CutandBaste.com

For marinade:

• 2-3 shallots, chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons red Thai curry paste
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-2 tablespoons ginger, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Soy sauce, teriyaki, etc
• White wine
• Chicken stock

• 1-lb decent quality steak, sirloin or other
• 10 (or more) hot peppers (red chili, serrano, jalapeno, etc)
• 2 large cloves garlic, sliced crosswise very thin
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 5 tbsp fish sauce
• 5 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice (1 medium size lime)
• 1 head Bibb or Boston; or 1 heart of Romaine lettuce.
• 12 sprigs fresh mint (optional), remove the leaves and discard the stems
• 1/2 hot house cucumber or 1 small cucumber (seeds removed), peeled and sliced thin
• 2 to 3 shallots, sliced crosswise very thin or 1 small red onion, sliced very thin
• 3-4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 chopped mango

Preparation

Saute shallot until translucent. Add curry paste, garlic, and ginger. Saute for a minute or two and add liquids. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add to steak in shallow dish and refrigerate.

Grill or broil the steak until medium-rare. Trim off any fat. Cool and slice thin, into pieces approx. 2 inches across and 1/8 inch thick.

Mix garlic, chilies, fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar in a small bowl. Add the sliced meat and toss with the cucumbers and shallots. Taste and add more fish sauce if desired.

Make a bed of the lettuce on a serving plate. Place the beef on top. Garnish with cilantro. Serves 2 to 3 as an appetizer or as part of a meal.

• Andouille Sausage
• Bacon
• Quail
• Onion, shallot and or garlic
• Salsa fresca
• Chipotle peps in adobe sauce
• Chicken Stock
• Good beer… duvel, chimay, etc.
• Creamy, mild sheeps milk cheese
• Lots of Cilantro
• Hard shell or small corn tortillas

Fry andouille sausage.  Remove.

Brown quail wrapped in bacon.  Remove and discard bacon.

Saute onion, garlic, shallot mixture.

Blend above with some salsa fresca and chipotle peps.

Deglaze pan with beer.

Add blended mixture.

Simmer quail and sausage.

Remove quail.  When cool enough to handle, remove meat and add back to sauce.

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 3-inch chunks
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 large celery ribs, finely diced
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 Anaheim chile, seeded and finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons mild chile powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• Pinch of dried oregano
• 2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 1 cup 1/2-inch-diced carrots
• Two 6-ounce russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
• One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 pound tomatillos—husked, rinsed and cut into 1-inch dice
• Hot sauce
• Chopped cilantro, for garnish
• Corn tortilla chips, for serving

1. In a medium casserole or Dutch oven, heat the oil. Season the pork with salt and pepper and cook over high heat until browned on 2 sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add the celery and onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the diced chile, garlic, chile powder, cumin and oregano and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and tomatillos, cover and simmer over low heat until the pork is cooked through, about 25 minutes.

2. Transfer the pork to a plate and shred with two forks. Meanwhile, simmer the stew over moderate heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir the shredded pork into the stew and season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Ladle the stew into bowls, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with a few tortilla chips.

WINE Côte-Rôtie (“roasted slope”) is also the name of Andrew Murray’s peppery 2005 blend of Syrah and Viognier, an excellent match with spicy pork stew.

Serves 4.

For the hens:

• 2 Cornish hens (1 ¾ pounds each), quartered
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ pound thinly sliced lardo, pancetta or prosciutto, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 3 dried red chilis, broken
• 1 cup white wine
• ½ stick butter, cubed and kept cold

For the salad:

• 1 ½ ounces thinly sliced prosciutto di Parma, cut into thin strips
• ½ pound arugula
• 1/3 cup fresh currants
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Fleur de sel.

Season the hens with salt and pepper. Spead the lardo in the base of a large skillet set over medium heat. Add 2 of the garlic cloves, and cook, rendering the fat, until the lardo just begins to brown. Discard the garlic.

Increase heat to medium-high and add the hens, skin side down. Cook until skin is golden. Add 2 of the rosemary sprigs, the chilies and the remaining garlic. Turn the hens and add ¾ cup of wine. Cover, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 6 minutes. Remove the breast pieces and let the legs simmer for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the salad: combine the prosciutto, arugula and currants in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss to mix. Season with fleur de sel, and add more olive oil, if needed.

Remove the lid from the skillet and discard the rosemary. Return the breasts, skin side up to the skillet and pour in the remaining wine. Boil down the juices and baste the hen parts for 1 minute. Pull the pan off the heat, add the butter and swirl to incorporate it.

To serve, sprinkle the hens with rosemary leaves from the remaining sprig, spoon over a little sauce and accompany each piece with some salad. Serves 4. By Zak Pelaccio, chef and owner of Fatty Crab.