Figs with basil, goat cheese and pomegranate vinaigrette

Figs with basil, goat cheese and pomegranate vinaigrette

Plenty

Yotam Ottolenghi

Fresh figs are available in summer and then make another short appearance in autumn. When they are good they are amazing, a word I use way too often, although in this case I totally stand behind it. The unctuous sweetness of a fresh fig, combined with its ripe-rich texture, is unbeatable. In Israel and Palestine fig trees are to be found everywhere, and picking the fruit and eating it straight off the tree is a childhood experience I am afraid I can't replicate in the United Kingdom. Still, I can buy good French or Italian figs, a day or two old, from La Fromagerie in London. Good figs are heavy and slightly squidgy and have a noticeable sweet smell; they often tend to crack at their base. Stick to those and you'll be fine. But no matter what you do, don't buy under-ripe supermarket figs that have been cargoed here from the ends of the world. Use a very young and creamy goat.

Serves 4

1          shallot finely chopped
½  tsp Dijon mustard

2          tsp pomegranate molasses
salt and black pepper

3          tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish
1-1/2    cups arugula

¾         cup mixed purple and green basil leaves

8          ripe figs, at room temperature

2-1/2   oz young and creamy goat cheese

Place the shallot, mustard and pomegranate molasses in a medium bowl. Add some salt and pepper and whisk vigorously
as you slowly pour in the olive oil. You are aiming for a homogenous dressing.

Add most of the arugula and basil leaves to the dressing, reserving some to finish the salad, and toss gently. Lift the dressed leaves onto a large serving plate, spreading them out to line it

Cut the figs vertically into quarters and arrange over the leaves. Next, dot the figs and leaves with teaspoonfuls of cheese. Scatter the reserved leaves on top, drizzle with extra oil and season with some salt and pepper.

Vinegar-Braised Chicken with Farro and Watercress

I liked this recipe. I like most recipes that use vinegar! This Vinegar-Braised Chicken with Farro and Watercress was a perfect cool night dish. We had made a perfect salad with Burrata and Fresh Tomatoes. I added some Gribness (Fried Chicken Skin) its not healthy but I love it!

Vinegar-Braised Chicken with Farro and Watercress

Dining In

Alison Roman

Serves 4

1      (3ft- to 4-pound) chicken, cut up into pieces, or 2 bone-in breasts and 2 bone-in legs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1           tablespoon canola oil

1      head of garlic, halved crosswise

1      cup farro or spelt

½     cup white distilled vinegar or white wine vinegar

1      tablespoon yuzu kosho (optional)

4      cups watercress, thick stems removed

do ahead: Chicken can be cooked 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Rewarm over low heat with the lid on, adding a bit of water to the pot to prevent the chicken from drying out.

During the summer of extreme recipe testing for this book, a friend of mine came to visit his brother and newborn nephew in New York. They lived in my neighborhood, and I wanted to send them something as congratulations. During this specific time, my kitchen was producing food at an alarming rate. Roasts and stews, cakes and pies—I had basically turned into the hottest restaurant in Brooklyn that nobody had ever heard of.

For whatever reason, I chose to send my friend off with some chicken so he could bring it to his family. Not a remarkable chicken, either. It's maybe one of the simplest dishes in the whole book: a one-pot meal made from a few humble ingredients, two of which are salt and pepper. I plopped it into a
ziplock bag (I ran out of Tupperwhere) and made him promise he would transfer it back to a pot, a plate, a bowl-literally anything to conceal the fact that I had just gifted his family a chicken in a ziplock bag to welcome their newborn into the world.

want to think he tried to explain the situation ("She ran out of Tupperware!"), but even still, I couldn't help feel a little mortified. He eventually confessed the chicken never made it onto a plate, but if it was any consolation, his mom said, "This chicken-in-a-bag is so good, she should sell it on the street."

1.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Sear the chicken (working in batches, if needed), skin-side down, until golden brown on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate or cutting board.

2.  Add the garlic and farro to the pot, stirring to coat them in the rendered chicken fat. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the garlic and farro begin to smell toasty, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the vinegar, yuzu kosho (if using), and 4 cups water, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan, and bring to a simmer.

3.  Return the chicken to the pot, skin-side up, and cover. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer until the chicken is practically falling off the bone and the farro is totally cooked through—it should be tender but not mushy—about 90 minutes.

4.  Stir in the watercress before serving.

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Fennel-Rubbed Pork Chops

These were two new dishes for us to make. I liked both of them. How can you resist charred Fennel-Rubbed Pork Chops? The Tomato and Pomegranate Salad was excellent. The salad is very crispy! I like the idea of using Pomegranate seeds in the salad. It gives the salad a whole different dimension. The pan I sautéed the Pork Chop in was a bitch to clean however!

Fennel-Rubbed Pork Chops for Two

Dining In

Alison Roman

Serves 2

1      tablespoon fennel seed

1      tablespoon light brown sugar

2      Teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed

½     teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1      (1-1/2-inch-thick) bone-in pork chop (about 1-1/4 pounds)

1      tablespoon canola oil

1      fennel bulb, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick

½     cup fresh herbs, such as parsley, cilantro, dill, and/or tarragon, tender leaves and stems, coarsely chopped

1      tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

Do Ahead:

The fennel seed mixture can be made 2 weeks ahead and stored at room temperature. It is also great on chicken.

These are thick, fancy, Saturday-night chops, not thin, pedestrian Tuesday-night chops (only in spirit—you can definitely make         them on a Tuesday). The type of pork (for example, Berkshire) will vary regionally, but the thickness here, at least 1-1/2 inches, is nonnegotiable. Larger chops, whether pork or steak, are fattier and richer in flavor than thinner chops and are also nearly impossible to overcook. Even while searing them for what feels like forever, watching the outside develop a too-good-to-be-true deeply golden brown crust, the inside miraculously remains that perfect shade of pink and juicy as hell.

You're not likely to find pork chops like this unless you go to the butcher (or butcher counter) and ask for them, but I have been surprised before. I know, it's an extra step—the butcher! What a hassle. But trust me, it's worth it and what makes these chops so dang special. I suggest going and getting a few and then freezing them for next time.

1.  Toast the fennel seed in a small skillet over medium heat, swirling the skillet, until the seed starts to smell fragrant and turn a light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and grind in a spice grinder, pound with a mortar and pestle, or finely chop with a knife.

2.  Combine the fennel seed with the brown sugar, salt, and pepper, and rub the mixture all over the pork chop. Cover and let it sit at east 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

3.  Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the pork chop until it’s super browned and caramelized on one side, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the pork chop and add the sliced fennel to the skillet. Cook, stirring the fennel every so often, until it is tender and golden brown, but try not to disturb the pork chop. Cook until the deepest part of the pork chop registers 145°F on an instant- read thermometer, another 8 to 10 minutes (if you don't have a thermometer, you can cut off an end piece and check for proper pinkness). Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let it rest a few minutes,

4.  Meanwhile, combine the herbs and lemon zest in a small bowl, and season with salt,

5.  Serve the sliced pork alongside the fennel and garlic with the herb mixture sprinkled on top.

Tomato and Pomegranate Salad
Plenty More
Yotam Ottolenghi

I rarely rave about my own recipes, but this is one I can just go on and on about It is the definition of freshness with its sweet-and-sour late-summer flavors, and it is also an utter delight to look at but the most incredible thing about it is that it uses a few ingredients that I have been lovingly cooking with for many years, and believed I knew everything there was to know about yet had never thought of mixing them in such a way. That is, until I traveled to Istanbul and came across a similar combination of fresh tomatoes and pomegranate seeds in a famous local kebab restaurant called Hamdi, right by the Spice Bazaar. It was a proper light-bulb moment when I realized how the two types of sweetness—the sharp, almost bitter sweetness of pomegranate and the savory, sunny sweetness of tomato—can complement each other so gloriously

I use four types of tomato here to make the salad more interesting visually and in flavor. You can easily use fewer, just as long as they are ripe and sweet.

SERVES FOUR

1-1/2  cups red cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1-1/2  cups yellow cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch/ dice

1-1/2  cups tiger or plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch dice

about 1 lb medium slicing tomatoes (about 5), cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 red pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 cup)

1 small red onion, finely diced (rounded 1/4 cup)

2         cloves garlic, crushed

½        tsp ground allspice

2         tsp white wine vinegar

1-1/2  tbsp pomegranate molasses

¼        cup olive oil, plus extra to finish

1         xlarge pomegranate, seeds removed (1 cup

1         tbsp small oregano leaves salt

1.  Mix together all the tomatoes, the red pepper, and the onion in a large bowl and set aside.

2.  In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, allspice, vinegar, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, and a scant h teaspoon salt until well combined. Pour this over the tomato mixture and gently mix.

3.  Arrange the tomato mixture and its juices on a large, flat plate. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds and oregano over the top. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve.

Scallops with Corn, Hazelnuts, and Brown Butter Chermoula

We liked this simple recipe. Scallops are always a winner and the combination of Corn, Hazelnuts and Brown Butter added a great complexity to the taste. It is a keeper of a recipe.

Scallops with Corn, Hazelnuts, and Brown Butter Chermoula

Dining In

Alison Roman

Serves 4

1-1/4   pounds sea scallops, muscle removed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2          tablespoons canola oil

2          tablespoons  (¼ stick) unsalted butter

2          garlic cloves, finely chopped

2          teaspoons coriander seed or 1/2 teaspoon ground

1          teaspoon cumin seed or ½ teaspoon ground

1          teaspoon hot or smoked paprika

½         teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2          cups corn (from about 3 ears; frozen will work in a pinch)

¼         cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

14 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

NOTE: This dish also works with medium shrimp head on or off.

I'll admit that I find seared scallops to be sort of 1997, but they are also undeniably delicious and maybe even my favorite seafood, tragically unhip as they may be. You know what else I find uncool? Sautéed corn. So I guess you could say that this is one of the lamest dishes in the book, but you know what? It's so delicious I don't care. Maybe like mom jeans, both will come back into style by the time this book comes out.

1. Season the scallops with salt and black pepper. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallops, pressing slightly when adding them to ensure they make good contact with the skillet. Cook until they’re deeply golden brown on one side, about 5 minutes. Using a spatula, flip each scallop over and continue to cook until browned on that side as well, another 5 minutes.

2.Transfer the scallops to a large plate or baking sheet:

3. Melt the butter in the skillet, letting it foam up and get all browned and wonderful. Add the garlic, coriander, cumin, paprika, and red pepper flakes, using a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any bits left over from the scallops into the mix (those bits are what dreams are made of). Cook the spices until toasted and fragrant, a minute or so.

4.   Add the corn, season with salt and black pepper, and toss to coat. Cook until the corn is bright yellow and evenly coated in all the spice business. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cilantrq

5. Serve the scallops with the corn mixture, sprinkling the toasted hazelnuts on top.

TO TOAST NUTS, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet (you could use a rimless one, but they slide off easily, so be prepared to pick up nuts off the floor for at least a few weeks). Toast, shaking the baking sheet once or twice, until the nuts are evenly and deeply toasted, anywhere from 8 to 12 minutes (closer to 8 for things like pecans and hazelnuts, closer to 12 for larger walnuts, almonds, and cashews). When you break open the nuts, they should be toasted to the core, smell like buttered toast, and be nuttier tasting than when they went in.

I love the taste and look of leaving the skins on nuts, especially hazelnuts. While the skin on the almonds will stay put, the hazelnut skins will want to kind of slip off as they toast, and this is okay. To get rid of the skins that want to shed, place warm hazelnuts in a dishtowel and just move them around like you're playing with a bag of marbles. Don't worry about getting all the skin off (I like the kind of toasty, bitter flavor it lends); just focus on the papery bits that want to fall off anyway.

Grilled Soy-Basted Chicken Thighs With Spicy Cashews

Grilled Soy-Basted Chicken Thighs With Spicy Cashews

New York TImes

This recipe sounds better than our execution of it. It is a one and done for us.

Here's a hack I performed on a recipe for an appetizer portion of skewered chunked chicken thighs that the great live-fire cooks and cookbook writers Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby wrote many years ago, and that I have slowly altered into a main-course grilled dinner. The skinless chicken browns nicely over a medium flame, and the sugary soy basting sauce lacquers it beautifully in the final few minutes of cooking. It's terrific with rice, or as a topping for a salad of sturdy greens. You may wish to double the recipe for sriracha-roasted cashews. Those are addictive, and for them you will find many delicious uses.

Ingredients

½      cup unsalted cashews

2       tablespoons sriracha sauce

3       tablespoons toasted sesame oil

½      cup plus 3 tablespoons soy sauce

2       tablespoons hoisin sauce

1       ablespoon cracked black pepper

Hot sauce, to taste

2 ½  pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs

¼      cup brown sugar (light or dark) or molasses

2       tablespoons peeled and minced ginger

4 scallions, sliced thin

5 or 6 springs cilantro, tough stems removed and roughly chopped (approximately 2 tablespoons)

Preparation

1.  Heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine cashews and sriracha sauce in a small bowl and stir until nuts are coated. Line a small baking pan with foil and spread the coated cashews out on it, then place in the oven and bake until nuts are dry, approximately 20 minutes. Carefully remove the nuts from the foil and let cool, then chop roughly and set aside in a small bowl.

2.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together sesame oil, 1/2 cup soy sauce, the hoisin sauce and the black pepper, and hot sauce if using. Add chicken thighs and stir to coat. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

3.  For the basting sauce, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, the brown sugar and the ginger in a small bowl, and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.

4.  When you are ready to cook the chicken, build a fire in a charcoal grill, leaving about 1/3 of the cooking space free of coals. When coals are covered with gray ash and the temperature is medium (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for 5 to 7 seconds), you are ready to cook. (For a gas grill, turn one burner to high, leaving the others off, then lower cover and heat for 15 minutes.)

5.  Using tongs, remove chicken thighs from marinade and cook, directly over the coals, turning every few minutes, until they are well-browned but not crusty, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Then, using a pastry brush, begin to baste them with the soy, ginger and sugar mixture, until they develop a lacquer, an additional 8 to 10 minutes, again turning every few minutes. (If chicken threatens to burn, place it over the part of the grill without coals.)

6.  Transfer chicken to a warmed platter, sprinkle with the chopped cashews, the scallions and the cilantro, and serve.

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