Top Chef Not So Quickfire: Wok-a Wok-a

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Top Chef Not So Quickfire: Wok-a Wok-a

POSTED: Monday, September 13, 2010, 6:30 PM

Filed Under: Food TV | Not So Quickfire | Recipes | Top Chef

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If youre a food nerd like me, you cant watch Top Chef without screaming obscenities at the contestants while peacefully pondering what youd whip up for Transcendently Beautiful Padma each Quickfire. If a case of backseat cooking is what ails ya, dig this fresh weekly column featuring recipes based on each TCQF. Let me preface this NSQF by saying that, no, I still do not know who was axed from Top Chef this week. I was so beat Wednesday night and passed out just after the chefs rocked woks for the Quickfire and Jersey Kev called shotgun on cockles for his Elimination Challenge protein. In this NSQF, I honor J.K., my maybe-fallen, maybe-not comrade, with a cockle and calamari stir-fry that gets its numbing heat from the mysterious Sichuan peppercorn. Wok cooking is so fast, so furious. Ingredients are added in intervals that can last a few seconds or a few minutes this recipe takes less than 10 so it's best to have all prep done before cooking begins. Mis-en-place bowls bring control to the chaos; just arrange them alongside the stove in the order youll need them.

Sichuan Cockle & Squid Stir-Fry

Go Get This: 1/2 lb. cleaned squid, rinsed and cut into rings 1/2 lb. cockles, purged* 1 lb. dragons tongue beans (or another, not-as-badass variety) 2 garlic cloves, chopped 2 stalks lemongrass, minced, or lemongrass paste 1 small knob ginger, julienned 2 tbsp. Sichuan peppercorns, toasted and ground 1 lime, juiced 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce 1 tbsp. canola oil 1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped Salt and pepper, to taste Now Do This: Place the wok over high heat and add oil. Once the oil is rippling, add the garlic, ginger and lemongrass. Saute 30 seconds, then add the Sichuan pepper and cilantro root. Saute an additional 30 seconds, then add the beans, tamari and lime juice. Saute 2 minutes, then add the calamari. Saute another minute, then add the cockles. Saute till the cockles open, about 2 minutes, add the cilantro, toss and serve. * Most cockles available at your neighborhood fishmonger are farmed, which eliminates a lot of the sand and grit. Still, I always purge them by soaking the bivalves in a bowl of cold water with a handful of kosher salt (and cornmeal if Ive got it around). Leave them in the fridge for and hour or so, and the cockles will expel any residual sand hiding inside. (This also works for mussels and clams.) And as always, discard any that dont open after cooking. Theyre as dead as anyone who drops spoilers in the comments.

Cast Iron Steak Weight. Sold Individually | Cast Iron Cookware Sets Reviews

Posted 2010-09-17 14:11:44

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Founded in October 2008, Meal Ticket is a City Paper blog about food, drink and assorted other things that make you go mmm. We do recipes, interviews, restaurant news, commentary and much more. We don't do restaurant reviews here — those are handled in print, mostly by our critic (and Meal Ticket contributor) Adam Erace. Got a tip, question, thought or concern? Just want to say hello? Please shoot a note to caroline@citypaper.net.

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