(photo courtesy ofย @edeneats)
Itโs possible youโve been following the career of Eden Grinshpan for years. If so, youโd know that sheโs a Le Cordon Bleu graduate who created a popular Cooking Channel travel show called Eden Eats, where she explored global cuisine all over the US. Or perhaps, youโre a recent fanโdiscovering her viral Instagram posts balancing pizza on her pregnant belly. Maybe you saw her new book โEating Out Loudโ flying off the proverbial shelves in September, making Best of 2020 lists everywhere. If youโve somehow missed all that, let me sum things up for you: Eden Grinshpan is synonymous with passion, food, fun, and adventure. Sheโs a firecracker of silliness and at the same time as serious about cooking (and eating).
Between a move to Toronto, parenting, working, and a new pregnancy, Eden somehow still had time to chat with me about life during Covid, her book, and some very hot takes about some of her favorite food.
What are your favorite recipes from your book? Which ones do you want to see getting more limelight?
Whenever I look through my book, Iโm constantly reminded of all these recipes that I havenโt seen in a while. I just posted about the lamb shakshuka recipe. Itโs so rich and delicious; the lemony yogurt really cuts through that fattiness. Itโs such a nice balance. The pistachio cardamom coffee cake is also amazing. The flavor is so magical, and the cake is really moist. For me, thatโs always been a star and one of my favorite recipes.
I see so many people making pita, the green shakshuka, and the tahini Caesar. Since people gravitate toward the seasonal recipes, Iโm not seeing as many watermelon salads or the peach and tomato fattoush salads, but Iโm pretty sure once summer rolls around, theyโll be more popular again.
Iโm surprised Iโm not seeing more of the chermoula pork chop and the stuffed tomatoes with beef. Iโd like to see more of those. [This writer will be making both of those soon.]
What are some skills you learned in culinary school that you still use in your home kitchen?
I went to culinary school with zero knowledge of the basics of cooking. The things I utilize most are knife skills, searing, sauce- and stock-making, being able to tell the doneness of meats, all the basicsโtechniques that can be applied to any type of cuisine.
How has Covid impacted your cooking and eating life?
Iโm obviously eating in much more. Iโve always loved to cook for friends and family, and I love entertaining, but itโs taken on a whole other life. Now, Iโm planning breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Itโs more of a routine, whereas cooking used to be a lot more spontaneous.
Whatโs the first place youโre going to visit when you get back to real life?
Oh my god. Israel, just to see my sisters.
Ido [her husband] and I always play this game because we have this long list of places weโre dying to go to, but every time we book a trip, we only want to go to Italy. We had a trip booked to Japan but cancelled it because of Covid. Morocco has always been on my list. How have I never been there??
Whatโs your favorite takeout in NYC?
We always ordered a lot of Robertaโs, a lot of Joeโs, all the classic pizza. Half pepperoni, half plain.
Whatโs the best hummus in NYC?
I love 12 Chairs and Cafe Mogador. These are places that really capture how Israel feels. They remind me most of the food I grew up eating.
Who is your cooking idol?
There are so many. Iโm obsessed with Mike Solomonov. I love him. Heโs incredibly inspiring. His food is out of control, and his Israeli food empire is amazing. And heโs a mensch. Heart of gold.
I think Missy Robbins is incredible. I absolutely love her. All of her restaurants are incredible, and the quality of her food is consistently amazing. She always hits it out of the park.
Jody Williams. I think Via Carota is one of my favorite restaurants in New York. I love it for the food and the atmosphere.
And for TV chefs: Jamie Oliver. He is the perfect example of who everyone in the food space strives to be. Charismatic. Passionate. Incredibly talented. He knows so much about food. And he makes everything accessible and delicious.
What are the pantry items you canโt live without?
Tahini (Soom and Seed & Mill are my go-tos) and extra virgin olive oil.
(photo courtesy ofย @edeneats)
Whatโs in your fridge right now?
I always have a huge bunch of herbs: parsley, dill, cilantro. Definitely veg for the chopped veg salad in my book: cucumber, tomatoes, red bell peppers, and radishes. I have a ton of pickles and olives. We seem to collect them. Lots of hot sauces. I have the harissa that I made and my zhug. I love a little bit of heatโbut a nice heat. Eggs. Always yogurt.
What is the best food for balancing on a pregnant belly?
Pizza! Itโs the easiest food to stack. Second to that would be burgers and fries. The third would be spaghetti and meatballs.
Are there any kitchen tasks that only you do or only Ido does?
Especially because I'm pregnant, I try not to do the heavy lifting. Iโll call Ido to carry heavier pots. Sometimes when Iโm really lazy, which is often recently, itโs the dishes.
What is the last thing you bought for yourself?
I bought Indian-ish two days ago. I have a deep love of Indian food. Before I backpacked through India, I didnโt know much about it. Then when I was there, I had this full-blown experience where I learned about everything all at once: the food, the culture, the music, everything. I fell in love. And Iโve been obsessed with Indian cuisine ever since.ย
Whatโs your favorite junk food?
I can take down a bag of chips like that. The worst thing about it is that I eat it so quickly I donโt even know what happened. Was I even a part of that experience? I love a chip.