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Creamy Polenta with Chimichurri and Tomatoes

Farideh Sadeghin — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:39:33 +0000

Photo: Heami Lee • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen. Photo: Heami Lee • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

While polenta is often associated with wintery comfort foods, SAVEUR contributing editor Farideh Sadeghin decided to make a quick summery version. Homemade chimichurri and a simple tomato-onion salad offset the richness of the creamy dish. Throw an egg or some scallops or skirt steak on top or serve the polenta as is—either way, it’s bound to be one of the best things you’ll eat all summer.

Yield: 4

Time: 30 minutes

2 cups milk
1 cup polenta (about 6 oz.)
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. crème fraîche
Kosher salt
1 cup packed parsley leaves
¾ cup packed cilantro leaves
¼ cup packed fresh oregano leaves
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove
1 jalapeño, stemmed, halved, and seeded
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. olive oil
12 oz. cherry tomatoes, quartered
½ red onion, thinly sliced

Instructions

Make the polenta: To a medium pot, add the milk and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low, add the polenta, and cook, stirring frequently, until thick and creamy, 8–10 minutes. Add the butter and crème fraîche and season to taste with salt. Set aside and keep warm.
Make the chimichurri: To a food processor, add the parsley, cilantro, oregano, vinegar, garlic, and jalapeño. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. With the machine running, drizzle in ½ cup of the oil until the mixture becomes a creamy yet slightly coarse sauce. Transfer the chimichurri to a medium bowl and set aside.
In a separate medium bowl, toss together the tomatoes, red onion, and remaining oil. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Divide the polenta among four shallow bowls or plates, top with tomato salad, drizzle with chimichurri, and serve.

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Stretch’s Chicken Savoy

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:53:38 +0000

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

Walk into the Belmont Tavern in Bellville, New Jersey and the intoxicating smell of chicken savoy—a skillet-roasted bird laced with garlic, herbs, and red wine vinegar—hits you immediately. We attempted to get the recipe from several staffers but gave up after chef-owner Annette Wroblewski said, “If I tell you, then we’d have to kill you on your way out the door.” We’re proud that our version comes extremely close to the original.

Yield: 3–4

Time: 45 minutes

One 3–4-lb. chicken, cut into 8 pieces
⅓ cup finely grated pecorino
¼ cup olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
4 garlic cloves
1 cup red wine vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 500ºF. Season the chicken generously with salt and set aside.
In a small food processor or mortar and pestle, blend the pecorino, 3 tablespoons of the oil, the oregano, thyme, and garlic to a paste.
To a large skillet set over medium-high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the chicken skin-side down and cook until browned on one side, 6–8 minutes. Turn the chicken, then use a spoon to smear the skin with the paste. Bake until browned and cooked through, 20–25 minutes.
To the hot pan, add the vinegar and spoon it over the chicken until reduced slightly, about 1 minute. Serve the chicken from the skillet or transfer to a platter.

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Julia Child’s Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Julia Child — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:52:22 +0000

Thirty cloves of garlic go into this creamy side dish, adapted from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Volume 1 (Alfred A. Knopf, 1961). The cloves are first blanched whole, which enhances their sweetness, then used to make a rich béchamel sauce that's stirred into mashed potatoes with cream and parsley. Get the recipe for Julia Child's Garlic Mashed Potatoes ». Romulo Yanes

Thirty cloves of garlic go into this creamy side dish, adapted from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but fear not: they’re blanched until soft and sweet before being stirred into the spuds (along with plenty of cream and parsley).

Featured in “The Glories of Garlic,” by Karen Shimizu.

Yield: Serves 6

30 unpeeled garlic cloves
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
2 ¹⁄₂ lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-in. pieces
Kosher salt and ground white pepper, to taste
¹⁄₄ cup heavy cream
¹⁄₄ cup finely chopped parsley leaves

Instructions

Bring a small pot of water to a boil, then add the garlic and boil for 2 minutes; drain and peel. Return the pot to the stove, turn the heat to medium, and add 4 tablespoons of the butter and the garlic and cook until soft, 15–20 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, then add the milk and cook until thick and bubbling, 3–4 minutes more. Using an immersion or regular blender, purée. To a large pot, add the potatoes and enough generously salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to maintain a strong simmer and cook until tender, about 15 minutesl. Drain, then pass through a potato ricer back into the pot (alternatively, use a potato masher to finely mash). Turn the heat to medium-low and gently stir in the remaining butter, reserved sauce, the cream, parsley, salt, and white pepper and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes more.

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Cilantro Mint Chutney

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:50:23 +0000

Photography by David Malosh; Food Styling by Pearl Jones; Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio

This bright and cooling herbal chutney is used as a refreshing accompaniment to rich fried snacks in India, Pakistan, and elsewhere in South Asia. If you prefer a bit more heat, feel free to double up on the chile; for a milder flavor, omit it entirely. The proportions in this mint chutney recipe work best with a looser, non-strained yogurt. If you are using the strained Greek-style, you may thin the sauce with a bit more water.

This recipe ran alongside Margo True’s 2005 article, “Super Snack.”

Yield: Makes 1 1⁄2 cups

Time: 10 minutes

3½ cup tightly packed cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 cup tightly packed mint leaves, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 small hot green Indian chile, stemmed
¾ cup plain full-fat yogurt
Kosher salt

Instructions

To a blender, add the cilantro, mint, lemon juice, chile, and 3 tablespoons of cool water. Puree until smooth, then transfer the chutney to a medium bowl. Stir in yogurt and season to taste with salt. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cilantro mint chutney keeps well in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

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Sumac Roast Chicken with Lemon and Garlic

Suzanne Zeidy — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:46:19 +0000

Photography by Helen Cathcart

Cookbook author Suzanne Zeidy cooks this juicy chicken—rubbed all over in bracing, floral sumac—in a rotisserie, although an oven yields equally delicious results. Allow at least 24 hours for brining the chicken.

Featured in: “Lunch at the Desert’s Edge.”

Yield: serves 4

Time: 2 hours

½ cup kosher salt, plus more
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. black peppercorns
10 rosemary sprigs, divided
10 thyme sprigs, divided
2 medium heads of garlic, papery skins discarded, plus 5 cloves (4 smashed, 1 finely chopped)
4 medium lemons, thinly sliced, divided
1 whole chicken (about 3½ lb.)
2 Tbsp. ground sumac
1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup olive oil, divided

Instructions

Marinate the chicken: In a small pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt, sugar, peppercorns, 5 of the rosemary sprigs, 5 of the thyme sprigs, the smashed garlic, and the slices from 3 of the lemons. Pour into a large bowl, add 8 cups of cold water, then submerge the chicken in the brine, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 12–36 hours.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. On a sheet of foil, place one of the heads of garlic, then drizzle with 1½ teaspoons of the olive oil and wrap to enclose; repeat with the remaining head of garlic and transfer to a roasting pan or large rimmed baking sheet.
In a small bowl, stir together the sumac and lemon zest. Drain the chicken, discard the brine, and use paper towels to pat the chicken dry inside and out. Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the flesh and rub the sumac mixture under the skin beneath the breasts, thighs, and drumsticks. Transfer breast-side up to the roasting pan with the garlic bundles.
In a bowl, stir together the chopped garlic and remaining rosemary, thyme, lemon slices, and olive oil. Stuff the cavity with the rosemary, thyme, and lemon, then rub the outside of the chicken all over with the oil mixture and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Bake until golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 160°F, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board (do not discard the pan juices) and let stand for 10 minutes.
To serve, carve the chicken and transfer the meat to a platter, then tent with foil. Unwrap the garlic, cut the heads in half crosswise, and squeeze the cloves into the roasting pan. Whisk the garlic into the pan juices, then pour the sauce into a bowl and serve alongside the chicken.

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Basil Martini

Carey Jones and John McCarthy — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 18:15:00 +0000

Photography by Matt Taylor-Gross

Herbal flavors are a natural pairing with gin, so cocktail book authors Carey Jones and John McCarthy use aromatic basil in this martini riff with good gin, dry vermouth, and the aperitif Cocchi Americano. Read about everything you need to know about martinis: where to seek them out, and how to make perfect ones at home.

Featured in: “Why Your Cocktail’s Herb Garnish Needs a Good Whack.”

Yield: makes 1 Cocktail

Time: 5 minutes

2 oz. London dry gin, preferably Plymouth
½ oz. Cocchi Americano
½ oz. dry vermouth, preferably Dolin
1 dash orange bitters
1 basil leaf

Instructions

Freeze a coupe glass until frosty, at least 30 minutes. To a mixing glass or large glass filled with ice, add the gin, Cocchi, vermouth, and bitters. Using a swizzle stick or spoon, stir for 15 seconds, then strain into the chilled coupe. In your palm, slap the basil leaf to release its essential oils, then float it atop the martini.

The Best Martini Glasses Are as Unique as the Way You Take Your Drink

Courtesy of Food52

Bar folks have a lot of feelings about martinis. Find the best glasses for them from handblown to retro dive bar styles.

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Saffron Fried Fish with Herbed Tahdig Rice

Shahpar Khaledi — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 21:58:06 +0000

Photography by Paola + Murray; Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich; Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio

This Nowruz staple comes to us courtesy of Darioush Wines co-founder Shahpar Khaledi, who likes to pair the traditional, saffron-scented Persian fish and crispy herbed tahdig with her family’s Napa Valley chardonnay, merlot, or their earthy and light-bodied Russian River Valley pinot noir.

Featured in “Ringing in Nowruz Napa Valley-Style.”

Yield: serves 6

Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the tahdig

Pinch of saffron
3 cups basmati rice, rinsed
1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup finely chopped fresh dill
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 cup finely chopped scallions
5 medium garlic cloves, minced
¹⁄₂ cup canola oil, divided
1 tbsp. butter, unsalted
2 large pitas, sliced crosswise into strips
Kosher salt

For the fish

2 lb. cod fillet, cut in 6 oz. portions
1 cup all-purpose flour
¹⁄₄ cup canola oil
1 medium bitter orange, sliced into wedges
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Make the saffron water: To a small pot set over high heat, add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and add the saffron and allow to steep until a deep amber color, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Make the rice: Fill a large nonstick pot two thirds of the way full with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Season the water generously with salt, then stir in the rice and cook, stirring occasionally until al dente, 10–12 minutes. Set a fine mesh strainer in the sink and strain the rice. In a large bowl, combine the chopped cilantro, dill parsley, cilantro, scallions and garlic. Add the reserved rice and mix well. In the original pot, mix together ¼ cup of the canola oil, butter, and 1 tablespoon of the saffron water. Add the pita bread, completely covering the bottom of the pot. Gently spoon the rice over the bread, pour the remainder of the saffron water all over the top, cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.
Pour ¼ cup of cool water and the remaining canola oil over the rice and continue to cook with the cover on for another 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the fish. To a medium bowl, add the flour and season lightly with salt and black pepper. Set aside
Season the cod pieces all over with salt and black pepper, and then dust in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. Delicately brush the portions with the saffron water on both sides.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels and place it by the stove.
To a medium nonstick skillet set over medium-high, add the canola oil. When the oil is hot and shimmering, fry the fish in batches, cooking until crispy and golden brown all over, 3–4 minutes on each side. Transfer the fish to the baking sheet. Keep warm while you unmold the rice.
Remove the rice from the heat. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water and submerge the bottom of the pot in the water to loosen the contents on the inside, about 10 minutes.
Flip the pot onto a platter and serve warm, with the crispy bread and rice from the bottom of the pot on top alongside the saffron fried fish and orange wedges.

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Panko- and Herb-Crusted Cod Fillets

Barton Seaver — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:25:44 +0000

Photo: Linda Pugliese • Food Stylist: Mariana Velasquez • Prop Stylist: Elvis Maynard. Photo: Linda Pugliese • Food Stylist: Mariana Velasquez • Prop Stylist: Elvis Maynard

Although you’ll often see cod fillets fried, cooking them under a broiler allows you to add layers of toppings. This large-format recipe from sustainable-seafood expert Barton Seaver uses the full captain’s cut (the meaty top two-thirds of the fillet located near the head), which is relatively even in thickness, making it ideal for roasting and broiling. Serve with citrus wedges to bring out and brighten the fish’s delicate taste. Check out all of our fish recipes here.

What You Will Need

Yield: serves 4-6

Time: 20 minutes

7 tbsp. (3½ oz.) melted unsalted butter, divided
Two 1-lb. skinless cod fillets, preferably the “captain’s cut”
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. kosher salt
½ cups panko breadcrumbs
3 tbsp. Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
Leaves from 6 thyme sprigs, finely chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 orange (2½ tsp.), plus orange wedges for serving
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (1½ tsp.), plus lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

Preheat a broiler to its medium setting and line a baking sheet with foil. Grease the foil lightly with 1 tablespoon melted butter.
Season the fish all over with 1 tablespoon salt, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Set aside for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, orange and lemon zests, the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and the remaining 6 tablespoons melted butter.
Sprinkle the breadcrumb topping evenly over the fillets, then broil until the topping is browned and the fish flakes when the center is poked with a fork, 4–8 minutes. Remove and serve immediately with the citrus wedges on the side for squeezing.

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This Secret to Fresh, More Flavorful Cooking is Hiding in Your Freezer

SAVEUR Editors — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 16:41:00 +0000

Photography by SAVEUR Editors

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Nothing halts a cooking spree to a crawl like the realization that you need to peel and mince four cloves of garlic. The skins that adhere to your fingertips, the way even a single clove’s sugar residue turns your cutting board into a surface as sticky as a movie theater floor.

Prep work for a feast shouldn’t mean sweating the small stuff. Instead, let your freezer do the heavy lifting. By stocking up on individual portions of minced garlic, grated ginger, or chopped fresh herbs, you can make sure you always have the flavors you love on hand. When done right, freezing ingredients can actually make them more flavorful during cooking; ice crystals puncture plant cell walls as they form, and upon thawing, release even more of the volatile flavor compounds than you’d get with just mincing alone.

The fresh frozen garlic and herbs from Dorot Gardens are flash-frozen right on the farm within 90 minutes of harvest, which means you can keep delicate seasonings like dill or parsley for weeks or months, locked in their most vivid moment of flavor. Each individually portioned cube equates to a teaspoon of minced fresh garlic or herbs. It’s rare for convenience and flavor to go hand in hand in the kitchen, so when it happens, it’s good to take advantage. Here are a few ways to make the most of your own freezer’s bounty.

Skip the Onion Soup Mix

Nothing tastes quite like nostalgia, which for many of us means brisket, meatloaf, or pot roast soused in a gravy made primarily from packaged dried onion soup mix. Nothing wrong with that, but in a big, meaty braise, it’s nice when seasonings like onion and garlic complement a piece of meat rather than completely overwhelming it. Dorot Gardens’ fresh frozen garlic and frozen sauteed onions are a perfect match for red meat. Saute a few cubes in olive oil until they’re fragrant, then stir in a tablespoon of tomato paste and cook that for another minute, then whisk in chicken or beef broth for a braising liquid and gravy base that will turn your brisket or meatloaf into the star of a meal. You can even add some green to the plate by stirring a cube of Dorot Gardens’ frozen parsley straight into the pan while the meat is resting.

Power Up A Pilaf

In homes across South Asia, many dishes begin with paste of fresh ginger and garlic that’s then enhanced with spices. This powerful paste adds savory depth to rice dishes, curries, and lentils of all kinds, and if you have Dorot Gardens’ frozen ginger and garlic on hand, you’re ready to follow suit. Heat a few tablespoons of oil or ghee in a large pan and add cubes of ginger and garlic over medium heat, along with a cinnamon stick and a bay leaf. When the pan smells irresistibly fragrant, add a cup of rinsed long-grain rice like basmati, and stir so every single grain becomes coated in the flavorful oil. Toast the rice like this until the grains develop a nutty aroma, then add your cooking liquid for a full-flavored pilaf that doesn’t even require a knife or cutting board. While this method works best for dishes that start with sauteing in oil, you can even keep it in mind for slow-cooker classics like cholent. Grains are sponges for flavor, and nothing works quite like ginger-garlic paste.

A Snappier Salad Dressing

Bottled salad dressings can’t hold a candle to ones you make yourself with fresh ingredients. This one comes together quickly and keeps for weeks: In a clean screw-top jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a couple grinds of black pepper with one cube each of Dorot Gardens’ frozen turmeric and frozen chopped cilantro or parsley. Let everything commingle for a few minutes while the cubes defrost, then carefully screw on the lid and shake like a bartender for 30 seconds. (This is a great opportunity to get kids excited about a meal while pawning some manual labor onto them.) After shaking, you’ll have a versatile and emulsified salad dressing for any greens, now enhanced with turmeric’s earthy flavor and flecks of green herbs. What’s more, the black pepper in the dressing will enhance the bioavailability of the anti-inflammatory curcumin in turmeric, making this a salad that works harder for you than you worked for it.

The post This Secret to Fresh, More Flavorful Cooking is Hiding in Your Freezer appeared first on Saveur.

Watermelon, Feta, and Jalapeño Salad

Chris Shepherd — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 14:56:00 +0000

Belle Morizio. Belle Morizio

Watermelon and feta salad is a refreshing summer staple. Here, chef Chris Shepherd of Underbelly in Houston takes the classic combination for a Southeast Asian-inspired spin by adding umami-rich fish sauce, fiery chiles, and fragrant Thai basil.

Featured in: “A Houston Cookout with a Far East Reach“ by Yaran Noti.

Yield: 6

Time: 10 minutes

2 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. fresh lime juice
2 tsp. honey
3 shallots (1 coarsely chopped, 2 thinly sliced)
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1 red bird's eye chile, stemmed
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
12 oz. watermelon flesh, cut into 2½-by-1½-in. rectangles
¼ cup crumbled feta
2 tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 jalapeño, stemmed and thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup torn Thai basil leaves
¼ cup mint leaves
3 scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions

In a blender, combine the fish sauce, lime juice, honey, the chopped shallot, garlic, and bird’s eye chile, and process until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil until completely emulsified.
To a large bowl, add the watermelon, feta, tomatoes, and jalapeño. Add the dressing, season to taste with salt and black pepper, and toss to combine. Transfer to a platter, top with the sliced shallots, basil, mint, and scallions, and serve at room temperature.

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Grilled Vegetable and Barley Salad

Suzanne Zeidy — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 23:35:00 +0000

Grilled Vegetable and Barley Salad. Photography by Helen Cathcart

In Egypt, barley is typically eaten in a pudding for breakfast or dessert, but in this recipe from Suzanne Zeidy, it’s turned into a hearty salad with grilled vegetables, feta, and pistachios. Grain bowls like this one are a great way to clear out your fridge. Add just about any leftover cooked veggies, and dress with a light vinaigrette for a quick and easy desk lunch. For more ways to add smoky, flame-kissed flavor to salads and sides, check out all of our grilled summer salad recipes.

Featured in: “Lunch at the Desert’s Edge.”

Yield: serves 8

Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

2 ¹⁄₄ cups pearl barley
2 large zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 medium eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and halved
¹⁄₂ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¹⁄₄ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. ground cumin
¹⁄₂ tsp. ground coriander
1 clove garlic clove, finely chopped
2 oz. feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup loosely packed arugula
1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1 cup cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
¹⁄₄ cup pistachios
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 long red chile, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

Instructions

In a large bowl, soak the barley in water for 1 hour and then drain. Meanwhile, light a grill. Brush the zucchini, eggplant, and peppers with 1⁄4 cup of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables, turning occasionally, until tender and charred, 10 minutes. Transfer to a board and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces.
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and add the barley. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until the grains are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain the barley and set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, whisk the remaining olive oil with the lemon juice, cumin, coriander, and garlic, and then stir in the reserved barley; season with salt and pepper, and transfer to a platter. Arrange the grilled vegetables, the feta, arugula, cilantro, parsley, pistachios, scallions, and chile over the barley, and serve at room temperature.

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