The combination of scallions and beef is rather common in some South Asian cuisine but in the West scallions rarely have a starring role. Here I have sought to give these lovely little onions their chance to shine by using only a bit of beef as a flavoring. The rich homemade brown stock obviates the need for much further seasoning beyond salt and pepper. I finish the South Asian twist by serving the rice with Indian-inspired cucumbers in yoghurt.
Put the beef into a small bowl and add the Thai seasoning sauce or soy sauce. Stir to combine and set aside.
Line a strainer with cheesecloth, set over a bowl, and add the yoghurt. Peel, seed, and shred the cucumber then place it in a colander and sprinkle generously with salt. (Don’t worry; you will be rinsing it off later.) Let both sit for at least a half hour to give up their moisture. Rinse the cucumber well, squeeze out the extra water with your hands or a towel. Put the yoghurt into a bowl and add the cucumber, curry powder, garam masala, and cinnamon. Mix well to combine. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator.
Finely chop the white parts of the scallions and separately cut the green parts crosswise into ½‑inch thick pieces. Bring the stock to a simmer. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium-high heat and brown the meat well. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Adjust the oil in the pan and sauté the onion until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and fry, stirring constantly, until chalky, about 3 minutes. Stir 1 cup of the stock into the rice. Reduce the heat until the rice is simmering gently. Stir constantly until the liquid is nearly absorbed. Continue to add stock, 2 ounces at a time, stirring until nearly absorbed. After you have added 2 cups of stock taste the rice. It should offer just a bit of resistance to the tooth. If it is too hard continue to add stock until it is done. If it is ready fold in the beef and the scallion greens then another 2 ounces of stocks. Stir of a minute to warm the meat through and just wilt the scallions. Mix in the butter if using. Serve hot with a large dollop of the cucumber sauce.
The Internet is a wonderful resource for cooks but it is not without its pitfalls. Search for a classic dish and you will find dozens of recipes most using different ingredients and techniques. But read through enough of these and usually a pattern will emerge. Take this classic fish dish from the Tuscan port of Livorno. Some recipes have you fry the fish, some do not; some bake the dish, others not; some have potatoes, some not. What is consistent, however, is that all contain tomatoes, olives, and capers. Some recipes use the tomatoes chopped up while others use a tomato sauce. I chose the latter because I happened to have some marinara sauce in the refrigerator. Another feature of the dish is that it usually contains a fair bit of olive oil. While some call for the oil to be poured over the fish I opted to blanch potatoes in it to reduce the baking time and minimize the chance that the fish would dry out. Caution: do not be tempted to top this dish with Parmesan; Italians never use cheese with fish.
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Heat the oil in a large skillet until a potato slice dropped into it immediately sizzles. Add the potatoes one slice at a time in one layer. Fry for about 3 or 4 minutes, turning once, until they are lightly browned but not crisp. Remove to a colander to drain and cool. Repeat until all the potatoes are done.
Put the onions into the hot oil and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and squeeze out as much oil as you can. Set aside.
When they are cool enough to handle, arrange half of the potato slices on the bottom of a small baking dish, overlapping them. Spread the onions over the potatoes. Place the fish in a single layer over the onions and distribute the anchovies on top of it. Sprinkle the olives and capers over the dish then cover with the rest of the potato slices. Season with salt and pepper. Finally, pour over the marinara sauce to cover.
Bake in the hot oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until a thermometer stuck into the fish reads 140°. Garnish with the shredded basil leaves and serve immediately.
Also known as tortilla española or tortilla de patatas, this classic Spanish dish it is eaten at any time of day, not just for breakfast, and is often served at room temperature. It makes a wonderful meatless dinner.
Note: The Spanish use a special lid to turn the tortilla. You can do the same by inverting a plate over the skillet, turning the tortilla onto it, then sliding it back into the pan. Or, you can simply pop the whole thing about 4 inches below a pre-heated broiler. The turning makes for a nicer presentation but it is fraught with potential for disaster.
Serves 2 as an entree
Scrub or peel the potatoes and slice ⅛-inch thick. Halve the onions lengthwise and slice crosswise the same thickness as the potatoes. Heat the oil in a large (12”) non-stick skillet. When hot, add the potatoes and onions. Stir gently to coat with oil. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring a few times.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl (I use a stick blender to get them nice and frothy). Season with salt and pepper. Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions and potatoes from the oil and fold into the eggs.
Pour about 2 Tbsp. of the oil into a 10” non-stick skillet and put over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot add the egg, onion, and potato mixture. Shake gently to distribute evenly. Reduce the heat a bit and cook until the edges are set, about 2 or 3 minutes.
Turn the tortilla as described in the note above and return to medium heat for about 5 minutes. Test with a small knife or toothpick to make sure it is cooked through. Slide out onto a serving plate, garnish, and serve.
Stew, in my opinion, should not only taste good but look good as well. The choice of ingredients should encompass a range of compatible colors as well as flavors. And, of course, they should add up to a nutritionally balanced meal. This simple stew, loosely based on a Portuguese classic, meets all those criteria. You might notice that this dish is similar to a Portuguese chourico stew that I posted a while back. That is no accident because I used that recipe as a starting point. But in my quest to increase the ratio of vegetables to meat in my meals I have halved the amount of sausage and added carrots. The result is every bit as tasty and better for you and for the environment.
Film a suitable lidded pot (I use my trusty 3-quart enameled Dutch oven) with a bit of olive oil and, over medium-high heat, render the pancetta until brown and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving as much fat behind as possible, and set aside.
Add the chorizo to the pot and brown well on both sides. Remove and set aside. Pour off any excess fat.
Reduce the heat to medium and put the carrots and onions into the pot. Sweat gently until the onions just begin to color, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Pour in the sherry and deglaze the pan. Add the tomatoes, green beans, and potatoes then return the meats to the pot. Season with the salt, pimentón, and black pepper then add the water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat a bit, and cook for another 5 minutes to concentrate the broth.
Just what constitutes New England Boiled Dinner depends on whom you ask. Some insist that it corned beef with cabbage and potatoes; others say that it is made with uncured brisket. Some add carrots to the mix. My version, which is the way my Connecticut-born-and-raised mother made it, uses brisket with potatoes, carrots, and onions all served with horseradish sour cream. Naturally, the best way cook this is the old fashioned way—on the back burner of the stovetop for 2 or 3 hours. I used my trusty pressure cooker that cut the total time to about an hour. You can save a few more minutes by bringing the water to a boil while preparing the mirepoix.
Note: I made this recipe with a one pound piece of brisket that I had left over from breaking down a whole brisket for corned beef. It serves two generously. A typical supermarket cut of brisket weighs 2½ to 3 pounds so you will have to adjust the amount of vegetables and cooking time accordingly—I suggest 45 to 50 minutes for the meat.
Film the bottom of the pressure cooker with the oil and sauté the carrot, celery, and onion for about 5 minutes or until somewhat softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. (You can skip this step if you are in a hurry.)
Put the meat on top of the vegetables in the pressure cooker and add the spices. Pour in enough water to just cover the meat. Cook at high pressure for 30 minutes. Release the pressure according to manufacturers instruction. Remove the meat and set aside. Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl.
Put the carrots, potatoes, and onions into the pressure cooker. Season with salt and pepper. Put meat on top of the vegetables and pour the broth in—it should cover the vegetables, if not, add a bit more water. Cook on high pressure for 8 to 10 minutes. Release the pressure, open, and serve topped with horseradish sour cream.
Also known as tortilla española, this classic Spanish dish is a type of omelet resembling a quiche but without a crust. And like a quiche it is eaten at any time of day, not just for breakfast. Traditionally the potatoes are cooked slowly in abundant olive oil—almost poached. I reduce the oil considerably. Also, in Spain the tortilla is cooked entirely on the stove top being turned using a special lid. I finish it under the broiler. Finally, I use a combination of whole eggs and non-fat liquid eggs. You could use all of either one. Unless you have an ungracious guest from Andalusia no one is likely to object.
Serves 2 to 4
Scrub or peel the potatoes and slice ⅛-inch thick. Halve the onions lengthwise and slice thinly crosswise. Over medium heat the oil in an oven-proof non-stick skillet. When hot, add the potatoes and onions. Stir gently to coat with oil. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring a few times.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl (I use a stick blender to get them nice and frothy). Season with salt and pepper. Fold the onions and potatoes into the eggs.
Preheat the broiler. Reheat the skillet over medium-high heat. If needed add a bit of olive oil. Pour in the egg mixture and shake gently to smooth out. Cook for about 4 minutes or until the edges of the tortilla have set. Place 4 inches below the broiler element for about 5 minutes. Test with a small knife or toothpick to make sure it is cooked through.
This is a classic French preparation of steak. It works well with any cut but I prefer a leaner, chewier steak like top round which is closer in texture to grass-fed beef. The trick to this dish is to get the skillet very hot. A word of warning: it can get pretty smoky. Also, because you are heating fat very hot keep a lid handy in case of a flare up.
Root vegetables like carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, and potatoes develop a wonderful sweetness when roasted. I like to toss them simply with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper, and maybe a bit of garlic or some herbs. I also like to add some onions because they are also great roasted. The trick is to make sure that all the vegetables are about the same size so that they cook evenly. You can use whatever variety of roots you happen to have on hand or even just one of them by itself. This recipe is just how I happened to make them tonight!
Season the steaks on both sides with salt and allow to rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes. Place a cast iron skillet over medium heat until warm then turn the heat to very high and allow it to get very hot. Put olive oil and butter in the pan, when melted and smoking carefully add the steaks. Cook for 3 minutes on each side for medium rare. Remove from pan and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Reduce heat to medium high.
Pour off any excess fat from the pan then add the wine and herbs. Boil down, scraping with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan. When the wine has thickened to a syrupy consistency, remove from heat and stir in about 1 Tbsp. butter. Strain if desired.
8 small red potatoes, scrubbed
6 small beets, peeled
1 large carrot, scrapped and cut into pieces the size of the potatoes
8 small white boiling onions or 4 small yellow onions, peeled (If you are using yellow onions, cut them in half across the width)
2 or 3 garlic cloves
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400° (375° for convection). Put all the vegetables in a large bowl, sprinkle generously with olive oil, 1 tsp. of kosher salt, and a good grind of black pepper. Toss to combine. Turn the vegetables out onto a shallow baking disk in one layer. Scrape any oil remaining in the bowl over the vegetables. Roast for about 45 minutes or until done, turning from time to time.
