Ingredients

• 2.2 lb (1 kg) yellow onions, finely chopped
• 3/4 lb. ground beef or pork
• 2 tbsp. garlic
• 1/2 lb. rigatoni
• 3/4 c. shaved parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 c. cream
• 1/4-1/2 c. dry white wine
• olive oil

Preparation

Liberally coat the bottom of a heavy bottom sauce pot with olive oil. Add all the onions, coat with more olive oil and a liberal amount of salt. Stir to combine. Cover and heat on medium for 40 minutes, stirring every 10-20 minutes. If the onions are completely translucent and a good amount of liquid has appeared, stir in the meat and garlic. Stir hard and long to completely break apart the meat and combine it with the onions. Cover and simmer on very low for 2-3 hours, stirring every 30 mins or so.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil, cook the rigatoni until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, deglaze the pot with the wine, stir to combine and turn the heat to medium-low to cook off the wine. Reduce heat back to very low, stir the cream into the sauce, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, stirring to combine. Spoon the pasta onto plates and cover each with 1/4 cup shaved parmesan.

Raymond’s Food, edited

Ingredients

• 2 meaty ham hocks, or 1/2 lb meaty salt pork (rinsed)
• 16 cups water
• 2 lb onions, finely chopped (divided)
• 2 large carrots
• 1 medium leek, white and green parts only, chopped and rinsed
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 lb dried split peas, picked over and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 tsp. dried savory, crumbled

Preparation

1. Combine ham hocks, 16 cups water, and half of the onions in a large soup pot, uncovered, until meat is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Transfer ham hocks to a cutting board and measure broth: If it measures more than 12 cups, continue boiling until reduced; if less, add enough water to total 12 cups.
2. When hocks are cool enough to handle, discard skin and cut meat into 1/4-inch pieces (reserve bones).
3. Chop carrots, the remaining onions, leek, and celery in 2 tbsp. of butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring until softened, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the vegetables to the soup, along with salt, pepper, chives, and savory, and continue to simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until peas are falling apart and soup is slightly thickened, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
5. Add ham meat back to soup, heat through, and serve, adjusting seasoning if needed.

Gourmet, combined from two recipes

Ingredients

For the gremolata:

• 2 tbsp minced parsley, stems reserved
• 2 tbsp minced mint, stems reserved
• ½ tsp. lemon zest

For the risotto:

• 1 lb. asparagus, reserving ends, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts sliced thin, green parts reserved
• 4 c. chicken broth
• 3 c. water
• 5 tbsp. butter
• Salt and pepper
• ½ c. peas
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1½ c. risotto rice
• 1 c. white wine
• 1½ oz. grated Parmesan
• 2 tsp. lemon juice

Preparation

1. For the Gremolata: Combine ingredients in small bowl and set aside.

2. For the Risotto: Chop tough asparagus ends and leek greens into rough 1/2-inch pieces. Bring chopped vegetables, reserved parsley and mint stems, broth, and water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Return strained broth to saucepan; cover and set over low heat to keep broth warm.

3. . Heat 1 tablespoon butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add asparagus spears, pinch of salt, and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add peas and continue to cook 1 minute. Transfer vegetables to plate and set aside.

4. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add leeks, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes.

5. When wine is fully absorbed, add 3 cups hot broth to rice. Simmer, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and bottom of pan is almost dry, about 12 minutes.

6. Stir in about 1/2 cup hot broth and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 3 minutes; repeat with additional broth 3 or 4 times until rice is al dente. Off heat, stir in remaining tablespoon butter, Parmesan, and lemon juice; gently fold in asparagus and peas. If desired, add up to 1/4 cup additional hot broth to loosen texture of risotto. Serve immediately, sprinkling each serving with gremolata and passing Parmesan separately.

CI

Ingredients

• 4 lb. boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (or a 5 lb. chuck roast)
• Salt
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 bottle Chianti
• 1 c. water
• 4 shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 2 carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 1 garlic head, cloves separated, unpeeled, and crushed
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp. cracked black peppercorns, plus extra for serving
• 1 tbsp. gelatin
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. anchovy paste
• 2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. cornstarch

Preparation

1. Toss beef and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt together in bowl and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of beef in single layer and cook until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total, reducing heat if fond begins to burn. Stir in 2 cups wine, water, shallots, carrots, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, cracked peppercorns, gelatin, tomato paste, anchovy paste, and remaining beef. Bring to simmer and cover tightly with sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, then lid. Transfer to oven and cook until beef is tender, 2 to 2 1/4 hours, stirring halfway through cooking time.

3. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to bowl; cover tightly with foil and set aside. Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator. Wipe out pot with paper towels. Let liquid settle for 5 minutes, then return defatted liquid to pot.

4. Add 1 cup wine and ground black pepper and bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat. Simmer briskly, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened to consistency of heavy cream, 12 to 15 minutes.

5. Combine remaining wine and cornstarch in small bowl. Reduce heat to medium-low, return beef to pot, and stir in cornstarch-wine mixture. Cover and simmer until just heated through, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Serve over polenta, passing extra cracked peppercorns separately. (Stew can be made up to 3 days in advance.)

CI

This isn’t a recipe, but a catalog of times and internal temperatures for the reverse sear method. Preheat the oven to 250F, and take the piece of meat to the internal temperature specified. Then sear it off in as hot a skillet as you can get with a bit of vegetable oil.

• Ribeye, Cowboy Ribeye, Côte à l’os: 115F for medium-rare, 110F for rare, 105F for blue-rare, 1 minute per side sear
• Lamb: 125F, 2 minutes on the fat cap

Ingredients

• 4 medium-thick pork chops, bone-in or boneless
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 8 chiles de árbol
• 3 plum tomatoes
• 1 small onion, peeled and thickly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• ½ cup raw, hulled, unsalted pumpkin seeds
• ⅓ cup unsalted peanuts
• ⅓ cup hulled sesame seeds
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice (or 2 allspice berries)
• 1 canned chipotle pepper
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, lard or chicken fat
• 1 cup chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Preparation

Make the sauce: Remove the stems from the chiles de árbol, and gently roll the chiles between your fingers to remove the seeds. Discard seeds. Set a bare skillet over high heat for 5 minutes, then add the chiles. Toast until they are darkened and fragrant, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Place them in a bowl, cover with 2 cups boiling or very hot water, and set aside to soak.

Return the skillet to high heat. Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic, and cook, turning occasionally, until charred, approximately 10 minutes. Put the vegetables on a plate, and set aside to cool, then slip the skins off the cloves of garlic.

Return the skillet to medium-low heat. Place the pumpkin seeds, peanuts and sesame seeds in the skillet, and cook, stirring and shaking the pan continuously, until they are toasted and fragrant, approximately 2 to 4 minutes. Put the seeds and nuts in a bowl, and stir in the cinnamon, cloves and allspice.

Put the chiles and soaking liquid in a blender with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, the nut-seed mixture and the chipotle. Purée until smooth. Add the oil, lard or chicken fat to a large, heavy-bottomed pot, and heat over medium heat until it is nearly smoking. Add the purée. It will sputter a lot. Lower the heat, and stir, cooking the mixture down to a thick paste. It will continue to sputter and pop. Add the broth to the paste, and stir, then season with the salt, sugar and vinegar, and cook for another 15 minutes or so, until it resembles a thick, creamy soup. Lower heat to a bare simmer.

Make the pork chops: Season the pork chops aggressively with salt and pepper, and dust them with the flour. Add the oil to the skillet, and heat over medium-high heat until nearly smoking. Add the chops, and let them cook undisturbed, in batches if necessary, until crisp and well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Set them aside to rest for 5 minutes or so. Serve a chop per person on a generous amount of sauce, with tortillas to mop it up. Extra sauce can be used to braise chicken, lamb or more pork, or as a topping for enchiladas.

The New York Times

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon egg white
• 1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound boneless leg of lamb or lamb shoulder, cut into strips about 1/2 inch by 2 inches
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons cumin seeds, lightly cracked in a mortar or grinder
• 2 tablespoons whole dried red chili peppers, about 2 inches long
• 4 scallions, white and green parts only, cut on diagonal into 1-inch lengths
• Sesame oil, for seasoning

Preparation

1. In a bowl combine egg white, wine, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Add lamb and set aside to marinate 1 hour.

2. Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Swirl half the oil into wok and carefully add lamb, spreading it in a single layer. Let sear a moment, then stir-fry briskly just until lamb is no longer pink. Transfer to a plate. (If your wok is not large enough to hold all the lamb, do this in 2 batches, using extra oil.)

3. Swirl remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil into empty wok, add cumin seeds and chilies and stir-fry a few seconds until cumin seeds start to pop. Press chilies against sides of wok to char their skins.

4. Add scallions and stir-fry 1 minute. Then return lamb to wok and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes more until lamb is cooked through. Turn off heat, sprinkle with salt and drops of sesame oil, and serve immediately.

New York Times

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 3⁄4 cup canola oil
• 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 3⁄4 tsp. dry mustard
• 1⁄2 tsp. Worcestershire
• 1⁄4 tsp. sugar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salad:

• 1⁄2 head iceberg lettuce, cored and shredded
• 1⁄2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1⁄2 bunch watercress, some of the stems trimmed, chopped
• 2 oz. blue cheese, preferably Roquefort, crumbled
• 6 strips cooked bacon, roughly chopped
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into 1⁄2" cubes
• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1⁄2" cubes
• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and cut into 1⁄2" cubes
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1⁄2" cubes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp. minced chives

Preparation

Make the dressing: Combine the canola oil, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire, sugar, and garlic in a blender. Purée the ingredients to make a smooth dressing and season with salt and pepper. Set the dressing aside (or refrigerate, covered, for up to 1 week).

Make the salad: On a large platter, combine the iceberg and romaine lettuces along with the watercress. Arrange the blue cheese, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, chicken, and avocado on top of the greens in neat rows. To serve, drizzle salad with dressing, season with salt and pepper, and top with chives. Alternatively, toss everything together in a bowl.

Saveur

Ingredients

• 4 Cornish game hens, patted dry with paper towels
• 8 thin slices of butter
• 4 sprigs each of fresh rosemary and thyme (or herbs of choice) plus some extra leaves of each
• 4 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 lemon, scrubbed well and cut into quarters
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup chicken broth

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Pat the hens dry with a paper towel. Use your index finger to loosen the skin on the top of the hen and slip a thin slice of butter under the skin on top of each breast. Add a few rosemary and thyme leaves (or herb of choice). Repeat for each hen. Put a quarter of a lemon in the cavity of each hen along with a clove of garlic and a sprig of fresh rosemary and thyme (or herb of choice). Truss the hens by tying the wings and legs.

Rub each hen all over with some extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place then hens on the rack of a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil, spacing them out so they are as far apart from each other as possible. This will enable their skins to get browned and crispy.

Place the hens in the preheated oven and roast for 25 minutes.

While the hens are roasting, combine the chicken broth and wine in a bowl.

After the hens have been roasting for 35 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Pour the broth/wine mixture over the hens and continue to roast for 30 minutes, basting the hens with the juices at the bottom of the pan every 10 minutes or less. The hens are done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the juices run clear. If you prefer darker skins, turn up the temperature to broil for a couple more minutes, watching closely to prevent burning.

Carefully remove the hens and pour the juices from their cavities into the roasting pan. Transfer the hens to a warmed platter, remove the trussing string, and tent with aluminum foil to week warm. Pour the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan and boil for about 5 minutes until the liquid is a thin sauce-like consistency. Serve the hens whole per guest or cut in half lengthwise and place cavity-down on each serving plate. Drizzle the sauce over the hens and garnish with fresh herb sprigs and a slice of lemon. Serve immediately.

Daring Gourmet

Ingredients

• 1 to 2 pounds vegetables
• Aromatics, such as onion, garlic, or leeks
• Olive oil or unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper
• 4 to 6 cups stock

Preparation

Choose and weigh 1 to 2 pounds of vegetables. Cut up the vegetables and aromatics, and heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil (or butter, ghee, or the fat from rendering some bacon, chicken, etc.) in a Dutch oven over medium heat. (Also, you could add ginger or chili peppers right here.)

Sautee the aromatics until fragrant and soft (five minutes), brown the vegetables, and season them with salt, pepper, and spices (dried herbs like mint, sage, or oregano, curry powder, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and smoked or truffled salt).

Add 4 to 6 cups of broth and bring to a simmer. Add a sprig of fresh herbs now if desired. Turn the heat down to low and cover the pot. Let cook for about 30 minutes, then check the soup. Are the vegetables as soft as you would like? If you want to leave the vegetables intact, take the soup off the heat now. If you want the vegetables very soft for pureeing, keep cooking until they are falling apart.

Whether you are leaving the vegetables intact or pureeing the soup, make sure to taste the soup as it finishes cooking. If it seems flat, add some vinegar or lemon juice. If it is too salty, thin out with some extra broth or dairy. You can also add leftover cooked pasta, a few crumbles of cooked ground turkey or beef, cooked strips of chicken breast on top of each bowl, 1/4 cup of rice, quinoa, or another grain (simmering until done), or a can of beans, chickpeas, or tomatoes, and simmer until warmed through.

Once the vegetables are very soft, you can puree the soup in a blender or with a stick blender if you like. Rewarm gently after blending. When pureeing the soup, you can add flavor and creaminess by adding beans, tofu, coconut milk, yogurt, or other dairy such as cream, mascarpone, or even cream cheese. Finish the soup with something acid like lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, or fruit vinegar. Or drizzle on a little oil like chili oil, smoked olive oil, or something else a little special.

The Kitchn