Robert Sietsema’s Go-To Dish

Published on Tuesday, October 26, 2010, by Meredith Arthur, Alex Van Buren and Blake Smith / Edit Post

This episode of My Go-To Dish features Village Voice restaurant critic Robert Sietsema. To make his go-to dish your own, see the recipe.

In My Go-To Dish, meticulously trained chefs, hardworking food-industry folks, and even, sometimes, famous actors show us their delicious, reliable, and easy meals. It's how they get dinner on the table quickly after a long day. Remember: They're just like us.

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POST A COMMENT |18 Comments

COMMENT

  • Covering the pot will not make pasta gummy; too slow a boil will (as will too little water).

  • I just have to make a comment here. I've lived in Tuscany for the last 6 1/2 years and I consider my self a student of regional cuisine. There has always been a controversy among Romans re the onion/no onion subject. But honey and paprika??? Come on now! You won't find much paprika in an Italian kitchen and as for honey...that's for tea or drizzling over pecorino or mixing in hot milk when you...+READ

    I just have to make a comment here. I've lived in Tuscany for the last 6 1/2 years and I consider my self a student of regional cuisine. There has always been a controversy among Romans re the onion/no onion subject. But honey and paprika??? Come on now! You won't find much paprika in an Italian kitchen and as for honey...that's for tea or drizzling over pecorino or mixing in hot milk when you have a cough. Let the guanciale do its job flavoring the tomatoes. The flavor is so pure and robust. Try it without the onions. Please don't reinterpret these classic regional dishes.-COLLAPSE

  • Question...won't the sauce react with the cast iron pan he uses? Or would that take more time?

  • He's a great critic, but should really stop using Italian terms. His pronunciation is cringe-worthy.

  • Hey Robert,
    do you go to Vegan Restaurants to sample their delicious recipes? If you did not so far... please go Visit Loving Hut... it is one of many franchises popping up everywhere in the world (250 in the last year :-) Enjoy!!!! Be Vegan, Go Green and Save Your Self and Planet Earth www.suprememastertv.com

  • @ Val, you can substitute pancetta. I live in NY but sometimes I often make this with pancetta.

  • Cross contaminated, oh no!

  • @ Laura B give the guy a break-did you see the size of the kitchen. I am guessing that the bottle doesnt stay around very long. And everything that went on the cutting board got cooked. And I will bet he washed the cutting board....

  • I think that it is interesting that there is no garlic in this dish and Mr. Sietsema has eliminated the red pepper flakes but added relatively sweet white wine (jug wine) and some honey. (I am assuming that the paprika was a sweet paprika, not a hot paprika, since it is not listed in the recipe that accompanies the video, and therefore probably is only for changing the color of the dish, as he...+READ

    I think that it is interesting that there is no garlic in this dish and Mr. Sietsema has eliminated the red pepper flakes but added relatively sweet white wine (jug wine) and some honey. (I am assuming that the paprika was a sweet paprika, not a hot paprika, since it is not listed in the recipe that accompanies the video, and therefore probably is only for changing the color of the dish, as he mentioned in the video.)

    Also, that apartment reminds me of living in Tokyo. You have to cook one pot dishes because that's all there is room for!-COLLAPSE

  • That bottle of wine ON the CUTTING board.
    It's the same bottle that was sitting ON the DIRTY floor at 2:55 ?
    Wow, now anything/food placed on the cutting board is now cross-contaminated with the germs from the floor.

    Furthermore, that's one huge bottle - how long / how many times has it been on the floor ?

  • Sietsema's the only critic I really care about in NY. I don't know if that mask is really keeping him anonymous though!

  • Keep these features coming! Please!

  • No way am I going to find hog jowls here in Naples, FL...hate to ask, but can bacon be substituted? This looks so very delicious!

  • triangulate...the vectors!

  • This made me want to move to New York. OK--maybe that won't happen, but it def. makes me want to read Sietsema's reviews now.

  • addendum: does not work in firefox, but works in explorer

  • video not working

  • I like how Robert talks about the changing culture of critics and restaurant reviews. But *gasp* he cooked tomatoes in his cast-iron pot. I thought cast iron couldn't handle liquids and acidic foods.