Roasted Japanese Eggplants with Feta, Mint, and Onion

Last fall we drove out of the city for a foliage-bedecked long weekend getaway in the Berkshires with our friends and their adorable Westie. Along with a healthy supply of alcohol and board games, our friends brought the cookbook Jerusalem. Cooking was a focus since we had been hyping up the charcoal grill and smoker we were going to be able to use, two cooking apparatuses generally frowned upon in New York City. Along with our grilled steak, we adapted an eggplant recipe from the cookbook, charring halved bulbs over the coals until they rivaled the smoky meat.

We've recreated a version that's apartment-friendly so that even sad urbanites with no outdoor living can enjoy the char of caramelized eggplant skin paired with fresh bursts of lemon pulp and mint leaves, along with some ingredients, like za'atar spice, that are not available in the Berkshires. While we had this with our crispy chicken thighs and are dying to have it with roast lamb, it's substantial enough to enjoy as a main course. 

Roasted Japanese Eggplants with Feta, Mint, and Onion
Adapted from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Cooking Time
~30 minutes

Serves
2 despondent Americans who bought a ton of spices—including za'atar—from Penzey's as a form of political activism

Tools
Chef's knife and cutting board
Rimmed baking sheet with rack
Parchment paper
Small bowl
Heavy-bottomed skillet

Ingredients
3 Japanese eggplants (~1.25 lbs. total), halved lengthwise
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons za’atar seasoning
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, peel, seeds, and membrane removed, flesh finely diced, juice reserved
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano pepper, seeded and minced
2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Large handful mint, coarsely chopped or torn

Steps
1. Heat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly score flesh of eggplant in a cross-hatch pattern. Season eggplant flesh with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon za’atar. Drizzle flesh with two tablespoons oil.  Arrange eggplants flesh side-up on a rack set up inside a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until soft and very well browned with some char, ~20-30 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, stir together lemon flesh and juice, 1 clove garlic, half of chili pepper, 1/2 teaspoon za’atar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon oil in a small bowl. Set aside. 

3. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in heavy-bottomed skillet until smoking. Add onions and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and very well browned, ~5 minutes. Add remaining 1 clove garlic, remaining 1/2 chili, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon za’atar. Cook until fragrant, ~30 seconds. Remove from heat.

4. Top eggplants with onions, lemon sauce, and feta. Garnish with mint and serve immediately or at room temperature. 

Broiled Tandoori-Spiced Chicken Thighs

This dish might be more accurately called "spices we happened to have around one day" chicken. We usually don't keep curry powder or Garam Masala on hand, so we mixed together our own vaguely Indian spice blend for this smoky, spicy chicken dish that will definitely remind you of tandoori chicken. Feel free to adjust the spices somewhat, but be sure to use lots of cumin, which is the central flavor.

We don't have a grill, but we can pretend we do when we get meat so nicely charred and tender by using the broiler. Just be sure to use a broiler pan, which will allow fat to drain without smoking up your apartment (and maybe crack a window anyway and/or throw a damp towel over your smoke detector just to be safe).

Broiled Tandoori-Spiced Chicken Thighs

Cooking Time
1 hour, 15 minutes

Serves
4 tandoori oven-less, grill-less Brooklynites

Tools
Chef's knife and cutting board
8 bamboo skewers
Broiler pan
Mixing bowl

Ingredients
1/2 cup + 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt*
12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, excess fat removed
1 (7 oz.) package Greek yogurt (we used 2%, but whole or skim is fine), excess liquid poured off
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teapsoon baking powder
1 tablespoon canola oil
Large handful cilantro (leaves and stems), chopped
Lime wedges for serving

*We don't usually call for specific brands, but differences in the size of the salt crystals used by different brands affect how salty the brine will be. If using Morton's kosher salt, use 3/4 the amount called for in the recipe. If using table salt or fine sea salt, use 1/2 the amount called for in the recipe. 

Steps
1. Dissolve 1/2 cup salt in 8 cups cool water in a large mixing bowl. Submerge chicken and cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature for 30-45 minutes, or refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Do not leave in the brine too long, or the chicken will be too salty. Drain chicken, rinse with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Meanwhile, soak 8 bamboo skewers in warm water for at least 20 minutes.

3. Stir together yogurt, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, red pepper flakes, paprika, garlic powder, marjoram, black pepper, baking powder, canola oil, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in large mixing bowl. Add chicken to bowl and coat evenly with yogurt mixture.

4. Fold one chicken thigh in half, smooth side out, and thread onto two skewers spaced about 1 inch apart. Thread two more thighs onto the pair of skewers. Repeat with remaining thighs to make four double skewers, each with three chicken thighs. (If this is at all confusing, just look at the picture.) Let rest on a plate at room temperature for 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, heat broiler to high.

6. Place chicken skewers on a broiler pan and slide under the broiler. Cook, flipping skewers or rotating pan every 2-4 minutes to ensure even browning, until cooked through, well-browned, and lightly charred, about 20 minutes. Adjust the placement of your pan if necessary; for example, the last time we made this, we cooked the chicken about 2 inches under the broiler for 18 minutes, and then moved the broiler pan about 1 inch closer to the broiler to finish browning for another 4 minutes. Exact cooking time and pan placement will depend on your broiler and you will have to play it by ear.

7. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges on the side.

Pan-Seared Scallops with Cilantro Lemon Butter Sauce

When we moved to Prospect-Lefferts Gardens a few months ago, we were pleasantly surprised to learn about Parkside Greenmarket, a small but high-quality farmer's market by the Parkside Q stop. American Seafood, a small stand selling wild-caught fish and shellfish from Suffolk County, NY, has an excellent variety of seafood (blowfish tails, anyone?), but we always buy at least a few sea scallops for a Sunday-evening treat.

There's not much to say about the cooking method. Sear the scallops on one side, add some butter, flip, baste, and pull them while they're still medium-rare. Don't futz around with the seasoning. Lemon, fresh herbs, a little pepper, and some crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

Pan-Seared Scallops with Cilantro Lemon Butter Sauce

Cooking Time
5 minutes

Serves
2 deep sea divers

Tools
Chef's knife and cutting board
Nonstick skillet (link NSFW though highly relevant)
Offset spatula
Metal spoon

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
10–12 oz. sea scallops
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Juice of 1 lemon
Large handful cilantro (stems and leaves), thinly sliced (reserve a few whole leaves for garnish)
Black pepper


Steps
1. Season scallops on both sides with salt. Heat oil in skillet over high heat. When oil starts to smoke, add scallops in a single layer. Sear until first side has formed a golden-brown crust, about 2 minutes.

2. Drain off excess oil from pan (a great method is to tilt the pan so the oil pools in one spot, and then sop it up with a wadded-up paper towel held in a pair of tongs). Add butter and reduce heat to medium. Flip scallops with offset spatula, tilt pan, and baste scallops until butter begins to turn brown and nutty, about 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Season with pepper and serve immediately.

Late Summer Fusilli with Sautéed Squash and Chicken Sausage

This dish is a nice segue from summer to fall, incorporating late-summer vegetables into a meal hearty enough for a chilly evening. Chicken sausage keeps things more lo-cal than bacon or chorizo (both would be great, by the way), though we balance that out somewhat by adding some of the flavorful oil from the anchovies and sundried tomatoes.

Perhaps because the summer squash has such a firm texture with this cooking method, a bowlful of this pasta goes further than usual (one helping each is plenty for us, which is not typical). Leftovers will be great at room temperature the next day.

Late Summer Fusilli with Sautéed Squash and Chicken Sausage

Cooking Time
30 minutes

Serves
4 squash hoarders

Tools
Chef's knife and cutting board
Colander
Heavy-bottomed skillet
Pot to cook pasta

Ingredients
2 summer squash (1 green and 1 yellow), cut into a medium dice
Kosher or sea salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 chicken sausages (we used two roasted garlic sausages and one spicy jalapeño sausage from Trader Joe's), ~2.5 oz each, halved lengthwise and then cut crosswise into 1/2" pieces
1 small onion or 1/2 large onion, finely diced
1/2 tin anchovies, including oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/3 cup olive oil-packed sundried tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of their oil (if using dried variety, soak in hot water until pliable, about 30 minutes, before chopping and add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive in step 4), coarsely chopped
12 oz. fusilli
1 small handful basil, coarsely chopped (reserve a little for garnish)
Juice of half a lemon
Black pepper


Steps
1. Toss squash with 1 teaspoon salt. Transfer to colander to allow excess liquid to drain while you prepare the rest of the sauce.

2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and sauté until well browned, about 7 minutes.

3. Add onion, anchovies, and anchovy oil to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and sauté until lightly caramelized, about 1 minute.

4. Add drained salted squash and sundried tomatoes and stir. Sauté until all ingredients are incorporated and squash is just beginning to soften, about 1 minute. Add a splash of water, stir to deglaze pan, and continue to cook until squash is just cooked (it should still have some bite to it) and liquid has thickened, about 3 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling salted water until just shy of al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain, reserving a few tablespoons of pasta water.

6. Add pasta and reserved pasta water to sauce. Stir, reduce heat to medium low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta has absorbed sauce and texture is al dente, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and basil. Season with a little pepper, and then taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary. Serve immediately, garnished with reserved basil.

Mediterranean Spiced Beef Lettuce Wraps

Mimi's Hummus in Ditmas Park, a neighborhood just south of us, has some of the best Mediterranean food we've ever had. On our first visit, we ordered an amazing dish called "meat hummus," which featured their insanely smooth and creamy hummus topped with a spiced ground beef mixture (now departed from the menu, sadly). We decided to refashion the meat into a lettuce wrap filling since recreating their hummus would take an enormous amount of skill and work.

The tahini sauce we pair with the lettuce wraps is a little finicky; be sure to fold the ingredients together very gently to prevent it from seizing up. Even if you're careful, you will probably end up with a thick, slightly grainy texture, rather than a completely smooth and pourable sauce--and that's just fine. The leftover sauce makes a perfect dip for sliced cucumbers and radishes.

Mediterranean Spiced Beef Lettuce Wraps

Cooking Time
30 minutes

Serves
4 wrappers (as an appetizer)

Tools
Chef's knife and cutting board
Heavy-bottomed skillet

Ingredients
1/2 cup tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon chili oil
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
Kosher or sea salt
Black pepper

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 lb. ground beef (we use 80/20)
Kosher or sea salt
1 medium yellow onion, very finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 large handful Italian parsley, very thinly sliced
Black pepper
Large outer leaves of 1 head of butter lettuce (be careful--it's very delicate and easily torn) or iceberg lettuce if you prefer less fussy lettuce

Steps
1. To make sauce, gently fold together tahini, lemon juice, chili oil, and honey. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

2. Heat canola oil in skillet on medium high. Add ground beef and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to bowl with slotted spoon.

3. Drain fat from skillet, leaving just enough to coat the bottom. Add onion, season very lightly with salt, and sauté on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden in color, about 15 minutes (deglaze pan with a splash of water as necessary if it gets too dry). Stir in garlic, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, and marjoram. Sauté until aromatic, about 1 minute.

4. Add beef to onion mixture and cook just until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in pine nuts and a big pinch of parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

5. To make lettuce wraps, place a heaping tablespoon of beef mixture in the center of each lettuce leaf. Top with tahini sauce to taste and sprinkle with more parsley.

Weeknight Fish Tacos for Friends Stopping By

Our friend Lana makes beautiful YouTube videos on microwaveable mug cakes--instant gratification desserts. We collaborated on a video recipe for fish tacos when she visited us from Boston a couple of weeks ago, tripod, mics, and cameras in tow. An embarrassing number of takes have been condensed into a snazzy video thanks to her mad editing skillz. 

  

Click on the link above (for fullscreen viewing!) or watch the embedded video to see how much fun we had and follow along as you make these tasty tacos yourself.  

 

All images courtesy of Hello Lana

Weeknight Fish Tacos for Friends Stopping By

Cooking Time
20 minutes or 2.5 hours if you're filming a YouTube video

Serves
3 friends

Tools
Chef's knife and cutting board
Mixing bowls
Cooking chopsticks or tongs
Heavy-bottomed skillet
Sheet pan and wire rack

Ingredients
1 lb. cod, cut into ~1" chunks
Kosher salt
Canola oil (you can substitute any other neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as corn or peanut)
1 cup potato flour (you can substitute any very finely ground flour such as rice flour, Wondra flour, or 00 flour)
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 flour tortillas, warmed (you can warm them in a microwave or rice cooker/steamer layered with damp paper towels or just throw them in a hot pan for a couple seconds on each side)
2 limes, cut into wedges
1 large handful cilantro, leaves picked from stems
1/4 head green cabbage, shredded
4-6 radishes (depending on size), thinly sliced
2 avocados, cut into medium dice
1/3 cup sour cream, whisked with sriracha to taste

Steps
1. Heat 1/3" oil in heavy-bottomed skillet (we use a 10" cast iron skillet and 1 cup oil) over medium heat. Heat oven to 180 degrees.

2. Season cod lightly with salt and toss with 1 tablespoon canola oil to coat.

3. Whisk together potato flour, smoked paprika, cayenne, black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in mixing bowl. Add cod and toss until thoroughly coated in flour mixture.

4. Fry cod in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan. For each batch, flip cod pieces as soon as the first side is crispy, about 1 minute, and then cook until second side is crispy, about 1 minute more. Cooking chopsticks work well here.

5. Remove cod from cooking oil and transfer to a wire rack set over a sheet pan (a perforated broiler pan works too). Sprinkle with salt and transfer to oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining batches.

6. Serve cod in warm tortillas with garnish to taste, sprinkled with a little more salt and drizzled with lime juice.


***Be sure to check out Lana's website Hello Lana***

Kale and Barley Salad with Spicy Candied Nuts

What do you do when you have 6 lbs of dried cranberries leftover from a cranberry muffin recipe development assignment?

You make kale salad. 

Salad recipes are often just "this combination tastes good together!" But you, dear reader, are getting a two-for-one deal: one recipe for the salad itself and one for the candied nuts. The nuts are kind of a pain in the ass to make, but taste totally worth it. If you don't feel like making them, just use store-bought honey-roasted whatever.

This is an excellent salad to bring to an outdoor picnic or a potluck since it doesn't need to be served cold. It's actually best eaten slightly cooler than room temperature. Kale also doesn't wilt like other salad greens, and the barley soaks up the vinaigrette so you're not left with a watery mess over time.

Kale and Barley Salad with Spicy Candied Nuts

Cooking Time
15 minutes or about 1 hour if you're making the nuts

Serves
3 (maybe 4) people who need a good jaw workout

Tools
Microplane
Baking sheet
Silpat or other heatproof lining
Chef's knife and cutting board
Large skillet
Saucepan

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/3 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup raw almonds
3/4 cup raw pecans
Kosher or sea salt
1 sprig rosemary, leaves picked from stem
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, finely grated
Black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Maldon salt

1 cup barley
Kosher or sea salt
10 oz. Tuscan kale, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey 
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper
3 scallion whites, very thinly sliced
2/3 cup dried cranberries

Steps
For the nuts:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat canola oil in skillet over medium heat. Add pepitas, almonds, and pecans and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until aromatic and just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in rosemary and transfer to Silpat-lined baking sheet. Transfer to oven and cook until nuts are thoroughly roasted all the way through, about 15 minutes (taste one to check). Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 225 degrees.

3. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Add sugar, cinnamon, cumin, red pepper flakes, garlic, and 1/2 cup cool water and season lightly with pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until a thick caramel has formed, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in nuts.

4. Spread caramel-coated nuts on Silpat-lined baking sheet and return to oven. Cook until caramel is very thick and only slightly runny, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle nuts with Maldon salt, and let cool before using.

For the salad:
1. Cook barley in boiling salted water until al dente, about 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch.

2. Massage kale in mixing bowl with your hands until bruised and soft, about 1 minute.

3. Whisk together mustard, honey, and vinegar in small mixing bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in olive oil to form an emulsified vinaigrette. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

4. Toss together kale, vinaigrette, scallions, cranberries, and cooled barley. Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with nuts (we add all but 1/2 cup and nom the rest).

Actually Good Chicken Breast

Chicken breast usually sucks. Once you take it off the bone and remove the skin, you're basically looking at protein-rich sawdust unless you brine and deep-fry it. But chez Bake and Baste, plain ole roasted chicken breast is one of our favorite meals. We keep the skin on and slowly roast the meat on the bone to keep it moist, which makes it the perfect chicken for tacos or a salad—that is, if you don't just eat all the meat with your fingers straight off the cutting board. 

You need a meat thermometer here; no guesswork allowed with this much juiciness at stake. You can get a perfectly adequate meat thermometer for under 10 dollars, and it's so handy to have around that it easily justifies the cost. 

Before putting the chicken in the oven, we start with the cold pan technique to slowly render the fat from under the skin, gently crisping it to the point where it will literally crunch under your knife as you slice the meat.

Actually Good Chicken Breast

Cooking Time
45 minutes

Serves
2 breast friends

Tools
Nonstick skillet (must be oven-safe up to 300 degrees)

Spatula or tongs
Scissors or poultry shears
Meat thermometer
Chef's knife or slicing knife and cutting board

Ingredients

2 split bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
Kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon canola oil

Steps
1. Heat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Trim excess skin, fat, and rib bones from chicken breasts. Gently loosen skin from flesh with your fingers, being very careful not to tear skin. Salt chicken under skin, over skin, and on flesh side.

3. Spread oil all over pan with wadded-up paper towels or a clump of plastic wrap. Arrange chicken skin side-down in pan and place over medium-low heat. Cook until skin is light golden in color and releases from pan (gently lift chicken to check), 8 to 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium and cook until skin is well-browned and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Transfer pan to oven and roast for 20 minutes. Flip chicken skin side-up, return pan to oven, and roast until chicken registers an internal temperature of 145 degrees, about 8 to 10 minutes.

5. Let chicken rest skin side-up on a plate for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat pan over medium high to boil away rendered liquid and heat fat. Place chicken skin side-down in pan and cook until skin is very well-browned and crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove from pan, slice, and serve immediately, garnished with whatever you like.

Creamy Macaroni with Eggs and Bacon

If carbonara and mac and cheese had a baby, this would be it. Seven eggs might sound crazy, but this dish is super filling with fewer calories than traditional carbonara or mac and cheese. Gently cooking the eggs creates a luxuriously creamy sauce that is lighter than a cheese-based one (not to mention easier to make.) 

This is one of those pasta recipes where once you start boiling the pasta water, everything is finished cooking around the same time. Try not to overcook the noodles--taste one every 30 seconds or so after 6 minutes. You want them chewy with a bit of springiness for the ideal texture.

Creamy Macaroni with Eggs and Bacon

Cooking Time
20 minutes

Serves
2 eggheads

Tools
Chef's knife and cutting board
Large, heavy-bottomed skillet
Pot to cook pasta
Heatproof rubber spatula

Ingredients

7 large eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
Kosher or sea salt
Black pepper
6 oz. bacon, chopped
2 large scallions or 3 medium scallions, thinly sliced (reserve a handful of sliced green section for garnish)
1 cup frozen peas
12 oz. elbow macaroni
1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Steps
1. Whisk together eggs, cream, and 2 tablespoons cool water until thoroughly beaten. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

2. Sauté bacon in skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned but not completely crisp, about 7 minutes. Drain most of the bacon fat with paper towels, leaving just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add scallions and sauté until softened, about 30 seconds.

3. Remove skillet from heat and stir in all but 1/4 cup egg mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula to stop large lumps from forming, until eggs are thick but still quite runny, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately stir in frozen peas.

4. Meanwhile, cook macaroni in salted boiling water until chewy, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving a couple of tablespoons of cooking water.

5. Off heat, stir drained macaroni and reserved pasta cooking water into egg mixture. Stir in reserved 1/4 cup egg mixture and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until eggs have have thickened into a rich, luxurious sauce, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper (we like a lot of pepper) and serve immediately, sprinkled with reserved scallion greens.

Semi-Homemade Dry Chili Chicken

Long time no see. We've been on hiatus during the past few months because of new jobs and new apartments (still in NYC--now in Brooklyn), but we're back. In even better news, we're going to be posting every Tuesday and Friday from now until... the next big change in our lives that leaves us without a dining table.

Today's recipe is for dry chili chicken, a.k.a. Chongqing chicken, a famous Szechuan dish that is basically deep-fried popcorn chicken in a metric ton of chilies, salt, and Szechuan peppercorns, a uniquely simple combination that draws its flavor from the aromatics caramelizing into a dry paste around each little nugget of meat.

Dry chili chicken is not on the menu in most Chinese restaurants. We've had to seek out places specializing in Szechuan cuisine to get it, even in big cities like Boston and NYC, so your best bet is to make it at home. While traditional recipes call for a wok full of frying oil, we just make it semi-homemade and use the frozen chicken pieces from Trader Joe's popular Mandarin Orange Chicken. 

Pro tip: get a backup bag.

Semi-Homemade Dry Chili Chicken

Cooking Time
20 minutes

Serves
2 Chongqing tablescapers

Tools
Chef's knife and cutting board
Sheet pan
Large, heavy-bottomed skillet

Ingredients

1 package Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon cracked Szechuan peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
Kosher or sea salt
2 tablespoons chili oil
Thinly sliced scallion greens, for garnish (optional)

Steps
1. Open bag of chicken. Throw out sauce packets. Cook chicken according to package directions. Make sure to get it crispay.

2. Sauté garlic, chili flakes, Szechuan peppercorns, black pepper, canola oil, and a big pinch of salt in a large skillet over medium heat until very aromatic but not burned, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chili oil.

3. Stir together chicken and seasoning mixture. Add more salt to taste. Serve over white rice, garnished with scallions if you're looking to impress.

Loaded Kale Caesar Salad

A big salad is the perfect weeknight throw-in-a-bowl meal to counteract carb-heavy holiday dinners. This kale salad, made with the tender lacinato/dinosaur/black/Tuscan variety, is super-filling and substantial, loaded with savory ingredients like bacon, eggs, anchovies, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Tarragon mustard adds a pleasant anise flavor, but whole grain mustard is a fine substitute.

One weird yet essential part of any kale salad is massaging the kale, which basically means squeezing handfuls of it over and over again like you're wringing out a wet t-shirt. The goal is to bruise the leaves into tenderness so they absorb the dressing and become easier to chew. You'll start out wondering what you're doing and end up oddly enjoying yourself. Now go give that kale some love.

Loaded Kale Caesar Salad

Cooking Time
15 minutes

Serves
2 kale bandwagoners

Tools
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Large mixing bowl
Small nonstick skillet
Slotted spoon
Whisk or fork

Ingredients
1/4 lb. bacon, coarsely chopped
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons tarragon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 tin anchovy fillets, half of fillets minced, half of fillets coarsely chopped
4 teaspoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Black pepper
Red pepper flakes
Worcestershire
1 large bunch lacinato kale, ends of stalks removed, leaves cut into 1" slices (about 10 cups when sliced, but it will shrink when you massage it later on)
3 radishes, cut lengthwise into 8 wedges each
2 hard-cooked eggs, cooled, peeled, and cut into thick slices

Steps 
1. Sauté bacon in small nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy, about 10 minutes (we add a splash of water to get the cooking started). Remove from skillet with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. When cool enough to handle, cut into small pieces. Boom: homemade bacon bits.

2. Whisk together egg yolk, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, minced anchovy fillets, and Parmigiano-Reggiano in large mixing bowl. Whisk in olive oil. Season to taste with black pepper, red pepper flakes, and Worcestershire (start with 3 or 4 shakes).

3. Add kale to dressing and toss by hand, massaging firmly, until kale has softened and absorbed dressing, about 2 minutes. Add bacon bits, coarsely chopped anchovy fillets, and radish and toss to combine. Top with eggs before serving.

Griddled Lamb Burgers with Tzatziki and Pickled Red Onions

When we make a classic hamburger, we like to keep it simple—just coarsely ground meat, salt, and pepper, with no crazy sauces. Anything else feels wrong. So for us, changing up the meat is a license to try something new. This burger was our take on a gyro, complete with Greek-style seasonings and a creamy, herbaceous tzatziki sauce. Marjoram just makes meat taste "Greek" somehow, so no, you can't substitute dried basil/parsley/thyme/oregano/Italian seasoning/Mrs. Dash.

Even if you don't feel like lamb this weekend, give the pickled red onions a try. They take 25 minutes start to finish, they look gorgeous and professional, and they keep in your fridge for months. We love them with grilled meat or seafood and as a garnish on Asian rice bowls and noodle dishes.

Griddled Lamb Burgers with Tzatziki and Pickled Red Onions

Cooking Time
30 minutes

Serves
4 big fat Greek eaters

Tools
Chef's knife
Paring knife
Cutting board
Mixing bowls
Cast-iron griddle or skillet
Metal spatula
Small saucepan
Whisk

Ingredients
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
Cayenne

1 lb. ground lamb
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 small pitas
1 recipe herbed tzatziki

Steps
1. Place sliced onion in medium heat-proof bowl. Whisk together vinegar, water, and sugar in small saucepan over high heat. As soon as vinegar mixture comes to a boil, immediately remove from heat and pour over onions. Stir in cayenne to taste. Put a small plate on top of onions to keep them submerged. Let rest 20 minutes at room temperature. At this point the onions can be refrigerated, covered and in their brine, for several weeks.

2. Mix together lamb, cayenne, marjoram, salt, and pepper in medium bowl. Divide evenly into 4 burgers and shape into rough disks about 1" thick.

3. Heat griddle over medium heat until evenly hot, 10 to 20 minutes. Increase heat to medium high, add oil, and heat until smoking. Place burgers on griddle. Using metal spatula, press each burger into 3" disk. Sear until a light brown crust has formed, about 2 minutes. Flip burgers and press down lightly with spatula. Sear until a light brown crust has formed on second side, about 2 minutes.

4. Flip burgers again. Sear until deep brown crust has formed on first side, about 1 minute. Flip again and sear until deep brown crust has formed on the second side, about 1 minute. Transfer to plate, tent with foil, and let rest while you prepare pitas.

5. To heat pitas, arrange on plate, cover with damp paper towels or a clean dish towel, and microwave until hot and pillowy, about 40 seconds. Cut a 3" pocket along the edge of each pita with paring knife.

6. Gently place a burger in each pita. Top with tzatziki and pickled onions.

Grilled Salmon Dolmas with Herbed Tzatziki

You may know dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) as the mysterious, tubular garnishes that you leave untouched when you order a Greek salad. This dish is similar in name only. Grilling the grape leaves (traditional dolmas use grape leaves straight out of the jar) makes them crisp and smoky rather than chewy and bland, while the salmon nuggets are kept moist because they're not exposed to direct heat. Just about the only thing you can do wrong here is buy inferior salmon; the recipe only works with the thick and fatty kind, so opt for king or coho over sockeye.

These suckers are ideal for a small get-together. They can be assembled ahead of time and kept in the fridge; you can grill them in about four minutes total right before it's time to sit down. They're good anywhere from room temp to hot, they're easy to eat, and they're just unusual enough to impress your guests with your worldliness without scaring them off.

Grilled Salmon Dolmas with Herbed Tzatziki

Cooking Time
20 minutes

Serves
2–4 dolma innovators

Tools
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Mixing bowl
Paper towels
Grill brush
Tongs

Ingredients
1 lb. salmon, skin removed, cut into large chunks (aim for ~1" cubes)
1 large pinch dill (~2 sprigs), picked from stems and very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Black pepper
Cayenne
1 tablespoon canola oil, plus more for grill
10–12 grape leaves, carefully unrolled

7 oz. (1 small container) low-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 red onion, very finely diced
1/2 medium cucumber, seeded and finely diced
1 medium handful flat-leaf parsley, picked from stems and very finely chopped
1 small handful dill, picked from stems and very thinly sliced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher or sea salt
Black pepper
Cayenne

Steps
1. Bring half of a grill to high heat. (If using charcoal, burn half a chimney of coals until covered in white ash and arrange on one side of the grill. If using gas, turn all burners to high to heat the grates, and then turn off half of the burners so all the heat is coming from one side.)

2. To form the dolmas, toss together salmon, large pinch dill, 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper and cayenne to taste, and canola oil in a mixing bowl. Rinse grape leaves under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place each chunk of salmon in the center of a grape leaf. Fold the edges of the grape leaf inward, and then roll up the grape leaf to completely wrap salmon.

3. Prepare grill by scrubbing grates with a grill brush and greasing with an oiled paper towel held in a pair of tongs.

4. Arrange dolmas crease-side down on hot side of grill. Sear crease side until crisp and lightly charred, about 1 minute. Flip and sear smooth side until crisp and lightly charred, about 1 minute.

5. Transfer dolmas to cool side of grill. Cover grill and cook until salmon is medium/medium-rare (a knife or skewer inserted into the center of a dolma for a few seconds will feel warm but not scorching hot to the touch), about 2 minutes. Transfer dolmas to a plate. Turn off grill (if using gas). Scrub grates with grill brush before coming back inside.

6. To make tzatziki, stir together yogurt, red onion, cucumber, parsley, small handful dill, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season lightly with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Taste and adjust seasoning.

7. Serve dolmas hot or at room temperature with tzatziki on the side. Try to show some restraint and eat in two bites instead of one, especially if you have company.

Cruciferous Udon Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce

This is an unexpectedly impressive dish for what basically boils down to an Asian vegan pasta salad. It is perfectly balanced and even can be considered healthy by at least a few definitions.

What elevates salads to complete meal status is a panoply of sensations in one chopstick-ful: warm tofu, cool noodles, crunchy vegetables, and bright herbs. The rich peanut sauce, too intense to use as a regular dipping sauce, brings just the right amount of salt and heat for a big bowl of otherwise plain noodles and raw vegetables.

Cruciferous Udon Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce
Adapted from BrokeAss Gourmet

Cooking Time
20 minutes

Serves
2-3 accidental vegans

Tools
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Pot to cook the noodles in
Mixing bowl
Small non-stick pan
Paper towels

Ingredients
2 single serving packages (14 oz. total) udon noodles
1 tablespoon canola oil
8 oz. firm tofu, patted dry with paper towels and cut into 3/4" cubes
3 tablespoons all-natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon sambal oelek (chili paste)
1/4 head small red cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, julienned
1 handful cilantro, picked from stems and coarsely chopped
1 handful mint, picked from stems and coarsely chopped

Steps
1. Cook the udon noodles according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool.

2. Heat oil in non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add tofu and sauté until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

3. Whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, and sambal. If it's too thick, add a little water.

4. In mixing bowl, combine vegetables, herbs, tofu, udon noodles, and sauce. 

5. Separate into bowls. Garnish with mint leaves if you're taking a picture.