Seafood Stew

Recipe courtesy of Food52. Photo by James Ransom

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 crushed garlic cloves
• 6 peeled and seeded Roma tomatoes cut into thin strips
• 1 cup homemade fish stock, purchased seafood stock or clam juice
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 pound skinned saltwater fish filets (snapper, sole, halibut, cod), cut into 2-inch chunks
• 16 large peeled and de-veined raw shrimp
• 16 sea scallops
• ½ cup finely shredded fresh basil leaves
• ½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Directions

1. Heat oil in a 4-6 quart Dutch oven or sauce pot. Add crushed garlic and sauté on very low heat for about two minutes or until garlic is fragrant but not browned.
2. Add tomatoes, stock and wine and simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the fish and seafood and simmer for about 5 minutes until just done.
4. Stir in parsley and basil and serve immediately.

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How to Make Any Risotto in 5 Steps

Today: The 5 steps to making any risotto, using whatever odds and ends you've got.

Risotto seems so fancy, doesn't it? It's something you bookmark in a magazine or cookbook and save to make someday, when you'll take a special trip to the grocery store, for that dinner party you've been meaning to host.

But the truth is: you can (and should!) make risotto anytime, and you don't even really need to measure anything. All you need is short grain rice, liquid, and about 40 minutes. What's in the fridge -- bacon or mushrooms or peas? They'll be good in here too.

How to Make Any Risotto in 5 Steps

1. Get stock warming on the stove.

 

2. In another wide pot, sauté onion (or garlic or shallots) in olive oil (or butter).

 

3. Add short grain rice, like carnaroli or arborio (remember: it will roughly double in size). Toast till the rice is just warm, and it looks "impregnated" with the fat (as Elizabeth David says). Optional: Splash in a few glugs of wine (or sherry or vermouth or beer).

 

4. Add ladles of stock, stir sometimes, watch it bubble down, add more -- you'll want to keep it generously saucy as you go, not dry. Running low on stock? Add water to the stock pot. Watch the rice swell up, release starch, and get creamy.

 

5. Taste the rice as you go; let it plump without going mushy. Leave it saucy. Beat in a pat or two of cold butter, and parmesan if you like. Serve right away. Whatever you don't eat, save to makearancini!

Still want a recipe? Here are a few for inspiration:

• Preserved Lemon and Spring Vegetable Risotto
• Leek Risotto
• Risotto Rosso

We're looking for contributors! Email submissions@food52.com and tell us the dish you could make in your sleep, without a recipe.

Photos by James Ransom

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Momofuku's Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fish Sauce Vinaigrette

Today: How to add much-needed spark to your winter diet (and your Thanksgiving spread).

Thanksgiving calls for sparks of life -- the cranberry relish, the random bowls of olives, good wine. They propel you toward more helpings of the piles of food you've spent the day on, give life to the conversation, stave off the food coma.

This year, you can temper the platters of pale and soft from an unexpected place: the brussels sprouts. 

Even if we, as a people, have recovered from mushy sprout flashbacks, they're still often wrapped in butter or cream. Which is fine. But what happens if we shove them in a new direction? 

  

David Chang happens to be good at that sort of thing. With his revolutionary Momofuku family of restaurants and cookbook, he's taught us much about invention in the name of "deliciousness." Here, he takes two under-the-radar ingredients -- brussels sprouts and fish sauce -- and turns them into the big meal's sleeper hit.

If you're nervous about fish sauce (or the people you're feeding will be), realize that, while it is nothing you should eat -- or, okay, smell -- by itself, like an undercurrent of anchovy or soy sauce, it can make magic. Especially when combined with flickers of garlic and chile and bursts of lime and rice vinegar. And cilantro stems (you'll use the leaves as garnish -- bonus genius points).

  

In fact, as China Millman-- food writer, former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette restaurant critic, and wife of talented Food52 Developer Michael Hoffman -- wrote to me, "The fish sauce vinaigrette is the genius part of this recipe. It's quite simple -- and it keeps for up to a week in the fridge. It is an incredible combination of salty, sweet, and sour, livening up everything it touches. I like this with brussels sprouts even more than bacon."

The other genius part: cooking the sprouts till they're crackly, with pretty brown surfaces and lots of crevices for the vinaigrette to seep in and bounce around. As Chang told GQ in 2009, he likes to get this going with the sprouts laid face-down in a skillet of sizzling oil before finishing them off in the oven.

But when cooking for a crowd, spreading them on a couple of baking sheets in a screaming hot oven works well too. For Thanksgiving, you can do this ahead and warm them up later (or leave them room temp -- both are good).

 

Or you can (carefully) deep-fry the sprouts, like Chang did when he introduced them atMomofuku Ssäm Bar. They will rattle your mind, in the way that well-fried things can. But a very hot oven and a not-stingy amount of oil will give you the same deeply browned exposed facades and rippling flyaway leaves. The insides will just be a little more recognizably vegetal, which, in many cases, can be a good thing. Like when you're surrounded by gravy.

The original recipe includes some other fun doo dads -- fried cilantro leaves and spicy toasted puffed rice. If you want those, look here. I skip them.

Because, with a bowl of handsomely roasted sprouts, that vinaigrette, and a finishing blanket of fresh mint and cilantro -- any more excitement just wouldn't be fair to the sweet potatoes.

Momofuku's Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fish Sauce Vinaigrette

Adapted lightly from Momofuku (Clarkson Potter, 2009) 

Serves 4

2 pounds brussels sprouts2 tablespoons thinly sliced cilantro stems + 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
Grapeseed or other neutral oil, as needed (lots for frying, little for roasting)
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 to 3 red bird's-eye chiles, thinly sliced, seeds intact
3 tablespoons chopped mint

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Got a genius recipe to share -- from a classic cookbook, an online source, or anywhere, really? Please send it my way (and tell me what's so smart about it) at kristen@food52.com.

Photo of David Chang by TIME Magazine; all others by James Ransom

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A Medley of Roasted Potatoes with Homemade Za’atar and Aleppo Pepper

A Medley of Roasted Potatoes with Homemade Za’atar and Aleppo Pepper

Chefs Note: This dish introduces za’atar, a traditional Middle Eastern spice blend, to oven-roasted potatoes. Inspired by a trip to Morocco and Turkey, this brings a little taste of the exotic to weekday potatoes. We’re especially thrilled to have a blueprint for mixing our own za’atar to perk up just about anything, from roast chicken to scrambled eggs to a nice grilled steak.

For The Potatoes:

• 2 to 3 pounds mixed potatoes (I used organic red and purple fingerlings and golden Buttercream potatoes), scrubbed and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes 
• 3 to 4 tablespoons Za’atar (recipe follows)
• 2 tablespoons Aleppo pepper, or to taste
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4 tablespoons California Olive Ranch extra-virgin olive oil

Step 1: Heat the oven to 400°F.

Step 2: In a large bowl, mix the potatoes with the za’atar, Aleppo pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil. Spread in a single layer in a large baking dish or roasting pan. Roast the potatoes, stirring once or twice, until tender and golden brown, about 40 minutes.

For the Za’atar:

• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
• 2 tablespoons ground sumac*
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon sea salt

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. You should have about 1 cup.

Recipe courtesy of The Food52 Cookbook, Volume 2 (William Morrow Cookbooks, 2012), by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs

Reprinted with permission from the authors

Photo credit: Sarah Shatz for Food52

* Sumac can be found at Penzeys, Kalustyans, or other stores that carry Middle Eastern spices.

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Flank Steak on Texas Toast with Chimichurri

Recipe

This recipe serves 4

THE CHIMICHURRI AND FLANK STEAK

• 1 1 1/2 to 2-pound flank steak
• 1 cup flat leaf parsley cleaned and large stems removed, finely chopped (by hand or use food processor)
• 1/2 cup baby arugula, finely chopped (by hand or use food processor)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (you can add to parsley and arugula in food processor)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

1. For chimichurri, place all ingredients except flank steak into a bowl, stir to combine. For the steak, cover both sides of the steak with some of the chimichurri, put in ziplock bag and refrigerate for one or two hours. Cover and refrigerate the rest of the chimichurri.

SEARING THE STEAK AND MAKING THE SANDWICH

• 1 brioche pullman loaf or if you prefer a white pullman loaf
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 beefsteak or heirloom tomato, sliced
• Soft butter for bread
• salt before you sear and pepper after
• 2 tablespoons Chimichurri to mix with mayonnaise

1. Remove steak from refrigerator approximately 45 minutes before you are going to cook it. Scrape off some of the chimichurri, salt the steak and let rest. While steak is resting prepare the other ingredients: slice tomato, slice bread in 1-inch thick slices, mix the mayonnaise and chimichurri.
2. To sear the steak: First with a paper towel pat the steak to remove any excess moisture. In a very hot fry pan lay steak, let it sear without disturbing it. Cook approximately 3-4 minutes on each side for a medium rare steak. (You will have to judge exactly how long to sear based on the thickness of the steak.) Remove from pan, lay on cutting board, pepper the steak now, let rest 5-10 minutes.
3. While steak is resting, heat a fry pan (if you have one with ridges it will make nice grill marks on the bread). Spread butter on each side of bread, place in hot pan and grill, about a minute per side.
4. When steak has rested, slice thinly, cutting across the grain. To put your sandwich together, spread the chimichurri mayonnaise on each side of bread, lay meat on bread, then add the tomato, put the other slice of bread on top and enjoy.

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Seared Scallops with Spring Onion and Tarragon Cream

Recipe

This recipe serves 4 as a main course, more as a starter

• 1 pound wild dry sea scallops
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• Kosher or sea salt
• 1 bunch spring onions, about ½ lb.
• 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves
• grapeseed or other neutral oil
• 2 tablespoons crème fraiche
• fresh chives for garnish

1. Place the scallops on a plate or platter and refrigerate, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
2. Trim the spring onions, separating the green tops from the small bulbs. Dice the bulbs and roughly chop the greens.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped spring onion bulbs and a pinch of salt, reduce the heat to low, and cook 20-25 minutes, until very soft. Add the green tops, toss through, and cook an additional 5-10 minutes until soft but still bright green. Sprinkle the flour over and cook for a minute or two, just until the raw flour smell is gone. Add the milk, raising the heat to medium, and cook briefly until thickened. Add the tarragon leaves and stir through, then turn off the heat and pour the mixture into a blender. Puree until very smooth, then return to the pan over low heat, cooking until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
4. Pour a thin film of grapeseed oil in the bottom of a sauté pan and warm over medium-high heat until shimmering. Carefully add the scallops a few at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan, and sear them just couple of minutes per side until they are nicely browned and caramelized - they should release from the pan easily once they’re ready, and they should still be a little jiggly in the middle, as they will continue to cook off the heat. Set aside and keep warm.
5. Taste the sauce and adjust salt if necessary. Whisk in the crème fraiche off the heat until the mixture is smooth, then spoon a little of the sauce into the bottom of shallow, warmed bowls, place scallops on top, and garnish with fresh chives.

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Matilda, Maple and Garlic Pork Shoulder with Crispy Skin

Recipe

This recipe serves 4-6-8

• 6-8 pounds bone-in, skin on pork shoulder
• 3 tablespoons fennel seeds, toasted, crushed
• 14 pieces garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 cups grade b maple syrup
• 1 big bottle of Matilda, or another malty fruity ale
• 2 teaspoons malt vinegar

1. After allowing the meat to come to room temperature, use a sharp knife to score the skin, making 1/2 inch stripes over entire surface. Preheat oven to 450. Toast fennel seeds in a skillet over medium heat, until fragrant (3 minutes); crush using mortar and pestle, set aside. Place garlic and salt in empty mortar mortar and grind together to make a paste. Slowly add olive oil, then sprinkle in cayenne, black pepper, fennel.
2. Rub about 1/3 of the paste over the skinless side of the meat, then place skin side down on a roasting pan in lower third of oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Meanwhile stir the syrup and vinegar into the remaining paste.
3. Turn the oven down to 225. Carefully flip the shoulder (use a clean towel), then use a rubber spatula to spread the remaining paste over the shoulder, pushing it into the scored skin.
4. Return to oven and cook for 18 hours or longer (you can put it in the oven at bedtime and leave it in until you serve it as an early supper the next day, which is what I did; I just turned it all the way down to 150 for a couple of hours late in the afternoon), pouring 1/3 of the bottle of beer over it at several intervals, and basting with the drippings 2-3 times. Seriously. Before serving, turn up the heat to 450 for ten minutes if the skin is not crispy enough. Put it on a platter, and let people pull off pieces, like wild animals. They will fight over the skin.
5. Serve with my Fresh Fennel and Red Pepper Chow-Chow (under "condiments"), and mashed sweet potatoes with apples. Leftover pork, Chow-Chow, and spicy mayo sandwich on ciabatta: very good idea.

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Porcini and Rosemary Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Port Wine Sauce

This recipe serves 6-8

FOR THE BEEF TENDERLOIN:

• 1 center-cut beef tenderloin, 3 pounds
• Salt
• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• Olive oil

1. Season the tenderloin all over with salt. Refrigerate 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Thirty minutes before roasting remove beef from refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine mushrooms, rosemary and peppercorns in spice grinder. Grind to a coarse powder. Rub beef with olive oil. Coat all over with porcini rosemary rub. (Note: Make sure your mushrooms are completely dry and brittle, or they won't willingly grind into powder. If they're at all pliant, you can dry them out in the oven until they break easily.)
3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add beef and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a roasting pan. Roast in oven until thermometer inserted in thickest part reads 125 F., about 30 minutes, for medium rare. Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let stand for 15 minutes.
4. Carve beef in 1/4 inch slices. Serve with Port Wine Sauce.

FOR THE PORT WINE SAUCE:

• 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted in 3/4 cup water, liquid reserved
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
• 1 cup port wine
• 1 cup heavy bodied red wine
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1. Strain the porcini water through an un-bleached paper towel into a small bowl. Reserve strained liquid. Coarsely chop porcini.
2. Using the same skillet from browning the meat, add 1 tablespoon butter, shallots and chopped porcini. Sauté over medium heat until shallots are translucent, about 2 minutes.
3. Add port wine, scraping up any brown bits in the pan. Add red wine, mushroom stock and rosemary. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered until sauce is reduced by about half to approximately 1 1/2 cups. Add salt and taste for seasoning. Strain through a fine-meshed seive into a small saucepan, pressing firmly on solids. Discard solids.
4. Heat sauce over medium heat. Whisk in 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Keep warm until serving.

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Anya von Bremzen's Potato Soup with Fried Almonds

 

 Recipe

This recipe serves 4 as an appetizer

• 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup whole blanched almonds
• 6 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/3 cup (about 2 ounces) finely diced serrano ham or prosciutto
• 4 cups chicken broth, or more if needed
• 1 pinch saffron, crushed
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, preferably aged, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
• Dense country bread, for serving

1. Cut the potatoes into irregular chunks by inserting the tip of a small, sharp knife into a potato and twisting until a 1 1/2 chunk comes out. Repeat until the entire potato is cut up, then continue with the remaining potatoes; set aside. Alternately, roughly chop in 1 1/2 inch chunks. Peeling is optional.
   
   
2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the almonds and garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes, adjusting the heat so the oil doesn't burn. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the almonds and garlic to a bowl to cool slightly. Add the ham to the pan and stir for 1 minute. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the soup.
   
   
3. Meanwhile, place the almond and garlic mixture in a food processor and grind it. If you like almond bits in your soup, grind the mixture somewhat coarsely; otherwise, grind it fine. Add all but about 2 tablespoons to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
   
   
4. Steep the saffron in a few tablespoons of the soup broth for 2 minutes, then add it to the soup. Simmer the soup, partially covered, until about half the potatoes have disintegrated, about 35 minutes. Skim the soup as it cooks if you like, and add a little more stock if the soup seems too thick.
   
   
5. When ready to serve, check the texture of the soup. If you'd like it creamier, break up some of the potatoes with a sturdy spoon. Add the vinegar to the reserved ground almond mixture and stir it into the soup. Add the parsley and cook for a minute. Taste for seasoning, adding a little more vinegar if necessary. Serve the soup with bread

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