Steak and chimichurri sauce is a classic pairing that is legendary in Argentina. But you don’t have to be a gaucho or cowboy to enjoy it. Whether you cook the steak indoors or outdoors, I think this will become one of your favorite meals—I know it’s one of mine! And it’s quick and easy, to boot! A simple three-ingredient rub is made from spices that you most likely have in your pantry, but it delivers flavor that is anything but simple! Flank steak should be served medium-rare and cut across the grain for maximum tenderness. Pair this dish with Tex-Mex Chocolate Sheet Cake and a German Chocolate Variation.
Spatchcocking chicken, also called butterflying, calls for cutting the bird along its backbone, then opening it up so that it can lie flat in the pan. Spatchcocked chickens cook quickly and evenly, turning gorgeously brown in the process. You can ask your butcher to spatchcock the chicken for you, but it’s not a hard thing to do yourself (see instructions below). Good, sharp poultry shears are all you need.
A fried, breaded chicken cutlet is a wonderful thing—crunchy, golden, juicy within. Universally adored even when served simple and plain, they also take well to embellishment. This slightly fancier version is scented with cumin and citrus, and served with a sweet-tart cranberry chutney spiked with a little jalapeño. If you’re pressed for time, skip the cranberry-kumquat chutney and serve this with a spoonful of mango chutney, or a dollop of lingonberry jam if you’ve got some in the fridge from a recent IKEA excursion (that’s where I always stock up). You’re just looking to add something tangy-sweet to the plate to offset the richness of the fried cutlet.
Ever since I discovered the golden-edged, caramelized joys of roasted cauliflower, I’ve hardly prepared it any other way. Roasting condenses its juices, browns the crevices, and renders the whole thing sweet and irresistible. Whenever I serve roasted cauliflower to a group, I need to sit on my hands to avoid eating every last floret before my friends and family have had their fill.
These fluffy pieces of shredded tofu are like soft, tiny dumplings and cook up in no time at all. Here, ground chicken gives them a meaty depth and a caramelized flavor while edamame adds texture and a vegetable to the mix. If you want to make this vegetarian, leave out the meat, and instead sauté 4 ounces of chopped fresh shiitake or cremini mushrooms with the scallions and ginger. Make sure to get the shiitakes nice and golden; you need the extra flavor that caramelization provides. Serve this by itself or with a simple salad of baby spinach dressed with a little sesame oil, salt, and lime juice.
The classic fish for this intense and sweetly aromatic recipe is catfish. In Vietnam, thick bone-in catfish steaks are simmered in a dark and highly peppery caramel for upwards of an hour, until the fish practically falls apart in its bittersweet, pungent sauce. Here, I’ve replaced catfish with salmon, which has a rich succulence that can stand up to the ginger, chiles, and black pepper. And by using brown sugar instead of making my own caramel, I’ve also hastened the process so that the whole thing is ready in less than thirty minutes. The salmon still has time to absorb all the intense flavors of the caramel, but it doesn’t overcook, staying firm but tender. Serve this with some kind of rice as a gentle foil for all the rich spiciness on the plate.
Cooking it with love, slowly over a low heat, brings out the flavour of the black lentils and black cardamom and results in a rich, intense, deep taste.
We think fried chicken is something that few people dislike (and if you hate it, we don’t want to know you anyway). Even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good. Out in Cleveland, koji master Jeremy Umansky is working on a game-changing koji-cultured fried chicken that uses the mold as a crust. We're not nearly as crazy (or as cool), but we still wanted to take advantage of the amazing tenderizing and flavor-boosting properties of shio koji, a mixture of rice koji, water, and salt. So we marinated a bunch of chicken in the stuff and even incorporated some dried granular rice koji into the coating itself to produce juicy, meaty, deep golden-brown, crunchtastic chicken.
This recipe is no-fail, quick, and easy. The combination of ginger and orange marries beautifully with the veal chops—without overpowering or masking their natural taste. Be sure to preheat your grill so it is hot enough to leave those beautiful, golden grill marks on the chops.