Naan bread, especially this easy to make garlic naan, is the
real reason Indian restaurants give you so much extra sauce when you order a
curry. I mean, sure, the basmati rice helps, but good luck getting all that
goodness off your plate using a fork.
Besides being near lots of great curries, the other
advantage the restaurant naan enjoys is being cooked in the intense heat of the
tandoor oven. However, we can pull off a pretty good version at home by using a
smoking hot cast iron skillet. By the way, it shouldn’t literally be smoking,
since we cook these without any oil in the skillet, but the key to this whole
operation is waiting for the pan to get up to the proper temperature.
In fact, done correctly, the blistered bubbles will be
charred to a lovely golden-black, so be brave. I’m working on the creamy cashew
chicken curry seen herein, and hope to post that next, but in the meantime, I
really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 6 Garlic Naan:
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 package dry active yeast
1/4 cup plain yogurt
about 2 cups bread flour, plus more as needed 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp fine salt)
1 tablespoon garlic butter
- Cook in a very hot, dry cast iron skillet for 2 to 3
minutes per side
These deceptively simple, yet devastatingly delicious garlic
noodles were invented in San
Francisco, at a restaurant called, Thanh Long, back in the 70’s. Usually served with roasted
Dungeness crab, the actual recipe is a very closely guarded family secret, but
after lots of investigation, and even more experimentation, I think this is
very close, at least for a non-MSG laced version.
Apparently,
one of their “secret” ingredients is something called, Maggi Seasoning Sauce,
which I decided not to use, since I’m not sure how easy it is for the average
person to find. Besides, I think my assortment of savory, umami-rich
substitutes did the job quite nicely, and everything in the ingredient list can
be found at any large grocery store.
The
most exotic thing here would be the oyster sauce, which is sort of a very
savory, slightly sweet, thick, soy sauce-like condiment. And yes, it does have oyster
extracts in it, in case that matters. If you can’t find it, just add a touch
more fish sauce, soy, and Worcestershire, as well as little brown sugar.
Most
garlic noodles actually call for sugar in the recipe, but I think that makes it
too sweet for my taste, since the oyster sauce is fairly sweet, as is all that sautéed
garlic. Regardless, whether you enjoy this with some roasted garlic crab, or as
is, I really do hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!
This “burnt” Basque cheesecake is one of the rare trendy
recipes that I’m actually posting while it’s still trendy. I usually wait like
three or four years, and by that time people have lost interest, and it seems
like I’m doing it to be ironic. Well, this time the hype got to me, and now I
understand why all the fuss.
By cooking the cheesecake in a very hot oven, we get a
beautiful, dark exterior, which not only looks great, but the bittersweet notes
it provides makes the light, creamy cheesecake inside seem even more rich, and
flavorful. Besides the taste and texture, this method is just plain easier, as
long as you can find some parchment paper.
Depending on the size of the roll or sheet you buy, you may
have to overlap it, but as long as the pan is covered, and it comes up a few
inches past the top, you’re fine. I assumed this technique was adapted from
some ancient Basque recipes, but as it turns out, it was actually developed at
a café in San
Sebastian, called La Vina in the 70’s. That probably explains the Philly cream
cheese.
Anyway,
if you haven’t had the best luck with traditional cheesecake methods, you
should stop trying, and just make this exclusively. Just make sure you tell
you’re guests it’s supposed to be “burnt,” although if they’re on social media,
they probably already know. Either way, I really hope you give this a try soon.
Enjoy!
Ingredients for one 9-inch cake pan (8-10 Portions):
24 ounces soft cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt (or 3/4 to 1 teaspoon Kosher salt)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 extra large eggs (you can use 5 large eggs)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- Bake at 400 F. for 50 to 55 minutes, or until puffed and
well browned. For a little more color, you can crank the oven up to 425 or 450
F. for the last 10 minutes or so.
"Agrodolce” is a very generic Italian term for any type of sweet
and sour condiment, and while it’s used on all sorts of things, it really
shines, both literally and figuratively, when used for braising chunks of
succulent pork shoulder. This really was a thoroughly enjoyable, soul-warming
dish of comfort food, which is why I was so amused by how much it made me think
of summer cooking.
I’m not sure if Italians “barbecue,” like we do here in the
States, but this sauce very much reminded me of something we’d brush on a rack
of ribs while sipping a cold beer. So, don’t be surprised if you see something
like that happen once the weather warms up. In fact, a little touch of
smokiness was maybe the only thing this dish was lacking, and we could have
taken care of that with a little smoked paprika. Next time.
As I mention in the clip, once the meat is tender, and ready
to serve, you’re going to have to decide whether to skim the fat. I’ll leave
that decision to you and your medical team, but if you do, here are a few tips.
It’s hard to skim rendered fat while it’s still in the baking dish, so I
usually remove the meat, and pour the sauce into a measuring cup, or small
saucepan. That way, we have much less surface area, and it’ll be way easier to
spoon off the top. Also, if you make this ahead of time, and chill it
overnight, the fat will harden, and you can easily remove it from the surface.
Either way, this pork agrodolce is amazing served on rice,
pasta, polenta, or as I teased in the video, a big pile of ricotta mashed
potatoes. In fact, I enjoyed those so much that if, and when, I adapt this
sauce to the summer grill, I’m still going to use that as a side. But, no
matter how you serve it, I really hope you give this it a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 large portions Pork Agrodolce:
3 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 3-inch chunks
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
1 or 2 anchovy fillets mashed
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup green onions
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Roast at 325 F. for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until very
tender.
Note: While roasting, you can add a splash of water to the
baking dish if things are drying out, and/or you can cook this covered after
the meat has had time to brown. As long as the pork gets tender, and you’re
left with enough agrodolce sauce to coat the meat, you did it right.
