Food & Wine USA - (03)March 2020

98 MARCH 2020

medium-low until flavors are infused,

dashi has a light smoky flavor, and liquid

has reduced to about 4 cups, 12 to 15 min-

utes. Remove from heat; pour through a

fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl,

reserving shiitakes for quick-pickled shii-

takes (recipe follows).

MAKE AHEAD Dashi can be kept in an

airtight container in refrigerator up to 3

days.

Quick-Pickled Shiitakes

ACTIVE 10 MIN; TOTAL 20 MIN

MAKES ABOUT 1^1 / 2 CUPS

Leftover hydrated shiitakes from making

dashi are full of flavor and are perfect for

tossing with this mild soy-sherry pickling

liquid. Serve with hot pot or as a condi-

ment for soups or sandwiches.

9 oz. rehydrated shiitake mushroom

caps (from Shiitake Dashi) (about 2

cups), rinsed

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar

Slice mushroom caps into^1 / 8 -inch-thick

pieces. Whisk together sugar, soy sauce,

and vinegar in a small bowl until sugar is

dissolved. Add mushrooms, and toss to

coat. Let stand 10 minutes.

MAKE AHEAD Mushrooms can be kept in

an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1

week.

Clay Pot Red Chile Beans

PHOTO P. 87

ACTIVE 40 MIN; TOTAL 3 HR 25 MIN

SERVES 6 TO 8

The alkaline nature of a micaceous clay

pot, essential for this recipe, balances the

acid in the spicy, earthy red chile sauce

and makes for a sweeter pot of beans. Any

leftover red chile sauce is delicious as a

marinade for pork or beef or spooned over

fried eggs.

1 lb. dried pinto beans (such as

Rancho Gordo), soaked overnight

6 cups filtered water

4 oz. dried Hatch or Anaheim chiles

(about 18 chiles)

(^1) / 2 oz. guajillo chiles (about 5 chiles)
(^1) / 8 oz. chiles de árbol (about 5 chiles)
4 cups boiling water
5 medium garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. granulated sugar
(^1) / (^2) tsp. dried Mexican oregano leaves
2 Tbsp. kosher salt, divided, plus
more to taste

1. Drain beans, and combine with 6 cups
   filtered water in a 4-quart micaceous
   bean pot. Cover and cook over low, gently
   scraping bottom of pot with a wooden
   spoon occasionally, until beans are tender
   and creamy, 2 hours and 15 minutes to 3
   hours.


2. Meanwhile, stem, seed, and tear Hatch
   chiles, guajillo chiles, and chiles de árbol
   into 2-inch pieces. Cook chiles in a large,
   dry cast-iron skillet over medium, stirring
   often, until fragrant and slightly softened,
   about 4 minutes. Transfer chiles to a
   medium-size heatproof bowl; add 4 cups
   boiling water. Weight chiles with a plate to
   keep them submerged; let stand 30 min-
   utes. Return skillet to heat over medium,
   and add garlic cloves. Cook, turning occa-
   sionally, until blackened in spots and
   slightly softened, about 10 minutes. Let
   cool 5 minutes; peel.


3. Drain chiles, reserving 1 cup soaking
   liquid. Combine soaked chiles, garlic, vin-
   egar, cumin, sugar, oregano, reserved 1
   cup soaking liquid, and 1 tablespoon salt
   in a blender. Process until smooth, about
   1 minute. Pour mixture through a medium
   mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing solids
   with back of a spoon to extract liquid; dis-
   card solids.


4. Stir remaining 1 tablespoon salt into
   beans. Let beans settle in cooking liquid.
   (There should be enough cooking liquid to
   cover beans by^1 / 2 inch. If not, stir in up to
   11 / 2 cups very hot water,^1 / 2 cup at a time.)
   Stir 1 cup of the red chile sauce into
   beans. (Reserve any remaining chile
   sauce for another use). Cover and cook
   over low, scraping bottom of pot occa-
   sionally, until flavors meld, about 30 min-
   utes. Season with salt to taste, and serve.
   MAKE AHEAD Red chile sauce can be kept
   in an airtight container in refrigerator up
   to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
   Beans can be cooked up to 5 days in
   advance.

Lamb and Butternut Squash

Tagine with Apricots

PHOTO P. 92

ACTIVE 25 MIN; TOTAL 4 HR 35 MIN

SERVES 4 TO 6

The natural juices from the lamb and

onion create steam that bastes the meat

as it cooks over a low flame. The gentle

heat ensures that the environment inside

the tagine remains moist and does not dry

out or burn. Savory lamb, salty olives, and

ras el hanout (a North African spice blend

of coriander, cumin, and warming spices)

are balanced by sweet butternut squash,

apricots, and a touch of honey.

2 lb. well-trimmed boneless lamb

shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces

(from about 3^1 / 2 lb. untrimmed

meat)

11 / 2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. ras el hanout,

divided

31 / 2 tsp. kosher salt, divided

1 large yellow onion, peeled and

halved, divided

21 / 2 cups cubed (about^3 / 4 -inch pieces)

peeled butternut squash

1 Tbsp. wildflower honey or orange

blossom honey

(^1) / 2 cup dried apricots
(^1) / 3 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives,
torn
2 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. small mint leaves
Cooked couscous, for serving

1. Toss lamb with 1^1 / 2 tablespoons ras el
   hanout and 2^1 / 2 teaspoons salt in a
   medium bowl until evenly coated. Let
   stand at room temperature 1 hour, or
   cover and chill up to 2 days.


2. Grate 1 onion half on largest holes of a
   box grater; set aside remaining half. Place
   grated onion in a clean dish towel or piece
   of cheesecloth, and squeeze over sink to
   remove as much liquid as possible. Stir
   together lamb and grated onion in base of
   a 2-quart tagine. Cover and cook on a gas
   stovetop or a diffuser over an electric
   range over very low until lamb is cooked
   through but not yet tender and juices are
   pooling in tagine, about 1 hour and 30
   minutes.


3. Thinly slice remaining onion half. Add
   sliced onion to tagine; stir to combine.
   Cover and continue cooking on stovetop
   until lamb is tender, about 1 hour.


4. Preheat oven to 300°F with oven rack
   in upper third of oven. Toss together but-
   ternut squash, honey, remaining 2 tea-
   spoons ras el hanout, and remaining 1
   teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add but-
   ternut squash mixture and apricots to
   tagine; stir to combine, making sure apri-
   cots are submerged in pan juices. Trans-
   fer tagine, uncovered, to upper third of
   preheated oven. Increase oven tempera-
   ture to 425°F. Bake until squash is tender,
   about 30 minutes.


5. Remove tagine from oven, and sprinkle
   with olives, pine nuts, and cilantro. Cover
   and let stand 5 minutes. Garnish with
   mint leaves, and serve with couscous.
   WINE Darkly fruity, herbal Sardinian red:
   2017 Argiolas Costera