The Washington Post - 11.03.2020

E8 eZ ee the washington post.wednesday, march 11 , 2020

including lots of smoked paprika, and she

serves it with Cool ranch Doritos.

Living in New orleans, Compton has

become a fan of Zatarain’s jambalaya

seasoning mix. She a dds i t to rice, which

she t ops w ith f resh avocado. She also uses

the seasoning to make a broth to cook

mixed frozen vegetables.

edward Lee

Author, c hef-owner of 6 10 Magnolia and

two o ther restaurants i n Louisville, a nd

Succotash in Washington, D.C.

Lee may not regularly cook at home, but

when pressed he showed off his chef bona

fides by cooking u p something from next to

nothing. In less than 15 minutes, he ex-

plained in a phone interview, he coaxed a

tantalizing bowl o f noodles from a packet o f

instant r amen, some frozen green beans, a

dash of curry powder and a slice of pro-

cessed american cheese. “The cheese adds

a little creaminess and tang,” h e said.

And a dash of nostalgia. During and

after the Korean War, Lee says, Koreans

learned about many nonperishable

American foods such as Spam, hot dogs

and processed cheese through U.S. mili-

tary pantries and adopted them as a part

of their staple diet, though they used

them in their own ways. “melted cheese

on ramen is the best. It’s c omfort food.”

And isn’t t hat what we r eally n eed right

now?

[email protected]

Jane black is a former food section staff

writer.

To get a good char, you’ll want to rid

the meat of moisture and cook it over

high, unrelenting heat — such as in a hot

cast-iron skillet, under the broiler or on

the grill. If there’s liquid or the pan isn’t

hot e nough, the steak will steam and e nd

up gray a nd flabby.

S o, here’s your go-to recipe: Pat the

steak dry, generously salt and pepper,

drizzle with olive oil, sear over high heat

for 3 minutes per side. Let rest a few

minutes. Thinly slice it against the g rain.

Just l ike that, skirt steak delivers deep,

buttery, mineral flavor. It tastes like all-

caps BEEf.

When thinly sliced — always against

the grain — it is tender enough that it

doesn’t n eed t he help o f a marinade. Plus,

a liquid marinade can inhibit that deli-

cious browning. (Why marinate a steak

for 1 5 or 30 minutes when, o n its o wn, t he

meat can be great and ready in fewer

than 10?)

Instead, incorporate flavor in punchi-

er ways that don’t mess up the optimal

cooking environment (reminder: dry,

hot).

for instance, cook the steak naked,

then let it soak in a piquant sauce. As the

steak from e1 steak rests, its juices mix with the dress-

ing, giving the dish e ven more m oxie. You

can do this with just about any liquid

marinade, sauce or salad dressing that

you think complements steak: Below,

find a deep red chimichurri, smoky with

paprika and spicy from red p epper f lakes.

Another option is to brush the steak

with a thick glaze. Skirt steak has lots of

nooks and crannies on the exterior for

glaze to settle into and caramelize when

it’s h it by h eat.

If you g o this route, you’ll want to cook

the steak at a slightly lower temperature

(medium-high) to avoid burning. Your

glaze could s imply b e a slick of harissa or

barbecue sauce. or, try a favorite o f mine,

Gochujang-Honey Skirt Steak, a mixture

of gochujang and honey, that creates a

spicy, sweet and umami-packed glaze

with just two ingredients. Could you add

grated garlic and ginger? Sure, but it’s n ot

necessary. Soy sauce? Yes, but not much,

as it’ll add t oo much moisture.

With steak this flavorful and quick-

cooking, why bother?

[email protected]

slagle is a recipe developer and food stylist

based in new york city.

Skirt steak cooks fast and

stands up to bold flavors

recipe finder.search more than 8,900 post-tested recipes

at washingtonpost.com/recipes.

recipe questions? email [email protected]

recommends s tocking u p on frozen vege-
tables, which “ have no less nutrition t han
fresh ones do,” and plenty of root vegeta-
bles that also store well — even if you
don’t have a big freezer: “Turnips are
delicious cooked in broth with a little bit
of soy sauce, a dash of hoisin sauce and
Chinese five spice.”
finally, bulk up your condiment sup-
ply with shelf-stable sauces and concen-
trates that can create variety. one of
Lakshmi’s go-to pantry meals is what she
calls “paste pasta,” noodles tossed in a
mix of sun-dried tomato paste, anchovy
paste and green-olive paste, olive oil and
crushed red pepper. Another is kichidi, a
traditional Indian rice and lentil por-
ridge s he makes f or her family that can be
filled with vegetables — or not.

Hugo Ortega
Chef-owner of Backstreet C afe a nd four
other Houston r estaurants

ortega grew up in the mountains of
oaxaca, so among his go-tos are so-
pecitos, little corn cups that can be filled
with stewed vegetables, meat, cheese,
anything really. You start with masa hari-
na (ground, nixtamalized c orn f lour) and
mix it with water, then form it into little
balls and stretch it in the palm of your
hand. A ll t hat’s left i s to cook i t lightly i n a
cast-iron pan. “masa is my equivalent of
pasta,” ortega said. “You can put almost
anything on it, and it will give you plenty
of energy for t he d ay.”
If you’re really w orried about the c oro-
navirus, you c an b uy 1 0-pound (or larger)
sacks of masa at club stores or Latin
markets. ortega likes blue-corn masa,
which is often of higher quality. And as
long as you’re stocking up, ortega recom-
mends c anned cherry tomatoes , “which
have a lot more flavor” than the usual
plum v ariety.
Though it may not help in the short
term, ortega also hopes the scare will
encourage people to cultivate some fresh
food themselves: “Put rosemary in a pot
in the window or a tomato plant out the
back door.” After all, Americans have
done it before. During World War II, there
were 18 million so-called Victory Gar-
dens.

Melissa Hamilton and Christopher
Hirsheimer
Authors, owners o f Canal House Station
restaurant in M ilford, N.J.

In the culinary world, Hamilton and
Hirsheimer are goddesses of simple food,
the kind of people who just happen to have
a pie coming o ut the oven when you stop by
without advance notice. S o no surprise t hat
cooking from a well-stocked pantry is what
they do. Never are they without lots of good
olive oil and canned tuna — which can be
made into a stellar and satisfying pasta
sauce with the addition o f parsley and lem-
on — or eggs because, says Hirsheimer,
“omelets are fantastic and can be made
with whatever you have kicking around in
the fridge.”
Like Lakshmi, Hamilton and Hir-
sheimer are also big advocates of frozen
vegetables, especially peas. T hey dedicat-
ed a whole chapter to them in the sixth
volume of their Canal House Cooking
series. “You can make a great soup with
canned or boxed chicken broth and a few
bags of frozen peas,” Hirsheimer says.

nina Compton
Chef-owner of Compère Lapin and
Bywater American Bistro, New Orleans

“The busier I get, the simpler I keep it at
home,” Compton said. That means a lot of
snacks, including pickles, nuts, charcute-
rie and cheese — plus a few To tino’s Su-
preme fr ozen pizzas. The one meal she
cooks regularly out of her pantry: cacio e
pepe, pasta with cheese and black pepper.
“The key is adding the right amount of
pasta water, because the starchy water
makes the sauce really creamy.” Compton
makes the pasta from scratch once a
month, and then pulls it out of the freezer,
but any dried pasta w ill do.
Chili and risottos are also go-tos. for
risotto, she uses dried mushrooms, which
can live in the pantry indefinitely and are
reconstituted to make the stock the rice
cooks in. (Frozen peas, plus plenty of
cheese and butter, complete the dish.) Her
chili, usually vegetarian, features dried
beans and spices that she has on hand,

pantry from e1

There’s comfort in a smartly stocked pantry

Pantry Ramen

1 to 2 servings

A reliable pantry staple, packaged instant ramen enjoys a cult status with many,

from cash-strapped college students to gourmet chefs. The slice of processed

American cheese adds comforting, savory creaminess and is a nod to the days

following the Korean War when iconic American foods flooded South Korea.

Adapted from chef Edward Lee.

Ingredients

l1 cup water

l^3 / 4 c up coconut milk

lone (3-ounce) p acket instant ramen

noodles, such as maruchan ramen

Noodle Soup

l^1 / 4 c up frozen g reen beans

l1 tablespoon c reamy peanut b utter

(optional)

l^1 / 2 t easpoon c urry powder, plus more

for g arnish

l1 slice American cheese, s uch as Kraft

steps

lAdd 1 cup of water to a medium pot over

medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

Add the coconut milk, noodles, green

beans and peanut butter, if using, and

cook, stirring now and t hen, for a bout 3

minutes.

lremove from the heat and add the

curry powder and half of the spice mix

from the ramen packet and stir until

fully dissolved, about 1 minute. (Dis-

card the r emaining spice mix.)

lTransfer the ramen and its broth to a

large bowl and place the cheese on top.

Dust with more curry powder and

serve.

ingredients are too variable for a meaningful analysis.

recipe tested by olga massov; email questions to

[email protected]

Kichidi

4 to 6 servings

one of “Top Chef” host Padma Laksh-

mi’s favorite family dishes is kichidi, a

traditional Indian dish that she makes

for her family. She often makes a vegeta-

ble-filled version, but here, it has been

simplified with mostly from-the-pantry

ingredients.

Kichidi can be refrigerated for up to 4

days.

Adapted from Padma Lakshmi.

Ingredients

l1 cup (7 ounces) masoor (red/orange)

or mung (yellow) lentils

l^1 / 2 cup (6^1 / 2 ounces) basmati rice

l1 bay leaf

l1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to

taste

l^1 / 2 cup diced carrots (about 1 large)

l2 tablespoons canola oil

l2 to 3 dried red chiles, or more to

taste

l^3 / 4 teaspoon black mustard seeds

l^1 / 2 teaspoon ground cumin

l^1 / 2 teaspoon freshly ground black

pepper

l1 tablespoon unsalted butter or ghee

(optional)

steps

lrinse the lentils and rice until the

water runs clear. In a large stockpot,

add the lentils, rice and bay leaf and

enough cold water to cover the ingre-

dients by about 3 inches. Stir in

enough salt so that the water tastes

lightly salty.

lSet the pot over medium-high heat

and bring the mixture to a boil. reduce

the heat to medium and simmer, un-

covered, stirring occasionally to pre-

vent sticking on the bottom, about 20

minutes. Stir in the carrots and cook,

stirring a few times, until the rice is

tender and the porridge is the consis-

tency of oatmeal, about 10 minutes. If

any foam forms during cooking, skim

it off If the mixture seems too dry

during cooking, add water, a little at a

time, as needed.

lWhen the rice is just about cooked, in a

shallow pan over medium high heat,

heat the canola oil until shimmering.

Add the chiles, mustard seeds, cumin

and pepper and cook, stirring, until

the mustard seeds begin to pop, about

3 minutes. Add the oil and spice

mixture to the porridge. Stir in the

butter or ghee, if using.

lremove from the heat, divide among

bowls and serve.

nutrition | Per serving (based on 6): 270 calories, 10

g protein, 45 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat, 0 g saturated

fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 200 mg sodium, 6 g dietary

fiber, 1 g sugar

recipe tested by ann maloney; email questions to

[email protected]

Skirt Steak With Red Chimichurri and Peppers

4 servings

Skirt steak is so quick-cooking, don’t b other with a marinade. Instead, let the steak

rest in a red chimichurri, the earthy, smoky counterpart to the green, herb-based

chimichurri. As the steak rests, its juices settle into the spiced sauce, which is also

great on eggs, toast, beans or shrimp.

refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

recipes from recipe developer Ali Slagle.

Ingredients

l1 pound skirt steak

lKosher salt

l^1 / 3 cup red wine vinegar

l3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,

divided

l1 teaspoon smoked paprika

l^1 / 2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

l^1 / 2 teaspoon ground cumin

l1 garlic clove (about 1 teaspoon),

grated

l1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced

crosswise

l2 medium red bell peppers, thinly

sliced

l^1 / 4 cup coarsely chopped parsley

steps

lCut the skirt steak into 5 to 6-inch

pieces. Pat dry and season with 1

teaspoon of salt.

lIn a large bowl, stir together the red

wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the

olive oil, the paprika, red pepper

flakes, cumin, garlic and shallot. Sea-

son with 1 teaspoon of salt.

lHeat a large cast-iron skillet over high

heat until lightly smoking. Pat the

steak dry again, then drizzle with the

remaining tablespoon of the olive oil.

Add the skirt steak and cook, undis-

turbed, until charred, 2 to 3 minutes

per side.

lTransfer the steak to the chimichurri

and toss to coat.

lreduce the heat to medium-high, and

add the peppers. Season with salt, and

cook, tossing occasionally, until tender

and charred in spots, 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the peppers to the chimi -

churri.

lThinly slice the steak against the

grain. Stir the parsley into the peppers.

Serve the steak topped with the with

peppers and chimichurri.

nutrition | Per serving: 240 calories, 24 g protein, 6 g

carbohydrates, 14 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 75 mg

cholesterol, 670 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber, 2 g

sugar

Photos by stacy Zarin goldberg for the Washington Post; s tyling by lisa cherkasky for the Washington Post

Photos by tom mccorkle for the Washington Post; food styling by lisa cherkasky for the Washington Post

Gochujang-Honey

Skirt Steak

4 servings

Skirt steak is so thin that sim-

ply glazing its exterior will give

you lots of flavor in each bite.

Gochujang, a Korean fermented

chile paste, blended with honey

makes an ideal glaze, delivering

sweet, spicy and umami in just

two ingredients. It s ettles into the

nooks and crannies of the meat

and caramelizes once it hits the

hot, hot heat.

refrigerate in an airtight con-

tainer for up to 3 days.

Ingredients

l1 pound skirt steak

l1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus

more to taste

l3 tablespoons gochujang

l3 tablespoons honey

l1 tablespoon canola oil

steps

lCut the skirt steak into 5- to

6-inch pieces. Pat dry and season with

the salt.

lIn a shallow bowl, stir the gochujang

and honey together until combined.

Add the skirt steak and coat with the

mixture.

lHeat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet

over medium-high heat until lightly

smoking. Add the steak and cook,

undisturbed, until charred, 3 to 4

minutes per side.

lTransfer the steak to a cutting board to

rest for a few minutes, then thinly slice

against the grain. Season to taste with

salt, if desired.

nutrition | Per serving: 320 calories, 23 g protein,

21 g carbohydrates, 17 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 75 mg

cholesterol, 620 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fiber, 17 g

sugar

recipes tested by ann maloney; email questions to

[email protected]