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.
Set a non-stick pan over medium low heat. Once hot, add a splash of extra virgin olive,
the zest from half a lemon, and enough breadcrumbs to cover the bottom. Toss frequently with a rubber spatula until
toasted golden brown then transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Trim each Brussel sprout by removing any browning outer
leaves as well as the very bottom of the stem...no more than a 1/16 of an inch,
then slice them all in half.
Wipe the breadcrumb pan clean and place back on the heat
with a little bit of olive oil. Add the halved
spouts to the hot pan along with some salt and pepper, toss, then cover with a
tight-fitting lid.
Let them cook for a couple of minutes, toss again, and cook
for a minute or two more. When they’re barely fork tender, slide them onto a
plate and top with the lemon breadcrumbs.
Keeping it real simple this week, which a lot of time is
the best way to do it. 
Devein and coarsely chop some kale, figure about two stems
per person. Heat a generous pour of extra virgin olive oil in a large wok,
straight sided pan, or pot, along with some finely chopped garlic.
Until recently, I’ve waited until the oil was hot to add
the garlic, but after reading otherwise I find I’m liking putting it in right
away and then heating the oil and garlic together. It definitely makes it
easier to avoid burning the garlic.
Once the garlic is translucent, add the kale and toss to coat
well. Continue to cook for another minute or so. You’ll know it’s done when
it’s in between crunchy and soggy….wilted. Salt to taste, toss well, and serve.
These St. Louis style ribs only took an hour of stove top
braising, and the meat was falling off of the bone. Cut the rack up into pieces
of three or four ribs, rub all over with some gochujang, then set aside. Mince a couple peeled garlic cloves and a
thumb sized piece of ginger in the food processor. Add a few tablespoons of gochujang chili
paste, the juice from one lime, and enough rice wine vinegar to get a ketchup
consistency. 
Sauté a finely chopped medium onion in a large heavy pot
with a lid. Once translucent, add a can of tomato paste, a cup and a half of
chicken stock, and the gochujang mixture.
Simmer for a few minutes, add the ribs and cover the pot. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to
simmer.
After thirty minutes, turn the ribs over in the sauce and
cook for another thirty minutes or until they’re tender. Serve with some roast potato slices, rice, or
something else to soak up all that over-the-top flavorful tangy sauce.
It comes together quickly so start by getting a half a
pound of pasta boiling in a pot of salted water. In a large pan, sauté a minced shallot and a
couple of cloves of minced garlic in a generous pour of extra virgin olive
oil. Once the shallots are translucent,
add a few big shakes of chili flakes and the zest from half a lemon, leave on
low heat.
When your pasta is ready, reserve a cup of the pasta water then
slide the noodles into a strainer. Next, drain the oil from a can of sardines
and add the fish to the pan with the shallots.
Break them up well with a rubber spatula then stir them together with
the rest of the mixture.
To finish, add the noodles to the pan along with the juice
from half a lemon and a couple large handfuls of arugula. Toss well, adding as much of the reserved
pasta water that you need to loosen things up. Top with some grated parmesan.
For a pound of pasta just double up on everything.
Slice between an eight and a quarter pound of bacon into ¼”
pieces then cook over medium heat in a large pot or high sided pan. When it
starts to brown, stir in a chopped onion and cook for another few minutes.
To complete, add a couple of finely chopped garlic cloves,
a can of white beans, a deveined and chopped bunch of collard greens, and
enough chicken stock to nearly cover all. Put a lid on it and simmer for twenty
minutes or until the greens are tender.
If you want it a bit thicker, remove the lid and simmer for
a while longer. When you have it where you want it, salt and pepper to taste.
Peel the raw shrimp, cut into half inch pieces, then toss
in a bowl with some chili powder, cayenne pepper, or if you’re in the mood for
something a little cleaner after the holidays, just some salt and pepper.
Wrap some soft corn tortillas in aluminum foil and pop them
in the toaster oven on 300 for five minutes. Once warmed through, lay them out
on your plates.
Slide the shrimp into a lightly oiled sauté pan and toss
often over medium heat. They don’t take
more than a few minutes, once cooked through portion them out onto the waiting
tortillas. To finish, pile on the kimchi
or slaw, followed by the avocado and your favorite salsa.
After washing and removing the coarse ends, slice each
celery stalk in half or thirds the long way and coarsely chop. In a large pan, sauté for a few minutes along
with a thinly sliced scallion or shallot over medium heat with a splash or two
of extra virgin olive oil. A couple
pinches of chili flakes are nice too if you’re looking for some spice.
Add a half a cup of chicken stock and simmer gently uncovered
until the celery is soft, shouldn’t be more than 7 to 10 minutes. Add some more
stock if necessary. Stir in a little
chopped parsley, some grated parmesan or crumbled feta, salt and pepper to
taste, then simmer for another minute and serve.
Trimming the onions can be a little tricky, slice four of
them in half from stem to stem then remove the outer layer or two being careful
to leave the stem ends intact…they’ll what holds the onions together throughout.
Melt a half a stick of butter in a small sauce pan, then transfer
to a bowl and whisk together with three to four tablespoons of miso paste and
two cups of warm water. Pour the mixture into a large baking dish, arrange the
onions in the dish cut side down, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake
for 35 minutes.
Remove the foil, carefully turn the onions over and baste
well with the liquid in the bottom of the pan.
Bake for another 45 minutes basting occasionally. You’ll know they’re done when they’re brown
on top, and pierce easily with a knife.
Serve them along with every drop of the reduced sauce.
Cut up a head of cauliflower into small florets then toss
with some olive, salt, and pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven for 40
minutes. You could also steam or boil if
you prefer, or don’t have the oven space…but roasting is best.
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a large frying pan, add three
tablespoons of breadcrumbs, and toast until golden brown, flipping often. Set the breadcrumbs aside in a large
bowl.
Add a little bit of olive oil to the hot pan and do the
same with a few tablespoons of slivered or chopped almonds. Once toasted, scrape them into the bowl with
the breadcrumbs.
In a small soup pot over low heat, add a couple of
tablespoons each of wine vinegar and water, and two tablespoons of
raisins. Simmer for 5 minutes, drain,
and add to the other ingredients along with a tablespoon of drained capers, a
teaspoon each of finely chopped parsley, scallion greens, and, if you like,
some tarragon.
You could do all of the above hours before serving and
leave the bowl at room temperature until serving. When you’re ready to eat, slide in the hot
cauliflower, toss well, and salt and pepper to taste.
Happy Merry!
BTW, not sure why it’s called Korean Ketchup other than the
fact that I read about in a cookbook called, Korean Home Cooking by a NYC chef
with Vermont ties, Sohui Kim.
In a small bowl stir together a quarter cup of ketchup with
a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and Sriracha to taste. That’s it.
And I’m betting that after you taste it, you’ll want to make a double or
triple batch…it keeps in the fridge for ages.
