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Celebrate 4 July with these essential New York dishes

Manhattan memories and menus inspire Diana Henry to create some new twists on old New York favourites - Haarala Hamilton
Manhattan memories and menus inspire Diana Henry to create some new twists on old New York favourites - Haarala Hamilton

It’s 1992 and I’m in a cab driving into New York. I’ve never seen the place before, though, like most of us, I’ve lived there for years (we all have our own versions of the city, built from watching Friends or Woody Allen).

New York isn’t just a city, it’s an idea, and back on that first visit it’s nearly Christmas and I can almost see the frost sparkling in the air. Frank Sinatra is singing Baubles, Bangles and Beads on the radio and the Manhattan skyline is coming into view – it’s everything I had hoped for, a movie made real.

The food in New York – the hot dog carts, the pretzels, the pastrami on rye – are as much at the heart of the place as the the Empire State Building

There was lots I wanted to do – watch the skating at Rockefeller Center, look down the central spine of the Guggenheim, see Jasper Johns’ Flag at the Museum of Modern Art – but most of my plans were to do with food.

The food in New York – the hot dog carts, the pretzels, the pastrami on rye – are as much at the heart of the place as the the Empire State Building. Over the next week I ate at upmarket joints, the New York restaurant that remained my favourite for years (the Union Square Café) and the tourist ‘must visits’.

American flag in a burger - Credit: Haarala Hamilton
'The food in New York is as much at the heart of the place as the the Empire State Building' Credit: Haarala Hamilton

‘Can you speak Spanish?’ drawled the waiter at Katz’s Deli (as I tried to eat a sandwich as big as my head). ‘Why?’ I asked. ‘Because this dude doesn’t speak English and I’m havin’ trouble here.’ So I took the order from the man from Venezuela – feeling thrillingly like a native – and understood that eating in New York wasn’t just about food but also about interaction.

Manhattan skyline - Credit: Alamy
'New York wasn’t just about food but also about interaction' Credit: Alamy

I returned from that first trip with a tortilla press from Zabar’s and a notebook full of ideas, not for books or columns (I wasn’t a food writer then) but for my own kitchen, and have, ever since, looked to New York for a shot of culinary energy.

Whatever is cooking there, I want to know about it and I want to cook it too. (When I’m not there I enjoy it vicariously by reading the menus of favourite and new restaurants online and creating the dishes myself. Geeky, I know, but for me therein lies happiness.)

I've been back again (including a few years ago to receive an American food-writing award, the James Beard, which, for someone who wanted to devour the place back in ’92, felt like getting an Oscar), so I’m sharing some ideas from my latest New York notebook.

Last shot of NYC. Sad to say goodbye

A photo posted by Diana Henry (@dianahenryfood) on Apr 28, 2016 at 5:26am PDT

There are trends, yes (buttermilk and seaweed were everywhere), but there are some things that are always New York (steak, ice cream, sliders).

So put on your apron and some Gershwin and take a huge bite out of that Apple.

Bites from the Big Apple

Crispy fish sliders with pickled cucumber and harissa mayo

crispy fish sliders - Credit: Haarala Hamilton
Credit: Haarala Hamilton

You can’t go to New York and not have a slider. If you don’t want to make your own pickled cucumber then buy a jar. Other hot sauces – such as chipotle – can be used but add to taste as they all vary in heat (and they’ll all give you different results).

SERVES

4

INGREDIENTS

For the cucumber

  • ½ cucumber

  • ¼ tbsp sea salt flakes

  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar

  • 1½ tbsp caster sugar

For the mayonnaise

  • 125g quality mayonnaise

  • 1 tbsp double cream

  • 1 tsp harissa

For the sliders

  • 75g fresh white breadcrumbs

  • ¼ tsp ground cumin

  • ¼ tsp ground paprika

  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten

  • 4 x 125g white fish fillets, skin removed

  • 4 burger buns, halved

  • 4 tbsp oil, for frying

  • About 8 baby gem lettuce leaves

  • 1 large avocado, halved, stoned and sliced

  • 2 tomatoes, sliced

  • Handful coriander sprigs (tough stalks removed)

  • Juice of 2 limes

METHOD

  1. Cut the cucumber into fine, almost transparent slices. Layer in a colander with the salt, place a plate on top and set over a bowl for an hour so the juices run out.

  2. Rinse and carefully pat dry. Mix with the vinegar and sugar and keep covered  in the fridge.

  3. Stir together the mayonnaise ingredients.

  4. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

  5. Mix the breadcrumbs, spices and some seasoning in a bowl and put the eggs in another bowl.

  6. Leave thick fish pieces that are small enough to fit the buns, but cut longer, thinner fillets in two.

  7. Dip the fish into the egg  and then the breadcrumbs. Heat the buns on a tray  in the oven.

  8. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the fish on each side until golden on the outside (about a minute each side). Turn the heat down and cook through to the middle (about another minute on each side).

  9. Fill the buns with the mayo, lettuce, fish, more mayo, cucumber, avocado, tomato and coriander, then dress with lime juice. They will be tall! Serve immediately.

Raw seabass, shaved radishes and nasturtiums

Raw seabass, shaved radishes and nasturtiums  - Credit: Haarala Hamilton
Credit: Haarala Hamilton

I rarely am as exacting with recipes as I am here but the dressing really is important, as is the quality of all the ingredients. It’s a really simple dish and you need to put it together with care, but it’s beautiful and a lovely plateful to put together.

It’s worth getting a lemon-flavoured olive oil. Look for Colonna extra virgin olive oil with lemon (it’s not cheap but you will use it for other dishes once you’ve tried it). You can find nasturtium leaves and flowers at some farmers’ markets and they can be bought online from natoora.co.uk and maddocksfarmorganics.co.uk.

SERVES

4 (as a starter)

INGREDIENTS

For the dressing

  • 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (preferably lemon flavoured)

  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp rice vinegar

  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

  • 1 tsp runny honey

  • 2 tsp shallots, finely chopped

For the sea bass

  • 8 radishes

  • 350g spanking-fresh sea bass fillets

  • 15g mixed micro leaves and baby leaves

  • 1 punnet nasturtium flowers and leaves

METHOD

  1. Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Season to  taste. Set aside.

  2. Shave the radishes on a mandolin or slice finely.

  3. Slice the fish fillets thinly across their width, as with smoked salmon. Discard the skin. Arrange on a  big plate or four smaller plates. Spoon on two thirds of the dressing.

  4. Scatter over the freshest, perkiest leaves and flowers, and radishes. It needs to look light – use the rest in another dish. Spoon on the rest of the dressing. Serve immediately.

Fresh ricotta with truffle honey, thyme and orange sourdough

fresh ricotta on toast - Credit: Haarala Hamilton
Credit: Haarala Hamilton

You don’t have to make your own ricotta for this – though it’s very easy – but you do need fresh ricotta, not the UHT stuff you buy in tubs in the supermarket. Go to an Italian deli or a cheese shop.

Each element of this is very simple but it works brilliantly together. It’s served at Locanda Verde in New York as part of their brunch menu.

SERVES

4

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 litres whole milk

  • Good pinch sea salt, crushed

  • 50ml white wine vinegar

  • Leaves from a few sprigs of fresh thyme

  • 4-8 slices of sourdough bread

  • 1 unwaxed orange

  • Small jar of truffle honey

METHOD

  1. Put the milk in a saucepan and gently heat to 82-85C, then pull it off the heat.  Stir in the sea salt and  wine vinegar. Leave for  about 1½ hours, while curds begin to form.

  2. Line a sieve with cheesecloth or a new J cloth and set it over a large bowl. Carefully pour in the curds to drain. You can let them go really firm, or stop when they are still quite soft, whichever you prefer. Taste – it shouldn’t be salty but you might want to add another pinch. Transfer to a bowl and scatter with  the thyme leaves.

  3. Toast the sourdough on both sides then rub the orange against it, so that the zest flavours the bread. Serve with the ricotta immediately, drizzled with honey or served alongside.

Strawberry and buttermilk ice cream

strawberry ice cream - Credit: Haarala Hamilton
Credit: Haarala Hamilton

No custard, no heat, this is incredibly easy, and sherbet-like in texture.

MAKES

 

1 litre

INGREDIENTS

 

  • 500g strawberries, sliced

  • 175g caster sugar vanilla pod, split lengthwise

  • 375ml buttermilk

  • 115g sour cream

METHOD

 

  1. Leave the strawberries in a bowl with half the sugar and the seeds from the vanilla pod, for about 30 minutes. The strawberries will become soft and juicy.

  2. Transfer the fruit, its juice and the rest of the sugar to a food processor and whizz to a purée. Push through a nylon sieve to get rid of the seeds.

  3. Mix with the buttermilk, sour cream and a pinch of salt. Churn in an ice-cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a container, cover with cling film or greaseproof paper and put it in the freezer.

  4. If you don’t have an  ice-cream machine, pour the mixture into a container and put it in the freezer.  Take it out of the freezer every couple of hours and beat it vigorously to break  up the ice crystals. You want to end up with a smooth, creamy mixture. It will take about 10 hours to freeze.

  5. Take the ice cream out of the freezer about 10 minutes before you want to serve it.