Showing posts with label Popular Posts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Popular Posts. Show all posts

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...
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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.
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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 ...
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Makes 4 servings

Anytime you can encourage people to play with their food, mix and match
things and eat with their fingers, I think you should. And there’s no way
around using your fingers with these tacos. The mix-and-matchers are:
tortillas (corn or flour); avocado mash, made with as much jalapeño as you’d
like; quick-cooked chile-dusted shrimp; shreds of crunchy lettuce; peachpineapple
salsa; and a light chipotle cream made with mayo and Greek
yogurt. You can even ditch the taco part and use all the ingredients to make
a colorful salad or lettuce wraps, in which case, reach for a soft lettuce.

a word on heating the tortillas
Heat tortillas directly over a gas flame or in a dry skillet to toast them before
serving. You can keep the tortillas warm, wrapped in foil, in a 250-degree-F
oven.

For the chipotle cream
¼ cup (60 ml) mayonnaise
¼ cup (60 ml) plain Greek yogurt
1 to 2 canned chipotles in adobo sauce, minced
Fine sea salt
Freshly squeezed lime juice

For the salsa
¼ pound (113 grams) ripe tomatoes (plum, round or grape)
¼ medium red onion, finely chopped or diced, rinsed and patted dry
¼ large red or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped or diced
1 to 2 peaches, peeled or not, pitted and finely chopped or diced
⅛ pineapple, cored and finely chopped or diced
1 wide strip jalapeño, or to taste, finely chopped
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Freshly squeezed lime juice
Hot sauce
¼ cup (10 grams) finely chopped fresh cilantro

For the avocado mash
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime, or more juice if desired
Fine sea salt
2 wide strips jalapeño, or more to taste, finely chopped
2 ripe avocados

For the shrimp
1½ pounds (680 grams) medium or large shrimp, peeled, deveined and patted dry
1½ to 2 tablespoons olive oil
½ to ¾ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning or chile powder
Pinch of fine sea salt, or more to taste
Squirt of fresh lime juice

For serving
8 tortillas, toasted (see headnote), or lettuce leaves if you want to make wraps
Shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce (if making tacos)
Hot sauce
Sprigs fresh cilantro

WOR K I NG A H E A D
The cream, without the lime juice, holds up really well even if made about 2 days
ahead. Although you can make the salsa and avocado mash a few hours ahead, it’s
better to wait until shortly before you cook the shrimp.

TO M A K E T H E C R E A M : Whisk the mayonnaise, yogurt and chipotles together
in a bowl. Season with salt and add as much lime juice as you’d like. (You can
make this without the lime juice up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the
refrigerator; add the juice and whisk before serving.)
TO M A K E T H E S A L S A : Toss the tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, fruit and
jalapeño in a large bowl and stir gently. Squeeze in some lime juice and taste
for the juice as well as for salt and jalapeño, adding more if you’d like. Just
before you’re ready to serve, add hot sauce to taste and the cilantro. (You can
make this a couple of hours ahead and keep it in the refrigerator, but it’s better
made as close to serving time as possible, and best if you add the lime juice at
the last minute.)
TO M A K E T H E M A S H : Stir the lime zest, juice, some salt and jalapeño
together in a medium bowl. Halve the avocados, pit them, scoop out the
flesh and add it to the bowl, then mash it with a fork until chunky. Taste for
salt, juice and jalapeño. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface and
set aside at room temperature. (The mash can be refrigerated for up to 2
hours.)
TO M A K E T H E S H R I M P : Mix the shrimp and 1½ tablespoons of the oil with ½
teaspoon of the Old Bay or chile powder. Place a large skillet — nonstick is
great here — over medium-high heat and, when it’s hot, toss in the shrimp.
Cook, turning only once, until they are pink and cooked through; if needed,
add more oil to keep them from sticking. Depending on the size and how
cold the shrimp were when you started, count on anywhere from 3 to 6
minutes. Turn the shrimp out into a serving bowl, squeeze over a little lime
juice and season with more salt and/or Old Bay or chile powder, if you’d like.

TO A S S E M B L E : Lay out the cream, salsa, avocado, shrimp, tortillas, shredded
lettuce (or lettuce leaves for wraps), hot sauce and cilantro on the table and
encourage everyone to construct their own perfect taco.

Playing Around
When the season changes, you can replace the peaches with grapefruit
segments or use only pineapple. You can swap white fish for the shrimp; cook it
in a little oil in a skillet. You can forgo the avocado mash altogether or just toss
some avocado cubes over the shrimp or into the salsa.

TWICE-FLAVORED SCALLOPS

by on 06:13
Makes 4 servings Anytime you can encourage people to play with their food, mix and match things and eat with their fingers, I think you shou...
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Makes 4 servings
Even before Rosa Jackson was my friend, she was an authority I turned to
when I wanted to know more about the foods of Paris and Nice, the foodlover’s
Eden on the French Riviera. Rosa arrived in France from Canada in
1995 and did what so many people dreamed of doing: stayed! She is well
known for her tours of the Nice market and recently opened a cooking
school, Les Petits Farcis, in a sun-filled studio in the Old City, so that you
can shop at the market with her and head right to the kitchen. Which is what
I did and how I learned to make this bourride Sétois, a fisherman’s stew from
the seaside town of Sète.
The word bourride tells you that it’s a fish stew with aioli (garlic
mayonnaise), sometimes referred to as the butter of Provence. In the
traditional version, the fish is poached in broth; Rosa braises it with
vegetables, making a stew — well, not really a stew, since it’s not at all soupy
— that’s more colorful, more flavorful and surprisingly quick (as in
weekday-quick) to pull together. At Rosa’s, we had the bourride with
steamed baby potatoes, and that’s how I do it at home too.

a word on the bread and potato
The aioli is thickened with a base of bread or cooked potatoes. If you want to
use potato, cut up a baby spud and boil it for 10 minutes or so, then drain and
mash it. If you prefer to use bread, soak a slice of sandwich or country bread
in a small amount of milk only until it’s thoroughly moistened, then remove
it from the soaking bowl and squeeze out the excess liquid.

For the aioli
1 garlic clove, preferably young, germ removed (see sidebar)
Coarse sea or kosher salt
2 large egg yolks, preferably organic (the yolks are barely cooked), at room
temperature
1 slice (¾ ounce; 22 grams) stale bread, soaked in milk, or 1 small (1 to 1½ ounces; 28
to 43 grams) boiled potato (see headnote)
½ cup (120 ml) mild-tasting olive oil
½ lemon
Freshly ground pepper

For the bourride
1 medium carrot, peeled and trimmed
10 celery leaves (optional)
4 Swiss chard, spinach or Tuscan kale leaves, center ribs removed
2 young leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and patted dry
2 tablespoons olive oil
Fine sea salt
4 cod, halibut or skinned monkfish fillets, 5 ounces (142 grams) each
Freshly ground pepper
About ½ cup (120 ml) water or vegetable or fish broth
Celery leaves or fennel or dill fronds, for serving (optional)

WOR K I NG A H E A D
You can make the aioli up to 1 day ahead and keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator.

TO M A K E T H E A I O L I : The aioli can be made using a mortar and pestle or a
handheld (immersion) blender. To use a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic
with a pinch of coarse salt. Add the yolks. Squeeze out the milk from the
bread, if you’re using it, then add it or the potato to the mortar and crush to
mix coarsely. Drop by drop, add the olive oil — here Rosa cautions to always
turn the pestle in the same direction. The mixture will thicken into a
mayonnaise. (To use a handheld blender, first crush the garlic to a puree on
a cutting board with the pinch of salt or push it through a garlic press; put it
in a medium bowl. Mash in the yolks and the bread or potato, then blend in
the oil by droplets. No matter which tool you used, squeeze in some lemon
juice, then taste to see if you’d like more juice and/or salt. Season with
pepper. (You can make the aioli up to 1 day ahead and hold it in the
refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature before using.)

TO M A K E T H E B O U R R I D E : Cut the carrot into small pieces — think cubettes.
Slice the celery leaves, if using, and the chard, spinach or kale into thin
shreds. Cut each leek lengthwise into quarters and thinly slice.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add
all the vegetables and a good pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until they
soften but don’t color, about 5 minutes. Season the fish with salt and pepper
and add it to the pan. Cover and cook over low heat for 4 to 6 minutes on
each side (cod and halibut cook faster than monkfish). Test it early by
piercing it at the center with a small knife — cod or halibut will flake and be
opaque; monkfish will cut easily and be opaque. (The cooked fish should
measure about 145 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, though you
can go a little lower, because the fish will rest a bit and the residual heat will
cook it a tad more.) Transfer the fish to a plate; cover loosely and put in a
warm place.
Stir the aioli into the vegetables and cooking juices. Add as much water or
broth as needed to create a sauce that just coats a spoon; better to err on the
side of a little thick than a little too thin. Taste for salt and pepper.
Serve the fish and vegetables in shallow soup plates with a sprinkling of
celery leaves or fennel or dill fronds, if you’d like.

S TO R I N G : The bourride is a make-and-enjoy dish.

C H O I C E S : The aioli is stellar as a go-along with crudités, steamed
vegetables, hot or cold hard-boiled eggs or potatoes and as a spread for
sandwiches.

ROSA JACKSON’S BOURRIDE

by on 06:06
Makes 4 servings Even before Rosa Jackson was my friend, she was an authority I turned to when I wanted to know more about the foods of Pari...
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