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lazy day | short rib, brisket, & mushroom ragu

ragu with porcini & truffle mezzelune for 2, served family style There are just times—certainly during many workdays—when we can't fathom the idea of cooking because of the schedules that life demands from you. It is on these nights that we wish for nothing more than to open a few jars, mindlessly throw the contents into a pot, but still have something warm and delicious to devour. And thankfully, some dishes, though not most, are gracious enough to be amenable to shortcuts with the help of the supermarket—this ragu happens to be one of them. It is uncompromisingly delicious, very hearty, and deeply savory due to the short rib and brisket, and the long cooking mellows the subtler notes of the aromatics enough, that using a jar of good quality tomato sauce like Rao's well fulfills the role of homemade marinara. The pestata (which here is really just blended soffritto) dissolves into the ragu as it cooks, and at the end of the braising when most of the liquid has evaporated, adds a subtle creaminess to the sauce, along with that lovely signature taste of bolognese hinted from behind the robust beefy taste that takes forefront stage. And I only add cheese when finishing the dish, instead of adding it into the sauce pre-braise—I find that it muddies the flavor and depth of the ragu. Cleaning the mushrooms is the most time-consuming part of the preparation that you will have to devote in the morning, but the pot should be in the oven and braising within 30 minutes of entering the kitchen. Let the ragu simmer while you're away at work, so once you come back home after a long day, all that's required is to boil some good quality, storebought ravioli for a few minutes, toss in the sauce, turn on the television, and relieve the day's worries with a warm, cozy bowl. Do not skim the fat; it is this fat that stains the pasta a sunset mahogany and gives the ragu its luxurious, velvety mouthfeel.

lazy day | short rib, brisket, & mushroom ragu for 6-8 servings 1 lb (453g) brisket 2 lb (907g) bone-in short rib 1 lb (453g) mushrooms (2 8oz containers) 16.9 oz (479g, about a pint) beef bone broth 24 oz (680g) of a clean-tasting, bright tomato sauce (e.g. standard jar of Rao's marinara or arrabiata) 10 oz (283g) prepared soffritto / mirepoix (1:1:1 onion, celery, carrot) 4 cloves of garlic a little bit of fresh woody herbs, e.g. small sprigs of rosemary, thyme, & marjoram (as in, 1/4 sprig of each), just to impart slight warmth sear meat. in the leftover tallow, sear the mushrooms. blend the soffritto with the garlic, and cook at high heat with olive oil (if extra fat is needed) until the water evaporates. lower the heat and sweat gently for 10 minutes. add bone broth, herbs, tomato sauce, and nestle in the meat and mushrooms, making sure that the bones of the short ribs are submerged. 270F (130C), ~7 hours, with lid slightly ajar. shred the meat with a fork. nutrition (rough approx.): ~2800 kcal, 219g protein (350 - 467 kcal / 27 - 36.5g per serving)

have a happy halloween! 🎃

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soup and sandwich | bottega louie's club sandwich

A club so crucially depends on the synergy of its ingredients, as it can be nothing more than a turkey + ham + BLT sandwich tied together by a toothpick.

This is a very californian take on a club from Bottega Louie, a local restaurant and patisserie that I visit often and love many things from. The pairing of basil and mustard in the aioli can seem unorthodox if not clashing, but the small amount of deep mustard rounds out the higher notes of the basil wonderfully, all the while bringing out its vanilla, sweeter notes. But chives and shallots are lovely replacements too, and would give this sandwich a more cobb salad-like flavor profile. Contrariwise, you can add the mustard to one half of the sandwich, and the basil aioli—mustardless—on the other half of the sandwich if you'd like to emphasize a contrast between the vegetal freshness of the basil and the piquant mustard. And while I am sticking this under 'soup and sandwich'... potato chips are such a classic accompaniment to it for a fantastic reason. I really like hen of the woods' buttermilk & chives chips, but it's a bit difficult to find.

bottega louie's club sandwich starting from the top: milk bread, dry toasted basil-mustard aioli, thin layer (see recipe below) gruyere (shave into very thin strips with a vegetable peeler) tomato jambon de paris, sliced as thinly as possibly (not shaved) (¼ lb / 4 oz/ 113g for 2 sandwiches) mache or butter lettuce (I generally prefer their sweeter profiles over watercress, which I find too aggressively peppery) slab bacon, sliced into medium strips (¼ lb / 4 oz / 113g for 2 sandwiches) milk bread, dry toasted aioli, thin layer avocado gruyere, thinly shaved roast turkey, sliced as the ham (¼ lb / 4 oz / 113g for 2 sandwiches) medium-boiled egg aoili milk bread, dry toasted -

basil-mustard aioli for a little more than 2 sandwiches 1 egg yolk 1 large clove of garlic, grated 1 tbsp dijon mustard smallest splash of champagne vinegar 2 tbsp minced basil (or, you can opt to use basil oil for a smoother flavor, in which case make this aioli separate from the mustard, and slather one layer of the sandwich with the mustard-flavored aioli, and one with the basil-flavored aioli) neutral oil salt whisk the egg yolk, garlic, dijon mustard, vinegar, and salt. whisk while streaming in neutral oil to create an an aioli; stream just enough oil until the mixture is viscous like mayonnaise. add basil.

nutrition per sandwich (rough approx.): ~ 720kcal, 35g protein

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buttermilk & herb chicken with garlic crostini and simple salad 🅟

I love roasted chicken—something so incredible and fresh about its burnished blistered skin, crackling to unveil the juicy bouncy flesh in the heat of 450F. The drippings that render from chicken naturally, even when just showered with salt and freshly crushed black pepper, already have an indescribably complex and full profile.

However, if you do wish to infuse aromatics, it is paramount that they are stuffed under the very skin itself, which not only is sufficient to halfway imitiate the incredible juiciness of a brined bird, but perhaps more importantly also gives heady infusion of the marinade right into the drippings; these drippings have a taste just so far removed from your idea of flavored chicken fat that it was incredibly hard not to scarf down the whole loaf of baguette with it, dunking and munching (my favorite bread to have with is one with very high hydration, nearing a pan cristal, with a shatteringly thin crust and a porous supple inside). Merely stuffing the cavity offers the most feeble suggestion of aromatics that it's as if the drippings were muddied, rather than flavoured.

The other option is, of course, a marinade or brine, as I'm doing here if you can afford yourself some weekend leisure—and perhaps its potency is none better showcased than with a buttermilk brine. Alone the chicken takes on an unimaginative milky note, but the herbs introduced turn the dish into indescribable magic. A heady amount of chives with the buttermilk gives the chicken a bright flavor somewhere between a green goddess and a buttermilk ranch/sour cream & onion at first bite, but the woody herbs finish the palate with a warm complexity. The buttermilk also gives a wonderful contrast between parts of the skin that become charred and other parts that have a wonderfully bouncy mouthfeel to them—a sometimes welcome break from the incredibly thin, crisp, and crackly skin of a normal roasted chicken.

Serve a side salad with this, and you have the most perfect lunch under early summery skies.

buttermilk & herb chicken with garlic crostini and simple salad

for the roasted chicken chicken 1 liter (33.8 fl oz) buttermilk

herbs: 2 bunches (2 cups) of roughly chopped chives 2 tbsp minced parsley 2 tbsp minced basil 1 tbsp thyme 1 tbsp marjoram 1 tbsp minced sage 1 fresh turkish bay leaf salt a touch of honey (just the smallest bit to assuage the tang of the buttermilk and to blister the skin, but it should not assert its sweetness in the slightest) cultured butter (a tbsp or so) brine chicken with buttermilk, herbs, salt, and honey overnight. pat incredibly dry (you do not want curdled buttermilk in your pan drippings), stuffing some of the herbs into the skin. scatter knobs of the cultured butter over the chicken before roasting—this part is essential for the most unbelievable flavor pairing with the marinade that returns pure chicken jus elixir. 450F for 25 minutes for already partitioned chicken pieces, and broil until the skin is slightly charred (the buttermilk discourages this). - for the crostini crusty bread garlic clove californian olive oil maldon salt in a dry pan toast a crusty piece of bread. while warm (very important), rub a cut garlic clove onto it. drizzle californian olive oil and maldon salt. - for the salad greens (I chose little gem, chicory, and frisee from the farmer's market) californian olive oil champagne (or white balsamic) vinegar salt tear greens gently—that way, the torn edge of the leaves will preserve the same texture as the rest of the leaf. with your hands, gently toss the greens with the olive oil, vinegar, and salt.

🅟 indicates a high-protein meal (that is, at least 10g of protein for every 100cal)

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soup and sandwich | seafood potato chowder & herb focaccia

I'm not much of a person for soup as a standalone meal, but it goes without saying that the interplay between soup and sandwich turns it to nothing short of divine—in both the contrasts in texture and taste. Well, a focaccia isn't a sandwich, but with its oily rich chewiness paired with the creamy, briny heartiness of the chowder, you won't find yourself missing it.

I think I first had this sort of pairing back when souplantation was still in business, and it quickly became my go-to when I went there with my family as a kid. Now I generally prefer my chowders to be on the lighter side with just enough roux and cream to add a little body to the soup, choosing to highlighting the briny herbiness of the soup instead—though, I do use a looser hand on the herbs, cream, and bacon when it's wintertime to make the soup a bit more stick-to-the-ribs (it also gives the soup a rather cozy cottage-like look, don't you think?).

It's very delicious and hearty, and a perfect holiday lunch to warm yourself up, so please do give it a try.

seafood potato chowder for 3-4 servings

2 tbsp (30g) cultured butter (double for thicker) 1 1/2 (12g) tbsp flour (double for thicker)

5 sprigs of thyme, whole 1/2 of a celery stalk, minced finely 1 shallot, minced finely 5 garlic cloves, minced finely 1 fresh turkish bay leaf

1/2 (230g) pound of shrimp 3/4 lb (340g) of salmon or red snapper, cubed into bite-size pieces 3/4 lb (340g) baby yellow potatoes, cubed into bite-size pieces

1/3 pt (160ml) heavy cream 16 fl oz (240 ml) clam stock

1/4 lb (100g) slab smoked bacon, cut into small cubes

1 medium-thick slice of brioche, cut into small cubes like the bacon and well-toasted in butter (though if serving with focaccia, you don't need it)

chives, minced finely coarsely cracked black pepper and a squeeze of lemon

saute aromatics with butter until tender. add flour and make a veloute with the clam stock. add thyme, bay, and potatoes, and simmer until the potatoes are just tender, around 10-15 minutes. add salmon and cream, and poach the fish very gently until just shy of cooked, 3-5 minutes. add shrimp and poach for a minute or 2 more until cooked. finish the soup with cooked cubed bacon, crunchy brioche croutons, a smattering of chives, a squeeze of lemon, and very coarsely crushed black pepper.

nutrition (rough approx.): ~1630 kcal, 118g protein (408 - 543 kcal / 29.5 - 39g per serving)

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herb focaccia for 10 × 15 pan

500g flour 80% hydration (400ml water) 1.8% salinity (9g salt) .25 oz fresh yeast / 3g dry yeast

2 tbsp + generous amount of extra virgin olive oil generous handful of equal parts fresh rosemary and thyme, finely minced

maldon salt garlic slivers (optional)

proof yeast in 100-110F water first if needed. then, mix flour and salt into the yeast mixture and mix until a dough just begins to form. rest for 20 min.

perform 3 sets of stretches + folds (each consisting of a three-fold in one direction as you would when laminating croissant dough, then another three-fold in the perpendicular direction), each spaced 20 minutes apart. after the last set, lather the dough with 2 tbsp of olive oil and let it rest for another 20 min.

place dough onto a 10 × 15 sheet pan (or 9 × 13 for a thicker focaccia) generously lathered with olive oil and stretch it to fill. rest the dough overnight in the refrigerator, and proof for 2 hours before ready to bake.

generously drizzle olive oil over the top and dimple the dough, forming oily pockets. scatter with herbs generously and maldon salt. add slivers of fresh garlic inside the crevices of the dimples if desired, and add a bit more oil for good measure.

500F, with another tray preheating inside. start checking at around 20 minutes for a deep golden brown with a few blisters.

It's also fantastic to make a panini with; I especially love it with a basil aioli and thinly shaved porchetta rovagnati.

cozy holidays from los angeles! 🎄