BEET Salad

the shaved beet salad is the best, but here's another interesting beef salad... this one has the beets roasted, and you save the roasting juices for the dressing.

• roast a few beets that have been rubbed with olive oil in a tin foil pouch at 350 for about an hour. remove from oven, let them cool. save the juice that ran into the bottom of the foil packet.
  
• when beets are cool, rub the skin off. the skin should slippidy slide right off. cube the beets into bite size pieces.
  
• make a dressing: mash some garlic, add some lemon juice, and drizzle in the beet juice as you mix. taste, season with salt and pepper, and add more olive oil as needed.
• dress your beet cubes with dressing. toss.
• put dressed beet cubes on a bed of greens. we used arugula. dress the greens beforehand if you'd like. we added some edible flowers and shaved fennel because we had it around. you can also sprinkle some shaved parm or goat cheese on top.
  

CHICKEN PITAS with cool CUCUMBER TZATZIKI

instead of chicken, you can use lamb or shrimp or just veggies. treat them all the same as the chicken below.


For filling:

• a few chicken breasts or tenders, cut into strips and skewered. sprinkle with salt and pepper. let skewers soak in a bath of olive oil and lemon juice for 15 minutes. discard bath afterward.
  
• a bunch of veg. onions, squash, zucchinis--anything. let veg soak in a bath of olive oil and lemon juice for 15 minutes.
• fresh tomato, quartered.
• fresh onion, sliced.

for cool cucumber tzatziki:

• grated cucumber. use a cheese grater and shred a whole cucumber skin and all. put the grated cuc in a strainer, sprinkle with salt, and leave. the salt will remove much of the water from the cuc. after 30 minutes or so, use you hangs and squeeze out more liquid... you want the cucumber to be as dry as possible.
  
• add cucumber to 1 cup yogurt. greek yogurt if you can find it (it's less liquidy and better). But plain yogurt is ok too.
• to that, add 2 cloved minced or smashed garlic, juice of 1 or 2 lemons, salt and pepper, and olive oil. taste it and balance the flavors till you like it.

after grilling chicken and veg over a hot fire, assemble all the above in a warm grilled pita (see photo).

ENCHILADAS ESPECIALES - Cremosas de Pollo

This is from Rick Bayless, one of the best mexican cooks. we were looking to make enchiladas, and these are epic with the leftover rotisserie chicken and creamy green sauce.

SAUCE INGREDIENTS

• 2 fresh poblano chiles
• 1 cup (lightly packed) roughly chopped spinach leaves. or chard, or arugula. any dark leafy green for the sauce.
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup flour
• Salt

FILLING

• 3 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken (I usually use a rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled chicken)
• 12 corn tortillas
• A little vegetable oil for brushing or spraying totillas
• About 1 cup Mexican melting cheese (Chihuahua, quesadilla, asadero or the like) or Monterey Jack, brick or mild cheddar
• A little chopped cilantro for garnish

---

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the Sauce. Roast the poblanos directly over a gas flame or on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, turning regularly, until the skins have blistered and blackened on all side, about 5 minutes for an open flame, about 10 minutes under the broiler. Place in a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and, when handleable, rub off the blackened skin, tear open and pull out the seed pod and stem. Quickly rinse to remove any stray seeds or bits of skin. Roughly chop and put in a blender jar. Add the spinach.

In a medium (3-quart) saucepan, combine the milk and broth, set over medium-low heat to warm.

In a large (4-quart) saucepan, melt the butter (or heat the oil) over medium. Add the garlic and cook for a minute to release its aroma, then add the flour and stir the mixture for a minute. Raise the heat to medium-high. Pour in the warm broth mixture and whisk constantly until the sauce boils. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Pour half the hot sauce into the blender with the chiles and spinach. Cover loosely (I remove the center part of the lid, secure the lid, then drape a cloth over the whole thing) and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining sauce. Taste and season with salt, usually about 2 teaspoons.

2. Finish the Enchiladas. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Smear about 1/4 cup of the sauce over the bottom of each of four to six 9-inch individual ovenproof baking/serving dishes or smear about 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish. Stir 1 cup of the sauce into the chicken.

Lay half of the tortillas out on a baking sheet and lightly brush or spray both sides of the tortillas with oil; top each tortilla with another one and brush or spray those with oil. Bake just to warm through and soften, about 3 minutes. Stack the tortillas and cover with a towel to keep warm.

Working quickly so that the tortillas stay hot and pliable, roll a portion of the chicken up in each tortilla, then line them all up in the baking dish(es). Douse evenly with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake until the enchiladas are hot through (the cheese will have begun to brown), about 20 minutes. Garnish with the cilantro and serve without hesitation.

LAMB AND BEEF BOLOGNESE

What's fun is having lots of people over for dinner. what's not fun is working to make that all happen. what's also not fun is having your friends watch you while you slave over the burners, serving them some feast. so this recipe is one solution to making things fun... it's made all before hand (except the pasta), and it's very easy. it's also very good on cold nights.

Serve with a few bottles of red wine and lots of bread for sopping up the juices. the perfect sunday dinner.

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 pound lamb
salt
pepper
1 cup milk
1 glass red wine
2 28-ounce cans of whole peeled tomatoes, drained and smooshed with hands


Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or big pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook until all have softened. 8 minutes. Add the garlic go for about 30 seconds. Add the beef and lamb, breaking it apart with your spoon and cooking until it is just browned. move it around so it gets brown, and doesn't just stew in the liquid and get soggy. Season with salt and pepper.

add milk and bring it up. continue until the milk has reduced completely and very little liquid remains. add wine and simmer again until reduced completely.

add the canned tomatoes to the pot and stir. cover and cook on medium for at least 2 and up to 6 hours. for the last 30, remove the lid to allow any excess liquid to evaporate and reduce the sauce. it sound be chunky, not soupy.

Serve over spaghetti or linguine.

WISDOM

This, and 19 other drops of wisdom here.

TAPA: Pan Seared Spicy Shrimp with Ginger, Garlic, Lemon on Soaked Bread

You can sort of huck this plate out there, and let everyone dig in with their fingers. the bread, all soggy with oil & butter & garlic, is amazing. serve as an app, or as a casual main with a salad. drink with cold white wine... it's spicy.

INGREDIENTS:

about 1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 stick butter
a piece of ginger about the size of your thumb, peeled & diced
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled & diced
a few pinches red pepper flakes
16-20 large shrimp, peeled with tails left on
2 lemons
1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
salt & pepper, to taste
1 French baguette, sliced & lightly toasted

PREP

Heat a frying pan over high heat. When hot, add half the olive oil, butter, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes and shrimp. Give pan a shake. Cook until shrimp turns bright pink, about 3-4 minutes. Turn heat down to low and add the juice of one lemon, parsley, and the rest of the olive oil. Remove from heat, toss, and taste. Add more lemon juice or olive oil as needed, then season with salt and pepper. Serve over a bed of bread, letting the bread soak up all the juices and sauce.

MEXICAN TUNA: with White Beans, Mashed Avocado, and Spicy Cilantro Cream

HOW TO: Nachos

PENNE CARBONARA with peas, bacon, mint. a three-step deal

this is insane. a quick dinner. and it doesn't get chunky or curdled like some carbonaras.

first, fry bacon. set aside, and crumble.

second, make carbonara. in a bowl, beat 1 egg, then whisk in 7 tablespoons cream. season with salt and pepper. set aside.
third, cook pasta. for the last minute of cooking, throw a handful of frozen peas in the cooking water. fresh if you have them. they will get nice. drain the pasta and peas, keeping a cup of the cooking water.in a serving bowl put pasta and peas. while the pasta is still hot, mix in carbonara sauce, then stir in the pasta water... the result should be a smooth, creamy sauce (with no cream). if it ends up chunky, the pasta was too hot. try again. stir in crumbled bacon, and rip the mint leaves over the top.

lamb chops with basalmic reduction.

didn't know how to make lamb, and this was the first recipe found. haven't made it differently since. from food.tv, word for word.



Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• Kosher salt
• 6 (4-ounce) double lamb rib chops (2 ribs) with bones attached, ribs frenched
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 large or 2 small rosemary sprigs
• 2 tablespoons butter
  

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, parsley, rosemary, and garlic. Season with salt, to taste. Set aside.

Set a 12-inch oven-safe saute pan over medium-high heat. Season the lamb with 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the black pepper. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oil to the saute pan and place the lamb, fat side down, in the pan. Sear the lamb until the fat has rendered and the skin is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook the lamb, turning to cook evenly on each side, about 2 minutes each side. Baste them with the herb and oil mixture. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook until the lamb is rare, about 5 minutes.

Make the balsamic drizzle while the lamb is cooking: Set a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the shallots to the pan and sweat until translucent, about 1 minute. Add the garlic to the pan and sweat for 30 seconds. Pour the balsamic vinegar into the pan and bring to a boil. Add the rosemary and allow the balsamic to gently boil and reduce until only about 1/4 cup of balsamic remains, about 10 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Remove from the heat and swirl the butter into the pan. Remove the rosemary sprigs before using.

When the lamb is rare, remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. To serve, slice each double chop in half, and drizzle with the balsamic reduction.

tuna in a cup

go ahead and make this.

there are four parts to this amazing thing, so here's the recipe broken down in four parts, then combined at the end.

1. Wasabi mayo
mix wasabi and mayo in a bowl. if you want more spicy, add more wasabi. it you want more fat, add more mayo.

2. fried wonton crisp
this takes a little finesse. buy some wonton sheets from the store. get a fry pan hot. then add some vegetable oil. once the oil is hot, test one wonton sheet: drop it in the oil. it shouldn't burn outright (if it is turn down the heat), and also shouldn't be greasy upon removal (if it is turn up the heat). when you pull a good fried wonton out, it will be a little pliable at first then set to a nice golden crisp. so get a little bowl and use it as a form to make your wonton into a little cup to hold the tuna as you pull each fried wonton out. make sense? make about 4 per person and set aside on a towel to drain and cool.

3. tuna filling
in a bowl, mix chopped raw ahi tuna (1/3 lb per person), chopped chives, sesame seeds, two garlic cloves mashed to a paste, a squirt of rooster sauce (siracha or something?), a couple leaves of cilantro, a touch of sesame oil, a touch of soy sauce, and a squeeze of fresh lime right at the end (right at the end or else it will cook the fish and make it gray, not brilliant red).

4. avocado
chunked.

on a plate, put a dollop (a lame word, but the best i can think of) of wasabi mayo for each wonton. put the cup on top of each dollop (the dollop is like glue keeping the wonton from tipping). spoon in fresh chunked avocado, a couple chunks per cup. on top of that, the tuna mixture. see photo.

mac and cheese and bacon and chard and breadcrumbs

mac and cheese go together like bacon and swiss chard.

Serves 4.

Preheat oven to 350°F. cook pasta and leave a bit firm since it will cook more after you put mac and cheese in the oven. for toasted breadcrumb topping:
- stale bread, about the size of two fists
- a few springs of thyme, leaves picked
- a couple garlic cloves, peeled and smashed (leave whole)
- olive oil

in a food processor make the bread breadcrumbs. in a fry pay hot with a glug of olive oil, toast the breadcrumbs, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper until the bread is crunchy. remove and put aside.

for mac and cheese: - 1 lb pasta. it doesn't have to be macaroni but should be short and not noodly. - 1 cup milk - 2 slices whole wheat sandwich bread - 2 tablespoons butter, divided - 8 ounce cheese shredded/chunked--like brie or white cheddar? Experiment - 1/2 cup gruyere shredded for melting - olive oil - 2 garlic cloves, minced - 4 strips bacon - like 5 leaves of chard, very roughly chopped cook the pasta. drain and set aside. cook the bacon. drain and set aside and crumble. while it's cooking, in a large saucepan, heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.

whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute over medium heat. add milk, and whisk the mixture until the flour has dissolved and the liquid begins to thicken. remove from heat and mix in cheese, stirring until melted.

Add the cooked pasta to the cheese mixture and stir in the bacon and chard. put in a oven disk and top with breadcrumb mixture. place on a cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes.

lamb ragu

my favorite mag taught this one. taken word for word from esquire.com.

Lamb Ragu With Pistachios and Mint

When it comes to feeding men — or anyone who knows how to eat — you have to respect the meat-and-potatoes appetite, even when the meal isn't exactly meat. Or potatoes. I put this sauce together out of things I had on hand: part luck, part learning. It's a traditional Bolognese sauce right up to the moment you drop in the orange. Juice alone wouldn't have enough citrus power to cut through the richness of the lamb — it's the essential oils from the rind that create a sweet undercurrent in the sauce. When you have a sauce this rich and complex, you want a flat noodle that provides some surface cling. A round noodle won't grip the sauce, and the best part of the meal will slip away.

Sauce

• ½ lb pancetta, diced small
• 1 yellow onion, diced small
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced small
• 2 stalks celery, diced small
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• >2 lbs ground lamb
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 tbsp fennel seed
• 2 tbsp ground cardamom
• 1 orange, quartered
• coarse salt
• 1 cup roughly chopped mint leaves
• 1 ½ cups roughly chopped unsalted pistachios (about 3 cups in shell)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Pasta

• 2 lbs thin hand-cut fresh pasta, like tagliarini or tagliatelle

Black-Pepper Ricotta

• 1 ½ cups ricotta mixed with 1 tbsp ground black pepper

Instructions

In a large pot over moderate heat, render pancetta slightly with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. (Do not brown.) When pancetta is translucent, about 8 minutes, add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Lower heat and sweat until vegetables are translucent and soft, about 12 minutes. (Do not brown.)

Add lamb and cook, working it with a wooden spoon so all the meat touches the cooking surface, until it loses its pink color, about 12 minutes.

Add tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until it turns rust colored, 3 to 5 minutes. Add up to ½ cup water and stir to loosen tomato paste so it doesn't burn. Add wine and simmer 2 minutes, stirring and scraping the pot with the wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits of meat. Add milk, fennel seed, cardamom, orange, and 1 tbsp salt. Stir to combine.

Cover and barely simmer over extremely low heat until flavors are well blended, about 1 ½ hours. (Use the lowest possible heat source to avoid scorching and stir frequently to avoid sticking.) Skim off fat and discard, remove orange, and season with salt to taste.

Stir in mint and pistachios and add ½ cup to 1 cup water to thin ragu slightly. Cook pasta according to package directions, but when noodles are about 1 minute from being finished (still a little sticky to the touch), transfer pasta to sauce to finish cooking. Add butter and reduce until sauce clings to pasta. Use tongs to toss noodles in sauce until coated. Salt to taste.

Transfer to serving bowls and top with dollops of black-pepper ricotta.

Serves 6.

Emma Hearst is the chef of Sorella in New York City.

buffalo burgers... that's alliteration

have you seen food.inc? it's heavy. you never want to eat mass made meats ever again. that's why last night we tried buffalo. was told it's sustainable, grass fed, delicious, and it impresses friends.(atin like a Sioux injun!) I believed the first two, and learned the last two for myself. here's how i did it:

grilled buffalo burgers--heirloom tomatoes, Gorgonzola, arugula, grilled onion, pickles, red pepper aoili, on toasted chiabatta.

things you need:
- ground buffalo. 1/3 lbs. per person, shapped into patties with your hands, seasoned with salt and pepper heavily. available at good stores or online.
- tomatoes. sliced. we used heirlooms for this because that's what we grew.
- gorgonzola cheese. sliced.
- arugula. again, because that's what we grew. the peppery flavor is nice. use garden greens maybe.
- onion. sliced. drizzled with olive oil.
- pickles. sliced.
- chiabatta. or some other bread of your choosing. a baguette cut to burger size would be super.

for red pepper aioli:
- red bell peppers. halved, deseeded.
- 1 egg yoke
- 2 clove garlic, smashed
- salt and pepper
- olive oil... sort of a lot
- lemon

first, make your red pepper aioli. drizzle peppers with oil, salt and pepper, and roast (@400) or grill (on high) until they're soft and black and delicious. while those are cooking, beat the egg yoke in a bowl. SLOWLY start to drizzle in oil. slowly add more and more, making sure oil and egg yoke are coming together smoothly. it will look more and more solid and fluffy. when it look/tastes like mayo but better, season with garlic, salt and pepper, and squeeze in half a lemon. taste and adjust. mince up the cooked red pepper and stir in, or whirl it all together in a processor.

Conversely, open a jar of mayo and stir in your red pepper. not as good, but quick.

then grill. light your grill, get it hot, and get onions grilled and soft and nearly black. move to side of grill. grill your bison burgers. DO NOT OVERCOOK. it gets dry easily. so as soon as you flip, put the cheese on and melt it.

toast your chiabatta, make your burgers, top with all the ingredients.

we wont do that any more

after some recent bad reviews, we won't be cursing anymore on this log. it's vulgar. it's lowers you, we're told. though we still may use the occasional expletive, it will be reserved for worthy occasion. apologies to the offend parties--we're better than that. that, and posts resume... now.

chimichurri

the Argentine people put this on steak. but grilled some pizza last night, and we used chimichurri instead of red pizza sauce. pretty nice. ok, blend all this in a processor. or, if you're feeling up to it, make it all by hand by mincing it all, or even grinding it with a mortar. make extra and save the extra for spreads on sandwiches, etc.

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 medium shallots, peeled, quartered
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 3 cups (packed) stemmed fresh parsley
• 2 cups (packed) stemmed fresh cilantro
• 1 cup (packed) stemmed fresh mint

quick fry of artichoke hearts with buffalo Mozzarella

Marinated Artichokes in a jar... the marinated ones
Fresh Buffalla Mozzarella
2 Shallots, sliced and carmelized
4-5 Cloves of Garlic, chopped.
Olive Oil
Lemon
Chilli Flakes
Parsley
Salt and Pepper

Caramelize some sliced shallots. Pan fry the artichokes with oil, garlic, chilli flakes and parsley just to soften and infuse flavors. Squeeze over a lemon Arrange artichokes on platter and drop on the mozzarella. Spoon the garlic/oil/chilli liquid over the platter and then finish with carmelized shallots and freshly chopped parsley.

so beet

-wash beets
-shave beets as thin as you can. try a potato peeler.
-skatter about a plate
-sprinkle over some salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and a little white wine vinegar
-sprinkle over parsley and or gratted horseradish and or some dry feta cheese
-maybe splash some vodka on top
-serve with little toasts

egg salad. rather, a salad with egg

this one's like, so money! to the max! especially if you have day-old bread that's crusty. it's a good lunch/brunch/lite thing. like a breakfast salad. maybe after a surf. that would be all time.

first off, make yourself a salad. include lettuces, some tomatoes. keep it lite and simple. then, take your crusty bread and rip it up. little rough bite sized pieces. drizzle with olive oil and put in a hot oven for a few until they get a little golden and crispy. as you do that, poach two eggs. if you don't know how, learn how.

ok, that's it. toss your toasty bread chunks and salad and squeeze over some lemon and olive oil. add salt and pepper. maybe layer on some prosciutto. finally slide over the poached eggs and let them sit on top. served.

egss benedict, but not. with green hollandaise and fried green tomatoes

with green goddess and fried green tomatoes

hollandaise can be real gross. especially outside in the sun. so, replace it. we tried green goddess (see recipes below), and left out the anchovies. sort of an herby-creamy thing. and a good eggs Benedict needs tomatoes, so i subbed in fried green tomatoes, mainly because our tomatoes weren't ripe yet and fried stuff tastes good. Layer on a plate, in this order:

1. two crustini or toast
2. prosciutto
   
3. fried green tomatoes--sliced green tomatoes, breaded (egg wash, breaded with corn meal), fried in oil until golded
4. green hollandaise (see recipe, subtract anchovies)
5. poached eggs

Heck yeah!

pizza

this is how we get along. i like pizzas without tomato bases a lot.

• trader joes pizza dough, flatten out for pizza and drizzled with olive oil
  
• mozzarella, torn by hand, scattered about
  
• mushrooms, torn by hand, scattered about
• thyme, picked out and scattered about

Bake as high as you can for 15. enjoy. maybe with a cl, as photographed.

bloody good

the ideal saturday morning involves this:

• clamato
• vodka
• fresh grated horseradish (buy a branch)
• creamed horseradish
  
• tabasco
• olive juice
• lemon juice
• lime juice
• pepper
• Salt the rim
• garnish with celery, olives, and whatever else is pickled. maybe a pickle... id dunno.
• drink in the sun
• take a nap
  

hot dawgs

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/food-art/10-hot-dogs-you-can-hang-on-your-wall-112849

peppers, the red bell kind, and shrimp. And flowers.

This is a good app. For this, one needs:
- shrimp... or good big scallops. 2 per person.
- red bell pepper
- sweet onion, sliced, thick so they can be grilled and not fall apart
- a bbq
- garlic
- cayenne pepper
- cream
- arugula flowers--they are in season in spring, when arugula bolts. or, get a few leaves of arugula. or, another eatable flower.
- salt and pepper

rub the red bell pepper and onion slices with olive oil and salt and pepper. Char them on the bbq.

deseed the bell pepper and put in a blender with the garlic clove, pinch of cayenne. whirl that. then, drizzle in a touch of cream and season with salt and pepper. that's your sauce.

rub the shrimp or scallop with olive oil and salt and pepper. grill until opaque, taking care not to overcook or touch too much.

assemble. on a plate, make a pond of your sauce. over that, stack an onion, shrimp. then, sprinkle the flowers over the top and make it pretty. uh huh.

it's summer

we like the pretend it is, at least.

must have been st. patrick's day

indo fish

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup canola or peanut oil, plus extra for brushing on the grill
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup minced or finely chopped ginger root
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 6 (8-ounce, 1-inch thick) swordfish steaks
• Kosher salt
  

Directions
Combine the soy sauce, canola oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, ginger root, garlic, and mustard in a bowl. Pour half the sauce in a low flat dish that's just large enough to hold the swordfish in one layer. Place the swordfish on top of the sauce and spread the remaining sauce on top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
Thirty minutes before you're ready to serve, build a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill.
When the coals are medium-hot, brush the cooking grate with oil to prevent the fish from sticking. Remove the fish from the marinade, allowing some of the ginger to cling to the fish, and discard the marinade. Sprinkle the fish generously on both sides with salt and place it over the coals. Cook for 5 minutes on each side, just until it's no longer pink in the middle. Place on a platter, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

so meaty

Lamb Ragù
makes 8 servings

2 pounds stew lamb, cut in chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 onions
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons fresh sage
8 cloves garlic
1 big carrot, peeled
Olive oil
2 cups red wine
1 28-ounce can peeled whole plum tomatoes

Pat the lamb chunks dry with a paper towel. Liberally coat the lamb chunks with salt and pepper and set aside. Peel and coarsely chop the onions, and chop the garlic. Chop the carrot into thin rounds.

Place an oven-proof Dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium-high heat, and add olive oil to cover the bottom thinly. When oil is hot, add the lamb and brown deeply. Do this in batches if necessary. Don't worry about drying out the meat — you want it browned darkly for good flavor. (brown each batch for at least 10 minutes, taking care not to crowd the pan. You want the meat to brown, not steam-cook.)

When the meat is thoroughly browned, add the onions. Lower the heat, and cook slowly over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the onions are golden. Add the rosemary and sage, garlic, and the carrots. Reduce heat to medium-low and sauté until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add wine and continue to simmer until liquid has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Crush the tomatoes in the can with a fork or back of a spoon, then add them and their juices to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then cover and place in a 275-degree oven for 3 total. The longer it cooks the more tender it will be. When ready to serve, go through with two forks and shred any remaining chunks of meat. Taste and season if necessary with additional salt and pepper.

Serve over pasta (like egg noodle) with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

shrooms! of course it's good, there's butter

Orecchiete with Chanterelle, Sage, Walnuts, & Brown Butter


Ingredients
2 cups of orecchiete
1 tbsp. butter
1 shallot, finely minced
2 cups fresh chanterelle mushrooms, chopped in small dices
2 tbsp. chopped fresh sage
1 cup raw walnuts, shelled and halved
4 to 6 tbsp brown butter (look up how to make this)
Salt & pepper to taste
Optional: grated parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta according to directions, drain and set aside. In a large, deep skillet, melt the butter and cook the shallots until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned. Add the fresh sage, walnuts, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and add the brown butter, and mix well over medium heat until everything is blended. If it's too dry, add a some cooking water from the pasta.

IT'S THE REAL

Recipes are sometimes overwhelming. I love the simplicity of this one.

crab sans bibs & butter

hooray! crab! nice! by the end of this one, you'll have juice all over your hands and be the happiest little boy in the world.

This is like a Vietnamese crab thing. asia cooking rips as it's so easy, quick, and simple. just put it all together for a few minutes and it's done.

get some asian noodles as well, since they're good to soak up the juices.

1 Dungeness crab, parcooked and cleaned, claws removed, body cut in pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into slivers
1 shallot, minced
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3 tbsp. rice cooking wine (shao hsing) or dry sherry
2 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
A good handful of fresh cilantro leaves

Preparation:

Clean the crab. If you don't know how, look online. It's easy. Messy, but no messier than cleaning a fish.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the garlic, ginger and shallot and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the salt, sugar, soy sauce, black pepper, and crab and stir-fry until the crab is evenly coated and the meat is opaque. Add the wine and scallions and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer the crab to a bowl, garnish with the cilantro and serve with hot cooked Asian flour-based noodles.

ravioli of eggplant and goat cheese, with a tomato cream sauce

This recipe is stolen, but they pretty much all are. Does anyone care? Probably not.

If you're not feeling dedicated enough to make the ravioli from scratch, just make the sauce and put it on regular store bought pasta. It's rich and creamy and fulfilling and really fuckin' good.

For the filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/3-inch dice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
8 ounces mild soft Napa Valley goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigianno-Reggiano, plus more for serving, optional
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 pound fresh thinly rolled out pasta sheets, or 1 package wonton wrappers, defrosted

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup finely chopped yellow onions
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 cups peeled, chopped, and seeded tomatoes
1 sprig thyme
Kosher Salt
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Sprigs of fresh basil, for garnishing
Lightly toasted pine nuts, for garnishing, optional
For the filling:

Directions

In a large skillet or saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the eggplant and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the eggplant is tender and lightly golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until the shallots are soft, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer the eggplant mixture to a mixing bowl and set aside to cool before proceeding.

When the eggplant has cooled, add the goat cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano, chopped basil, minced chives, and toss gently but thoroughly to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Cut the pasta sheets into 4-inch squares. Place mounds of the eggplant mixture, about 2 tablespoons each, in the center of each square, then brush the edges with water. Top each square with another square of pasta, easing the sides over the mound of filling and trying to seal the filling with as little air as possible. Using a sharp knife or a rolling fluted pasta cutter, trim the ravioli so that the edges are even and, using a fork, press the edges to adhere firmly. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets and repeat with the remaining pasta and filling. (You should be able to make 18 to 20 ravioli using 2 tablespoons filling for each. If you opt to use wonton wrappers, your yield may vary.) Set aside, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated, while you make the sauce. (Alternately, the ravioli may be made in advance and frozen for about 2 months until ready to use. Defrost before proceeding.)

For the sauce:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and thyme. Season with salt and crushed red pepper, and cook until the tomatoes give up their liquid, about 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the chicken broth and tomato paste, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by 1/3 in volume. Add the cream and cook until reduced by 1/3 in volume, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Add the butter and basil and stir to combine. Remove the thyme sprigs. With an immersion blender, puree the sauce. (Alternatively, the sauce may be pureed, in batches, in a blender - be careful if the sauce is hot as it may splatter.) Taste and adjust the seasoning and consistency if necessary. Return to the saucepan and keep warm while you cook the ravioli.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the ravioli, in batches, until they float, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon and transfer to shallow serving bowls. Serve the sauce ladled over the cooked ravioli and garnish with fresh basil sprigs, pine nuts, and more Parmigiano-Reggiano if desired..

chili con carne (y cerveza)

Everyone likes their own flavor (of chili), so twist and stray from this as much as you'd like. Just do it... it's so easy and so good.

1. In your biggest pot, put some oil over a medium heat. Then add a chopped onion and a chopped bell pepper. Cook until the vegi's are soft but not brown.

2. Add like a half pound of ground meat, like turkey or beef. Start to brown that.

3. While that's going, add salt, pepper, like 2 tbs of cumin, like 2 tbs of chili powder, some herbs like oregano or thyme, and whatever else. Think mexican flavors. Stir well and break up all the meat.

4. When that meat is brown, dump in a full bottle of beer. 1st choice: something dark. 2nd: something mexican. 3rd: Coors. Reduce that until all the liquid is pretty much gone.

5. Add a can of drained chopped tomatoes. Or, a can of drained whole tomatoes, crushing the tomatoes with your bare hands as you go. The texture is way better that way. Also add like 3 cups of chicken broth. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and let it go for 20 minutes while you drink a beer.

6. Then, add a few cans of beans. Dig on 2 cans of black beans, but sub in kidney, white, navy. Let that go for at least 30 minutes, or more. Just let it simmer while you relax.

7. Serve with grated cheese, sliced radishes, and/or sour cream mixed with ground cumin.