make it not for medical reasons, but because it’s a quick and delicious lunch, that if you’re clever takes only one pot. This makes four servings.
- 2 handfuls of spaghetti, broken into small lengths, then cooked
- 2 hardboiled eggs
- ½ pound ground beef
- 4 cups of water
- 4 beef bouillon cubes
- 2 scallions
Cook and strain the spaghetti. Cook and peel the eggs. You can use the same saucepan. Crumble the hamburger but leave it in small clumps. Brown it in the saucepan on medium heat. If you keep an eye on it you won’t need any oil. When the red color is gone, add the water and bring it to a low boil. Add the bouillon cubes and cook to dissolve them. The hamburger should be done by now. Add the spaghetti. Slice both the eggs and scallions thinly. Serve the soup in bowls with the eggs and onions scattered on top. It probably won’t need any salt.
“Just The Bill, Please” is a regular column on Chapelboro.com penned by local culinary legend Bill Smith. Born and raised in New Bern, Bill Smith spent 25 years heading up the kitchen in Crook’s Corner — and over the years, he accumulated the accolades to match his incomparable takes on classic Southern food.
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