the secret ingredient

Buds of cauliflower, sautéed with turmeric and cumin, garlic and ginger, chili and cilantro.  Light and bright, but deep with flavor, and best when served unexpectedly with something simple and quotidian, like roast chicken.

The Secret Ingredient (Turmeric): Gobi Gobi Recipe

vegetable oil

turmeric

whole cumin seeds

ginger

garlic

green chili,

Kosher salt

unsalted butter, room temperature

cilantro

Heat the oil in a wide sauté pan over medium heat.  When the oil shimmers, add the turmeric, cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, and chili.  Sauté just until fragrant—about 30 seconds.  Add the cauliflower and season with salt.  Add 2/3 cup of water, and cover.  Simmer, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender.

Take off the lid of the pot, and allow any remaining water to evaporate over high heat, and then allow the cauliflower to take on an ever-so-slight golden tinge by searing in the dry pan for just 5 to 7 more minutes.  Toss with the butter and cilantro, and serve.

You can be as fancy as you like in the kitchen, but if you don't know the basics, you'll never get anywhere.  And one basic I have been working on for a long time is the perfect basic vinaigrette.  I've written a million and one times about the restaurant Le Relais de l'Entrecôte in Paris, which now has an outpost (as yet untested by me!) in New York.  It's a steak frites place, but they bring you this amazing green salad with mustard dressing and walnuts to start, and it was that dressing I was dying to emulate.

The Secret Ingredient (Dijon Mustard): Simple Vinaigrette Recipe

Dijon mustard

white wine vinegar

black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

In the bottom of a large salad serving bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper with a small whisk until the mixture is completely homogenous.  If you don't have a whisk, use a fork.  Add the olive oil, and whisk again until completely homogenous and emulsified.  Tumble enough salad for four people on top, and toss gently to dress.

Pork loin, lean, tender, and juicy, is doused in a honey-butter-thyme glaze, and then roasted until the honey bubbles up and sticks in a sweet-savory layer on the outside of the pork.  Served with an earthy and easy pan sauce, this is the easiest and best way to cook pork.

The Secret Ingredient (Honey): Honey-Thyme Roasted Pork Loin Recipe

pork

olive oil

thyme

thyme honey

chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Take the pork out of the fridge 15 minutes before you want to use it.  Pat it dry with a paper towel, and season the pork liberally on all sides with salt and pepper.  Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  When the oil shimmers, sear the pork until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per sides, or 12 minutes total.  Take the pork out of the pan, and add the chicken stock.  Scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and reserve the sauce.

While the pork is searing, whisk together the thyme, honey, and butter until completely incorporated.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper.  Carefully rub the mixture all over the outside of the seared pork.

Place the honey-ed pork on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet that has been lightly oiled.  Use a spoon to pour any of the honey mixture that runs off the meat back on top of the pork loin.  Pour the chicken stock from the searing pan into the baking sheet.  Roast the pork in the oven until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.  Take the pork out of the oven, tent with foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Slice into medallions, and serve with the pan sauce and a few extra sprigs of fresh thyme.

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