Ingredients

Rouille:

• 1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. fish stock or clam broth
• large pinch saffron threads
• one 1/4-inch thick slice of peasant bread, crust removed
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 jarred piquillo pepper, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
• cayenne pepper
• salt

Mussels:

• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 heads of fennel, cored and diced, plus 1/4 c. chopped fronds
• 1 med. onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1/2 c. Pernod or absinthe
• 1 1/4 c. fish stock or clam broth
• 4 lb. mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 c. chopped parsley
• salt

Preparation

1. Make the rouille: In a microwave-safe bowl, heat 2 tbsp. of the fish stock at high power. Crumble in the saffron and let cool. In a large bowl, soften the bread in the remaining 1/4 c. of fish stock.
2. In a food processor, puree the soaked bread, egg yolk, piquillo, garlic, and lemon juice until smooth. With the machine on, slowly pour in 1/4 c. of the oil and the saffron fish stock. Slowly pour in the remaining 1/4 c. of oil. Season with cayenne and salt.
3. Prepare the mussels: In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the diced fennel, onion, and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, 7 minutes. Add the red pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Add the Pernod and boil over high heat for 2 minutes. Add the fish stock and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover and cook, shaking the pot, until they open, 5 minutes. Pile the mussels in a bowl; discard any that don’t open. Stir the butter into the broth, add the fennel fronds and parsley; season with salt. Pour the broth over the mussels and serve with the rouille.

Food and Wine, April 2010

Ingredients

• 1 block soft tofu (about 1 pound), drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil
• 6 ounces ground pork
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 leeks, thinly sliced at an angle (or a handful of scallions can be substituted)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons chili bean paste
• 1 tablespoon fermented black beans
• 2 teaspoons ground Sichuan pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
• Salt to taste
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 6 tablespoons cold water

Optional garnish: 1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions, or 1/2 teaspoon crushed roasted Sichuan peppercorn

Preparation

1. Heat peanut oil in a wok over high heat. Add pork and stir-fry until crispy and starting to brown but not yet dry. Reduce heat to medium, then add the garlic and leeks and stir-fry until fragrant.

2. Add chili bean paste, black beans, and ground Sichuan pepper, and stir-fry for about 1 minute, until the oil is a rich red color.

3. Pour in the stock and stir well. Mix in the drained tofu gently by pushing the back of your ladle or wok scoop gently from the edges to the center of the wok or pan; don’t stir or the tofu may break up. Season with the sugar, soy sauce, and salt to taste. Simmer for about 5 minutes, allowing the tofu has absorb the flavors of the sauce. Then add the cornstarch mixture in 2 or 3 stages, mixing well, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. (Don’t add more than you need).

4. Serve while still hot in a deep plate or wide bowl. Garnish with optional scallions or crushed Sichuan peppercorn.

Serves 4 to 5 as part of a multi-course meal, or 2 to 3 as the main entree

Appetite for China

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ½ cups dried gemelli pasta (or fusilli, orrechiette, really any pasta that is non-noodle-like. Different pastas may require different amounts of liquid/cooking time.)
• 1 small yellow onion, finely minced
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• ½ cup white wine
• 1 quart fish stock (you can use water if necessary)
• ½ pound lump crab meat
• 12 shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon red chili flakes
• 2 handfuls of arugula

Preparation

Heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering.

Add pasta and toast, stirring frequently, until it just begins to turn light brown.

Add onion, leeks, and garlic cloves (along with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper), cooking until translucent, but with no color, about three minutes.

Add white wine and cook until almost entirely absorbed, about two minutes.

Add stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring until absorbed. Continue until you have about one more ladle to add and the pasta still has a little more bite than you want. (Don’t worry.)

Add the crabmeat, shrimp, and final ladleful of stock, along with the lemon juice, lemon zest, and chili flakes. Cook until shrimp is pink and pasta has absorbed the stock and has the right bite, approximately three minutes. Check for seasoning.

Add arugula right at the end. Toss until it begins to wilt slightly, and serve immediately.

Alain Ducasse, The Atlantic

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant, peeled and diced very small
• Salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions, very finely chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 red bell peppers (or one red and one green), peeled, seeded and sliced in thin strips or diced small
• 1 medium zucchini, peeled and finely chopped
• Black pepper
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or a 14-ounce can, drained

Preparation

1. Lay eggplant pieces on two layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. After 30 minutes, squeeze out liquid and pat dry.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in an earthenware casserole over a flame tamer or in a Dutch oven. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until they soften, about 8 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic, and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining olive oil along with the eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini and black pepper. Turn the heat to low, stir, cover and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomatoes, season with salt, cover again and cook until the mixture has reduced to a thick relish, 2 to 3 more hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings. Before serving, allow to sit for at least 1 hour, or better yet refrigerate overnight.

Yield: 6 servings.

New York Times

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped mint
• 1/4 cup chopped dill
• 1 large eggplant, halved lengthwise and sliced about 1/3-inch thick
• 4 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to taste
• Salt
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 4 Italian frying peppers or 2 green bell peppers, cut in 2-inch slices
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushed
• 2 medium zucchinis, sliced about 1/2-inch thick
• Black pepper
• 1 pound tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped, or a 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 2 bay leaves
• Chopped fresh herbs, for serving
• Yogurt, for serving

OPTIONAL:

• 3 artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1/4 pound green beans, trimmed
• 1/4 pound small okra, ends trimmed

Preparation

1. Stir together the tomato paste, 1/2 cup water, vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, fenugreek, paprika and half the parsley, mint and dill.

2. Heat a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Toss the eggplant slices with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and salt to taste. Lightly brown, 3 to 5 minutes, as much eggplant as will fit in one layer in the pan, then turn and lightly brown the other side. Remove to a Dutch oven or earthenware casserole. Repeat with the remaining eggplant. (Alternatively, toss the eggplant with the olive oil in the casserole, cover and roast at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.)

3. Turn the heat down slightly and add a tablespoon of oil and the onions to the skillet. Stir often until they soften, about 5 minutes, and add the peppers. Stir until the peppers and onions are limp, 5 to 8 minutes, and stir in a generous pinch of salt, half the garlic and the coriander seeds. Stir until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to the casserole with the eggplant. Add another tablespoon of oil and the zucchinis to the skillet. Cook, stirring or turning the zucchinis often until lightly colored on both sides and translucent, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add the remaining garlic, stir for 30 seconds to a minute, and transfer to the casserole.

4. Add the tomato paste mixture to the skillet and bring to a boil. Deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon. Pour into the casserole, and add the tomatoes, bay leaves, 2 more tablespoons olive oil, if desired, and the artichoke hearts, green beans and okra, if using. Season generously with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer (over a flame tamer if using earthenware). Cover, reduce the heat and cook gently, stirring from time to time, until the vegetables are very soft, about one hour. Stir in the remaining herbs and simmer for another 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. If possible, refrigerate overnight before serving warm or at room temperature, with yogurt and chopped herbs.

Yield: 6 servings.

New York Times

Ingredients

• 1 whole baking pumpkin, approximately 4 pounds, rinsed
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small apple, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 ounces goat cheese
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Preparation

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Make a lid on the top of the pumpkin by cutting around the stem at a 45 degree angle. Make sure the opening is large enough to work within. Remove the seeds and fibers with a metal spoon or ice cream scoop and kitchen shears. Reserve the seeds for another use. Brush the exterior of the pumpkin and the lid with vegetable oil. Oil a round casserole dish large enough to hold the pumpkin and place the pumpkin inside.

Combine the butter, onion, salt, garlic, apples, chicken broth, and heavy cream in the hollow pumpkin. Replace the lid of the pumpkin to cover. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the lid. Add the goat cheese and thyme and bake an additional 30 minutes, uncovered. Remove the pumpkin from the oven, and gently scrape some of the flesh into the soup mixture. Puree with an immersion blender to desired consistency, being careful to avoid the sides and bottom of the pumpkin. Serve immediately.

Alton Brown

Ingredients

• 1½ cups sugar
• 2½ pounds pork belly or butt, sliced into thin, inch-long strips
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp. fish sauce
• 2 heaping teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 dash sesame oil
• 1 medium Vidalia onion, sliced
• 4 scallions, sliced, green part only
• Rice for serving

Preparation

1. Cover bottom of a large, heavy skillet with one cup sugar and place over medium low heat. As soon as it melts and turns golden, add pork, raise heat to medium, and stir until coated. (Sugar will become sticky and may harden, but it will re-melt as it cooks, forming a sauce.)

2. Stir in remaining sugar, salt, pepper and fish sauce. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Uncover, stir in garlic and oil and lower to simmer to reduce sauce for about 20 minutes [CP: Or much longer! Reduce until the sauce has roughly the consistency of your usual Asian-food sticky brown sauce.].

3. Stir in Vidalia onions and cook until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Pork should be caramelized; if not, raise heat and sauté while sauce further reduces. Transfer to serving bowl, and sprinkle with scallion greens.

Yield: 4 servings.

Michael and Thao Huynh, New York Times

Ingredients

Makes: 6 servings

• 9 cups water
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 white onion
• 2 1/4 pounds pumpkin or winter squash, peeled, seeded, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 pound tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 sprigs epazote

Toppings: Crumbled queso fresco, chopped onion, chopped green chilies, lime quarters

Preparation

1. Combine water, 2 of the garlic cloves and salt in a stockpot. Cut one slice off the onion half; add to pot. Heat to a boil; cook 5 minutes. Meanwhile, chop remaining onion; reserve. Add pumpkin to the pot; lower heat to medium. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard onion slice and garlic.

2. Finely chop remaining 2 garlic cloves. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and chopped onion; fry until translucent, 1 minute. Add tomatoes; fry until reduced, about 5 minutes.

3. Place about 1 cup cooked pumpkin in a blender with some broth; puree. Return to pot. Add tomato mixture to soup. Season with salt if necessary. Add epazote; simmer over low heat, about 10 minutes. Set aside to season, about 30 minutes. Heat through; serve with toppings as desired.

Diana Kennedy, Chicago Tribune

Ingredients

• 5 lbs well-marbled pork butt
• 1 cup cold wine (red or white)
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 5 tsp salt
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 5 tbsp fennel seed
• 2 tsp crushed chili peppers
• 5 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp anise, optional (ground)

Preparation

Cut the pork butt into long, relatively thin strips. Mix with all the remaining ingredients and marinate overnight. Process twice through a meat grinder.

Taken from Emeril Lagasse and Lesley’s Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa (9 to 10 ounces), rinsed, drained
• 4 cups (packed) baby spinach leaves
• 2 15- to 16-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed, drained
• 1 3/4 cups 1/3-inch cubes unpeeled English hothouse cucumber
• 1 1-pint container multicolored baby heirloom tomatoes, halved (2 1/2 cups)
• 1 cup (packed) fresh mint leaves
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely crumbled feta cheese (about 7 ounces), divided
• 1/4 cup Sherry wine vinegar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Preparation

Place quinoa in large saucepan; add enough salted water to cover quinoa by 1 inch. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until quinoa is tender, 15 to 16 minutes. Drain. Chill until cool.

Meanwhile, combine spinach leaves, garbanzos, cubed cucumber, halved tomatoes, mint leaves, and half of feta cheese in extra-large bowl. Add cooled quinoa and toss gently to blend.

Whisk vinegar and smoked paprika in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad; toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle remaining feta over.

Bon Appetit, July 2010