in

CARROT-AND-MUSTARD RILLETTES

/ 03:46

Makes 4 servings

Rillettes is a total misnomer for this terrific blend, since the name classically
refers to meat, traditionally pork, immersed in fat and cooked almost
forever, while these chunky rillettes are made of quickly steamed carrots,
cubes of cheese, lots of mustard and just a spoonful of olive oil. Still, this is
what they were called at The Bar Room at The Modern, the restaurant at
New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, and they were my inspiration for
this recipe. At The Modern, the rillettes were piled onto a plate-sized piece
of lightly toasted rye bread spread with crème fraîche and then cut into
slices to be enjoyed with white wine or beer. Comté, a nutty cow’s-milk
cheese from the eastern part of France, is the cheese that’s mixed into the
carrots at The Modern, and it’s the one that I use most often.
Because I occasionally have crème fraîche on hand but usually don’t, I
make a blend of yogurt and mayo flavored with mustard and sometimes
speckled with toasted mustard seeds.
You can play with the cheese and bread and with what you spread on the
bread, but there’s got to be one constant: the mustard. Use strong, fresh
mustard, and use both smooth and grainy. Try to get French Dijon mustard
— its flavor is best in this dish.

For the rillettes

1 pound (454 grams) carrots, peeled and trimmed
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon caraway seeds, chopped or crushed
2 ounces (57 grams) Comté or other nutty firm cheese (see Playing Around), cut into
small cubes
2½ tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard (preferably French)
2½ teaspoons smooth Dijon mustard (preferably French)
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

For the spread

½ teaspoon mustard seeds (optional)
¼ cup (60 ml) mayonnaise
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons smooth Dijon mustard (preferably French)
1 teaspoon grainy Dijon mustard (preferably French)
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For serving

Bread (see Playing Around)
Fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
Extra-virgin olive oil (optional)

WOR K I NG A H E A D

Both the rillettes and the spread can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept covered in
the refrigerator.

TO M A K E T H E R I L L E T T E S : Cut the carrots in half the long way, then cut each
half in half (so that you have 4 long pieces per carrot) and slice each piece
crosswise about ½ inch thick. (If your carrots are slender, you can just cut
them lengthwise in half and slice them.) Season the carrots with a little salt
and pepper and put them in a steamer basket over (or in) a saucepan of
simmering water. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the carrots are
crisp-tender — they should retain some of their crunch and be only a bit
firmer than the cheese. Spoon the carrots into a bowl and season with ½
teaspoon sea salt, a few turns of the pepper mill, the cumin and the caraway
seeds. Let stand for 30 minutes.
Mix the cheese, both mustards and the olive oil into the carrots. Let the
rillettes “ripen” at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 hours,
before tasting for seasoning and serving. (If you want to keep the rillettes for
up to 2 days, cover and refrigerate.)

TO M A K E T H E S P R E A D : If you’re using the mustard seeds, toss them into a
small dry skillet and heat until they’re toasted, about 2 minutes. Turn the
seeds out into a bowl, add the mayonnaise, yogurt and both mustards and
stir to blend. Taste and season with salt and pepper if you think the spread
needs it. (You can use the spread now or cover and refrigerate it for up to 2
days.)

TO A S S E M B L E : Lightly toast whatever bread you’ve chosen and cover the
slices with the spread. Top with the rillettes and, if you’d like, scatter over
some cilantro. Drizzle over a little olive oil — or don’t — and, if the slices of
bread are large, cut into slices. Serve immediately.

C H O I C E S : The rillettes can be an hors d’oeuvre or, if served with a salad
(preferably micro- or baby greens) alongside or on top, a starter. If you’d like
to make the dish part of a buffet or nibbles bar, double (or triple or
quadruple) the recipe and serve the rillettes and spread in separate bowls,
with the toast in a basket and the instructions that it’s DIY.

Playing Around

I’ve made this with Swiss cheese, Gruyère, Emmenthaler and even Havarti, and
it’s always been great. I like serving the rillettes on rye, but they’re also delicious
on slices of baguette, country bread or a multigrain loaf. You can choose almost
any bread as long as it’s got some substance and chew — it’s got to stand up to
the carrots and cheese.

Makes 4 servings

Rillettes is a total misnomer for this terrific blend, since the name classically
refers to meat, traditionally pork, immersed in fat and cooked almost
forever, while these chunky rillettes are made of quickly steamed carrots,
cubes of cheese, lots of mustard and just a spoonful of olive oil. Still, this is
what they were called at The Bar Room at The Modern, the restaurant at
New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, and they were my inspiration for
this recipe. At The Modern, the rillettes were piled onto a plate-sized piece
of lightly toasted rye bread spread with crème fraîche and then cut into
slices to be enjoyed with white wine or beer. Comté, a nutty cow’s-milk
cheese from the eastern part of France, is the cheese that’s mixed into the
carrots at The Modern, and it’s the one that I use most often.
Because I occasionally have crème fraîche on hand but usually don’t, I
make a blend of yogurt and mayo flavored with mustard and sometimes
speckled with toasted mustard seeds.
You can play with the cheese and bread and with what you spread on the
bread, but there’s got to be one constant: the mustard. Use strong, fresh
mustard, and use both smooth and grainy. Try to get French Dijon mustard
— its flavor is best in this dish.

For the rillettes

1 pound (454 grams) carrots, peeled and trimmed
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon caraway seeds, chopped or crushed
2 ounces (57 grams) Comté or other nutty firm cheese (see Playing Around), cut into
small cubes
2½ tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard (preferably French)
2½ teaspoons smooth Dijon mustard (preferably French)
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

For the spread

½ teaspoon mustard seeds (optional)
¼ cup (60 ml) mayonnaise
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons smooth Dijon mustard (preferably French)
1 teaspoon grainy Dijon mustard (preferably French)
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For serving

Bread (see Playing Around)
Fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
Extra-virgin olive oil (optional)

WOR K I NG A H E A D

Both the rillettes and the spread can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept covered in
the refrigerator.

TO M A K E T H E R I L L E T T E S : Cut the carrots in half the long way, then cut each
half in half (so that you have 4 long pieces per carrot) and slice each piece
crosswise about ½ inch thick. (If your carrots are slender, you can just cut
them lengthwise in half and slice them.) Season the carrots with a little salt
and pepper and put them in a steamer basket over (or in) a saucepan of
simmering water. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the carrots are
crisp-tender — they should retain some of their crunch and be only a bit
firmer than the cheese. Spoon the carrots into a bowl and season with ½
teaspoon sea salt, a few turns of the pepper mill, the cumin and the caraway
seeds. Let stand for 30 minutes.
Mix the cheese, both mustards and the olive oil into the carrots. Let the
rillettes “ripen” at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 hours,
before tasting for seasoning and serving. (If you want to keep the rillettes for
up to 2 days, cover and refrigerate.)

TO M A K E T H E S P R E A D : If you’re using the mustard seeds, toss them into a
small dry skillet and heat until they’re toasted, about 2 minutes. Turn the
seeds out into a bowl, add the mayonnaise, yogurt and both mustards and
stir to blend. Taste and season with salt and pepper if you think the spread
needs it. (You can use the spread now or cover and refrigerate it for up to 2
days.)

TO A S S E M B L E : Lightly toast whatever bread you’ve chosen and cover the
slices with the spread. Top with the rillettes and, if you’d like, scatter over
some cilantro. Drizzle over a little olive oil — or don’t — and, if the slices of
bread are large, cut into slices. Serve immediately.

C H O I C E S : The rillettes can be an hors d’oeuvre or, if served with a salad
(preferably micro- or baby greens) alongside or on top, a starter. If you’d like
to make the dish part of a buffet or nibbles bar, double (or triple or
quadruple) the recipe and serve the rillettes and spread in separate bowls,
with the toast in a basket and the instructions that it’s DIY.

Playing Around

I’ve made this with Swiss cheese, Gruyère, Emmenthaler and even Havarti, and
it’s always been great. I like serving the rillettes on rye, but they’re also delicious
on slices of baguette, country bread or a multigrain loaf. You can choose almost
any bread as long as it’s got some substance and chew — it’s got to stand up to
the carrots and cheese.
Continue Reading
By at No comments:
Labels:

Makes 4 tartines

Like many cooks, I often make mid-dish changes either because I discover I
don’t have an ingredient I’d planned to use or because I get a spur-of-themoment
hunch that something just might work. Because I’ve been cooking
for so long, the tweaks usually work out just fine. But every once in a while,
something really works out, which is what happened when I added fresh
ginger to this baba ganoush–like dish. While I’d always loved eggplant for its
deep, somewhat musky and mysterious flavor, with the addition of ginger,
citrusy sumac and pomegranate molasses, I now love it for its lightness and
brightness.
The mixture, more airy than dense, can be scooped up with torn pieces of
warm pita, crackers or crudités, or it can be spread, thick and luscious, on
slabs of bread to make an open-faced sandwich, or what the French call a
tartine. I think it shows off its best qualities as a tartine. In addition, serving
it as a sandwich allows you to have a little more fun — you can add radishes
and pears for cool crunch, pomegranate seeds for acidity and surprise and
something green for color and a touch of bitterness.

a word on the slicing and chopping

When it comes to the ginger, don’t be dainty — it’s nice to coarsely chop the
ginger, to have it be more chunky than fine. If you have a slicer such as a
Benriner, use it for the pears and radishes.

For the eggplant spread

2 eggplants (total weight about 3½ pounds; 1½ kg)
¼ cup (60 ml) tahini (stirred well before measuring)
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
4 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro and/or mint
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger (to taste; see headnote)
½ teaspoon ground sumac (optional)
1 lemon
Pinch or two Aleppo pepper, cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes
Hot sauce
Fine sea salt

For the tartines

4 large slices country bread (toasted if you’d like)
Olive oil
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ripe pear, very thinly sliced
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 scallions, white and light green parts only, very thinly sliced
8 radishes, trimmed and very thinly sliced
A small handful of soft lettuce leaves or arugula
Pomegranate seeds (optional)

WOR K I NG A H E A D

You can make the spread up to 3 days in advance and keep it covered in the
refrigerator. You can cut the pear and sprinkle the slices with lemon juice a couple of
hours ahead, and you can slice the radishes and keep them in cold water (drain and pat
dry before using); store both the pear and the radishes in the fridge.

TO M A K E T H E S P R E A D : Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 400
degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
Rinse the eggplants and, using the tip of a small knife, prick them all over.
Put them on the baking sheet and roast until they soften and collapse on
themselves, 40 to 60 minutes, depending on their size. Leave them on the
sheet until they’re just warm or have reached room temperature.
Cut the eggplants in half the long way; if the seeds are large, you can
remove them. Scrape the flesh into a bowl and mash it with a fork or snip it
with scissors — you’ll have about 2 cups of pulp. (If it looks watery, you
might want to spoon it into a strainer and let the excess liquid drain off.)
Blend in the tahini and pomegranate molasses, followed by the scallions,
cilantro and/or mint, ginger and sumac, if you’re using it. Grate the zest of
the lemon into the bowl and then squeeze in the juice from about half of it.
Add the pepper, a couple of shakes of hot sauce and some salt. Stir
everything around and then taste — my guess is that you’ll want more lemon
juice, but you might want more of other things as well, so tinker. (You can
use the spread now or refrigerate it for up to 3 days.)
TO M A K E T H E TA R T I N E S : Lay out the slices of bread. Brush the top of each
one lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pave the slices of
bread with overlapping slices of pear, then sprinkle with lemon juice to keep
the fruit from darkening. Spread a thick layer of eggplant over the pears and
finish by scattering over the scallions, radishes, greens and pomegranate
seeds, if you’re using them. Sprinkle with salt.
To serve, cut the tartines into finger-food-sized strips or, if they’re meant
for sit-down eating, serve with forks and sharp knives.

EGGPLANT AND GINGER TARTINES

by on 16:48
Makes 4 tartines Like many cooks, I often make mid-dish changes either because I discover I don’t have an ingredient I’d planned to use or b...
By at No comments:
Labels:

Makes 6 servings

A cobbler is the dessert of choice when the season brings soft fruits with lots
of juice. The sweet-biscuit topping for this one is light and cakey and just
about begs to be soaked with the flavorful syrup that comes with cooked
fruits. To make the topping, you stir the ingredients together with a fork and
drop the batter over the fruit — it’s a biscuit recipe for a beginner, no cutting
in butter, no fretting over working the dough too much or too little. As with
so many of the best homemade classics, this is less a formula than a
construct — one 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and this recipe, and you’re on
your way to a lifetime of cobblers.

a word on serving
I like to spoon the cobbler out of the dish and serve it in bowls, with some of
the fruit juices around it, but some people like the cobbler upside down,
biscuit on the bottom, the fruit on top and the juice soaking into the biscuit.
Ice cream or whipped cream is a good move no matter how you serve it.

For the fruit
3 pounds (about 1½ kg) peaches
¼ cup (50 grams) sugar, or to taste
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)
1 cup (150 grams) blueberries (optional)
2 teaspoons cornstarch (optional)

For the biscuit topping
1½ cups (204 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (240 ml) cold heavy cream
½ cup (120 ml) cold buttermilk (well shaken before measuring)
Ice cream or whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Line a baking
sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Butter a 9-inch deepdish
pie plate and put it on the baking sheet.

TO M A K E T H E F R U I T: I know this may sound sacrilegious, but I no longer peel
peaches for cobblers, crisps or pies — I actually like the extra bit of chew that
you get with the skins and it speeds up the prep. But if you want to peel
them, cut a shallow X in the base of each peach. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Drop in the peaches a few at a time, leave for about 15 seconds, lift out and
transfer to a bowl filled with very cold water and ice cubes. Leave for a
couple of minutes, then drain and peel.
Cut the peaches into bite-sized chunks or slices and toss them into the pie
plate. Taste and decide how much sugar you want and then, if you’d like, add
some lemon juice. Add the blueberries, if you’re using them, and then make
a decision about the cornstarch: It’s only a tiny bit, but it will thicken the
juices a little. If your peaches are very ripe, I’d add it. Give everything a good
stir and set aside.

TO M A K E T H E B I S C U I T TO P P I N G : Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking
powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a measuring cup or
another bowl, whisk together the cream and buttermilk. Pour the liquid
ingredients over the dry and, using a table fork, stir until the flour is evenly
dampened and you’ve got a moist batter.
Using a medium (1½-tablespoon capacity) scoop or a tablespoon, dollop
the topping over the fruit — leave a little space between each pouf of batter.
Bake the cobbler for 45 to 55 minutes, until the topping is golden brown
and, most important, the fruit juices are boiling under, and maybe up,
through and over, the biscuits. Transfer to a rack and let cool for at least 20
minutes, or until the cobbler reaches room temperature, before serving,
with or without ice cream or whipped cream.

S TO R I N G : The cobbler is best the day it is made. You can keep it covered
overnight at room temperature or in the refrigerator, but the biscuit topping
will never make you as happy as it does soon after it comes out of the oven.

BISCUIT SHORTCAKES

The same batter that makes the topping for the cobbler makes lovely
shortcakes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet. Use a
large (3-tablespoon capacity) scoop or a tablespoon to portion out the
batter, dropping the biscuits on the baking sheet 3 inches apart. Bake for 17
to 19 minutes, until the biscuits are golden and set. You’ll get 10 biscuits for
sure, and maybe another one or two. Let them rest until they’re just warm or
at room temperature before serving. These won’t be very high, but they will
be very tender, so either cut them in half or just smush them and put juicy
fruit on top. Choose whatever soft fruit and/or berries you’d like, cut the
fruit into bite-sized pieces, if necessary, and toss them with some sugar, so
that they create a syrup. Serve the shortcakes with whipped cream.

Playing Around
You can vary the cobbler according to what fruits are in season and within
reach: Just know that you need a scant 6 cups cut-up fruit, sugar to taste and, if
you’d like, lemon juice. I love an all-berry cobbler — mix whatever berries you
can get and, if you want, cut in some ripe mango; add 1 to 2 tablespoons
cornstarch to the berries — they’re very juicy. Plums make a pretty cobbler and
are nice in combination with peaches or nectarines. I adore apricots, though it
can be hard to find good ones — but when you bake them in a cobbler, even so-so
apricots can shine. In spring, go with rhubarb and strawberries (and some
cornstarch).

DROP-BISCUIT PEACH COBBLER

by on 10:46
Makes 6 servings A cobbler is the dessert of choice when the season brings soft fruits with lots of juice. The sweet-biscuit topping for thi...
By at No comments:
Labels:

Makes 8 to 10 servings

There’s no reason not to have this cake year-round, but there are many
reasons to have it all through the fall, the holiday months and into late
winter, when soft spice cakes seem as cozy as fuzzy slippers. The cake
reminds me of gingerbread, but its texture is lighter and its flavor more
complex. The spices, a mix of ginger and cinnamon along with Chinese fivespice
powder, a blend that brings depth to the cake as well as a spot of
mystery: They’re not easy to place. But it’s the coffee that will surprise you.
You add it when it’s hot, so it thins and smooths the batter, and you think
that it might be the cake’s strongest flavor, but it plays hard to catch. In the
end, it’s the ease with which the ingredients coalesce that makes the cake so
good. You don’t have to glaze it — it’s fine plain and so good plain with a
scoop of vanilla, chocolate or coffee ice cream — but the glaze, a mixture of
white chocolate, cream and coffee, is a beautiful finish. Glaze it, put it on a
pretty plate and you’ve got a party cake. That the cake, baked and prettily
glazed, can be kept in the freezer for a couple of months, waiting for a
birthday or Thanksgiving, puts it at the top of my bake-often list.

a word on the glaze
The recipe for the glaze makes about 1 cup, which is more than you’ll need
for the cake. However, making less is fussy and not always successful. You
can store the excess glaze in the refrigerator and warm it very gently in a
microwave when you want to use it again — it makes a good dip for cookies,
it’s fun over ice cream and it’s nice to pass at the table with the cake.

For the cake
1½ cups (204 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 stick (8 tablespoons; 4 ounces; 113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
⅔ cup (132 grams) packed brown sugar
⅓ cup (80 ml) unsulfured molasses
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅓ cup (80 ml) hot coffee or espresso (can be made with instant coffee or espresso
powder)

For the coffee glaze (optional)
1½ teaspoons instant espresso powder, plus (optional) more for decoration
1 tablespoon boiling water
5 ounces (142 grams) best-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy cream
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces, at room temperature
Whipped cream, for topping

WOR K I NG A H E A D
This cake is even better on the second day — the spices have more time to ripen.

TO M A K E T H E C A K E : Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees
F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan that’s at least 2 inches high (use a
springform if you don’t have a regular cake pan that’s tall enough), fit a
round of parchment paper into the bottom of the pan, butter the paper and
dust the interior with flour; tap out the excess.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, ginger, five-spice
powder, cinnamon and pepper.
Working in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large
bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together on
medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add the molasses and beat for 2 minutes
more, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the egg and beat for 2 minutes, then
beat in the vanilla. Turn the mixer off, add the flour mixture and pulse to
begin incorporating it. Then beat on low speed only until the dry ingredients
disappear into the batter. With the mixer on low, add the hot coffee, again
mixing only until it is incorporated. Scrape the batter into the pan and
swivel the pan to even it.
Bake for 28 to 33 minutes, until the cake is beautifully browned and has
risen uniformly. It will pull away from the sides of the pan if gently tugged
and a tester inserted into the center of the cake will come out clean.
Transfer the pan to a rack and let the cake rest for 5 minutes, then run a
blunt knife around the sides of the cake. Turn the cake out onto the rack,
gently peel off the parchment, invert onto another rack and cool to room
temperature; or, if you used a springform, simply remove the ring. The cake
may develop a little dip in the center — that’s its personality.

TO M A K E T H E O P T I O N A L G L A Z E : Dissolve the instant espresso in the boiling
water. Put the chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl.
Bring the cream to a boil (you can do this in a microwave oven), stir in the
espresso extract that you made and pour the cream over the chocolate. Let
sit for 30 seconds and then, using a whisk or small heatproof spatula, stir
until the mixture is smooth. Add the butter one piece at a time, stirring until
it is melted and incorporated.
Set the cake, on the rack, on a piece of foil to catch drips. Pour as much of
the glaze as you want over the cake and use a long spatula or a table knife to
spread it. I like it when the glaze drips down the sides of the cake unevenly;
if you want to smooth it, you can, of course. Sprinkle with a little instant
espresso powder to decorate, if you’d like.
Put the cake in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to set the glaze, then
return it to room temperature for serving. Pass any remaining glaze at the
table.

S TO R I N G : Wrapped well, the cake can keep at room temperature for up to 3
days. Wrapped airtight, it can be frozen for up to 2 months, glaze and all.

MOLASSES COFFEE CAKE

by on 05:14
Makes 8 to 10 servings There’s no reason not to have this cake year-round, but there are many reasons to have it all through the fall, the h...
By at 1 comment:
Labels:

Makes 4 to 6 servings

It was only after I’d committed to enough seafood to feed ten that I thought
to ask the fishmonger’s wife what to do with it. I’d gone to my usual fish
stand in my Paris neighborhood and said that I had pasta for a crowd in
mind. I was thinking about something based on butter, white wine and
herbs, but Madame suggested I start with slow-cooked squid in tomato
sauce and that I shouldn’t forget a little hot pepper at the end. “It’s what we
do in Portugal,” she said. And it’s what I did and continue to do, although the
fish changes according to what I can get. These days I’m likely to cook squid
rings (most often bought frozen and sliced when they’re still a little icy) and
then add chunks of a firm fish, like monkfish, swordfish or tuna, and shrimp.
It’ll take an hour or so to simmer the sauce — you’ll want to go slow for the
sake of the squid — but it bubbles away merrily without your having to do
much. You can also do this part ahead, making it a dish that’s good for
parties, which is how it all started.
For the clam juice, look for a brand that includes only clam juice and salt.
Finally, choose your crushed tomatoes carefully — I like San Marzano
tomatoes here.
I like long pasta for this dish. I usually use spaghetti, linguine or fettucine,
but I’m always happy when I can get something fanciful, like mafaldine —
it’s the pasta that’s in the photo.
You can multiply this recipe as much as you’d like — I’ve more than
halved it from my original. And feel free to stray as far as you’d like from my
suggestions for the seafood and fish, but try to get squid. It’s a big-bang
choice: You get a lot of flavor and texture for not much money and very little
effort.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped, rinsed and patted dry
2 garlic cloves, germ removed (see sidebar) and finely chopped
Fine sea salt
¼ cup (60 ml) white wine or dry vermouth
1 pound (454 grams) cleaned squid, cut into ¼- to ½-inch-thick rings and patted dry
One 14½-ounce (411-gram) can crushed tomatoes (see headnote)
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 cup (240 ml) clam juice (see headnote)
¾ pound (340 grams) long pasta (see headnote)
¾ pound (340 grams) firm fish fillets (see headnote), cut into bite-sized pieces
12 to 16 large shrimp (more if they’re small), peeled and deveined
Crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 to 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (optional)
Chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, chives and/or tarragon, for serving (optional)

WOR K I NG A H E A D
You can get the squid and sauce done a couple of hours or up to a day ahead;
refrigerate it if you’re keeping for more than 2 hours.

Warm the oil in a large skillet or deep sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add
the onion and garlic, season lightly with salt and cook, stirring, until the
onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat up a little and pour in the wine.
Cook, stirring, until it almost evaporates and then stir in the squid. Reduce
the heat to low, season the squid lightly with salt and cook, stirring often, for
5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, herb sprigs and clam juice and increase the
heat just enough to bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover the skillet (use a
baking sheet if you don’t have a lid), turn the heat down low and let the squid
cook, stirring only occasionally, for 30 minutes, until it is tender.
Remove the lid and simmer for another 20 minutes or so, again stirring
now and then, until the sauce has reduced by about one third. Remove the
herb sprigs. (You can cover the pan and set the sauce aside for up to 2 hours, or
refrigerate it overnight; bring to a simmer before continuing.)
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
At this point, everything comes together quickly, so be prepared to have the dish
on the table in less than 15 minutes. Make sure the sauce is at a simmer and, if
you chilled it, that the squid is hot.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and set the timer for al dente.
Drop the fish pieces into the sauce. Then, 4 minutes before the timer is set
to ring, add the shrimp and some pepper flakes — go easy, you can add more
at the table. Scoop out 1 tablespoon of the pasta water, mix it together with
the tomato paste and blend it into the sauce.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it, shaking off as much water as you can.
Turn the pasta out into the skillet (if your skillet isn’t large enough, turn the
pasta out into a large bowl and stir the sauce into it) and stir to coat all the
strands. Taste for salt and pepper flakes and add the butter and the lemon
zest and juice, if you want some tang. Scatter over the chopped herbs, if
using, and serve immediately.

S TO R I N G : This is a dish to be enjoyed as soon as it’s made, but if you’re the
kind that likes to nibble on cold leftover spaghetti, I won’t stop you.

Ayoub AagourSEAFOOD PASTA

by on 12:10
Makes 4 to 6 servings It was only after I’d committed to enough seafood to feed ten that I thought to ask the fishmonger’s wife what to do w...
By at No comments:
Labels: ,


Makes 4 servings

Like so many “everyday” dishes, I first made this as a quick toss-together,
and then, because it was so good and easy — it’s dinner in under 30 minutes
— I shopped for the ingredients so I could make it again and again. The pasta
is simple, clean and flavorful. The secret is the lemons — you use every bit of
them: The juice flavors the sauce (I use the word “sauce” loosely); the
squeezed halves add zip to the pasta cooking water; and the zest goes in at
the end for freshness. And the herbs: Dill and chives are my choice for this,
but you can mix it up with mint, oregano, basil and/or cilantro. Finally, I like
to use large shrimp and small pasta, like fusilli, penne or mini-rigatoni, so
the pasta and the shrimp are similar in size.


INGREDIENTS

3 large lemons
1 pound (454 grams) green and/or yellow zucchini, scrubbed and trimmed
1 pound (454 grams) small pasta (see headnote)
½ cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound (454 grams) large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tomatoes, cored and cut into ½-inch pieces (save the juice if possible)
½ cup (20 grams) chopped fresh dill
½ cup (20 grams) snipped fresh chives


RECIPE PREPARATION

Finely grate the zest of the lemons and toss it into a large serving bowl.
Squeeze the juice into a cup (you want a scant ½ cup) and hold on to the
lemon halves. Cut the squash into quarters the long way, then cut each piece
crosswise into ¼-inch slices (they’ll be wedge-shaped).
Fill a large pot with generously salted water, toss in the lemon halves and bring
to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until al
dente.
As the pasta bubbles away, pour ¼ cup of the oil into a large skillet set
over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp (do this in batches if you think the
pan will be crowded), season with salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne and
cook for about 3 minutes, turning once, until the shrimp are pink; you want
them to stay tender, so taste them as soon as they turn color. Using a slotted
spoon, transfer the shrimp to a bowl.
Add another 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and, when it’s hot, toss in the
squash (again, working in batches if necessary). Season with salt and pepper
and cook over high heat, turning as needed, until the squash is lightly
golden, 3 to 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to the bowl with the
shrimp.
When the pasta is cooked, scoop out ½ cup of the cooking liquid and set
itaside, then drain the pasta.
Return the skillet to medium-high heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons
oil and the pasta and toss the pasta around in the oil until it’s coated. Add
the shrimp and squash, the reserved pasta water, the lemon juice and butter,
stir to blend, taste for salt, pepper and cayenne and cook for just a minute or
two — the sauce will thicken slightly and the pasta will have a nice shine.
Stir in the tomatoes and whatever juices there are. Turn everything out
into the serving bowl with the zest, top with the herbs and stir to mix. Serve
immediately.

S TO R I N G : While this dish is primo as soon as it’s made, it can be satisfying as
a salad the next day; store, covered, overnight in the refrigerator. If you’re
having the leftover pasta cold, taste for salt and pepper — it will probably
need more. It might need a splash more oil too.

Playing Around
When zucchini and tomatoes are not in season, think about spinach, kale or
eggplant and sun-dried tomatoes.
By at No comments:
Labels: ,


Makes 6 servings

This substantial fish soup turns toward Asia for its inspiration, fragrance
and flavor. The broth gets its vivacity from a usual aromatic trio of scallions,
shallot and garlic, and a less usual one of lemongrass, ginger and yuzu kosho.
It gets its depth from the mix of fish that’s poached in it. I like to use mussels
— nothing gives you a more flavorful base for fish; cod (or another firmfleshed
white fish, such as halibut or monkfish); and shrimp. The soup
becomes even more beautiful once you add mushrooms, scallions, sweet
potatoes and a scattering of cilantro leaves or seaweed flakes.
The dish takes its name from the fact that I often make it for our lots-ofpeople-
around-the-table holiday dinners in Paris. It’s perfect for a
celebration — it’s elegant, good-looking, delicious and very easy to make,
even for a crowd (the recipe multiplies easily). Make the broth in advance
and have the fish and vegetables ready to go, and when it’s time, you’ll have
just a few minutes of kitchen work ahead of you.


INGREDIENTS


For the broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 scallions, white and light green parts only, sliced paper-thin
3 garlic cloves, germ removed (see sidebar)
1 large shallot, thinly sliced, rinsed and patted dry
1 stalk lemongrass, tender inner bulb only, very thinly sliced
One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 sliver of chile pepper
A thin strip of lime zest
Fine sea salt
1 teaspoon red yuzu kosho
¼ cup (60 ml) white wine or dry vermouth
5 cups (1¼ liters) chicken, fish or vegetable broth
Pinch of sugar

For the fish and vegetables
24 mussels, scrubbed and debearded if necessary
1½ pounds (680 grams) skinless cod fillet or other firm-fleshed white fish fillet (see
headnote), cut into 6 portions
24 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 large head-on shrimp, unpeeled (optional)
6 scallions, white and light green parts only, cut into 3 pieces each
2 large white or brown mushrooms, such as cremini, wiped clean, trimmed and thinly
sliced (preferably with a mandoline)
1 shallot, very thinly sliced, rinsed and patted dry
½ sweet potato (cut crosswise), peeled, cut lengthwise in half and thinly sliced
(preferably with a mandoline)
A handful of baby spinach
Fine sea salt, to taste

For serving
1 lime, halved
Chopped fresh cilantro and/or dried seaweed flakes or furikake

WOR K I NG A H E A D
You can make the broth ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days
or freeze it for up to 1 month.


RECIPE PREPARATION


TO M A K E T H E B R OT H : Warm the oil in a Dutch oven or heavy soup pot over
medium-low heat. Add the scallions, garlic, shallot, lemongrass, ginger, chile
and lime zest, stirring to coat the ingredients with oil. Season with a pinch of
salt and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is softened and
fragrant. Add the yuzu kosho and cook, stirring and mashing, until the paste
is evenly mixed into the aromatics. Pour in the wine, raise the heat and cook,
stirring, until it just about evaporates, a minute or two. Add the broth and
bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for
20 minutes.
Taste the broth for salt and add the sugar. Strain into a bowl or pitcher
and discard the solids; return the broth to the pot. (You can make the broth
up to 3 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator or freeze it for up to 1
month.)

TO M A K E T H E F I S H A N D V E G E TA B L E S : Bring the broth to a light boil, lower
the heat so that it simmers and drop in the mussels. Cover the pot and cook
for 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, uncovered, for 3
minutes or so more, until the shrimp are pink, the fish is cooked through
and the mussels have opened (discard any that don’t). Remove the pot from
the burner.
Divide the fish and vegetables among six shallow soup plates and ladle
over the broth — there will be more fish than broth in each bowl. Give each
portion a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkling of cilantro and/or seaweed
or furikake. Serve immediately.

HOLIDAY FISH SOUP

by on 06:29
Makes 6 servings This substantial fish soup turns toward Asia for its inspiration, fragrance and flavor. The broth gets its vivacity from a ...
By at No comments:
Labels: ,