​If you’re in the mood for a comforting, satisfying meal that you don’t have to run to the store to make, we have the perfect recipe for you.

In an exclusive interview with Chef JJ Johnson, we talked all about his newest cookbook, The Simple Art of Rice: Recipes from Around the World for the Heart of Your Table. In our discussion, we asked Johnson where to even begin in this collection of delicious recipes, and what recipe he recommends the most from his new cookbook. While a tough decision, a dish that he settled on utilizes pantry staples: Curried Rice & Chickpeas with Eggs.

“Everybody has canned chickpeas, you probably have curry that you're nervous to use and you have an egg. And you can enjoy this meal for any period of the day, breakfast, lunch or dinner,” Johnson explains. “That's a great place to start.”

Say less, chef! Here’s the full recipe for Johnson’s fiber-rich, protein-packed dish that our recipe tester Hilary Meyer is already planning to make again—plus read more about the James Beard award-winning chef and his most recent collaboration with Buchanan’s Whisky below!
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​Curried Rice & Chickpeas with EggsActive time: 20 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Indian curry powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• One 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• One 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 4 large eggs

Directions

1. Add ¼ cup of the olive oil to a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the curry powder, paprika, salt, cumin, black pepper and cayenne, and sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute to bloom the spices, taking care not to burn them.
2. Add the rice and chickpeas and sauté, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the rice is fragrant and coated in the oil and spices. Stir in the coconut milk, stock and lemon juice, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the rice is tender.
3. Just before the chickpeas and rice are ready, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add 2 of the eggs and fry for about 3 minutes; the whites should be set with crisp edges and the yolks set but still a bit runny. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining 2 eggs.
4. Spoon the rice and chickpeas into individual serving bowls and top each with a fried egg.

Some last tidbits about Johnson: His dream dinner guests? Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. And when we asked him what “eating well” means to him, here’s what he had to say:
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“Eating well for me is consciously doing better than what you were doing before,” he explains. “So as you get older or get more knowledge around food, you can eat better. You can eat well and you know what well is for you. That doesn't mean you need to remove things from your diet, but including what makes you feel good, gives you energy and doesn't make you sluggish. And eating well is a table filled with great people eating traditional food that you grew up on. That’s what ultimately eating well is for me and my family.”

Source: EatingWell

Fiore’s House of Quality is known for its “mutz” — and a gigantic, messy roast beef sandwich.

The sign hanging outside says 1913, but Fiore’s House of Quality, at 414 Adams Street near 5th Street in Hoboken, was actually founded in 1903. John Amato, Sr. bought the store in 1965 after working there since 1948, and after his recent death, it’s been taken over by his son John Amato, Jr. — we’re talking what amounts to royal succession in the Mile Square City.

The Italian deli, its tightly organized shelves lined with pastas, sauces, taralli, olives, and pickled peppers, has been celebrated for over a century for its homemade mozzarella, the signature foodstuff of Frank Sinatra's hometown, which is made fresh daily and often referenced as “mutz.” There is no official menu, but all you need to know is that every Thursday and Saturday, that mutz is used to make a sandwich unique in the metropolitan area, except for isolated pockets of Brooklyn: the hot roast beef and mozzarella hero with gravy ($20 whole, $10 half).
This sandwich deploys a hero loaf about two feet in length formerly sourced at Dom’s Bakery Grand in Hoboken, which recently closed, but now coming from Amato’s Bakery in nearby North Bergen. Half is plenty for most people. The bread is split, the roast beef — you can smell it across the room — is sliced thin and generously layered into the loaf. The beef has been marinated and needs no extra seasoning.

​Thick slices of mutz are tucked under the roast beef, and then gravy, meat juices flecked with tiny bits of beef, is ladled on from a water bath over by the wall. The gravy is definitely not canned gravy. Trust the sandwich maker to control the gravy. The moisture balance results from the cheese, the gravy, and the rare roast beef, which glisters with meat juices. Garlic-laden sauteed red peppers may be added as an option.

Yes, the roast beef sandwich is a mess, and there’s no place to eat it. Cover your car seats with a tarp, or stand outside and eat, even in cold weather. If you live nearby, you may be able to get home before it dissolves into a kind of savory bread pudding. By all means, eat it immediately.

Source:ny.eater.com