This is a hearty fall pasta that is very easy to execute using store bought duck legs confit and tomato sauce, although doing those things from scratch always makes the dish turn out better.

• 2-3 duck legs confit
• 2-3 cups marinara sauce
• 3-4 cups shaved brussel sprouts
• 1 lb pasta
• shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano to garnish

Remove and shred meat from the duck legs, leaving some larger pieces (this is easiest when the are warm). Add to sauce, simmer, and adjust seasonings.

Saute shaved brussel sprouts in butter and/or olive oil over high heat until browned nicely but still maintain some crunch.

Cook pasta until just under al dente.  Add to duck ragu to finish.  Top with brussel sprouts and cheese.

I was told by our waitress at Mexicana Mama the other night that for their warm Habanero Salsa they simply roast tomatoes, onion, and garlic, blend with canned habanero peppers, and use soy oil to emulsify.  I’ve been looking everywhere in NYC for soy oil and I have yet to come across it, so I ended up using grapeseed oil, which is similar to soy in that it has a neutral flavor and high smoking point.  I also used fresh habaneros instead of canned.

• 1 small yellow onion
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 3-4 fresh tomatoes or 1 small can of whole peeled tomatoes
• 1-4 habanero peppers, depending on how spicy you want the salsa
• ~1/3 cup soy or grapeseed oil

Roast onion, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers at 425 for about 20-25 minutes.

Blend and add oil slowly.  Taste for salt and pepper.

Server warm.

• 1 head of garlic
• 1 t Piment d’ Espelette (or cayanne)
• 1 t ground nutmeg
• 1 t cardamon
• 1/2 lb thinly sliced bacon, sauteed
• 1/3 cup cup crumbled goat cheese
• 1/2 cup spiced nuts

Start by roasting the garlic.  Cut about 1/3 off the top of the head of garlic and place on tin foil.  Sprinkle Piment d’ Espelette (or cayenne pepper), ground nutmeg, and ground cardamon on top.  Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, until garlic is very soft and caramelized.

Blend the garlic with the juice of a small lemon and a few tablespoons of chopped fresh thyme. Drizzle olive oil while blending unit you reach the desired consistency — should be about 1/2 cup.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the salad dressing with fresh spinach and top with warm bacon, goat cheese, and warm spiced nuts.

Union Square Cafe has the best bar nuts of all time.  These are aren’t a perfect replica and slightly spicier, but not too far from the original.

• 4 cups unsalted almonds
• 2 T melted butter
• 3 t brown sugar
• 3 T fresh finely chopped rosemary or thyme
• 1 t ground cardamon
• 1-3 t cayenne and/or Piment d’ Espelette (depending how spicy you like it)
• sea salt to taste

Melt butter with spices and herbs, toss with nuts, and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

• 4 strips of bacon, thinly sliced
• 1 cup of tomato sauce — this time of year, it’s easy to find great heirloom tomatoes for a simple homemade sauce, but I use store bought sauce all the time as well
• 1 large bunch of hen of the woods mushrooms (see above) very roughly chopped (leaving some large chunks)
• 1 cup grated cheese — we found something slightly stinky at the farmer’s market which worked great with the earthy mushroom flavors (can’t recall the name unfortunately), but almost anything will work
• Pizza dough

Saute the bacon over high heat until browned.  Remove, leaving the fat to cook the mushrooms.

Cook mushrooms in bacon fat over med-low heat for just a couple minutes.  They will continue to cook in the grill, so you really only need a little toast.

To assemble pizza, start with a very thin layer of tomato sauce, then add bacon and mushrooms, and finish with a light layer of cheese.

Grill pizza (instructions here) and serve with a salad and oaky red wine.

For the grilled lamb:

• 4 lamb chops
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 T garam masala
• 1 T cayanne pepper
• 4 sprigs of rosemary
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup red wine

For the risotto:

• 3 links lamb merguez sausage
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped leaks (about 2 small leeks)
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 cup white wine
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup grated young sheep’s milk cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• 3 T chopped lemon thyme

Lamb marinade: Saute garlic in olive oil with tomato paste and garam masala until garlic is slightly soft.  Add rosemary, soy sauce, and wine and bring to a boil.  Remove from hear, place in a large bowl or shallow baking dish and cool.  Once cool, add lamb and refrigerate for at least a couple hours.

Because the timing can get tricky with both grilling lamb and cooking risotto, I start by cooking the risotto until it’s about 3/4 finished, turn the heat off, and then grill the meat until its about 3/4 finished.  Then finish the lamb in the oven on very low heat while cooking the risotto.

For the risotto, saute sausage over med-high heat until browned.  Remove.  Add onion and saute until transparent.  Add garlic and leeks and cook for a minute or two over lower heat.  Add rice and cook for a few minutes to toast slightly.  Add wine and cook until rice has absorbed the liquid.  Add stock 1/2 cup at a time and stir constantly until the rice is al dente.  Fold in the cheese and garnish with chives and thyme.

For the lamb chops, grill over direct heat until a nice crust forms.  Move to indirect heat and cook until medium-rare.

• 5-7 fresh tomatillos, depending on the size
• 1 poblano pepper (for mild)
• 2 jalapeno peppers (add for medium)
• 2 serrano peppers (add for hot)
• 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 4-5 garlic cloves, skins removed
• 1 tsp cumin
• ~1/4 cup cilantro
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 or 2 tsp honey

Preheat oven broiler or grill on high heat.

Remove husks from tomatillos, rinse,  cut into quarters, and remove core.  Quarter and remove stems and seeds from peppers.

Toss tomatillos and peppers in olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place in roasting pan (or tin foil will work if using grill).  Roast until charred, flip and roast until the other side is charred (see below).  It’s important to keep a careful eye on them, as they will cook very fast.  Set side to cool.

Saute onion over med heat until transparent.  Lower heat and cook garlic cloves until soft.

Add tomatillo mixture (with all juices), onion mixture, and all other ingredients to a large bowl and refrigerate for an an hour or two.

To finish, either chop everything up by hand or mix with a food processor or blender, depending on the consistency you’re looking for.

Very important to taste for additional seasoning at this point: salt & pepper, cumin for more “Mexican” flavor, lime for more citrus/acid flavor, chopped pepper for more spice, etc.

• 1 rotisserie chicken
• 1 cup Mexican Chipotle Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
• 3/4 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese
• 4 brioche buns (we found decent ones on Fresh Direct)

Strip the chicken of all meat and shred, leaving some decent sized chunks (see above).  You won’t need all of it, so reserve the breast meat for  another use.

Mix shredded chicken, chipotle sauce and BBQ sauce in a medium pot over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes.

Toast buns under oven broiler.  Add chicken and cheese to buns and place under broiler again until the cheese is melted and buns are fully toasted.

The idea for these tacos came from this incredible dish that Nobu serves with tuna sashimi and thinly sliced jalapenos.  The tuna should be very high quality and seared just a bit to keep the inside raw.

• 1 sashimi-grade tuna steak, cut 1 inch thick
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 hot sauce
• 2 T honey
• 1 cup mayo
• 2-4 chipotle peppers
• 1 small head of chicory, very roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 avocados, thinly sliced
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T champagne vinegar
• 6 corn tortillas
• pickled jalepenos to garnish
• 1 cup Lamb Chopper cheese, thinly sliced (Sheep’s milk, Cypress Grove Chèvre, Caliornia)

Cut tuna into 1″ x 1″ strips.  Mix with soy sauce, hot sauce, and honey and marinade for a few hours.

Blend 2-4 chipotle peppers with the mayo.

Toss the chicory, cilantro, avocados, oil and vinegar in a small bowl.

Grill the tuna strips over high heat just until the outside is seared.

To finish, warm the tortillas on the grill or in the oven, spread a thin layer of chipotle mayo on the tortillas and add chicory avocado salad, cheese, tuna and pickled jalapenos.