Weeknight Meals

This is one of my best recipes (if I do say so myself!) and it’s become one of my mom’s favorites, too. People will say, “What is this?” and then, “Who knew you could eat raw asparagus?” It’s simple and unique and, I promise, it will make you a rock star with your guests.

Out in Galveston Bay right around Thanksgiving the flounder run. The channels and passes that head from the marshy shallows out towards the deep Gulf of Mexico are teeming with the flat fellows on their way back to the gulf for winter. A hook baited with shrimp and an angler patient enough to give the hook time to set can come home with the two-fish limit. In Mobile Bay in Alabama the flounder run in the spring is called the Jubilee; the fish are so plentiful they can be scooped up by the netful. A dusting of potato starch and seasoning on these and a belly full of aromatics is a jubilant celebration of the flounders’ run.

This is one of the dishes I turn to when unexpected guests drop in. The sauce comes together in less time than it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta, but the results are always impressive. Begin the sauce as soon as you put the water on to boil, because it’s better if the sauce is ready before the pasta, rather than the other way around.

I call this Mexican spaghetti. In Mexico, sopa de fideo is truly a soup, while fideo seco is much drier. I like a texture between the two. As with Mexican Rice (page 124), the trick is to cook these without touching them very much at all. Any stirring will make the noodles sticky, so when checking the level of the liquid in the pan, just use a long-handled spoon to gently move the noodles aside and check the bottom of the pan. Note that the longer this sits, the more the noodles will absorb the broth. This is a great method for cooking chicken, so even though I’m serving the noodles only as a side dish, sometimes I take advantage of the simmering pot to cook some chicken for the next day. I add as many drumsticks as possible without crowding, and the well-seasoned broth turns out tender, juicy, and really flavorful chicken every time.

I grew up fully immersed in the rich culinary culture and history of Mexico and Texas. It took many years for me to realize that there was literally a whole world of food and culture beyond what I knew so well. When it began to dawn on me, I set out to discover what a meal without tortillas, cheese, and Mexican rice would look like. I longed to begin my new education with the most “American” thing I could think of. And, I ask you, what is more American than meat loaf? This is the first recipe that opened my eyes to cooking meat in a completely different way. It’s the same meat loaf I make to this day.

While in the port town of Fécamp in Normandy, France, I stopped for lunch at a tiny hotel-restaurant that had no more than four tables and was run by a husband-and-wife team who apparently did everything from the cooking to serving to making the beds themselves. The catch of the day was Dover sole and the chef served it lightly pan-fried and practically swimming in a bath of the most wonderful lemon-butter sauce I’d ever tasted. The Dover sole sold in Europe is a delicate flat fish native to European waters, including the English Channel on which the town of Fécamp sits. When I’m in the United States, I use Pacific Dover sole or another delicately flavored, fresh, flat fish from waters closer to home. This dish is excellent served with Broiled Asparagus (page 145).

This hearty vegetarian stew has special memories for me. I used to make it almost every day when I was broke, back when I was trying to open my first restaurant. And yet I never get tired of it. This dish has layers of flavors, comes together pretty rapidly, and leaves you fully satisfied.

This is one of those dishes where patronizing a local butcher, instead of a chain grocery store, will mean success. To halve and bone a couple of chickens is not an easy task, so leave this to the experts. Be specific with your butcher: request boneless chicken halves, meaning the first joint of the wing is clipped off and the only bone in the bird is the one that attaches the lower part of the wing to the breast, also known as an “airline.” As an alternative, buy boneless chicken parts. There aren’t a lot of ingredients to this dish; it really is all about the quality of chicken and a couple of well-seasoned cast-iron skillets. To get the super crispy skin, it is imperative that the chicken lies flat in the pan. Serve this with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes (page 193) for a perfect Sunday supper.

This might be the easiest recipe in the book and one you’ll pull out over and over again for its ease and deliciousness. All you need are a few good ingredients and a hot grill. When it comes to buying fresh tuna, the species, or even the bright red color, is not necessarily an indicator of quality. In fact, fatty tuna, which is more desirable, is often paler but of no lesser quality. Fresh tuna is shiny, bright, and redolent of the ocean; it should talk to you. The Provençal vinaigrette is a full-flavored condiment you’ll want to have on hand—always! Use it on everything from grilled fish to crostini and sandwiches. If you want to serve the tuna with another side dish, Sautéed Broccoli Rabe (page 192) is a good choice.

This Mediterranean-inspired dish not only is light and healthy, but also has depth of flavor with a contrast of textures and temperatures. Most home cooks tell me they’re intimidated by cooking fish with skin on; they find it tears or doesn’t crisp up as it should. There are two keys to success: one is patience and the other is a well-seasoned cast-iron pan, preferably one that has gone through generations of use. The second alternative is to cheat and use a nonstick frying pan.

The great bonus about making Slow-Roasted Boneless Short Ribs is that you’ll have leftover meat to spin into this melt-in-your-mouth sandwich, panini-style. It hits the spot when you’re in the mood for some serious comfort food. The Tomato-Onion Chutney is so freakin’ good, you’ll want to put it on everything. For starters, try it as a condiment with Whole Roasted Chicken (page 142).

One of the kings among Gulf fish is definitely black grouper; I’m always compelled to order it when I see it on a menu. The fish boasts a subtle sweet flavor and fine texture, its creamy white flesh just firm enough to hold together when you cut into it. Black grouper is caught locally off the coast of Florida and sadly is often overlooked around the rest of the country. If you can’t locate some good grouper, striped bass or red snapper is a terrific substitute. The tangy lemon aïoli is a great all-purpose condiment to serve with poached shellfish or steamed vegetables. Here it also provides some relief from the richness of the dish, particularly the unctuous pancettacoated Brussels sprouts.

If you want a burger with superior flavor, you need to grind the meat yourself—it’s as simple as that. The process is not only easier than most people think, but also makes the moistest and most flavorful burgers. You’ll need to pick up a meat grinder attachment for your food processor at a kitchen store or have your local butcher grind the meat for you. Buy chuck with about 20 percent fat; if that’s not available, kindly ask your nice butcher to add beef fat to regular lean chuck. Fat equals flavor, and there’s no better place for it than in a burger! Okay, you will also need to mix the meat in an electric mixer. It may sound odd, but an old butcher’s trick is to add a couple tablespoons of ice water to the meat. As the burger cooks, the water steams, making the burgers juicier. With all of this love and attention to the meat, I don’t think it’s necessary to mix a bunch of stuff into it, like chives, chopped onion, or Worcestershire sauce. This meatier burger is as genuine as you can get!

This dish was inspired by my friend and mentor Frank Crispo. To satisfy those deep creamy-pasta cravings, you’re not gonna get more decadent than carbonara sauce. Pasta bathed in butter, oil, eggs, bacon, and cheese—it’s a rich dish but enjoy it; you don’t eat this every day.

This light summery riff on an Italian classic, pasta e fagioli, is as basic as it is tasty. I love the temperature contrast of hot pasta and beans with cool tomato salad, though you can also serve this peasant dish cold as a pasta salad.

Grapefruit and crab are a classic combo; the addition of pickled radishes is both a colorful and surprising flavorful enhancement. Leftover vinaigrette will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to two days and goes great with all shellfish, particularly shrimp.

Clams steamed in beer is a favorite pub dish, and for good reason. The aroma of the hops in beer perfumes the shellfish and the malty flavor adds an extra roundness to the broth. Your kitchen will smell amazing! The sweetness of the clams, the licorice essence of fennel, the salty-smoky depth of bacon, and the slight bitterness of the stout make this a complex and flavor-packed dish.

I know what you are thinking . . . kimchi quesadilla?! It may sound strange, but trust me: spicy kimchi and gooey cheese is a killer combo. You can assemble these quesadillas ahead of time and simply cook ’em up when you need them. Served with a simple salad, these also make a terrific light lunch.