Ingredients

• 5 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 5 ounces fresh portobello mushrooms
• 5 ounces fresh cremini (or porcini) mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh thyme plus 1 teaspoon minced thyme leaves, divided
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Don’t wash them! Separate the stems, trim off any bad parts, and coarsely chop the stems. Slice the mushroom caps 1/4-inch thick and, if they are big, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

To make the stock, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pot. Add the chopped mushroom stems, the onion, carrot, the sprig of thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add 6 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. You should have about 4 1/2 cups of stock. If not, add some water.

Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the remaining 1/4 pound of butter and add the leeks. Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown. Add the sliced mushroom caps and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the mushroom stock, minced thyme leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. [CP: Right here, mom says she blenderized half of the soup all the way smooth, and another half just coarse.] Add the half-and-half, cream, and parsley, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and heat through but do not boil. Serve hot.

Ina Garten, Food Network

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs
• salt and pepper
• 5 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 c. tomate frito (or a sofrito or other rich tomato sauce, pref. homemade)
• 1 c. samfaina (pisto)
• 1/3 c. roasted red peppers
• 1/3 c. roasted onions
• 1/3 c. roasted eggplant
• 2 tbsp. parsley, chopped

Preparation

Cut the eggplant, peppers, and onions into 1/4" pieces, place them in 3 tbsp. of the olive oil (or, if your peppers or eggplant were cured in olive oil, the olive oil from the vegetables), and set aside.

Cut the chicken thighs into quarters and season them with salt and black pepper. In a large saute pan, heat the other 2 tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken, skin side down, and brown on all sides, 5-6 minutes. Set aside.

In the same pan, add the tomate frito and simmer for 4 minutes over medium-low heat. Return the chicken to the pain and continue to simmer for 6-7 minutes, until just about cooked through.

Stir in the samfaina and the vegetables in olive oil. Stirring frequently, cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Jose Andres Foods

Ingredients

• 7 large eggs
• 1 bag nice plain potato chips (6.7 oz)
• 2 tsp. salt
• 4 tbsp. olive oil

Preparation

Break 6 eggs into a mixing bowl. Add 2/3 of the bag of chips and stir, crushing them a little as you blend the eggs together. Allow the mixture to sit until the chips absorb most of the egg, about 5 minutes. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and add it to the egg-chip mixture. Add the salt.

Heat 2 tbsp. of oil in a small saute pan (no more than 6" in diameter), over medium heat. Add the egg mixture and stir briskly a few times with a wooden spoon to prevent them from sticking. Shake the pan in a circular motion for 10 seconds to keep the mixture loose as the eggs start to stick together. Lower the temperature and cook for 1 minute more.

Place a plate over the pan and invert the pan/plate so the tortilla winds up on the plate, raw side down. If the pan looks dry, add the last 2 tbsp. of olive oil. Return the tortilla to the pan by sliding it back in, raw side down. Cook for another 60 seconds, until the bottom is fully set.

Slide onto a clean serving plate, garnish with a sprinkle of salt and maybe a few more chips.

Jose Andres Foods

Ingredients

• 3 tbs olive oil
• ½ cup sliced sweet white onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup brown ale, divided in half
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbs honey
• ½ tsp red chili sauce (such as Sriracha) plus additional if desired
• 6 boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1-2 tbs flour

Preparation

In a cast iron skillet over medium heat add the olive oil. Add the onions and caramelize over medium heat until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir in the garlic then add ½ cup brown ale, balsamic vinegar, honey and chili sauce. Simmer until reduced and thickened, remove sauce from pan and set aside.

Sprinkle the chicken thighs on all sides with salt, pepper and flour.

Increase heat to medium-high, cook the chicken thighs until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes per side.

Pour the sauce back into the pan along with the remaining ½ cup brown ale.

Cover loosely with a lid, lower heat to maintain a simmer and allow to cook until chicken is cooked through, about an additional 10 minutes. Turning once during cooking.

The Beeroness

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup parsley leaves
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup plus
• 1 1/2 tablespoons
• Pernod or pastis
• 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs

Preparation

In a food processor, pulse together parsley, garlic, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Pulse in butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons Pernod until mixture is combined. Scrape into a bowl.

In a soup pot with a tightfitting lid, combine mussels, 1/4 cup pastis and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until mussels have opened, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer mussels to a bowl until cool enough to handle; remove meat from the shells (reserving shells) and transfer to a bowl.

Pry apart mussel shells and arrange half the shells on one or two large baking sheets; discard remaining shells. Place one mussel in each shell. Top each with a small spoonful of herb butter and a sprinkling of bread crumbs. Mussels may be made up to 1 day ahead up to this point; wrap baking sheets and mussels in plastic wrap and refrigerate. When ready to serve, heat broiler to high and arrange a rack 4 inches from the heat. Transfer tray(s) to the oven and broil until bread crumbs are golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

Melissa Clark, New York Times

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for coating
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 2 3/4 cups unseasoned dried breadcrumbs, divided
• 1 lemon, half juiced, half thinly sliced
• 1 orange, half juiced, half thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon dried currants [CP: can sub cranberries, white raisins]
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts [CP: can sub pecans]
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
• fine sea salt and black pepper
• 1 pound swordfish, sliced into 8 thin pieces [CP: can sub flounder]
• 12 bay leaves, preferably fresh

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle the bottom of a medium baking dish with olive oil.

Combine the 1/4 cup olive oil and onion in a medium skillet and cook over medium-high heat until softened, about three minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 3/4 cup breadcrumbs, mixing everything together until the breadcrumbs have absorbed the oil. Return to low heat and toast the breadcrumbs slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon and orange juices, the currants, pine nuts, and mint. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lay a piece of swordfish on a work surface and put a heaping tablespoon of the breadcrumb filling (squeeze it in your hand to compact it) in the center and roll up. Repeat with the remaining swordfish and filling.

Pour some olive oil into a shallow bowl and fill another shallow pan with the remaining 2 cups breadcrumbs. Dip each roll-up first in the oil, then dredge in the breadcrumbs until lightly coated. Place the swordfish roll-ups snugly in the baking dish and tuck the bay leaves and lemon and orange slices between the rolls. Drizzle with some more olive ol and bake until the fish is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.

Fabrizia Lanza, via Ciao Chow Linda

Ingredients

• 1 lb. spaghetti, prepared per package directions
• 1/4 to 1/2 lb. sea urchin roe (uni)
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 bunch chives, minced
• 1/4 c. fresh parsley, minced
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Whisk sea urchin roe, chives, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper (to taste), and half the olive oil together. Set aside.

Heat remaining olive oil and garlic in a large skillet for a few minutes. Remove garlic. Toss with spaghetti. Transfer to a bowl and toss with sea urchin mixture. Serve.

from Weird Combinations, edited

Ingredients

• 1 lb tiger prawns or jumbo prawns, peeled, deveined, tails intact
• 6 metal skewers or bamboo kewers (soak in water before using)
• Oil, for brushing

Marinade

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 lemongrass, white part only, grated
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha
• 1 (big) clove garlic, finely minced

Chili-Calamansi Dipping Sauce (optional)

• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 small calamansi, extract the juice (or 1 wedge lime)

Preparation

Clean the shrimp with cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels and transfer the shrimp into a bowl.

Add all the ingredients in the Marinade into the bowl. Stir to combine well with the shrimp. Marinate for 15 minutes. Thread three shrimp into each skewer. Brush the surface of the shrimp with some oil. Grill the shrimp on both sides until they are charred and cooked through. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce (optional).

Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients

• 12 jumbo (11-15 count) shrimp
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon sriracha
• 1 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed
• 1/3 cup, plus 5 teaspoons olive oil
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 8 ounces soba noodles
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 green onions, whites and greens thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Preparation

Rub the shrimp with half of the garlic and ginger, and the sriracha. Cover and let the shrimp marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Spread the asparagus out on a baking sheet and brush it with 2 1/2 teaspoons of the oil. Roast just until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove, season with salt and pepper, and set aside to cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F. Toss the shiitakes with another 2 1/2 teaspoons of oil, spread them out on a baking sheet, and transfer to the oven. Roast just until the mushrooms begin to shrivel, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

Put the shrimp in a small baking dish or ovenproof sauté pan, cover with the remaining 1/3 cup oil and season lightly with salt. Cover the dish with foil and poach the shrimp in the oven just until the exteriors are bright orange and if you slice into one, the interior is still opaque, about 15 minutes (don’t worry that it doesn’t look completely done as it will carry-over cook a bit). Remove the shrimp from the oil and reserve the oil, allowing it to cool.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Rinse with cold water and set aside to cool.

Cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces and the shiitakes into thin strips. Toss the vegetables with the cooled noodles.

Whisk together the remaining ginger and garlic with the soy sauce, honey, and mustard. Slowly whisk in the reserved poaching oil. Pour the dressing over the noodles and toss well to combine. Top with the shrimp, green onions, and sesame seeds before serving.

Girl in the Kitchen, via HuffPo

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• juice from 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 1 heaping tablespoon Sriracha, or other red chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 6-ounce salmon filets

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and cilantro.

Line a baking sheet with foil, then place salmon filets (flesh-side up) on the foil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spoon the glaze over the fish so it’s fully coated.

Bake at 450° for 12-15 minutes, or until fish feels semi-firm with you press it with your finger. If it’s not done when you initially check it, put it back in the oven at 2 minute intervals until cooked to desired level. Fish easily overcooks, so keep a close eye on it. Remove from oven, let cool 1-2 minutes, then serve each filet over a pile of rice mixed with green onions, lime zest, and cilantro.

Amelia Winslow, HuffPo