The Wall Street Journal - 04.04.2020 - 05.04.2020

D8| Saturday/Sunday, April 4 - 5, 2020 **** THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

EATING & DRINKING

Recipes for Relief

people, the simple act of doing it, even if it’s
by yourself under very different circum-
stances, can bring you a sense of peace,” said
Dr. Gabriel.
Comfort can be just as much about feeling
connected to a place and a community as to
your own past. “For some people, it’s things
that they can make at home that remind
them of childhood, but for others it’s the fa-
miliarity in your neighborhood,” said Alice
Julier, professor of food studies and director
of the Center for Regional Agriculture, Food
and Transformation (CRAFT) at Chatham
University in Pittsburgh. As many restau-
rants pivot to pick-up and delivery only, a
takeout meal from a favorite local spot can
foster a sense of sociability. “There’s a cama-
raderie in supporting the people who make
the food that you love,” she said.
Many chefs find solace in the meditative as-
pects of cooking. “Using my hands, as anyone
in this industry will understand, is therapeu-
tic,” said Claudette Zepeda, a “Top Chef” alum
and former executive chef of El Jardin in San
Diego, Calif. “Making tamales is a repetitive
way to kind of unplug, because you have to
stay focused at the task at hand. There are
steps. It’s a very disciplined thing to make.”
Los Angeles-based cookbook author Nik
Sharma has felt compelled to offer help to
those sheltering in place who lack confidence
in the kitchen. Recently he posted an Insta-
gram story on making a simple dal with red
lentils and beans. “There’s a lot of basic infor-
mation out there,” he said. “I’m just putting it
together, letting people know that there are
resources that can make life easy.” Mr.
Sharma’s recipes draw inspiration from his In-
dian heritage and the California culinary land-
scape, and he emphasized that they are meant
to be adaptable. “People need to be shown a
framework, and that framework is yours to
bend and mold,” said Mr. Sharma. “Cook in a
way that makes you happy. Don’t worry about
doing things the ‘authentic’ way. Focus on
what you have, on what’s available.”
I’ve taken this advice to heart. At right are
recipes that have comforted me through these
odd, anxious weeks. Approach them as tem-
plates to dress up or down depending on the
ingredients at hand. For millennia, grain por-
ridges have fed the young, the old, the house-
bound and anyone else in need of mollifying.
My creamy congee is a great canvas for all
sorts of toppings. Here I crown it with an in-
vigorating ginger-scallion sauce; you might
want to try kimchi, sambal, fresh cilantro, and/
or a poached or boiled egg. And the buttery,
flaky, biscuits make a satisfying handheld meal
at any time of day. Sweeten them with a swift
schmear of jam or take them in a savory direc-
tion with slices of ham and Swiss cheese.
Every Korean family I know has a recipe
forkimchi jiggae(kimchi stew). The spice
clears my head, the fermented kimchi feels
good in my gut and the protein keeps me go-
ing. I’ve kept this version super simple, sub-
tracting specialty ingredients such as
gochugaru(red chile flakes). If you have
them, feel free to add them.
Via FaceTime and text, I shared this recipe
with some of my relatives—and they didn’t
hesitate to tell me what they thought I’d got-
ten wrong. I couldn’t have been more pleased.
In my family, energetic debate has always
gone hand in hand with cooking and eating. I
look forward to a time when we can once
again do it around the same table.

Continued from page D1

“Give where you love. Local in-

vestment and getting your dol-

lars close to the ground are

more important than ever now,

and community foundations

are a great vehicle for giving.

We have effective tools for re-

sponding to urgent community

needs and can help match your

giving intent to the initiatives

where it will do the most good.”

—Lora Smith, director,

Appalachian Impact Fund at

the Foundation for Appala-

chian Kentucky, Hazard, Ky.

“School closings cut the food

lifeline for millions of kids living

with hunger. Donating enables

other organizations to replace

those meals. No Kid Hungry is

providing support to schools,

food banks and community

groups feeding kids during the

pandemic. Funds raised ensure

that children across the coun-

try have the food they need.”

—Billy Shore, founder and

executive chair, Share Our

Strength/No Kid Hungry

Campaign, Washington, D.C.

“At least 4 million restaurant

workers are out of work, and

millions more will lose their

jobs in the coming months. You

can order food from local res-

taurants to help keep some of

them employed and help those

already laid off feed their fami-

lies by contributing to the One

Fair Wage Emergency Fund

(ofwemergencyfund.org).”

—Saru Jayaraman, director,

UC Berkeley Food Labor Re-

search Center, and president,

One Fair Wage, Oakland, Calif.

“Remember your neighbors. If

you’re going to the store, see if

they need anything. If you be-

long to the same CSA, consider

picking up their share. Love to

cook? Go ahead and prepare

that CSA share. I’ve been doing

this for a friend while she navi-

gates a mandated shut down

of her business. Cooking is

something tangible you can of-

fer someone close by.”

—Julia Turshen, author of ‘Now

& Again’ and host of ‘Keep

Calm and Cook On,’ Accord, N.Y.

Minimalist

Kimchi Jiggae

To make it eminently

doable, we’ve kept

this stew recipe as

simple as can be,

omitting the

gochugaru(Korean

red chile flakes) and

gochujang(fer-

mented chile paste)

often used in kimchi

jiggae. If you do have

gochujang on hand,

add a small spoonful

for depth. A pinch of

gochugaru will turn

up the heat; most any

crushed red pepper

flakes will do the

same. If you have ba-

con or another pro-

tein you’d like to add,

stir it in along with

the onions in step 2.

Some cooks even like

to melt a slice of

American cheese into

the bowl before serv-

ing, which gives the

stew nice body.

Total Time 30

minutesServes 4

One (14-ounce)

package firm

tofu

1 tablespoon

neutral oil such

as grapeseed

½ small onion,

thinly sliced

¾ cup kimchi,

drained, plus 1

tablespoon kimchi

brine

4 cups chicken or

vegetable stock,

dashi or water

1 teaspoon tamari

or low-sodium

soy sauce

½ teaspoon fish

sauce (optional)

1 clove garlic,

grated

¼ teaspoon sesame

oil

⅓ cup sliced

scallions

Cooked rice, for

serving

1.Drain tofu and cut

in half lengthwise.

Take half the tofu

block and halve

lengthwise, then cut

into ½-inch square

pieces (about 16 to-

tal). Transfer other

half to an airtight

container, cover with

water, refrigerate and

save for another use.

2.In a medium pot or

saucepan, heat oil

over medium-high

heat. Add onions and

sweat until slightly

softened, about 4

minutes. Add kimchi

and cook, stirring fre-

quently, for about 1

minute. Add stock

and kimchi brine, and

bring to a boil. Re-

duce heat to maintain

a simmer.

3.Add tofu, soy

sauce, fish sauce, if

using, and garlic. Con-

tinue to simmer until

tofu has broken down

slightly, about 15 min-

utes. Remove from

heat. Add sesame oil

and scallions. Season

with more soy sauce,

fish sauce or sesame

oil to taste. Serve

with cooked rice.

—Recipe by Eleanore

Park

“Farmers’ markets are still well

stocked, and farmers need the

support to keep growing food

for us. Life-giving carrots, first-

of-the season strawberries and

tender lettuces are a few of the

items I found lately at mine. If

yours is open, shop there to get

the freshest produce. Or do a

community supported agricul-

ture (CSA) subscription to get

a box on a regular basis.”

—Andrea Nguyen, author of

‘Vietnamese Food Any Day,’

Santa Cruz, Calif.

GRAYDON HERRIOTT FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (CONGEE); ALPHA SMOOT FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, FOOD STYLING BY PEARL JONES (JJIGAE, BISCUITS)

Even in this time of so-

cial isolation, there are

manywaystoreachout

and offer support to peo-

ple you know and to oth-

ers in need. The choice

can be overwhelming, in

fact. Focusing on one

thing you can do, large or

small, can be a manage-

able way to move ahead

and act meaningfully.

Here, ideas from people

who make providing food

and solace their business.

Bring comfort and

connect via simple

acts of generosity

One Good

Thing

Yogurt and

Butter Biscuits

The yogurt gives these biscuits a

light texture and a subtle tang. It

also helps make them foolproof.

Total Time 11 / 2 hours

Makes9 biscuits

1½ sticks (12 tablespoons)

unsalted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

¾ cup whole-milk yogurt

Milk or 1 beaten egg, for

brushing (optional)

1.Freeze butter at least 1 hour.

While butter is freezing, com-

bine flour, baking powder and

salt in a medium bowl. Preheat

oven to 450 degrees.

2.Once butter is frozen, use the

large holes of a grater to shred

butter. Add butter to flour mix-

ture, tossing with your fingers to

distribute evenly. (Try to do so

swiftly to keep butter as cold as

possible.)

3.Slowly add yogurt, a little bit

at a time, folding dough onto it-

self using a rubber spatula.

Dough will appear very dry with

excess flour, but don’t worry.

Transfer dough onto a clean

work surface, and form a pile.

Press down on dough to flatten

to about ½-inch thick. Scoop up

any unincorporated flour and

place on top of dough. Fold

dough in half, flattening again

to about a ½-inch thickness. Re-

peat the process until dough

seems hydrated enough to

maintain its shape without

coming apart, 6-8 more times.

4.Shape dough into a square

about ½-inch thick. Use a sharp

knife or bench scraper to cut

dough into 9 equal pieces. (For

very uniform biscuits, trim pe-

rimeter to make a perfect

square—definitely not necessary,

but nice). Use a spatula to

transfer biscuits to a baking

sheet lined with parchment pa-

per, spacing them evenly. At this

point, biscuit dough can be fro-

zen. Dough will keep in freezer

up to 1 month.

5.Bake until biscuits are puffed,

golden-brown and visibly layered,

15-20 minutes. Serve with slices

of ham and Swiss cheese or

softened butter and jam. Baked

biscuits will keep up to 3 days in

an airtight container at room

temperature.

—Recipe by Greg Wright

Find a recipe for the congee with ginger-scal-
lion sauce shown on page D1 atwsj.com/news/
life-arts/food-cooking-drink.