Cut the stalks from the top of your fennel bulb saving any
fronds to add to your salad later.
Remove any wilted or coarse outer layers. Cut in half, and halves again…quarters are
easier to work with…then thinly slice.
Halve the avocado, remove the pit, and cut into quarter
inch chunks. Combine the avocado and fennel in a bowl along with the juice from
half a lemon, a few pinches of chili flakes, a nice drizzle of your best olive
oil, the fennel fronds, and salt to taste. Yum!
Bring the water to a boil with a teaspoon of salt then
slowly stir in the polenta. Turn the heat to very low and cook for around 30
minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the polenta is cooking, sauté a finely chopped
shallot and 12 to 16 ounces of sliced cremini or white mushrooms in a few
tablespoons of olive oil. Once the
mushrooms start to brown, remove from the heat.
Peel two cloves of garlic, cut into chunks, then mince in a
food processor. Add two large handfuls
of arugula and a quarter teaspoon of kosher salt. With the processor running,
drizzle olive oil into the mixture until you get a smooth somewhat loose consistency.
When your polenta is done, stir in a little butter, half a
cup of grated parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the polenta onto
plates and top with the mushrooms and arugula puree…chicken or shrimp is
optional.
If you’re starting with dry beans, soak for six hours,
drain, then add them to a soup pot with enough water to cover by several
inches. Lightly boil until the beans are
soft, then drain, making sure to reserve all of the bean broth.
The golden-brown garlic is the key to this soup. Generously
cover the bottom of a soup pot with extra virgin olive oil and set over low to
medium heat. Add a handful of peeled garlic cloves to the pot and cook for
around twenty minutes, stirring occasionally until golden all over…not dark
brown.
Add a chopped onion and cook until translucent. Stir in the
beans and enough liquid to cover the beans by a couple of inches. Use either half and half bean broth and
chicken stock if you used dry beans, or all chicken stock.
Simmer for twenty minutes, then blend until silky smooth
using a stick blender or food processor. If it’s too thick add some more broth
or stock. If it’s too thin, simmer
longer. Salt and pepper to taste.
To make the miso butter, use a fork to mash together 4
tablespoons of room temperature butter with two tablespoons of miso paste.
That’s it.
Salt and pepper the cod and bake at 400 for 15 to 20
minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet. It will flake easily with a fork when cooked
through.
Remove from the oven, transfer to a plate to ensure it
doesn’t overcook, and hit it immediately with the miso butter. Give it a half a minute to melt and serve.
There are many very good store-bought varieties including
the original Lao Gan Ma with a head shot of a Chinese grandma on the label.
I’ve heard rumors her spicy chili crisp made her one of the first millionaires
in China.
Trader Joe’s has a take on her sauce as do a lot of
celebrity chefs. However, the best one I’ve had so far is one a friend gave me
along with this recipe from Bon Appetit magazine.
Thinly slice four shallots and simmer in a small pot over
medium heat along with two heads of sliced garlic, one and a half cups of
vegetable oil, two cinnamon sticks, and six star anise. Cook for about twenty
minutes or until the shallots and garlic are browned.
In a medium bowl, mix together a finely chopped 2” piece of
ginger, a quarter cup of red chili flakes, two tablespoons of soy sauce and a
tablespoon of sugar. Drain the shallot
mixture through a fine sieve into the ginger mixture. Let the chunks in the sieve cool, then stir
back into the chili oil.
Store in sealed containers in the fridge for up to a month,
but don’t worry it won’t last that long. It even makes poached soft tofu
irresistible, and that’s something I didn’t think I’d ever say.
