Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)
1 pound elbows, shells, cavatappi, farfalle, fusilli or other short, tube-shaped pasta
Kosher salt
2 cups whole milk
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces sharp or white Cheddar, grated
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Freshly ground pepper

Direction

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until just barely al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, bring milk up to a simmer in a large pot. (The pot should be large enough to hold all the pasta when cooked.) 
3. Reduce heat to low, add cream cheese, and whisk until it’s completely blended and no lumps remain. 
4. Add Cheddar cheese and butter, whisking until everything is completely melted. Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper.
5. Add cooked pasta and stir to coat. 
6. Continue to cook over medium-low heat until the sauce has thickened and is coating each piece of pasta nicely, 2 to 3 minutes; sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. 
7. Season again with more salt and pepper before serving.

Source: NYT

Curry Fish/Chicken Breast

Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced

1 ½ tablespoons minced thyme leaves 

1 ½ teaspoons curry powder 

1 ½ teaspoons grated ginger 

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed 

¾ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 

Ground black pepper, to taste 4 (6-ounce) 

chicken, or fish like halibut

Fresh lemon juice, for serving 

fresh parsley, for serving

Directions

1. Heat the broiler. 
2. Make sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in garlic, thyme, curry powder, ginger and 1/4 teaspoon salt; heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in lemon zest. 
3. Season chicken/fish with salt and pepper and brown slightly with small amount of butter in a saute pan.  
4. Pour sauce over fish and broil until fish/chicken is cooked through, about 5-10 minutes. 
5. Top with a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh dill, and serve.

Poulet Au Vinaigre

Ingredients
3 tablespoon clarified unsalted butter or 2 tablespoon unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon peanut oil
4 unpeeled garlic cloves
1 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup mild white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar
3/4 pound very ripe red tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. 
2. Heat clarified butter and garlic in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high. (The skillet should be large enough to hold all the chicken pieces in 1 layer.) Cook until the sound of sizzling butter has faded, about 3 minutes. 
3. Add chicken pieces, and cook until pieces are lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes, flipping once after 3 minutes. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
4. Add vinegar, and bring mixture to a brisk boil over medium-high heat; 
5. top chicken with tomatoes and parsley. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes, flipping chicken pieces after 7 minutes. 
6. Transfer chicken to a baking dish, and keep warm in preheated oven.
7. Using a spoon, skim and discard fat from surface of vinegar mixture in skillet. Continue to cook over low, undisturbed, until reduced by one-third, 3 to 4 minutes. 
8. Remove garlic cloves; peel cloves, and mash garlic pulp into sauce with a wooden spoon until blended. Add salt to taste. 
9. Whisk in 2 tablespoons butter until creamy.
10. Transfer chicken to a platter; pour sauce over chicken, and serve immediately.

Ginger-Scallion Chicken

Ingredients:
¼ cup softened duck fat, ghee, or fat of choice
½ cup thinly sliced scallions (about 3 scallions)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
Kosher Salt
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (10-12 ounces each)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F with the rack in the middle position. 
2. In a small bowl, add the fat, scallions, ginger, and 2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt (use half the amount if you are using a fine grain salt or Morton’s kosher salt). Mix well.
3. Using your fingers, carefully separate the skin of each chicken breast away from the meat to form a pocket.
4. Add 1 tablespoon of the “pesto” under the skin of each breast.
5. Carefully press and massage the skin to evenly distribute the ginger-scallion pesto. 
6. Put the chicken skin-side up on a wire rack atop a baking sheet. 
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Oven-roast for 30 to 35 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the chicken registers 150°F.
9. Rest chicken for 5 minutes. Debone the breasts, slice, and serve.

Source: Nom Nom Paleo

Thai Steak

Ingredients 

1/4 cup toasted sesame oil 

1/4 cup soy sauce 

2 tablespoons of finely chopped ginger 

2 tablespoons of finely chopped garlic 

2 tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro 

2 tablespoons of salted roasted peanuts 

2 scallions, minced 

1 tablespoon of light brown sugar 

1 tablespoon of lime juice 

1 tablespoon of chile oil 

2 pounds skirt steak 

1/4 cup chicken stock 

Salt 

Freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. In a bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, cilantro, peanuts, scallions, sugar, lime juice and chile oil; 
2. transfer half the marinade to a glass container and refrigerate. 
3. Add the steak to remaining marinade and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. 
4. Bring the steak to room temperature, season with salt and pepper.
5. Grill or sear in cast iron skillet over high heat until medium-rare, 5 minutes. 
6. Transfer the steak to a board and let rest for 5 minutes, then thinly slice across the grain. 
7. Add the stock to the reserved marinade. 
8. Serve the steak with the sauce.

All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce

Ingredients:
1 cup coconut aminos
½ cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ginger powder
1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)

Directions
Combine all of the ingredients in a small jar. Cover it tightly with a lid, and shake well to incorporate before using.This sauce keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Don’t forget to shake well again before using it!

Source: Nom Nom Paleo 

Slow Poached Halibut with Lemon Relish

INGREDIENTS

2 lemons
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced into rings
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
1/2 cup Kalamata Olives, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons drained capers, chopped
1 1/4 cups olive oil, divided
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 pounds halibut fillet
1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. Make relish at least 1 hour before the meal.
2. Combine onion and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Let sit 10 minutes.
3. While the onion marinates in salt,  finely grate zest from lemons in a bowl and set aside. 
4. Using a sharp knife, cut peel and white pith from lemons; discard. 
5. Working over a medium bowl, cut between membranes to release segments into bowl and squeeze membranes to release juices; discard membranes and any seeds. Set lemon segments aside.
6. Squeeze onion to remove any excess liquid; add to bowl with lemon segments.
7. Add olives, capers, reserved lemon zest, and 3/4 cup oil; season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Cover relish and chill at least 1 hour.
8. Preheat oven to 250°F. Bring relish to room temperature.
9. Place fish in a large shallow baking dish or roasting pan and drizzle with remaining 1/2 cup oil. Add pepper flakes and turn fish to coat; season with salt. 
10. Roast until just cooked through, 30–40 minutes. Transfer fish to a platter. 
11. Mix parsley into relish and spoon over fish.

Source : Epicurious