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8 AUGUST 2019
WE’VE INVITED FRIENDS OVER for dinner tonight, and I’m standing in the kitchen
of an Airbnb in St. Helena, California, surveying my temporary work space. The
pockmarked nonstick skillets here look like they lived their best lives in the late
1990s, around the last time the knives were sharpened.
Cooking feels a bit ambitious. Why even sweat it? We could always order pizza
instead. Still, the grill works, and there’s a farmers market nearby, so I go there,
grab a taco, and walk the stalls for inspiration. A boneless leg of lamb from a
local producer looks good and can anchor the meal. Progress. I grab some greens
for sautéing, a bunch of purple torpedo onions, and the last of the green garlic
and garlic scapes, too. Okay, I think. We have a dinner game plan.
Back in the kitchen, I find a blender that whirs just fast enough to puree the
green garlic, scapes, and tender rosemary and thyme with capers, anchovies,
Dijon mustard, and olive oil to make a pungent marinade for the lamb. Later in
the afternoon, I’ll sear the lamb on the grill, then lower the heat to slowly roast
it to medium-rare, and let it rest on a platter for 30 minutes once our friends
arrive. Finally, I sauté the greens with the onions, garlic, and chile flakes softened
in olive oil, and I stir in lemon juice and a can of drained white beans.
On four plates I arrange grill-charred naan from the supermarket and slick
each piece with a store-bought garlicky almond spread (hummus or yogurt
would do, too). I lay rosy slices of lamb on each naan and spoon juices from the
platter over the top, then add mounds of the sautéed greens and beans. We open
local bottles of Napa Valley rosé and Syrah to go with the knife-and-fork lamb
tartines and take it all outside to the porch where the kids are eating, well, pizza.
At this point on the summer clock, the abundance of fresh, seasonal ingredients
sometimes outweighs the willpower to cook them, especially when we’re on
vacation or stupefied by the heat and humidity. With that in mind, we’ve
engineered this issue to aid your late-summer cooking and entertaining with
dishes that deliver big flavor without a lot of fuss. Whether you’re looking for
an excellent new rib recipe (p. 27), hearty dinner salads (p. 88), or an idea for
what to do with all of that squash (p. 87), we invite you to treat these pages like
a walk through the farmers market and pick what looks good to you.
HUNTER LEWIS
@NOTESFROMACOOK
3
HOORAY FOR ...
CHARDONNAY?
I’ve always been a snob
about California Chardon-
nays, thinking of them
as oaky butter bombs.
Not so, according to Ray
Isle, who shares a list of
diverse new Chardonnays
on the market (p. 48).
My favorite wine to pair
with crab and shrimp
this month: the 2017
Lioco Sonoma County
Chardonnay.
Easy Does It
2
SUMMER READING
On a recent flight, I
devoured Jeff Gordinier’s
Hungry. The new book
documents Danish chef
René Redzepi’s restless
quest to reinvent Noma
and his obsession with
Mexican cuisine, as well
as Gordinier’s own awak-
ening after a divorce.
1
Look for the print debut
of our recipe series
F&W Cooks with Andrea
Slonecker’s Corn Husk–
Grilled Goat Cheese with
Corn Relish and Honey
(p. 42), which makes inge-
nious use of corn husks.
Cook along with contribu-
tors like Gail Simmons,
Marcela Valladolid, and
Nik Sharma at foodand
wine.com/fwcooks or
on Instagram using the
hashtag #fwcooks.
For subscription help, visit food
andwine.com/myaccount, email
[email protected],
or call 1-800-333-6569.
From the
Home Office
ILL
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photography by RAMONA ROSALES
