I make a peach-bourbon shrub that’s one of my favorite cocktails: it’s tart and sweet and summery in the best way. The thing about shrubs is that they’re endlessly riffable, so why not replace the bourbon with tequila and the peaches with pineapple? It turns out they’re a winning combination too. Make this drink in the late spring and summer, when pineapples are in season.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 pounds pineapple, peeled, cored, and chopped into medium pieces
3 tablespoons white vinegar
6 ounces blanco tequila
2 ounces lemon juice, preferably Meyer
Bring sugar and 3/4 cup water to a boil in a saucepan and add pineapple pieces to pan. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit 30 minutes. Strain syrup into a bowl (reserve a few pieces of the pineapple for using as a garnish); stir in vinegar. Cover and chill shrub.
Set out 4 ice-filled cocktail glasses. For each cocktail, shake 2 ounces shrub, 1 1/2 ounces tequila, and half an ounce of lemon juice in an ice-filled cocktail shaker until frosty. Strain into glasses and top with reserved pineapple.
This recipe is by no means authentic, and I’ve turned it into a sort of easy red curry-meets-larb situation but the results are delicious and healthy. All you need is 20 minutes and a skillet and you’re set.
Ingredients:
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
2 cups cooked jasmine rice
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons avocado oil
1 pound ground chicken
1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
1 cup salted dry-roasted peanuts
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup mint leaves
Lettuce leaves and lime wedges, for serving
Place red onion and ginger in a medium bowl of ice water and let soak while you prepare the chicken and rice.
Using your hands, toss rice and half of curry paste in a medium bowl to roughly coat. Set aside.
Stir lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add chicken and spread into a thin, even layer; season with salt. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown underneath, about 5 minutes. Add remaining curry paste and cook, stirring and breaking up into bite-size pieces, until chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with dressing.
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in the same skillet. Add reserved rice mixture and cook, undisturbed, until slightly golden underneath, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add to bowl with dressing and chicken.
Drain red onion and ginger; add to bowl with chicken and rice, along with chile, peanuts, cilantro, and mint. Mix to combine.
Transfer rice mixture to a platter. Serve with lettuce for wrapping and lime wedges for squeezing over.
This soup is perfect for the springtime as the weather (finally) warms up. It’s lighter than clam chowder and the addition of corn is like a harbinger of sunnier days. Serve this with some toasted sourdough and a salad and you’ve got a perfect casual seafood meal.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 8-ounce salmon fillet
3 slices turkey bacon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
3/4 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup half-and-half, warmed
2 cups fresh corn kernels (from 2 ears)
4 cups chicken stock
3 Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
Black pepper
Chopped green onions, for serving
Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 2 teaspoons of the olive oil around the pan, add the salmon, skin side down, and cook until the skin is golden brown and releases easily from the pan, about 4 minutes. Flip the salmon over and continue cooking for another 4 minutes. Transfer the salmon to a plate to cool.
Meanwhile, heat a medium Dutch oven over medium heat, then drizzle in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and add the turkey bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, thyme, and garlic. Cook until the vegetables are soft, another 3 to 5 minutes. Add the flour, salt, Old Bay, paprika, and basil. Cook for another minute or two, then slowly add the half-and-half, stirring the vegetables well as you add it so that there’s no clumping. After the mixture thickens and bubble again, add the chicken stock, corn, and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender throughout, about 20 minutes.
Remove the skin from the salmon, break it into bite-size chunks, add it to the pot, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with green onions. (You can let the soup cool and store it in the refrigerator up to 3 days before reheating to serve.)
What’s more comforting than noodle soup? Nothing. A fragrant coconutty broth and sprinkling of bright toppings have made this my favorite laksa since the one I had in Singapore.
You can make the laksa paste, fry the crispy shallots, and cook the chicken ahead of time so that the final soup assembly is a breeze. Finally, good laksa at home.
Make the laksa paste: combine shallots, lemongrass, oil, ginger, red chiles, garlic, and 1/2 cup stock in a blender; process until mixture forms a thick, smooth paste, about 30 seconds. Add peanuts, anchovies, turmeric, coriander, sugar, and remaining 1/2 cup stock to blender; process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Make the soup: heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. Add laksa paste, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes. Whisk in stock and coconut milk; bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in fish sauce, and add more to taste, if desired.
While stock mixture simmers, cook rice noodles according to package directions. Divide rice noodles evenly among 4 bowls. Arrange sliced chicken evenly on noodles. Ladle hot stock mixture evenly into bowls. Top evenly with bean sprouts, green onions, mint, cilantro, fried shallots, and lime wedges.
Okay, I know the words “beet tartare” don’t exactly make your mouth water. But hear me out. This dip/side dish/whatever-you-want-it-to-be is a cacophony of textures and flavor. Try this if you’re sick of the same old winter roasted vegetables. It’s so good I eat it by the spoonful.
1 heaping tablespoon finely chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
Place a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 400F degrees. Wrap beets in a few layers of foil, place on rimmed baking sheet, and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool. Using paper towels, rub skins to remove and cut beets into 1/4-inch pieces.
Heat garlic, capers, and oil in a small skillet over medium, adjusting heat as needed to keep oil at a simmer, until garlic is golden and capers have burst, about 8-12 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a small heatproof bowl. Turn garlic and capers out onto paper towels; set oil aside.
Mix beets, shallot, cherry peppers, mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, and 2 teaspoons reserved oil in a medium bowl to combine. Cover and let sit 45 minutes to marinate.
Just before serving, stir chopped parsley and half of fried garlic and capers into beet mixture. Scoop beet mixture onto a platter or bowl and top with remaining fried garlic and capers, and additional parsley.
