Cook's Illustrated - September 2022

36 Pages·2022·37 MB·English

CooksIllustrated.com
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SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2022
Shrimp and
Long Beans, 12 Laugenbrezeln, 21
Moussaka, 10
Pan-Seared
Zha Paigu, 4 Halloumi, 14 Double-Glazed Salmon, 8 Spaghetti all’Assassina, 6
2 Quick Tips 14 The Cheese You Can Sear 24 Should You Buy a Copper Skillet?
Quick and easy ways to perform everyday tasks, Like a Steak These beautiful, heat-responsive, pricey pans have
from trussing a chicken to reducing stovetop a long history in fine cooking, but do they have a
Thanks to its unique molecular structure, squeaky,
splatter. COMPILED BY ANNIE PETITO briny halloumi stays firm over a flame, taking on place in home kitchens today? BY LISA McMANUS
4 Impossibly Crispy Pork Chops flavorful browning and char. BY ANDREA GEARY 26 Exploring the World of
Taiwan’s zha paigu are meaty, juicy, fragrant with 16 Fry Without Fear Single-Origin Chocolate
heady five-spice powder—and unsurpassed in
Treat yourself to the fresh-from-the-oil pleasure We dug into the world of single-origin bars and
their crispiness. BY ANNIE PETITO of deep-fried food and the fun of making it in the process discovered an astounding variety of
6 Killer Spaghetti yourself. BY ELIZABETH BOMZE complex flavors and textures. BY GRACE KELLY
Making spaghetti all’assassina requires patience and 18 You Should Be Grilling 28 Ingredient Notes
bravery—and a blatant disregard of the rules. Mushrooms BY KEITH DRESSER, STEVE DUNN,
BY STEVE DUNN
Uniquely resilient and a mate for anything, ANDREA GEARY & ERICA TURNER
8 The Glitziest Salmon Fillets mushrooms can be flashed over a blazing fire 30 Kitchen Notes
and emerge with mighty savoriness and meaty
It’s crystal clear: Thoughtfully calibrated glazes
bring sparkle—and tangy, savory dimension— chew. BY DAVID PAZMIÑO BY STEVE DUNN, ANDREA GEARY,
ERIC HAESSLER, LAN LAM & ANNIE PETITO
to silky oven-roasted fillets. BY LAN LAM 20 Fall’s Coziest Dessert
32 Equipment Corner
10 Moussaka Is Snug and Granny Smith apples bring tangy freshness to a
bread pudding that’s rich with creamy custard— BY CHASE BRIGHTWELL, GRACE KELLY,
Celebratory
and Americana. BY ERICA TURNER LISA McMANUS & KATE SHANNON
With plush vegetables, spiced meat sauce, and a
top coat of satiny béchamel, this iconic casserole 21 The Best Pretzels You’ll Ever Have
is equal parts festive showpiece and supreme
Making pretzels the way German bakers do
comfort food. BY STEVE DUNN combines science and arts and crafts with a frisson
Join Our
12 The MVPs of My Produce Drawer of (manageable) risk. The process is fun; the
payoff is spectacular. BY ANDREA GEARY Community of
The conventional jade type is just the beginning:
Recipe Testers
The green bean family is richly diverse and
endlessly accommodating. BY ANDREA GEARY Our recipe testers provide
valuable feedback on recipes
under development by ensur-
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor in Chief Dan Souza
Editorial Director Amanda Agee
Deputy Editor Rebecca Hays
Executive Food Editor Keith Dresser
Managing Editor Elizabeth Bomze
Deputy Food Editor Andrea Geary
Senior Editors Steve Dunn, Lan Lam, Annie Petito
DANGER!
Associate Editor Erica Turner
Senior Content Editor Alyssa Vaughn
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Lead Copy Editor Rachel Schowalter
THRILLING FOOD AHEAD
Copy Editors Katrina Ávila Munichiello, April Poole
Lead Test Cook, Photo Team Eric Haessler
Executive Editor, Digital Mari Levine
Digital Recipe Editor Danielle Lapierre
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Lisa McManus
Deputy Editor, ATK Reviews Kate Shannon
Senior Editors, ATK Reviews Miye Bromberg, Carolyn Grillo
I
Associate Editor, ATK Reviews Chase Brightwell was terrified of the oven. I’d watch from a Dunking the dough into lye, the strongest of alka-
Assistant Editors, ATK Reviews Sarah Sandler, Valerie Sizhe Li distance as my mom opened the heavy door to lies, has a profound impact on these iconic twists:
Assistant Editor, Digital, ATK Reviews Sawyer Phillips
reveal wavy lines like I’d seen on hot asphalt in It boosts Maillard browning and caramelization,

Creative Director John Torres the summer. Against all sense replaces traditional baked-good
Photography Director Julie Cote
and reason, she’d reach in with the aromas with a savory mineral flavor,
Art Director Jay Layman
Art Director, ATK Reviews Marissa Angelone better part of her arm to retrieve a and gives pretzels the shine and hue
Associate Art Director Sam Huber
bubbling casserole of macaroni and of lacquered mahogany. In sum,
Graphic Designer Rose Flynn
Senior Staff Photographers Steve Klise, Daniel J. van Ackere cheese, a strawberry-rhubarb pie, it makes pretzels, pretzels. And
Photographer Kevin White or a bronzed chicken, with nothing Andrea Geary lays out the precise
Senior Photography Producer Meredith Mulcahy
more than a dish towel separat- setup and safety precautions that
Senior Director, Creative Operations Alice Carpenter ing her skin from the heat. If she will make this recipe achievable and
Executive Managing Editor, Creative Operations Todd Meier
wasn’t halfway inside that scorch- fun for anyone.
Senior Print Production Specialist Lauren Robbins
Production & Imaging Coordinator Amanda Yong ing metal box, she was wielding a And if you’re going to make
Production & Imaging Specialists Tricia Neumyer, Dennis Noble
razor-sharp knife to slice vegeta- Steve Dunn’s Spaghetti all’Assassina
Assistant Test Kitchen Director Alexxa Benson
Test Kitchen Shopping & Receiving Lead Heather Tolmie bles, tossing food in a skillet over (page 7), be prepared to throw out
Senior Kitchen Operations Assistant Crispin Lopez licking flames, or carrying a pot of the pasta rule book. There’s no
Ingredient Receiving Coordinator Christopher Miller
boiling water and pasta to the sink. DAN SOUZA large pot of boiling water, consis-
Kitchen Facilities and Equipment Coordinator Ethan Rogers
Executive Editor, Video & Cooking School Christie Morrison I saw danger in her every move. tently al dente texture, or emulsified
Editor in Chief
Culinary Producers Alli Berkey, Janette Zepeda
She saw Tuesday night’s dinner. sauce that delicately clings to each
When I stepped up to the stove years later, my fears noodle. In fact, after cooking the pasta in tomato
BUSINESS STAFF
lingered, expressing themselves as reluctance: to crank broth entirely in a skillet, you reduce the sauce until
Chief Executive Officer David Nussbaum the burner, to bring my guide hand close to the knife, it’s dry—and then crank the heat. In the final throes
to push the oven to its limit. Sure, I stayed safe, but of the recipe, the bottom of the spaghetti crisps,
Chief Creative Officer Jack Bishop
VP, Television, Video & Podcast Mark Levine I paid a steep price: My food lacked intensity, punch, browns, and then starts to blacken. Embrace the
Director, Public Relations & Communications Brian Franklin and verve—the rewards of cooking’s inherent risks. chaos and you’ll be rewarded with a pasta like no
Which is why, in this issue, we’re asking you to other: at turns soft, al dente, and crunchy, each bite
Chief Financial Officer Jackie McCauley Ford
Director of Customer Support Timothy Quinn muster a bit of culinary bravado in exchange for slicked in savory, crimson oil.
Customer Support Specialists Nanda-Devi Davies, some spectacular results. Namely, Laugenbrezeln, They say there is no reward without risk. I say
Michaela Gilgenbach, Danielle Lutz
genuine lye-dipped German pretzels (page 23). there’s no dinner.
Chief Digital Officer Fran Middleton
VP, Marketing Natalie Vinard
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september & october 2022
1
Q U I C K T I P S
j COMPILED BY ANNIE PETITO k
Make Your Cooler Cooler
To keep food extra-cool in her cooler,
Marcy Kawasaki of Honolulu, Hawaii,
places several sheets of newspaper over
the food and drinks before closing the lid.
Truss a Bird with Foil
The newspaper serves as extra insulation.
Johnson Ip of Winchester, Mass., was
preparing a bird for roasting when he
realized he had no kitchen twine for
trussing. Instead, he cut a foot-long
strip of foil, scrunched it into a rope,
and twisted the rope around the Don’t Toss Your Chip
bird’s legs like a twist tie. The foil held Crumbs
the legs in place, and as a bonus, it
Mark Baron of Hopkins, Minn., came
was easier to remove than twine.
up with a thrifty way to get the most
out of his bags of pita and tortilla
chips: He saves the shards from the
bottom of the bag and uses them to
make crumbs, processing them in his
food processor until they’re finely
ground. The crumbs make for an
extra-crispy coating on schnitzel and
chicken cutlets.
More Efficient Storage in Build a Better Ice Bath
Zipper-Lock Bags Madeline Tomasino-Reed of Kamuela, Hawaii, likes to
Robin Kasman of Canon City, Colo., has a crisp salad greens and crudités in an ice bath but finds it
clever trick for using zipper-lock bags more tricky to separate the vegetables from the ice after their
efficiently. She has found that one bag can hold soak. Instead, she loads ice into the bottom section of her
two separate portions of sauce, vegetables, salad spinner, places the vegetables in the strainer basket,
shredded cheese, or other ingredients if she and then fills the whole spinner with water. After the
folds the bag in half after filling but vegetables have been immersed, she removes the basket,
before freezing. When she needs pours out the ice water, and spins the food dry.
to use the frozen item, she
simply removes the top por-
tion, reseals the bag, and
returns the remainder to
the freezer.
Collecting Every Last
Drop from a Blender
When Janice Burke of Mount
Pleasant, Mich., is making a sauce in
E
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her blender, she sets aside a small
Y
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portion of the liquid ingredients G
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while pulsing the rest together. She B
N
then scrapes out the sauce as best H
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as she can, pours the reserved liquid N: J
into the empty jar, and pulses it. The O
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liquid helps clean out all the residual A
R
T
sauce so that none is wasted. SEND US YOUR TIPS We will provide a complimentary one-year subscription for each tip we print. Send your tip, name, address, and tele- US
phone number to Quick Tips, Cook’s Illustrated, 21 Drydock Avenue, Suite 210E, Boston, MA 02210, or to [email protected]. LL
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cook’s illustrated
2
A Splatter Screen for Tuck Your
Sauce Casseroles into Bed
To prevent simmering sauce from Ken Gidner of Warren,
bubbling out of its pot, Kelly Mich., bought a small pet
Smithback of Madison, Wis., places bed to help him transport
a fine-mesh strainer over the vessel. family-size dishes and cas-
Steam can pass through the screen, seroles in his car. Placing
and any wayward sauce gets trapped the dishes in the bed
in the strainer. ensures that they don’t
slide around or spill, and
the plush bed also helps
insulate the food.
A Neater, Sturdier
Pie Shield
Instead of using strips
of foil as a shield
for her pie crust,
Cindy Chudy of
Pleasant Hill,
Calif., uses the
outer ring of
her 10-inch
tart pan as a
shield. It has
more structure
than the foil strips,
and it fits perfectly over a
A Tool for Grabbing Toast
9-inch pie plate.
Rather than using large tongs to
pull bread from his toaster, Logan
An Easy Way to Unclog
Priollaud of Salem, Ore., uses a
A Tidy Toothpick Your Peeler
bespoke toast-removal device:
a clothespin glued between two Holder Karen Turner of Salisbury, N.C.,
found that her vegetable peeler
ice pop sticks. He unplugs Toothpicks often come pack-
was getting clogged when she was
the toaster (since aged in flimsy cardboard boxes
peeling long vegetables, such as
the clothespin that break easily. As a sturdier
asparagus and carrots. Her solution?
includes metal) alternative, Linda Voelker of
Dipping the peeler in water after
and uses the Ferndale, Wash., stores tooth-
every couple swipes. This kept the
small, nimble picks in a tall spice jar capped
peeler clean and clog-free.
contraption with a perforated lid.
to grasp and
remove the
toast. Reuse Produce Bags for No Twine? Use Celery
Bread Baking Kathy Brooks of Chesapeake, Va.,
Richard Topper of Mountain Dale, needed to make a bouquet garni
N.Y., saves the produce bags from for a soup but discovered that she
the grocery store and uses them to didn’t have any kitchen twine to tie
cover bowls of bread dough as they the herbs together. She found that
rise. The bags are see-through and a fibrous strand from a stalk
reusable, and they fit snugly over of celery did the trick.
large mixing bowls.
The celery “string”
held the herbs together
throughout cooking
and didn’t fall apart.
september & october 2022
3
Impossibly Crispy Pork Chops
Taiwan’s zha paigu are meaty, juicy, fragrant with heady fi ve-spice powder—
and unsurpassed in their crispiness.
j BY ANNIE PETITO k
I
t was 10:00 p.m. in Taiwan, and Ivy Chen,
who has been teaching cooking classes to
tourists and locals for 25 years and recently
developed recipes for journalist Clarissa Wei’s
upcoming book Made in Taiwan, dangled a zha
paigu in front of the camera on our video call. “This
is half of the face size,” she explained, holding the
deep-fried bone-in pork chop close to her own face
for scale. “But in the restaurant, it is bigger.” When
she returned the bronzed behemoth to its card-
board take-out container, it occupied more than
two-thirds of the space—but there was still room
for a scoop of white rice; stir-fried mushrooms; and
a dark, soy-stained boiled egg. I wanted to reach
through my screen to take a bite.
“Why hasn’t coarse sweet potato
starch been a bigger story [in the
United States]? It’s an amazing,
gluten-free, pretty much
ready-to-go batter or breading.”
–Lisa Cheng Smith,
owner of Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry
Growing up in the countryside, Chen didn’t
experience her first zha paigu until she started
working in Taipei. That’s because the chops are
found mainly in cities, where they’re enjoyed by
working folks and train commuters in paigu fan (a
plate or bento box containing zha paigu, rice [fan], Cut the
crackly chops
and vegetables). “It’s kind of like a hamburger.
into strips and
It’s just everywhere,” explained Cathy Erway, the
serve them with
James Beard Award–winning author of The Food of rice, a stir-fried vegetable,
Taiwan: Recipes from the Beautiful Island (2015), a pickled vegetable, and
lu dan (braised eggs).
when I contacted her to learn more about the chops.
While there are different ways to make zha paigu,
Chen and Erway concurred that a common approach Meat of the Matter and starch to cling to. Rib chops, with their mix of
goes like this: Pound bone-in chops thin; soak them Numerous bone-in pork chop cuts are used to make light and dark meat, were my top pick because they
in a savory-sweet five-spice-infused marinade; dredge zha paigu (the significance of pork in Taiwanese are tender and juicy. Also, their bone is conveniently
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them in coarse sweet potato starch; and deep-fry cuisine can’t be overstated—it’s a principal source located at one end of the chop, making it easy to KE
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them. Lift the chops from the sizzling oil to reveal of protein and a hugely important domestic prod- maneuver a meat mallet around it. A
N
an expanse of juicy, tender meat encased in an excep- uct). The bone contains superflavorful meaty bits Chen mentioned that when the chops are pre- A
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tionally crispy, tawny-brown crust. that are great for nibbling and also helps prevent pared at home, they’re often cut L J.
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Sweet potato starch is a big part of the magic: the meat from curling in on itself during frying. into strips after frying and served NI
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It fries up remarkably sturdy and crunchy—tap the Including the bone for serving also makes for a family-style. With that in mind,
Y:
crust with a fingertip, and you’ll hear just how crisp splashy presentation. I selected two 8-ounce chops to H
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it is—yet it feels light and shattery on the tongue. I tried a few different chops: blade, center cut, and serve four as part of a meal. R
G
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It all adds up to pure comfort, and I couldn’t rib. By the time they were pounded ¼ inch thick, all For the marinade, I whisked T
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wait to come up with my own recipe for zha paigu. the cuts offered loads of surface area for the marinade together a dynamic mix of soy SCAN FOR VIDEO H
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cook’s illustrated
4
FOR A GREAT TAIWANESE MEAL, HOP ON A TRAIN
Bian dang culture runs deep in urban Taiwan, where Whether purchased at a TRA station kiosk or
the compact meals are ubiquitous. But city dwellers on board, the wooden or cardboard boxes are
have a particular affi nity for train bian dang, which renowned for the deeply satisfying fare held within,
grew in popularity when the railroads expanded dra- prepared with high-quality ingredients and sold for a
matically under Japan’s occupation of the island nation song ($50 to $100 TWD, or roughly $1.75 to $3.50
from 1895 until 1945. During the 50-year occupa- USD). Vendors off er numerous types—chicken leg,
tion, the government oversaw the construction of eel, and mackerel are common—but a fried pork
the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) that is the chop is the quintessential choice, with afi cionados
foundation of the island’s extensive rail network, and having vehement preferences for the recipes of cer-
with it came the growth of the travel-friendly staples. tain purveyors. –Rebecca Hays
sauce; dry, clean-tasting michiu (Taiwanese rice ZHA PAIGU (TAIWANESE FRIED PORK CHOPS)
SCIENCE
wine); sugar; salt; and five-spice powder, the fra- SERVES 4 TOTAL TIME: 1¼ HOURS, PLUS 1 HOUR MARINATING
Coarse Sweet Potato Starch
grantly sweet and licorice-y seasoning that, according
to Chinese lore, represents the five elements of the If rib chops are unavailable, blade chops may be “Why hasn’t coarse sweet
cosmos—earth, fire, metal, water, and wood. “You used. The bones of the chops are great for nibbling, potato starch been a big-
can really smell [the five-spice] when it’s frying,” which is why we include them for serving. Coarse (or ger story [in the United
Erway said. I also drizzled in a little water to make “thick”) sweet potato starch gives the chops their dis- States]?” wondered Lisa
sure that there was enough liquid to coat the chops tinct crunch. You can substitute coarse tapioca starch. Cheng Smith, owner of
and added a couple minced garlic cloves. Some cooks We developed this recipe with michiu, Taiwanese Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry.
include additional spices to mirror or complement rice wine; if it’s unavailable, clear rice wine and sake After all, the granular,
the five-spice; I chose white pepper for its floral, make good substitutes. Fry the chops in a 14-inch snow-white secret to zha
earthy complexity. The mixture was so potent that wok or a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more. paigu’s crisp, shattery crust
after bathing in it for only an hour, the chops had See page 31 for tips on pounding the chops. To make is “an amazing, gluten-free,
taken on loads of flavor. paigu fan, serve the chops with white rice; a stir-fried pretty much ready-to-go
vegetable, such as napa cabbage; a pickled vegetable, batter or breading” that’s
Starched White Coat such as mustard greens; and Lu Dan (Braised Eggs) used not only in Taiwanese
Pebbly, chalk-white coarse sweet potato starch is (page 29). Our recipe for Zha Paigu (Taiwanese but also in Singaporean
not only essential to this dish but also the coating of Fried Pork Chops) for Two is available for free for and other Asian cuisines. (So-called “thin” sweet
choice for many fried foods throughout Taiwan. “All four months at CooksIllustrated.com/oct22. potato starch is milled to a powder to use as a
of the granules are a slightly different size, just this thickener, to make noodles and mochi-like dessert
uniform non-uniformity. It has a great mouthfeel, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce balls, and to velvet proteins for stir-frying.)
it’s supercrispy,” enthused Lisa Cheng Smith, owner 1 tablespoon michiu The remarkable crispness of fried coarse
of Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry, an online source for 2 garlic cloves, minced to paste sweet potato starch is thanks to the starch’s abil-
premium Taiwanese ingredients. 1½ teaspoons sugar ity to absorb moisture (in zha paigu, from the
Chen said that dunking the marinated pork in 1½ teaspoons water marinade and egg), which is a big asset when it
beaten eggs gives the starch something to cling to, ¾ teaspoon five-spice powder comes to frying. That’s because when moistened
and after preparing chops with and without an egg ½ teaspoon table salt starch hits hot oil, it gels. Then, as the oil drives
dip, I was strongly in favor of this step. Not only ¼ teaspoon white pepper water out of the gel, it leaves behind tiny cavities.
did the eggs act as an adhesive for the starch, but 2 (8- to 10-ounce) bone-in pork rib chops, It’s these cavities that lighten the crust so that it
they also led to an even crunchier crust (see “Coarse ¾ to 1 inch thick shatters when you bite it. The moister the gel is,
Sweet Potato Starch”). 2 large eggs the looser it will be, and the more spaces will be
While the coated chops sat, I heated 3 cups of 1 cup coarse sweet potato starch created when the water is driven out. The upshot
vegetable oil in a wok. Zha paigu are typically fried 3 cups vegetable oil for frying is an ultraporous, ultracrispy fried coating.
twice: The first round drives out some moisture
from the coating and gelatinizes the starch to form 1. Whisk soy sauce, michiu, garlic, sugar, water,
the foundation of the crust, and the second round five-spice powder, salt, and white pepper together to adhere. Transfer chops to rimmed baking sheet.
expels any remaining moisture from the crust to in large bowl. 4. Set wire rack in second rimmed baking sheet.
create substantial crunch. I fried the chops individu- 2. Place 1 chop on cutting board; cover with sheet Add oil to wok or large Dutch oven and heat over
ally because of their breadth—each one occupied of plastic wrap; and pound to ¼-inch thickness, medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Place 1 chop in oil
nearly the width of the wok—and then carved the being careful to avoid bone. Repeat with remaining and cook until just starting to brown on both sides,
meat from the bones and sliced them into crackly, chop. Add chops to bowl with marinade and toss to 1 minute per side. Transfer chop to prepared rack.
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LE golden-brown, ½-inch-wide strips. evenly coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or up Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remain-
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R I served this final batch of juicy, well-seasoned, to 4 hours. ing chop.
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N M and extremely crunchy meat as paigu fan with lots of 3. Beat eggs in shallow dish. Spread sweet potato 5. Heat oil to 375 degrees. Return 1 chop to oil
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E steamed white rice and an array of typical accoutre- starch in second shallow dish. Working with 1 chop and cook until golden brown on both sides, about
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): ments—stir-fried cabbage; tangy pickled mustard at a time, remove from marinade (do not pat dry) 1 minute per side. Transfer chop to rack. Return oil
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T greens; and salty, savory lu dan (braised eggs). If only and dip into egg, turning to coat well and allowing to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining chop. Let
(
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T I could pass a plate straight through my computer excess egg to drip back into dish. Coat evenly on chops rest for 5 minutes. Carve meat from bone and
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H screen to Ivy Chen at her home in Taiwan. all sides with sweet potato starch, pressing on chop slice ½ inch thick. Serve meat with bones.
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september & october 2022
5
Killer Spaghetti
Making spaghetti all’assassina requires patience and bravery—
and a blatant disregard of the rules.
j BY STEVE DUNN k
It’s Good to Be Clingy
I When pasta is boiled for a standard recipe, it absorbs
f you dine out in Bari, a bustling port city
lots of liquid: 12 ounces of dry spaghetti weighs about
on Italy’s Adriatic coast, the hyperlocal
30 ounces after it’s cooked. That means you’re
spaghetti all’assassina is an absolute
serving 18 ounces of salted water as part of
must-try. Some credit the extreme
the meal, and plenty of fl avorful sauce is
popularity of the dish to its “killer”
needed to compensate. But spaghetti
pedigree, but I argue that it has
all’assassina simmers the pasta directly
earned a cultlike following not for
in a tomatoey base, so the noodles
its provocative name but because
are permeated with fl avor, not just
it’s unlike any other pasta dish
moisture. When we weighed the
anywhere. A novel cooking
components of our fi nished assas-
method that involves simmer-
sina separately, we found that the
ing and frying the pasta in a
exterior sauce amounted to less
single vessel yields spaghetti
than 2 ounces; the rest either
that is deeply saturated with
evaporated, leaving the fl avors
a concentrated, spicy umami
all the more concentrated, or
bomb of a tomato sauce and
was absorbed by the pasta.
boasts textures that run the
gamut—even within a single
strand—from soft to al dente Add a few glugs of passata di
to crunchy. pomodoro (uncooked strained
Assassina is so well-liked that tomato puree) and simmer vigor-
it’s not just restaurant fare—home ously to reduce the liquid before
cooks prepare it, too. But review nestling in dry spaghetti and topping
blogs and cookbooks and you’ll get it with a cup or so of ruddy tomato
the impression that the dish is usually broth (tomato paste heavily diluted with
learned stoveside, as most recipes offer water). Let the strands sit, untouched, in
no more than a hint of a method and an the bubbling liquid so that they can drink it
ingredient list that leaves amounts to the whims up and start to crisp and char and then, each time
of the cook. the pan threatens to dry out, ladle in more broth.
Continue on, periodically adding more broth, turning
Partners in Crime A plate of spicy, tomatoey assassina delivers a trio of the spaghetti over, and allowing the sauce to reduce,
To fully understand the nuances of the dish, I con- textures: soft, al dente, and crunchy. until the strands are cooked through. Finally, increase
nected with two American expatriates living in Italy the heat so that the pasta at the bottom of the pan
who have feasted on spaghetti all’assassina in Bari Food journalist Katie Quinn recalled that the first crisps, caramelizes, and scorches even more. Pull the
restaurants many times. Elizabeth Minchilli, the time she tasted spaghetti all’assassina, it knocked her spaghetti from the stove; twirl it onto a plate; and
Rome-based author of The Italian Table (2019), socks off. The author of Cheese, Wine, and Bread: adorn the deliciously, deeply satisfying tangle with a
homed in on the consistency of the sauce: “A thor- Discovering the Magic of Fermentation in England, drizzle of your best extra-virgin olive oil.
oughly reduced sauce that is partially charred is a Italy, and France (2021) was thrilled by the way
“The tomato-ness, the acidity, is
hallmark of a proper assassina,” she explained. “the tomato-ness, the acidity, is imbued in the noodle,
more so—so much more so—than in imbued in the noodle . . .”
a spaghetti dish where you just put E
INGREDIENT SPOTLIGHT the sauce on top.” —Food journalist Katie Quinn KER
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Passata di Pomodoro The distinctive qualities of the Proper Execution A
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A staple in the Italian pantry, passata di pomo- dish are achieved via a procedure Simmering and then frying the pasta in a single skillet VA
doro is a smooth, relatively thin strained tomato that includes the risottatura method, requires a sauce with a good amount of extra-virgin L J.
E
puree. Unlike American tomato puree, which which calls for slowly adding broth olive oil. I use ⅓ cup, along with a couple cloves of NI
A
D
has been cooked and reduced to develop a rich, to raw pasta. The recipe goes like minced garlic, a hefty dose of red pepper flakes, and Y:
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sweet taste, passata is made with raw tomatoes this: Heat extra-virgin olive oil in 1 cup of passata. To the sauce and the raw spaghetti,
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to maintain the fresh, clean brightness of the a large skillet with garlic and a you’ll periodically ladle in a total of 5 or 6 cups of R
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fruit. It’s available in jars or aseptic boxes. generous sprinkle of minced fresh tomato broth (I like to bolster it with a bit of sugar T
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or dried pepperoncini (chile flakes). to draw out fruity sweetness). H
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cook’s illustrated
6
SPAGHETTI ALL’ASSASSINA
SPAGHETTI ALL’ASSASSINA
STEP BY STEP SERVES 4 TOTAL TIME: 1¼ HOURS
This unique dish calls for gradually adding tomato broth to raw spaghetti and an olive oil–laced tomato This recipe was developed with our winning spaghetti, De
passata. At the end of cooking, the heat is turned up to crisp and char the bottom of the pasta. Cecco Spaghetti No. 12. Other brands of spaghetti may
vary in thickness, which will affect the cooking time and
A B
the amount of broth required. Fish spatulas work well for
flipping the pasta in step 4. Passata is an uncooked tomato
puree; we used Pomì brand. If you cannot find it, tomato
puree can be used. For a spicier dish, use ¾ teaspoon of
red pepper flakes. The sauce will splatter as it cooks, which
is why we call for using a long-handled spatula in step 2.
A splatter screen helps contain the splattering.
6 cups water
¼ cup tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,
divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
½–¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
C D
1 cup tomato passata
1¾ teaspoons table salt
12 ounces spaghetti
1. Whisk water, tomato paste, and sugar together in
medium saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium-high
heat, then reduce heat to low to keep tomato broth warm.
2. Heat ⅓ cup oil, garlic, and pepper flakes in 12-inch
nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring fre-
quently with long-handled rubber spatula, until garlic is
golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in passata and salt.
Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and oil
around edges of skillet begins to sizzle, about 4 minutes.
3. Add pasta in even layer and increase heat to
medium-high. Add 1 cup tomato broth (A) and cook,
E F
pushing between pasta strands frequently with edge of
spatula to prevent clumping, until broth has been mostly
absorbed by pasta and sauce around edges of skillet begins
to sizzle, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1 cup broth (B) and cook,
shaking skillet occasionally and continuing to prod pasta
strands with spatula, until broth has been mostly absorbed
and sauce begins to sizzle, 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Using 2 thin spatulas, gently flip half of pasta so
bottom is on top and spread into even layer. Repeat
with remaining half of pasta (C). Add 1 cup broth and
cook, continuing to shake skillet and prod pasta, until
broth has been mostly absorbed and sauce begins to
sizzle, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1 cup broth (D) and repeat
cooking until sauce begins to sizzle, 5 to 7 minutes.
Repeat dividing and flipping pasta (E).
5. Add 1 cup broth and repeat cooking until sauce
The process requires a good bit of patience. pasta with the help of a thin spatula is the only begins to sizzle, 5 to 7 minutes. Pasta should be firm
Unlike with risotto, where the cook more or less effort allowed. but cooked through. If not, add remaining 1 cup broth,
constantly stirs the rice, assassina requires periods Lastly, be unafraid: The ultimate test of bravery ½ cup at a time, and continue to cook, checking fre-
of leaving the pasta undisturbed. Fight the urge occurs after the final addition of broth is absorbed quently, until pasta is cooked through.
to fuss, and trust that leaving the spaghetti to and you turn the heat to full blast, allowing the 6. Increase heat to high and cook
bubble, sizzle, and splatter in the thick, oil-laced bottom of the spaghetti to darken and crisp, pasta, without moving it, until under-
sauce will deliver the panoply of textures that developing a sultry smokiness. side is deeply browned and crisp and
makes the dish so appealing. That is, an intrigu- Some say that this final, climactic act of “kill- some strands are beginning to char, 3 to
ing mix of “downright soft parts,” per Quinn, as ing” the pasta gives the dish its name, but I know 5 minutes (F). Remove skillet from heat,
well as crispy ones, so that “every bite is differ- better, as this aggressive sear undeniably brings drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons
ent.” In the final step, a periodic peek under the assassina to life. oil, and serve immediately. SCAN FOR VIDEO
september & october 2022
7
The Glitziest Salmon Fillets
It’s crystal clear: Thoughtfully calibrated glazes bring sparkle—
and tangy, savory dimension—to silky oven-roasted fi llets.
j BY LAN LAM k
A see-through glaze is a
window onto gorgeously,
evenly browned fish.
The Science of Shine and
G Viscosity
lazed, oven-roasted salmon is at once from the saline solution, I patted them dry in prepa-
sensible and elegant: The glistening ration for a stove-to-oven approach. I seared the fish Whether they’re meant to lacquer proteins, fruits,
fish is uncomplicated enough to be a flesh side down in a little vegetable oil in a nonstick or vegetables, glazes usually contain a generous
no-brainer for the workday scramble, but skillet before slipping them into a 300-degree oven, amount of sugar. That’s because sugar not only
it’s also glitzy enough for guests. Like any straight- where the pinky-orange centers cruised to a moist, adds sweetness and encourages browning but also
forward dish, though, a little care and attention go buttery medium-rare in about 15 minutes. helps a glaze turn thick, clingy, and shiny: Dissolved
a long way. Here, I hoped that a thoughtful prepa- It was a promising start, but I wanted to improve sugar molecules have charges that make them stick
ration would lead to juicy, bronzed fillets glossed the browning, which was rather spotty. Rather than to each other slightly, impeding the fl ow of liquid.
with a spectrum of sweet-tart-savory flavors. searing the fish longer, which would overcook the The sticky mixture then immobilizes water on the
exteriors, I whisked ¼ cup of sugar into the brine. surface of the food, making it shimmer. (Since dis-
Doing the Two-Step This helped the salmon develop an evenly, deeply solved sugar is transparent, it doesn’t hinder
Before I could dream up glazes, I needed to settle caramelized surface (but it didn’t taste sweet). Now the luster.)
on a cooking method. Sending the salmon for a it was ready to be fancied up. In our glazes for roasted salmon, which are
quick swim in a salty brine was a critical first step: relatively low in sugar, we lean on cornstarch for
It ensured that every bite was Finding Clarity viscosity. Cornstarch is made up of long poly- ER
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moist and well seasoned and Almost all recipes for glazed salmon rely on lots of mer molecules that bump into each other when U
F
greatly limited the formation white or brown sugar or honey to produce a thick, they’re suspended in a liquid, slowing the fl ow of H
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of unsightly albumin (white clingy lacquer. I’m not antisugar, but it’s no fun water in a glaze. Like a sugar-heavy glaze, a glaze B
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blobs of protein). to eat your way through one-note sweetness. For containing a small amount of cornstarch also H
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After lifting four fillets (for a multidimensional glaze, I started by dissolving a turns translucent and glassy, so the beauty of the R
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equal sizing, buy a center-cut modest 2 tablespoons of sugar in 3 tablespoons of fi sh can shine through. –Paul Adams T
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SCAN FOR VIDEO piece and divide it into four) water and then bolstered it with ¼ cup of brightly H
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cook’s illustrated
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