Here’s What Anna Hezel Is Cooking This Month
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February is not a month that glows on its own—you really have to cook the warmth and sunshine into each day yourself. This is why I find myself loading up on citrus at this time of the year, cooking tons of spicy noodles, and baking the occasional snacking cake (supplemented by the annual arrival of Girl Scout cookie season).
This year I’m splitting my February between comforting, sustaining meals that I’ve convinced myself (unscientifically) will ward off the colds and flus going around, and the types of ambitious project cooking that I know I won’t have patience for once the weather’s nice again. Noodle soup and candied kumquats, here I come.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne1/10Mala Xiang Guo (Mala Dry Pot)
If you’ve ever been to the East Village’s Málà Project, you know the joys of building a totally custom mala dry pot by picking every single protein, noodle, and vegetable that catches your eye on the expansive menu. Jess Eng’s recipe makes me think that I could recreate that joy in my own kitchen, digging through assorted leftovers and bits of produce in my refrigerator.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones2/10Spiced Lamb and Dill Yogurt Pasta
I love a pasta that’s bathed in some type of green sauce, because it feels like you’re eating a serving of vegetables, even if you’re really eating a bowl of al dente orecchiette coated in a dill-green yogurt. This pasta from Sohla El-Waylly is topped with spiced lamb, pine nuts, and raisins, so it’s a whole meal in one bowl.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton3/10Penicillin
Has there ever been a more restorative cocktail than the Penicillin? I mean, it’s right in the name! When I’m feeling depleted, midwinter, there’s nothing quite like that warm prickle of ginger and scotch combined with the bracing acidity of lemon.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni4/10Flourless Chocolate Meringue Cake
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele5/10Buffalo Cauliflower
As a Buffalo-born devotee to the combo of Frank’s RedHot and blue cheese, this one appeals to me. Roasting cauliflower will be a welcome alternative to anyone who’s shy about deep-frying chicken wings.
Photo by Johnny Miller6/10Candied Kumquats
If this time of the year tempts you to buy some kumquats, try candying some of them, à la Claudia Fleming. They’re a beautiful topping for desserts (fruity, creamy, chocolaty—you name it), or just for your morning bowl of yogurt.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Gözde Eker7/10Gingery Chicken Noodle Soup
Photo by Mark Weinberg10/10Turmeric Black Pepper Tempeh
In her book, I Dream of Dinner, Ali Slagle says that one 11-year-old who tasted this tempeh declared that it “tastes like when the sun comes up on the first day of summer vacation.” That’s all the convincing I need.
