Tag: Spring

Charred Cabbage with Garlic and Chili Crisp

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I don’t know if it’s ye olde age or what, but I’m really into cabbage lately. And chili crisp is an absolutely goated condiment; no such thing as too much. This side dish, adapted from Food & Wine, brings a ton of flavor to an otherwise mild-mannered vegetable. Don’t be put off by the amount of garlic: it mellows out and tastes spectacularly savory-sweet.

Ingredients:
  • 15 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1/3 cup avocado oil
  • 2 tablespoons coconut or granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce 
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 (2 1/4-pound) head green cabbage, cut through core into 8 wedges
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk 
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chili crisp
  1. Cook garlic and oil in a small saucepan over low, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden and semi-softened, about 12 minutes. Drain garlic-infused oil into a small bowl. Transfer garlic cloves to another small bowl. Mash cloves using a fork; stir in sugar, fish sauce, and pepper. Set aside garlic chutney and reserved oil.
  2. Set a steamer rack inside a large pot filled with 1 inch of water; bring to a boil over high. Place cabbage on steamer rack; cover with lid, and cook until bright green and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove cabbage; pat dry.
  3. Preheat a large cast-iron skillet over high. Whisk together coconut milk and 1/4 cup reserved garlic oil in a small bowl. Brush cut sides of each cabbage wedge with 1 tablespoon coconut milk mixture; sprinkle wedges evenly with salt. Working in 2 batches, cook cabbage wedges in skillet until charred, 2 minutes per side.
  4. To serve, spread 1 1/2 teaspoons reserved garlic chutney over charred sides of each cabbage wedge; drizzle each wedge with 2 teaspoons chili crisp.

Chicken with Basil and Fish Sauce

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I finally got J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s tome The Wok a few months ago and honestly? It’s one of the best cookbooks I’ve ever cooked from. All hits, no misses. The first dish I cooked out of the book was this Thai-style chicken stir-fry, with an Iranian twist. Lopez-Alt calls for Thai basil this recipe, but I was gifted a bumper crop of Persian basil and used that instead. Both basils posses a strong anise and licorice-like flavor so the substitution worked perfectly. Serve this with jasmine (or basmati!) rice and think of it as a delicious Thai-ish Iranian-ish mashup.

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/8-inch slices
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

For the sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • Hot red pepper flakes to taste

For the stir-fry:

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, 2 smashed, 2 minced
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1 shallot, sliced
  • 2 cups loosely packed Persian or Thai basil leaves
  1. Prepare the chicken: Place chicken in a medium bowl, cover with cold water, and vigorously agitate it. Drain through a strainer set in the sink and press on the chicken with your hands to remove excess water. Return the chicken to the bowl and add the fish sauce, pepper, sugar, baking soda, and cornstarch. Stir vigorously with your fingers for 30 seconds. Set aside while you prepare the remaining stir-fry ingredients (at least 15 minutes).
  2. Prepare the sauce: Combine the fish sauce, sugar, pepper, and chile flakes.
  3. Make the stir-fry: Heat 1 tablespoon oil and the smashed garlic cloves in a wok over high heat until the garlic is sizzling at starts to brown. Add the chicken, spread it into a single layer, and cook without moving until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Continue cooking, tossing, and stirring frequently, until the exterior is just cooked, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
  4. Wipe out the wok and add the remaining tablespoon of oil and heat over high heat until shimmering. Add the minced garlic, ginger, and shallots and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  5. Return the chicken to the wok and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through and the shallots are softened, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  6. Add the sauce and toss to coat. Add the basil and toss until they’re wilted. Transfer to a plate and serve with rice.

Turkey Bacon and Asparagus Fried Rice

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I know what you’re thinking, but listen, I’m not here for any turkey bacon slander. It’s salty, crispy, and savory: what’s not to love? Stir-fried with asparagus, they make an unlikely but deeply delicious pairing in this quick and easy fried rice. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 pound chopped turkey bacon
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 1/2 cups asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 4 cups cold leftover steamed rice
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onions
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  1. In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and cook the turkey bacon over medium-high heat, flipping the turkey bacon every few minutes to evenly brown. After a few minutes, once the turkey bacon is cooked through and crispy, remove from the skillet but do not wipe the skillet clean.
  2. Sweat the ginger, garlic, and onion in the skillet until they become translucent and aromatic, about 1 minute.
  3. Crack the eggs into a medium bowl, and stir them to break the yolks. Pour the eggs into the skilled and quickly stir to cook. While the eggs are still a little runny, push them to the side of the skillet. Add the remaining avocado oil to the center of the skillet and add the asparagus, stir-frying it in the oil for about 1 minute, then push it next to the eggs.
  4. Turn the heat to high and add the rice to the skillet, breaking up clumps with a wooden spoon. Once the rice becomes loose, mix and fold the eggs and asparagus into the rice. Drizzle the soy sauce into the skillet, and continue to stir-fry. Add the reserved turkey bacon and green onions and season with black pepper and serve.

Blood Orange Aperol Spritz

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I know we reached peak Aperol spritz saturation sometime around mid-2024, but this blood orange Aperol spritz is the perfect cocktail to carry you through the springtime. It’s sunny, it’s citrusy, it’s herbaceous. Warmer weather is almost here, I can feel it.

This recipe makes enough for 8 servings, so adjust accordingly.

Ingredients:

  • 1 bottle Prosecco or other sparkling wine
  • 2 cups Aperol
  • 1 cup club soda
  • Juice of 2 blood oranges
  • About 20 basil leaves
  • 8 slices blood orange, to garnish
  1. Pour in the Prosecco, Aperol, club soda, and blood orange juice into a pitcher. Add the basil leaves and stir gently to combine. Pour into ice-filled glasses and garnish each with a blood orange slice.

Chicken and Mushroom Wontons in Chili Oil

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Steamed, boiled, or fried, I’m a sucker for any and all dumplings. I keep a few different kinds in my homemade rotation, and these boiled wontons are my new favorites, thanks to a generous drizzle of chili crisp, soy sauce, and vinegar at the end.

These make enough for large crowd, but don’t be surprised if you end up wanting to eat them all yourself.

Ingredients:
  • 1 package wonton wrappers
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken or turkey
  • 2 cups garlic chives, chopped
  • 10 shiitake mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 1/2-inch piece ginger, minced
  • 1 tablespoon dried shiitake mushroom powder, made from 1 or 2 dried shiitake mushrooms ground in a spice grinder
  • 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • Chili crisp, soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, chopped green onions, chopped cilantro, and sesame seeds, for serving
  1. In a large bowl, mix together chicken, garlic chives, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, dried mushroom powder, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, sugar, and pepper. Set aside.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  3. Place a small spoonful of filling (about 1 teaspoon) in the center of one of the wonton wrappers. Fold the bottom part up so that the dumpling forms a half circle and press all the way around to seal. Flip the dumpling over, grasp the two corners, and connect them by pinching one on top of the other. Repeat with remaining wontons and filling.
  4. Working in batches to prevent overcrowding, drop the wontons in the boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the dumpling floats to the top and is cooked through. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle boil.
  5. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the wontons straight from the cooking water to into a serving platter.
  6. Serve immediately with a few generous spoonfuls of chili crisp, soy sauce, black vinegar, green onions, cilantro, and sesame seeds to taste.