Pasta with Crispy Squid, Lemon, and Chile by Alison Roman

Jordan and I usually splurge on an appetizer when we go out to eat for special occasions. If fried calamari is on the menu, it’s almost a guarantee that Jordan will suggest it. 

Other than in its salty breaded form, I encountered squid at overnight science camp in the 6th grade. There, we snorkeled the reefs of Catalina Island, learned about oceanic tides and dissected a large squid, squealing when the ink sack let out a potent black liquid all over our gloves. 

When it came to shop for squid in this dish, I could only picture the tiny tentacles and thin, curled rings in a calamari dish. You know, the rings that look like miniature pool intertubes. I spoke with the fishmonger at the Whole Foods counter, and searched the frozen section at TJ’s, but couldn’t find the small rings. It’d been a long time since I’d peered at a full squid, and I had forgotten that their bodies look like a long white tube with tentacles coming out one end. Then, it finally dawned on me that those calamari rings were actually sliced squid bodies. If I bought these large tubes, I would just need to slice them myself! 

Before cooking the squid, I first split each tentacle grouping in half and thinly sliced each long body into quarter-inch pieces. I was slightly concerned that they looked flat, without that signature curled ridge. But I was quickly put at ease – as soon as the tubes touched the hot skillet, they shrank and their edges folded over the top. They resembled what I recognized as restaurant calamari. 

My confidence was bolstered now, and I quite enjoyed the rest of the cooking process. Ahead of any squid business, I thinly sliced a lemon, four cloves of garlic, and a fresno chile. This allowed me to move with ease once the pan was hot and ready for the ingredients to be added in a rather quick succession. First, the squid is fried until golden brown, then removed temporarily from the pan. Next, the lemons and garlic sizzle in some olive oil, followed by the chile and the cooked squid. The cooked pasta and some pasta water get added last, with a seasoning of salt and pepper. The ingredients need time to simmer as a light sauce thickens and the noodles become well acquainted with flavor. The final step is to top the dish with a load of fresh herbs -- I used cilantro and basil, but dill and mint would also work. 

The whole meal was both filling, flavorful, and not too heavy. The lemon and garlic add a good bit of acid to balance any overly fishy tones from the squid. The fresno chile packed way more heat than I expected, but in a good way. It’s spiciness is a lot brighter than that of red pepper flakes, or even jalapeno. For that reason, I would argue that Fresno chile is a must. It also added some nice pops of bright red color to the dish. For those who might be interested, I served this with Alison’s Blood Orange & Avocado Salad.

65 recipes cooked, 160 to go.

Mom’s Trout with Herby Breadcrumbs by Alison Roman

Trout… you mean the fish that my uncles caught every summer on our family trip in the mountains? The one that smells potently fishy? The one that made my cousins giggle as they cut it open with a pocketknife to watch the guts squirt out? 

I’m not making you want to read this post, sorry. I just have trout baggage. 

If it’s not abundantly clear already, I trust Alison’s taste, even when I don’t always agree with it. Even so, her trout recipes, of which there are several, have been on my “make once and never again” list from the very beginning. I wasn’t at all excited about making her mom’s trout. I did, however, have leftover sourdough to make the herby breadcrumbs – which is how this all began. 

Using my food processor, I pulsed my last few sourdough slices into breadcrumbs. I then mixed them with melted butter, chopped parsley and thyme. Seasoned with salt and pepper, I scattered them over the trout fillets and popped them into the oven for 10 minutes, until the crumbs were bubbling from the butter and the fish was just cooked through. Trout filets are very thin, so they take no time at all. 

I found my trout at Trader Joes, though I could only find it frozen. I chose to let it thaw in the refrigerator, starting in the morning. The scent was quite fishy, just like I expected, but the fresh breadcrumbs and lemon juice did a nice job tempering the scent so it didn’t overpower the meal. 

Based on this experience, I’ll give trout another try. I won’t, however, be gutting it myself like my uncles do. No way, Jose. 

64 recipes cooked, 161 to go.

with red wine risotto

Citrus Chicken Rested in Herbs by Alison Roman

Talk about a summer meal! This bright juicy chicken begs for a summer bbq. It’s also a great oven-friendly chicken for days when you want to pretend you’re in summer. The bottom line is summer. 

The first step in this recipe tripped me up. Cutting a chicken completely in half, between the breasts and through the backbone. Can my knife really… do that? The answer is, yes, your knife (if you have a good chef’s knife) really can cut through a backbone if you apply enough pressure. Alison claims a cleaver is the best tool for the job, but honestly, who casually owns a cleaver? And why not spatchcock it? Alison says it “eliminates the air space in the cavity of the bird, which means it will cook much faster.” I don’t know. My gut tells me spatchcocking would have worked just as well, since I made mine in the oven. I can see why cutting it in two pieces would be useful for grilling (ease of flipping), but if I make this again, I may try spatchcocking. 

Both chicken halves are marinated in fresh lime juice (or lemon juice), fresh orange juice, soy sauce, garlic and yuzu kosho. What is yuzu kosho, you ask? It’s a Japanese condiment made from fresh green chiles. It’s the consistency of curry paste and comes in a similarly shaped jar. I searched multiple grocery stores for this little condiment, to no avail. Alison utilizes this ingredient in multiple recipes, so I took the plunge and ordered some on Amazon. Here’s a fun article about it from Bon Appetit if you want to learn more. 

The chicken needs at least 30 minutes in the marinade (or up to 24 hours) to soak in the flavor. Then it’s oven-roasted for 35-45 minutes until the skin is impossibly golden and crispy looking. Plate the halves on top of thinly sliced citrus and a boat load of herbs, and drizzle reserved marinade on top. 

Crispy skin and powerful flavor are what make this chicken special. I can see why yuzu kosho is a popular “secret weapon” -- it adds heat, but heat that’s also tangy instead of a pure heat like gochujang. In other words, yuzu kosho is the Cholula to Sriracha. While Alison says you can substitute the yuzu kosho here for sambal or a jalapeno, I’d encourage you to go the extra mile (or internet search) to find this special chile paste instead. 

62 recipes cooked, 163 to go.

Lamb Stew with Fennel, Preserved Lemon, and Crispy Fried Bread by Alison Roman

I was not in the mood for lamb stew. I was not in the mood for any kind of food. It was one of those days when hunger is present, but appetite is not. And perhaps the last thing that sounded good was lamb stew. But I spent $20 on a cut of boneless lamb shoulder and the expiration date was nearing (which causes me a particular kind of stress). I needed to make lamb stew. 

The first steps of the recipe requires some elbow grease. It begins by cutting the meat into two inch pieces, seasoning them with salt and pepper, and searing them until quite browned at the bottom of a dutch oven. While the meat is searing, a good bit of chopping and measuring take place. Chopping includes a fennel bulb, multiple garlic cloves and two shallots. Measuring includes cumin seeds, fennel seeds, and tomato paste. After the meat is the proper color and any excess fat is drained off, the chopped ingredients and seasoning spend time in the pot to warm and turn fragrant. Then a half cup of dry white wine deglazes the pot as you scrape up all the burned bits from the bottom. At this stage, the smells wafting up from the pot brought back about 10% of my appetite. 

Next, a can of crushed tomatoes and six cups of water join the stew. Seasoned with salt and pepper, the liquid is set to medium-low heat, and the meat becomes tender as it braises for two and a half hours. As time goes on, the stew thickens and the meat loses its toughness. Another 10% of my appetite returned as I pulled a chunk of lamb apart with my fork, requiring minimal effort to do so. 

As the stew nears completion, it’s back on your feet to make a batch of fried bread. Alison suggests a “country loaf,” but I chose some leftover homemade sourdough. I tore several slices into large-ish chunks and placed them in a skillet with sizzling olive oil. Without pressing the bread down too much so as not to lose any volume, the bread fries and turns a light golden brown. Seasoned with salt and Aleppo pepper, these giant stewtons (get it? Stew-croutons? ok) provide the perfect salty, chewy contrast to the tomatoey, tangy stew and gamey lamb. The final element is preserved lemon – which brightens everything nicely.  

My appetite never fully showed up that day, but I still greatly enjoyed this stew – far more than I expected. Jordan especially loved it. 

I’ll make this again next winter - it would be a lovely snow day meal. 

60 recipes cooked, 165 to go.

Swordfish with Crushed Olives and Oregano by Alison Roman

Swordfish is not what I thought it would be. Yes, it looks thick and meaty, but for some reason I imagined it to not be so steak-like. Unlike a thick cut of salmon, there was nothing buttery or soft about this fish. It’s tougher. After all, it’s the only kind of fish I can think of that brandishes a sword. 

However, swordfish does score points for being easy to prepare. This recipe calls for seasoning the fish with salt and pepper, before cooking the steaks over a large skillet with olive oil, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Even though I monitored my steaks closely with a meat thermometer to ensure they weren’t overcooked, they still seemed dry. 

I’m slowly growing to appreciate olives more. Alison calls for Castelvetrano olives marinated with olive oil, white wine vinegar and fresh oregano. Once the fish is done and cleared from the skillet, I threw in some sliced garlic and the olive mixture to briefly soften, before pouring it over the plated fish. I did appreciate the briney accents of the olives with this thicker fish. The oil and vinegar juices also helped to supplement any natural fish juices lost in the cooking process. 

Jordan and I both ate our dinner helpings, but the leftovers sat untouched in the fridge for a week before I finally gave into chucking them. I hate food waste. Un-utilized leftovers are among my biggest pet peeves. So it’s telling that I violated my own rules by throwing this fish away – I think swordfish just isn’t for me. 

57 recipes cooked, 168 to go.