Meals

Instructions

1. Turn the shanks in the seasoned flour, and shake off any excess flour. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole. When hot, add the lamb shanks and brown all over. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and put to one side. Add the onions, garlic and herbs, and sauté until golden and softened. Raise the heat and add the wine and vinegar together. Bubble them furiously for 2-3 mins to reduce.
2. Return the shanks to the casserole and cover with greaseproof paper and a lid. You can add a couple of strips of lemon rind if you like. Lower the heat and simmer very gently for 2 hours. Turn the shanks from time to time, and add more wine if the liquid is evaporating. Longer cooking won't hurt them; the meat should fall off the bone.

Instructions

1. Cook the rice according to package directions, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, caramelize the onions. Heat a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and a little pepper, and cook until they’re tender and sweet, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Add the kale ribbons, and cook until they wilt a bit, about 5 minutes. Stir together the onion-kale mixture, wild rice, and 1 cup of grated cheese in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. To assemble the gratin, first use 1 tablespoon of butter to generously coat a 2-quart baking dish. Spread the wild-rice mixture into the prepared dish and pour broth over it. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese on top. Toss breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon of melted butter Andy salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the cheese.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until bubbly and beginning to brown on top.

Instructions

1. Place the water into a large stockpot along with salt, sugar, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaves and ginger. Cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. The aromatic fragrance of the spices is simply amazing.
2. Remove from the heat and add the ice. Stir until the ice has melted. Ice is added to cool down the solution but you can totally skip this and just refrigerate the brine until it reaches a temperature of 45 degrees F.
3. Once it has cooled, place the brisket in a 2-gallon zip top bag and add the brine. Seal and lay flat inside a container, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 10 days. Check daily to make sure the beef is completely submerged and stir the brine. If you don’t have a huge zip top bag, brine the brisket in a large tupperware container and make sure to flip the brisket each day to make sure that all of the brisket comes in contact with the brine.

Cooking the Beef Brisket

• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped

1. After at least 10 days, remove the brisket from the brine and rinse well under cool water. Place the brisket into a pot just large enough to hold the meat, add the onion, carrot and celery and cover with water. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and gently simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
2. Remove from the pot and thinly slice across the grain.

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Make creamy dressing: Whisk everything to combine and add half (2 tablespoons) of the minced chives. Taste and adjust ingredients such as salt and pepper as needed.
Make buffalo sauce: Whisk butter and hot sauce to combine and set aside.

To serve: Arrange vegetables, onion, and blue cheese on a large platter. Place lettuce in a large bowl. I like to keep the chicken separate just in case someone doesn’t eat it.

To assemble: Place some lettuce on plate, followed by chicken. Add all of the vegetables, onion, and cheese you like then drizzle with creamy dressing, followed by buffalo sauce. Garnish with remaining chives.

Notes:

You could definitely omit the chicken here and still have an amazing salad. Diced firm tofu would be great, too, or you could grill it in strips.

Use any vegetables you like here, but if you’re curious, I used 1.5 cups celery (from 2 large ribs), 1.5 cups carrots (from 3 slim carrots, about 6 ounces total), 1 cup yellow pepper (from 1 large), 1.5 cups cucumber (from 1.5 Persian/small cucumbers, about 5 ounces), and 1 cup diced tomatoes (from larger cherry tomatoes).

1. Set aside cup (175 mL) microgreens for garnish. Lay 4 bread slices on a cutting board. Spread with mustard. Sprinkle half the cheese on the 4 bread slices. Top each with 1 to 2 ham slices. Divide remaining greens between slices. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Top each stack with a bread slice and press down.

2. Whisk eggs with milk, nutmeg and salt in a shallow pie plate or square baking dish.

3. Melt 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter in a large, wide frying pan set over medium heat. When butter is almost melted, dip both sides of 1 sandwich in egg mixture, allowing sandwich to soak for a maximum of 10 seconds. When both sides have been dipped, add sandwich to the frothy butter in pan. Repeat for a second sandwich. Cook until bread is golden, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Remove to plates. Repeat for second pair of sandwiches, with additional 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter.

4. Slice sandwiches in half and top with reserved greens. Serve immediately with jam alongside, if you like.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut onions into 3/4 inch thick wedges and place in cast iron skillet or roasting pan. Cut garlic heads in half and place in skillet nestled with onions. Drizzle 3 tablespoons olive oil over the onions and garlic, sprinkle with about a teaspoon of salt and toss gently. Adjust garlic heads to they are cut side down in the pan.

In a small bowl combine 1.5 teaspoon salt** (I used a Kosher chicken so cut back quite a bit on the salt, Molly uses 4 teaspoons in her recipe), 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon black pepper and 2 tablespoons olive oil mixing until a paste forms. Place the chicken breast side up on top of the onions in the skillet. Rub the paste all over the chicken – really get into the nooks and crannies and underside of the chicken!

Roast the chicken for 50-65 minutes, giving the onions a toss after 30 minutes. My bird got a bit too dark, you can tent with foil if it starts to get too dark for the remainder of the cook time if this happens to you.

Sprinkle the onions and garlic with the dill. Carve chicken and return on top of the onions and garlic for serving. Slather with that dijon for maximum pastrami sandwich vibes.

Day Before

1. Mix together the white miso (½ cup), sake (½ cup), and 3 tablespoons of the sugar, then wisk together.
2. Cut your pork up into inch or two thick steaks, then add into a bowl with the miso marinade, cover and put in the fridge overnight.

Day of

1. Cut the cucumber into very thin slices, put into a small bowl with 1 ½ teaspoons of salt, mix up and put in the fridge until you need them again
2. Take the pork out of the bag over a bowl, letting the marinade drip in. Scrape all of the marinade off of the pork with the side of a fork and let it drip into the bowl. Add ½ cup of water to the marinade and put the pork on a plate.
3. Get a pan HOT (as hot as you can get a pan). Dab the pork with a paper towel and put vegatable oil (2 tablespoons) and a pinch of salt on the pork, and try to cover all surfaces.
4. Put the pork on the pan and turn down the heat a little and let the first side cook for 2 minutes. Flip the steaks to an uncooked side and cook for another 2 minutes, repeating until a temperature probe says the pork is 145° internal.
5. Let the pork rest on a plate, then drain the cucumbers of liquid and add unseasoned rice vinegar (2 tablespoons), gochujaru (1 teaspoon), and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Toss to coat.
6. Cut the pork off the bone, then serve with the cucumbers and the sauce drizzled on top.
7. Heat up the marindate in a sauce pan on low heat, stirring constantly, until it browns and thickens a little bit.
8. Enjoy!

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
2. Make the egg mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk together 4 egg yolks and 1 whole egg. Whisk in 2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (½ cup).
3. Start the sauce: Dice 1 (4-ounce) piece of Spanish chorizo into ¼-inch pieces.
4. Thoroughly drain and rinse 1 (14.5-ounce) can of chickpeas in a fine-mesh strainer.
5. In a large Dutch oven, combine the chorizo and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Cook over medium heat until it just starts to sizzle, about 3 minutes.
6. Add the chickpeas and stir well to coat in the oil. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally and crushing some of the chickpeas with the back of a wooden spoon, until they are crisp in some areas and the chorizo has leeched out some of its red oil, 5 to 6 minutes longer. Coarsely grind lots of black pepper into the pot to bloom the pepper and bring out its aroma. Remove the pot from the heat.
7. Cook the pasta: While the chickpeas cook, add the rigatoni to the boiling water and give it a stir. Cook according to the package directions for al dente. Scoop out and reserve 1 ½ cups of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
8. Whisk ½ cup of the reserved pasta water into the egg and Parmesan mixture until well combined.
9. Bring it all together: Transfer the pasta to the Dutch oven along with about half of the remaining pasta water. Turn the heat to medium-low and stream in the egg mixture, stirring vigorously and constantly with a spoon, until the pasta is coated in a thick, creamy, pale yellow sauce. You will see it magically transform from a raw egg mixture to a slightly thickened creamy sauce. Add a splash or two more pasta water if it looks a little too thick and could be saucier.
10. Finely grate the zest of ½ lemon into the pasta. Taste and add more salt and black pepper if you think it needs it.
11. Serve: Top with more grated Parmesan and black pepper and serve.

Prep your mise:

✦Pat 2 New York strip steaks dry with paper towels. Season all over with 2½ teaspoons kosher salt and a generous amount of ground black pepper. Set aside for at least 15 minutes.*

✦Finely chop 1 large shallot.

✦Thinly slice 2 garlic cloves. Firmly smash 2 additional garlic cloves to really break them open so that they are able to release a lot of flavor when theyhit the skillet.

✦Place 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns in a sealable plastic bag, seal the bag, place it on your countertop, and crush with the bottom of a small saucepan to coarsely crack them. If you have a mortar and pestle, use that! They should be coarser than ground black pepper.

Cook the steaks:

✦Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 4 minutes.

✦Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to the skillet. Add the steaks and cook, undisturbed, until a deep golden brown crust forms underneath, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook on the second side until equally golden brown, 3 minutes longer. (If the steaks have a fat cap, upend them on their sides, stabilizing them with tongs, and sear the edges, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per edge.)

Baste:

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add 1 tablespoon butter, 3 thyme sprigs, and the 2 smashed garlic cloves to the pan. Use a spoon to continuously baste the steak, about 2 minutes. If you’ve never basted a steak and want to learn how, right this way! Insert your instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the steak. Once it registers 120°F, transfer it to a cutting board to rest.

Make the pan sauce:

✦Add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet along with the sliced garlic, shallot, and crushed peppercorns. Cook, stirring often, until the shallot and garlic are softened but not browned, 4 to 5 minutes.**

✦Turn off the heat (cognac is flammable!) and add 1⁄3 cup cognac. Return the skillet to medium heat and cook until the cognac has mostly evaporated andyour spoon leaves streaks in the skillet when you stir, 1 to 2 minutes.

✦Add ½ cup heavy cream, bring to a simmer, and cook until it coats the back of a spoon, about 1 minute. Season with kosher salt.

Serve:

✦Slice the steak against the grain. Not sure what the grain is or how to find it? Right this way. Transfer to a serving platter.

✦Pour any resting juices back into the skillet and stir them into the sauce. Spoon the sauce generously over the steak, season with flaky sea salt, and serve immediately.***

*This will give the salt a chance to penetrate the meat, so it won’t fall off the steaks when you sear them.

**Cooking the peppercorns helps bloom their flavor and infuses the butter with peppery heat in a way that simply stirring them in at the end does not.*

**The sauce will thicken and congeal as it cools down, and it won’t feel as luxurious on your palate.

Make the filling: Heat your largest skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add oil, and once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, and bell pepper and cook until the the ingredients begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cumin, smaller amount of chili powder, and tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes and let simmer for 1 minute, then add the beans and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Taste the mixture and add salt; I find I need between 2 to 3 teaspoons kosher salt to get the level right but adjust it to your taste. Add last 1 teaspoon chili powder if needed for your desired heat level. Add the corn and spinach and stir until the spinach has wilted and everything is warm. Taste for seasoning again and adjust as needed.

Remove from heat and squeeze the juice of half the lime over the mixture, then the second half if you like more. Let cool slightly while you get ready to assemble your burritos.

Assemble your burritos: If your tortillas are unbendy from the package, you can warm them briefly in a dry skillet or for 15 seconds in the microwave to soften them. If they seem dry, I might spritz them lightly with water before warming.

Arrange first tortilla on counter and spoon about 3/4 cup of the filling in the lower third, closest to you. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup jack cheese and 2 tablespoons cotija. (If you like to make some burritos spicier than others, you can shake hot sauce on at this point.) Fold the bottom of the tortilla over the filling, fold in the sides, and roll it up, setting it to cool seam side-down. Repeat with remaining tortillas, filling, and cheese.

To eat right away: Go for it! but I love to brown it in a pan on both sides for some added texture and to ensure the cheese gets melty. Heat a skillet with a thin layer of oil over medium heat and add burritos you’re ready to eat. Cook until browned and crisp on both sides and dig in.

To freeze for later: Wrap burritos individually in foil (best for oven reheating) or plastic and pack in a freezer bag with all air pressed out. Burritos keep in the freezer a few months, or for as long as your freezer allows them to without imparting a “freezery” taste.

To reheat from frozen in an oven: Heat oven to 375°F. Heat foil-wrapped burrito for 40 to 50 minutes. To check for warmth, stick a toothpick or skewer into the center of a burrito and keep it there for 10 seconds. If the toothpick is warm when it’s remove, the burrito is too. If not, give it more time.

To reheat from frozen in a microwave: Unwrap burrito and microwave on a plate for 3 to 5 minutes, turning over once midway. To check for warmth, stick a toothpick or skewer into the center of a burrito and keep it there for 10 seconds. If the toothpick is warm when it’s remove, the burrito is too. If not, give it more time.

Both methods: For that extra crisp once warmed, follow the skillet instructions under “To eat right away” above.

Notes

• Chili powders tend to range a lot in heat level so give it a taste before you start to make sure you’re not surprised after adding the first 2 teaspoons.
• Depending on the size of my tortillas, I sometimes end up with 1 to 1.5 cups extra filling. You can use it to make more burritos or just heat it up with extra cheese and put an egg on top, and I did with delight last week.