Tea-Soaked Drunken Chicken With Cilantro-Scallion Oil

Made from fermented glutinous brown rice, Shaoxing wine is what gives this dish its slightly sweet flavor and nutty fragrance. The dish relies heavily on the wine's aroma and flavor, so if you can’t find it, substitute with a good quality dry sherry (a Manzanilla variety will work well). Here, the chicken is poached instead of simmered, guaranteeing a moist bird that soaks in the flavor of its cooking liquid. But if it's a more intense flavor you're looking for, allow the chicken to chill in the poaching liquid overnight. Kay Chun

INGREDIENTS
1 ½ cups short-grain brown rice
2 cups Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
5 unflavored black tea bags (such as English breakfast)
3 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
1 (5-inch) piece ginger, scrubbed and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1/2 pound each)
½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro, leaves and tender stems
½ cup coarsely chopped scallions
½ cup safflower or other neutral oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
 Black pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine rice and 2 1/4 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer gently over low heat until all of the liquid is absorbed, 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

As rice cooks, combine wine, tea bags, salt, sugar, ginger, peppercorns and 2 cups of water in another medium saucepan, and mix well. Add chicken (make sure it is completely submerged) and bring to a boil. Cover, turn off the heat and let stand until cooked through, about 15 minutes (poaching time may vary by a few minutes if chicken breast is smaller or larger than 1/2 pound). Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Discard the poaching liquid.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine cilantro, scallions, oil and lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.

Slice chicken and serve with brown rice and cilantro-scallion oil.

Sausage and Peppers Pasta With Broccoli

INGREDIENTS
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian pork sausage, casings removed
1 pound broccoli, cut into 1 1/2-inch florets (about 4 cups)
2 medium yellow bell peppers (12 ounces), cored, seeded and thinly sliced (about 2 1/2 cups)
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
 Kosher salt and pepper
1 pound rigatoni
½ cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces), plus more for serving
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon)
½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat using a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the broccoli, peppers and garlic to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until they soften and begin to brown, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water and drain the pasta. Return the pasta and reserved cooking water to the pot over low heat. Add the broccoli mixture, cooked sausage and its accumulated juices, 1/2 cup Parmesan, the lemon juice and red-pepper flakes and stir vigorously until liquid is slightly thickened and saucy, about 2 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the pasta with additional Parmesan for sprinkling on top.

Shortcut Banh Mi With Pickled Carrots and Daikon

Authenticity is not the goal of this banh mi. Nor is coming up with a newfangled variation. This is a sandwich that, with quick work, maintains the porky-pickled-fiery essence of a classic banh mi with easy-to-find ingredients. Melissa Clark

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PICKLED VEGETABLES
¾ cup shredded carrots
¾ cup thinly sliced Persian, Kirby or European cucumbers
½ cup shredded daikon radish
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

FOR THE PORK
½ cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
2 to 3 tablespoons sriracha or other chili sauce, to taste
1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup chopped fresh basil
 Finely grated zest of 1 lime
 Juice of 1/2 lime

FOR THE SANDWICH
6 small hero rolls or 2 baguettes cut into thirds, split
 Fresh jalapeño, thinly sliced and seeded, for serving
 Mint sprigs, for serving
 Cilantro sprigs, for serving

FOR THE PICKLED VEGETABLES
To make the pickled vegetables: In a bowl, toss together the carrots, cucumbers, daikon, vinegar, sugar and salt and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the pork. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon scallions and 1 to 2 tablespoons chili sauce, to taste. Cover tightly and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons scallions and the garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add pork and cook, breaking up with a fork, until no longer pink, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon chili sauce and the fish sauce, pepper, salt and sugar. Remove from heat and stir in the basil, lime zest and lime juice. Let cool 5 minutes, then add mayonnaise mixture.

Fill bread with pork mixture. Press the jalapeño, mint and cilantro sprigs into the pork. Spoon some pickled vegetables onto the sandwiches and serve any extra alongside.

Chicken Miso Meatballs

Ground chicken breast meat is fairly lean, so milk is added to this recipe to keep them moist and tender. As the meatballs bake, the miso caramelizes into savory bites of sweet-salty umami. Crumbled Ritz crackers add richness and create a more juicy meatball (but plain, dry bread crumbs will also work). To make the Ritz crumbs, place the crackers in a resealable plastic bag and lightly crush them with the back of a wooden spoon or measuring cup. These also make a tasty hors d'oeuvre: Simply roll the mixture into smaller 1-inch balls. For a quick dipping sauce, combine 2 parts soy sauce to 1 part distilled white vinegar, and add sliced scallions, or red-pepper flakes, if you like heat. Kay Chun

INGREDIENTS
¼ cup whole milk
3 tablespoons sweet white miso
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoons kosher salt
¾ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup finely crushed Ritz crackers (12 crackers)
1 pound ground chicken

Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, and use your hands to gently mix. The mixture will be very sticky. Lightly wet your hands to prevent sticking during mixing and shaping meatballs.

Shape the meat into 12 golf-ball-size rounds (about 2 inches in diameter), and arrange on a greased rimmed baking sheet.

Bake until golden and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Vietnamese-Style Pork Meatballs

These nuoc cham-inspired meatballs are perfect to fill lettuce cups topped with fresh basil or cilantro. (Add steamed rice for a more substantial meal.) The Ritz crackers here make for a juicier meatball, but feel free to substitute plain dry bread crumbs. To make the Ritz crumbs, place the crackers in a resealable plastic bag and lightly crush them with the back of a wooden spoon or measuring cup. For an easy dipping sauce, spike 1/4 cup mayonnaise with 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil or soy sauce. And save any leftover meatballs: They're great simmered in chicken broth the next day. The ginger and garlic in them release their aromatics into the broth for a deeply flavorful soup base.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons peeled and minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic (from about 3 large cloves)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup finely crushed Ritz crackers (12 crackers)
1 pound ground pork

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and use your hands to gently mix.

Shape the meat into 12 golf-ball-size rounds (about 2 inches in diameter) and arrange on a greased rimmed baking sheet.

Bake until golden and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Chez Panisse’s Blueberry Cobbler

This cobbler, which comes from the kitchens of Chez Panisse, prizes the berries above all, using only 1/3 cup of sugar. The dough rounds for the top are placed so they don’t cover all the berries, and the juice from the berries bubbles up around the dough.

INGREDIENTS

THE BERRIES:
4 ½ cups fresh blueberries
⅓ cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

THE DOUGH:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
¾ cup heavy cream, plus additional for serving, if desired

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. To prepare the berries, place in a bowl and toss with the sugar and flour. Set aside.

To make the dough, mix the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cream and mix lightly, just until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Put the blueberries in a 1 1/2-quart gratin or baking dish. Make patties out of the dough, 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick. Arrange them over the top of the berries. Bake until the topping is brown and the juices bubble thickly around it, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Let cool slightly. Serve warm, with cream to pour on top, if desired.

Chocolate Chips Nigella Lawson

Makes: approx. 14

INGREDIENTS

1¼ sticks soft unsalted butter
⅔ cup soft light brown sugar
½ cup superfine sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 egg (fridge-cold)
1 egg yolk (fridge-cold)
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
11½ ounces packet milk chocolate morsels or chips

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C Fan/325°F. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

Melt the butter and let it cool a bit. Put the brown and white sugars into a bowl, pour the slightly cooled, melted butter over them and beat together.

Beat in the vanilla, the cold egg and cold egg yolk until your mixture is light and creamy.

Slowly mix in the flour and bicarb until just blended, then fold in the chocolate chips.

Scoop the cookie dough into an American quarter-cup measure or a 60ml/quarter cup round icecream scoop and drop onto the prepared baking sheet, plopping the cookies down about 8cm/3 inches apart. 

You will need to make these in 2 batches, keeping the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge between batches.

Bake for 15–17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks.

"Shaking" Beef Macaroni (Nui Bo Luc Lac)

"Shaking" Beef Macaroni (Nui Bo Luc Lac). Really simple recipe with intensely bold flavors. by Valeri_N

Here's my recipe.
Note: measurements are estimated as I usually eyeball my cooking. Adjust to taste!

Marinade
⚪ 1 Tbsp Sugar (Rounded spoon)
⚪ 1.5 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
⚪ 1 Tbsp Shallots
⚪ 1 Tbsp Garlic
⚪ 1 Tbsp Regular Soy Sauce
⚪ 1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
⚪ 1 tsp Thick Soy Sauce (important)
⚪ 1 tsp Sesame Oil
⚪ 1 tsp Black Pepper

Ingredients
⚪ 1 lb steak - 1" cubed (prefer ribeye or ny, I cut my steaks smaller because my son likes them bite sized)
⚪ Elbow mac or other noodle
⚪ 1/2 red onion, chopped
⚪ 1 Tbsp Ketchup
⚪ 1 Tbsp Cooking oil

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients for marinade together until combined.

2. Marinate the steak with marinade for at least 30 min

3. Meanwhile, boil macaroni until al dente. Drain and set aside.

4. In a wok on high heat, add chopped onions and saute until fragrant.

5. Making sure wok is HOT, add steak to wok, reserving any excess marinade. Cook using "shaking" motion. DO NOT OVERCROWD. Cook in batches if necessary.

6. Once the steak is cooked to desired doneness, add remaining sauce to thicken.

7. Add in the macaroni and ketchup and stir fry until noodles and sauce are incorporated. Noodles should've absorbed all the sauce and shouldn't be too wet.

8. Adjust to taste by adding more oyster sauce, fish sauce, ketchup, etc.

9. Remove from heat and Enjoy!

Classic Lasagna

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SAUCE:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, sweet or hot (optional), casings removed
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
 Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

FOR THE ASSEMBLY:
 Kosher salt
1 ½ pounds fresh mozzarella, grated or shredded into small pieces
16 ounces (2 cups) whole milk ricotta
1 cup coarsely grated Parmesan, plus more for sprinkling on top (optional)
¼ cup heavy cream
 Freshly ground pepper
1 pound dried lasagna noodles (not the no-boil variety)
 Olive oil

Make the sauce: Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add sausage, if using, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s starting to brown but not yet crisp, about 5 minutes.

Add onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is totally softened and translucent (without letting it brown), 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring until the tomato paste has turned a deeper brick red color, tinting the oil and onions a fiery orange color, about 2 minutes.

Using your hands, crush the whole tomatoes into smaller, bite-size pieces and add them and the crushed tomatoes, stirring to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Fill one of the tomato cans halfway with water and add it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato sauce has thickened and flavors have come together, 20 to 30 minutes.

Make the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees and set a large pot of salted water to boil.

Set aside 1 cup mozzarella. In a medium bowl, combine remaining mozzarella, ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan and cream; season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Cook lasagna noodles in the large pot of salted boiling water until just softened (before they are even aldente), about 4 minutes. Drain and separate any noodles that are trying to stick together, slicking them with a bit of olive oil to prevent them from sticking further.

Spoon a bit of sauce on the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish and top with a layer of noodles, avoiding any heavy overlap.

Top with about 1 ¼ cups of sauce, and dollop ¼ of the cheese mixture over. Top with another layer of noodles and repeat three more times, ending with the last of the noodles (depending on size of the noodle/shape of the baking dish, you may have a few extra noodles) and the last of the sauce. Top with reserved 1 cup mozzarella and more Parmesan, if you like.

Cover loosely with aluminum foil and place baking dish on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet (to prevent any overflow from burning on the bottom of your oven).

Bake until pasta is completely tender and cooked through and sauce is bubbling up around the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and increase temperature to 450 degrees. Continue to bake until lasagna is golden brown on top with frilly, crispy edges and corners, another 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating.  

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

INGREDIENTS

1 chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, cut into serving pieces
 Salt to taste if desired
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 ¼ teaspoons finely ground white pepper
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 ½ teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon file powder, optional
1 ½ cups flour
2 ½ cups corn, peanut or vegetable oil
¾ cup finely chopped onion
¾ cup finely chopped celery
¾ cup finely chopped green pepper
9 cups chicken broth
1 ¾ cups chopped or thinly sliced smoked sausage such as andouille or kielbasa
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh garlic
2 cups cooked rice

Put chicken pieces in a bowl. Blend salt, peppers, mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika, granulated garlic and file powder. Rub four teaspoons of the mixture over the chicken. Set rest of spice mixture aside.

Put the flour in a bowl and add two teaspoons of the reserved spice mixture. Blend well.

Heat a 10-inch skillet and add the oil. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture to coat well, shaking off excess. Reserve the leftover flour.

When the oil is hot and almost smoking, add the chicken pieces skin side down. Cook about two minutes on one side until golden brown. Turn and cook about three minutes on the second side until nicely browned. Do this in batches so as to not crowd the pan. Drain thoroughly on paper towels.

Pour off all but one cup of fat from the skillet. Heat this oil over high heat until it is almost smoking and add the reserved seasoned flour. Stir rapidly and constantly with a wire whisk until the mixture is golden brown. Do not burn. This is a roux.

Add the chopped onion, celery and green pepper to the roux and stir to blend well. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan.

Add about half a cup of the roux mixture to the broth, stirring rapidly with the whisk. Continue adding the roux mixture, half a cup at a time, always stirring rapidly and constantly.

Add the smoked sausage and stir. Cook over high heat, stirring often from the bottom, about 15 minutes.

Add the chicken pieces, bay leaf and finely minced fresh garlic. Cook about 40 minutes, on medium-low, stirring occasionally.

Remove the chicken pieces. Cut the meat from the bones and discard the bones. Cut the chicken into cubes or shred it and add it back to the pot. Serve with white rice or potato salad (or both) spooned into the gumbo.

Chicken Piccata

INGREDIENTS

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds), halved horizontally (see tip)
 Kosher salt and black pepper
 All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1 shallot, peeled and sliced lengthwise
1 lemon, halved (half thinly sliced and seeds removed; half juiced, about 2 tablespoons)
¾ cup chicken stock
4 teaspoons drained capers
 Coarsely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in flour and shake off any excess.

In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons butter and the olive oil over medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, add the chicken and sauté until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.

Remove the chicken, place on a plate and repeat with the remaining pieces, adding more olive oil if needed.

Once the chicken is cooked, add the shallot and lemon slices to the pan and sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low, then stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, capers and lemon juice, to taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken with the sauce poured over the top. Garnish with parsley if desired.