The Small Town Chef

Pistachio Pilaf, Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Blistered Tomato–Olive Relish & Lemon Basil Once again, my sister-in-law showed up with fresh fish from our local farmers market, where she works. Every so often, the fishmonger has some extra fresh seafood at the end of the weekend. Through a bit of good fortune, some of it finds its way into my kitchen. That’s how the tilapia for my Tilapia Piccata with Scampi Rice landed here—and this time, it was about three pounds of beautiful Spanish mackerel fillets with the skin still intact. I instantly went to the Mediterranean. More specifically, the Spanish Mediterranean. Mackerel is a rich, flavorful fish that can stand up to fire, garlic, olives, capers, ripe tomatoes and the sweetness of roasted peppers. I had garden tomatoes ready to use, plenty of Mediterranean staples in the pantry and a bag of pistachios that gave me an idea for the rice. A short time later, voilà—dinner was on the table. The mackerel wen...

You’ve followed the recipe exactly. The onions are cooked, the sauce has simmered, everything looks right—and then you reach the last instruction: Season to taste. Okay. With what? How much? And what exactly are you supposed to be tasting for? Recipes use those three little words as though everyone instinctively knows what they mean. But learning how to season food is actually one of the biggest steps between simply following a recipe and really learning how to cook. And here’s the first thing to understand: “Season to taste” does not mean “add salt until it tastes salty.” It means taste the food, decide what it needs, make a small adjustment, then taste it again. Sometimes that adjustment is salt. Sometimes it isn’t.   What Does “Season to Taste” Actually Mean? When I taste something near the end of cooking, I’m not just asking, Does this need more salt? I’m asking: Does it taste flat? Is it too rich? Too acidic? Does it need more depth? Is there enough contrast? Can I actually ta...

Sticky, smoky, sweet and just spicy enough—with fresh pineapple getting its own turn on the grill. There are certain recipes that almost seem made for summer grilling, and Huli Huli chicken is one of them. Sweet pineapple, salty soy, ginger, garlic and a sticky glaze hitting a hot grill? I'm already interested. Add juicy chicken thighs, fresh pineapple rounds and a couple of jalapeños straight from the garden, and now we're talking. Huli Huli chicken is Hawaiian-style grilled chicken marinated and glazed with a sweet-savory mixture of pineapple, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and garlic. My version uses boneless chicken thighs, fresh grilled pineapple and garden jalapeños for a little extra heat. Huli Huli chicken originated in Hawai‘i in the 1950s, when Ernest Morgado began grilling his teriyaki-style chicken for gatherings and fundraisers. Huli means “turn”—a reference to turning the chicken over the fire as it cooked. That repeated turning and glazing is still part of what ...

Different cultures. Different ingredients. The same idea: something fresh, bright and acidic to make simply cooked food come alive. Put a steak over the fire in Argentina and there’s a good chance chimichurri sauce isn’t far away. Braise a veal shank in Milan and gremolata shows up at the end. Grill fish in North Africa and you may reach for chermoula. Fold grilled meat into a warm tortilla in Mexico and pico de gallo does much the same job. Different countries. Different ingredients. Same basic instinct. Rich, smoky, roasted or simply cooked food often needs something fresh, sharp and aromatic to bring it back to life. And that may be what I like most about chimichurri. It isn’t really about making a complicated sauce. It’s about understanding balance. What Is Chimichurri Sauce? Chimichurri is an uncooked herb sauce associated with  Argentina & Uruguay , traditionally built around parsley, garlic, oregano, chile, vinegar and oil. It’s best known alongside grilled meats, but it...