Panfried Truffle-stuffed Chicken Breasts with Pickled Roasted Beets

Most of us don't have the money to drop at least a hundred bucks on a truffle (who would think that the fruiting body of an underground mushroom would be so expensive?), but have no fear! You too can taste this highly prized and delectable treat, because you can buy a jar of truffle butter, which is basically butter with bits of truffle mixed into it. A worthwhile purchase, if you ask me because truffles have a very distinctive, strong, earthy flavor and a little of that stuff goes a long way - and man oh man is it delicious. Here I've breaded chicken breasts with oatmeal, then stuffed them with black truffle butter and paired them with pickled red and golden beets and fresh spinach (or try watercress, if you can find it). This is one of my favorite ways to use truffle butter, for sure, although I also like to use truffle butter to top baked potatoes or yams with or spread on bread or fry eggs in. This recipe wasn't very work intensive either, so it could make for a wonderful weeknight meal. Yum!

Pan-fried Truffle-stuffed Chicken Breasts with Pickled Roasted Beets Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Ingredients: Panfried Truffle-stuffed Chicken Breasts • 5 tablespoons of truffle butter, softened • Salt and pepper • 6 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves • ½ cup flour • 2 eggs, beaten • 3 cups oats (I used thick rolled oats) or brown rice cereal • Olive oil (for frying) Pickled Roasted Beets • 12 small beets, Chioagga, red or golden • ¼ cup red wine vinegar or Champagne vinegar • Salt and pepper • Extra-virgin olive oil Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Trim the tops and the ends of the beets, then wash them. Roast them with a splash of water in a tightly covered baking pan for 45 minutes to an hour until they can be easily pierced with a knife. Allow the beets to cool slightly, then peel and cut them into quarters or round. Gently toss the beets with the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Allow the beets to marinate in the vinegar, then dress them with olive oil. 2. Lay the chicken breasts flat on a clean work surface. With a sharp paring knife, cut a pocket about ½ inch wide and 2 inches deep in the thicker end of each breast. Divide the truffle butter into 6 equal pieces and insert each piece into the pocket of each breast. Season both sides of each breast with salt and pepper. 3. Dredge each breast into the flour, shaking off any excess, then dip them into the beaten eggs, and roll them in oats. Put the breasts on a baking sheet in one layer, and sprinkle both sides of the breasts with more oats and make sure they're evenly coated. Refrigerate, uncovered, for up to 4 hours before frying. 4. Heat olive oil in a cast-iron skillet (although I used a non stick fry pan) over medium heat. Fry the chicken breasts in the olive oil for 3-5 minutes or until nicely browned. Flip them over and cook for another 3-5 minutes. The internal temperature should read 165°F. Serve immediately.

Skate with Shiitake Mushrooms and Roasted Hazelnuts

Most people have never heard of skate, a cousin to the stingray, but its wing-like pectoral fins have a delicious, extremely delicate flesh that is slightly sweet and reminiscent of crab or lobster meat. It's one of my favorite types of seafood but isn't very common, so if you do find it at the fish market or your local grocery store, snatch it up and try it - I doubt you will regret it! Just be sure to have the cartilage, which is tough and inedible, removed before you prepare it. (Trust me, removing it yourself is a pain in the ass.)

Skate, being a mild fish, tastes best when it is prepared with somewhat rich or strong tasting ingredients, whereas a fish that is stronger tasting to begin with such as salmon ought to be prepared more simply - even with just extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper - in order to allow the natural flavor, which can stand on its own, to shine.

I've prepared skate the traditional way before - a la Grenobloise (in the style of Grenobole in the Dauphine region of France), with brown butter, capers, parsley, lemon juice, diced lemon, and tiny croutons.



But I prefer the version in the following recipe (slightly adapted from a recipe by the very talented Daniel Boulud), which marries the rich, earthy flavors of the shiitake mushrooms and crunchy roasted hazelnuts sautéed in butter with the tender, mild flesh of the skate. The richness of the dish was cut with the acidity of fresh lemon, which provided a wonderful tang. What an incredible combination of tastes and textures!

FYI, Hazelnuts are rich in protein, dietary fiber, iron, calcium and vitamin E. Like all nuts, they contain a lot of fat but over 80% of the total fat in hazelnuts is monounsaturated (healthy fat).

Skate with Shiitake Mushrooms and Roasted Hazelnuts Adapted from Daniel Boulud's Food and Wine recipe Ingredients: • ½ cup hazelnuts • 3 medium shallots, minced • 2 garlic cloves, halved • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened • ½ pound shiitake mushrooms • leaves from 2 thyme sprigs • Salt and freshly ground pepper • 1½ - 2 pounds skate wing fillets, cleaned and cut into 4 equal portions (about 6 ounces each portion) • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • ½ lemon, peeled, sectioned and diced • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 170°F. Spread the hazelnuts in a pie plate or baking pan and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (You can also roast the hazelnuts at a higher temperature, if your oven's settings don't go as low as 170°F, but you do risk destroying the healthy fats. I roasted mine at 300°F - the lowest temperature setting on my oven - for about 10 minutes.) Let cool for about 10 minutes, then place them on a kitchen towel and rub them together to remove the skins. Some of the bits of skin may remain. Coarsely chop them and set aside. 2. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp paper towel, then dry them with another paper towel (washing them will cause them to become soggy). Remove the stems from the mushrooms, then cut the caps into 1-inch pieces. 3. In a medium skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over moderately low heat and sauté the shallots and garlic until softened, 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Continue to sauté the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Discard the garlic and thyme. Reserve a third of the mixture. Purée the remaining mushroom mixture. 4. Cut each skate wing in half crosswise and season with salt and pepper. Spread 4 of the skate pieces with a quarter of the mushroom puree. Cover with the remaining skate wing, pressing the packets together. 5. In a large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the skate packets and cook over high heat until browned and crisp on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip the packets, lower the heat to moderate and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the reserved mushroom mixture, the hazelnuts, diced lemon and lemon juice. Cook until the skate is just white throughout, 4 minutes. Transfer the skate to plates, and top with the mushrooms, nuts and lemon and serve.

Tomato Basil Soup

I've made this soup more than half a dozen times but I never get sick of it, and neither does my man♥. The sweetness of the honey pairs so well with the sourness of the balsamic vinegar, and let's not forget the numerous spices - cumin, fennel seed, and paprika - that make this soup much more than your average tomato basil soup. Very important is the fresh basil (so much better than dried basil), but if you can't find fresh basil, I highly recommend the dried basil made by Morton & Bassett. It's a San Francisco-based company that makes very high quality herbs that are all-natural, non-irradiated and contain no preservatives or additives.

For a tasty non-vegetarian version, add meatballs (pictured below), although I love the vegetarian version just as much! For the version with meatballs, simply season about 3 pounds of ground beef with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper, then form 1½-inch meatballs, and sauté them in butter or extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat until browned. Add the meatballs along with honey and balsamic vinegar.



Also, without the chicken stock, this makes a wonderful pasta sauce, especially with grated parmesan cheese.



Btw, cooked tomatoes contain more lycopene (the antioxidant that gives tomatoes its red hue and has twice as much antioxidant power than vitamin E) than raw tomatoes. There is also evidence that cooking tomatoes in extra-virgin olive oil seems to increase the body's ability to absorb lycopene.

Tomato Basil Soup Adapted from Gourmet Nutrition Ingredients: • 5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 1 tablespoon salt • 1½ teaspoon black pepper • 8-9 medium tomatoes, diced • ½ cup fresh basil • 1 yellow onion • 2 teaspoons ground cumin • 2 teaspoons ground fennel seed • 2 teaspoons paprika • 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock • 4 tablespoons honey • 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar Directions: 1. Preheat a large pot on medium-high heat. Add oil and onions, and sauté until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add garlic, cumin, fennel, paprika, 4 tablespoons of broth, and sauté for 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 2. Now add the remaining broth, balsamic vinegar, honey, and simmer for 30 minutes, continue stirring occasionally. Add the salt, pepper, and basil and remove from heat.

Arugula Salad with Raw Sweet Corn and Cherry Tomatoes

For health reasons, I went on a raw vegan diet recently. I know it doesn't sound too enjoyable, but on the contrary, I've actually discovered lots of delicious raw foods and I am also rediscovering how much I love salads! Plus, my digestion has improved greatly and I'm feeling more energetic lately, among a lot of different signs that my health is improving. I even found out a few days ago that red meat passes so slowly through your digestive system that often it ends up rotting in your intestines before it's fully digested (though much of this can be prevented by adding more fiber via fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet). That's not to mention a fact well known by now that regular consumption of red meat significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and even cancer. I also found out that fresh fruits and vegetables have natural enzymes in them that aid your body in digesting them efficiently, whereas cooked fruits and vegetables have had much of their nutrition cooked out of them. Suffice it to say, now that I've learned all this, I will probably be eating much less red meat after the raw vegan diet is over, despite the fact that I love red meat and used to eat it all the time (at least once a day). And although meat does contain protein, which is important to a balanced diet, nuts are a healthier source of protein since they don't contain the high levels of unhealthy saturated fats found in red meat and instead contain high levels of healthy fats, such as monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and omega-3 fatty acids.

There are actually certain foods I prefer raw and other foods I prefer cooked, but corn is definitely one of those foods I prefer raw. Corn is so flavorful in its raw state that I prefer to eat it raw than eat corn on the cob the traditional way. Cherry tomatoes are also incredibly flavorful in its raw state and lose much of its flavor once cooked. Remember not to refrigerate the cherry tomatoes since it will lose its flavor quickly and the flesh will turn mealy and unappetizing; just store them in a cool place. The original recipe called for Sweet 100 tomatoes, a type of cherry tomatoes, but any type of cherry tomatoes will do. The combination of sweet raw corn and sweet cherry tomatoes is bliss!

Arugula Salad with Raw Sweet Corn and Cherry Tomatoes From The Zuni Cafe Cookbook Ingredients: • 4-5 ounces Sweet 100 or other small, ripe cherry tomatoes (or about 1 cup or 25 tomatoes) • 2 very young, small ears white corn (or about ½ cup kernels) • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar • 1 small shallot, finely diced • 4 ounces arugula, carefully washed and dried • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Directions: 1. Stem, wash, and dry the tomatoes and cut them in half. (The serrated bread knife is especially good for cutting tomatoes, so if you eat tomatoes frequently, it's a worthwhile investment.) 2. Shuck the ears from the corn and remove all the silk. Trim the tip from each cob but don't remove the stalk as it makes a convenient handle. Holding the cob at an angle, use a sharp knife (such as a chef's knife) to slice off the kernels, placing the blade flat against the ear and sliding it smoothly down the length of the ear. You'll want to remove the kernels at their bases without removing any of the actual cob itself. Rotate the ear after each slice, until all the kernels have been removed. Crumble the kernels between your fingers so as to separate any clusters. 2. Combine the oil, vinegar, shallot, and salt and pepper to taste. Place the arugula in a salad bowl and toss with enough vinaigrette to coat the leaves well. Scatter the cherry tomatoes and corn kernels over the arugula, add the remaining vinaigrette, and lightly mix. Taste, and correct the oil, vinegar or salt. The vinaigrette shouldn't be too acidic so as to overpower the sweetness of the corn and cherry tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Roasted Lemon-Garlic-Rosemary Chicken with String Beans, Caramelized Onions, and Garlic-Rosemary Potatoes Roasted in Duck Fat

Roasting a whole chicken has got to be one of the best ways to cook it, producing tender, juicy, and flavorful meat. It's really the ultimate comfort food! There are countless variations of roasted chicken, but this time, I decided to stick to the tried-and-true classic flavorings of extra-virgin olive oil, rosemary, lemon, and garlic because it brings back fond memories of the lemon-garlic-rosemary rotisserie chicken that my mom used to buy for dinner. I paired it with two equally mouthwatering sides, which worked incredibly well with the chicken: sautéed string beans with caramelized onions (recipe too simple and intuitive to include), and garlic-rosemary potatoes roasted in duck fat. Yum... duck fat. In the culinary world, it's seen as liquid gold - it makes the outside of the potatoes crispy and imparts a rich, savory, out-of-this-world flavor to them that is even better than butter. It's how French fries are traditionally made! Hey, did you know that duck fat is actually lower in saturated fat and higher in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (ie. the good fats) than butter? Although I only mentioned that so I could feel less guilty about eating duck fat... *hangs head*.

A few tips to remember when roasting a chicken:
1. Pick a free-range, organic chicken. It will make a significant difference. Watch 'Food, Inc.' (a documentary about how our food is now being produced), if you haven't already, and you'll be enlightened about the unhealthy conditions that regular mass-produced chickens are raised under! Most of the chickens we consume have been caged inside tiny, overcrowded coops filled with their own feces, fed hormones, antibiotics, and animal by-products (instead of grains, their natural food), and frequently become sick (is it any wonder why that happens?). And horror of horrors, even the sick birds get sent to the factory to be processed - disgusting! These conditions produce chickens that are less moist, less flavorful, and less healthy.
2. Season it ahead of time. If you neglected to buy a free-range/kosher/organic bird, make sure to brine the bird so the meat will remain juicy as it cooks. Otherwise, brining is probably an unnecessary step so just season it and refrigerate for at least an hour. Brining is basically soaking the chicken for several hours or overnight in enough salted water to cover the entire bird and whatever other herbs you decide to toss in for extra flavor. If you care to know how the scientific process of brining works, it basically forces water into the muscle tissues, and when that water flows out, salt flows in and begins to break down some of the proteins in the cells, which in turn creates more room for more water to flow in.
3. Take the chicken out of the refrigerator at least an hour before cooking. A cold bird straight from the fridge won't roast evenly; the outside will cook but the interior will be underdone.
4. Choose the right pan for the job. Roast the chicken in an ovenproof dish or pan that's about the same size as the chicken. If you use a pan that's too large, the juices that accumulate while the chicken is roasting will start to burn and smoke.. unless of course, you're roasting potatoes or other vegetables alongside the chicken in the same pan (I used a separate pan to roast my potatoes).

Roasted Lemon-Garlic-Rosemary Chicken with String Beans, Caramelized Onions, and Roasted Potatoes Roasted Chicken Ingredients: • 1 whole 3-3½ pound baby chicken • 1 tablespoon sea salt • ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper • a few sprigs rosemary, minced • 6-8 garlic cloves, peeled • 1 lemon For brine: • ¼ cup sea salt • a few sprigs rosemary • 3 garlic cloves, peeled Directions: 1. Remove any organs from the cavity and reserve for another use. Cut off the wishbone and trim the fat around the edges. If you are brining the bird, skip to step 1a. If not: Rinse the bird with cold water and pat dry. Liberally salt and pepper the entire bird, both inside the cavity and all over the outside surface, including the back, wings, and inner and outer thighs. Carefully loosen the skin from the breast meat, using kitchen scissors if necessary, but take care not to cut through the skin. Pull the leaves from the rosemary sprigs and mince them. Combine the minced garlic, minced rosemary, and salt to form a paste. Spread about 1½ teaspoons of paste in cavity of chicken. Slip half of remaining paste under skin on each side of breast, then, using fingers, distribute paste over breast and thigh by rubbing surface of skin. Cut 1 of the lemons lengthwise into quarters. Place the lemon quarters in the cavity of the chicken. Tie ends of drumsticks together with kitchen twine and tuck wings behind back. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. 1a. Combine salt, crushed garlic cloves, and rosemary sprigs in 2 cups hot tap water, and let stand 10 minutes to release flavors. Add 1½ quarts cold water and stir until salt is dissolved. Submerge chicken in brine and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Cut 1 of the lemons lengthwise into quarters. Place the lemon quarters in the cavity of the chicken. Tie ends of drumsticks together with kitchen twine and tuck wings behind back. NOTE: Keep in mind that the longer you soak the bird in the brine, the saltier the surface will be when you roast it. I soaked it overnight once, and it was way too salty for my taste! 2. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before roasting. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the chicken, breast up, in a roasting pan or earthenware baking dish, and roast for 10 minutes. Brush the outside of the bird with olive oil and freshly ground pepper. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and cook for another 45 minutes, using tongs to turn the bird twice during the cooking. This will circulate the juices and fat and keep the meat moist. The chicken is done roasting when it has turned a medium golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast and thigh registers about 165 - 175 degrees, respectively. NOTE: You can prepare the vegetables while the chicken is roasting. 3. Transfer chicken to carving board and let rest, uncovered, at least 15 minutes. The juices will settle, the internal temperature will stabilize, and the chicken will be much more succulent than if you carve it immediately. Remove the strings tying the drumsticks together and discard the lemons inside. NOTE: The fat from the juices left in the pan can be converted into a sauce or a gravy. 4. To carve the roasted chicken, slice through the skin between the thigh and breast. Place the bird back in the roasting pan to do this because this will release a lot of juices. Tip the bird forward to drain the juices and then remove it from the pan. Bend or pull the leg out from the body and locate the hip joint with your knife, slicing down firmly through the joint to remove the leg. To remove the drumstick, hold the knob of the drumstick and cut through the joint from the inside. To carve the breast, start at the wishbone at the top of the breast. Slide the point of your knife down each side of the breastbone. Then cut down along the wishbone towards the wings. Slide your knife under the meat, lifting it off the rib cage. Last, holding the meat away from the bird cut down through the wing joint, removing the breast and wing in one piece. Either carve the breast into slices or cut it in half diagonally, making the half with the wing attached slightly smaller. The carcass can be reserved to make chicken stock. Garlic-rosemary Potatoes Roasted in Duck Fat Ingredients: • 2 pounds potatoes, quartered (I like Yukon Gold, but any waxy variety will do; Russet potatoes or other baking potatoes usually fall apart when cooked in duck fat, so they should probably be avoided in this recipe) • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced • 1-2 sprigs rosemary, minced • sea salt, to taste • freshly ground black pepper, to taste • 2-3 tablespoons duck fat Directions: 1. Wash and chunk potatoes. While they're draining in a colander, generously salt the potatoes and shake the colander to evenly distribute the salt. Place the potato chunks into an oven-safe pan and pour the duck fat on top of the potatoes, mixing the potatoes by hand to evenly cover the potatoes. Add the pepper and minced rosemary. 2. Roast them in the oven at 350°F for about 45 minutes, stirring the potatoes every 15 minutes so that the potatoes are evenly browned and the duck fat coats all the potatoes.

Fried Soft Shell Crab with Simple Tomato Sauce

It's soft shell crab season, and I couldn't be more excited! Since Father's Day is tomorrow, I'm sure that Papa would have loved this dish, being a huge seafood lover like myself. In fact, maybe that's where I get it from? This guy even eats the green stuff inside large crabs that no one else in the family wants - we leave it for him because we know he will clean that baby out like nobody's business. Anyway, if I were back in California, I would've made this dish for him, but since I'm not, I'm just glad that he got to enjoy not one but three delicious Father's Day meals on Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday. Boy was he excited to tell me about all the delicious things he ate, such as live rock cod and ox tail in Japanese pumpkin and red wine sauce (except he spelled it "source" in the email - hahaha sometimes Papa has NO idea how funny he is!).

Soft shell crab is a bit harder to find than shrimp, prawns, and even lobster, but if you do find them, you MUST get the live version because the frozen kind isn't nearly as flavorful. Thankfully, there were live soft shell crabs at the Union Square Farmer's Market today! I paired this version of panfried soft shell crab, with a simple tomato sauce that is thick, sweet, and packed with tomato flavor. It's a versatile tomato sauce that can go equally well with other kinds of seafood such as mussels, with pasta dishes, for a pizza sauce, or for a dipping sauce for fried calamari. If you do use it for pizza, use the sauce cold or the crust will be compromised. You can also add chopped capers, olives, hot pepper, and anchovies at the end of cooking to give it a special twist. This time I only added arugula, because sometimes simple foods are the most delicious, don't you think? You get to appreciate the purity and flavor of each of the ingredients that way.

Fried Soft Shell Crab with Simple Tomato Sauce Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Ingredients: Soft Shell Crabs • 6 live soft shell crabs • extra-virgin olive oil • ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste • ½ teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste • 1½ teaspoon paprika • ½ teaspoon cayenne (optional) • 2 teaspoons garlic powder • 6 tablespoons hot brown rice cereal Simple Tomato Sauce • 2 pounds sweet, ripe greenhouse tomatoes, washed, chopped, and seeded • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed through a garlic press • 1 large red onion, diced • 1 teaspoon salt • Bouquet garni of parsley, thyme, and basil sprigs Directions: 1. Remove the carapace and lungs of each soft shell crab and rinse with cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel and squeeze out excess water (soft shell crabs are water heavy). Sprinkle salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and hot brown rice cereal evenly on each crab. 2. Pan fry each crab in extra-virgin olive oil over medium high heat for about 2-3 minutes per side, flipping them over once to make sure they brown on both sides. 3. Tomato sauce: Warm the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and let it sizzle for half a minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and salt, and add the herb sprigs. 4. Bring the sauce to a boil. Then turn down the heat to low and cook for 30 to 45 minutes at steady simmer, or until the fat floats free from the tomato and the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. 5. Taste the sauce and add more salt, if necessary.

Duck Confit with Creamy White Beans

I love love love French food. The French have definitely earned their place as one of the world's most delicious cuisines. They are huge fans of duck, one of my favorite meats, if you couldn't already tell (I have a relative who started a successful duck farm, knowing he would make good business among the French)... and duck confit is one of my favorite preparations of duck (another favorite is the famous Chinese dish of Peking duck). It's also one of my man♥'s favorite meals, of all the meals I've prepared for him. Anyhow, the leftover duck fat keeps for at least 6 months in the refrigerator, provided that you strain it properly after cooking with it, and is wonderful for frying vegetables, potatoes, and steak with. Another thing I love about duck confit: The confit process takes about two days, but once prepared, the duck will keep in the refrigerator for two to three weeks! I paired the duck confit with creamy white beans. Any leftover beans can be used as a spread for toast!

Duck Confit with Creamy White Beans Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Duck Confit Ingredients: • 6 duck legs (drumsticks and thighs, attached) • 6 bay leaves, crumbled • 4 juniper berries, crushed • 1 tablespoon dried thyme • 6 tablespoons salt • 1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns • 3 quarts rendered duck fat or homemade lard Directions: 1. Trim the duck legs of excess fat, leaving the skin intact. Make a small incision at the base of each leg, severing the tendon and cutting through the skin all around the bone. Combine the salt, bay leaves, juniper berries, thyme and pepper, and season each leg generously with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. 2. The next day, melt the duck fat over medium heat in a large, wide, heavy-bottomed pot. Gently slip the duck legs into the fat, making sure they're completely submerged. Raise the heat slightly. Stir with a wooden spoon as the fat comes up to temperature. Adjust the flame to maintain the barest simmer the fat should never boil, but should swirl lightly sending up the occasional small bubble. 3. Cook the duck legs, uncovered, for about 1½ hours. Test a leg for doneness by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the drumstick; they should be almost falling apart. Carefully transfer the duck legs to a dish. Ladle the duck fat over the legs, making certain they are covered by an inch of fat. Cool the legs in the fat, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. 4. When you are ready to eat the duck legs, heat a cast=iron skillet over medium heat. Add the duck legs in one layer, skin side down, and cook over medium heat until crisp and brown, about 5 minutes. Turn the legs and cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Creamy White Beans Ingredients: • 3 cups cannellini beans • bouquet garni of parsley, thyme, and bay leaf • 2 medium onions, diced fine • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks (optional) • salt • 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine • red pepper flakes (optional) • 1 teaspoon fennel seed, finely powdered • 2 teaspoons rosemary, chipped fine Directions: 1. Soak the beans overnight in water to cover. The next day, drain the beans and put them into a large heavy-bottomed pot. 2. Add the bouquet garni, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and skim any foam that has risen to the surface. When the beans begin to soften, after an hour or so, add a generous amount of salt and continue to cook gently until they are very tender. When they are fully cooked, remove from the heat. 3. While the beans are cooking, heat a sauté pan and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onion and carrot, season with salt, and cook over medium heat until tender. Set aside. 4. Purée 1 cup of the cooked beans in a blender with a little of their cooking liquid. Drain the remaining beans, reserving the liquid, but discarding the bouquet garni. Heat a large sauté pan and coat the bottom with olive oil. Add the garlic and a pinch of red pepper, and warm briefly before adding the diced onion and carrot, the bean purée, beans, powdered fennel seed, and rosemary, if you wish. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the beans are hot. If the consistency seems too thick, thin with some of the reserved bean cooking liquid. Taste and season with salt as necessary. Finish with a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and serve.

Slow-Cooked Wild King Salmon with Shallots-Basil Topping

My favorite way to cook to wild salmon is to slow cook it - this is by far, the most moist, tender version of salmon I've ever had! It's also really easy to make, and you just pop it into the oven and let the oven do all the work. This salmon is so delicious, it doesn't even really need any fancy sauces or toppings; it's wonderful just by itself with some olive oil drizzled on top and good ol' salt and pepper. You don't want to overwhelm the beautiful flavor of wild salmon, so if you do make a topping, you want to go easy!

Here are some ideas for salmon flavorings:
-add honey or fresh fruit for some sweetness: honey, turmeric, and powdered fennel seed is a possibility, or you could go for a tropical fruit salsa with finely diced mango, strawberries, pineapple, tomato, and apple (or whatever fresh fruits are in season; a great summertime version would be avocado, peach, and plum), a dash of salt and pepper, and freshly squeezed lime juice.
-a bit of spiciness: chili powder or cayenne
-a savory herb topping: shallots and fresh chiffonade basil (a personal favorite)
-a citrus topping: fresh dill and freshly squeezed lemon, for example
-a crunchy topping: brown rice cereal, crushed almonds or other nuts, etc
-aioli (a garlic-infused mayonnaise): to be spread on the salmon after it is done cooking

In the pictured version, I went with wild king salmon seasoned with salt and pepper, and a bit of olive oil drizzled on top with a side of tomatoes, green beans, and brown rice. However, other types of salmon are delicious too. Here is a summary of the different wild salmon types I've tried: Alaskan king (Chinook) salmon has a firm flesh, a red color, and are high in oil content, resulting in an extra-rich flavor, which is highly prized among salmon-lovers. I've also tried Copper River king salmon, which was absolutely delicious but ridiculously expensive. Sockeye (red) salmon also has a rich flavor due to its high concentration of oils and a rich red, firm flesh that maintains its color throughout cooking, as you can see in the photo. Coho (silver) salmon has a mild and sweet taste, slightly milder than that of the Sockeye, and the flesh is leaner, firmer, and has a more delicate texture than other salmon. Steelhead Trout (which is technically a type of Rainbow Trout, rather than a type of salmon, but is so similar in color, taste and texture to salmon that it is often categorized as salmon) has a tender flesh and a mild, somewhat nutty flavor. I personally tend to prefer the oilier, richer-tasting types of salmon.

Slow-Cooked Wild King Salmon with Shallots-Basil Topping Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Ingredients: • 1 king salmon fillet, 0.3-0.4 lb • extra-virgin olive oil • salt • pepper • for the salmon topping: finely sliced shallots and fresh chiffonade basil (chiffonade means "to shred", where you slice an herb into long, thin strips), or any other topping you prefer Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 250°F, and place a pan of water on the lowest rack in the oven, which will create a humid environment to keep the salmon moist. 2. Lightly brush or spray a baking pan with olive oil, or alternatively, wrap a baking pan with aluminum foil (good for you lazy dish washers...) Brush the salmon with olive oil and season generously with salt and freshly ground pepper and place the topping of your choice on the salmon. Place the salmon in the baking dish and put it in the oven for about 30 min. The salmon is cooked when the juices are beginning to collect on top of the fillet and fat is starting to ooze out of its sides; the color was remain essentially the same, so don't judge by the color! 3. Let the salmon rest for at least 10 min at room temperature.

Butternut Squash, White Bean, and Kale Chicken Soup

As promised, here's another great way to prepare a winter squash. This soup recipe is so simple, yet flavorful, hearty, and satisfying, it's the perfect comfort food for a cold winter day in New York City! And it is definitely still winter time over here. I seriously can't believe spring officially starts in 9 days. Just last week (on Wednesday, February 10th), all NYC public schools and Catholic elementary and middle schools were closed due to the snow. By the way, maybe only New Yorkers will know what I'm talking about, but you know those patches of snow that look deceivingly stable, yet when you step on them, your feet are instantly plunged into this freezing, nasty, dirty, black water that the snow was just floating on top of? Yeaaa, I stepped on a couple of those. $%$%@#$$#@$! Oh well, nothing a hot shower and a bowl of chicken soup can't cure...

Butternut Squash, White Bean, and Kale Chicken Soup Ingredients: • 1 cup dried cannellini beans or 2 15-ounce cans of cannellini beans (possible substitutions: navy beans or Great Northern Beans) • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil • 2½ pounds chicken breast or thighs (bone-in chicken has more flavor, just remove the bones later, but boneless chicken is obviously more convenient to use; or alternatively, you could use some other type of meat - spicy Italian sausage would work well) • 2 yellow onions, diced • 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press • 5 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade chicken stock • 6 ounces white wine (optional) • 2 inch piece kombu seaweed (I used canned cannellini beans that already contained kombu seaweed) • 1 teaspoon salt • ½ teaspoon pepper • 4 sage leaves • 2 sprigs thyme or rosemary • 2 bay leaves • 1 large butternut squash, about 4½ pounds, peeled and chopped into ½-inch cubes (Helpful tip: butternut squash can be peeled using a normal swivel-headed vegetable peeler) • ½ cup garlicky kale, or ¾ pound lacinato kale before cooked • slices of country-style bread with garlic and olive oil spread (optional) Instructions: 1. If you are using dry cannellini beans, soak the 2 cups of cannellini beans overnight in water, or alternatively, quick-soak the cannellini beans using the following method: First pick through the beans to remove small stones and other foreign materials. Place them in a large stock pot and add water (6 - 8 cups of water per pound of beans.) Boil vigorously for 3 minutes. Then turn off the heat, cover the pot and let it sit for at least an hour, which will usually be enough time to soften the beans sufficiently. Soaking the beans allows shorter cooking times, which preserves the most nutrients, and also allows for the beans to cook more evenly and completely. 2. After the beans are soaked, drain them and put them in a large stock pot along with the chicken stock. (Never cook with the same water that you soaked the beans in because this soaking liquid is dirty.) Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the beans are tender. Start checking after 45 minutes. Taste, and if necessary, adjust the seasonings. 3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add chicken and brown about 15 to 20 minutes. 4. Remove the chicken to the stock pot and add the onion, sage leaves, rosemary/thyme sprigs, and bay leaves to the sauté pan. Sauté on medium heat about 10 minutes. Add butternut squash and garlic, and sauté for another 5 minutes. 5. Remove the vegetables and herbs to the stock pot, and add wine, kombu seaweed, salt, pepper, and bring to a boil; simmer about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the squash gets very soft. 6. (optional) Stir in garlicky kale. Serve hot soup over thickly sliced country-style bread that has been brushed with minced garlic and extra virgin olive oil and toasted in the oven until crisp and golden brown.

Garlicky Kale

Kale is one of the healthiest vegetables around although it has largely been overshadowed by broccoli and spinach in modern times. It is rich with essential nutrients such as calcium, lutein, iron, and Vitamins A, C, and K, as well as chlorophyll and fiber. In fact, kale has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and ten times more lutein! Researchers have also discovered that sulforaphane, a naturally occurring photochemical formed when kale is chopped or chewed, helps boost the body's detoxification enzymes, which help clear carcinogenic substances. In addition, it helps restore alkalinity in the typical American diet that is all too often overly acidic (too much sugar, too much red meat and not enough vegetables, etc).

Asides from its many health benefits, it also makes for a delicious side dish, particularly with other strong-flavored dishes, like garlic-thyme pollo al mattone (chicken cooked under a brick); in this version, the strong, slightly bitter flavor of kale pairs well with the garlic. There are many different varieties of kale, but this time, I used lacinato (or dinosaur) kale - a wonderful deep-green variety that I love.

Garlicky Kale From Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Ingredients: • 2 pounds lacinato kale (also known as dinosaur kale or cavolo nero) • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil • salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste (kale already contains sodium so you won't need that much salt) • 4 or 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped • a pinch of red pepper flakes • a splash of red wine vinegar Directions: 1. Remove the stems from the kale. Wash and drain well, but do not dry. 2. Heat a large sauté pan, add the olive oil and enough kale to cover the bottom of the pan, and cook over high heat while stirring to rotate the leaves. Add more kale as the leaves wilt. When all of the kale has been added, season with salt, cover, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally; the cooking time will depend on the maturity of the kale. Young kale will be tender after 4 or 5 minutes. It may be necessary to add a splash of water if the leaves begin to scorch. When the leaves are tender, remove the lid and allow any excess water to cook away. 3. Push the kale to one side of the pan and add an extra drizzle of olive oil, the garlic, and a pinch of red pepper flakes to the bare spot. Just as you smell the aroma of the garlic, stir to combine it with the kale. 4. Turn off the heat, add a splash of vinegar, and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary. Serve warm or room temperature.

Garlic-Thyme Pollo Al Mattone (Chicken Cooked Under A Brick) With Onion Rings and Sautéed Broccoli and Cherry Tomatoes

Of all the ways you can cook chicken, this is my favorite recipe so far! It produces the perfect chicken with a moist and juicy meat on the inside and crispy skin on the outside. This Tuscan method of cooking chicken traditionally uses a whole young chicken, split down the back and flattened, and often, the chicken is brined or marinated overnight, but in this version, the technique has been simplified and adapted for boned chicken legs made in one day. However, if you feel like being extra ambitious, here are detailed instructions for preparing a whole young chicken for "pollo al mattone" (including some very helpful illustrations).

A few rules to keep in mind to get that crispy skin on the outside:
1. You'll need a large cast-iron skillet, or if you don't have one, a heavy stainless steel aluminum pan will work but not as well as the cast-iron skillet would. Non-stick pans won't work at all.
2. You want to have a clean brick, or if you don't have one, find something that's very heavy that you can use to press down on the chicken, like another heavy skillet. I improvised by using a rice cooker bowl with heavy objects inside to weigh it down.
3. You want to make sure you've cut up the chicken in such a way that it is flattened so that the skin will cook evenly.
4. Make sure the skin of the chicken is dry before cooking. Otherwise, the skin will basically steam and melt onto the pan, rather than become crispy.
5. The oil in the pan has to be hot before you put the chicken in.

Just remember: right pan, heavy brick, flat bird, dry skin, and hot pan.

Here I've flavored the chicken with extra-virgin olive oil, thyme, and garlic, and paired it with cherry tomatoes, broccoli and oven-baked onion rings. The onion rings could either be a side for a main course or eaten alone as a snack. Feel free to get creative -- chicken is one of those versatile meats that you can pair with all kinds of different flavors!

Some ideas for variations:
-Use different herbs, such as rosemary, sage, or tarragon
-Use different spices, such as paprika or dried chili peppers
-Add sweetness, such as honey or unrefined cane sugar
-Change the acidic component; instead of lemon, you could use orange, lime or a kind of vinegar, such as balsamic vinegar, Sherry vinegar, or red wine vinegar, depending on the other flavorings in the dish
-Create an Asian combination of flavors: how about honey, soy sauce, and five spice powder? or peanut oil, minced garlic, ginger, and scallions? or sesame oil, minced ginger, five spice powder, and scallions?
-Pair the dish with different sides (grilled, sauteed, or roasted vegetables go especially well with this dish): garlic mashed potatoes, garlicky kale (one of my favorite pairings), spinach, broccoli raab, Swiss chard, escarole, green beans, or olives are just a few options

Garlic-thyme Pollo Al Mattone (Chicken Cooked Under A Brick) With Broccoli, Cherry Tomatoes, and Onion Rings Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Pollo al mattone Ingredients: • 4 chicken legs (drumsticks and thighs attached) • ½ teaspoon salt • ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil • 1 branch thyme • 16 garlic cloves, peeled • 1 lemon, cut into wedges Directions: 1. Pour olive oil into a small saucepan. Press the garlic cloves through a garlic press and put the minced garlic into the pan, or alternatively, use a microplane zester to grate the cloves over the saucepan. Pull the tiny leaves off the thyme branch and drop them into the pan. Bring the oil to a simmer for about a minute - not too long, or the garlic will burn. Reduce the heat to low and stir the thyme and garlic very slowly until softened, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, and strain the oil with a mesh strainer into a large cast-iron skillet or stainless steel aluminum skillet, reserving the garlic and thyme for the topping. 2. Bone the chicken legs, preferably with kitchen shears. (Don't throw away the bones! Reserve them to be used in homemade chicken stock.) Spread the legs out into large, flat pieces with the skin intact. Trim the excess fat and skin from the edges. At this point, you can rinse the legs, if that's your thing - there's actually an ongoing debate about whether or not you should rinse raw chicken before it's cooked, but I personally don't do it because 1) it can cross-contaminate your kitchen and 2) any bacteria should be destroyed if it's properly cooked. Whether or not you rinse the legs, pat thoroughly dry with a paper towel. Season both sides of each piece with salt and pepper. 3. Heat the large skillet over medium heat (not to worry, extra virgin olive oil smokes at approximately 375°F, although it depends on how the olive oil was produced). When the pan is hot, add the chicken legs in one layer, skin side down. Lay a piece of parchment paper or foil over the chicken. Then weight the chicken with another cast-iron pan, skillet, brick, or another heavy object that can cover the chicken and weigh it down sufficiently. Cook for about 15 minutes, occasionally checking the chicken to make sure that the skin is browning evenly. Adjust the heat if the legs are cooking too quickly. Remove the weight and parchment paper or foil. Turn the legs over, and cook for 5 minutes more, uncovered. Test doneness either with a paring knife, making sure that the juices are running clear, or with an internal meat thermometer (the internal temperature should be at least 165°F). The skin should be crispy and golden, and the flesh moist and tender. 4. Reserve the garlic-thyme infused olive oil for later use, such as: drizzling over the chicken or other dishes , cooking other dishes, or simply spreading it on a piece of bread. The oil will solidify a bit when refrigerated, but this does not affect the quality of the oil. 5. Arrange the chicken and the sides you have chosen (in this version: broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and fried onion rings) on a platter, and top with reserved garlic-thyme topping. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired. 6. Optional: Add ½ cup dry white wine to the saute pan and using a spatula, scrape the excess fat from the bottom. Cook over high heat until the wine has reduced by more than half, continuing to scrape the fat until it has completely dissolved (this is called deglazing the pan). Add 1 cup chicken stock, season with salt and again reduce by half. Sautéed Broccoli and Cherry Tomatoes Ingredients: • 6 broccoli stalks, washed • 1 dry pint cherry tomatoes, washed • ½ teaspoon salt • ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper • 2½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Directions: 1. Cut the stalk from the head of the broccoli, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets. Discard the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger individual florets in half through the base of the head with a knife, pulling the florets apart. Gather the two halves and cut into quarters. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. 2. Sauté all the ingredients together in a sauté pan for about 10 minutes or until the broccoli becomes tender. Oven-baked onion rings Ingredients: • 1 yellow onion • 1 extra-large egg, beaten • 1 cup of hot brown rice cereal • ½ teaspoon salt Directions: 1. Cut edges off onion, and remove the outer layer. Slice the onion into ¼ to ½ inch sections (width can be increased or decreased depending upon how large you want your rings to be). Separate the sliced sections into rings. 2. Fill a small bowl, just large enough for onion rings to fit in, with the beaten eggs. Pour the hot brown rice cereal and salt onto a small dish or into another small bowl. Stir the hot brown rice cereal and salt together so that the salt is evenly dispersed through the cereal. One by one, coat each ring in egg, shake off any excess egg, and then dip the ring into the brown rice cereal, making sure it is thoroughly coated. 3. Bake the rings on a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick extra-virgin olive oil spray in a 375°F oven for 20-25 minutes, flipping rings over about halfway through.

Avocado, Roasted Beet, and Grapefruit Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

This was a healthy, delicious salad with a nice balance of flavors - the slight sweetness from the roasted beets, the bitter, tangy, and sweet taste of the grapefruit, the sour taste from the lemon and tangerine juices, slight bitterness from the mixed greens, the sharp flavor of the raw shallots (that taste like the love child of onion and garlic), and the sea salt. I also love the balance of textures - the soft texture of the beets, the crunchy shallots or the brown rice cake crumbs, and the creamy, buttery texture and taste of the avocado, also known as a "butter pear", which pairs very well with the other ingredients in the salad. Having grown up in California, where the avocado is commonly grown, I love avocado - it goes in my salads, or is made into a spread that I've put on brown rice cakes (you can spread it on toast too) or into guacamole, one of my favorite dips. In this salad, I used Hass avocadoes, which have a more subtle taste than some of the other avocadoes.

I peeled and cut the beets into approximately 1 inch cubes, before roasting them, since I had purchased large beets and figured that the beets would roast much faster this way. Roasting the beets causes it to caramelized all over from the intense heat, resulting in beets that are sweeter than the raw version (which are already naturally sweet). I do tend to have a sweet tooth, and I loved the sweetness of the roasted beets.

Obviously, you don't want to wear anything white when preparing this salad. The beets definitely stained the other vegetables in the salad and a small section of my cutting board. That said, the fuchsia juice from the raw beets didn’t stain my fingers the way cooked beet juice is known to do and washed off fairly easily - so there's no need to worry about wearing disposable gloves. It will however stain your pee... so don't freak out if your pee turns pink - no, you're not internally bleeding and it's not one of Aunt Flo's monthly visits either (if you're a lady)!

Avocado, Roasted Beet, and Grapefruit Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Ingredients: • 6 medium or 3 large red or golden beets • salt and pepper • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar • extra virgin olive oil • 1 large shallot, diced fine • 1 grapefruit, skin and pith removed • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 1 tablespoon tangerine juice • ¼ teaspoon chopped lemon zest • ¼ teaspoon chopped tangerine zest • 2 firm ripe avocados • 5 oz mixed greens • parsley • 1 brown rice cake, crumbled Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Peel and cut the beets into cubes. Arrange the beets in a single layer on a roasting pan. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (optional), and toss, making sure the beets are evenly covered. Roast the beets for about 45 min, until they are soft and caramelized all over. 2. Meanwhile, for the vinaigrette, mix together white wine vinegar (optional), tangerine juice, lemon juice, shallot, parsley, tangerine zest and lemon zest, and whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. 3. Cut the avocados in half, removing the skin and seeds. Slice the avocado lengthwise into ¼-inch sections, and scoop out the flesh with a large spoon. Peel the grapefruit, removing the skin and pith. Next, carefully peel off the thin skin of each grapefruit segment, making sure the segment stays intact. 4. Toss the beets gently with the vinaigrette. Arrange the beets on a plate with some mixed greens, the sliced avocado, and grapefruit segments. You can use pretty much any kind of mixed greens. I used a 5 oz package of Earthbound Farm's organic baby mixed greens that came pre-washed and contained some or all of the following greens: organic baby lettuces (red and green romaine, red and green oak leaf, lollo rosa, tango), organic red and green chard, organic mizuna, organic arugula, organic frisée, and organic radicchio. Drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette. Top with crumbled brown rice cakes as "croutons" - like so:

Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs with Raspberry-Blueberry Sauce and Gremolata

MMM.. these slow braised short ribs are melt-in-your-mouth tender and juicy, with a ton of flavor (read: fatty). I highly recommend using grass fed beef short ribs, and I just can't emphasize enough how much more delicious and flavorful grass fed beef is compared to regular beef. However, any kind of beef short ribs do have a high fat content, which is why I won't be making this dish regularly, only once in awhile. Don't say I didn't warn you - you might have to bust out your sweatpants!

The sauce that is paired with the short ribs was absolutely delicious. The original recipe called for 3/4 cups of red wine to be added to the braising liquid (later turned into sauce), but since I didn't want to drink any alcohol and I knew that only some of the alcohol would have cooked off had I included it, I substituted blueberries and raspberries instead. When pureed, the blueberries and raspberries produced about 1 cup of juice and gave the sauce a nice sweetness that balanced out the saltiness. Other options could have been red seedless grapes, cranberries, blackberries, etc, or their respective juices.

The only part about this dish I could have done without was the gremolata. This was my first time making and tasting gremolata, which is traditionally made with lemon or orange zest, garlic, and fresh parsley, and honestly, it was a bit too strong for my preference (partly because of the raw garlic - whew!).

Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs with Raspberry-Blueberry Sauce and Gremolata Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Ingredients: Beef short ribs • 3.5 pounds beef short ribs - cut 2" thick • Salt to taste • Freshly-ground black pepper to taste • 2 large yellow onions, roughly chopped • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 1 leek, white and pale green parts only, roughly chopped • 1 small to medium carrot, peeled, and roughly chopped • 5 cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped • 6 garlic cloves, smashed • 6 sprigs thyme • 6 sprigs parsley • 2 bay leaves • 1 pint raspberries • 1 pint blueberries • 4 cups beef stock Gremolata *¼ cup chopped parsley *Zest of ½ lemon, minced *1 large garlic clove, minced Directions: 1. For the ribs: Preheat oven to 475°F. Cut the ribs into squares, so that each piece includes a bone. Season the ribs with salt and pepper; be generous. Arrange ribs bone-side down in a roasting pan and roast until lightly browned. This should take about 20 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, put 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Add onions, and saute until onions are starting to soften, 6 to 7 minutes. Add leeks and carrot, and cook until slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, thyme, parsley and bay leaves and saute 2 minutes more. 3. Spread vegetables into a roasting pan, and arrange ribs on top of vegetables, bone-side up. Puree blueberries and raspberries together in a blender. Add the puree and enough beef stock to barely cover ribs. Cover pan tightly with foil and place in oven. 4. When braise begins to simmer, after about 20 minutes, loosen foil and reduce heat to 350°F. 5. Turn ribs about once an hour. After 1½ to 2 hours, test meat with a fork; meat should be tender, nearly falling from bone. Raise heat to 450°F and return ribs to oven for a final browning. 6. After about 10 minutes, remove from oven. Pour off and strain braising juices into a large skillet, pressing down on the vegetables to extract all their juices. Discard vegetables. Allow liquid to rest for five minutes, then skim off grease from surface. Bring strained and skimmed liquid to a boil, and reduce to about half. Pour liquid back over ribs and reheat if serving immediately. (Or alternatively, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight and skim solidified grease off the surface. Then, reheat sauce, and serve next day with gremolata.) 7. For the gremolata: Just before serving, mix chopped parsley, fresh lemon zest and minced garlic and sprinkle over short ribs.