Ingredients

• 4 Japanese eggplants (1 1/2 lb. total), trimmed and cut crosswise, on a bias, 1/4" thick
• 2 tbsp. kosher salt
• 2 1/2 c. whole milk
• canola oil, for frying
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• sea salt
• 3 tbsp. honey
• finely grated lemon zest, for garnish

Preparation

Place the eggplant in a single layer on a rack set over a large rimmed baking sheet and season with the kosher salt. Top with another baking sheet and press firmly. Let stand for 20 minutes. Press again to help release the juices from the eggplant. Transfer the slices to a large bowl and cover with the milk. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 1 inch of oil to 350°. In a shallow bowl, spread the flour. Remove the eggplant from the milk, shaking off any excess liquid. Dredge in the flour and shake off the excess. Working in batches, fry the eggplant, turning a few times, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a paper towel–lined baking sheet and immediately season with sea salt.

Transfer the eggplant to a serving platter, drizzle with the honey and garnish generously with lemon zest. Sprinkle with more sea salt and serve immediately.

José Andrés, Food & Wine

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• One 2-pound head of cauliflower, cut into 1 1/2-inch florets
• 1/2 cup whole roasted almonds with skin, plus 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped almonds (3 ounces)
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely shredded Manchego or other mildly nutty semi-aged sheep’s- or cow’s-milk cheese (3 1/2 ounces), such as Gouda
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon Pimentón de la Vera (smoked Spanish paprika)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a small saucepan, heat the half-and-half until steaming, then transfer it to a food processor or blender. Add the 1/2 cup of whole almonds and process until finely ground. Let stand for 10 minutes. Strain the half-and-half through a fine sieve set over a bowl, pressing on the almonds to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the ground almonds.

In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the flour and whisk over moderately high heat for 1 minute. Add the milk and the half-and-half and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add 3/4 cup of the Manchego and whisk until melted. Whisk in the nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

In a large skillet, bring 1/2 inch of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower, cover and cook over high heat until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain the cauliflower in a colander. Wipe out the skillet.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower and cook, stirring until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Transfer the cauliflower to a 7-by-10-inch glass or ceramic baking dish and spread the Manchego sauce on top.

Sprinkle the gratin with the remaining cheese, the 2 tablespoons of chopped almonds and the paprika and bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, or until bubbling and browned on top. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Food & Wine

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lentils
• 1 onion
• 5 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ lb. Spanish chorizo
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 3 tbsp. parsley
• 7 c. water
• 3 tbsp. sherry vinegar
• 2 bay leaves
• ⅛ tsp. ground cloves
• 2 tbsp. smoked paprika
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour

Preparation

Place lentils and 2 teaspoons salt in pot. Cover with 4 cups boiling water and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain.

Finely chop three-quarters of onion and grate remaining quarter. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add chorizo and brown, 6-8 minutes. Transfer chorizo to plate. Reduce heat to low and add chopped onion, carrots, 1 tbsp. parsley, and 1 tsp. salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft but not brown, 25 to 30 minutes. If vegetables begin to brown, add water.

Add lentils and sherry vinegar to vegetables; increase heat to medium-high; and cook, stirring frequently, until vinegar starts to evaporate, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 7 cups water, chorizo, bay leaves, and cloves; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low; cover; and cook until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

Heat remaining 3 tbsp. oil in small saucepan over medium heat. Add paprika, grated onion, garlic, and ½ tsp. pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute longer. Remove chorizo and bay leaves from lentils. Stir paprika mixture into lentils and continue to cook until flavors have blended and soup has thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. When chorizo is cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise, then cut each half into ¼-inch-thick slices. Return chorizo to soup along with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and heat through, about 1 minute. Season with salt, pepper, and up to 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar to taste, and serve.

Ingredients

PIPERADE PEPPER STEW

• 4 red bell peppers
• 3 green bell peppers
• 1 yellow pepper
• 2 tablespoons canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

CHICKEN TINGA

• 1 chicken breast
• 1/2 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• Bay leaves
• 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large yellow onion, julienned
• 1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• fresh thyme
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Pre-heat oven to 425F. Cut peppers in half, place on foil lined baking sheet. Roast until blackened, about 15 minutes. Wrap up in foil and lets steam for 15 minutes. Peel and slice.

Bring water to a boil, add chicken breast, ½ onion, 1 garlic clove & couple bay leafs. Cook 15 minutes or until chicken is done. Cool and shred. Add olive oil to a large skillet. Add yellow onions & garlic let it slowly sweat for 20 minutes. Add peppers, canned tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves & chipotle pepper (to taste). Add chicken, jalapeno and salt and pepper. Serve as taco filling.

Edible Nashville

Ingredients

• 6 slices white bread, crusts removed
• 4 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups (8 3/4 ounces) plus 1/3 cup sliced blanched almonds
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• Kosher salt and pepper
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 6 ounces seedless green grapes, sliced thin (1 cup)

Preparation

Combine bread and water in bowl and let soak for 5 minutes. Process 2 1/2 cups almonds in blender until finely ground, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed.

Using your hands, remove bread from water, squeeze it lightly, and transfer to blender with almonds. Measure 3 cups soaking water and set aside; transfer remaining soaking water to blender.

Add garlic, vinegar, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and cayenne to blender and process until mixture has consistency of cake batter, 30 to 45 seconds. With blender running, add olive oil in thin, steady stream, about 30 seconds. Add reserved soaking water and process for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Strain soup through fine-mesh strainer set in bowl, pressing on solids to extract liquid. Discard solids.

Measure 1 tablespoon of soup into second bowl and stir in almond extract. Return 1 teaspoon of extract mixture to soup; discard remainder. Chill for at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

Heat vegetable oil in 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat until oil begins to shimmer. Add remaining 1/3 cup almonds and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately transfer to bowl and stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Ladle soup into shallow bowls. Mound an equal amount of grapes in center of each bowl. Sprinkle cooled almonds over soup and drizzle with extra olive oil. Serve immediately.

CI

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

For the dressing:

• 1 c. olive oil
• 1/4 c. sherry vinegar
• zest and juice of 2 clementines
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 12 nice black olives, pitted and halved
• sea salt to taste

For the salad:

• 1/2 head romaine lettuce
• 1/2 head bibb lettuce
• 1/2 head red lettuce
• 8 oil-packed sardines
• 4 clementines, peeled and sliced into 1/4" rounds
• sea salt to taste

Preparation

To make the dressing: whisk together olive oil, vinegar, clementine juice, zest, and shallots in a medium bowl. Add olives, season with salt, set aside.

To make the salad: Divide the heads of lettuce into individual leaves and distribute among 4 plates or bowls. Place two sardines and four clementine slices on each salad. Drizzle each salad with dressing and season with sea salt.

Jose Andres Foods

Ingredients

• 1 bag nicest potato chips you can find
• 1 can tinned mussels, preferably either ceviched or stewed
• Pimenton de la vera (smoked Spanish paprika) to taste
• olive oil

Preparation

Arrange whole, unbroken chips on a serving dish. Top each chip with a mussel and finish with a pinch of pimenton. Finish the plate with a few drops of the sauce from the mussels and a drizzle of olive oil.

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

• 1/2 teaspoon salt, more as needed
• 1/2 pound shell-on, large or extra-large shrimp
• 210 grams all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 2 small garlic cloves (or 1 fat clove), minced
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
• 3 tablespoons good, preferably homemade mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce, or more to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon Korean chile powder, smoked hot paprika or a pinch cayenne
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• Olive oil, for frying

Preparation

Fill a bowl with ice water. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring 4 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a simmer. Drop in shrimp and poach gently until opaque, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer shrimp to ice water to stop the cooking; reserve 2 1/2 cups poaching liquid.

Peel shrimp and finely chop tails; discard rest of shells. Coarsely chop shrimp and season lightly with salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of the poaching liquid. Whisk in the onion and half the garlic, along with the parsley, shrimp and chopped shrimp tails. Add more poaching liquid as needed; you want the consistency of a very thin pancake batter.

In a small bowl, combine remaining garlic, the mayonnaise, the sriracha, the smoked paprika and the lemon juice. Set aside.

In a medium, nonstick skillet over medium heat, warm 1/2 inch oil until a drop of water flicked into the pan sizzles (about 300 degrees). Ladle in 1/4 cup of the batter. Using a spatula, quickly spread the batter out in the pan so that it is very thin, making small holes in the pancake to help it cook evenly. You want to err on the side of too thin rather than too thick. The final pancake should have a crisp, lacy appearance and be riddled with holes. Shake pan slightly toward you, creating waves of oil over the top of the pancake. Cook until underside is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Gently flip and cook other side until golden, about 2 minutes more. Adjust heat as needed to maintain an even temperature for uniform browning. [From Mom: This frying step will take at least an hour; be prepared.]

Transfer pancake to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and sprinkle with coarse kosher salt immediately after frying. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with the spicy mayonnaise.

Makes 8 fritters.

Melissa Clark, The New York Times