Creamy Asparagus Pasta

 

• 20 grams gim, often labeled as roasted seaweed
• 2 (4-inch) squares dasima or kombu (dried kelp)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 pound rigatoni
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream
• 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• ½ pound asparagus, thinly sliced at an angle
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
•  Flaky sea salt, for serving

1. Fold the gim in half and, with very sharp kitchen shears or a chef’s knife, slice into thin strips. Set aside for serving.
2. In a large pot, combine 1 dasima square with 8 cups cold tap water. Bring the water to a boil and season with the kosher salt. Tumble in the pasta and cook for half the time the package tells you is al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta, then add it back to the pot. (Discard the dasima.)
3. Add the remaining dasima square, cream, red onion, garlic, black pepper and reserved pasta water to the pasta. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Stirring occasionally, cook the pasta until the onion-infused cream has thickened significantly, thinly coating the noodles, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat. Add the vinegar and asparagus, and stir to combine for 1 minute. The residual heat from the pasta will gently cook the asparagus to tender-crisp. Stir in the sesame oil and season with more black pepper, if desired. Divide the pasta among serving dishes, discarding the dasima, and shower with the reserved gim and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Serve immediately, before the gim wilts and turns soggy.

Rigatoni with Beef and Onion Ragu

 Serves 6 -8

1 1/2 lbs boneless beef chuck eye roast, cut into 4 pieces and trimmed of large pieces of fat

Kosher salt and pepper

2 oz pancetta, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 oz salami, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 small carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 rib of celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 1/2 lbs onions, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup dry white wine

2 tbsp minced fresh majoram (or oregano)

1 lb rigatoni

1 oz Pecorino Romano cheese -grated plus extra for serving

1. Sprinkle beef with kosher salt and pepper.  Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees

2. Process pancetta and salami in food processor until ground into paste, about 30 seconds.  Add carrots and celery and process another 30 seconds.  Transfer paste to Dutch oven and set aside.

3. Do not clean processor bowl, pulse onions in processor in two batches, until 1/8 to 1/4 inch pieces form; 8 to 10 pulses per batch.

4. Cook pancetta mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently until fat is rendered and fond begins to form on bottom of pot - about 5 minutes.  Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly until browned, about 30 seconds.

5. Stir in 2 cups of water, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in onions and bring to a boil.  Stir in 1/2 cup of wine and 1 tbsp of marjoram (oregano).  Add beef and push into onions ensure it is submerged.  Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered, until beef in fully tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

6. Transfer beef to carving board.  Place pot over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently until mixture is almost completely dry.  Stir in remaining 1/2 cup of wine and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Shred beef into bits.

7. Stir beef and remaining tbsp of marjoram (oregano) into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat, cover and keep warm. 

8. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large pot.  Add rigatoni and 2 tbsp of salt, stirring often until just al dente - about 9 minutes.  Drain rigatoni and add to warm sauce.  Add pecorino and stir vigourously over low heat until sauce is slightly thicken and rigatoni is fully tender.  Serve passing extra cheese.

Oven-Fried Salt and Pepper Ribs

 Ingredients

Marinade

• 1 (2-pound) side ribs (or baby back, but remove silverskin)
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine (see Note)
• 2 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Batter/Coating

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• Scant 1/2 teaspoon recently ground white pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Stir-Frying

• Scant 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon recently ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoon canola or other neutral oil
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 large jalapenos, cut into thin rings

Directions

1. Cut rack into individual ribs. Mix with marinade in large bowl for at least 15 minutes.

2. Line sheet pan with parchment. Put ribs on pan while making batter in the large bowl. Add ribs back to bowl and coat with batter.

3. Heat oven to 450C (convection bake). Roast for 15 minutes, then flip ribs and roast for 5 more minutes.

4. Gently fry garlic in oil in wok until pale golden then remove from oil. Turn heat to high. Add jalapeno and fry for 1 minute. Add ribs and seasonings. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add back in garlic. Serve.

Roasted Chicken Thighs With Cauliflower and Herby Yogurt

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes (or 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
•  Kosher salt and black pepper
• 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
• 1 small head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 2-inch florets (about 5 cups)
• 3 shallots, quartered lengthwise (about 1 heaping cup)
• 1 ¼ cups Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus more for serving
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees and set a rack in the center.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the coriander, paprika and Aleppo pepper with 1 tablespoon oil and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss to coat in the oil and spices. Arrange the chicken, skin-side up, on a large baking sheet.
3. Add the cauliflower, shallots, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the bowl. Toss to coat, then arrange the vegetables in a single layer surrounding the chicken.
4. Bake until the chicken is deep golden brown and cooked through and the cauliflower is browned, tossing the vegetables once or twice, about 40 minutes. (If the chicken is done before the cauliflower, transfer the thighs to a plate, cover, and continue cooking the cauliflower until golden brown.)
5. While the chicken bakes, prepare the yogurt sauce: Whisk the yogurt, mint, cilantro, lemon juice and grated garlic with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
6. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a platter and top with any juices left on the sheet pan and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with a swoop of yogurt on the side, and fresh cilantro, if desired.

Olive-Walnut Pasta

 

INGREDIENTS

•  Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pound short pasta, like orecchiette, cavatelli, fusilli or elbows
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1 ¼ cups Castelvetrano olives (or a mixture of green olives), pitted and torn
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced 

PREPARATION

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the water’s boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
2. While the pasta’s cooking, in a large Dutch oven, stir together the olive oil, walnuts and olives. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and the walnuts are toasted, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, finely grate in the garlic clove and season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir to combine.
3. Add the pasta and 1/4 cup pasta water to the walnut mixture. Cook over medium-low, stirring and adding pasta water as needed, until the pasta is well coated. Remove from heat and stir in half the lemon zest and all the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and more lemon zest.

Earl Grey Tea Cake With Dark Chocolate and Orange Zest

 By Samantha Seneviratne

YIELD8 to 10 servings

TIME1 hour, plus chilling

Loose Earl Grey tea stirred into buttery cake batter adds a sweet, floral essence that’s subtle but lovely. A little dark chocolate and orange zest makes this cake extra special. While you could use chocolate chips, using chocolate chopped from a bar produces the best result: The varying sizes of chopped chocolate blend in nicely without overpowering the delicate tea flavor.

iNGREDIENTS

FOR THE FROSTING:

• ¾ cup/180 milliliters heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons loose Earl Grey tea
• ¼ cup/30 grams confectioners’ sugar
• ½ cup/115 grams mascarpone or softened cream cheese (see Tip)

FOR THE CAKE:

• ½ cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
• 1 ½ cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon loose Earl Grey tea
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (from 1 large orange)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• ½ cup/120 milliliters whole milk, at room temperature
• ¼ cup/45 grams chopped dark chocolate

PREPARATION

1. Prepare the frosting: In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup/120 milliliters heavy cream to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the tea, remove from the heat, cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids, and chill the remaining cream until completely cold, at least 1 hour.
2. Prepare the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, tea, baking powder and salt.
3. In large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the orange zest and beat to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the flour mixture on low, until just combined, then beat in the milk. (Don’t overmix.) Add the chocolate and fold it in using a spatula. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake just until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then tip the cake out onto the rack to cool completely.
4. To finish the frosting, add the remaining 1/4 cup/60 milliliters cream and the confectioners’ sugar to the tea cream. With an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream mixture until medium-stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mascarpone and beat just until stiff peaks form. (Do not overmix.) Top the cake with the frosting to serve. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; let come to room temperature before serving.

Tip

• If using cream cheese instead of mascarpone, because it has a thicker consistency, whip the cream cheese with the confectioners' sugar first, then add the whipped tea cream.

Peanut-Butter Wafer Cake

This towering trifecta of flavor and texture — crisp wafer, creamy peanut butter and glossy dark chocolate — comes together quickly and easily. The hidden star here is Katherine Yang’s utterly delicious peanut butter cream, which binds the layers. It’s savory and nutty, silken and not too sweet. Wafer sheets come in standard 8 1/2-inch rounds, so tempering the chocolate in a 10-inch-wide, shallow pan is the simple trick to easy dipping. You can use an offset spatula to spread the filling, or for a more impressive presentation, use a star tip, and pipe swirls, rosettes or scallops. The cake should be eaten soon after assembly, as the filling will eventually start to soften the wafer’s crispness. —Gabrielle Hamilton

FOR THE PEANUT-BUTTER PASTRY CREAM:

• 1 ½ cups/360 milliliters whole milk
• ½ cup/120 milliliters heavy cream
• 1 large egg plus 1 large yolk
• ⅓ cup/67 grams granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ½ cup/133 grams smooth, commercial peanut butter (preferably Skippy)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

FOR THE CAKE LAYERS:

• 8 ounces/225 grams high-quality bittersweet chocolate shards/chips (1 1/3 cups)
• 1 tablespoon shortening
•  Heaping 1/3 cup/60 grams dry-roasted salted peanuts
• 1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar
• 4 (8 1/2-inch-round) plain or cocoa wafer sheets

PREPARATION

1. Bring milk and cream to simmer in a heavy 1-quart saucepan over medium heat.
2. Whisk egg and yolk in a medium bowl. Add sugar, cornstarch and flour, and whisk until very well incorporated and almost fluffy.
3. Whisk hot milk mixture into egg mixture. Return mixture to saucepan, and return heat to medium. Boil 1 minute, whisking constantly, or until thickened. Remove from heat. Whisk peanut butter into hot pastry cream.
4. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, stir in salt, then cover with plastic wrap directly on cream to prevent skin from forming. Chill at least 3 hours, or overnight.
5. Prepare the cake layers: Bring a wide pot of shallow water to a very gentle simmer over low heat.
6. Place 2/3 of chocolate shards plus solid shortening in a clean 10-inch skillet set over the gently simmering water, and melt slowly. Bring the mixture to 110 degrees, and stir well to create a glossy, uniform consistency. Seed in remaining chocolate shards, and stir until completely melted and glossy, and chocolate tempers to 91 degrees. Remove from heat or turn off simmering water (or both).
7. Pulse peanuts in food processor until they’re a coarse meal. Remove, and stir in confectioners’ sugar.
8. Drop one wafer sheet into chocolate, giving it a tiny swirl to make sure the entire surface underneath is coated. Retrieve the wafer with tongs, tweezers or two forks, and hover it over the chocolate until dripping stops, then invert wafer, chocolate face down, on a baker’s rack set over parchment to “drain.” You want a film of chocolate to glaze the waffling, but you don’t want to fill the holes enough to pave them over entirely. Repeat with remaining wafer sheets, tempering the chocolate if needed. While chocolate is still tacky, turn wafers chocolate-side up to finish cooling. (Use an offset spatula if needed to gently release wafer from rack.) Before chocolate sets fully, heavily ring edges of two of the chocolate-dipped wafer sheets by sprinkling the prepared peanut mixture in a 1-inch rim. Allow to cool and harden in a cool, dry place.
9. To assemble: Pipe or spread 1/3 of the peanut-butter pastry cream uniformly among three of the wafer sheets (on the chocolate-filmed side to prevent sogginess later), reserving one of the peanut-edged sheets as the topper.
10. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
11. When ready to serve, stack the sheets chocolate-side up, using the peanut-crusted sheet on the bottom, the other two plain sheets in between, and top with the last peanut-crusted chocolate wafer sheet.

Breakfast Bars With Oats and Coconut

 

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ cup/180 milliliters smooth almond butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup/73 grams light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing
• 1 large egg, beaten, at room temperature
• 1 egg white, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla paste or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ⅔ cups/146 grams rolled oats
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅓ cup/28 grams unsweetened coconut flakes
• ¼ cup/37 grams dried cherries (or another soft, plump dried fruit)
• 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 2 tablespoons shelled sunflower seeds
• 1 ½ tablespoons flax seeds
• 1 ½ tablespoons sesame seeds

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld mixer and a large bowl, cream almond butter, granulated and brown sugars, and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add egg, egg white, salt and vanilla, and mix until well incorporated, occasionally scraping the side and bottom of bowl, about 1 minute longer.
2. Put oats in a small bowl, sift the baking soda over them, and beat into almond butter mixture. With the mixer on low speed, stir in coconut flakes, cherries and seeds until thoroughly mixed. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the dough (still in the bowl) and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 2 days. (This allows the oats to hydrate.)
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a metal 9-inch square baking pan with butter and line it with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches to hang over 2 sides of the pan and use as handles later. Grease the parchment paper as well.
4. Scrape dough into the prepared baking pan. Lightly grease a large spatula and firmly press the mixture into the pan in an even layer. Bake until the surface is light golden brown and firm, 25 to 30 minutes.
5. Transfer to a rack and allow bars to cool completely in the pan. Once cooled, use a butter knife or small offset spatula to cut along the inside edges of the pan and release the bars. Using the parchment paper overhang, lift bars out of the pan and place them on a cutting board. Cut into 18 bars. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Tip

• To make these into cookies rather than bars, drop 1/4-cup measures of the dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake until golden at the edges, 10 to 15 minutes.