Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 small shallot minced
• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
• 1 and 1/2 cups chicken stock
• Thyme, salt, and pepper to taste

For the Chicken:

• 2 pounds of chicken breast
• 1 to 2 cups of flour
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of pepper
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Lemon juice for plating

Directions

1. Make the Sauce

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Sauté the shallot and garlic until the shallot is softened. Add the flour one tablespoon at a time, vigorously whisking the roux after each addition. After the last of the flour has been added, vigorously stir in the stock until the roux is well incorporated. Bring the sauce to a simmer and add thyme, salt, and pepper to taste. Continue simmering until the sauce has reduced and thickened as desired.

2. Prepare the Chicken

While the sauce is reducing butterfly the chicken breasts and then pound out each breast to thin them. Combine the flour with the salt and pepper and mix well. Dredge the chicken pieces evenly in the flour mixture being sure to shake and rub off any excess.

Add the olive oil to a hot skillet and then add the butter. Fry the chicken pieces, two at a time, until lightly browned on each side. The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 ˚F. Move the cooked chicken to a cooling rack with a paper towel underneath it to catch the grease.

3. Plating

Plate the chicken and pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of the sauce on the chicken, making sure to cover it. Then garnish with lemon juice and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 200 grams fettuccine
• 4 cups of water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 heaping cups of shredded Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon salt
• black pepper to taste
• Basil or Italian parsley to taste

Directions

1. Cook the Pasta

Bring the water to a boil in a stainless saucepan, then add the salt. When the water reaches a roiling boil add the pasta and cook for 12 minutes. Drain the pasta and immediately add to the pan used in step 2.

2. Make the sauce

Warm up a stainless steel saute pan on low and then add the cream and bring to a low simmer while constantly stirring. Try to start the cream with around 4 minutes left for the pasta to cook. Add the cheese in four portions, stirring after each addition. Season with pepper and herbs to taste, continue to stir.

3. Finish the Pasta

After adding the pasta to the pan continue to stir while the sauce reduces. Once the sauce reaches an acceptable thickness remove from heat and immediately plate.

Finished Fettuccine

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons yeast
• 170 grams warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 450 grams of flour, plus more as needed
• 6 grams salt
• 75 grams or 1/3 cup oil, vegetable or light olive
• 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 86 grams honey

Directions

1. Make the dough

Bloom the yeast by combining the water, yeast, and sugar. Whisk together and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy. In another bowl combine the flour and salt. In a medium bowl combine the oil, honey, and eggs. Add the flour mixture followed by the wet mix to the yeast mixture. Knead with a stand mixer until you have a smooth and slightly sticky dough, 7 to 10 minutes, adding more flour as necessary.

2. Bulk rise

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover, and let it sit at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours. Alternatively, you can refrigerate it overnight and then let it sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before shaping.

3. Shape the loaf

Line a baking sheet with a silpat and preheat the oven to 375. Pat the dough out into a long rectangle, roughly 3″ x 12″. Cut the dough into three long, skinny rectangles and roll them out a bit to get three long logs. Pinch them together at one end and then braid the logs, pinching them together at the other end. Transfer the loaf to the baking sheet and let it rise, covered, at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes, until slightly puffy.

4. Bake the challah

Whisk the egg yolk. Brush the loaf lightly with the yolk and sprinkle with sea salt if desired. Bake until the loaf is golden brown and has an internal temperature of 190; begin checking for doneness at 28 minutes. Remove the loaf from the oven, and cool it on a rack before slicing.

Store any leftovers at room temperature, well wrapped, for several days. 

Finished challah

Makes 10 servings

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 and 1/2 cups yellow onion
• 2 and 1/2 cups celery
• 2 and 1/2 cups carrot
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 pound ground pork, not lean
• 1 and 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 1 28 ounce can whole san marzano tomatoes
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flake
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 3 bay leaves

Directions

Put the oil, butter and chopped onion in the pot and turn the heat on to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it has become translucent, then add the chopped celery and carrot. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring vegetables to coat them well.

Add the meats, a large pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Crumble the meat with a fork, stir well and cook until the meats have lost their raw color.

Add milk and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely. Add a tiny grating — about 1/8 teaspoon — of nutmeg, and stir.

Add the wine, let it simmer until it has evaporated, then add the tomatoes, oregano, salt, and bay leaves. Stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients well. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface. Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours or more, stirring from time to time. While the sauce is cooking, you are likely to find that it begins to dry out and the fat separates from the meat. To keep it from sticking, add 1/2 cup of water whenever necessary. At the end, however, no water at all must be left and the fat must separate from the sauce. Taste and correct for salt.

Serving

Toss with cooked drained pasta, garnish with chopped parsley and serve with freshly grated Parmesan on the side.

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients

• 4 and 1/2 quarts water, divided
• 1 tablespoon baking soda, divided
• 1 and 1/2 cups dried chickpeas
• 7 garlic cloves lightly crushed
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Allepo pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley, lightly packed

Directions

1. Prepare the chickpeas

In a large bowl, combine 1 and 1/2 quarts water with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Add the chickpeas and soak overnight. The next day, heat the oven to 400. Drain the chickpeas and toss them in 2 teaspoons baking soda. Spread them as a single layer over a baking sheet and roast until the beans have visibly dried, 10-15 minutes. Transfer the chickpeas to a large colander and, with cold water running over the chickpeas, rough them up to loosen the skins by pinching them between your fingers. Don’t worry if some split.

2. Boil the chickpeas

Combine the remaining 3 quarts of water with the remains 1/2 teaspoons baking soda in a pot. Add the chickpeas and bring to a simmer. With a small sieve or slotted spoon skim away the foam and loose skins from the top of the water and discard. Every few minutes stir the pot with your sieve and rough up the chickpeas against the side of the pot to loosen more skins. Continue to skim foam and skins off the top of the pot until the most of the skins are removed, about 15 minutes. You should have about 3/4 cup of skins. Add the garlic and boil for another 25 minutes until the chickpeas are tender and creamy. Drain and let sit in the strainer for a few minutes to allow extra moisture to evaporate.

3. Finish the hummus

Transfer the chickpeas to a food processor. Combine with the lemon juice, tahini, salt, and cumin. Add water and oil to adjust texture to preference.

Serving

Garnish with Aleppo pepper and parsley and olive oil to taste.