L.A. Son
Page 24
10 PERCENT BEEF BONELESS SHORT RIB
10 PERCENT BEEF TRITIP
30 PERCENT BEEF CHUCK
25 PERCENT PORK SHOULDER
25 PERCENT PORK BUTT
CLOSE AND ENJOY
ON A WARM CALI DAY.
L.A. CORNER ON THE COB
* * *
As I roamed around the city looking for the ingredients for what would be the taco, I always ran across people selling corn slathered with mayonnaise with chili powder, Cotija cheese, a squirt of lime, and done. I’d been around these street vendors my whole life, but I saw them so often during this time that I got to seeing them as spiritual guides of sorts, showing me the way. In any case, this is a much better way to do corn on the cob than just BBQing ’em on the grill. Enjoy!
MAKES 4 CORNER COBS
4 ears corn, shucked
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened
Pinch of kosher salt
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated Cotija cheese
Pinch of cayenne
2 limes, halved
Heat a griddle over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the oil.
Stick a wooden chopstick or skewer into the end of each ear to make a corn lollipop. Slather the ears of corn with butter and season them with salt.
Sear the ears on the griddle, turning them over as needed, until they’re lightly browned on all sides, about 2 minutes.
Once the ears are cooked, slather them with mayo and shower them with Cotija cheese. They should be completely covered in mayo and cheese.
Dust the cayenne all over the ears, followed by a squeeze of lime.
EAT.
IMMEDIATELY.
KIMCHI AND PORK BELLY STUFFED PUPUSAS
* * *
When we started the truck, my closest friend was a lady from El Salvador who had worked with me at RockSugar and then became my only cook on the truck. I had known about the pupusa game before, but she taught me a few things, and I’ve never looked back.
If fresh masa isn’t available in your area, feel free to use instant corn masa mix.
MAKES 6 TO 10 PUPUSAS
MARINADE
½ onion, peeled and quartered
½ Asian pear, cored and quartered
½ cup kochujang
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ cup water
PUPUSAS
1 cup kimchi (or store-bought), minced
1 tablespoon butter
About ¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
½ cup salt
½ cup sugar
1 pound pork belly, whole, skin off (ask your butcher to do this for you)
8 ounces fresh masa
ON THE TABLE
Your favorite hot salsa
Pickled jalapeños
Preheat the oven to 500°F.
Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a blender or food processor and puree. Pour the marinade into a large bowl and set aside until the pork is ready.
In a pan over medium heat, caramelize the kimchi in the butter and a touch of the oil until it’s lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the sesame seeds, then remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
Mix the salt and sugar together and rub the mixture all over the pork belly. Let the pork sit on your counter for a couple hours, uncovered, to cure it.
Place the cured pork on a wire rack in a sheet pan, with the side where the skin was removed facing up, and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until it’s slightly brown. Turn the oven down to 200°F and let the pork cook for 3 hours. Check to see if the meat is tender; if not, let it cook for another hour, checking on it every 15 minutes to see if it’s done.
Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest until it has cooled to room temperature (keep the oven on). When the pork is cool, cut it into small chunks and place it in the marinade. Coat the pork with the marinade and set aside while you heat a pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil; when it starts to smoke, sear the marinated meat in the pan until it’s nice and caramelized, about 4 minutes. Remove to cool.
Meanwhile, on a cutting board, rub a tiny dot of the remaining oil between your hands and scoop enough masa into your hands to roll into an egg-sized ball. Create a deep well in the center of the masa ball. Place 2 tablespoons of the pork and 2 tablespoons of the kimchi in the well, then roll the masa around it to enclose it in a ball. Flatten the pupusa and repeat until you have as many as you would like, up to 10.
On a pancake griddle or a nonstick pan, add a touch of the remaining oil and heat over medium heat until just under smoking. Sear the pupusas on each side until they’re crispy, about 2 minutes. Stick them in the oven for a hot minute, just until the middles of the pupusas are warm to the touch.
Eat piping hot with the hot salsa and pickled jalapeños.
WELCOME TO L.A.
CURING IS NOTHING MORE THAN USING A DRY MARINADE. THE SALT AND SUGAR WILL WORK TOGETHER TO DRAW OUT MOISTURE FROM THE MEAT WHILE ADDING A TON OF FLAVOR. IT’LL COME OUT DELICIOUS.
L.A. DIRTY DOG
* * *
The East Coast has the pizza slice, and the South has Waffle House. Pittsburgh got them roadside sandwiches; Buffalo, you got wings; and all you other cities, y’all got your drunk food, right?! In L.A., when it’s 2:00 A.M. and we’re stumbling out of the club, we got dirty dogs off a shopping cart cooked on sheet pans lit by Sterno underneath. Even fine-ass bitches get down on dirty dogs; don’t front.
MAKES 4 HOT DOGS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 hot dogs, split lengthwise so they won’t burst when cooked
4 slices bacon
4 soft hot dog buns
Mayonnaise
Ketchup
Mustard
Tapatío hot sauce
Heat the oil in a pan or on a griddle over medium heat, add the onion and peppers, and sauté with a touch of salt and pepper until they’re slightly caramelized, about 4 minutes. Remove.
Wrap each hot dog tightly in a strip of bacon. In a pan over medium heat, slowly cook your hot dogs, moving them continuously to cook them evenly, until the bacon is nice and brown but still soft, about 4 minutes. Remove.
Toast the inside of the buns in a bit of that bacon fat.
Place a hot dog in each bun and slather it with mayonnaise, then top with the peppers and onions. Squeeze on the ketchup and mustard to taste, then a splash of the Tapatío.
YOU SHOULD
BE DRUNK.
SESAME-SOY SALAD DRESSING
* * *
So easy, so good, so quick. After all those tacos, corn cobs with mayo, dirty dogs, and burgers, go eat a mixed greens salad or something, would ya?!
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup natural rice vinegar (not seasoned)
¼ cup mirin
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup chopped scallions
1½ teaspoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
1½ teaspoons minced garlic
1½ teaspoons roasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup water
Pinch of kosher salt
Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Puree it all together. Dress up your salad.
CHAPTER 13
VEGETABLES 1-2-3
These are the B-sides, a little section I wanted to put in for those days when you wanna cook just enough for you and maybe a friend, but don’t wanna go all the way in. A 1-2-3 to make it easy to have great snacks, sides, or a decent meal or two. All on the fly.
ASPARAGUS
* * *
White vinegar
2 eggs
Kosher salt
6 large asparagus, stalks trimmed and peeled
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
½ lemon
2 tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese
1½ teaspoons roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Cracked black pepper
Put a few inches of water into a small pot, add a splash of white vinegar, and heat until the water begins to simmer. With the heat on medium-low, swirl the water with a wooden spoon and, while the water is swirling, carefully crack in each egg and cook until the eggs coagulate, about 2 minutes. Pull them out with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Bring a big pot of water to boil and season it with salt. Meanwhile, ready a big bowl of ice water.
Blanch the asparagus in the boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, until it’s slightly tender but still has its color—keep it bright green. Remove the asparagus from the pot and shock it in the ice water.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the asparagus, cooking until its slightly colored on all sides, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel and then to a plate.
Throw the butter into the pan and let it brown slightly. Season the butter with some salt and a squeeze of the lemon. You’re done. Pour it all over the asparagus.
Garnish with the poached eggs, shaved Parmesan, and parsley.
CRANK THE PEPPERMILL
UNTIL I SAY STOP.
BABY BOK CHOY
* * *
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound baby bok choy, stalks separated, washed and spun dry
¼ cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons natural rice vinegar (not seasoned)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sliced scallions
1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
Heat the oil in a pan over high heat.
When it’s smoking, add half of the baby bok choy and sauté the vegetable for a minute, then add the other half. Sauté the bok choy until it’s caramelized, about 3 minutes, then remove to a plate.
Deglaze the pan with the orange juice and the vinegar, then add the soy sauce. Cook for just a few seconds, then swirl in the chili garlic sauce and sugar. Cook for about 45 seconds more, reducing the sauce slightly.
Turn off the heat and add the butter, stirring it in to finish the sauce. Pour it around the bok choy and garnish the plate with the sesame seeds and scallions. Eat.
BROCCOLI RABE
* * *
Kosher salt
1 pound broccoli rabe
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lemon
1 tablespoon red chile flakes
1 cup ricotta cheese
Prepare a big gallon-size bowl of ice water.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Place the broccoli rabe in the water and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove and shock immediately in the ice water.
Remove the broccoli rabe from the ice bath and pat dry. Season the broccoli rabe with the olive oil and salt. Heat a grill or grill pan and, when it’s hot, char the rabe. Transfer to a plate.
Squeeze the lemon all over the rabe and sprinkle on the chile flakes. Spoon some ricotta cheese over everything and eat immediately.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND KIMCHI
* * *
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces brussels sprouts, halved
1 cup minced kimchi
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
2 tablespoons minced shiso leaves
Heat a pan over medium heat until it’s smoking. Add the oil and the brussels sprouts.
Move the pan around, caramelizing the sprouts, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the kimchi and toss.
Get some good color on everything, about 7 to 10 minutes, then add the butter. Swirl and season everything with salt, pepper, a squeeze of the lemon, and a sprinkle of the shiso leaves.
Enjoy immediately.
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER
* * *
8 ounces cauliflower
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of ground cumin
Chopped fresh herbs (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Break up the cauliflower into florets and discard the stalk. Coat the florets with oil and season them with salt, pepper, and cumin.
Place the florets on a sheet pan and roast in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they’re medium brown and crispy. Take out of the oven and, if you wish, douse with more extra virgin olive oil and the chopped herbs.
ROASTED MUSHROOMS
* * *
8 ounces any mushrooms you want, stemmed
1 cup olive oil
½ bunch fresh thyme
Cloves from 1 head garlic, peeled
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 500°F.
Soak the mushrooms in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Remove the mushrooms and lay them in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with foil. Discard the oil.
Sprinkle them all over with thyme and garlic, then roast it all in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they’re all completely brown. Enjoy.
QUICK SPINACH SOUP
* * *
2 cups chicken stock
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons miso
5 tablespoons soy sauce
9 ounces spinach (about 5½ cups), washed
4 ounces tofu, cut into cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Warm the stock in a pot over medium heat and whisk in the miso and soy.
Add the spinach to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
Add the tofu to the pot and cook, uncovered, for 2 more minutes.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. Enjoy with rice.
ROASTED SWEET POTATOES
* * *
4 sweet potatoes, washed
Salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Wrap the sweet potatoes in foil, then bake them until they’re tender, about an hour.
Unwrap and eat the potatoes directly out of the foil, scooping out the flesh and sprinkling with salt to taste.
SLOW-ROASTED TOMATOES
* * *
8 ounces Roma tomatoes, cut in half
½ cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ bunch fresh rosemary
½ bunch fresh oregano
Preheat the oven to 200°F.
Coat the tomatoes in the olive oil and season them with salt and pepper. Lay them on a sheet pan, cut side up. Sprinkle the herbs all over the tomatoes.
Place the sheet pan in the oven and cook for 2 to 3 hours, until the moisture from the tomatoes has been released.
Remove from the pan and eat with everything.
ZUCCHINI FRITTER OMELET
* * *
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium zucchini, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon butter
2 eggs, whisked
Heat a pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Place the grated zucchini in a single layer in the pan and cook until it gets a little color, about 3 minutes. Flip.
Season the zucchini with salt and pepper, then add the butter.
Once the butter begins to brown slightly, pour the whisked eggs over the zucchini in the pan and cook. Drizzle in the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil as they’re cooking and let the eggs cook until they’re slightly f
irm, about 2 minutes.
Fold the eggs over once to create your omelet and enjoy.
WATERMELON AND GOAT CHEESE
* * *
½ watermelon, sliced
Pinch of kosher salt
1 lime, halved
1 cup goat cheese
Cracked black pepper
½ cup toasted cashews
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Season the watermelon with salt and lime juice.
Lay the watermelon on a plate and crumble goat cheese all over it, along with the pepper, cashews, and olive oil.
SIMPLE SIMPLE SIMPLE.
BUTTER PINEAPPLE
* * *
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into thick rings
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup rum
Splash of fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons butter
In a large nonstick pan over medium heat, heat the oil until it’s smoking. Place the pineapple in the pan in a single layer and caramelize on each side, which should take about 4 minutes. You may have to do this in stages if there isn’t enough room to fit all the rings, transferring each batch of finished rings to a plate.
Once all the pineapple rings are caramelized, return them to the pan and add the sugar. Caramelize the sugar just slightly, then deglaze with rum. Reduce a bit and splash in the OJ.