Meals

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons each of the hot and sweet paprika on the short ribs and rub it in well. Season the meat with salt and pepper.
2. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add half of the short ribs and cook slowly over moderately low heat, turning, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the short ribs to a platter and repeat with the remaining oil and ribs.
3. Add the onions to the casserole and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of the caraway seeds and the remaining 1 teaspoon each of hot and sweet paprika. Cook over low heat until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the Cognac and simmer for 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook for 3 minutes. Increase the heat to moderately high and slowly whisk in the beef stock until smooth.
4. Return the short ribs to the casserole with any accumulated juices and bring to a simmer. Cover the casserole with wax paper and then the lid and bake the stroganoff in the oven for about 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.
5. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of caraway seeds over moderate heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate to cool, then finely grind in a spice grinder or mortar.
6. Return the casserole to the stove over low heat. Stir in the cornichons and toasted caraway. In a bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of the hot cooking liquid into the sour cream. Stir the sauce back into the stroganoff and turn off the heat. Continue stirring until well blended. Serve hot.

Make Ahead

The stroganoff can be refrigerated overnight. Rewarm and add the sour cream just before serving.

1. Cook the ground beef in a large pan over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it cooks, before draining any excess grease.
2. Mix the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, chili sauce, garlic, ginger, cornstarch and water, add to the pan along, with the green onions, and cook until the sauce thickens a bit, about a minute.
3. Remove from heat, mix in the sesame oil and sesame seeds.

Option: Add some vegetables to the mix such as broccoli, peas, peppers, etc.

Here's the prompt: bulgogi-style tofu. It’s simple. Press some firm tofu to extract as much liquid as you can. Make a marinade of soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, a spoonful of gochujang, a splash of neutral oil, some sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Slice the tofu into bite-size cubes, and slide them into the marinade. Let that sit — a half-hour works; a few hours works better. Then roast them in a hot oven on an oiled foil-lined pan until they’re crisp. Serve with bibb lettuce cups to wrap them in, with rice, kimchi and a dipping sauce of ssamjang and a little bit more gochujang thinned out with neutral oil and sherry vinegar. (If not, go with sesame oil and ground white pepper.) That’s a fine dinner.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms to the dry pan, season with salt, and cook for 5 minutes or until some of the moisture cooks out and the mushrooms begin to caramelize. Add 2 teaspoons of oil along with the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor along with the chipotles, to taste.

Place the skillet back over medium heat. Add the walnuts to toast for 1 to 2 minutes until nutty smelling, stirring frequently. Transfer to the food processor and pulse with the mushroom mixture until finely chopped. Scrape into a large bowl and set aside.

Add the black beans and rice to the food processor and pulse two to four times to coarsely chop and combine. Add to the mushroom mixture along with the egg, mustard, 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Stir well to evenly combine. If the mixture is a little loose or too sticky to handle, add the other tablespoon of breadcrumbs.

Place the nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil. Divide the mixture into six equal pieces, about 1/2 cup each, and shape into burgers roughly the size of your buns Flatter patties will be generally firmer and crispier. Thicker patties will have a nice crisp exterior with a more tender center.

Cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. If making cheese areers, add a slice of cheese to each paste cover the pan with lith and allow the cheese to melt for about 1 minute. Serve the patties on toasted buns with your favorite toppings.

Preheat your oven to 450°F and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the oil onto a sheet pan.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, and salt and whisk to combine. Whisk in the soda water, then add the cauliflower florets and chickpeas. Stir well to evenly coat the cauliflower and chickpeas in the batter.

Add the breadcrumbs to a separate large bowl. Dump the cauliflower and chickpeas into the panko and toss very well to combine and evenly coat, then transfer the cauliflower and chickpeas to the prepared sheet pan. Spread into an even layer, leaving some room between each piece. Drizzle over the remaining tablespoon of oil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden and crisp, tossing halfway through.

Meanwhile, make the buffalo sauce by whisking the hot sauce and butter together. Remove the cauliflower and chickpeas from the oven and toss with the buffalo sauce. Return to the oven for 5 minutes to allow the sauce to soak in.

While the cauliflower and chickpeas cook, whisk the mayonnaise sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and garlic powder together in large bowl. Stir in a the blue cheese and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the chives, carrot, and celery, reserving the leaves for garnish.

Stuff the pitas with the buffalo cauliflower and chickpeas and top with the blue cheese slaw. Scatter with the reserved celery leaves and serve.

Leftover cauliflower and chickpeas can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
 

Pickle the iceberg: Combine the water, vinegar, salt, sugar, and garlic in a large bowl, and whisk until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add the dill and iceberg, and turn to coat the lettuce evenly. It will not be fully submerged in the vinegar mixture yet. Set it aside for 30 minutes, turning the pieces once or twice. In 30 minutes, the lettuce will become halfway softened and pickle-flavored. You can use it now; or you can cover and chill it for up to 1 week.

Meanwhile, make the spread: Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl, adding the hot sauce to taste.

Assemble your sandwiches: Spread eight slices of toast with a slick of the dressing, and arrange the bacon and tomatoes on top of half the slices. Grab a tongful of iceberg, shaking off the extra vinegar, and pile it on each of the sandwiches. Close your sandwiches with the remaining slices of bread. Cut in half and eat right away.

Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan, and cover them with 1 inch of well-salted cold water. Bring to a boil, and cook for 20 minutes, or until a skewer or paring knife easily pierces a potato. Drain them and plunge them into ice water, letting the potatoes hang out there until they're cool. Drain again, and chill them until needed. The potatoes will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Meanwhile, mix the onion, brine, and 1 teaspoon salt, and set this aside for 15 minutes, during which the onions will soften and mellow slightly. Whisk in the mustard, then the oil and nigella seeds, if using.

Season well with black pepper, and more salt as needed. Taste, and if it's not zippy enough-remember, we want this to season a whole bowl of very neutral, absorbent potatoes-add more pickle brine and/or spicy mustard to taste. Halve the cooled potatoes and add them to the dressing, along with the pickles and dill. Stir to coat.
You can eat this right away, let it harmonize at room temperature for an hour or two, or keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. (But not if your pota- toes were already 5 days old, okay? Then eat it sooner.)

1. Mince the onion and garlic. Heat the olive oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add the garlic, onion, salt and pepper, and cook until everything is soft, about 4 – 5 minutes.
2. Finely dice the zucchini (there should be a little more than 1/4 cup) and add to the pan. Cook until the zucchini is tender, about 3 – 4 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Rinse and chop the pickled lemons, and add them to the pan. Scrape everything into a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. Once cool, add the lamb, egg yolk, flour and mint. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and mix well with your hands.
5. Preheat the oven to 450°. Using damp hands, shape the mixture into 1-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, until the meatballs are slightly browned on the outside. Serve hot or at room temperature with hummus or tzatziki as a garnish.

FOR THE SICHUAN DRESSING:

1. Mix everything well.

FOR THE SALAD:

1. Toss everything with the dressing and enjoy!
2. Note: Make you own sichuan chili oil by heating 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat, turn off the heat, add 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon sichuan peppercorns, let cool and strain the solids from the oil. You can also replace the sichuan chili oil with 1 teaspoon sambal oelek and 1/2 teaspoon ground sichuan peppercorns or you can omit the sichuan pepper altogether.
3. Option: Increase the amount of the sichuan chili oil or add some sambal oelek to make things a little spicier!

1. Preheat your oven to 200˚C/400˚F/gas 6. Put your porcini mushrooms into a dish, cover with 565ml/1 pint of boiling water and allow to soak until soft. Heat a large roasting tray on the hob. Slice the bacon across into strips – called ‘lardons’. Fry in 4 tablespoons of olive oil until crisp and golden. Tie your herbs together with some string and add to the bacon in the pan with your onions, garlic, carrot, celery and bay leaves. Drain the porcini, reserving the soaking liquid, add them to the pan and fry nice and slowly for about 5 minutes. Add the red wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.
2. Add the tomatoes to the pan, breaking them up with a spoon, then add your strained porcini soaking liquor and the beans. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Lightly season then lay your sausages on top – all higgledy piggledy, so they can get nice and brown as they cook. Break up your bread into coarse, chunky breadcrumbs, toss with the thyme, a little salt and olive oil and sprinkle around the sausages. Place in the oven for around 40 minutes until the sausages and breadcrumbs are golden and crisp. Remove the bunch of herbs and serve with something like mashed potato or polenta.
3. Try this: Any combination of beans and lentils works well in this cassoulet, so feel free to use what you fancy.
4. And this: Sometimes if I want to make this a bit more healthy and get some greens involved I will stir in a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach right at the end when serving up. The heat from the dish will make the spinach wilt.