Chef J. Looney

In spite of many prevalent beliefs about the culinary habits of the French, they eat pretty normal stuff in their day-to-day goings on. Cassoulet, for example, with a bit of baguette. Nothing special about it. Oh sure, it SOUNDS complicated and fancy, but seriously, you could say “peanut butter and jelly sammich” in French and it’d sound like the greatest meal ever made.

Cassoulet is just beans and meat. The beauty of this dish, though (and probably what makes it so uniquely French) is the layering of flavors and the depth that is achieved with just a few simple ingredients and a little patience.

Cassoulet
1 lb. dry cannellini beans
1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 lb bacon, cut into 1″ strips
1 lb coarse ground pork sausage
1 lb kielbasa sausage, sliced into discs
four tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into chunks
2 yellow onions, diced
2 large leeks, thinly sliced
1/4 cup italian parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 head garlic, cut into slivers
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons bacon, duck or goose fat
4 whole cloves
3 sprigs thyme
3 bay leaves
white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Place the dry beans in a large bowl and cover with 2″ of water. Soak for 4-6 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400.

In a large (6 qt. or larger) stock pot, casserole, or dutch oven over high heat, melt the fat. When rippling, sear the pork tenderloin, then remove from the pan and reserve. In the same pan, without emptying the rendered fat, cook the pork sausage. Remove and reserve. Again, without cleaning the pan, cook the bacon, remove and reserve. Finally, sear the kielbasa, remove and reserve.

Drain off the excess fat from the pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon. Reserve the fat for other cooking if you like (I always do, and this is GOOD fat!) Add the onions, leeks and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, along with 1 quart of water. Bring to a simmer and add cloves, thyme, parsley and bay leaf.

Drain the beans, and add to the pot along with another 2 quarts of water. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until reduced by 1/3.

Add all four meats back into the pot and stir gently until combined. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven, top with a generous sprinkle of bread crumbs, and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until bread crumbs are golden brown.

Serve with a nice crusty baguette.

Southern cooking is a culinary culture unto itself – soul food, cajun, creole – it’s a very unique and distinct experience. Among the hallmarks of southern food are three items – fried chicken, collard greens, and grits. And believe me when I tell you, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts – these three together are a trifecta of delicious artery-clogging goodness!

Classic Fried Chicken
NOTE: I recommend chicken with the bone in and the skin on. A bone-in piece of meat will always be juicier and more flavorful, and you just can’t beat a crispy skin on a piece of fried chicken.

2 lbs of chicken pieces
2 cups flour
1 quart buttermilk
oil
salt
pepper

Place the chicken and the buttermilk in a Ziploc bag to marinate for at least 8 hours, but preferably 24. In a large skillet, add about two inches of oil and heat until rippling. Place the flour in a wide shallow baking dish or pie tin and add salt and pepper to taste. Empty the chicken and buttermilk into a large shallow bowl, and one piece at a time, coat the chicken in the flour. For a heartier crust, dip the chicken in the buttermilk and coat in the flour a second time. Using tongs, carefully place the chicken in the oil. Turn occasionally to ensure chicken is cooked on all sides. When the crust is golden and crispy, and the juices from the chicken run clear, remove it from the oil. Serve immediately.

Collard Greens
3 bunches collard greens, finely chopped
1 pound bacon, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cups chicken stock

in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Reserve the bacon, leaving the fat in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, cook until the onions are clarified, then add the greens a handful at a time, adding a new handful every 5-10 minutes as the greens reduce in size. Add the chicken stock as necessary to keep the greens moist and prevent burning. Cook the greens until very tender, about 45 minutes or up to several hours.

Classic Grits
There are endless ways to cook grits, and every southerner has their own. This is simply the most basic recipe, and can be used as a foundation for whatever you’d like to add to make them your own.

1 cup grits
4 cups water
2 tablespoons bacon fat
salt to taste

In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. While whisking vigorously, add the grits a little at a time until all the grits have been added. Stir every few minutes to prevent clumping. Cook for 20 minutes or so until grits are the desired consistency. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of bacon fat just before serving.

Now, I LOVE me some hot sour soup of the Chinese variety, but who knew that Thai hot sour is every bit as delicious, albeit in a more different way?! Not me, but I’m here to tell you, this is fantastic stuff! Spicy, savory, tart and delicious.

Tom Yum Gai
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 white onion, diced
2 green onions, cut into 2″ lengths and sliced lengthwise
2 small tomatoes, cut into eighths
1/2 lb skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 1/2 cups button mushrooms, quartered
4 cups chicken stock
3 stalks lemongrass, cut the stalks diagonally 2-inch long, scored lightly
10 fresh kaffir lime leaves
2″ piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/4 teaspoons thai chili garlic paste
5 bird’s eye chili peppers, sliced
1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
juice from 5 limes

In a 5 quart stock pot, heat the sesame oil until rippling, then add the chicken, white onion and ginger. Sautee until chicken starts to brown and onions are translucent. Add the stock and remaining ingredients except the green onions and cilantro. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add green onions and cilantro, simmer another 2-3 minutes, then serve immediately.

And what would Thai food be without fried rice? This one turns out creamy and rich, almost like a risotto.

Khao Phat
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped1 medium onion, sliced
2 eggs
4 cups cooked white or brown rice
1 tomato, rough chopped
1/2 cup basil, minced
2 green onions, diced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablepoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

In a large wok, heat the sesame oil until rippling. Add the chicken and onion, and cook until chicken begins to brown and onions are translucent. add the rice, and sautee for 2-3 minutes. add remaining ingredients except eggs, and continue to sautee and move the ingredients in the pan. Just before serving, crack the eggs into the rice mixture and let set for 1-2 minutes. Stir once more to incorporate the egg, then serve.

Kalbi (or Galbi) is the traditional Korean short rib barbecue. The trick to attaining maximum flavor is marinating the ribs over several days. I recommend marinating for no less than 3 and no more than 5 days. Serve with Kimchi and Pa Moochim (recipes follow)

Kalbi Marinade
1 1/2 cups soy sauce
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup sesame oil
1 head of garlic, minced
1  white onion, chopped
3 large green onions, chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
5 lbs beef short-ribs

Mix soy sauce and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add sesame oil and whisk vigorously until incorporated. mix in the remaining ingredients. Place the ribs in a large non-reactive container or ziploc bag, and cover with the marinade. Rotate the marinade and ribs every 12 hours to ensure uniform coverage.

Broiling: place ribs in oven with broiler set on high. Broil just  until edges are black and crispy, about 12-15 minutes.

grilling: place ribs over high heat, turning only once, about 2-3 mintes per side.

Kimchi
1 large Napa Cabbage
1 cup kosher salt
1 head of garlic, finely minced
one 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup chili paste or 1/2 cup Korean chili powder
1 bunch green onions, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 tablespoon sugar

Slice the cabbage in half lengthwise, then finely slice it again, starting at the tip and moving towards the root. You should end up with thin strips of cabbage that resemble confetti streamers. Place the cabbage in the bowl and sprinkle generously with the kosher salt, mixing as you go to ensure proper coverage. Cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Mix all the other ingredients together in a separate bowl.

The cabbage will have released quite a bit of liquid. Drain the cabbage and squeeze it dry. Rinse under cold water, and repeat. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Cover, and let stand at room temperature for 2-3 days. Once it starts to get a little bubbly around the edges, you can refrigerate it.

Pa Moochim
2 bunches green onions, sliced lengthwise
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoons red pepper paste
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

Mix garlic, red pepper paste, sesame oil and vinegar together in a large bowl to make the dressing. Toss green onions in dressing, serve immediately.

Baba Ganoush? Hummus? Tapenade? All three can be found widely throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East, and they vary pretty widely. The hallmark of all three of these is the same, though – good quality ingredients, simple preparation, and let the flavors speak for themselves. Not much spice or herb is used, as you’ll see, yet all three of these pack a whole lot of flavor.

Baba Ganoush
2 large eggplants, cut into slices about 1/2 inch thick
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons tahini

1/2 tablespoon coriander
Juice of 1 lemon

You can either oven roast the eggplant or cook it on the grill. If you’re oven roasting, brush both sides with a bit of olive oil and roast on a sheet tray for about 20 minutes at 350. If you’re grilling it, brush with olive oil and grill until it’s just starting to blacken around the edges.

once your eggplant is cooked, cut it into smaller pieces, about 2″ square, and throw it in the food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend just until incorporated. add salt to taste.

Olive Tapenade
2 cups kalamata olives
1 cup green olives
2 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon olive oil

Put everything in a food processor and blend until roughly incorporated.

Hummus
2 cans garbanzo beans
2-3 cloves of garlic (I use 4-5, but I really like garlic)
1/4 cup tahini paste
2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Put the garbanzo beans, garlic and tahini in a food processor. While the food processor is running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until you reach the desired texture/creaminess.

I also add a squirt of lemon to mine, but Megan doesn’t approve of this. She adds a little chili powder to hers, which I like, but isn’t exactly authentic.

Serve all three of these with plenty of pita bread that has been brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, and toasted in a sautee pan or on a flat-top grill.