Recipes to Bring Top Food Cities Home

No Comments | Written on March 27, 2012 at 11:00 am, by The Editors

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If you could eat your way through one city, which would it be? We posed this question to our food-loving Facebook friends, and got hundreds of responses, from fans of Santa Fe, New Mexico, to partisans of Palermo, Sicily. Just thinking about spicy dishes of “red or green” chile sauce (especially from Café Pasqual’s), or of wandering around Palermo’s open-air markets, makes us want to start booking flights.

Four of the cities that came out on top in our poll were a mix of domestic and European: New York, New Orleans, Paris, and Rome. So we thought that we’d give you a bit of armchair travel and a recipe or two from each place, so you can begin your culinary adventure in your own kitchen.

New York

We’re a bit partial here, as New York is Recipe.com’s hometown. But even if it weren’t we’d still be crazy for street vendors cooking up everything from hot dogs to falafel to homemade ice cream. And we’d still want to grab tables at chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster Harlem (on 125th Street) all the way down to Danny Meyer and chef Floyd Cardoz’s new North End Grill (in Battery Park City).

It doesn’t get more New York than a chewy, dense bagel. Sure, you can come to the city and go to H&H or Katz’s Deli, but why not try making them at home, just like Bubby used to do?

New York and cheesecake are made for each other. Just ask Junior’s, whose New York–style cheesecake is one of the city’s classics. And here’s a New York–style cheesecake recipe that will have you conjuring images of the Empire State Building with every bite.

New Orleans

Everybody loves the Big Easy. And what’s not to love in a city where the spirit of the people infuses every inch of its turf. And music makes New Orleans dance to a decidedly Dixieland beat (Tipitina’s, we’re talking about you). Herbsaint and August are two restaurants you can’t miss. But if you need to get in a New Orleans state of mind without the travel, try these two Louisiana classics.

Beignets are deep-fried pillows of dough dusted in powdered sugar, the New Orleans answer to “What goes with a cup of good strong coffee?” Eating these, you’ll feel like you’re a regular at the city’s Café du Monde.

Crawfish Jambalaya brings Cajun cooking home, with tender, flavorful seafood and tomato-infused rice. You can make this dish with sausage, chicken, and all sorts of other meats, but something about crawfish just says New Orleans.

Paris

It’s a city for lovers, especially those who love food. Patisseries and bistros beckon you to stop and nosh, 24-7. How do the Parisians stay so slender? They eat well and in moderation. For all the latest on where to eat in the City of Light, check out the International Herald Tribune writer Alec Lobrano’s indispensable guide Hungry for Paris, and his Paris restaurant blog.

A fluffy French omelet can separate the cooks from the real cooks: it may look easy, but only practice makes perfect. Omelets are right for any meal of the day, either paired with accompaniments like fresh asparagus or just plain and simple, as in this recipe.

No day in Paris should begin without a flaky, delicate, and buttery croissant, served just as is or with a touch of jam. And don’t forget the big bowl of café!

Rome

How can you not eat like a queen in a city that boasts the National Museum of Pasta (Museo Nazionale delle Paste Alimentari), not to mention restaurants like Ditirambo (whose simple pasta of Pecorino, cacio, e pepe [salt and pepper], is worth the trip). Check out the Guardian’s list of top ten restaurants in Rome.

Spaghetti carbonara somehow takes eggs, Pecorino cheese, pancetta, and pasta and makes something far greater than its individual ingredients. Mama Roma is made of dishes like this.

Eat your way to the heart of an artichoke, slowly, tenderly… and you’ll discover the gift that awaits at the center. It’s rather like Rome, a city whose heart is revealed as fabulous layer after layer is peeled away. Romans love their globe artichokes, and with this recipe, the perfectly steamed artichoke can also be yours.