Stroganoff, Ricotta, Herbs, Stock.

Serious Eats: The Food Lab | Serious Eats

- The Ultimate Beef Stroganoff | Serious Eats

- The Food Lab: Fresh Ricotta in Five Minutes or Less | Serious Eats

- Use the Microwave to Dry Your Herbs for Long-Lasting Intense Flavor | Serious Eats

- How to Make The Best Chicken Stock | Serious Eats

Herb Rub
Makes 1 small jar

A very large bunch of fresh sage, two to three times as much as the rosemary
A large bunch of rosemary
8 garlic cloves, peeled
1 heaping tablespoon Maldon salt

1. Pick the leaves off the sage and rosemary stalks. In a small food processor, chop up the herbs with the garlic cloves and salt until the mixture is pretty fine. Discard any sticks or seeds.

2. Spread the herb mixture on a baking sheet and let it dry for about three days. Once dry, store your herb in a tighly-sealed in a jar for up to a year.

Clafoutis.

- How to Make Cherry Clafoutis, a Dessert so Elegant, Your Guests Won't Know How Easy it is | Serious Eats
Butter in the batter adds extra flavor and helps crisp the edges more.
Optional kirsch (cherry brandy) enhances the fruit flavor.
Balanced amounts of egg and sugar in the batter produce a clafoutis that's just sweet enough with a light texture that's not too eggy.

Note:
If using a vanilla bean, reserve the scraped bean for another use (you can stick it in a container of sugar to create vanilla sugar, for instance).
We like pitted cherries because the clafoutis is easier to eat that way, but feel free to leave the cherries whole if you prefer; that's that more traditional way to do it, and some people like the subtle bitter almond flavor the pits add to the dessert.
Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/2 ounces or 75 grams)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar (about 1 1/4 ounces or 40 grams)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing
1 tablespoon kirsch (optional)
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (see note above)
3/4 pound sweet cherries, pitted (see note above)
Powdered sugar, for serving
Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 180°C.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and salt.
Whisk in milk, eggs, butter, kirsch (if using), and vanilla extract or seeds until a smooth batter forms.

Grease a baking dish, tart pan, or cast iron skillet (about 22-24 cm in diameter) with butter.
Scatter cherries all over bottom.
Pour batter on top and bake until clafoutis is puffed and browned and a knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
Let cool slightly, the slice and serve, sprinkling powdered sugar on top.
Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

OR:
Place pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes 175C.
Increase oven temperature to 190C and continue to bake for another 25-30 minutes or until puffed, set in the center and light golden brown.
- Cherry Clafoutis Recipe | Serious Eats

- "Clafoutis" on Serious Eats | Serious Eats

How to Make No-Cook Freezer Jam.

- Gallery: How to Make No-Cook Freezer Jam: Serious Eats | Serious Eats
1. Mash the ripest fruit you can find:
Not overripe, but sweet and full of flavor.
If there are a few bruises here and there, just trim them away.
Put the fruit in a saucepan—not because it’s going over any heat, but for the flat bottom surface that makes for easy crushing.
I like using a potato masher.
You can also pulse the fruit with an immersion blender or in a food processor, but take care not to over-process it.
If you’re going to experiment, start out with a small amount, about 2 cups of crushed fruit.
If you want to make a larger batch, double this.
When trying to figure out how much fruit you’ll need, use this rule of thumb: 400-500 gr of fruit without pits or 600-700 of fruit with pits will give you about 2 cups crushed fruit.
Add lemon juice (about a tablespoon per 2 cups of crushed fruit) to low acid fruit like peaches and apricots, both for flavor and to help the jam set.

2. Sugar or other sweetener.
For 2 cups of crushed fruit, use 1/2 to 1 cup of granulated sugar.
You can also use brown sugar and honey, but take into account their stronger and sweeter flavors.
Some varieties of no-cook freezer jam pectin, including Pomona’s Universal and Ball Instant Fruit Pectin, can also be used with other sweeteners such as Splenda or Stevia, just make sure you use the equal amount to sugar in sweetness, not in volume.
When using Pomona’s, mix the sugar with the fruit.
For Ball, combine the sugar with pectin powder first (for two cups of fresh fruit, you’ll need just half of the 1.59-ounce/45 gram packet) and then add it to the fruit.

3. Additional flavorings
Keep it simple.
The nice thing about freezer jams is their fresh taste.
This is where herbs like chopped basil or mint come in.
You can also add a pinch of grated fresh ginger or a dash of cinnamon.

4. Prepare the pectin
Pomona’s requires you to combine the pectin powder with hot water before adding it to the fruit.
For two cups of crushed fruit, use 3 fluid ounces/85ml of water and 1 ½ teaspoons Pomona’s pectin.
I like to use an immersion blender in this case.
Make sure the pectin is fully dissolved and well-blended.

5. Add pectin to fruit and stir well
Whatever kind of pectin you use, it’s important to blend it well into the fruit, so that you don’t get gummy lumps in your jam.
Pomona’s pectin comes with a packet of calcium powder.
Prepare it according to the instructions and add a teaspoon at a time of the calcium water.
Stick to the very low end of their recommended amounts if you don’t want a very firm jam.
The jam will continue to set a little more after stirring.

6. Fill clean, freezer-friendly containers
If you plan on freezing the jam, transfer it into clean, dry plastic freezer containers or wide-mouthed glass jars with straight sides (this shape resists cracking when frozen).
Leave about 1.2 cm of at the top and put on the lids, labeled and dated.
Let it set in the refrigerator overnight, up to 24 hours.
Then you can freeze up to a year or keep refrigerating it, up to 2 weeks.

- How to Make No-Cook Freezer Jam | Serious Eats

- Strawberry Mint Freezer Jam Recipe | Serious Eats

- Plum Strawberry Jam recipe

Hearty Vegetable Stock (Vegan).

- Hearty Vegetable Stock (Vegan) | Serious Eats
30 gram dried mixed mushrooms such as oyster, porcini, or morel
1 medium yellow onion, split in half
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
2 to 3 leeks, greens only (reserve whites for another use)
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 (4-inch) piece kombu (Kombu is dried giant sea kelp. It can be found in most Asian markets.)
3 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
6 sprigs parsley
1 tabespoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed

Combine all ingredients in a large stockpot and cover with water by 1 1/2 inches.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are completely tender and stock is aromatic and flavorful, about 40 minutes.
Remove mushrooms with tongs and set aside for another use.
Strain stock through a fine-mesh strainer.
Discard solids.
Allow stock to cool uncovered at room temperature for 1 hour.
Cover and transfer to refrigerator until completely chilled.
Refrigerated stock will keep for about 1 week.

- Vegetable Stock From 'Afro-Vegan' | Serious Eats
1/2 small head of green cabbage (about 450 gram), thinly sliced
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 head garlic, broken apart into cloves and unpeeled cloves smashed with the flat side of a knife
3 sprigs thyme
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
9 cups water

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for about 1 hour.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pressing down on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. (Compost the solids.)
Use immediately or let cool and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 6 months.

Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup With Crispy Shiitake Chips.

Slightly adapted from:
- The Food Lab: Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup With Crispy Shiitake Chips | Serious Eats
Ingredients:
15 gram dried porcini or morel mushrooms (optional)
1 Litre Hearty Vegan Stock or store-bought vegetable broth
7 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for serving
1 large leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
1 small onions, thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
3 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced (about 1 tablespoon)
400 gram white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
300 gram shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon miso paste
1 cup dry sherry or white wine
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 slices vegan white sandwich bread, crusts removed, bread torn into pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

Here's how it's done!
Start by sweating out your aromatics.
In this case, I'm using a blend of onions, leeks, and garlic, though shallots would work fine as well.
The goal is to soften them as much as possible without browning them, which can give them a distracting sweetness.
Next, add the mushrooms.
In this case I'm using 400 gram of sliced button mushrooms along with 200-300 gram of shiitake, though any combination of fresh mushrooms will work.
In the meantime, I set aside a 20 gram of dried porcini mushrooms to soak in a Hearty Vegan Stock.
The mushrooms cook down until their liquid has evaporated and they begin to sizzle.
Next up: a dash of flour, to help thicken up the broth and get the emulsion going.
In goes the sherry/marsala/white wine.
As it reduces, it adds a layer of complexity, as well as some acidity to brighten up the finished bowl.
Once wine is reduced, I add a couple of my secret vegan weapons: soy sauce and miso paste.
Both are extremely high in glutamates, which lend a savory backbone to the dish.
Now I add the soaked porcini along with the vegetable stock, a few sprigs of thyme, and a couple of bay leaves, letting the whole thing simmer for about half an hour to let flavors develop and the liquid slightly reduce.

In goes the bread to soak (optional).
It doesn't take long.
And be wary: not all bread from the supermarket is vegan-friendly.
Many shelf-stable sandwich breads contain milk solids or whey.
Check your labels!

While the soup is simmering, time to make your garnish of crispy shiitake chips (optional).
You cook thinly-sliced mushrooms over very low heat in oil until they get nice and crisp around the edges and absorb some of that fat.
I hate to make the comparison, but they're almost bacon-like in the way they crunch and release little bits of fat into your mouth as you eat them. (This makes me think of a new project: smoked shiitake chips.)
As soon as they get nice and brown, I drain them on paper towels and season immediately with salt.

When your soup has simmered away, it's time to blend. (optional). (I do not puree the soup!)
Just like making a mayonnaise, you want to emulsify your soup slowly so that your oil gets fully incorporated.
Put the soup in the blender, bring it up to high speed gradually, then pour in a few more tablespoons of oil in a thin, steady stream.
You should see the soup thicken up nicely as you do it.

Season it with salt and pepper.

For the ultimate in luxury, press it through a chinois or fine mesh strainer to get it velvety smooth (optional).
Here's a fun game: garnish the soup with those crispy mushrooms, some sliced scallions, and a drizzle of olive oil and serve it up to any non-vegan you know, and see if they make any comments other than how intensely mushroomy it is, how perfectly creamy it tastes, or just plain how darn delicious it tastes.
I will wear this soup as a hat and post it in a public forum if they do!

Pasta.

The Right Way to Sauce Pasta | Serious Eats
The right way to sauce pasta!
Here's how to properly sauce your pasta, step by step.

Step 1: heat your sauce separately
Step 2: cook your pasta al dente (really)
Remember: you do not want your pasta water as salty as the sea.
One to two percent salinity is what you should aim for, which translates to around 1 or 2 tablespoons of kosher salt per quart or liter.
You also don't need a huge amount of water—just enough to be able to keep the pasta moving.
With small shapes, like penne or fusilli, I use a saucepan or a saucier.
With long, skinny shapes, like spaghetti or bucatini, I use a 24 cm skillet.

Whatever you do, don't toss cooked pasta with oil—it makes it much more difficult to get sauce to cling to it down the line.

Step 3: transfer cooked pasta to sauce.
Step 4: add pasta water.
Once the pasta is in the sauce, add pasta water. This is the most vital step in the process.
Step 5: add fat!
If you have a very low-fat sauce (like a tomato sauce, for instance), now is the time to add extra fat. A small amount of fat—extra-virgin olive oil or butter—is essential to good pasta sauce texture.
Step 6: cook hard and fast.
Once everything is in the pan together—cooked pasta, hot sauce, pasta water, and extra fat—it's time to simmer it. Simmering not only reduces liquid (and thereby thickens the sauce), but also contributes to mechanical stirring, helping that starchy pasta water do its job of emulsifying the sauce with the fat and getting it to coat the pasta. The hotter your pan, the more vigorously the sauce will bubble, and the better the emulsion you'll form.
Step 7: stir in cheese and herbs off heat.
Once the pasta and sauce are where you want them, remove the pan from the heat and stir in any cheese or chopped herbs you may be using.
Step 8: adjust consistency
You thought you were done with that pasta water? Not quite yet! You're just about to serve the pasta, which means that now is your last chance to adjust texture.
Step 9: garnish as necessary.
Transfer the cooked, sauced pasta to a warmed serving bowl or individual plates, then add the final garnishes, if you're using any.
These can be anything from chopped fresh herbs to grated cheese to a big grind of black pepper.
Step 10: serve immediately.
Pasta don't wait around for nobody. Once the pasta is in the sauce, there's a countdown timer that's automatically started and cannot be paused.
Pasta will continue to cook and soften as it sits.
The sauce will start to cool down and thicken.

The only solution is to serve it immediately and to eat it with gusto.

If you've done everything right, that shouldn't be a problem!

Blood Oranges.

Ingredient Spotlight: Blood Oranges | Williams-Sonoma Taste
Next time you’re making a salad or dessert with oranges, reach for blood oranges instead.
Store them at room temperature for several days or refrigerated in a plastic bag for up to 3 weeks.
Prep tips: Before peeling a blood orange, squeeze it between your palms or roll it on a countertop, pressing down firmly. This will make the orange a little juicier and easier to peel. To juice it, cut the orange in half and use a juicer or reamer to extract the liquid. You may also remove the zest from an orange or segment it before using in a recipe.
Uses: Savor the unique flavor of blood oranges by eating them fresh, either segmented or sliced in salads and salad dressings or as a topping for a dessert.
They are also delicious in preserves, such as a compote or marmalade (see a recipe below).
Recipe:

How to Cook Pasta.

The Food Lab: A New Way to Cook Pasta? | Serious Eats
- If you're really keen on saving time and energy, you can do what I do: put half the water in the pot, and heat the other half in an electric kettle as the first half heats up.
Add the two together, and you've got boiled water in half the time.
Then all you have to do is dump the pasta, bring it back to a boil, stir, cover, and wait.
Now that's using your noodle!

How to Make Creamy Vegetable Soups.

The Food Lab: How to Make Creamy Vegetable Soups Without a Recipe | Serious Eats
A blueprint for making any creamy vegetable soup.
For instance: a smooth carrot soup flavored with ginger and harissa.

The magic lies in the way that aromatic ingredients can intensify and bring out other flavors, as well as the way in which liquids coat your mouth, giving more direct contact to your taste buds and olfactory sensors, and making for easier release of volatile compounds.

Step 1. Prepare Your Main Ingredient:
- the smaller you cut, the quicker your soup will cook down the line.
- roasting or browning: effective technique for sweet, dense vegetables like sweet potatoes and squashes, or brassicas like broccoli or cauliflower.
How: toss with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, roast at 190C.

Step 2. Choose Your Aromatics:
- alliums—onions, leeks, shallots, garlic.
Diced carrots, bell peppers, celery, thinly sliced fennel, or ginger can work well in certain situations.
- Nearly every soup I make starts with either onions or leeks, along with some garlic or shallot (and sometimes all four!) cooked down in olive oil or butter.

Step 3. Sweat Or Brown Your Aromatics.
- sweating is the process of slowly cooking chopped vegetables in a fat over moderate heat.
- browning starts out like sweating, but generally takes place over higher heat.


Step 4. Add Second-level Aromatics Like Spices And Pastes.
- these are things like ground spices (say, curry powder, ground cumin, or chili powder), and moist pastes (like tomato paste, harissa, or chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce).
The process only takes a few moments—just until the spices start smelling fragrant.
For this carrot soup I'm using spicy harissa paste, along with some cumin and coriander seed.

Step 5. Add Your Liquid.
- chicken stock
- vegetable stock
- vegetable juice
- dairy such as milk or buttermilk
After adding your liquid and main ingredient bring it to a simmer, and let it cook until the vegetables are just cooked through; you want them to be just tender enough to pierce with a knife with no resistance.


Step 6. Purée And Emulsify
- A blender
- An immersion blender
- a food processor should be your last choice.
Exception: potatoes.
Cook the potatoes in liquid, then drain and press them through a ricer, food mill.
Whisking the pressed potato back into the soup to thicken it.

Whatever method you choose to purée, I like to emulsify my soup with some fat during this stage—either butter or olive oil.

Step 7. Finish With Acid And Season.
- important to bring out the best flavor in a recipe is acid.
For most vegetable-based dishes, lemon juice or lime juice is a great option.
Good options would be a dash of cider vinegar, wine vinegar, or my favorite, sherry vinegar.


Step 8. Garnish And Serve.
- a scattering of fresh chopped herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.

Here are some other options:
Flavorful oils, like walnut, pistachio, squash seed, or argan.
- Chopped fresh herbs or tender alliums like parsley, tarragon, chives, or sliced scallions.
- Sautéed vegetables like mushrooms, leeks, or garlic.
- Nuts toasted in olive oil or butter, like almonds, hazelnuts, or pine nuts.
- Simple gremolata-style mixtures, like a blend of parsley, lemon zest, and grated garlic.
- Thinly sliced chilies.
- A drizzle of browned butter.
- Dairy products like sour cream, crème fraîche, or heavy cream; plain or flavored with spices or pastes. Using a hint of the same spice you used earlier in step 4 can be a good way to boost flavor.


Step 9. Rinse And Repeat.
Once you've got these eight basic steps down, you've got what it takes to start creating any number of creamy soups, combining any flavors you like.

Basic Chicken Stock.

Basic Chicken Stock | Serious Eats
The Ingredient List:
1.800 gram chicken parts, such as wings, bones, breasts, and legs
16 cups of water
2 large yellow onions, diced
4 large carrots, diced
4 large celery ribs, diced
8 crushed medium cloves garlic
2 large sprigs parsley (see note above)
2 packets unflavored gelatin dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water (optional)

OR 1/2 ratio:
900 gram chicken,
8 cups of water,
1 whole large onion,
2 large diced carrots,
2 ribs of celery,
at least 4 cloves garlic,
and a nice bunch of parsley.

Preparation Method:
1.Combine chicken, water, onions, celery, garlic, and parsley in a large stockpot and bring to a simmer over low heat. (The plain boiled diced aromatics tasted the best to me and my fellow tasters, producing a stock that was both clean and flavorful.)
Lower heat, maintaining a very gentle simmer, and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Strain stock through a fine-mesh strainer, let cool, then transfer to containers and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 6 hours.
Skim off and remove any fat and scum on the surface.
Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
If stock is thin even after being fully refrigerated, add optional gelatin solution to stock and bring to a boil until fully dissolved, then refrigerate or freeze.

Chicken, water = 1:2 ratio by weight.

How to Make The Best Chicken Stock | Serious Eats

Fresh Ricotta in Five Minutes.

Fresh Ricotta in Five Minutes or Less | Serious Eats
YIELD: approximately 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
The Ingredient List:
2 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar or lemon juice

Preparation Method:
1.Line colander with four layers of cheesecloth or 2 layers of food-safe paper towels and set over large bowl.
Combine milk, salt, and vinegar or lemon juice in microwave-safe glass 1-quart liquid measure.
Microwave on high heat until lightly bubbling around edges, 2 to 4 minutes (milk should register about 74 degrees Celsius on an instant-read thermometer).
Remove from microwave, and stir gently for 5 seconds.
Milk should separate into solid white curds and translucent liquid whey.
If not, microwave for 30 seconds longer.
Repeat until fully separated.

2.Using slotted spoon or wire skimmer, transfer curds to prepared colander, cover exposed top with plastic wrap, and allow to drain until desired texture is reached.
Store in covered container in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Red-Wine Braised Turkey Legs.

Red-Wine Braised Turkey Legs | Serious Eats

The Ingredient List:
2 whole turkey legs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil (canola, a low erucic acid rapeseed oil)
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, smashed
4 thyme sprigs, about 3 inches each
2 rosemary sprigs, about 5 inches each
2 cups dry red wine
1 litres homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon sliced chives
Preparation Method:
1.Preheat oven to 135 degrees Celsius (275°F).
Season turkey legs generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
Heat oil in a large straight-sided sauté pan over high heat until shimmering. Add turkey legs skin-side down.
Cook without moving until deep golden brown, about 8 minutes.
Flip legs and cook until second side is browned, about 5 minutes longer, reducing heat as necessary if oil smokes excessively.
Transfer turkey to a large plate.

2.Return skillet to heat and add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, and rosemary.
Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are well browned, about 8 minutes total.

3.Add wine, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
Add stock and bay leaves and bring to a boil.
Nestle turkey legs into pan, letting it rest on the vegetables so that only its skin is exposed.
Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered, until legs are fall-apart tender, sauce is reduced, and skin is deep mahogany, about 2 hours.
Carefully remove from oven and transfer turkey legs to a plate using a slotted spatula.

4.Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl or medium saucepan.
Discard solids.
Skim excess fat from surface and discard.
Set liquid aside.

5.Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in hot turkey cooking liquid until fully incorporated.
Bring to a boil to thicken, and season to taste with salt and pepper (you may not need any salt depending on how salty your broth was to begin with).

6.Carve turkey legs between the thigh and drumstick, removing thigh bone if desired.
Transfer to a serving platter.
Sprinkle with chives and serve with hot gravy.

Perfect Risotto.

Perfect Risotto | Serious Eats
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (about 400 gram) risotto-style rice (see note)
1 L low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup white wine (optional—can be replaced with extra broth)
2 tablespoons butter (plus more for finishing if desired)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, grated on a microplane grater (about 2 teaspoons)
2 small shallots, finely minced (about 2 tablespoons)
3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
3 ounces finely grated parmesan
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped herbs or other garnishes, as desired

Directions:
- Combine rice, chicken stock, and wine in a large bowl.
Agitate rice with fingers or a whisk to release starch.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer set in a 2-quart liquid cup measure or other large bowl.
Allow to drain five minutes, stirring rice occasionally.

- Heat butter and oil in a heavy 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until foaming subsides.
Add rice and cook, stirring and tossing frequently until all liquid is evaporated, fat is bubbling, and rice has begun to take on a golden blond color and nutty aroma, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and shallots and continue to cook, stirring frequently until aromatic, about 1 minute.
Give reserved broth a good stir and pour all but one cup over the rice.
Increase heat to high and heat until simmering.
Stir rice once, cover, and reduce heat to lowest possible setting.

- Cook rice for ten minutes undisturbed.
Stir once, shake pan gently to redistribute rice, cover, and continue cooking until liquid is mostly absorbed and rice is tender with just a faint bite, about 10 minutes longer.

- Remove lid and add final cup of liquid.
Increase heat to high and cook, stirring and shaking rice constantly until thick and creamy.
Off heat, fold in heavy cream and cheese.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in herbs as desired.
Serve immediately on hot plates.

Chimichurri.

Chimichurri: Debunking The Myths : Asado Argentina:
Chimichurri: Debunking The Myths.
Dry Chimichurri Mix & Rub : Asado Argentina:
Dry Chimichurri Master Mix - uncooked sauce used for grilled meat.

1 Tablespoon dried parsley
1 Tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes
1 Teaspoon dried oregano
1 Teaspoon dehydrated minced garlic
1 Teaspoon red chili flakes
1 Teaspoon basil
1 Teaspoon paprika or powdered sweet pimenton
1/2 Teaspoon ground or flaked laurel (bay leaf)
1 Teaspoon salt

Chimichurri Sauce : Asado Argentina:
Here is my personal favorite recipe for chimichurri sauce(main article). You can mix it all together but I prefer to go through a 3-step process while preparing the sauce.
Chimichurri Sauce.

1/2 Cup Olive Oil (For a more mellow flavor use a neutral flavored oil)
1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 Cup Water
1 small bunch flat leaf-parsley; chopped (should equal about 1/2 cup)
1 medium onion; finely chopped
4 cloves garlic; finely minced
1/2 of a red bell pepper; seeded and finely diced
1 tomato; peeled, seeded, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 Teaspoon bay leaf (laurel); very small flakes
1 Tablespoon coarse salt
1 Teaspoon ground black pepper
hot chili flakes to taste (Aji Molido if you can find it)

Make sure all of the fresh ingredients are well washed and clean before preparing.

Add all of the ingredients except the oil and vinegar into a large bowl and toss well to make sure that the salt is spread evenly around the ingredients.
Allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Next add the vinegar and water.
Mix well.
Allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Finally add the oil and mix well.
Make sure that the liquids cover the rest of the ingredients.
If not add equal parts of oil, water, and vinegar until they are covered at least by a quarter of an inch.
Transfer to a non-reactive clean bowl or jar that can be covered.
Make sure to cover well. Place in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to blend overnight.
For better results prepare at least 2 or 3 days ahead of time.
If refrigerated, allow sauce to sit at room temperature for at least an hour or until the oil, if congealed, thins out before serving.

The Argentine gourmet Miguel Brascó claims that the word chimichurri originated when the British were captured after the British invasions of the Río de la Plata. The prisoners asked for condiment for their food mixing English, aboriginal and Spanish words. According to this story, che-mi-curry stands for "che mi salsa" (a rough translation is hey give me condiment or give me curry). The word then corrupted to chimichurri.

More recipe Chimichurri - "give me the curry" - Argentinian parsley-based sauce (parsley, garlic, oil, and red pepper flakes):
Sauced: Chimichurri Sauce | Serious Eats : Recipes:
Makes 1 cup

Ingredients
1 cup packed fresh parsley, washed and dried
5 medium cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons oregano leaves
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Procedures
- Place parsley, garlic, and oregano in the workbowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

- Transfer to a medium bowl and whisk in oil, vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes.
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
'via Blog this'

Spicy Carrot and Ginger Soup With Harissa.

Spicy Carrot and Ginger Soup With Harissa | Serious Eats : Recipes:

Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 medium leek, white and pale green parts only, finely sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 (1.6 cm) knob of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 to 2 tablespoons harissa paste (Harissa is a North African pepper paste).
0.5 kg carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 cups low-sodium homemade or store bought vegetable or chicken broth (Use vegetable broth or carrot juice in place of chicken stock for a 100% vegan version)
Kosher salt
1/4 cup pine nuts (optional - for topping)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon

Procedures
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering.
Add leeks, onions, garlic, and ginger, and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
Add cumin, coriander, and harissa paste and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add carrots and stir to coat in spice mixture.
Add broth (see note above), season with a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are completely tender, about 20 minutes.

- Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
Add pine nuts, reduce heat to low, and cook, tossing and stirring constantly, until fragrant and nutty brown, about 10 minute.
Transfer to a bowl.
Let cool for a few moments, then stir in parsley, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt.

- When carrots are tender, transfer half of soup to a blender.
Start blender on lowest speed and slowly increase speed to high.
With blender running, slowly drizzle in remaining 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
Transfer soup to a clean pot, pressing it through a fine mesh strainer or chinois if desired.
Repeat with remaining soup and 2 more tablespoons olive oil.
When all the soup is puréed, season to taste with salt and whisk in lemon juice.

- Serve soup immediately, topped with pine nut and parsley mixture.

'via Blog this'

Grilled Marinated Steak.

Steakhouse-Style Grilled Marinated Flank Steak | Serious Eats : Recipes:
"1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
4 anchovy filets
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1 medium shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)

Combine Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, anchovies, garlic, mustard, tomato paste, and vegetable oil in a blender and blend until smooth, creamy, and emulsified.

Transfer 1/3 of marinade to a small container, add chives and shallots, stir to combine, and reserve.

Place flank steak inside a gallon-sized zipper-lock bag with remaining marinade.
Press out air, seal bag, and allow meat to marinate, turning occasionally, for at least 1 hour and up to 12."

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Pasta Sauce (tomatoes).

The Best Slow-Cooked Tomato Sauce Recipe | Serious Eats:

This rich and hearty red sauce tastes like it's been cooked for hours, because it has.
The secret to its deep, naturally sweet, complex flavors is to cook the sauce in the oven (150C), allowing the surface to brown while the sauce slowly concentrates.
Cover Dutch oven with lid slightly ajar and transfer to oven.
Cook, stirring once every 1 to 2 hours, until reduced by about half and darkened to a deep red, 5 to 6 hours (reduce oven temperature if the sauce is bubbling too rapidly or the browned bits begin to turn too dark).
The resultant sauce is great on pasta, with meatballs, on your chicken parm, or scooped right out of the pan with a spoon on its own.

But you can make Quick Italian Red Sauce!
Giorgio’s Sicilian Pasta Sauce.
Ingredients:
75g blanched almonds
500g plum tomatoes
1 garlic clove
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
40g fresh mint, chopped
50ml olive oil

1 Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
Lay the almonds in a single layer on a baking tray and put them into the oven for about eight minutes.
As long as they are in a single layer you don’t need to turn them.
Keep a close eye to make sure they don’t burn, and when they are golden, take them out and chop into small chunks.
2 Put the tomatoes into a pan of boiling water for ten seconds, then drain under cold water – you should now be able to peel them easily.
Cut each one in half, scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon and dice the flesh.
3 Using a pestle and mortar, grind the toasted almonds with the garlic until smooth.
Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and mint and pound the mixture until it resembles a paste.
Finally, stir in the olive oil a splash at a time.
To serve, stir the sauce into some cooked pasta and garnish with basil, anchovy fillets and (if you want) Parmesan.

Read more:Recipe: how to cook Giorgio Locatelli’s Sicilian Pasta Sauce | The Sun |TV Magazine