Mable's Smokehouse

Southern-style comfort food isn’t hard to come by in Brooklyn these days, but Mable’s Smokehouse, which just opened on North 11th and Berry in the Greenpoint/North Williamsburg area, is offering something unique in the way of experience and style that doesn’t take itself too seriously.  Offering up excellent sandwiches and platters, with an exceptional array of sides and desserts, you can get down to Waylon Jennings music while chatting it up at with your friends at one of their long wood-planked communal tables or sit up at the comfortable wooden bar while an old western plays silently on the television for some extra country vibes.
Owners Jeff Lutonsky and Meghan Love have achieved that balance between casual comfort food in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with a modern, cool edge.   In classic Williamsburg fashion, they scored a huge raw warehouse that used to be an old tonic water factory and with clearly a creative eye and good sense of space, they have crafted this raw spot into a warm and comfortable destination that combines an urban sense of style and old-fashioned country comfort.  With a desire to preserve his grandmother, Mable’s, recipes, Lutonsky has carefully crafted the menu to reflect home-style Oklahoma cuisine.  With a nod to the rustic urban beauty of roughed –up exposed brick and the clean lines of a cool warehouse space, Mable’s is a great spot for a hearty weeknight meal or perfect for meeting a large group of friends.
Offering  both sandwiches and platters featuring pulled pork, brisket, ribs, Schwab’s Oklahoma hot links, and even an out of this world vegetarian sloppy joe,  Mable’s has really done it.  The prices are on the low end with a hefty sandwich, condiments, and choice of one side running ten bucks.  They also have a late night bar menu that features some real down-home comfort with Frito pie and Velveeta Ro-tel dip as well as pulled pork and brisket tamales.  Vegetarians, have no fear!  The veggie sloppy joe is truly fantastic and there are numerous sides for you to choose from.  Stop in for a Coors banquet beer and introduce yourself to your new favorite Williamsburg spot.

Mable’s Smokehouse
44 Berry Street (entrance on North 11th)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn  (718) 218-6655
mablessmokehouse.com

Stewed Beef Brisket

Stewed Beef Brisket

The countdown is on! If you love hearty winter food, then here is a great thing to pop in the oven and have around all weekend. The air still has a nip to it so it isn't too late to indulge in this wintery favorite. Do it now because soon all you will want is salad and grilled stuff. This makes a great stew to enjoy over egg noodles, but is also great as sandwiches on fresh potato rolls. Use grass-fed beef and organic broth and indulge in this rich and hearty classic!

Stewed Beef Brisket
adapted from a recipe found on grouprecipes.com

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (3 1/2 pound) first-cut brisket, with "fat cap" (do not trim)
3 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus for brisket
Freshly ground black pepper
6 medium yellow onions, cut into thin wedges with root end attached
4 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups sweet vermouth
4 cups organic beef broth
8 medium carrots, peeled, and cut into thirds (14 ounces)
3-4 parsnips, sliced into ½” pieces
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 celery ribs, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 pkg. white button mushrooms sliced thick and sauteed in butter


1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Heat the oil a large, heavy bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Season the brisket generously with the paprika, salt, and pepper. Place fat side down in the Dutch oven and cook until brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate and set aside.

3. Discard about half the fat, then add the onions and cook over medium heat until browned and tender, about 10 minutes. Pour in the vermouth and cook until reduced by about half. Nestle the brisket into the onions fat side up, add the broth; bring to a simmer and cook, covered, until the brisket is fork tender, about 2 hours. Uncover, scatter the garlic, carrots, parsnips, celery and mushrooms around the brisket and try to submerge them a bit. Cook for another 2 hours or until the meat is falling apart-tender.

4. Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and let rest until cool enough to handle and slice the meat across the grain in half-inch thick pieces and/or pull slices apart into large chunks.

Guinness Stew

GUINNESS: Sent from the heavens? Quite possibly.

Not only is today the last holiday of the winter, but this week is the last week of winter! By the calendar and also by the weather and the air. It's really turning into spring out there! The birds are chirping a different tune when I head out early. The breeze has a bit of warmth to it that it didn't have just a week ago. If you are paying attention, it really happens fast. So, this week I am posting all the remaining recipes I wanted to share before this long and snowy winter is officially over this Saturday.

On this fine St. Patty's day, here is an idea that doesn't take too long. I should have posted last night to give all ye Irishmen (and Irishwomen) a chance to shop or start putting this together, but, alas, I didn't. It takes about two hours so if you can get home and get the stuff in the pot, you can sit back and enjoy a Guinness while your stew stews.

The way I got this recipe was by combining a few different ones that I found and I think it will turn out great (if you are a kitchen improviser or have the luck o' the Irish). Just kidding--I just wanted to say that. It will turn out great for sure! Here is the beef version, but if you prefer veggies, replace the beef chunks with about a pound of assorted mushrooms roughly chopped. They carry the hearty Guinness flavor well.

Guinness Stew

2 lb lean stewing meat or 1-1 1/2 lb assorted mushrooms (roughly chopped)
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne
2 lg onions, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 lg parsnip, peeled and cut into chunks
1 1/2 lb potatoes, scrubbed and cut into chunks
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 bottle of Guinness

Trim the beef (or mushrooms) and brown in a large pot for about 7-9 minutes. Set aside.

In the large pot, now melt butter on low heat and whisk in flour to make a roux. Cook for 8 minutes or so until it takes on a bit of color.

Add the onions, garlic, carrot, parsnip, and potatoes and turn heat up until everything is hot and beginning to sizzle. Add meat and brown sugar. Toss together 1 minute, then slowly add the bottle of Guinness. Add enough water to just cover everything and bring to a boil for a minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and partially cover.
Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Cook for 2 hours with beef or 1 hour with mushrooms.

Serve with an ice cold Guinness!

Out of Africa and Into my Kitchen

The truth is, I have been meaning to dive into learning the art of Ethiopian cooking for months. After my last Ethiopian entry I was completely enamored with the meal I had had at Ghenet in Brooklyn. I was so into it that I knew I needed a cookbook to start deciphering all those rich and colorful flavors. I did a bit of searching online and unwisely skipped the recommended Ethiopian cookbook, opting for The Africa Cookbook, which I thought I would benefit more from since the recipes featured are from all the African countries. Plus, it was much cheaper and I thought I was getting more bang for the buck. When will I learn??

The Africa Cookbook, by Jessica B. Harris isn't a bad book. It's actually quite interesting, offering lore, history, and tradition in the beginning and throughout the recipe sections. What it doesn't have is a collection of the fabulous, specifically Ethiopian dishes I have had a few times now and daydream about (I mean it, I really dream of these--It's so good.) It has not much at all regarding making your own injera bread. I assumed that since Ethiopian food is the most famous of African cuisines that it would be featured and highlighted more. Not so. While most of the recipes are interesting combinations of meats, fish, calabaza squash, peanuts, tomatoes, greens, and grains, that's all most of it is. Just braised stuff. No exciting spice blends, no exotic procedure to learn, and no perfectly seasoned gourmet African dish. Silly me. This book is actually authentic!

So, I surrendered to the book and chose two recipes, one beef and one vegetable and decide to try them out. I made them today so after a busy Thursday (tomorrow), we will have a good dinner ready to go. Well...here's how it went.

First off, I would like to say that the biggest thing I learned is that Ethiopian food is drastically different than most other African cuisines. The vegetable recipe I chose was Ethiopian, but the beef recipe was from Congo and had NO seasonings. I just had to add more salt, along with a few teaspoons dried ginger, some garlic powder, and some sweet paprika. I had to. They are seemingly "safe"additions that I thought I could add without totally de-Congo-ing the dish, but I probably did. I have no clue what people eat in the Congo.

The vegetable dish turned out great, but....it was an okra dish and I looked everywhere and could not find a fresh okra pod in Greenpoint to save my life. (I will be really annoyed if I see some tomorrow in Manhattan when I'm working.) Anyway, I substituted collard greens because I knew that they were also a common Ethiopian ingredient. What the hell, right?

So I followed the recipes with all of the above in mind, if you can even call that following the recipes. You know what? It's going to be a great meal. The veggies are so very simple and taste amazing. The beef needs to stew a bit longer tomorrow and I may add some cayenne and/or curry powder depending on how the flavors blend overnight. Not bad for a seemingly losing battle of incorrect African regions, lack of seasoning, and an okra-free Brooklyn.

Here are the recipes. If you try them and add something exciting, please post it!

a mound of ingredients awaiting their destiny

Ethiopian-Style Okra (or collards if you're me) OR Bamya Alich'A

4 cups young okra pods
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups minced red onions
2 cups coarsely chopped, seeded peeled ripe tomatoes
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 jalapeno chiles, minced, or to taste


Wash and top and tail the okra, discarding any blemished or hard pods (or wash and spin your collard and roughly chop them ; ) Split each pod in half lengthwise. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and cook the onions until they are light brown. Add the tomatoes and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the okra, cook, uncovered, over low heat for 20 minutes, then add the chiles and continue to cook for 5 minutes. **Adjust the seasoning and remove from the heat. Serve hot or at room temperature.

**I added salt and extra cardamom and finished the dish with a healthy squirt of fresh lemon juice.
THIS IS REALLY GOOD!!

collards and beef stewing nicely

Mwambe Beef (Congo)
serves 4 to 6

3 lb beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons peanut oil (I used fragrant peanut oil--healthier and tastier!)
2 large onions, chopped
1/8 teaspoon habanero chile (I used 1/2 jalapeno)
7 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped (I used 1/2 fresh, 1/2 canned)
4 cups water


Rub the beef pieces with the lemon juice and salt. Heat the oil in a heavy stockpot or Dutch oven, add the beef and the onions, and cook until the onions are translucent and the beef is lightly browned. (Here is where I added ginger, garlic, and paprika. I think dried mint or cilantro and also some garam masala or a pinch of cloves would also be a nice addition--get creative.) Add the remaining ingredients, lower the heat, cover, and cook for 1 1/2 hours, or until the beef is fork-tender. Serve hot with white rice.

Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon

Julia on the left, Meryl Streep portraying her on the right in Julie & Julia

I did it! On Friday, I printed out a copy of Julia's famous version of the timeless French recipe and off I went to the market to pick up the ingredients for Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon! Since seeing Julie and Julia, I have been dying to make it, so I talked a client into it and tacked it onto Friday's menu.

My style of cooking is typically an improvisational game consisting of flavor balancing, adapting the new to the old, and generally just feeling my way through the ingredients, while inspired by traditional flavors and technique. When I do follow a recipe to the number, it is usually what I focus on in the beginning of the cooking day and I just get through it, so I can jump back into an inventive groove and get back to "my" cuisine. Little did I know, Julia was about to keep me in check and hold me in the recipe game for hours...I mean all day.

The recipe is actually not complicated, but like most French food, technique, timing, and following instructions count--big time. This recipe requires attention in the first 20 or so steps, that's right, the first 20 steps. After the stew is put in the oven to cook for 3 or 4 hours, you are not finished. There are other steps to prepare, not complicated ones, but they are steps nonetheless. Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon is not a recipe to just tack on to an already varied and complex menu. I could have spent all day savoring each step and smelling this fragrant dish as it came together. Alas, that wasn't my day. I made it through, though, preparing the entire menu, and managing to enjoy myself despite occasionally nearing a kitchen meltdown. I think Julia would have been proud. Here it is. Remember, pat the meat dry. If any of you make it or have made it, I would love to hear any comments or reflections about your experience.

Boeuf Bourguignon a La Julia Child
adapted from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"

For the Stew

6 ounces bacon, solid chunk
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 lbs lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 carrot, peeled and sliced

1 onion, peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups red wine (a full bodied wine like Bordeaux, Burgundy, or Chianti)
2-3 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, mashed (you may choose to add more)
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf

For the braised onions

18-24 white pearl onions, peeled
1 1 /2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup beef stock
salt and fresh ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
2 sprigs parsley

For the sauteed mushrooms

1 lb mushrooms, quartered
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. First prepare the bacon: cut off the rind and reserve.
2. Cut the bacon into lardons about 1/4" thick and 1 1/2" long.
3. Simmer the rind and the lardons for ten minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water.
4. Drain and dry the lardons and rind and reserve.
5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
6. Put the tablesoon of olive oil in a large (9"-10"wide, 3"deep) fireproof casserole and warm over moderate heat.
7. Saute the lardons for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly.
8. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.
9. Dry off the pieces of beef and saute them, a few at at a time in the hot oil/bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides.
10. Once browned, remove to the side plate with the bacon.
11. In the same oil/fat, saute the onion and the carrot until softened.
12. Pour off the fat and return the lardons and the beef to the casserole with the carrots and onion.
13. Toss the contents of the casserole with the salt and pepper and sprinkle with the flour.
14. Set the uncovered casserole in the oven for four minutes.
15. Toss the contents of the casserole again and return to the hot oven for 4 more minutes.
16. Now, lower the heat to 325 degrees and remove the casserole from the oven.
17. Add the wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered.
18. Add the tomato paste, garlic, and herbs and the bacon rind.
19. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove.
20. Cover and place in the oven, adjusting the heat so that the liquid simmers very slowly for three to four hours.
21. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
22. While the meat is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms and set them aside till needed.
23. For the onion, if using frozen, make sure they are defrosted and drained.
24. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and add the onions to the skillet.
25. Saute over medium heat for about ten minutes, rolling the onions about so they brown as evenly as possible, without breaking apart.
26. Pour in the stock, season to taste, add the herbs, and cover.
27. Simmer over low heat for about 40-50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape and the liquid has mostly evaporated.
28. Remove the herbs and set the onions aside.
29. For the mushrooms, heat the butter and oil over high heat in a large skillet.
30. As soon as the foam begins to subside, add athe mushrooms and toss and shake the pan for about five minutes.
31. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat.
32.To Finish the Stew:
33. When the meat is tender, remove the casserole from the oven and empty it's contents into a sieve set over a saucepan.
34. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it (discarding the bits of carrot and onion and herbs which remain in the sieve).
35. Distribute the mushrooms and onions over the meat.
36. Skim the fat off the surface an simmer it for a minute or two, skimming off any additional fat which rises to the surface.
37. You should be left with about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.
38. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock.
39. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency.
40.Taste for seasoning.
41. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
42. If you are serving immediately, place the covered casserole over medium low heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
43. Serve in the casserole or on a warm platter surrounded by noodles, potatoes, or rice and garnished with fresh parsley.
44. If serving later or the next day, allow the casserole to cool and place cold, covered casserole in the refrigerator.
45. 20 minutes prior to serving, place over medium low heat and simmer very slowly for ten minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.