96 MARCH 2019
Fried Rabbit with Fish Pepper
Hot Honey
PHOTO P. 84
ACTIVE 30 MIN; TOTAL 50 MIN
SERVES 8
At his restaurants, Spike Gjerde uses fish
pepper, a spicy heirloom chile, in all kinds
of dishes. Here, the pepper infuses a hot
honey that’s perfect for drizzling over
breaded and fried rabbit loins. Find rabbit
loins at butcher shops or online at
dartagnan.com, or substitute 2 pounds
boneless, skinless chicken thighs,
trimmed and cut in half lengthwise.
1 / 2 cup clover honey
1 tsp. fish pepper flakes or crushed
red pepper
2 lb. boneless rabbit loin (about 16
pieces) or boneless, skinless
chicken thighs, halved lengthwise
41 / 4 tsp. medium-grind sea salt, divided
11 / 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6^3 / 8
oz.), divided
(^3) / 4 cup cornstarch
3 / 4 tsp. baking powder
11 / 2 cups cold water
Canola oil, for frying
- Stir together honey and fish pepper
flakes in a small saucepan. Cook over
medium, stirring occasionally, until very
hot and runny, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove
from heat, and set aside. - Toss rabbit loins with 2 teaspoons salt.
Let rabbit loins stand at room tempera-
ture 30 minutes. - Meanwhile, stir together^3 / 4 cup flour,
cornstarch, baking powder, and 1^1 / 2 tea-
spoons salt in a medium bowl. Add 1^1 / 2
cups cold water, and whisk until a smooth
batter forms. Pour oil into a large cast-
iron skillet to a depth of^3 / 4 inch; heat over
medium-high to 425°F. - Dredge about 5 rabbit loins in remain-
ing^3 / 4 cup flour, shaking off excess. Dip
rabbit in batter, allowing excess to drip
off. Fry rabbit loins, turning occasionally,
until golden brown and internal tempera-
ture registers 150°F, about 4 minutes. (If
using chicken thighs, cook to 165°F.)
Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels,
and sprinkle with^1 / 4 teaspoon salt. Repeat
coating and frying process 2 times with
remaining rabbit loins, flour, batter, and
remaining salt. Serve hot, drizzled with
fish pepper hot honey.
THE RINGLEADER from p. 89
Spicy Merguez Scramble with
Lemon-Harissa Yogurt and
Moroccan M’smen
TOTAL 20 MIN; SERVES 4
Merguez, a spicy Moroccan lamb sausage,
is heavily seasoned and flavors the scram-
ble with its spices, like cumin and corian-
der. Find an excellent version from
D’Artagnan at dartagnan.com. A recipe for
Moroccan M’smen follows, or order from
Hot Bread Kitchen at hotbreadkitchen
.com. In a pinch, substitute crumbly Mexi-
can chorizo for the merguez and serve the
scramble with warmed flour tortillas.
8 large eggs
Pinch of kosher salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 / 2 lb. merguez sausage, casings
removed
1 medium-size red bell pepper,
chopped
1 /^2 medium-size yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp. harissa
4 Moroccan M’smen (recipe follows),
warmed
1 / 2 cup Lemon-Harissa Yogurt (recipe
follows)
Chopped fresh mint
- Whisk together eggs, salt, and black
pepper in a medium bowl until frothy. Set
aside. - Cook sausage in a large skillet over
medium-high, stirring to break up pieces,
until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer
sausage to a plate lined with paper towels.
Reserve 2 teaspoons drippings in skillet. - Reduce heat to medium. Add bell
pepper and onion to skillet; cook, stirring
often, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add harissa; stir to combine. Add eggs
and cooked sausage; cook, stirring gently,
until eggs are just set but still creamy,
1 to 2 minutes. - To serve, place 1 warm Moroccan
M’smen on each of 4 plates. Spoon
scrambled egg mixture evenly onto
m’smen; top evenly with Lemon-Harissa
Yogurt. Garnish with mint.
AT MY TABLE from p. 98
Lemon-Harissa Yogurt
PHOTO P. 98
ACTIVE 10 MIN; MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP
This bright, spicy sauce comes together
quickly and can be made ahead for easy
assembly—just wait until you’re ready to use
it to add the mint.
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. lemon zest plus 1 Tbsp. fresh
lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
1 / 2 tsp. harissa
1 / 2 tsp. kosher salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced
Stir together yogurt, lemon zest and juice,
garlic, harissa, salt, and pepper in a small
bowl until combined. Refrigerate, covered,
up to 2 days. Stir in mint just before serving.
Moroccan M’smen
PHOTO P. 98
ACTIVE 35 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 20 MIN
SERVES 12
These flaky, buttery flatbreads work wonder-
fully as wraps for warm breakfast scrambles
or drizzled with honey and served with a cup
of tea. You can mix and divide the dough up
to 8 hours before shaping, allowing ample
time for the gluten to relax. M’smen also
freeze well once fully cooled—make extra and
keep them around for last-minute dinners.
4 cups all-purpose flour (about 17 oz.)
13 /^4 cups water
11 / 2 tsp. kosher salt
1 / 2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. (about 4 oz.) plus^1 / 4
cup semolina flour, divided
6 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. canola oil, divided,
plus more
6 Tbsp. salted butter (3 oz.), melted
- Place all-purpose flour, 1^3 / 4 cups water,
salt,^1 / 2 cup plus 2 tablespoons semolina
flour, and 2 teaspoons oil in a stand mixer fit-
ted with a dough hook attachment; mix on
low speed until combined, about 2 minutes.
Increase speed to medium, and continue
mixing until dough is smooth, shiny, and
elastic and pulls away from sides of bowl,
about 6 minutes. - Generously coat a rimmed baking sheet
with oil. Coat a large smooth work surface
with oil. (A granite, stainless steel, or For-
mica countertop is ideal.) Transfer dough to
oiled surface. Using oiled hands, divide
dough into 12 (3-ounce) balls. Place balls 2