Appetizers

Salmon Rillettes

• 2 cups dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 pound skinless salmon fillet (preferably wild), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 ounces smoked salmon, cut into 1/4' pieces
• 1/2 cup (or more) mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon (or more) fresh lemon juice
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 1 baguette, thinly sliced, toasted

PREPARATION

 

• Bring wine and shallot to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low; add salmon. Gently poach until salmon is barely opaque in center, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Strain poaching liquid through a fine-mesh sieve; set aside shallot and discard liquid. Place salmon and shallot in a large bowl; cover and chill until completely cooled.
• Add smoked salmon, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, chives, and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice to salmon and shallot. Gently mix just to combine (salmon will break up a little, but do not overmix or a paste will form). Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more mayonnaise and lemon juice, if desired. DO AHEAD: Rillettes can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
• Serve rillettes cold with toasted slices of baguette.
  
   
  

  Panko-Crusted

  Fish Sticks with Herb Dipping Sauce

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  You’ll never go back to frozen once you try this simple recipe. We combine panko breadcrumbs and Old Bay seasoning for an easy breading that bakes up crunchy and finger-friendly in just 15 minutes.

  To make fish sticks, cut tilapia fillets in half lengthwise down center line. Halve again lengthwise, then crosswise.

  1 large egg, lightly beaten
  coarse salt and ground pepper
  2 cups panko
  1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
  2 tablespoons olive oil
  1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets, cut into wide strips (see note, above)
  1/2 cup light mayonnaise
  1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
  2 teaspoons prepared white horseradish

  1. Preheat oven to 475, with racks in top and bottom third. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil; set aside.
  

  2. Place egg in a wide shallow bowl; season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, combine panko, Old Bay, and oil. Dip tilapia into egg, shaking off excess, then into panko mixture, pressing to adhere. Place on prepared baking sheets.

  3. Bake until lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom halfway through. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, parsley, mustard, lemon juice, and horseradish; season with salt and pepper. Serve fish sticks with sauce and lemon wedges on the side.
  
  
  
  

  Chicken Tenders with Creamy Honey Mustard

   

  

   

   

   

  This is fast food you can feel good about eating. Children and grown-ups alike will love not only the crispy chicken, but also dipping it (and some veggie sticks) in the sweet, tangy sauce.

  1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  1 large egg, lightly beaten
  coarse salt and ground pepper
  4 cups crisp rice cereal
  2 tablespoons olive oil
  1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders (tenderloins)
  1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
  2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  1 tablespoon honey
  4 medium carrots, cut into sticks
  1 cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into sticks

  1. Preheat oven to 475. Place flour in a shallow bowl, and egg in a second one; season both with salt and pepper. Pulse cereal and oil in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Season with salt and pepper; transfer to a third shallow bowl.

  2. Coat chicken: first in flour, shaking off excess; then with egg, letting excess drip off; and finally in cereal mixture, pressing to help it adhere. Place on a baking sheet, and bake until light golden brown and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes, turning over halfway through.
  

  3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together sour cream, mustard, and honey; season with salt and pepper. Serve tenders and vegetables with creamy honey mustard on the side.

   

  Chettinad Tomato chutney 

   

  

  1/2 onion, chopped
  3 garlic cloves, shelled and minced
  1 tbsp. channa dal
  2 tbsp. oil
  3 Roma tomatoes or 2 salad tomatoes, chopped
  2 tsp. paprika
  salt to taste
  1 tsp. tamarind paste

  For the tempering
  3 tbsp. oil
  1 dry red chili pepper
  1 tsp. mustard seeds
  1/4 tsp. asafoetida
  3-4 curry leaves
  
  Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions, garlic and channa dal until soft and slightly brown. Add the tomatoes, paprika and salt to taste. Cook until the tomatoes are mushy.

   In a blender combine the cooked tomato mixture and tamarind paste. Blend to a paste. In a separate pan heat oil for the tempering and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle turn off the heat and add the other ingredients. Pour it over the tomato paste. Mix well.

   

   

  Chicken Curry (Kerala Style)

  This is a simple and delicious chicken curry dish. What makes it different though is the "coconut"and the pearl onions/sambar onions (trust me....even thought its a real pain to peel of the skins, it makes a lot of difference when you use pearl onions instead of the regular red or white onions).
  
  I am sure whenever you hear the word south indian, coconut is the next thing that comes to your mind hehe.....(no offense meant; and none taken, i am a proud keralite). The best thing about this curry is, you can easily replace the chicken with even prawns or fish.
  Chicken (cut into small pieces, cleaned and washed) - 1LB/half kg
  Freshly grated coconut - Approx 1 cup

  Pearl onions aka sambar onions - 1 cup chopped 

  Dried Red chilli - 2 nos. 

  Coriander seeds - approx 1 tbsp

  Cloves - 5-6 nos

  Peppercorns - 6-7 nos

  Cinnamon stick - 1 - 2inch 

  Bay leaf - 1
  Star Anise - 1

  Ginger-Garlic paste - 2 tbsp
  Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
  Tomato - 1 (chopped)

  Curry Leaves - 4-5 nos

  Coriander Leaves & Mint leaves chopped - For garnishing
  Oil for cooking - 3-4 tbsp
  Salt to taste
  
  Feel free to adjust the amount of spices depending on how spicy you want the gravy to be. My gravy turned out to be medium spicy.
  1) Clean, wash and cut the chicken into small pieces (or as desired).
  
  

  2) Dry roast all the spices that is red chilli, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, bay leaf and star anise along with the grated coconut on a medium flame. Roast everything together until the coconut turns brown in color. Be careful enough to not burn the coconut. Let it cool down for some time and then grind it into a nice thick paste in a mixer grinder.

  
  3) Cut the pearl onions lengthwise and chop the tomatoes into cubes. I used coarsely minced ginger and garlic for this recipe but you can also use ginger-garlic paste.
  
  4) In a deep pan heat about 3 - 4 tbsp of oil. When the oil is hot add the onions, ginger-garlic paste and curry leaves. Saute and cook until the onions become soft and translucent. Once the onions are cooked add the tomatoes and cook until they are nice and tender.
   5) Now add the turmeric powder and the coconut paste. Take little water into the mixer bowl clear off any leftover coconut paste and add. Saute for few mins and then add the chicken pieces to it. Do not add any water at this point as the chicken releases water during cooking. You can add water later on if you think the gravy is too thick. Add salt for seasoning.
  
  6) Cover the pan with a lid and cook the chicken on a low to medium flame (for about 15-20mins or until the chicken is nicely cooked) so that all the spices are nicely incorporated in the chicken.
  

  7) Finally garnish with lots of fresh cilantro/coriander leaves and mint leaves.
  
  
  

  
  
  MINI VADA PAV BITES
  
  Ingredients
  
  For the potato mixture
  1 cup of boiled & mashed potatoes
  1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
  1 tsp finely chopped ginger
  1 tsp cumin seeds
  1 tbsp coriander-cumin powder
  1 tsp red chili powder/ cayenne pepper
  1/2 tsp turmeric
  1 tbsp lime juice
  1 tbsp oil
  Salt to taste
  For making the fritters
  3/4 cup chickpea flour
  Salt to season the flour
  1 tsp red chili powder
  Upto 1 1/4 cup water
  Oil for deep frying
  For the Bread Baskets
  Slices of bread
  1 tsp oil (to grease the muffin tin)
  For assembling the Vada Pav Bites
  1/4 cup of tamarind sauce (optional)
  1/4 cup of Green Chutney (Recipe here)
  1/8 cup garlic/peanut chutney (Recipe here)
  Order Ingredients Powered by Chicory
  Directions
  
  Heat oil in a pan. Once hot, add cumin seeds, chopped ginger & garlic.
  When the garlic & ginger turn golden, add all the spice powders, salt and mashed potatoes.
  Mix well and turn the heat off. Add the lime juice and chopped cilantro for garnish.
  Once the potato mixture cools down, divide the mixture into 10-12 equal portions and shape them into pin pong sized balls.
  Mix the chickpea flour, salt and chili powder. Add water in small quantities & mix well until you make a pancake (or dosa) like batter.
  Heat up the oil for frying.
  Check if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small blob of batter in. The blob of batter sinks and rises up to the top 10 sec. Now, the oil is of the perfect temperature.
  Coat each ball with the batter and drop into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the oil (it brings down the temperature of oil all of a sudden).
  When they turn golden, drain them onto some paper towels. Set Aside.
  For the bread baskets, cut the bread into a discs using a cutter or just cut the crusts off.
  Flatten out the bread discs slightly using a rolling pin.
  Grease a muffin pan and set the rolled out bread discs in it as shown in the picture.
  Bake at 350°F for 5-7 min or until it gets toasted slightly. We do not want the bread to dry up. It has to be like toast; crispy outer layer but soft.
  Once done, Set aside and cool the baskets for 5 minutes.
  When you are ready to serve, start assembling the vada pav bites.
  Place a little bit of tamarind sauce in the basket (depending on your taste), place the potato fritter on it.
  Now, pipe some green chutney on top and sprinkle some spicy garlic chutney.
  Elegant, mini vada pav bites are ready to be served.
  
  

Kung pao chicken wings are an awesome, delicious alternative to the traditional hot wings or honey barbecue wings that you see all over the place. The spicy, tangy sauce and oven-“fried” preparation make them the ultimate fusion food. 

After the sauce, the next best part about this recipe is the oven-fry method used to crisp up the wings. Every time I use this method, I’m convinced that it’s the only way wings should be made.

On with the recipe! The ingredient list is a bit long, but I promise everything has a purpose and adds to the flavor of the dish! Can you tell I’m excited about this one? Go for it!

Kung Pao Chicken Wings
Makes 1 dozen wings

For the marinade:
12 chicken wingettes and drumettes, rinsed and pat dry
¼ teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon flour

For the kung pao sauce:
1 teaspoon peanut oil (can substitute vegetable or canola oil)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
10 dried whole red chili peppers
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon spicy bean sauce/paste
1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water, mixed into a slurry
1 scallion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Toss the chicken wings in a large mixing bowl along with all the marinade ingredients, ensuring the wings are well coated. Set aside for at least 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Line a sheet pan with heavy-duty foil for easy clean-up and add a layer of non-stick foil or parchment paper so the wings don’t stick. Lay the wings on the sheet pan spaced 2 inches apart, ensuring that as much of the marinade coating is on the wings as possible. Bake in the oven for 16 minutes, flipping them halfway through roasting. Both sides of the wings should be crispy. Halfway through this process (i.e. after you’ve flipped the wings), make the sauce.

To make the sauce, place the oil and ginger in a wok or saucepan set over low heat. After 15 seconds, add the garlic, whole dried chilies, and crushed red pepper flakes. Toast another 10 seconds and stir in the Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, chicken stock, sugar, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and spicy bean paste. Stir well and bring to a simmer.

Stir in cornstarch slurry until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Add the scallions. By now, the wings should be done cooking. Toss them with the sauce and serve, garnished with chopped peanuts and cilantro. Serve!

Pigs in the Blanket

Our shortcut: Make them big, then slice before freezing.Roll and Cut PastryA pizza wheel and a ruler ensure you’ll get nine even squares.

Wrap Sausages
Egg wash will help seal the pastry around the sausages.

See More: Quick, One-Pot Meal Ideas To Feed the Whole Family

Add Toppings
Brushing with egg and sprinkling with poppy seeds or sea salt adds sheen and crunch.

Cut Into Thirds
Cutting the sausages before freezing makes them quick and easy to bake and serve. Or transfer to a baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees until golden, about 15 minutes. Serve with mustard.

Speedy Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Olive oil
1 sweet potato, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chipotle paste
1 red chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 (15-ounce/400 g) can navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 avocado
½ a lime
A few sprigs of fresh mint or cilantro, leaves picked and chopped
4 corn tortillas

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a pan, add the sweet potato and the maple syrup, and season with salt and pepper. Add the chipotle paste and the chopped chile and cook for a few minutes until the potato has softened and lost its rawness.

Transfer to a bowl and add the beans, then use a potato masher to mash everything a little—you will still have some flecks of unmashed sweet potato. Season if needed.

Mash the avocado with a little lime juice and stir in the herbs. I use the potato masher again here.

Now heat a frying pan big enough for your tortillas. Lay a tortilla flat in the pan, spoon a quarter of the mixture onto one half of it, then fold over
the other half. Dry fry on one side until it’s blistered and golden brown, then flip over and do the same on the other side. Keep the quesadilla warm in a low oven while you do this with the rest of the tortillas.

Serve straight from the pan with the mashed avocado.

Cannellini Bean Dip
Serves 4

I like to offer guests a little treat when I’m serving drinks, and this dip is always welcome. My pantry is never without canned beans, from cannellini to black beans to large butter beans. The garnishes make the dish look more attractive—and more like a classic hummus made with chickpeas.

Dip
One 1-pound can cannellini beans, drained (about 1 ¾ cups)
1 large garlic clove, crushed
½ cup diced bread
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon water
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Garnishes
1/3 cup reserved beans (from above)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
3 or 4 tostadas or hard taco shells, broken into wedges, or toasts or rice crackers

For the dip: Reserve 1/3 cup of the beans for garnish. Put the remaining beans in a blender or food processor. Add all the remaining ingredients and process until very smooth, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula a few times if need be to help combine the ingredients.

Transfer the dip (you should have about 2 cups) to a shallow serving dish and create a well in the center.

For the garnishes: Put the reserved beans in the well in the dip and pour in the olive oil. Sprinkle with the paprika, poppy seeds, and parsley. Serve surrounded by the tostadas or tacos, toasts, or crackers.

Sweet Roasted Chickpeas 
Makes 2 cups

One 15-ounce can chickpeas
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
Pinch ground cayenne
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Drain the chickpeas in a large strainer and rinse well. Spread the chickpeas out on a kitchen towel or paper towels and pat them dry. (At this point, some of skins may be coming off the beans. You can remove them all if you like. I’m not married to either way.)

Spread the dry chickpeas out on the baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cayenne, cinnamon, cumin and salt. Set aside.

Remove the chickpeas from the oven and drizzle with the vegetable oil, turning to coat with a large spoon. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the chickpeas and mix well, rolling them around the pan until all the peas are coated. Return to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Turn off the oven, crack open the oven door and leave the chickpeas inside for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven (the chickpeas will still be slightly soft in the middle). Serve immediately, as the chickpeas do not keep well.

Truffled Chicken Pot Pie
Serves 6

Make an enriched chicken stock:
1 gallon chicken stock
1 each 3-3.5 lb whole chicken (excess fat trimmed)
1 each carrot (peeled, rough chop for mirepoix)
2 stalks celery (rough chop for mirepoix)
2 each yellow onion (rough chop for mirepoix)
3 sprigs thyme
1 each bay leaf

Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring up to a boil. Turn heat down to bring it to a simmer. Cook for 2 hours, skimming off fat along the way. Remove chicken and let cool. Strain enriched stock through a fine mesh sieve and skim any remaining fat off the top. Reserve 1 quart for the velouté and cool the rest of it down for later use in a soup or a sauce.

Chicken Velouté:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 quart enriched chicken stock
1 cup crème fraîche
2 tablespoons black truffle oil
1/4 cup chopped black truffle
1 each lemon
Salt (or truffle salt) to taste
White pepper to taste

Make a roux by melting the butter in a pot. Once completely melted, whisk in flour. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes while continually whisking. Slowly add enriched stock to roux. Bring velouté up to a boil and then turn heat down to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Velouté should be slightly thick. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Add truffle oil, crème fraîche, and chopped truffle. Whisk thoroughly, season to taste with salt and pepper and juice from lemon. Check for consistency. Make sure it’s not too thick, and loosen with more stock if necessary.

Assemble:
2 cups cooked pearl onions (red and white)
2 cups cooked baby carrots (yellow and orange, cut into 1/2” pieces)
2 cups cooked (or defrosted if frozen) green peas
Meat (not fine-shredded) from chicken cooked from enriched chicken stock
6 each approximately 10-oz ramekins or 4” wide soup vessels
18 slices black truffle
Puff Pastry, cut into circles that overlap your ramekin or vessel by 1.5”
2 whole eggs +1 egg yolk for egg wash

Preheat a “still” or low fan oven to 350 degrees. Make sure velouté and all ingredients are completely cool before you begin. In a wide bowl or a wide pot, combine veloute, vegetables, and chicken and mix well with a rubber spatula. Spoon mixture into ramekins, leaving about 1/2” room from the top. Place 3 slices of shaved truffle on top of mixture in each ramekin. Prepare an egg wash by whisking whole eggs and egg yolks together in a separate bowl. Make sure puff pastry is cool enough to work with. (Leave in the freezer and take out 5 minutes before using). Brush outside edge of ramekins with egg wash about 1” from the top of the rim, all the way around. Cover each ramekin with puff pastry and secure the puff pastry by pressing around the outside of the ramekin. Brush puff pastry with egg wash and bake in the oven until golden brown (usually 20-23 minutes). Glaze again with egg wash halfway through cooking.

Spicy Prosciutto Cheese Straws 
Makes about 18 straws

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (we used Trader Joe’s)
Heaping tablespoon chili-infused oil (we’ve used both this and this)
Handful of shredded cheese (leftover Italian cheese blend from this recipe works well)
4 ounces thinly-sliced prosciutto

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut each slice of prosciutto into about 1-inch strips. (I got 18 strips out of my pack from Trader Joe’s. Tip: if you have the kind that’s pre-sliced and separated with paper, keep the paper intact and cut the prosciutto with scissors. Super simp!)

Roll out puff pastry and brush surface generously with chili oil. Scatter with shredded cheese, pressing cheese lightly to adhere. (Use a restrained hand here — you’re not topping a pizza.)

Cut pastry in half crosswise; then rotate and cut each half into vertical 1-inch strips. Again, eyeball it. I got 18 pieces.

Roughly align a strip of prosciutto with a strip of puff pastry and set onto ungreased baking sheet. Holding one end of the strip to the sheet with your finger, gently twist the other end a couple of times. Press twisted end lightly to the pan to hold the strip in place. It’ll be… rustic, let’s say. No matter. Repeat with remaining strips.

Bake on the center rack for 12-15 minutes or until twists are golden brown and crisp. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!

Short Rib Hot Pot With Kabocha Squash Puree

Pull-Apart Lobster Rolls
Makes 12

You don’t have to live on the coast to make lobster rolls from scratch. Lobster is shipped to markets all over the country, and you can even buy it shelled and cooked—although boiling lobster takes no time and, with the right tools, the meat is easy to extract (see notes, below). Buttery pull-apart rolls are the right size for holding the sandwich in one hand and a drink in the other, and they make a fun display. 

1 pound cooked lobster meat (from 3 lobsters; see notes, below) (2 ¼ cup)
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 tablespoon fresh chervil, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 pull-apart rolls, such as King’s Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls or Martin’s potato rolls (do not separate rolls)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Gently stir to combine lobster meat, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, chervil, salt, Old Bay, and cayenne in a bowl. 

Split buns across top, then brush generously with some of melted butter. Heat on a baking sheet until warmed through, 3 to 5 minutes.  Divide lobster salad amongst rolls, drizzle with remaining butter, sprinkle with chervil, and serve. 

Lobster How-To

To cook live lobsters

Fill a large stockpot three quarters of the way with cold water; bring to a rolling boil and add a generous amount of coarse salt. Plunge 3 lobsters, one at a time, headfirst into the water, and cook (uncovered) until they turn bright red, 8 to 14 minutes. Use tongs to remove them from the pot, and transfer to a platter. When cool enough to handle, snip tips off claws and let liquid drain out. Remove rubber bands.

To extract the meat

Pull claws from bodies, completely separating. Twist each tail from joint where it meets the body. Use kitchen shears to slice down centers of tails. Open sides of tails apart to release the meat. Use your fingers to pull meat from tails. Separate knuckles from claws. Crack knuckles open, and remove meat with a small fork. Grasp “thumbs” from claws, and bend back to snap off. Place claws on their sides on a work surface. Holding with one hand, and using back (dull edge) of a chef’s knife, whack several times to crack shells without cutting into meat. Twist to open and then pull out the meat with your fingers. Cut all meat into ½-inch pieces and finely chop.

Short Rib Hot Pot with Kabocha Squash Puree 
Serves 10 to 12

Boneless beef short ribs are some of the most elegant comfort food I know, and both the winners of Oscars and those who are honored just to have been nominated are likely to enjoy this variation on a classic French-style braise. Sealing the meat, vegetables, and Dutch oven with strips of puff pastry is a classic technique that really enhances the flavor and tenderness—though caution is required when opening the vessel for serving. Butchers in many good supermarkets will bone and trim the short ribs for you. For the Governors Ball, we’ll be smoking the kabocha squash with hay, which adds a sweet, grassy, smoky flavor, instead of just baking it as this recipe calls for, but the results will be just as delicious.

5 pounds boneless beef short rib, trimmed of all membranes and excess fat
4 medium orange carrots, peeled and trimmed, 3 cut into chunks, 1 cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and trimmed, 2 cut into chunks, 1 cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 medium stalks celery, peeled and trimmed, 1 cut into chunks, 1 cut into 1/2-inch dice
About 2 bottles dry red wine
All-purpose flour, for coating
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil, for browning
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 to 2 cups good-quality chicken stock or broth
1 large parsnip, peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 medium celery root, peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 yellow carrot (or 1 extra orange carrot), peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large kabocha squash
1 bay leaf
1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed following package directions
1 large egg
White sesame seeds, for garnish
Sea salt, for garnish

Arrange the short ribs in a nonreactive dish or bowl large enough to hold them in a single layer and evenly scatter the chunks of orange carrots, onion, and celery over them. Pour enough of the wine into the dish to submerge the beef and vegetables completely. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator to marinate for 24 hours.

Before cooking, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the short ribs from the wine and pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels, reserving the wine. Spread an even layer of the flour on a baking tray, season with salt and pepper, and roll the short ribs in the flour until evenly coated.

Preheat an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Add enough canola oil to coat the bottom of the pan well and, when it’s hot enough to shimmer slightly, shake off excess flour from the short ribs and carefully add them to the pan, working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding, and adding a little extra oil if needed. Cook the short ribs until evenly browned all over, using tongs to turn the meat occasionally, 7 to 10 minutes. When the ribs are browned, transfer them to a platter and set aside.

Add the diced carrot, onion, and celery to the Dutch oven and sauté until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and sauté, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste darkens slightly, about 2 minutes longer. Add the wine in which the short ribs marinated and bring to a brisk simmer while stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan deposits. Once the wine is simmering, return the short ribs to the Dutch oven and add enough chicken stock to cover completely and continue cooking until the liquid returns to a simmer. 

Cover the Dutch oven using its lid or heavy-duty aluminum foil. Carefully transfer to the preheated oven and cook until the ribs are fork-tender, 2 to 3 hours depending on their size. Set the Dutch oven aside and leave to cool at room temperature for 1 hour; then, transfer the contents of the Dutch oven to a nonreactive container, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Clean the Dutch oven.

Bring a pot full of water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, fill a bowl with ice cubes and water and place it near the sink. Add the diced parsnip and celery root and the remaining diced yellow (or orange) carrot and cook just until the water returns to a boil; then drain and immediately submerge the vegetables in the ice water. When they’ve cooled, drain them, transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

For the squash, preheat the oven to 400°F. With a sturdy, sharp knife, very carefully cut the squash in half. Use a sharp-edged tablespoon to scoop out the seeds and fibers from each half. Lightly oil a roasting pan and place the squash halves in the pan cut side down. Roast the squash in the oven until tender enough to be pierced easily with a sharp skewer, about 1 hour. Carefully scoop the flesh from each squash half, transferring it to a food processor fitted with the stainless-steel blade. Process until smoothly pureed, adding a little chicken stock if necessary. Pulse in some salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Transfer the puree to the bottom of the clean Dutch oven. Arrange the cold diced vegetables on top. Remove the fat that has coagulated on the surface of the chilled short ribs braising liquid and arrange the short ribs and braising liquid on top in the Dutch oven. Add the bay leaf. Place the lid on the Dutch oven.

Cut enough 1-inch-wide strips from the puff pastry to seal the complete circumference of the Dutch oven’s lid. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork until the yolk and white are smoothly blended. With a pastry brush, brush the egg over 1 side of the pastry strips to moisten them. Press the moistened side of the strips into the seam all around the lid of the Dutch oven to seal it to the pot. Brush the exterior of the pastry to coat it, and decoratively scatter some sesame seeds and sea salt all around the pastry.

Put the Dutch oven in the preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a stovetop burner over medium-low heat for 5 minutes longer.

Taking care to avoid the hot steam, use a small, sharp knife to cut through the pastry all along the seam; then, very carefully remove the lid, keeping your hands and face clear of the seam. Transfer the Dutch oven to a trivet on the dining table and serve directly from it at the table, family-style.