UDON WITH GOCHUJANG, BACON AND SCALLIONS

In the fall of 2012, which now feels like a lifetime ago, I uprooted myself and moved to New York City. Newly divorced and raw as a peeled cuticle, I was a ridiculous mismatch for the city from the start. My suburban sensibility and thirtysomething weariness set me apart, I suppose, from every other dewy-faced twentysomething around me who had just arrived for what they assumed would be the "New York chapter" in their young lives. I had waited too long, New York and I were never destined to fall in love.

That turned out not to matter at all, though, because I was already falling in love in a very real sense. In the company of the man who would eventually become my best friend and husband, I explored as many as I could of the thousands of truly fantastic opportunities for eating in the city. One of the places Tim and I identified early on was a trendy but humble little joint right in our Queens neighborhood of Sunnyside, perched right on Queens Boulevard off the 7 train. Underlit and unadorned, Salt & Fat greeted you with casually untucked waitstaff and bacon fat popcorn served from a brown paper bag---it was that kind of place. We loved it. The menu was unapologetically fusion, but without pretense--kimchi and daikon served matter-of-factly alongside American comfort classics like BLTs and marshmallow fluff.

Just like me in my clearance-rack jeans and unfashionable backpack juxtaposed against the glitter and grace of the city, there were a lot of combinations on that menu that seemed downright out of place at first glance. A few bites in, you suddenly realized that the union of ingredients (no matter how unexpected, like duck breast and lychee) was just the perfect thing, all you never knew you wanted...at least for the moment. It was this heady, crazy feeling of "things you never knew belonged together" that I was thinking of when I put together this dish, a rich combo of spicy and sweet, salt and fat. Korean chili paste and chewy udon meet classic American bacon and eggs (I almost always use Bon Appetit's method for perfectly jammy-yolked soft boiled eggs) in a noodle dish slicked with just enough soup to keep things interesting. It's weird, it's comforting, and it reminds me of feeling utterly lost and yet totally found at the same time.

In a crushing but not-at-all-shocking twist (restaurants pop up and wither on the vine in New York, and elsewhere, almost constantly), I recently searched for Salt & Fat's website only to find that they had closed up shop last year. R.I.P. to a place that nurtured the beginning of my relationship and wrapped it in a warm blanket of pork buns, oxtail terrine and yuzu panna cotta (just sounds weird when I put it that way, but hey)...my "bacon & eggs" udon bowl will forever stand as a tribute to your memory!

Udon with Gochujang, Bacon & Scallions

Makes 4 smallish portions or 2 generous ones

4 eggs
4 oz. bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons gochujang (add more to taste if you'd like to increase the heat)
1 tablespoon honey
4 cups chicken stock
8 oz. dried udon noodles, or about a pound of fresh or frozen noodles
3 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
salt

Fill a mixing bowl halfway with ice water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, carefully lower eggs one at time into water using a slotted spoon (cold out of the fridge is fine, just take it slow). Adjust heat to maintain a gentle boil once eggs are in, cook for exactly six and a half minutes. Remove eggs quickly and place in ice bath, chill for a few minutes until just warm to the touch. Gently crack shells and peel eggs, set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium high, saute the bacon until fully cooked (best when it's just short of crispy, still a little chewy), drain all but about two tablespoons of fat and place in a bowl. Add gochujang and honey, whisk with a fork until combined. In a medium size pot, bring stock to a simmer over medium heat, add bacon mixture. Add udon noodles and simmer until chewy, remove from heat. Taste broth at this point and add salt if necessary, or more gochujang or honey if preferred. To serve, scoop noodles into bowls, top with soup, then garnish with scallions. Carefully slice eggs in half and nestle into the noodles with perfectly jammy yolks pointing up. Slurp and enjoy!

COCONUT CHIA SEED PUDDING

Happy new year! 2018 came tiptoeing in quietly, gently and unobtrusively, on tiny sock-covered feet. Then it seized me by the hair at the back of my head and started shrieking and pummeling me with miniscule fists and an overflow of love and emotion. Nothing will bring you back to earth like a thirteen-month-old's enthusiasm. I looked down at the date on the calendar and realized something else......January is nearly OVER. I haven't shared a recipe in this space since before the holidays, which seems unbelievable now. The ebb and flow of the seasons has ebbed and flowed and left me here on the other side of the holly and the ivy and cookies and fairy lights. There were presents, there was laughter......there was a Thanksgiving and a Christmas and it was all merry, hope that yours was, too.

I have realized something else recently, too: why there are so many blogs by glowing pregnant ladies and mothers of babies, and so few by moms of toddlers. Infants need everything, it's true, but there are still large swathes of the day when they are unconscious and it's possible to sit down and tap out something of more substance than a to-do list. Things may feel harried, your new-mother days may be blurred around the edges, but you can always run fingers through your messy hair, throw the baby in a sling or stroller and get out for a walk or coffee with a friend. But when the day comes that your formerly-swaddled, immobile lump of cooing baby suddenly perks their head up, stands unassisted and lurches with jerky first steps into toddlerhood you will share this realization: I am so screwed. I will never again use my hands for anything but chasing, tackling and restraining an errant two-foot-tall cyclone. This is of course, not entirely true, but it will feel that way. Breathe with me for a second, mamas. We will regain the use of our hands someday. But, perhaps, not this day.

Because I love you, dear readers, and because ultimately I believe there should always be a recipe to share, here is a little something that is so easy you can practically make it without the use of your hands at all (legal disclaimer: fully functional hands may technically be required to make this recipe). I'm not the first cook to discover the weird appeal of chia seed pudding, and I won't be the last, but to me this is the perfect breakfast (or mid-afternoon snack) for January. The beginning of the year always leads to resolutions, which leads to "cleanses" and nonsensical declarations like "I'M DOING WHOLE30" and things like that. I'm not a big believer in cleanses as a way of, say, technically removing toxins from the body. I do, however, believe in them as a way of cleansing my brain of the habit of putting cheese and chocolate into my body at every meal--after the holidays they are a straight-up necessity. This creamy pudding will appeal to anyone who loves tapioca and rice puddinglike things, and is an endlessly adaptable canvas for toppings like toasted coconut flakes, tangerine slices and pistachios (seen here). Chia seeds are also a great source of omega-3s, antioxidants, fiber and so on, which makes them an ideal addition to January's meal planning.

Coconut Chia Seed Pudding

Makes two heaping servings

1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup chia seeds
pinch of salt (add this to taste, but to me it's about 1/8 teaspoon)

Whisk together coconut milk, maple syrup and vanilla in a bowl. Add chia seeds and mix thoroughly, chill for at least two hours until they plump up into little balls. Add salt to taste, then serve in bowls topped with anything you like: toasted coconut, dried fruit, nuts, shaved chocolate, cinnamon, etc.