I remember the first time I tasted chef Sara Kramer's food at the Brooklyn restaurantGlasserie: There was confit rabbit leg; squid and eggplant tossed with cherry tomatoes; pureéd gigante beans with sumac; a cardamom semifreddo. It was Middle Eastern food—or was it? It wasn't like any other Middle Eastern food I'd had before. The spices, flavors, and techniques were there, but they were filtered through Kramer's experiences working in nearby high-end restaurants likeReynard. Well, that and her mother's cooking.
While growing up, Kramer was exposed to classic Israeli dishes by her half-Israeli, half-Peruvian mother. That gave Kramer a base-level understanding of Middle Eastern cuisine to work from. But from there, she quickly branched out. "Middle Eastern food is definitely a springboard for me," she says. "The goal is very much not to reproduce classic dishes. But you have to understand tradition first in order to riff on it."
Kramer left NYC and Glasserie for Los Angeles last year and, next month she and chef Sarah Hymanson will openMadcapra, a modern day falafel shop in Downtown LA's Grand Central Market. I hopped on the phone with Kramer to find out what makes her food tick—and to see if I can get my own food to tick the same way.
USE YOGURT. EVERYWHERE.
Kramer's feelings on yogurt: "It goes with absolutely everything." The key to using it correctly, she says, is to think about the different types of yogurt and their various consistencies. Want to drizzle it in sauce form over roasted carrots or salt-baked beets? Opt for thin, whole-milk yogurt mixed with garlic, lemon juice, and a smattering of fresh herbs. Need a flavorful base to swipe on a plate alongside crisp-skinned mackerel? You need thick Greek-style yogurt. Then there's labneh, a strained cheese made with yogurt, which Kramer describes as "richer, tangier, and more intense" than regular old yogurt. You've probably seen it served alongside hummus, topped with olive oil and cracked pepper. Next time, eat it for breakfast and make this dish ofChickpeas and Chard with Poached Eggs.
THINK DIFFERENT ABOUT CITRUS
Love using fresh lemon juice or grated zest to add a bright, acidic pop to your cooking? Totally—so do we. Kramer takes a different approach, charring lemons to coax a "mellower, richer, sweeter acid" from her citrus. Slice a fresh lemon in half crosswise and place the halves flesh side-down on a hot grill or pan. Let them cook until they begin to blacken in spots (about 5 minutes). You can use the juice of charred lemons in everything from vinaigrettes to marmalade, or you can do as Kramer does and toss them whole (along with a few fresh bay leaves) into braises and pots of slow-cooked beans. "It gives everything an undertone and foundation of deeper, fruity, floral flavor," she says. "It's something you can't quite put your finger on."
MAKE A CUSTOM SEED MIX
This one's easy. Remember when weadvocatedfor making everything you cook a bit more crunchy? Kramer's a card-carrying member of Camp Crunch as well. "I like creating a few different seed mixes to have around at home and sprinkling them on everything," says Kramer. "They last and add a lot to a dish without having to do very much." Kramer has two seed combos that she uses both in restaurants and at home: The first is a mix of coriander, nigella, and sesame; the second blends together cumin, sesame, and fennel pollen. Both can be used in virtually any situation—even, yes, avocado toast, which Kramer makes in the mornings.
AMP UP THE SPICES...
Of all the spice blends found in Middle Eastern foods, Kramer's favorite might behawaij("not to be autocorrected to 'Hawaii,'" she notes). This Yemeni blend features turmeric, black pepper, cumin, and cardamom. So what do you do with the stuff? Make a marinade. "Most of the fine dining restaurants I've worked in don't really use marinades—it seems to be more of a home cooking technique," says Kramer. "But they can bereally goodwhen done well." An oil-based marinade ofhawaijand paprika adds incredible flavor to just about any poultry—chicken, turkey, Guinea hen, and squab.
...AND FRESH HERBS
"People underutilize fresh herbs—use way more of them than you’d think," says Kramer. Herbs like mint, cilantro, parsley, and marjoram are constantly in Kramer's rotation. Marjoram—with its sweet, piney, citrusy tang—is a favorite of Kramer's. She blends the herb with tahini and serves it with braised beans for a quick weeknight dinner side or midday snack.
