278 recipes. Page 9 of 12
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The skin is peeled back while still attached on one side so the seasoning can be pushed into deep cuts in the meat, and only salt touches the outer skin, which lets it puff and crisp in the final hot stage. A small piece of pork will not follow the same timing as the one whole shoulder of about 5kg this recipe is built around.
The brown water left from soaking dried porcini carries an earthy mushroom flavor through the whole sauce, while a mix of fresh mushrooms provides the bite. White wine, butter and Parmigiano bind it without cream so it clings to wide tagliatelle, and the truffle paste is only a finishing scent.
Raw kale is fibrous and scratchy, but massaging it with half the dressing darkens the leaves, shrinks their volume and makes them easy to chew. Lemon juice softens the kale's bitterness, while olive oil and honey round out the acidity. Thin apple slices get a light coat of dressing as soon as they are cut, and they stay pale while the rest is prepared. Just 1 minute in a dry pan brings oil to the surface of the walnuts and makes them far more fragrant. Dried cranberries scattered through the bowl add small sweet-tart bursts.
Salty green olives and sweet raisins scattered through browned ground beef give this Cuban dish its push and pull of flavor. Cumin warms the beef, and crushed tomatoes reduce until they cling to the meat rather than pooling around it. Leaving the beef alone for a moment after it hits the pan lets it brown instead of turning gray and steamed.
Roasting the kabocha squash until its edges brown concentrates its sweetness, and once blended it thickens the sauce without any flour. Even with cream and Parmigiano, the sauce stays a bright orange, with nutmeg rounding out the squash flavor. The squash can be roasted a day ahead, and butternut squash works in its place.
Gimbugak, Korean fried seaweed chips, are broken into rough pieces over avocado, sweet corn and cherry tomatoes, adding a salty, toasty crunch to an otherwise soft bowl. A pinch of fine chili powder in the lime dressing leaves a faint heat at the end.
Loose, creamy cornmeal makes a soft bed for mixed mushrooms seared until their edges brown. The polenta is sprinkled into the boiling water little by little while whisking, since dumping it in all at once leaves lumps, and it is spooned into bowls while it still flows, before standing firms it up.
Even with no meat in the dish, each cube of eggplant, seared over high heat until just browned, soaks up tomato and soy sauce like a sponge and turns soft and savory. Sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds lend a nutty Korean finish, and fresh basil sits on top.
Well-fermented napa kimchi brings sourness and depth, and burrata answers with mild, milky cream. The kimchi is shaken free of excess seasoning and spread wide across the plate, so no single bite ends up too salty. Perilla oil and olive oil share the dressing, pine nuts add a buttery note, and arugula keeps the whole plate from feeling heavy. Halved cherry tomatoes scatter fresh, fruity acidity in between. Burrata left out for 10 minutes before serving is soft enough that, torn open at the table, its creamy center runs into the kimchi juices.
Not a drop of water goes into this Neapolitan braise; the octopus releases its own liquid, and together with crushed tomatoes it becomes the sauce. Black olives and capers handle the briny side, while crushed red pepper adds a low, steady heat. That heat and the garlic are drawn into the oil over low heat at the start, and the tomatoes are added before the garlic browns. Reducing the sauce waits until the octopus is truly tender; if it still resists after the long covered simmer, the lid stays on for longer. Done right, the sauce clings to the octopus with no thin liquid pooling on the plate.
Finely chopped shiitake and button mushrooms stand in for ground meat, and a tablespoon of soy sauce reduced with tomato paste and white wine gives the ragu a salty depth. Mushroom liquid left in the pan is almost always behind a watery sauce. The mushrooms stay on high heat until they stop steaming and brown, and only then does the ragu cling to the wide pappardelle.
A dressing of mayonnaise and plain yogurt with parmesan stirred in gives the familiar Caesar creaminess with less weight, and stir-fried kimchi and seared tofu pull the salad toward Korea. Bread croutons, golden tofu cubes and crisp romaine each bring a different texture, which lasts only if the toppings are added right before eating.
Blistered crackling that shatters under the knife starts long before the oven. The skin is scored at 1 cm intervals, coarse salt is rubbed into the cuts, and the belly dries uncovered in the fridge for 8 hours. Any new droplets are wiped off just before roasting, so the skin enters the heat cold and dry. Oil and pepper are rubbed on the meat side only, leaving the dried skin untouched, and the belly sits on garlic and rosemary in the pan. A hot start blisters the skin, then a lower temperature renders the fat slowly. If the crackling still needs help, a brief, closely watched turn under the broiler finishes it, and the roast rests before slicing.
Sirloin is seared, rested for five minutes and sliced over the noodles, while the sauce comes from the same pan: meat juices, butter, sliced garlic, soy sauce and a spoon of mentsuyu, the Japanese bonito-and-kelp noodle base. The pasta water is added and emulsified quickly into a glossy coating, before long simmering can turn the soy sauce harsh and salty.
Lentils and kale make this a salad that eats like a meal. Raw kale is tough and bitter on its own, but working part of the dressing into the leaves first darkens and softens them so they sit easily with the lentils. The lentils come off the heat after 20 to 25 minutes, while they still resist the teeth a little, before they turn to mush. The lemon vinaigrette is thickened with Dijon mustard, which keeps the oil from separating and helps it cling to each lentil. Coarsely chopped walnuts add crunch, and shredded carrot brings sweetness and color.
Pork loin chops cut thick sear to a deep golden crust, and the browned bits they leave in the skillet become the base of the sauce once apple cider loosens them. Dijon mustard sharpens the cider's sweetness, and a knob of cold butter swirled in off the heat makes the sauce glossy. A sprig of thyme simmers in the reduction to tie the apple and pork together.
Short rib cut into 3cm pieces braises with red wine, whole tomatoes and soy sauce for an hour or more, until a spatula presses it apart into shreds. Its collagen melts into a sticky sauce that coats the wide pappardelle, and the soy brings a fermented saltiness ordinary Bolognese lacks.
Sweet autumn persimmon and crisp blanched lotus root alternate in every bite of this salad. Crumbled feta brings a salty, tangy edge that makes the fruit taste sweeter, and a dressing of only lemon juice, olive oil and honey leaves the main ingredients uncovered.
Chuck goes into the oven as one piece and comes out soft enough to pull apart with a fork, while the carrots and potatoes, added only for the final hour, still hold their shape. Tomato paste and the browned bits left by searing become the sauce right in the same pot, and the braising liquid ends up serving as the gravy.
Chicken thigh marinated for 10 minutes in soy sauce, honey, and garlic darkens into a sticky glaze as the sugars catch in a hot pan. Left untouched for the first minute, the pieces color properly. Tomato passata cuts through that sweet-salty coating, and garlic shows up twice, in the marinade and again in the sauce. Thigh stays juicy under high heat where breast would dry out. Since soy already brings plenty of salt, the Parmesan is grated in last, to taste.
Paprika and cumin give the tomato base a smoky, earthy warmth that makes this vegetable side taste heavier than it looks. Instead of dressing raw beans, the Moroccan method blanches green beans and then sautes them in a garlicky tomato sauce until the seasoning coats every pod. The garlic stays on low heat until fragrant but not golden, which gives the sauce a mellow sweetness, and lemon juice goes in off the heat to cut through the oil. The beans should end up tender while still holding their shape.
Thick coins of octopus sit on slices of boiled potato, finished with nothing more than olive oil, smoked paprika, and coarse salt. With so little seasoning, texture carries the dish: a hard boil tightens the flesh, so the octopus rests in its hot water after the heat goes off and softens gently.
Briny olives, salty capers and anchovies, and red pepper flakes all land in the same tomato sauce, which comes out bold and sharply defined after eight minutes of reduction. The spaghetti leaves the water a minute early and finishes in the sauce pan with reserved pasta water over high heat, where the starch binds everything to the strands and leaves no watery pool behind.
With no stove involved, the chickpeas keep their mealy, slightly firm bite at the center of the bowl. The dressing is just red wine vinegar and olive oil, which lets the salty black olives and juicy cucumber each come through. Feta crumbled by hand and folded in only once or twice stays in small chunks, giving salty, creamy pockets. Scoop it up with pita or top it with grilled chicken to turn it into a meal.