Ingredients

• 12 ounces shrimp, shelled and de-veined
• 2 scallions
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
• Fresh ground white pepper
• 3 small bell peppers, 6 long hot green peppers, or any pepper of your choice
• 1 tablespoon oil

For the sauce:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon whole fermented Black Beans
• 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed into a slurry with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

1. Use a cleaver or knife to finely mince the shrimp into a very fine paste. This process entails chopping and folding the shrimp paste over and onto itself, and continuing to chop. Transfer the shrimp paste to a bowl.
2. Chop the scallions. Set aside half of the green portion for the sauce. Add the rest of the chopped scallion to the shrimp, along with 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, 1½ tablespoons cornstarch, 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine, and white pepper to taste. Use a fork to beat/whip the shrimp until it is smooth and all the ingredients are well-combined.
3. Pop the stems off the bell peppers and follow the lines of each pepper to cut into 3-5 segments. Remove the seeds. If using long hot green peppers, just cut them in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.
4. Stuff each pepper segment with the shrimp mixture until the filling is even with the edges of the peppers. You can also trim the ends of the peppers to ensure they are flush and at the same level of the filling. This will make the peppers easier to cook.
5. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok or skillet over medium high heat and place the peppers in the oil, stuffing side down. Cook until they are browned, about 2 minutes. Turn the peppers over to sear the bottoms for another 2 minutes, turning the heat down if they start to get too dark. If using the long hot green peppers or another variety of thin-fleshed pepper, simply transfer them to the serving plate.
6. If using bell peppers, which have thicker flesh and take longer to cook, add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan, cover, and steam for another 2 minutes, or until the peppers are just tender. Set aside on a serving plate.
7. It’s time to make the sauce, which only takes a couple minutes. Heat the wok over medium heat and add the oil, garlic and fermented black beans. Stir-fry for a few seconds and add the shaoxing wine. When the wine is bubbly, add the rest of the sauce ingredients (except the cornstarch slurry) and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the cornstarch slurry gradually until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Stir in the reserved scallions and spoon the sauce over the peppers to serve.

Taken from the site: https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-stuffed-peppers-2/

Ingredients

• About 1kg of cod 
• 4 onions cut into strips 
• 4-5 (1kg) yellow potatoes 
• 2 garlic cloves 
• 1 red pepper 
• 4 eggs 
• Black pitted olives
• Salsinha 
• Good quality olive oil 
• Black pepper

Instructions

Start by desalting the cod. Place dried cod in plenty of water 36 hours in advance and drain water several times a day. Try the codfish to make sure it is not too salty. It is not necessary to completely remove the salt from the fish, because in the rest of the recipe I will not use salt. If you prefer, remove salt from cod well and remember to add salt for the remainder of the preparation.

While the cod boil, peel and cut the potatoes into large slices (about 1cm). Bring the potatoes to a boil. When the potato is al dente drain and set aside. Cook eggs separately by boiling water and letting them stand for 12 minutes covered, Remove eggs and chill in cold water.

Meanwhile, add the onions in a hot skillet with a little olive oil. Sauté for about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Cut the red bell pepper into large strips (about 1cm) and sauté along with the onion.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a casserole dish, drizzle ¼ cup of olive oil. Add layers of potatoes, drained cod and the onion/garlic/red pepper mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

In a casserole dish, drizzle ¼ cup of olive oil. Add layers of potatoes, drained cod and the onion/garlic/red pepper mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle another ¼ cup of olive oil on top. Bake for 40 minutes.

With 20 minutes remaining garnish with quartered or sliced hard-boiled eggs, chopped parsley and black olives.

Finish with black pepper and a nice strand of extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately. 
Enjoy your food!!

Inspired by PORTUGAL: BACALHAU À GOMES DE SÁ and Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá

SERVINGS: to serve 6

Ingredients

• 3 oranges
• 75ml Limoncello
• 100g sponge fingers
• 250g marscapone
• 2 heaped tablespoons icing sugar
• 100ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 punnet of seasonal fruit, we used raspberries
• bar of good quality dark chocolate

Instructions

In a good sized serving dish (it will need to fit a single layer of your sponge fingers) squeeze the juice from the oranges. Stir in the Limoncello and taste to check sweetness and alcohol; adjust if necessary. Layer the sponge fingers in the serving dish – they will absorb all the juice.

Put the marscapone and icing sugar into a separate bowl with the milk. Zest the lemon and add to the marscapone and squeeze in the juice of half the lemon. Add the vanilla extract and whisk well. Spread this mixture over the sponge fingers, top with the berries and shave chocolate over the top. Refrigerate until you are ready to eat.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PASTRY:

• 1 ½ cup / 191 grams all-purpose flour, more for dusting
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• ½ cup / 113 grams cold unsalted butter or lard (103 grams), cubed
• ¼ cup / 60 milliliters ice water
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar

FOR THE FILLING:

• ¼ cup / 36 grams raisins (optional)
• 1 cup / 220 grams packed brown sugar, light or dark (see Note)
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ cup /57 grams unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

PREPARATION

1. Make the pastry: In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, rub butter or lard into flour until mixture is in pea-size pieces.
2. In a small bowl, mix water, egg yolk and vinegar until well combined. Add liquid to the flour mixture, using a fork to combine. Add 1 tablespoon more water if it looks dry.
3. Knead dough several times by hand to bring it together and shape into a flat square. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. Once chilled, roll out the dough into a 16-inch-by-12-inch (40.5 centimeters by 30.5 centimeters) rectangle about 1/8- to 1/4-inch (3 to 6 millimeters) thick. Flour the work surface and rolling pin as you work with the dough.
5. Use a circular 4-inch (10 centimeter) cookie cutter (or a clean 28-ounce / 496 milliliter can) to cut 12 pieces. Reroll dough if needed to cut more circles, but try to cut as many pieces on the first pass. With your fingertips, press each circle into the cup of a standard muffin tin, so that the edge of the dough is flush with the pan. Refrigerate while while you make the filling.
6. In a bowl, cover raisins with hot tap water to plump. Heat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
7. Make the filling: In a bowl, mix brown sugar and salt, and then beat the butter into the sugar by hand until smooth. Add vanilla and egg and mix until combined. Do not use an electric mixer; it will add too much air to the filling.
8. Drain the raisins and place seven or eight raisins in each chilled tart shell.
9. Divide the filling evenly among the tart shells, filling each one about halfway. Place muffin tin on a baking sheet. Bake 13 to 15 minutes for a runnier tart and 17 to 19 minutes for a firmer one.
10. A few minutes after removing the tarts from the oven, run a knife or offset spatula around the edge of each tart to loosen. Let cool completely in the tin. To remove, run a butter knife or offset spatula around and under each tart to pop it out of the tin.

Tip

• For a runnier tart, use 1/3 cup maple syrup, corn syrup or golden syrup plus 2/3 cup brown sugar.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019129-butter-tarts

PREP TIME: 20 Minutes

COOK TIME: 2 Hours

SERVINGS: 4 Servings

Ingredients

• 8 whole Beef Short Ribs
• Kosher Salt and Pepper To Taste
• 1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
• 6 pieces Pancetta, Diced
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 whole Carrots, Diced
• 2 whole Shallots, Peeled And Finely Minced
• 2 cups Red Or White Wine
• 2 cups Beef Or Chicken Broth (enough To Almost Cover Ribs)
• 2 sprigs Thyme
• 2 sprigs Rosemary

Instructions

1. Salt and pepper ribs, then dredge in flour. Set aside.
2. In a large dutch oven, cook pancetta over medium heat until complete crispy and all fat is rendered. Remove pancetta and set aside. Do not discard grease.
3. Add olive oil to pan with the pancetta grease, and raise heat to high. Brown ribs on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove ribs and set aside. Turn heat to medium.
4. Add onions, carrots, and shallots to pan and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape bottom of pan to release all the flavorful bits of glory. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes.
5. Add broth, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add ribs to the liquid; they should be almost completely submerged. Add thyme and rosemary sprigs (whole) to the liquid.
6. Put on the lid and place into the oven. Cook at 350 for 2 hours, then reduce heat to 325 and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Ribs should be fork-tender and falling off the bone. Remove pan from oven and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes, lid on, before serving. At the last minute, skim fat off the top of the liquid. (Can also refrigerate mixture, then remove solid fat from the top.)
7. Serve 2 ribs on bed of creamy polenta, spooning a little juice over the top.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/braised-short-ribs-heaven-on-a-plate/

 

Leesten. And heer me. (West Side Story reference. Sorry. “Leesten. And heer me. You must go and stop eet.”

But seriously. Leesten. You must make this as soon as you can. If you’ve never had beef short ribs before, you’re missing out on one of life’s great pleasures—and I’m not exaggerating this time. Beef short ribs are like the most flavorful, delectable, tender, soft pot roast you can possibly imagine—but the meat is on a handy stick for your eating convenience. And really, if you make ’em right, the stick is only incidental—the meat falls off the bone if you so much as breathe on it. Oh, is it ever a treat.

I made short ribs the other night. Though I served Marlboro Man’s with mashed potatoes, for my plate I went the route of a restaurant in Denver called North, where Missy, my mother-in-law, and I ate the night we arrived a couple of weeks ago. Missy ordered Osso Bucco, but instead of using veal shank (which is what’s used to make classic Osso Bucco) the restaurant used beef short ribs…and they served it over a bed of creamy polenta. The combination (yes, I stuck my fork in Missy’s plate without asking) was out-of-this-world, and I’ve been fixated on it ever since. To add insult to injury, though, and because I can’t leave well enough alone, I stirred a surprise ingredient into the polenta just before serving. It turned out to completely make the dish.

Even now, days later, I’m dying from bliss. It was so, so good.

I’ll be splitting this recipe into to two parts since it’s so long—I don’t want to fry your retinas or your brain. But please stick it out through tomorrow—you’ll be glad you did, and I’ll reward you with a very handsome, beautiful, and glamorous contest Wednesday. It’ll make your skirt fly up.

 
Pancetta! It’s a very thinly sliced Italian variety of bacon, and I’m using it in this dish because I just happen to have it. If I didn’t have this, I would use just a little regular bacon, but I’d do the thinly sliced stuff—not the thick, peppered bacon that i usually have in my fridge.

 
 
Isn’t it beautiful? I love its circular shape.

 
 
Dice up a medium onion.

 
 
Grab two or three carrots. Wash ’em but don’t peel ’em.

I’m all about the rustic.

 
Cut the carrots into thin sticks…

 
 
And dice ’em up, too.

 
 
Shallots! Again, I’m using them here because I have them, and because they really have a unique, lovely flavor. But if you don’t have any (and I very often do not), just skip ’em.

 
 
But when you do use them, dice them really finely.

Shallots need to be minced finely. It is written.

 
 
You also need some beef short ribs, sometimes called “short ribs bone in”.

The “bone in” is the key, baby.

 
 
This is a short rib. Take a moment. You’re in the presence of greatness here.

 
 
See those beautiful striations of fat throughout the ribs? They’re what will eventually make these babies so irresistibly delectable later on.

Just you wait, ‘Enry ‘Iggins. Just you wait.

 
 
Let’s do it! Grab several pieces of pancetta…

 
 
Dice it up…

 
 
And throw it into a dutch oven over medium heat.

 
 
We’re going to cook the pancetta until it’s very crispy, because at that point we’ll know all the fat has been rendered.

It’s the flavor we’re looking for here.

 
 
It takes a little while to totally cook it and render the fat, and I always find pancetta renders far less fat than bacon here in our neck of the woods.

 
 
After ten minutes or so, this is how much fat I had. And oh, does it ever smell good.

 
 
Lay all the short ribs on a flat surface…

 
 
Then sprinkle on some kosher salt, which isn’t in itself “kosher”—did you know that? It’s called kosher salt because the salt’s flat grains adhere more easily to meat and is prepare kosher meats.

I think.

 
I’m going to call this photo…The Grain.

 
 
It is not to be confused with this photo, which is beautifully entitled…Many Grains.

 
 
I’ll stop now.

 
 
Season them liberally with freshly ground black pepper, too.

 
 
You’ll be glad you did.

 
 
Next, throw some all-purpose flour into a bowl and dredge the ribs in flour.

 
 

 
 
Then set them aside while you get the pan ready.

Oh, are you going to love this.

 
 
Turn the burner on high heat, then drizzle olive oil into the pan with the pancetta grease.

 
 
When the oil is heated, place the ribs into the pan.

 
 
Brown the ribs on all sides, no more than about 45 seconds on each side. We wanna get them nice and seared and brown.

Remove them to a plate.

 
Without cleaning the pan, of course, throw in the carrots, onions, and shallots. Stir them around…

 
 
And cook them for a few minutes, until the veggies start to soften.

 
 
And now. And now it’s time to get serious. Pour in 2 cups of red wine. (White wine will work, too! Just make sure it’s dry…not sweet.)

 
 
Use a whisk to scrape the bottom of the pan. We want all of that flavor from the bottom of the pan…man.

 
 
Bring the mixture to a boil, then cook it for a few minutes.

 
 
Pour in an equal amount of beef broth. Unless you’re me, that is. If you’re me, you’ll find that you’re totally out of beef broth…so just use chicken broth instead.

And let me tell you: it works just fine.

That’s my sad, sad story and I’m stickin’ to it.

 
With tongs, place the browned short ribs right into the cooking liquid.

 
 
Oh, baby.

But wait. We’re not finished.

 
Grab a couple of sprigs of both rosemary and thyme…

 
 
And throw them right into the pan.

 
 
I’m in love with this world. Just look at what it provides us: root vegetables from the ground. Fragrant herbs from the fertile soil. Meat, to nourish our bones. Wine, to nourish everything else.

I’m not quite sure where the pancetta fits in yet, but I’ll get back with you on that.

 
Finally, because I don’t want you to waste it, throw in the cooked pancetta.

 
 
Now place the lid on the pot and put the pot into the oven for a good 2 1/2 hours. Just walk away. Let the magic happen.

And now.

And now.

If you can handle the truth, I will show you the magic.

Take a moment to center yourself.

 
Mmmm.

 
 
What you’re looking at here, and I hope this doesn’t gross you out, is the beautiful meat’s attempt to hang on to the bone. But it can’t. It’s just so fall-apart tender…it simply can’t hang on.

 
 
And just wait till you see what’s underneath.

 
 
I cover the pan, though, and let it sit for a little while before serving—about twenty minutes or so. This will let the meat relax a little bit, but it will also allow the fat to rise to the top of the cooking liquid.

 
 
You can use a regular ladle; just carefully lower the rim just under the surface of the fat, and it will start spilling right into the ladle. The point is to get as much fat and as little juice as you can. Discard the fat when you’re done.

Alternate method: If you have the time, you can actually cover the pan and refrigerate it for several hours. The fat will solidify and will be much easier to remove, and you can just reheat the ribs and cooking liquid at that point. (It’s ever bit as—if not more—delicious reheated.)

 
 
Once a lot of the fat is gone, you can scoop the delicious cooking liquid into the ladle…

 
 
And spoon it over the top of each rib..

 
 
And when we make the polenta (which has an out-of-this-world addition that absolutely completes this dish) and place the ribs on top of it, we can spoon more juice over the top at that point.

We’ll finish the rest of this deliciousness bright and early tomorrow morning.

But if you can’t wait—if you absolutely, positive can’t wait—you can make them tonight and serve ’em over a bed of my creamy mashed potatoes.

It’s what I did for Marlboro Man the other night. He got down on one knee right there on the spot. And we already have four kids together.

The scandal!

(Here’s the Creamy Mashed Potatoes post, in case your impatience gets the better of you.)

Recipe by Alison Roman
Photograph by Hirsheimer Hamilton

YIELD: SERVES 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, 4-5 pounds
• 3-4 big chunks of ginger (1-inch thick), peeled and smashed
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 2 tablespoons Kosher salt, plus more to season the chicken
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 4 tablespoons scallion, minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, grated (a Microplane is perfect for this)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• Instructions

1. Clean the chicken inside and out, removing any innards, and pat it dry. Rub salt liberally inside and out. Allow it to sit for 1 hour.
2. Fill a large pot with water full enough to cover at least ¾ of the chicken. Bring the water to a boil with the smashed ginger, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of salt. Place the chicken in breast side up, cover, and bring to a boil. Switch it to low heat and let cook for 45 minutes.
3. Flip the chicken, cover it and cook on low heat for another 45 minutes.
4. To test if the chicken is done, insert a chopstick near the thigh. If it goes in and there is no pinkness, it’s done. To lift the bird out of the pot, slip 2 chopsticks beneath the wings and lift up.
5. Pat the bird dry and rub with the sesame oil. Allow it to cool for 30 minutes before cutting. Serve with dipping sauce.
6. Prepare the dipping sauce by heating the vegetable oil just until it starts to smoke. Pour it over the scallion, ginger, and salt, and mix together. Serve with the chicken immediately.

Chinese White Cut Chicken with Ginger-Scallion Oil

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed
• 1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, cored and roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely minced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic, or to taste
• 1 cup peas (defrost if frozen)
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger, or to taste
• 3 to 4 cups cooked white rice, cooled
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• ¼ cup Shaoxing wine, or water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
•  Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ½ cup minced cilantro or scallions

Instructions

1. Put 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or a large skillet, and turn heat to high. When it begins to shimmer, add onion, pepper and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove vegetables to a bowl.
2. Drain peas if necessary, and add them to skillet; cook, shaking pan, for about a minute, or until hot. Remove them to the bowl.
3. Put remaining oil in the skillet, followed by garlic and ginger. When the mixture is fragrant, about 15 seconds later, add the rice, breaking up clumps with a spoon as you go along and tossing it with oil. When the rice is well coated, make a well in the center and break the eggs into it. Scramble these, then stir into the rice.
4. Return vegetables to the skillet and stir to integrate. Add wine or water and cook, stirring, for approximately 1 minute. Add soy sauce and sesame oil, then taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Turn off heat, stir in the cilantro and serve.

Ingredients