My mother, Larisa, was born in Odessa, Ukraine, and has made borsch all her life. ’This is the hot winter version: vegetarian and super-quick to prepare but also hearty and filling, with a lovely sweet-sour flavor and gorgeous red beet color. It’s served garnished with fresh herbs and a dollop of sour cream.
This recipe is a summer favorite from Chef Chris Wiliams of Lucille’s Houston. Chris marinates a whole side of fish, (on the half shell means skin-on, scales-on) for 10 minutes and then quickly grills it skin-side down. His marinade is where the magic comes in. It’s elemental with freshly-squeezed lemon juice, thyme, garlic and the earthiness of smoked paprika. He serves it with coconut rice and a slightly wilted collard green salad. It’s summer eating at its best.
Linguine with clams, white wine, fresh garlic, lemon, and parsley– Francis Lam’s One is a nod to a childhood dish his parents used to make when family or friends came for dinner. It’s a simple and loose recipe that can be adjusted based on desire– add more wine and butter to make it more saucy, use additional clams for extra dinner guests, add herbs, or not depending on what you have on hand.
Once, while traveling along the north shore of Oahu, The Splendid Table team stopped for lunch at Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck for an island favorite, shrimp scampi--the most garlicky, luscious scampi we’d eaten. This is our divination of the recipe.
This sauce brings so much to the party, you'll wonder why it hasn’t always been invited. Fresh tarragon brings sweetness and softness to the classic parsley sauce. Anise notes round out the intense grassiness of fresh parsley. Both herbs grow well together in the garden, which is almost always a sign of a good pairing.