Jeremy Salamon’s Second Generation: Hungarian & Jewish Classics Reimagined
I will find every excuse to go to Agi’s Counter in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood. I dream about its crunchy and buttery confit tuna melt, I crave it’s deliciously dill-forward chicken nokedli (a Hungarian egg noodle dumpling that looks like spaetzle) soup for breakfast, and I order extra spanakopita babka, hoping that my son won’t finish it. It is a New York City spot that I want to share with everyone I know and that is, and isn’t Eastern European.And while I’ll happily go well out of my way to find a seat at Agi’s, last month, its chef/owner’s Jeremy Salamon published a cookbook, Second Generation: Hungarian and Jewish Classics Reimagined for the Modern Table — an ode to his paternal grandmother (Agi), and his Hungarian and Jewish heritage—which means I can now recreate that sentiment at home.
A kindred spirit, Salamon avows that he has vinegar in his veins. He says he grew up drinking piquant pickling liquid straight from the jars. There was no doubt that there would be plenty of vinegar-laced recipes in his book, aside from the essential pickles of all sorts (beets, sweet & sour cucumbers, cauliflower, and grapes).
I asked Jeremy if he could point to his favorite vinegar-twinged recipes in the book and he sent a list of soup, slow-cooked roasts, and zippy shrub drinks.
Chilled Buttermilk Borscht
Salamon refers to swampy Florida summers as reference for this recipe, and a Jewish deli his Nana Arlene often took him to. Whereas red wine vinegar is the classic acidifier for borscht in general — Salamon instead uses a floral homemade chamomile vinegar (recipe follows), to give this creamy, sour, chilled beet soup a lovely pop. It’s those herbal notes that highlight the flavors of shallots and bay leaves that accent the soup.
RECIPE
Chamomile Vinegar
1 large bunch of fresh chamomile flowers
8 cups white balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons raw wildflower honey
Stuff the chamomile in a 2-quart mason jar. In a large bowl, whisky together the vinegar and honey until the honey is completely dissolved. Pour the vinegar mixture over the chamomile and seal the jar tight. Let it sit in a cool, dry place at room temperature for 2 weeks before using. Refrigerate for up to 1 year. The longer it sits, the more flavor it will develop.
Brisket
Most Jews know, when it comes to brisket, it’s always best made at least a day or two ahead. Salamon adds sherry vinegar to a raisin and ketchup marinade that aids in tenderizing and breaking down the beef, but it’s also a nostalgic sweet-and-sour component. After braising for a handful of hours, the brisket will be fork-tender (enjoy a snacky bite if you must!). Let it cool completely, then wrap and refrigerate it — it’s even better on the reheat the next day. If you want to keep it cold, then you could even slice the brisket like deli meat for a sandwich that barely needs dressing.
Peaches & Cream
This is Salamon’s prompt to dress your fruit in vinegar — “maybe not always, but most of the time — [though] you only need a few drops”. Salamon often dresses strawberries in white balsamic vinegar for both sweet and savory applications. And here, a whole grove of stone fruits are tossed with a couple tablespoons of sweet and sapid white balsamic ,along with toasted fennel seeds and tangy goat cheese. It’s a great method for highlighting peak -season produce, but can also bolster fruit that needs a little oomph..
Caraway Thumper
A shrub, that is, a combination of fresh fruit juice, vinegar and sugar, can make for a satisfying non-alcoholic cocktail when added to a little soda water. This, from Salomon, was created in the spirit of a Hungarian soft drink called Bambi, which recently relaunched a few years ago. The OG is flavored with orange (there are more recent bottlings of rhubarb, ginger and lemon) but Salamon, looking for something a bit more bittersweet-and-sour, but in the most refreshing way, adding toasted caraway seeds and star anise to a mixture of apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar and sugar. Topped off with a splash of ginger beer — this drink is a bright, balanced libation for everyday and celebrations.
CREDITS:
From the book SECOND GENERATION by Jeremy Salamon. Copyright Ó 2024 by Jeremy Salamon.
Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
All photos by Ed Anderson