Tacos al Pastor

Tacos al Pastor

Tacos al pastor, a Mexican street-food staple, are a perfect synthesis of local flavors (pineapple, chiles, annatto), Spanish influence (pork, adobo), and Middle Eastern technique (a spinning, shawarma-style vertical rotisserie). The synthesis comes from Mexico’s history, but perfection comes from the combination of sweet pineapple, spicy meat and fragrant corn. This recipe, from the chef Gabriela Cámara, provides an easy way to make it at home; try boneless chicken thighs if you don’t want pork. Either way, make sure to blot the meat until very dry before cooking it so you get a hard sear that mimics the char of a grill. —Julia Moskin

Yield: 12 tacos (3 to 4 servings)

For the Adobo (marinade)

2 dried cascabel chiles

1 dried ancho or guajillo chile

2 plum tomatoes, halved and cored

¼ small white onion

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1 to 2 chiles de árbol (depending on how much heat you like), stems removed

3 garlic cloves

1 whole clove or ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground achiote (annatto) seeds

Pinch of ground cumin

Pinch of dried oregano

1 tablespoon kosher salt

For the Tacos

2 pounds pork tenderloin, thinly sliced crosswise then cut into bite-size slices and shreds

Kosher salt

1 cup small chunks fresh pineapple

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

12 corn tortillas

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more as needed

Minced white onion and chopped fresh cilantro, in separate bowls, for topping

Hot sauce and lime wedges, for topping

Make the marinade: Break off the stem ends of the cascabel and ancho (or guajillo) chiles and shake out and discard the seeds. Place chiles in a saucepan and pour over cold water to just cover. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then turn off the heat and let the chiles soak, 15 minutes.

In a blender, combine tomatoes, onion, oil, citrus juices, stemmed chile de árbol, garlic, clove, achiote seeds, cumin, oregano and salt. Add the soaked chiles and a few tablespoons of the soaking water and purée until smooth. Add more of the soaking water if needed to make a thin paste. Set aside about ½ cup of the marinade for cooking.

Sprinkle the meat with salt. Place in a container, add remaining marinade, and mix until well coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. (The recipe can be made up to this point up to 1 day in advance.) Bring to room temperature before cooking.

Combine the pineapple and sugar in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir often until the sugar is melted and the pineapple is caramelized, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 225 degrees. Prepare a tortilla basket or slightly damp clean dish towel. On a griddle or in a heavy skillet, warm the tortillas on both sides until hot and blistered, stacking them in the basket or wrapped in the towel. Transfer to the oven until ready to serve.

Place a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Drain off all excess liquid from the meat and blot between layers of paper towels. Add the oil to the hot skillet, swirl to heat through, then add 2 tablespoons marinade. Let sizzle for a moment, then add the meat, spreading it out in a single layer. (If your skillet is smaller than 12 inches, cook in batches to avoid crowding the pan.) Let meat cook undisturbed over high heat until browned on the bottom, then sauté over high heat, stirring often, until cooked through but still moist, about 5 minutes. After 3 minutes, taste and stir in more reserved marinade as needed. When cooked, transfer to a serving bowl.

Place everything on the table, including the toppings, and serve at once.

TIP: Like Gyros or Doner Kebab, Al Pastor refers to meat stacked onto a vertical spit, which is then sliced off the outside as it cooks. Put the pork loin in the freezer for 20 minutes or so to firm it up. You'll have an easier time slicing it thin, then put it in the marinade. A dash of liquid smoke in the marinade is a nice cheat, if you like smoky meat.

*I was too lazy to pat mine dry but cooking it in a 12" cast iron pan created the char I was looking for that reminded me of when I had Al Pastor in Puerto Vallarta. As long as you have a searing hot pan and don't overcrowd it, it should do the trick. :)

*Marinate before and sauce after. Marinate >> Cook >> Sauce. Marinate the meat reserving a small portion (this recipe says 1/2c) to help additionally flavor the meat during cooking. Using the marinade after cooking would do very little in getting flavor penetration and also ruining the crispiness that you're trying to achieve on the meat.

*I make this similarly but pound the pork after slicing the disks. Then cut two 1-inch slices of pineapple for the top and bottom supports. I set 3-4 skewers through a pineapple and then layer the pork, finishing off with the final slice of pineapple to hold the skewers together. I cook at 275F for two to three hours. It doesn't have to be cooked all the way. Let it rest until manageably cool. Slice thinly and mix with pineapple then saute on high in cast iron until crisp/cooked.

*Excellent recipe. Here’s the lazy version with what I had at home. Instead of the dried peppers, I used gochugang powder, Aleppo pepper flakes, plenty of smoked pimentón de la vera and a splash of La Morena chipotle sauce. I am a purist from Mexico City and the pastor flavor came through. You gotta use corn tortillas and all the trimmings for real al pastor delight. Also excellent for fish al pastor tacos, like Chef Camara serves at Contramar, her fabulous restaurant in Mexico City.

*Delicious and pleasing. Marinade is similar to a homemade adobo sauce; used 2 pasilla chilis instead of cascabel, 1 tsp ancho chili powder instead of dried ancho chili (this all is what was available locally). A little extra fresh orange juice for the sweetness to cut down spiciness of the red chilis de arbol. Pineapple takes longer to caramelize (20 minutes). Used red onion instead of white. Didn't add marinade when sauteeing the meat, but people used the reserved marinade as sauce on tacos.

Birria de Res (Beef Birria)

Birria de Res (Beef Birria)

Birria took off in the United States as a soupy style made with beef and as birria tacos, popularized by birria vendors in Tijuana. The chef Josef Centeno, who grew up eating beef and goat birria in Texas, makes a delicious, thickly sauced version based on his grandma Alice’s recipe, mixing up the proteins by using oxtail, lamb on the bone and even tofu (you can, too). Preparing the adobo takes time, as does browning the meat, but it’s worth it for the deep flavors in the final dish. The best way to serve birria is immediately and simply, in a bowl, with some warm corn tortillas, which can be used to wrap the meat for tacos. But make sure to put any leftovers to work: Extra meat, pulled from the bones, can be shredded for crisp quesabirria tacos, fried in the birria fat for cheesy, lacy edges. And the leftover broth, or consomé, is ideal for a comforting bowl of birria ramen, with an egg and some fresh herbs on top. —Tejal Rao

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

2 poblano chiles

5 guajillo chiles, seeded, stemmed and halved lengthwise

5 pounds bone-in beef shoulder, cut into large pieces, or goat or lamb stew cuts on the bone

1 tablespoon fine sea salt

¼ cup neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

6 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

2 teaspoons toasted white sesame seeds

½ teaspoon ground cumin

4 cloves

Fresh black pepper

1 cinnamon stick

2 fresh or dried bay leaves

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 limes, quartered

Corn tortillas, warmed

Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Prepare the chiles: Use tongs to place the poblano chiles directly over the open flame of a gas burner set to high. Cook the poblanos until totally charred all over, turning as needed, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap so the poblanos can steam. After 10 minutes, use your fingers to pull the blackened skins away from the poblanos, then remove the stems and seeds. Roughly chop the poblanos and set aside.

While the poblano chiles steam, place a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches to cook the guajillo chiles evenly in one layer, flatten the chile halves on the hot skillet and toast them for about 15 seconds, turning once. Put the chiles in a bowl and add 2 cups hot water to help soften them. Set aside.

Prepare the meat: Season the meat all over with the salt. Heat the oil in a large, oven-proof pot over medium-high. Working in batches, sear the meat on all sides until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side, transferring the browned meat to a large bowl as you work.

After you’ve seared all the meat, add the onion to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Return all the meat to the pot.

Meanwhile, add the tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, ginger, oregano, sesame seeds, cumin, cloves and a few grinds of black pepper to a blender, along with the chopped poblanos, toasted guajillos and the chile soaking liquid. Purée until smooth, scraping down the edges of the blender as needed.

Pour the blended mixture into the pot with the meat. Add the cinnamon stick and bay leaves, along with about 4 to 6 cups of water, enough to amply cover the meat.

Cover and cook in the oven until the meat is fork-tender, about 2 hours.

Divide among bowls and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing on top, and a side of warm tortillas.

TIP: a fine way to toast chiles without dirtying dishes or worrying about burning them, is to put them on a paper towel and just microwave them for fifteen to twenty seconds. (this is a kenji lopez-alt method and it really works! just, if you're toasting spicy chiles, resist any urge to deeply inhale as you open the microwave ;))

*This is almost exactly what I have been doing to make birria, which I kind of pieced together from a few different recipes online. I like to add a couple anchos or pasillas and a couple chiles de arbol, as well as some coriander and a couple allspice berries. A mix of oxtail, short rib and chuck roast works great if you can't get bone-in beef shoulder

*Instant pot recipe:

3 1/2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast cut into 2 inch chunks. Season w/ 2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

2 dried ancho chiles

no poblanos

2 tomatoes, not 28 oz canned

apple cider vinegar not distilled white

1 tsp black peppercorns: toast

1 tsp cumin seed: toast

Pressure 1 hour. quick release

Tinga de Pollo (Chicken with Chipotle and Onions)

Tinga de Pollo (Chicken with Chipotle and Onions)

Guadalupe Moreno runs Mi Morena, a tacos de guisado business in the Bay Area, where a number of saucy fillings and toppings are used to mix and match tacos to order. She shared her recipe for tinga de pollo with Leticia Landa and Caleb Zigas for their cookbook "We Are La Cocina." Ms. Moreno's tinga de pollo works perfectly in tacos and also on top of crisp tostadas with lettuce and salsa, inside quesadillas or as a tamal filling. It’s a great way to use up any leftover cooked chicken (just skip straight to step 2), whether pulled from a roast or poached bird, or grocery-store rotisserie. —Tejal Rao

Yield: 4 servings (about 3 cups)

For the Chicken

2 pounds bone-in chicken legs, breasts or a combination

½ medium white onion

1 celery stalk, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 small carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces

For the Sauce

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 medium white onion, halved and thinly sliced

¾ cup canned crushed tomatoes

3 chipotles in adobo with sauce (⅓ cup)

2 garlic cloves, peeled

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the chicken: Combine the chicken, onion, celery and carrots in a large saucepan and add 4 cups cold water. Add more water if needed to cover the solids. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until the chicken is very tender and falling off the bones, about 45 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a bowl. When cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, then pull the meat into very fine shreds. Strain the broth and reserve for Tamales de Pollo or another use.

While the chicken cooks, make the sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. While the onion cooks, puree the tomatoes, chipotles and garlic in a blender until smooth. Add to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the chicken to the sauce and gently fold to evenly coat and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately or cool to room temperature to use a filling for Tamales de Pollo.

TIP: This sauce is delicious. But use your Instant Pot for the chicken: I cooked bone-in thighs with the prescribed veggies and 3 bay leaves under pressure for 12 minutes 5 minutes natural release. Came out perfect. Served the tacos with 1:1 avocado & mango in a vinaigrette with lots of cilantro. Also served with queso casero. Huge hit.

*Easy and good! Instant pot for even easier chicken: half a cup of water, big squeeze of lime juice (acid helps keep chicken tender), chicken in pot for 12 min 5 natural release. Don’t bother with the extra veggies you won’t miss them. You can shred chicken in a stand mixer with with the paddle attachment (after deboning)! Sauce is easy, I noticed tastes best with some acid on the taco - squeeze a lime or similar

*I took the advice of nandu and cooked the chicken right in the sauce, skipping the whole broth step. It was excellent. Because I had a can of tomatoes with twice the volume called for in the recipe, I just doubled the sauce recipe, except for the chipotles -- but it was still quite spicy! And there wasn't excessive sauce, either, perhaps because the chicken breasts (all I had were boneless, skinless) absorbed some. A definite keeper.

*I made this using a rotisserie chicken to make it quicker and it came out perfect. I experimented with the chipotles as I didn’t want a really hot sauce. I used 2/3ds of what was called for and it still had some heat. I served with soft & hard tacos, and sides of avocados, queso fresco, lettuce & chopped tomatoes. This was a real hit. Stunningly simple but delicious.

Satay-Style Grilled Chicken Thighs

Satay-Style Grilled Chicken Thighs

A familiar sight on many Thai menus in the U.S., chicken satay typically involves grilled skewers of marinated chicken, charred and stained with spices, and served with peanut sauce and perhaps a cucumber relish on the side. This recipe gives the dish a one-plate remix by bringing all the same flavors together, in slightly different proportions, and placing them atop rice. Because of its sugar and fat content, the coconut milk in the chicken marinade chars up beautifully on the grill, while the chile in the cucumber relish — served as an abundant garnish here — balances out the sweetness of the dressing. Replacing the traditional peanut sauce, chopped peanuts add pops of crunch. Get ahead by putting together the salad and marinade the day before and storing them in the fridge until you’re ready to make the chicken.

Yield: 6 servings

For the Marinade and Chicken

½ cup unsweetened coconut milk

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon yellow curry powder (any kind)

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (6 large thighs)

For the Cucumber Salad

4 mini cucumbers, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 medium shallot, halved and thinly sliced

¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 fresh Fresno, cayenne or serrano chile, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Cooked jasmine rice, for serving

⅓ cup roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped

Make the marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, fish sauce, vinegar, curry paste, brown sugar and curry powder. Transfer ⅔ cup of the marinade to a gallon-size resealable zip-top bag, along with the chicken. (Set aside the remaining marinade.)

Seal the bag, pushing out any excess air. Toss to coat the chicken. Place in a dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare the cucumber salad: In a small bowl, combine the cucumbers, shallot, vinegar, fish sauce and chile. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 24 hours.

Heat a grill to medium-high. Remove chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Discard marinade in bag.

Place chicken on the hot grill grate. Cover and grill for 5 minutes per side. Brush tops of chicken with reserved marinade. Continue grilling, turning, and brushing on marinade until chicken is cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more.

Thinly slice the chicken and serve atop the rice. Stir the cilantro into the cucumber salad, then spoon the salad and its dressing over the chicken. Garnish with the peanuts.

TIP: So delicious! I made with Ali Slagle's peanut sauce, which paired perfectly with this recipe.

Ali Slagle's Peanut Sauce:

½ cup peanut butter (any kind)

2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 to 2 limes)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 to 2 teaspoons chili sauce to taste, such as sambal oelek or sriracha

1 teaspoon brown or granulated sugar

1 small garlic clove, finely grated

*YUM! This is delicious and comes together super fast. I made exactly as directed except for halving the amount of red curry paste in the chicken to cut the spice a bit for my kids. Everyone raved about this one!

*Next time I'd make sure to get the spicy Mae Ploy curry paste instead of the Ralph's Thai Kitchen stuff—wasn't as hot or flavorful as I wanted. Also, I'll triple the recipe so there's no leftover coconut milk and just freeze the extra chicken in the marinade. Oh! And double the cucumber salad. That stuff's great.

*I'm not an expert on this, but I would follow the chicken prep instructions, including patting it dry, and then put the chicken on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at around 425, turning once, until the meat's at 165 degrees - probably 20-25 minutes. I suppose you could put it under the broiler for a minute or two to crisp it up, but I'd probably be too lazy to. Let us know how it goes!

Pork Satay With Thai Spices and Peanut Sauce

Pork Satay With Thai Spices and Peanut Sauce

Throughout Southeast Asia, little skewers of marinated meat, grilled over coals, are sold as street snacks. Sweetly fragrant with coconut milk and spices, they are perfect for barbecue parties served with steamed rice, or on their own with drinks, whether grilled indoors or out. You may use pork loin or tenderloin, but marbled sirloin or shoulder is more succulent.

Yield: 12 small skewers

For the Skewers

1½ pounds pork loin, tenderloin or shoulder, sliced into thin rectangles (¼ inch x 1 inch x 2 inches; you should have about 24 pieces)

1 shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon grated ginger

3 tablespoons chopped lemongrass

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground

1½ teaspoons turmeric

¼ teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

½ cup coconut milk

Cilantro and basil leaves, for garnish (optional)

For the Cucumbers

1 pound Persian or Japanese cucumbers, peeled, halved and cut into ¼-inch slices

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 small shallots thinly sliced, about ¼ cup

2 fresh Thai or serrano chiles, sliced into rounds

For the Peanut Sauce

1 cup dry roasted peanuts, unsalted

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons lime juice, more to taste

⅛ teaspoon cayenne

½ cup coconut milk

Prepare the skewers: Put pork in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together shallot, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, fish sauce, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and coconut milk, and pour over meat. Toss with your hands to coat well. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Meanwhile, soak 12 bamboo skewers in water.

Prepare the cucumbers: Put cucumbers in a mixing bowl and season with salt. Add lime juice, sugar, shallots and chiles and toss to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Check seasoning, then transfer to a serving dish.

Prepare the peanut sauce: Pulse the peanuts briefly in a food processor just until finely ground. Add the garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, cayenne and coconut milk, and process until well puréed. Transfer to a bowl, then taste and adjust seasoning. Thin a bit with lime juice or water as desired.

Thread 2 slices of pork onto each bamboo skewer, keeping the meat as flat as possible. Grill over hot coals, under the broiler or on a stovetop grill pan for 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer to a platter and garnish with cilantro and basil leaves. Serve with cucumber relish and peanut sauce.

TIP: Marinade would work just fine on chicken. Use tenders, thin slices of breast, or lightly pounded pieces of boneless thigh (to get to the proper thickness). In fact, that marinade would probably make cardboard taste good. (Although I don't think it needs the sugar. When I made something similar at Match restaurant, we used no sugar.)

*for the peanut sauce: Don't bother with the food processor, too much trouble. Just use peanut butter in a bowl with everything else.. Don't forget to add a little tamarind and a splash of rice vinegar. Maybe Sriracha instead of cayenne? Mix with a spoon for goodness sake. Then slather it on the sneaker.

*Made this with chicken thighs cut into strips. It was amazing. I also added avocado and sliced red onions to the cucumber salad (red onions sliced thin and soaked in ice water for 20 minutes). If the salad sits more than 15 minutes, you need to add a dose of lime juice to brighten the flavors. Will definitely make again and try pork.

*Suzanne F, I have to disagree on the sugar. Ideally, and authentically, one would use palm sugar, rather than conventional brown sugar (as David Tanis has indicated in other recipes). Palm sugar is so delicious it ought to be illegal.

Cheesy Baked Pasta With Sausage and Ricotta

Cheesy Baked Pasta With Sausage and Ricotta

Like a cross between baked ziti and sausage lasagna, this mozzarella-topped pasta is rich with ricotta and crushed tomatoes — and cooks entirely in one pan, including the pasta. The Italian sausage adds meaty depth to the sauce, but vegetarians can leave it out or use their favorite plant-based sausage instead.

Yield: 4 servings

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¾ pound bulk hot or mild Italian sausage (pork, chicken or turkey)

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely crushed

Pinch of red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving (optional)

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices

1 (14-ounce) can crushed or strained tomatoes

2 bay leaves

Kosher salt

12 ounces dried pasta, such as small shells, farfalle or other shaped pasta

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces

6 ounces whole-milk ricotta (about ¾ cup)

⅓ cup grated Parmesan

¼ cup basil leaves

Black pepper, for serving

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Crumble sausage into skillet, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes (if using), and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break them up. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.

Stir in pasta and 1 cup water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, pluck out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella.

Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you’d like a more deeply browned topping, run the pan under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with basil, plenty of black pepper, and more red-pepper flakes, if you like.

TIP: Rather than put four ounces of unused sausage in the freezer and four ounces of unused pasta in the pantry, we used the full pound of each, upped the measures of strained tomatoes, fennel and oregano by a third, and added a half cup of red wine. Turned out perfectly. We’ll put this one in rotation. The fennel and the fresh basil really take it up a level.a

Fruit Crumble

Fruit Crumble

The buttery blend of oats and nuts in this easy, warm dessert stays nubby and crunchy while baking over the juicy fruit. (It also happens to be gluten-free.) A chai spice blend is especially nice in the mix, but other sweet-leaning spices like cinnamon and cardamom taste just as good. Any blend of fruit works, and keeping the peel on apples, pears and stone fruit not only streamlines the preparation but also adds a pleasant chewiness. If you want to go all berry, stick with fresh options; frozen fruit ends up too wet. (Thawed frozen berries work just fine with a mix of sturdy fresh apples and pears, though.) You don’t have to serve a warm bowl of this crumble with ice cream, but you probably want that creaminess swirling into the jammy fruit.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

For the Crumble

1½ cups/154 grams instant oats (see Tip)

¾ cup/150 grams sugar

½ cup/56 grams chopped pecans or walnuts

1 teaspoon chai spice or ground cinnamon (see Tip)

1 teaspoon fine salt

½ cup/114 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the Fruit

2 pounds fruit, such as berries, pears, apples, peaches, plums or a combination

½ cup/100 grams sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch or flour (see Tip)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Prepare the crumble: Heat oven to 375 degrees with a rack in the center.

Mix the oats, sugar, nuts, chai spice and salt in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into cubes the size of dice and toss in. Use your fingers to smush the butter into the dry ingredients until no yellow bits remain and the blend forms clumps. Refrigerate uncovered while you prepare the fruit (or covered for up to 3 days).

Prepare the fruit: If you’re using big fruit, scrub it well, then cut into ½-inch pieces, about the same size as small blackberries or big blueberries. Throw out any pits, seeds or stems.

In a large bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch. Add all the fruit, then the lemon juice and stir until well mixed. Scrape the fruit and any juices into a 9- or 10-inch ovenproof skillet and spread evenly.

Scatter the chilled crumble mixture evenly over the fruit, breaking any large clumps into smaller pebbles. Place the skillet on a sheet pan to catch any dripping fruit juices.

Bake until the fruit is bubbling, the liquid has thickened and the top is nicely browned, about 45 minutes. If the crumble darkens too much before the fruit mixture is thick, place a sheet of foil loosely on top. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Tips: If you want to make this gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free oats and cornstarch.

You can also use a spice blend, such as apple pie spice or pumpkin spice, or a savory blend, like baharat.

*I make the crumble using equal parts butter, flour, oats and brown sugar. This can be multiplied ad infinitum, pressed into a slab and frozen. Then when I need it for the dessert, I just cut off a piece and chop it into crumble size.

Now, for the fruit - frozen berries are NOT too wet. Don't thaw them unless you like mush. Toss any combo of berries with cornstarch and a little grated lemon rind, then pour into oiled baking dish. Top with frozen crumble and bake till bubbling.

*Rebecca - you ask if regular oats can be subbed in for instant. Like you I never buy instant oats and while I haven't tried the regular oats in this recipe, haven't made it yet, I often make fruit crumbles during the year and when I use oats I always use Bob's Red Mill regular oats and it works great. When I make this, I am going to use those regular oats.

*This is similar to my cherry crumble recipe, I simmer a little brandy with the fruit. Give it a try!

*I made this on a cold, snowy day. The topping is great, esp with both pecans and walnuts. And the cooked fruit juices a perfect consistency. But the amount of sugar mixed in the fruit was way over the top. Ice cream or sweetened whipped cream would have made us gag. I was using apple and pears, which are naturally sweet, so a quarter or a third of the sugar called for would suffice. Suggest you adjust sugar wisely to fruit used.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Fluffy with big tops, these treats have the airiness of a lemon cupcake, but they’re not too sweet, making them ideal for breakfast. Lemon zest and juice bring the floral fragrance and tartness of citrus to the batter, which is creamy and light from yogurt. Melted butter will make the muffins even richer, while oil will keep them from drying out quickly. To make these muffins extra moist and to boost their lemony taste, mix ¼ cup lemon juice with ¼ cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Brush this syrup over the muffins as soon as they come out of the oven.

Yield: 12 muffins

1¾ cups/247 grams all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon fine salt

⅔ cup/137 grams granulated sugar

1 lemon

1 cup/241 grams plain whole-milk yogurt

¼ cup/60 grams neutral-flavored oil, olive oil or melted butter

2 large eggs

1 cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries (see Tip)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or generously grease. Either way, be sure to coat the top of the tin with butter or nonstick cooking spray to easily remove the muffin tops.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add sugar to a medium bowl, and zest the lemon directly into the sugar. Rub together until the sugar is pale yellow. Squeeze in 2 tablespoons lemon juice, then add the yogurt, oil and eggs. Whisk until very smooth.

Toss the blueberries into the dry mixture until evenly coated, then add the wet ingredients and stir gently just until no traces of flour remain. It’s OK if the batter is lumpy.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake until golden brown on top, about 20 minutes. When you press the top of a muffin, it should almost feel like a soft pillow.

Cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from the tin. Completely cooled muffins can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw fully, then reheat in a toaster oven before enjoying.

Tip: You can use one 6-ounce container of fresh berries, which taste tangier and juicier, or a cup of frozen berries (4¾ ounces). Thaw frozen berries between sheets of paper towels to absorb excess water.

Mark Bittman’s Shrimp In Green Sauce

Mark Bittman’s Shrimp In Green Sauce

Green sauce means different things to different cooks, but I like the Iberian interpretation best. It draws its color from parsley and its impact from chilies, scallions, and, mostly, garlic. I find it difficult to use too much garlic here, and have never really reached the outer limit; my recipe calls for six cloves, but twice that amount is not unreasonable.

Shrimp is the perfect candidate for this green sauce: it can withstand high heat, it gives off some juices while it cooks, and its pink hue is absolutely gorgeous when surrounded by the flecks of green.

This dish won't take you much more than half an hour. And although it's a perfect week-night meal, divided into eight it makes an impressive starter for a dinner party.

Yield: 4 servings

6 cloves garlic, peeled

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

6 scallions, trimmed and chopped

1 cup parsley, leaves and thin stems

2 pounds shrimp, peeled

Salt and pepper to taste

4 dried chilies or a few pinches of crushed red chili flakes, or to taste

⅓ cup stock (shrimp, fish or chicken) or white wine or water

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine garlic and oil in a small food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Add scallions and parsley and pulse until mixture is minced. Toss with shrimp, salt, pepper and chilies.

Put shrimp in a large roasting pan. Add liquid and place pan in oven. Roast, stirring once, until mixture is bubbly and hot, and shrimp all pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve.

TIP: After peeling shrimp, put shells in a small pot with either water or white wine, bring to simmer for 15 minutes, then strain and use shrimp sauce to cook the shrimp.

*The taste and flavors of this recipe were beyond amazing. I followed everyone's recommendation and used white wine instead of stock and the juice of two lemon wedges (used only a pound of shrimp). I skipped the chiles and opted for a dash of cayenne pepper and white pepper to the mixture. Served over linguini pasta and it was a hit. The sauce worked out amazingly for dipping warm slices of fresh ciabatta bread. I'll be cooking this dish for years to come! 

*Use Wine instead of stock or water.

Try adding salt and some lemon.

Try fresh green, serrano or jalapeno peppers

(or cayenne + white pepper).

Good cold the next day.

Good over pasta.

Mayo-Marinated Chicken With Chimichurri

Mayo-Marinated Chicken With Chimichurri

If the idea of rubbing chicken cutlets with mayo before grilling them leaves you cold, I relate — I felt the same way until I tried it. Now I use mayonnaise as the base for nearly every marinade I use, whether I’m cooking on the grill or in a cast-iron skillet indoors. The magic of mayo is that it helps your other marinade ingredients spread evenly across the surface of the meat, delivering more consistent flavor, while improving browning. (Don’t worry, the cooked meat doesn’t taste like mayo.) In this recipe, that means chicken cutlets that cook through and brown in about four minutes, with deep chimichurri flavor enhanced by a post-grill drizzle of fresh sauce. This recipe will work with nearly any marinade, exactly as written: You could use pesto, salsa verde, bottled barbecue sauce, jarred Thai curry paste, teriyaki sauce or mole, all with equal success.

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

4 chicken breast cutlets (4 to 5 ounces each), pounded about ¼-inch thick

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

⅓ cup store-bought or homemade mayonnaise

1 cup chimichurri (see below)

Season chicken cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper and set aside.

Whisk together mayonnaise and ¼ cup chimichurri in a large bowl. Reserve remaining chimichurri. Add chicken cutlets to the mixture and turn to coat. Cook immediately, or for better flavor, transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.

To cook on the grill: Heat a gas or charcoal grill over high heat for 10 minutes. Cook chicken cutlets directly over high heat, turning and flipping occasionally, until just cooked through and lightly charred all over, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Spoon some of the remaining chimichurri over the chicken and serve the rest in a small bowl on the side.

To cook in a skillet: Heat a large (12-inch) cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water immediately balls up and dances across the surface. Add chicken cutlets in a single layer and cook, swirling them and flipping them occasionally until browned all over and just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Spoon some of the remaining chimichurri over the chicken and serve the rest in a small bowl on the side.

Chimichurri

Chimichurri is a herbaceous and vinegary sauce from Argentina that’s classically paired with grilled meats, especially beef, but its uses don't end there. You can combine it with a dollop of mayonnaise to marinate chicken cutlets. (That same mayo-and-chimichurri mixture makes an excellent potato salad dressing, or toss it with sliced scallions and grilled or boiled corn cut from the cob.) Combine chimichurri with equal parts olive oil to use as a marinade and dressing for grilled vegetables. Add a few crushed cloves of garlic to that same mixture, brush it on a split ciabatta or baguette, and grill or broil it for an oregano-packed take on garlic bread. It may be tempting to think of a chimichurri as a sort of Argentine parallel to Italian pesto, but it is not: While pesto is made in a mortar and pestle and emulsified into a creamy mixture with a base mostly comprised of olive oil, chimichurri is made with chopped dried herbs that are steeped in hot salty water (the brine is called salmuera) and vinegar, with less olive oil added. Its texture comes from the dried herbs rehydrating in salt water. Chimichurri can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks; it will lose its bright green color, but it will improve in flavor with time.

Yield: About 1 cup

¼ cup dried oregano

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes (more or less to taste)

½ teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

½ cup hot water

Kosher salt

¼ cup red wine vinegar

8 medium garlic cloves

2 tablespoons olive oil (it need not be extra-virgin, but it can be), plus more as needed

¼ cup fresh oregano leaves, finely minced

1 tightly packed cup fresh parsley leaves, finely minced

Ground black pepper

Combine dried oregano, paprika, red-pepper flakes and cumin, if using, in a large bowl. Add hot water and a big pinch of salt and stir with a fork. Add vinegar and stir to combine.

Smash garlic with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle to form a rough paste, then drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and work the garlic and oil around the mortar until it emulsifies and no loose oil remains. Scrape this garlic mixture into the bowl with the oregano mixture and stir to combine. (Alternatively, smash garlic cloves on a cutting board with the flat side of a chef’s knife. Sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt, then use the side of your knife to scrape the mixture back and forth until a paste forms. Drizzle a little olive oil over the paste and work it in with the side of the knife. Repeat until you’ve added about a tablespoon of olive oil, then scrape the mixture up and transfer it to the bowl with the oregano mixture, add the remaining olive oil, and stir to combine.)

Add minced fresh oregano and parsley and stir to combine. Set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator overnight, to allow the dried oregano to rehydrate and the flavors and texture to develop. Stir vigorously before tasting, then adjust seasoning with salt and fresh black pepper. Unused chimichurri can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for several weeks.

TIP: A variation I love is blending 1 tbs of garlic paste and 1 tbs of mushroom powder into 1/4 cup mayo. It's amazing on almost any meat or fish.

When a grill is not available it makes 6oz filet mignon steaks done in my cast iron skillet come out perfectly medium rare, with a beautiful and delicious note of crust that doesn't require overcooking.

*Tony R-If you like Indian flavors, it can get even simpler. Buy masala from any Indian store (I prefer one of the the Shaan kabab mixes for this). Mix the masala with mayo (adjust based on preferred spice level), slather it on the meat and bake. This works best for thinner portions of meat. Lamb or goat chops work well. Use a thermometer to control doneness. You can throw in some veggies into the pan as well. Elegant family dinner in 20.

*Hi Maggie, I tried Tony R’s suggestion and it is a delicious favorite now! I used 8 boneless chicken thighs, 1 cup avocado oil mayonnaise (any mayo will work, this is what I had), Two heaping tablespoons Masala, couple of grinds of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Mixed this together in a bowl, coat each individual chick thigh with mixture and blobbed the rest on top when they were all coated. Baked in a 16” enamel covered cast iron Paella pan at 425 degrees for twenty minutes. YUM!

CHIMICHURRI:

The oddest chimichurri recipe I’ve seen. This is my go/to recipe:

1 bunch cilantro chopped fine

1 bunch parsley chopped fine

6-8 garlic cloves minced

1 jalapeño without seeds minced

half a white or red onion minced

Olive oil til herbs are covered

2-3 glugs/splashes of vinegar. Enough to make the herbs look wet.

Then salt, I’d start with one table spoon then go tsp at a time, same w/ fresh ground pepper, maybe 1 tablespoon of cumin and dried oregano, I’ve put coriander before.

Always a hit!

*Followed the recipe to a T and quadruple-checked the steps and proportions after finding it *completely* inedible as written. (I normally *love* Kenji's recipes!) Did so much doctoring--mostly adding a ton of olive oil and more fresh parsley to mellow it out--and was able to get it to a good place but am left baffled by this!

...a little snooping reveals really different ratios by this same author on other sites. Less garlic, less dried oregano. Maybe this one's a mistake.

*Interesting... Steak with chimichurri is a go-to Sunday dinner with my family, but we make chimichurri with cilantro, not oregano. And to Grandmadoc's question, yes, we use the food processor too! But I'm psyched to proposed the mayo twist to my sister and watch her face.

One-Pot Chicken and Rice With Ginger

One-Pot Chicken and Rice With Ginger 

This one-pot dish was inspired by a dinner of ginger fried rice and garlicky stir-fried greens served at Uncle Lou, a Cantonese restaurant in New York. It’s both mild and full of flavor, which might sound contradictory at first, but it delivers subtle notes of fresh ginger, soy sauce and lime, rather than bold hits in each bite. Serve with extra soy sauce and lime on the side, so that everyone can adjust the seasoning as they would like. Fish out the ginger slices at the end or let everyone know they’re there. 

Yield: 4 servings

2 tablespoons neutral or olive oil

1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin slices

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts

Kosher salt 

3 large garlic cloves, minced or grated

2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed with cold water

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water, at room temperature

¾ pound quick-cooking greens, such as chard, kale or spinach, leaves removed from thick stems, if needed, and cut or torn into bite-size pieces (about 4 packed cups)

2 tablespoons soy sauce, plus more as needed

2 limes, 1 juiced (about 1 tablespoon juice) and 1 cut into wedges

2 scallions (optional), sliced

¼ packed cup cilantro leaves and tender stems (optional), roughly torn or chopped

In a large Dutch oven or pot with a lid, heat the oil and ginger slices over medium-high until the oil around the ginger starts to sizzle, 1 to 2 minutes. Season the chicken with salt, then push the ginger to the side. Add the chicken to the pan and let cook, undisturbed, until the chicken starts to brown and easily releases from the pan, 5 to 7 minutes. (It’s OK if the pieces of chicken don’t all have color, as it will be crowded.) Stir in the garlic and rice, flipping over the chicken, and cook until the rice is coated with oil and starts to sizzle, about 1 minute.

Add the stock or water, then raise the heat to high to bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up anything on the bottom of the pot. Cover and immediately lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until most of the water has been absorbed and the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. During the last 8 minutes, stir to make sure nothing is sticking on the bottom, then layer the greens on top, cover and finish cooking.

Remove from the heat, stir in the soy sauce and juice of 1 lime. Fluff the rice and let sit for 5 minutes, covered. Serve as is, or pull the chicken apart into bite-size pieces. Season to taste with salt, the lime wedges and more soy as needed or serve at the table. Top with the scallions and cilantro, if using.

TIP: I did the sauté in a Dutch oven then added brown rice and other ingredients. Instead of cooking on the stove top, I baked it in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes and all ingredients were perfectly cooked.

*I made it in the Instant Pot and it was very easy. I followed Step 1 then added 3 cups of broth and 1 and 1/2 cups of jasmine rice. I added the soy sauce and then closed the lid and used high pressure for 15 minutes. After venting, I added the juice of 2 limes, scallions and greens and cilantro on top, stirred and then closed the lid for about 15 minutes (Instant Pot was off). Rice was super soft and absorbed all the broth and flavor was so good. Total hit with the family.

*If using brown rice instead of jasmine, soak the rice and water for one hour before using because it needs to absorb more water than white rice or jasmine rice.