Asparagus in bed: http://www.rootsandgrubs.com/2011/06/01/everythings-better-in-bed/
Salt and sugar-cured asparagus: http://www.gilttaste.com/stories/322-salt-and-sugar-cured-asparagus-poached-in-butter

Matthew likes:

Calphalon spatula

Exoglass spoon

Green colander

Molly likes:

Kyocera ceramic Y-peeler

Kuhn Rikon cheap-o peeler

Reiss 0.5-liter enamel saucepan

Wooden spatula

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's oven-to-stove steak method: http://www.beyondsalmon.com/2007/06/steak-revisited.html

Cook's Illustrated Buttermilk pancakes

For Matthew's cornmeal pancakes, follow the recipe for buttermilk pancakes but replace about half the flour with stone-ground cornmeal such as Arrowhead Mills.

Recipes:

Matthew's version of Cook's Illustrated's French Toast

BURG'S FRENCH TOAST
From A Homemade Life

Look for bread with a soft, light crumb, and not too dense. Supermarket French bread works well.

3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
Canola or other flavorless oil, for frying
6 to 8 slices day-old bread, cut on the diagonal, about 3/4 inch thick
Pure maple syrup, for serving

Break the eggs into a wide, shallow bowl or, as my dad did, an 8-inch square Pyrex dish. Whisk the eggs to break up the yolks. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, and nutmeg and whisk to blend.

Place a heavy large skillet--preferably cast iron--over medium-high heat, and pour in enough oil to completely coat the bottom of the skillet. Let the oil heat until you can feel warmth radiating from it when you hold your hand close to the pan. To test the heat, dip the tip of a finger into the egg mixture--not the oil!--and flick a drop into the oil. If it sizzles, it's ready.

Meanwhile, when the oil is almost hot enough, put 2 to 3 slices of bread into the egg mixture, allowing them to rest for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. They should feel heavy and thoroughly saturated, but they shouldn't be falling apart. Carefully, using tongs, places the slices in the skillet. They should sizzle upon contact, and the oil should bubble busily around the edges. Watch carefully: with hot oil like this, the slices can burn more quickly than you would think. Cook until the underside of each slice is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully flip and cook until the second side is golden, another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel, and allow to sit for a minute or two before serving.

Repeat with the remaining bread. If, at any point, the bread starts to burn before it has a chance to brown nicely, turn the heat back a little. You want to keep it nice and hot, but not smoking.

Serve hot with maple syrup.

Yield: 6 to 8 slices, serves 2 to 3

1. Molly and Matthew were interviewed by the blog Dorm Room Dinner. We talk about frozen yogurt, Lady Gaga, and being fancy.

2. We're doing a live event with Langdon Cook, author of the Fat of the Land, at The Project Room in Seattle on March 22. Time TBD, but probably something like 6pm. This won't be a live episode; it's a conversation about creativity. Only 100% less boring than that sounds. Please come see us; it's free!

Melissa
Clark's Roasted Broccoli and Shrimp, via The Wednesday Chef:
http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2009/01/melissa-clarks-roasted-broccoli-with-shrimp.html

Whole Wheat Apple Cake from The Wednesday Chef:
http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2011/03/huckleberrys-whole-wheat-apple-butter-cake.html

Please refer first to Andrea Nguyen's Master Banh Mi Sandwich Recipe. The only thing we've done differently is substitute nuoc cham for the Maggi/soy sauce.

1 Vietnamese baguette, supermarket demi-baguette, or 7-inch length of light, not-too-chewy baguette
Mayonnaise
Flavorful meat or tofu of any kind
Nuoc cham (see Andrea Nguyen's recipe)
Long English or Asian/Persian cucumber, cut into thin strips
1 jalapeño pepper, sliced into rings
Daikon and carrot pickle (yep, Andrea's recipe again)
cilantro sprigs, roughly chopped

Cut a slit into the bread lengthwise and open it up like a book. Spread the bottom surface lightly with mayonnaise. Add the meat and drizzle with nuoc cham. Add vegetables to taste.

Yield: 1 serving.

Note: This salad can be assembled and dressed up to 1 hour ahead of time. Chill until ready to serve.

Yield: 4 servings (as a side dish or first course)

LARB GAI

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or ground chicken, if you can get decent ground dark-meat chicken, like at a butcher shop or Whole Foods)
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 tablespoons sliced scallions
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice from 1 to 2 limes
1 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
2 to 3 tablespoons toasted rice powder (see recipe below)
cabbage leaves

1. If you're using chicken thighs, place them in a food processor and pulse them until well ground but not quite paste, about ten one-second pulses.

2. Heat a skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken, shallots, scallions, red pepper flakes, fish sauce, and lime juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through.

3. Turn the larb out into a bowl and cool for at least ten minutes. Stir in rice powder and additional lime juice to taste. Serve with cabbage leaves for wrapping.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

TOASTED RICE POWDER
Makes about 3 tablespoons

Place a dry skillet (not nonstick) over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup Thai white sticky rice (preferred) or jasmine rice. Toast the rice, stirring and shaking the pan occasionally, until the rice is golden-brown and smoking slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature and grind to a very fine powder in a spice grinder or coffee grinder (you can also use a heavy-duty mortar and pestle).

Stir-fried Chicken in Lettuce Cups from Rasa Malaysia:
http://rasamalaysia.com/lettuce-wraps-recipe/2/

Japanese nori: Yamamotoyama Roasted Seaweed for Sushi

Korean salted laver: Sea's Gift Korean Seaweed Snack

Nori tsukudani: JFC Ajishima

Kombu: Eden Kombu

Kombu tsukudani: Simanoca Genki Goma Tsukudani (the commercial product is tasty but loaded with weird ingredients; consider making your own)

Furikake: JFC - Seto Fumi Furikake

For rosemary syrup:
2 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
Leaves from 6 (6-inch) sprigs fresh rosemary, stems discarded

To assemble:
1 batch rosemary syrup (about 1.5 cups)
1 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups ice cubes
4 cups sparkling water, plus more to taste
Vodka (optional)

To make syrup:

In a medium saucepan, combine water and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in rosemary leaves, and set aside, covered, for exactly 10 minutes. Strain syrup through a sieve into a measuring cup or small bowl, discarding leaves. Cool to room temperature before using. (Note: Syrup will keep, covered and refrigerated, for a long time.)

To assemble:

Stir together all ingredients in a large pitcher. Taste; add more sparkling water, if needed, or mix with vodka to taste. Pour into glasses filled with ice.

Yield: about 2 quarts

MATTHEW'S EGG CREAM

3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1/2 cup seltzer or club soda

Stir together the milk and chocolate syrup in a tall, chilled glass until well combined. Slowly pour in the seltzer, stirring vigorously in a circle, until a creamy foam fills the glass. Drink with a straw.

Yield: 1 serving

1. Fill a large skillet about two-thirds full with water, to a depth of about 2 inches. Add a tablespoon of white vinegar. Bring the water to a bare simmer over medium-high heat. There should be plenty of little bubbles along the bottom of the pan, and the surface of the water should be barely trembling. When in doubt, err on the side of hotter water.

2. Crack an egg into a teacup or a small custard cup. Holding the cup upright, lower the base into the water, and then, slowly and gently, twist your wrist to turn the egg out into the water. You're essentially twisting the mug out from under the egg. Don't hold the mug in the water for too long, or the egg will cook to the inside of the mug.

3. Disturb the water as little as possible, and allow the first egg to settle a bit before adding a second one. Depending on the size of your skillet, you could probably poach up to three eggs at a time.

4. Cook each egg for 3 to 4 minutes, until the white is opaque from the edges right up to the yolk. You can also gauge doneness by lifting the egg in a slotted spoon and gently prodding it with your finger: the white should feel firm and set, but the yolk should still jiggle. If the egg sticks at all to the bottom of the skillet—that happens sometimes—use a spoon or spatula to gently release the egg from the bottom of the pan.

5. Serve.

NOTES

If you need to poach a lot of eggs and can't do it all at once: While you're heating the water in the skillet, fill a large bowl with very warm (but not boiling) water. As the eggs finish cooking, drop them into the bowl. They'll stay warm while you cook the rest.

You can also poach eggs ahead of time and rewarm them just before serving. Instead of preparing a bowl of warm water, prepare a bowl of ice water. Cook the eggs a little less than you normally would, and drop them into the bowl. Just before serving, rewarm them in simmering water.

If your eggs are not so fresh, there will an loose outer layer of egg white surrounding a thick inner layer that gathers around the yolk. Strain off the outer layer before poaching by cracking the egg into a tea straining and straining it briefly. Hat tip to Cook's Illustrated.

SLIGHTLY SIMPLIFIED OEUFS EN MEURETTE
Adapted from Taste: One Palate's Journey Through the World's Greatest Dishes, by David Rosengarten

For the croûtes:
Butter
4 slices of French bread, crusts removed, sliced 1/3 inch thick

For the sauce:
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
2 Tbsp. chopped bacon
6 Tbsp. chopped shallot
1 tsp. chopped garlic
2 cups very young Beaujolais (or another fruity red wine)
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup chicken stock

1 to 2 eggs per person, poached

1. Butter the bread on both sides. Warm a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the bread until golden brown on the first side. Flip the bread, and cook until golden brown on the second side. Transfer to two serving plates.

2. To make the sauce, put 1 Tbsp. butter in a heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped bacon, shallot, and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots just start to turn brown. Turn the heat to high, and add the Beaujolais and the bay leaf. Boil until the wine is reduced by about half. Add the chicken stock, and bring the mixture back to a boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter.

Put the poached eggs on top of the toasts, and then pour the sauce over them. Serve immediately.

Yield: 2 servings

One-pot cooking: Sticky rice as a main dish

It's like a podcast, only written down.

Australian
Tim Tam Classic Dark
Cherry Ripe
Picnic

English
Hobnobs Chocolate Cream
Monster Munch

OKOWA WITH PORK AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS
Adapted from Kyoto Foodie

2 cups mochi rice (also sold as sweet rice or short-grain sticky or glutinous rice), or substitute short- or medium-grain Japanese-style rice
4 large shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin
1 cup chopped roast pork (any kind, including leftovers, is fine, or substitute fried tofu)
6 tablespoons sake or Chinese rice wine
1/4 cup mirin
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cups water
1 lime

1. Wash the rice. The easiest way to do this is to place a large strainer into a slightly larger bowl, and place the rice in the strainer. Wash in several changes of water until the water runs mostly clear, rather than milky. Set aside to drain for 30 minutes.

2. Put the drained rice into a rice cooker. Add the remaining ingredients except for the lime, and start the cooker. If you prefer to make rice in a pot, just do it your usual way, with the added ingredients.

3. As soon as the rice cooker beeps, open and stir. (Mochi rice doesn't hold well in a rice cooker.) Spoon the rice into four bowls and garnish each with a light grating of lime zest and a squeeze of juice. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings

MP3 download (tap here to play on iPhone/iPad)

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

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

Can you hear half an hour of us anyway? Yes, you can!

We're guests on the delightful Game Night Guys. Brian and Mike made us play Foodie Fight, a trivia game where every question is very easy or very hard. Maybe that describes every trivia game. Check out the part where Matthew totally nails Madeleine Kamman. Wait, that didn't sound right.

Thanks to the Guys for having us on. Wait, that didn't sound right either.

Seattle Broadcasters Detour Traditional Airwaves

Inside the "Studios" of Online Radio from Seattle magazine on Vimeo.

Thanks to Karen, Alex, and Julia at Seattle Mag!

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

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

Recipe: Melissa Clark's Fake Baked Beans

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

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

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

MP3 download

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

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

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

Brought to you by Sur La Table.

Note that the dressing should be started well ahead of serving, to allow the shallots to mellow in the vinegar.

2 small to medium shallots, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar, or more as needed
1 garlic clove, grated on a Microplane
Kosher salt
4 or 5 fresh basil leaves, smashed a bit between your fingers
1/2 cup olive oil
Good tomatoes, sliced
Fresh corn, cut from the cob

For garnish:
Fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

In a small bowl, combine the shallots, vinegar, garlic, and a pinch of salt. The vinegar should just cover the shallots; if it doesn't, add a splash more. Let sit at room temperature for an hour or more, until the shallots have given up their raw flavor. Then add the basil leaves and olive oil, and whisk well. Taste, and add salt as needed. If the shallots are too strong or bitter, you can fix that with a pinch or two of sugar. Set dressing aside at room temperature, ideally for at least 30 minutes, to allow the basil to release its fragrance. Remove the basil before serving.

Arrange some sliced tomatoes on a platter, and top with corn kernels (about 1 ear of corn for every 2 or 3 tomatoes). Spoon dressing generously over. Garnish with thinly sliced fresh basil.

SPICY SAUTEED CORN

3 tablespoons butter
Kernels from 3 ears fresh corn
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed if desired, minced
2 tablespoons water
salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high until bubbling. Add the corn, scallions, and jalapeño. Cook until the corn begins to brown and stick to the bottom of the pan, about 10 minutes, lowering the heat if necessary. Add water and scrub the bottom of the pan with the spatula to dislodge the extremely delicious brown bits. When the water has boiled off, add salt to taste. Off the heat, add lime juice and serve immediately with additional lime wedges.

Yield: 4 side-dish servings

Brought to you by Sur La Table.

Brought to you by Sur La Table.

More photos by Glenn Fleishman