Cooking
Labor in the kitchen can be as restorative as napping or meditation. It’s how I like to spend my free time.
- Share full article
Good morning. It’s chili season where I stay, Gumboville, Stewtown. The days are short, the sky low and foreboding. Even the peregrine falcon in the pine tree out back seems bummed, nestled into the boughs to rest after an early-morning feed of pigeon au road salt. I cook as a form of travel, try to bring a little Texas summer into the kitchen, a taste of Louisiana, something to remind me that life isn’t always frigid New York gray.
My favorite recipe for that, lately? This chili gumbo (above) that Jeremy Chauvin made for his firehouse in Reserve, La., and that won a national chili competition back in 2017. It’s a proper rib-sticker of a meal, best served with loads of grated cheese, sour cream and Fritos. With its roux-thickened beefiness above a holy trinity of bell peppers, onions and celery, it bridges the divide between chili and gumbo beautifully. Make it on Saturday and allow it to cure in the fridge overnight and it’ll be perfect for Sunday dinner, under a scattering of sliced jalapeños.
Featured Recipe
Firehouse Chili Gumbo
View Recipe →
I’ll make mine early so there’s still plenty of time for me to get up to high jinks for Saturday dinner: one of the dumpling recipes my colleagues delivered this week in honor of the Lunar New Year. I’m partial to Eric Kim’s recipe for napjak mandu, flat dumplings filled with kimchi and sweet potato glass noodles. But Sue Li’s recipe for chile oil wontons is a delight as well, with a sauce I might amp up with a spoonful of peanut butter just because I’m a tinkerer. Chocolate sesame dumplings for dessert? The recipe’s from Genevieve Ko, so I’m game. She’s never led me astray.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.