I step through the doorway of Andy Baraghani’s kitchen and suddenly the air is perfumed with peonies, earthy dill and just fried onions. The chef and food writer, 32, is eager to play with the first flavors of summer, but is also determined to let the season’s bounty largely speak for itself. “I want to cook effortlessly, and this time of year you don’t have to do too much,” he says, popping a strawberry into his mouth and grinning.
It’s a warm and glorious June afternoon, perfect for cooking even when Baraghani has a day off. He has spent the past few weeks on a whirlwind cross-country tour to promote his new cookbook, “The Cook You Want to Be” (2022)., which is filled with the kind of sophisticated yet simple recipes that gained him a huge following during his time as a food editor and video host at Bon Appétit magazine. They know that in the world of Baraghani, no dish is complete without a bold finishing touch, whether it’s tender spices, sour dressings or nori and sesame seed sprinkles.
Growing up in a Persian family in Berkeley, California, Baraghani first learned how to cook by watching family members prepare classics like kuku sabzi (a herb-like omelet) and chelo ba tahdig (steamed rice with a golden crust) before moving on to work. in the kitchens of Chez Panisse, in his hometown, and Estela, in New York, where he now lives. He’s already stopped on both coasts for his book tour, hosting pop-up dinners in Contra, Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and Los Angeles’ Found Oyster.
However, he is currently on a short break from the tour and has invited a group of close friends to feast on what he considers to be some of the book’s quintessential summer recipes at the home of his partner, Keith Pollock, near Bellport, Long Island. The couple met at Condé Nast, where Pollock, now senior vice president of creative for West Elm, served as executive digital director at Architectural Digest. Their relationship was just beginning to blossom when the pandemic hit, after which Baraghani began staying with Pollock and their friend John Guidi, an associate director at The Real Real with whom Pollock shares the house, on trips away from the city. “We were very grateful that he was testing recipes for the book at the time,” says Pollock, who is particularly fond of Baraghani’s chickpea cacio e pepe with lemon, the first dish Baraghani ever made for him.
Baraghani was also grateful. The clapboard house, built circa 1860, has enough space to keep its extensive mortar-and-pestle collection and outside, under a trellis of heavy wisteria vines, there is a spacious alfresco dining table. Plus, the area is a food world nexus of sorts – Jean Adamson of Vinegar Hill House and Andrew Tarlow of Marlow Collective both have homes nearby, and Baraghani often comes across them on Saturday mornings at the 20-acre HOG Farm, which grew most of the produce for dinner of the evening and is just across the street.
When the guests — chefs DeVonn Francis and Susan Kim, recipe developer Dan Pelosi, and florist Marisa Competello – arrive from the train station, Baraghani will have snacks ready for them. As they nibble on thick slices of parmesan topped with lemon zest, thin manes of purple radish, and a generous drizzle of olive oil and sip natural Ramato from the nearby Channing Daughters Winery, he prompts them to help prepare the other dishes. Here he shares his tips for mimicking aspects of the meeting yourself.
Do more with less
“One aspect of my cooking is thinking about how it was originally done — not by our parents, but by our grandparents and their parents,” says Baraghani. For example, instead of using a salad spinner to wash and dry herbs, he washed a bouquet by hand before collecting them in a clean kitchen towel and going outside, where he twirled the bundle in a windmill motion. The breeze and warm summer air expelled moisture and the need to dirty and wash another appliance. Baraghani also prefers multi-purpose devices like his beloved mortars and pestles, which he collects and uses on his travels to pound garlic, mix dressings, and even break down Morton salt into smaller crystals for more even distribution.
Embrace different temperatures
Reduce the stress of dealing with oven space and rest times with a menu that can usually be prepared ahead of time. Baraghani paired just grilled shawarma-spiced lamb chops with room-temperature dishes — like sautéed vinegar-soaked toast and juicy salted tomatoes topped with an Italian chili chips of anchovies, garlic, fennel seeds, and basil — that get better with time.
Divide and conquer
“To be a good host, you don’t have to be in charge of everything,” says Baraghani. “Ask for help based on what feels right for you. I don’t want a lot of people in the kitchen, but I do want someone to set the table.” His childhood duties include peeling fava beans and picking herbs, so he likes to delegate prep duties as well. Kim sat on the back porch peeling garlic for the crunchy chili while Francis sliced bread and tomatoes; Pelosi cut rhubarb into ultra-thin strips for a tahini frangipane galette while Competello put together floral arrangements.
Make it more personal than polished
The table carried an eclectic mix of items, rather than a matching set. Olive pits and strawberry stems were placed in cheeky ceramic bowls with naked men by Alessandro Merlin that Pollock and Baraghani bought on a recent trip to Venice. Guests drank from hand-blown bubble glass, part of their friend Dana Arbib’s debut collection for Los Angeles design gallery Tiwa Select, produced in collaboration with master glassworkers in Murano, Italy.
Don’t go after grill marks
“I’m never a fan of perfect grill marks. I prefer lamb chops worn down like a good pair of sneakers because I want to tan all over,” says Baraghani, who used his Weber Kamado grill for the chops and quickly flipped them all a few times to get that prized polished crust.
Go all in with a single bloom
Baraghani has an advantage in the flower department: he is friends with a talented florist. But you don’t have to be so well connected to take inspiration from Competello’s dinner arrangements. Each emphasized only one type of flower, such as gloriosa or edible bupleurum. “The focus on one type of flower is her signature,” says Baraghani, noting that each of Competello’s “architectural” arrangements evokes a “distinct atmosphere.”
