Innholdsfortegnelse for April/May 2023 i Cook's Country

I USED TO SAY that my middle son’s first words were, “Cook. Cook.” That’s because he was always in the kitchen with me, clanging around in the lower cabinet that I staged with his favorite pots, pans, and wooden spoons. He crawled and then toddled into the kitchen whenever I was making dinner or testing recipes for work. Mixing batter was particularly fun for him. As he got older, watching television food personality Alton Brown became a favorite pastime. And when he was a high school junior, he published a recipe and story for Edible Austin, explaining his love of the kitchen. “My love of cooking probably came from my mom—a writer and cookbook author. Over the years she’s concocted new recipes and exposed our family to all sorts of…

CHICAGO PIZZA EXPERT and author Steve Dolinsky and I take our seats at a red-and-white checkered picnic table out in front of My Pi Pizza in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood, just as owner Rich Aronson emerges with a signature deep-dish pizza. Rich cuts the pizza into quarters with the blade of a stiff metal spatula and lifts a slice by its crust, holding it high in the air to show that the crust is sturdy and crisp enough to support the weight of the cheese, sausage, and sauce without bending. “The original Chicago [deep-dish] pie looks like this one. It’s thin, you can hold it with your hands, it doesn’t flop,” Steve says. The pizza itself is surprisingly light in texture with a noticeable flakiness to the crust. The toppings, an…

WHEN SPRING produce hits farmers’ markets and grocery stores, radishes are among the first vegetables to burst onto the scene, with their beautiful hues of red, pink, purple, and even black. Pungent and crisp, radishes are a force on their own. But they are also versatile and, with some culinary know-how, can be paired with complementary ingredients to delicious effect. Here, quickly pickling sliced radishes mellows their bite, making them perfect companions for a creamy, cheesy spread and toasted crusty bread. LEMON-PICKLED RADISH TOAST WITH BASIL AND PARMESAN Serves 4 to 6 Total Time: 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes pickling We prefer to slice the radishes using a mandoline, but you can also use a knife. The pickling liquid might not fully cover the radishes at first; they will shrink…

Editors' note: This story was reported and written before Royal Capital Seafood closed in October of 2022. ROYAL CAPITAL Seafood Restaurant, located in the Little Saigon district of Garden Grove, California, is a chandelier-studded Teochew-style palace of oceanic delights. Walk through its doors on any weekend and you’ll see servers navigating the congested dining room, carrying platters of lobster, crab, fish, and shrimp that were just minutes ago swimming in one of the restaurant’s many holding tanks. Of the menu’s more than 200 items, the standouts are the house special seafood dishes. What they all have in common is their preparation: a dredging in potato starch before being flash-fried and tossed in an aromatic mixture of fish sauce, jalapeños, black pepper, garlic, scallions, and butter. …the house specials also provide…

IT WAS LOVE at first bite. Since the first time I tried Adana kebabs in a Turkish restaurant near my home in New Orleans, I’ve been a little obsessed. The long, flat kebabs of red pepper–infused ground lamb were served atop a flatbread glistening with the tasty drippings. The meat was tender, juicy, and rich—garlicky and smoky with a captivating, balanced heat. I was smitten and had to learn more. Since then, I’ve done hours and hours of research and eaten versions at Turkish restaurants from New Orleans to Boston to Munich, Germany, where thousands of kebab shops line the streets. There, I had one particularly exceptional version at an incredible restaurant named for the Turkish city of Adana, where the kebabs originate and where they are a popular specialty.…

WHEN YOU HEAR that you’re going to be served romaine lettuce, what do you picture? Likely a verdant salad starring the crisp, juicy raw lettuce, right? But romaine, like many other lettuces and greens, takes well to cooking. Grilled or seared Caesar salads—where halved heads of romaine are quickly charred before being dressed—are one example of how cooked romaine can shine. This recipe, where we sear the romaine in a skillet before tossing it in a ginger- and oyster sauce–forward dressing, is another. There are a few critical steps to searing romaine lettuce well. Trim the ends from the heads but leave a bit of the base intact; this helps hold the heads together. Wash the halves and dry them well on towels (otherwise the extra water will prevent them…

SWEET, SOUR, AND a little salty (if you salt the rim), a margarita is perfectly refreshing and endlessly versatile. For a tropical version kissed with smoke and heat, swap out the tequila for our homemade Ancho Mezcal Liqueur, made from mezcal steeped with deep, roasty chiles. Then, to balance the heat, add pineapple juice to the tried-and-true lime juice and Cointreau. Taking inspiration from Mexican culinary culture, where ripe fruits are often dusted with chile products, coat the rim of the glass with Tajín Clásico Seasoning. ANCHO-PINEAPPLE MEZCAL MARGARITA WITH TAJÍN Makes 1 cocktail Total Time: 10 minutes We prefer to use our homemade Ancho Mezcal Liqueur here, but you can substitute a store-bought dark chile liqueur, such as Ancho Reyes, though the base spirit in other liqueurs may vary.…

SEMIFREDDO—WHICH TRANSLATES TO “half cold” in Italian—is an elegant, sliceable dessert made for a crowd. Semifreddo’s frozen base walks the line between mousse and ice cream, with whipped eggs and cream lending a fluffy, velvety mouthfeel. The base can serve as a blank canvas for a variety of adornments. Swirl in some jam; top with crushed nuts; or top with a chocolate, caramel, or fruit sauce as desired. For textural contrast, this version features crunchy crushed amaretti cookies (a classic Italian mix-in). With its make-ahead advantages, you can store this elegant dessert in the freezer, and when a surprise dinner party strikes, simply stroll out with this showstopper, slice for each guest, and dig in. SEMIFREDDO WITH CRUSHED AMARETTI COOKIES Serves 8 Total Time: 30 minutes, plus 8 hours freezing…

THIS QUICK refrigerator rhubarb jam is sweet, tart, and easy to make. Plus, it’s a fun way to kick off spring. The beauty of a refrigerator jam is that you can make small batches at the beginning (or the end) of a growing season and experiment with a new-to-you ingredient without making a considerable investment. This recipe, which calls for only rhubarb, sugar, and lemon juice (no strawberries were harmed in the development of this recipe), truly showcases the flavor of rhubarb. Lemon juice helps the pectin gel, and enhancing the mix with a higher ratio of lemon juice than found in most other recipes tempers the sweet notes from the sugar, leaving enough sweeteness to balance the tartness of the rhubarb. To ensure a finished texture without any stringiness…

MESCLUN MIX Mixing and matching greens is a great way to build a flavorful salad. When you buy a container of mesclun mix—which can also be labeled spring mix—it already includes a variety of greens, such as baby lettuces; baby spinach; arugula; and more robust options such as beet greens, Swiss chard, and radicchio. The word “mesclun” derives from a French word meaning “mixture.” You can make your own mesclun mix by combining your favorite young, delicate greens. We recommend pairing mild-flavored greens, such as baby red or green lettuce and baby spinach, with stronger-flavored greens, such as arugula and endive. Beet greens, Swiss chard, radicchio, baby kale, watercress, and even fresh herbs can be added to spruce up the mix. Choose the flavors you like best. –Megan Ginsberg If…

AS PARAGUS HAS AN assertive flavor that takes well to grilling and to other strong flavors, such as savory Caesar dressing. I set out to create a recipe for grilled asparagus paired with this creamy elixir. To begin, I turned to a tried-and-true Caesar dressing from the test kitchen that follows a classic method of slowly whisking extra-virgin olive oil and Parmesan into a pungent mix of lemon juice, egg yolk, garlic, minced anchovies, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and plenty of black pepper. The result is a creamy, emulsified dressing with a big, bold hit of umami. I tossed the asparagus with some of this dressing before laying it on a hot grill. The sugar and cheese helped the asparagus brown quickly and develop deep flavor before the spears had…

BRINE Brine the shrimp in a salt and baking soda solution for 20 minutes to keep them tender and juicy. (Our science editor explains that the baking soda raises the pH of the shell-fish’s muscle, which alters the electric charge of its protein. As a result, the muscle fibers stay slightly apart from each other instead of clenching together, and the moisture between the fibers stays put.) TOSS Quickly toss the brined shrimp in potato starch twice, making sure the starch gets into all the shrimp’s nooks and crannies, and then gently shake off any excess (too much starch will produce a sandy texture). FRY Fry the shrimp in plenty of hot oil until crisp, and toss them with the sauce. Once you master this style of cooking seafood, try…

Grilled Chicken Fajitas with Cilantro-Lime Sour Cream We developed this recipe with Morton & Bassett Chili Powder. Serve with lime wedges. 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided2½ teaspoons chili powder1½ teaspoons plus ⅛ teaspoon table salt, divided1½ teaspoons ground cumin1 teaspoon grated lime zest, plus 2 tablespoons lime juice, divided3 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed1 red onion, sliced into ½-inch-thick rounds2 yellow, red, orange, or green bell peppers, quartered, stemmed, and seeded¾ cup sour cream3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro8–12 (6-inch) flour tortillas 1. Combine 1½ tablespoons oil, chili powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, cumin, and 1½ tablespoons lime juice in large bowl. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Add chicken to marinade and toss to coat. Push toothpick horizontally through each onion round. Brush onion and bell peppers with…

THE JAPANESE TECHNIQUE of preserving fish and other meats in sweet white miso (saikyozuke) originated in Kyoto long before Chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa applied it to black cod at his Los Angeles sushi bar in the 1980s (see “Who Is Nobu?”). But Nobu, with his specific rendition of black cod with miso, is responsible for putting it on the map, creating a version of the dish so unforgettable that his name is now nearly synonymous with the technique. It’s a testament to the excellence of the recipe that it remains on the menu at Nobu’s restaurants (of which there are now more than 40 across the globe). Happily, you don’t need a reservation at Nobu to taste it for yourself. Nor do you need to apprentice yourself to a sushi…

APRICOT-HONEY SAUCE Serves 6 to 8 Total Time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes cooling We like to serve this sauce with Semifreddo with Crushed Amaretti Cookies (page 38), spooned over cake, or added to a charcuterie or cheese spread. ¾ cup (4½ ounces) dried apricots, chopped fine¾ cup water Pinch table salt¼ cup honey1½ tablespoons lemon juice 1. Bring apricots, water, and salt to simmer in small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fruit is plump and tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Using potato masher, mash apricots until mixture is mostly smooth but some larger pieces remain intact. 2. Off heat, stir in honey and lemon juice. Transfer to bowl and let cool completely before serving, about 30 minutes. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 days).…

CHICKEN MARBELLA—a salty-sweet dish of chicken parts slowly simmered with prunes and olives—is an American creation that first appeared in Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso’s influential 1982 tome, The Silver Palate Cookbook. The dish was inspired by the authors’ time in Spain and in particular by the North African influences in the cuisine of southern Spain. Chicken Marbella was a hit, as was the book. We wanted a luscious pork version as delicious as the original but with a little more richness. Here’s how to do it. Start by breaking down a pork butt (the rich, relatively fatty shoulder cut typically used for pulled pork) into large portions and browning the pieces on all sides in a Dutch oven before transferring them to a plate temporarily. To boost the savory…

MELTED LEEKS Cover the sliced leeks to steam and “melt” them down with butter to ensure that they are softened before adding the potatoes. FLAVORFUL POTATOES For maximum flavor in one skillet, simmer the potatoes in a mixture of chicken broth (for depth) and white wine (for brightness and acidity). As the potatoes cook, the liquids reduce into a base for the sauce. CREAM AND CHEESE Add cream to the partially cooked potatoes, allowing their starches to slightly thicken as the liquid reduces. Then stir in shredded Gruyère for richness and a hint of nuttiness. CRUNCHY TOPPING Toast panko bread crumbs in melted butter for a quick, crispy topping without heating the oven. Sprinkle the cooked potatoes with these crispy bits and some fresh thyme just before serving.…

KNOWN AS A “walking taco” to some, Frito (or Fritos) pie is an American icon. It’s not a pie or a taco at all but rather a simple, rich beef chili spooned over salty, crunchy Fritos right in the bag, garnished with shredded cheddar and diced white onion. It’s the perfect snack for an outdoor party, walking around the state fair, or cheering on your local team under the Friday night lights. Frito pie is best eaten with friends who appreciate simple pleasures—it’s a recipe for good times. The roots of Frito pie run deep in the American South. Origin stories and recipes can vary and are often hotly contested. How does anyone know what to believe? We decided to turn to the source—or, rather, to the source’s off spring.…

In his book Nobu: A Memoir (2014), Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa writes that his “second dream”—to become a sushi chef—was born when his eldest brother took him to try his first sushi. His “first dream” was to travel overseas like his father, who had died years earlier in a motorcycle accident. The road to achieving those dreams wasn’t always smooth. Nobu was expelled from high school after driving his older brother’s car without a license and crashing it. At 17 he became a live-in apprentice to a sushi chef in Tokyo. Nobu excelled, and a prominent Japanese-Peruvian businessman and frequent guest at the restaurant invited him to open a new sushi restaurant in Lima, Peru. There Nobu found some success but was unwilling to compromise the quality of his ingredients; he…

HOMEMADE LIQUEURS are easy to prepare and infinitely customizable, and they can bring a whole new level of creativity and originality to your cocktail game. Our straightforward approach involves infusing a base spirit with aromatics, straining out the solids, and then finishing the liqueur with a measured amount of simple syrup to balance and round out the flavors. With summer just around the corner, we wanted to spice things up in anticipation of margarita season. This ancho-infused, mezcal-based liqueur, with its smoky, earthy, mildly peppery flavor and its deep amber color, was just the ticket. We chose mezcal as the base spirit because we love its smokiness and complexity (see “Tequila’s Bolder Cousin”). Ancho chiles, with their own inherent smokiness and mild fruity notes, are a perfect complement, adding depth…

CAN YOU IDENTIFY a cobbler in a lineup of baked fruit desserts? If not, you’re not alone. In fact, you could be staring down a table with half a dozen seemingly different rustic fruit desserts, all of which are somebody’s cobbler. Though it’s always a baked dessert with a fruit filling (typically stone fruit, berries, or apples), a cobbler could be topped with gobs of biscuit dough, a thin cake batter, or a flaky pastry crust, depending whom you ask. Some cobblers have pastry crust on the bottom too—indistinguishable from a pie if not for the baking dish! (Celebrated chef and cookbook author Edna Lewis created one such cobbler; it’s said that she sometimes even mixed dough trimmings right into the fruit filling to thicken it.) For a strawberry cobbler,…

SOMETIMES WHEN THE pressure is on to get dinner on the table, the solution is to crank up the pressure… in an Instant Pot, that is. This homey, comforting stew of chicken and potatoes in a rich, aromatic tomato broth is mild and approachable but full of deep, satisfying flavors and a pleasing array of textures. Browning the chicken first, using the Instant Pot’s sauté function, helps build flavorful fond on the bottom of the pot. And leaving the potatoes in large pieces ensures that they cook in the same amount of time as the chicken (a mere 10 minutes under pressure). Since high temperatures inside the pot tend to dull flavors, we use generous amounts of aromatics—onions, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, white wine, and bay leaves—to bolster the…