Cook Like a Rock Star (33 page)

2 onions, coarsely chopped

2 carrots, coarsely chopped

3 celery ribs, coarsely chopped

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and coarsely chopped

1 cup tomato paste

2 cups dry white wine

2 bay leaves

1 thyme bundle, tied with butcher’s twine

1
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2
On a cutting board, use the side of your chef’s knife to smash together the chopped garlic and the rosemary to make a coarse paste. Cut several deep holes in the veal shanks with a paring knife—really stab them! Using your index finger, stuff the holes with the rosemary-garlic mixture; this will perfume the shanks with a beautiful aroma while they braise.

3
Season the shanks generously with salt. Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil and bring to high heat. Add the shanks to the pan and brown well on all sides; this may take up to 20 minutes. Don’t skimp on this step—this is where the big, rich, brown flavors start to develop, so take your time!

4
While the shanks are browning, put the onions, carrots, celery, apples, and the remaining 3 cloves of smashed garlic in a food processor and purée to a coarse paste; reserve.

5
When the shanks are very brown, transfer them to a roasting pan. Ditch the fat, add a bit of fresh olive oil, and add the puréed veggies and apples to the sauté pan. Season generously with salt and cook until the mixture is very brown and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Again, don’t skimp here—you want the veggies to form a crust on the bottom of the pan. This is where more of that lovely brown flavor develops, so take your time.

6
Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until it starts to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.

7
Add the wine, bring it to a boil (BTB), and stir frequently until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Then transfer everything to the roasting pan with the shanks. Add about ½ cup water to the sauté pan to help release any of that good crud stuck to the bottom, then add it to the roasting pan.

8
Add 4 to 5 more cups water to the roasting pan and stir to combine; the mix should be pretty soupy. Taste and add more salt if needed, then toss in the bay leaves and the thyme bundle.

9
Put the pan in the oven and cook for 2½ to 3 hours, turning the shanks every 30 minutes, stirring and adding more water if the liquid reduces too much. If the shanks brown too much during the cooking time, tent the pan with aluminum foil. When the shanks are done they should be incredibly tender and flavorful.

Big meat!

Seared Red Snapper with Sicilian Cauliflower & Parsley Salad

SERVES: 4 • TIME: ABOUT 1½ HOURS

To me cauliflower is an underappreciated vegetable, and for no good reason. It’s one of my very favorites and I return to it again and again for many different preparations. I love it because you can cook it to death, literally hammer it, and it just gets better! I find it goes absolutely beautifully with seared fish and a bright parsley salad—this dish is ballsy, bold, and rustic all at the same time.

MISE EN PLACE

FOR THE CAULIFLOWER

Extra virgin olive oil

2 onions, cut into ¼-inch dice

Kosher salt

Pinch of crushed red pepper

4 cloves garlic, sliced thin

1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, passed through a food mill

1 head of cauliflower, coarsely chopped

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (juice reserved for the salad)

¼ cup gaeta or kalamata olives, slivered

¼ cup caperberries, sliced into thin rounds

FOR THE FISH AND SALAD

4 6- to 8-ounce red snapper fillets with skin

Kosher salt

Extra virgin olive oil

Leaves from 1 bunch of fresh Italian parsley

Big fat finishing oil

FOR THE CAULIFLOWER

1
Coat a large saucepan with olive oil, add the onions, and bring to medium heat. Add a generous pinch of salt and the red pepper. Cook until the onions are soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and ¾ cup water; season with salt. Bring the mixture to a boil (BTB), reduce to a simmer (RTS), and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Taste it and make sure it’s delicious.

2
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt; it should taste like the ocean. Add the cauliflower, let the water come back to a rolling boil, and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes, or until it’s really soft and almost falling apart.

3
Strain the cauliflower and add it to the tomato mixture. Cook everything for 20 to 30 minutes more, or until the cauliflower has completely broken up and the sauce clings to it.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Stir in the lemon zest, olives, and caperberries; remove from the heat and reserve. (This can all totally be done ahead of time, and while it’s really great when made to order, this dish actually gets better when made ahead.)

FOR THE FISH AND SALAD

1
Take the fish out of the fridge 10 to 15 minutes before you’re ready to cook. Pat the skin dry with a paper towel and season on both sides with salt.

2
Coat a large sauté pan generously with olive oil and bring it to high heat, almost smoking. Coat the UNDERNEATH of another smaller sauté pan with olive oil. Place the fish fillets skin side down in the larger sauté pan and gently place the other sauté pan directly on top of the fish. The purpose of this is to gently press the skin of the fish onto the bottom of the larger pan to create a lovely, even, crispy skin. (The first thing fish skin wants to do is stick to the pan, and the first thing cooks want to do is move it. Resist the urge; it will unstick itself when it’s ready. This is where patience comes in—if you try to move it before it’s ready, the fish skin will win every time.)

3
After a couple minutes, remove the top sauté pan to allow the steam to escape and the skin to get really crispy. As the fish cooks it turns from translucent to opaque—the idea is to cook the fish two-thirds of the way on the skin side and then flip it over for the last third of the cooking time. The rule for fish is 7 to 8 minutes per inch of thickness, a little less if you like your fish on the rare side.

4
Reheat the cauliflower mixture if necessary. In a medium bowl, toss the parsley with the lemon juice, some salt, and a drizzle of finishing oil. Serve the fish nestled in a mound of the cauliflower and garnish with the parsley salad.

That’s snappy cauliflower!

IS YOUR FISH FRESH?

Perform the Necessary Freshness Checks

Some of these rules apply only to whole fish, but if you’re buying fillets, the smell and the impression tests still work. Whether it’s whole or a fillet, you want a piece of fish that looks healthy and fresh!

• Smell it. If it smells like what it is, you don’t want it. Fish should smell like the ocean or nothing at all.

• Make an impression. Gently press with your finger somewhere on the body of the fish; if it springs back, it’s perfect. If you leave an impression, leave that fish alone.

• The eyes should be clear and bulging. If the eyes are sunken and cloudy, leave it at the store.

• The gills should be red and moist. If they’re beige and slimy—ick, yuck, gross.

• The fins and tail should be moist and pliable. If they’re dry and brittle, walk away.

SERVES: 4 • TIME: ABOUT 15 MINUTES

Crispy fish skin is a treat. When done right, it’s crunchy and salty, and tastes like the ocean. I’ve come up with this method for getting fish skin perfectly crispy because in my career I’ve spent a lot of time being frustrated by sticking fish skin to the pan. My solution is more than a recipe; it’s a technique. And it will work for any fish with skin. This approach is all about having a hot pan, patience, and my secret … a second sauté pan. Use my method and you will always make fish with delightfully satisfying and crispy skin.

MISE EN PLACE

4 6-ounce wild black bass fillets

Kosher salt

Extra virgin olive oil

1
Take the fish out of the fridge 10 to 15 minutes before you’re ready to cook. Pat the skin dry with a paper towel and season on both sides with salt.

2
Coat a large sauté pan generously with olive oil and bring it to high heat, almost smoking. Coat the UNDERNEATH of another smaller sauté pan with olive oil. Place the fish fillets skin side down in the larger pan and gently place the other sauté pan directly on top of the fish. The purpose of this is to gently press the skin of the fish onto the bottom of the larger pan to create a lovely, even, crispy skin. (The first thing fish skin wants to do is stick to the pan, and the first thing cooks want to do is move it. Resist the urge; it will unstick itself when it’s ready. This is where patience comes in—if you try to move it before it’s ready, the fish skin will win every time.)

3
After a couple minutes, remove the top sauté pan to allow the steam to escape and the skin to get really crispy. As the fish cooks it turns from translucent to opaque—the idea is to cook the fish two-thirds of the way through on the skin side and then flip it over for the last third of the cooking time. The rule for fish is 7 to 8 minutes per inch of thickness, a little less if you like your fish on the rare side.

Now that’s a crispy fish tale!