Emeril Lagasse: Sautéed Ramps with Applewood-Smoked Bacon and Luquire Family Foods: White Cheddar Cheese Grits

Every year around this time, those beautiful ramps show up at my local grocery store for a brief shining moment.  And every year, I basically buy out the stores entire stock.  This is eating ultra-seasonally - enjoying a food product that is literally only available for about two weeks.  I've extolled the virtues of ramps before, so I won't repeat myself, but if you have any chance to grab some of these wild beauties, I would highly recommend it.  If not, you could probably do a passable rendition with sliced leeks.

Sautéed Ramps with Applewood-Smoked Bacon
From Emeril Lagasse

2 pounds ramps, trimmed and cleaned
¼ pound applewood-smoked bacon, julienned
4 tablespoons chicken stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Trim the leaves from the stems of the ramps.

In a medium sauté pan cook the bacon until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel to drain.

Add the stems of the ramps to bacon fat in skillet and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until lightly caramelized. Add the chicken stock and cook until the liquid has mostly evaporated. Add the leaves and cook until wilted. Serve immediately, on top of White Cheddar Cheese Grits, garnished with reserved crispy bacon.

Makes 6 servings

White Cheddar Cheese Grits
Adapted from Luquire Family Foods

2½ cups chicken stock
¾ cup heavy cream
¾ cup whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup stone-ground white grits
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 ounces sharp white Cheddar, shredded

Mix all ingredients except for cheese in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 40 minutes, stirring often.  Add water to thin if necessary.  When grits are thick, add shredded cheese and stir until completely melted.

Makes 6 servings

Nikky Phinyawatana: Enjoy Mint's Red Curry

My favorite Thai restaurant in Dallas is Asian Mint, which is run by Nikky Phinyawatana, but it's a bit of a hike from where I live.  About a year ago, she opened another outpost closer to my house called Enjoy Mint; same delicious foods, but more of a take-out atmosphere.  Then she started offering monthly cooking classes.  Let me tell you how fast I signed up.  One of the best things on the menu is the red curry, so I was super excited when she chose that dish for a class.  I think the big thing that impacts the taste of the curry is the curry paste, and the one she calls for below (Maesri) does not have any shrimp paste, so it's actually vegetarian.

Note: This curry is amenable to most any addition you want to make.  You can add Japanese eggplant, kabocha squash, baby corn, broccoli, onion, carrot, mushrooms, whatever really.  Just make sure that everything is in about the same size pieces, and hard vegetables like kabocha and broccoli get added with the chicken, with softer veggies added later in the cooking.

Enjoy Mint's Red Curry
From Nikky Phinyawatana

2 tablespoons Maesri red curry paste
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup sliced chicken
1 cup bamboo shoots
1 red bell pepper, cubed
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
6 to 12 ounces water
1 teaspoon paprika
8 to 12 Thai basil leaves

In a medium pot, heat the oil and red curry paste on medium heat.  Stir to release the fragrance.

Add chicken or your choice of protein, stirring occasionally until the chicken is almost done.  Add the eggplant and coconut milk and bring it to a boil.  Add the water and bring back to a boil.

Add the remaining ingredients except for the basil and simmer for 10 minutes, or until it reaches your favorite consistency.  Taste and adjust flavors to your liking.  Stir in the basil and garnish with a few more leaves, if desired.  Serve with jasmine rice.

You can make green curry with this same recipe by substituting green curry paste for the red.  You can also substitute 2 teaspoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon fish sauce for the salt.  You can substitute palm sugar for the granulated sugar.

Makes 4 servings

James McNair: Egyptian Twice-Cooked Eggs and Yotam Ottolenghi: Dukkah

When I was first flipping through James McNair's breakfast book years ago and came across this recipe, I was intrigued, but a little put off.  I mean, eggs are great for breakfast, but what is this seasoning blend?  And eggs that are fried after being boiled?  I put the recipe aside, and sure enough, I remembered the interesting concoction when I got a large carton of eggs from my sister and brother-in-law's busy hens.  I decided it was time to give the twice-cooked eggs a try, but I used a much more involved version of the dukkah, one that seemed a little more authentic.  I am so glad I overlooked my initial hesitation.  These eggs are delicious, and if you leave off the bread for serving, you have a pretty spectacular low-carb breakfast.  Definitely worth the wait.

Egyptian Twice-Cooked Eggs
Adapted from James McNair's Breakfast

6 tablespoons salted butter
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and havled lengthwise
4 tablespoons dukkah (see below)
6 slices toast or pita bread, if desired

Melt the butter in a skillet over low heat until frothy.  Add the eggs, cut side down, and cook until they begin to brown, about 5 to 6 minutes.  Turn the eggs, baste, and continue cooking, turning and basting occasionally, until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes more.  When the eggs are almost done, turn them cut side up and sprinkle with the dukkah, making sure some of the seasoning gets into the butter as well.

Place two slices of toast on each plate.  Top each slice with two egg halves.  Drizzle with the melted butter from the skillet.  Serve immediately.

Serves 3

Dukkah
Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi

1½ ounces raw hazelnuts, with their skins

1 ounce raw pistachios, shelled
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon dry green peppercorns (or white, as an alternative)
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
1½ tablespoons sesame seeds
½ teaspoon nigella seeds
½ teaspoon Maldon sea salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Heat the oven to 285°F. Spread the hazelnuts and pistachios on a baking tray and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Add the sunflower seeds to the tray halfway through, keeping them separate from the nuts. Remove from the oven and leave to cool while you toast the seeds.

Put a cast-iron pan on medium heat and leave for five minutes to heat up well. Spread the fennel seeds inside and dry-roast them for 30 seconds. Add the cumin seeds and cook for another 30 seconds, or until they start to pop, then tip both into a little bowl. With the pan back on the heat, roast the peppercorns until they start to pop, about 30 seconds, then transfer to a separate bowl. Cook the coriander seeds for up to a minute, until they start to pop, and tip into a third bowl. Reduce the heat to low and cook the sesame and nigella seeds together, stirring occasionally, until the sesame turns light brown, then remove from the pan.

Rub the hazelnuts between the palms of your hands to discard some of the skin. Use a pestle and mortar to chop them and the pistachios coarsely, then transfer to a medium bowl. Lightly crush the cumin and fennel seeds, and add to the hazelnuts. Repeat with the coriander seeds, followed by the peppercorns and then the sunflower seeds. Add these to the nut bowl, along with the sesame and nigella seeds, add salt and paprika, and mix well.

Makes about ½ cup, enough for two recipes of the eggs above