PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS IN A LEMON CREAM SAUCE
From Cucina Simpatica, by Johanne Killeen and George Germon

2-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon minced lemon zest
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano (or Parmigiano-Reggiano) (1.5 ounces)
1/2 cup shredded fontina (1.5 ounces)
2 tablespoons ricotta
1 teaspoon kosher salt
12 ounces fresh asparagus, trimmed and sliced 1/8" thick on the diagonal
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 pound conchiglie rigate (pasta shells) or penne rigate

1. Preheat oven to 500°F.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, lemon zest, cheeses, and salt. In a small bowl, toss the asparagus with the melted butter.

4. Parboil the pasta for 4 minutes, drain, and stir into cream mixture.

5. Divide the pasta mixture into 4 shallow ceramic gratin dishes (or just use one 9×13 pan). Top with the asparagus, placing it in a circle around the outside edges of the baking dishes. Bake until pasta is bubbly and hot and well-browned in spots, 10-13 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings

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Russ Parsons's bean cooking technique that Matthew talks about is nicely summarized by Steven Shaw on eGullet.

TUSCAN BEANS FROM THE OLD CLAY POT
From Pot on the Fire, by John Thorne

1/2 pound dried cannelini beans, washed and soaked for 8 to 12 hours in water to cover amply
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 or 4 sage leaves, fresh or dried
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground hot red pepper (or pepper flakes)
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 200°F. Drain the beans, reserving the soaking liquid. Remove and discard any beans that have failed to rehydrate. Put the beans and everything else, except for the bean soaking liquid, into a small earthenware bean pot or similar vessel (a Le Creuset pot is fine -SM) and stir gently. Pour the bean-soaking liquid into a saucepan and heat to boiling. Add enough of this to the bean pot to barely cover its contents, reserving any remaining liquid.

2. Cover the pot, put the beans in the oven, and cook at this very low hear (they should never come to a boil) until they are nicely done, about 4 to 5 hours. Check the water level periodically during the first 4 hours, adding the remaining bean liquid, then plain boiling water, as necessary to keep the beans covered.

3. Serve the beans hot or at room temperature, dressed with a little more oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

COWBOY BEANS
From Mexican Everyday, by Rick Bayless

4 slices bacon, diced
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 can diced tomatoes (I recommend Muir-Glen fire roasted)
4 cups cooked beans, with their broth, or 2 cans pinto beans
2 tablespoons minced cilantro

Cook bacon in large saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, cook and stir 4 minutes. Add beans and simmer over medium-low heat 15 minutes. Add cilantro and salt to taste. Beans will be soupy.

Yield: 4 servings

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PARSNIP PUREE

1 pound parsnips, peeled, ends trimmed, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1.5 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt, to taste

1. Place the parsnip chunks and vegetable stock in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the parsnips pierce easily with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Strain the stock into a bowl and place the parsnips in a food processor. Add the cream, butter and salt to taste. Process until very smooth, about 2 minutes, adding back the stock until the purée reaches the desired consistency. Keep in mind that the purée will be somewhat thinner after you sieve it.

3. Using a rubber spatula, work the puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Taste for salt and serve immediately.

Yield: 1.5 cups

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Braised Red Cabbage with Apples and Caraway Seeds

About 2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
1 small head red cabbage (about 2 lb.), quartered, cored, and very thinly sliced
1 large tart apple (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and coarsely grated
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. caraway seeds

Heat the oil in a large, nonreactive skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened. Add cabbage, apple, vinegar, honey, salt, and caraway seeds; then cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is very soft but not falling apart, about an hour.

Yield: 4 servings

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These are the five chicken stocks we tasted:

Homemade Stock (Zuni Café Cookbook recipe, below): Full-bodied, pure chicken flavor, well-seasoned. The standard-bearer.

Swanson Natural Goodness: Good chicken flavor and no off-flavors. Salty. Not bad at all.

Imagine Organic Free-Range Chicken Broth: Underseasoned and practically devoid of flavor. Don't bother.

Better Than Bouillon: Good as far as reconstituted products go: tastes like chicken with a lot of celery. Chicken meat is first ingredient. Great when you need just a small amount of broth for a recipe.

Knorr bouillon cubes: Smells horrifying, but brews up into a reassuringly salty and MSG-laden broth. Remember vending machine chicken soup? This is the stuff.

CHICKEN STOCK
Loosely adapted from The Zuni Café Cookbook, by Judy Rodgers

One whole chicken (about 5 pounds)
About 4 quarts cold water
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 stalk celery, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
1 to 1½ teaspoons salt, or more if using kosher

Remove the giblets from the chicken, if included. If you have time and a sharp boning knife, remove the breast meat for another use. If not, don't worry about it. Slash the thigh and leg muscles to encourage the release of flavor during cooking. Place the chicken in a deep 8- to 10-quart stockpot that holds it snugly. Add the cold water. It should cover the chicken. Bring to a simmer over high heat, and skim the foam. Stir the chicken under once to allow the foam to rise, then reduce the heat and skim the foam carefully, taking care to leave behind the bright yellow fat that may be starting to appear on the surface. Add the vegetables and salt and stir them under. Simmer very gently until the stock has a rich, chickeny flavor, about 4 hours. While the stock cooks, don't cover the pot, don't stir, and don't skim the fat; just let it do its thing.

When the stock is ready, use a wide ladle or bamboo skimmer to fish out the carcass and vegetables. Nibble at them if you want, or discard them. Then carefully pour the stock through a strainer to remove any remaining solids. If any small solids remain, you can filter them out by pouring the stock through dampened cheesecloth, or through a clean cotton dishtowel moistened with water.

Cool the stock to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate. Before using, scrape away the cap of solidified fat.

Yield: 8 to 10 cups

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CHOCOLATE FUDGE
Adapted from Truffles, Candies, and Confections, by Carole Bloom

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup half-and-half
Pinch of salt
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil that extends over the sides. Coat the foil with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Set aside.

In a 3-quart heavy saucepan over low heat, cook the sugar, corn syrup, half-and-half, and salt until the sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then brush down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in warm water to prevent the sugar from crystallizing.

Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the chocolate in 3 or 4 batches, until completely melted and smooth. Return the pan to medium heat. Place a candy thermometer in the pan, and cook WITHOUT stirring until it registers 238 degrees Fahrenheit on the thermometer. (This may take as long as 20 minutes.)

Remove the pan from the heat, remove the thermometer from the pan, and place the thermometer in warm water to cool. Quickly sprinkle a rimmed baking sheet or a large marble board (at least 14 × 18 inches) with cold water, and immediately pour the hot mixture onto the baking sheet or marble. Do not scrape out the bottom of the pan. Dot the surface of the mixture with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Let the mixture cool until it registers 110 degrees Fahrenheit on the thermometer (about 5 to 15 minutes, depending on whether you use a baking sheet or marble).

Scrape the cooled mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the vanilla, and with the paddle attachment, beat the mixture until it thickens and loses its shine (5 to 10 minutes). (Alternatively, you can beat the mixture by hand with a sturdy wooden spoon; it will take longer.) Turn the fudge into the prepared pan. Dampen your hands and use your fingertips to even the top and to press the fudge completely into the corners of the pan. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let it set completely at room temperature (1 to 2 hours).

Remove the fudge from the pan by lifting out the aluminum foil. With a large chef's knife, cut the fudge evenly into 1-inch squares. Between layers of waxed paper in a tightly covered container, fudge will keep for 10 days at room temperature or 1 month in the refrigerator. Fudge is best served at room temperature.

Yield: 64 pieces

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Molly's blueberry muffins come from Ruth Reichl's blog.

BANANA MUFFINS
Adapted from The Quick Recipe, Cook's Illustrated

10 ounces (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
7 ounces (1 cup) sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table sat
13 ounces mashed very ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
3 ounces (1/3 cup) buttermilk
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray. (I like Baker's Joy or another spray with flour in it.)

2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together the mashed banana, butter, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla in another bowl. (I like to mash the banana in a large bowl and then stir in the rest of the wet ingredients.) Add the dry ingredients and fold in gently until just combined.

3. Drop the batter into the muffin tin cups and bake until you get a nice brown ring around the edge of the each muffin top, about 22 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick. Cool 5 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and serve warm.

Yield: 12 muffins

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THE SPILLED MILK BURGER

We like a 6-ounce burger, but you lose a little meat to the grinder, so we've specified a little extra meat. It's unusual to find boneless short ribs for sale, so buy English-cut short ribs bone-in and cut them off the bone (easy!) or ask your butcher to do it.

7 ounces boneless short ribs, cut into cubes
7 ounces lean boneless beef chuck, cut into cubes
3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
toasted buns

1. Sprinkle the meat with salt and grind through the fine plate of a meat grinder. Form into two patties, about 3/4-inch thick, pressing an indentation into the center of each patty so it's thicker at the edges than in the center.

2. Heat a stainless or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat or higher. When the surface is very hot, add the burger patties. Cook without moving for 3 minutes. Flip. (A metal spatula is helpful here.) Cook to medium-rare (internal temperature of 130°F), testing with an instant-read thermometer if you have one. This will take 1 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately on toasted buns.

Yield: 2 servings

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SPICY CUCUMBER SALAD
Adapted from Land of Plenty, by Fuchsia Dunlop

1 English cucumber
2 tablespoons peanut oil
8 long dried red chiles, snipped into 1-inch sections
2 teaspoons whole Sichuan peppercorns
salt
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and pulp with a spoon, and then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick half-moons.

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the peanut oil and swirl around to cover the base of the wok. Turn the heat down to medium-high and then add the chilies and Sichuan pepper. Cook for a few seconds until they smell deliciously spicy and the chilies are turning a darker red color. Take great care not to burn the spices.

Toss in the cucumber pieces and stir for about 30 seconds to heat and coat them in the flavored oil, adding salt to taste. Remove from the heat, add the sesame oil and stir thoroughly. The cucumber should not be cooked through, just swiftly heated so that it absorbs the flavor of the spices. Allow to cool before serving.

Yield: 4 servings

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Pan-Fried Peppers with Lemon, Garlic, and Sea Salt (via Bon Appetit)
Pickled Peppers with Shallots and Thyme (via Bon Appetit)

FOLDED ENCHILADAS
Adapted from Everyday Food, September 2010

1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
4 anaheim chiles
1/2 white onion, quartered
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
salt and pepper

8 corn tortillas
oil or lard for frying
1/4 head red cabbage, shredded (2 cups)
3 radishes, thinly sliced
2 ounces crumbled cotija, queso añejo, or queso fresco

1. Heat broiler with oven rack in top position. Place tomatillos, chiles, onion, and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil 5 minutes or until tomatillos and chiles are blackened and blistered. Flip everything and broil 5 minutes more. When cool enough to handle, peel the garlic and peel, core, and seed the chiles. Add the garlic, chiles, tomatillos, onion, and 1/2 cup water to a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a frying pan over medium-high. Heat the sauce in another frying pan. Working one at a time, fry a corn tortilla in the oil for about 30 seconds on each side. It should brown slightly around the edge and firm up, but you don't want it crispy like a tostada. Pull the tortilla out of the oil, let it drip for a few seconds, then dip it into the sauce and flip it over. Place the tortilla on a plate, folded in half. Repeat with remaining tortillas, for a total of 2 tortillas per plate.

3. Top each plate of sauced tortillas with one-quarter of the cabbage, radishes, and cheese. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings

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