Category: Recipes

BBQ Short Rib Sliders

, Valentina Rice

 

At the launch party for Many Kitchens, we tried to have food from each of our producers. Michael offered to bring short rib sliders to showcase his incredible barbecue sauce. They flew off the plates in a matter of minutes and I’ve been begging for the recipe ever since. I’m so excited that he has agreed to share it here.

 

Michael Steifman has proved that Barbecuing is no longer exclusive to the South. His expanding selection of rubs and sauces have saved me on multiple occasions when I find myself with some chicken legs and not much inspiration. Michael recently expanded his family too and became the proud father of a daughter. His obsession with all things barbecue is forever confirmed in his nickname for her; Smoky!

 

BBQ Short Rib Sliders

Makes about 24 sliders

By Stuart & Co. From Recipes from Many Kitchens

 

Ingredients:

2 pounds (907g) boneless short ribs (you can use bone in if that’s all you can find just buy extra to match bone volume & remove before shredding)

2 cups (470ml) BBQ sauce

2 cups(470ml) beef or chicken broth

¼ cup (25g) beef rub

2 tablespoons (30g) kosher salt

Grapeseed or vegetable oil

24 Martins Potato Buns Slider Rolls (any two bite size roll will do such as a brioche or mini potato roll)

 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180ºC). Season short ribs with beef rub and the kosher salt.

2. Heat a pan or grill to medium high. If using a pan to sear the beef, drizzle the oil in the pan. If using the grill drizzle the oil on the beef and coat it lightly.

3. Sear the beef on all sides in the pan or on the grill for a bout 1 minute per side then set aside.

4. Place the short ribs in a Dutch oven or roasting pan large enough for all the ribs to be in one layer. Mix BBQ sauce with 2 cups (470ml) of broth. Pour the mixture over the short ribs until they are just covered. Cover the pot with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 3 hours.

5. Once the ribs are tender and falling apart remove them from the pan and let them cool.

6. Pour the leftover braising liquid into a smaller sauce pot to heat the shredded beef back up in. Once the ribs are cool enough to handle, shred them and place them in the sauce. Warm over low heat then spoon onto potato buns and serve.

Raspberry Fool

, Valentina Rice

 

When I think of summer desserts, the fruit fool is always top of my list. Whether made with gooseberries, rhubarb or in this case raspberry, just 3 ingredients make up this classic English dessert. We weren’t given a lot of sweets growing up, but I always remember getting a Fool as a special treat. Decadent and delicious, it can be made by mashing any soft fruit with sugar and blending with whipped cream. Its name comes from the French ‘foulè’ meaning crushed. Add some broken meringues and you instantly have another English classic, Eton Mess. 

 

Raspberry Fool

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 cups raspberries, divided

1/2 cup of sugar, divided

1 cup heavy cream

 

Method:

1. Purée half the raspberries with half the sugar in a blender. Then pass the purée through a sieve to remove the seeds. Discard the seeds and keep the purée to the side.

2. In a medium bowl, beat the cream with 1 tablespoon of sugar until soft peaks form.  

3. In another bowl, mix the remaining sugar with the remaining raspberries.

4. To finish the dessert you have several options. For completely mixed dessert, you can fold both the remaining raspberries with the purée into the whipped cream and watch as it turns into a soft pink color. Alternately, you can layer your dessert as pictured by starting with the purée, then adding a dollop of whipped cream and a scoop of mashed raspberries. To make patterns you can just run a spoon up the side of the glass, allowing the whipped cream to swirl with the purée.

Saffron and Seafood Chowder

, Valentina Rice

 

In a couple of weeks I’ve got my first beach weekend of 2016. In typical fashion, I’ve already started planning the meals. A chowder with a twist seemed like an ideal lunch after a potentially blustery morning walk on the beach. The test run was a hit and an astoundingly easy but unique chowder was born! The saffron and cream made the hearty soup seem decadent and all you need is a freshly baked baguette to complete the meal.

 

Saffron and Seafood Chowder

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1 Leek, fully cleaned and finely chopped (1 ¾ cup)

1 cup finely diced yellow Onion (about 1 onion)

Sea salt and white pepper

24 oz. Clam juice

Pinch of saffron (1/2 g)

¼ cup minced chives, plus extra for garnish

1 cup frozen sweet corn

1 lb new potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite sized pieces

½ cup heavy cream

1 lb white snapper, cut into bite sized pieces

½ lb small shrimp, peeled and deveined

 

Method:

1. In a large soup pot or cast iron, sauté leeks and onions in butter on medium-high, stirring several times, until translucent, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper.
2. Add in clam juice, 1 cup water, saffron, chives, corn and potatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer covered on medium-low, 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. If you want a thicker consistency, puree the soup briefly with an emersion blender. 
3. Stir in cream.
4. Season seafood with salt and white pepper and add to chowder. Simmer for 8 minutes on low until just cooked through. The fish should flake and the shrimp be a nice pink color.
5. Garnish with chives and serve warm.

Hats Off to the Mothers and Fathers of Many Kitchens

, Valentina Rice

 

(Top Left: Toan Huynh of The Saucey Sauce Company, Top Right: Nicole Ebbitt of The Caramel Jar, Bottom Left: Melissa Vitelli of Jar Goods and Bottom Right: Michael Steifman of Stuart & Co.)

 

Having a new puppy and running Many Kitchens has given me a minuscule insight into what it means to be a working parent. As I try to write this, my arm is being gnawed and paws are typing unintelligible streams of letters on my laptop. At Many Kitchens we are fortunate enough to showcase many incredible producers who somehow muster the insane energy and passion to not only work to grow their brands but also raise small children. This Mother’s Day we wanted to honor the members of our community who don’t have an off switch. We are so proud to work with such hardworking and insanely talented Mothers, Fathers and Artisans. This week goes out to you!

Black Bean, Hatch Chile and Cheddar Flautas with Avocado Cream

, Valentina Rice

 

There are so many great Mexican dishes, so choosing a menu for a Cinco de Mayo party is always fun. We have posted a lot of great recipes over the years and even included A Mexican Fiesta and Tex-Mex Brunch chapters in our cookbook, Recipes from Many Kitchens.

 

It’s easy to create when we have producers like Rancho Gordo who supports small farmers to grow their indigenous beans in Mexico as well as Zukali Mexican Gourmet and Zia Green Chile Company who source small batch pepper to make their delicious products ranging from hatch chiles like we used in these flautas to fire roasted poblanos which we used in our chicken tortilla soup.

 

So to kick-off your own fiesta, we wanted to do a lineup of some of our favorites. We hope you enjoy.

 

Starters:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chile Rellenos

Mole Beef Nachos

 

Tacos:

Baja Style Fish Tacos

Mexican Pulled Beef Tacos

Red Chicken Tacos

Skirt Steak Tacos

 

Drinks:

Agua Frescas

Hot Cilantro Margarita

 

Black Bean, Hatch Chile and Cheddar Flautas with Avocado Cream

Serves 4-6 as an appetizer

Ingredients:

15.5 oz can black beans, drained

½ cup roasted green hatch chiles

½ cup diced yellow onion (about ½ onion)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen chopped spinach

2 tablespoons green salsa

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon lime juice

Canola/veg oil to fill a pot 2 inches high with oil

1 cup grated cheddar

1/2 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese

5, 6 inch flour tortillas (the small size makes for better frying so if you can’t find 6″ flour try corn or cut your tortillas down so they just overlap when rolling)

 

Avocado Cream:

1 Hass avocado

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons milk

1 lime, juiced

Sea salt, to taste

Tomato, as a garnish

 

Method:

1. In a food processor or blender, puree your black beans and Zia Green Chile until smooth.

2. Next, in a sauté pan on med-high, add your olive oil and onion and cook until onion begins to turn translucent, about 5 min. Season the onion with salt and pepper.

3. Then add in your garlic, spinach, green salsa and cumin. Cook for 2 minutes or until the spinach is soft and cooked through.

4. Combine your with bean puree with onion mixture and season to taste with salt.

5. Then mix in lime juice, cheddar and jack cheese and set aside.

6. Fill a thick bottomed pot with oil to reach 2 inches up the sides of the pot. Heat to frying temp (360F).

7. Fill each tortilla with ½ cup of the black bean mixture and roll tightly. Secure each rolled tortilla with 3 toothpicks.

8. Fry in batches to avoid overcrowding. The oil is just right when it ripples as small little bubbles around the tortilla as it cooks. Each flauta should cook about 1 minute. They have a tendency to bob, so make sure you turn with tongs to make sure all sides cook fully and brown to golden. Once cooked, remove toothpicks and set flautas on a paper towel to drain off excess oil.

9. Mix the ingredients of your avocado cream in a food processor and season to taste with salt.

10. Cut flautas in half and serve with avocado cream and chopped tomatoes as a garnish.

Herbed Hasselback Potatoes

, Valentina Rice

 

This is a fun recipe that is the perfect marriage between a french fry and a baked potato. They make a delicious side and also a great presentation. We thought they would be a fun Passover dish as an alternative for Potato Kugel. But you certainly don’t have to celebrate Passover to enjoy a potato bursting with buttery flavor, great texture and a fancy fan-shape. We hope you enjoy.

 

Ingredients:

5 large russet or Idaho potatoes

6 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup olive oil

Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 450F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, place a potato on a cutting board between two wooden spoons and slice horizontally into 1/4″ or 1/8″ thin strips (the spoons prevent you from slicing through the back of the potato while also protecting you from slipping and cutting yourself). Repeat until all potatoes are sliced.

2. Boil potatoes for 10 minutes then remove with thongs and allow to cool.

3. In a small stockpot, combine butter, herbs, garlic and olive oil. Cook until butter is melted. Meanwhile, line a baking tray with aluminum foil.

4. Place par-boiled potatoes on the baking tray and spoon half of the herb butter over them, making sure to coat all sides and also get in all the slices. Once you’ve coated all the potatoes, spoon up the extra butter from the tray and drizzle it once more to make sure the entire spud is covered. Then season the potatoes generously with salt and pepper. 

5. Bake 30 minutes and then spoon the remaining butter over the potatoes. The first bake allows the layers to open up so that you can get more butter in there. Season again with salt and pepper. Then bake an additional 30-40 minutes more. Potatoes should be tender when tested at the bottom of the potato (you want to make sure the cooked potatoes are tender right down to the last bite).

6. Serve warm.

Sugar and Spice Pecans

, Valentina Rice

 

 

I love the combination of the sweet and salty with a touch of heat from this recipe. The roasting and the blend of sugar and spices elevate the already tasty Pecan to a special snack. Fill a mason jar with these Pecans and they make a wonderful hostess gift. Tony Bonomolo and Gabriel Senette got the idea to smoke Louisiana cane sugar over pecan shells to get the flavor infused. They started their company with Pecan smoked sugar to such success that they went on to include lavender and then ginger.

 

Sugar and Spice Pecans by La Canne Sugar Products

Taken from Recipes from Many Kitchens

 

Makes approximately 2 cups
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons (30g) butter, melted
2 tablespoons (25g) Pecan Smoked Sugar (or you can substitute coarse brown sugar)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2lb (227g) whole pecans

 

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). In a large bowl combine melted butter with brown sugar, salt and spices. Mix well then add pecans and stir until they are fully coated. Bake pecans on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with a dash of extra sea salt. Allow to cool then serve.

Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns

, Valentina Rice

 

Everyone loves a good sticky bun but not many people have the time or inclination to wait for dough to rise. These are the perfect solution. They use self-rising flour instead of yeast and as a result they cook in under 20 minutes and have an incredibly fluffy texture. It is one of those recipes that looks too good to be true but you’ll be passing along to your friends and making again and again.

 

Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns

Makes 12 

Ingredients:

Caramel Glaze:

2 tablespoons caramel sauce

4 tablespoons melted butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup Bourbon Pecan Toppings

 

Dough:

2 cups self rising flour, plus a little additional for rolling

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1-2 tablespoons cold water

 

Cinnamon Filling:

5 tablespoons warmed and soft butter, divided

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper. To do so, roll out a piece of parchment and place your cake pan on top. Trace around the edge with a pairing knife using just enough pressure to cut. Lay circular parchment in cake pan.

2. Pour butter on top of parchment then drizzle caramel sauce on top. Sprinkle with brown sugar and chopped pecans and spread to create one even layer.

3. In a medium bowl mix flour and whipping cream. Add 1-2 tablespoons cold water (just enough to get the dough to hold together to form a ball).

4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out your dough to about a foot long and 8 inches wide. Top with 4 tablespoons softened butter. Then sprinkle with cinnamon and evenly spread out the brown sugar.

5. Roll the dough towards you to create a 12 inch log with the seam facing down.

6. Slice off 1/4 inch from each of the ends and discard then divide the dough into 12 even slices.

7. Position your slices in a ring atop the caramel pecan coating (leaving as much space between them as possible). Brush with remaining tablespoon of butter and bake 17 minutes until browned.

8. Flip onto a serving plate so the caramel pecan glaze faces up and trickles down your finished buns. Serve warm.

Roast Chicken and Bread Salad

, Valentina Rice

 

There are a few dishes that everyone should know how to make well. Roasting a chicken to juicy tender perfection is a skill every carnivore should have. I’ve always used Simon Hopkinson’s recipe. Not only is he one of my favorite food writers but I figured a man who calls his book “Roast Chicken and Other Stories” has to feel pretty good about his method. And so he should. It’s downright perfect. I like it carved and laid atop a fresh spring salad with a dressing made of the chicken’s cooking juices which are soaked up by the croutons. 

 

Roast Chicken and Bread Salad

Adapted from Simon Hopkinson’s Roast Chicken and Other Stories

Serves 4

 

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 chicken (approx. 4lbs), try to get farm raised if you can

1 lemon

A few branches of fresh thyme

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1/2 cup of dry white wine

1 onion

Salt and pepper

 

Salad Ingredients:

4 cups of fresh white bread, torn or cut into 2″-3″ chunks

6 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt

4 cups of mixed salad leaves

4 radishes, thinly sliced with a potato peeler

1 cup fresh peas, if you can find them (otherwise use defrosted frozen ones)

 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2. Roughly chop the onion and put in a roasting pan large enough to fit the chicken as well as hold the juices.

3. Rub the chicken all over with the butter then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. 

4. Squeeze the juice of the lemon all over the chicken and then put the two lemon halves inside the bird’s cavity along with the thyme and garlic. 

5. Roast the chicken for 15 minutes, then baste with the juices from the pan. Next add the wine to the pan. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and roast for a further 45 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices. 

6. Meanwhile as your chicken is roasting, lay the bread on a cookie tray and mix well with the olive oil. Season with salt and add to the oven for the last 10-15 minutes that the chicken is roasting.

7. Turn off the oven, leave the door slightly open and let the chicken rest for 15 minutes.  

8. In a large bowl, mix the leaves, radishes, peas and croutons with some of the pan juices from the roast chicken. 

9. Arrange the salad on a platter. Carve the bird and lay on top of the salad. If you want to save some of the breast meat for later, you can start by serving the wings, drumsticks and thighs. Drizzle some of the remaining juices over the chicken pieces, just enough to moisten and add flavor, and serve immediately.

Introducing Daisy

, Valentina Rice

 

For those who follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed a slight shift from the culinary to the canine. On November 14th, I adopted Daisy, a 12 week old scruffy mutt through the wonderful people at Social Tees who rescued her and her litter from a kill shelter in Tennessee. Part angel, part feral beast, she has turned my life upside down and inside out. Thanks to her, I laugh more, I smile more and couldn’t love her more even though she has ripped my sofa to shreds along with several pairs of shoes.

 

 

This weekend, I brought Daisy to a sibling reunion with a few of her littermates. They all looked so different with such individual personalities. I’d like to think they recognized each other but it’s hard to tell with Daisy as she plays with every dog like they’re her long lost sibling. It was heartwarming to see her reunited with her family and meet the other adopters who have, like me, made these dogs a central part of their lives.

 

 

In honor of Daisy and all the other wonderful and loving pups, I wanted to expand our products at Many Kitchens to offer gourmet pet food. We’ve been working with the wonderful Pai at Bunches & Bunches for a while but only just started offering their dog biscuits. Pai named the biscuits after her first dog, Bailey. And now, we’ve started working with Danielle and Dyana who recently launched Barklyn Organics with their dog Baci. Barklyn offers a line of 100% hormone free, free range, locally sourced dog food. Daisy will pretty much do anything I ask of her if I’m holding a piece of their Chicken Jerky. I hope your pets will enjoy these treats as much as Daisy has.