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By Root 263 0

it with any kind of pasta. Once you have this sauce, you can re-create anything that calls for classic braised ground meat with a new Greek flavor identity—tacos, meaty mac and cheese, chili. You can really play around with it, and it’s very easy to make. Ten minutes to set it up, and then it’s cooking by itself. Start the pasta ten minutes before the Kima is done, throw it into your sauce, and you’re done. Plus, it’s even better if you make it the night before.

3 tablespoons blended oil (90 percent canola, 10 percent extra-virgin olive)

1 Spanish or sweet onion, finely chopped

1 fresh bay leaf or 2 dried leaves

2 cinnamon sticks

1½ pounds ground beef

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch ground nutmeg

Pinch ground cloves (optional)

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 quarts water

1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, crushed slightly, with all the juices

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

1 pound rigatoni, perciatelli, bucatini, or pappardelle, for serving

cup grated graviera cheese

Small handful torn fresh herbs, such as dill, mint, and/or parsley

Extra-virgin olive oil

Warm a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat and add the blended oil. Wilt the onion with the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks for 3 to 5 minutes without browning. Add the ground beef and brown thoroughly. Add the spices and tomato paste; stir for a minute or two. Add the water, tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, 2 tablespoons salt, and a generous grinding of pepper. Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer for 60 to 65 minutes. Skim off any scum that rises at the beginning. Later on, skim off the fat once or twice. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks. The sauce should be meaty with lots of juice.

Cook the pasta, drain, and toss with Kima (meat sauce). Scatter with graviera and fresh herbs, and drizzle with a little olive oil.

WHOLE GRILLED LOUP DE MER

LAVRAKI STIN SCHARA

SERVES 4

This recipe is my take on “whole grilled fish.” It’s the only dish that has not changed on the Anthos menu. The butchering here is a little difficult, but the result is simple grilled fish with no bones, as juicy and texturally sound as its fully bone-in counterpart. Additionally, the black olive compound butter internally bastes the fish while grilling. The results are spectacular. The caul fat, which melts away when grilling, reinforces the structural integrity of the boneless fish while sealing the compound butter in its cavity. If you are against the use of butter, this technique will allow you to stuff the fish with anything that excites you. My personal favorite is sun-dried tomato purée used to stuff the Roasted Leg of Lamb (page 142). This dish will not really achieve its potential without Ladolemono, so take a moment to make it. Here, we serve two fish for four people, but big eaters should feel free to double the compound butter and serve one fish per person.

½ teaspoon Dried Lemon Zest (page 270) or ¼ teaspoon fresh

4 cloves Garlic Confit (page 264) or 1 tablespoon Garlic Purée (page 264)

½ scallion, green part only, roughly chopped

Kosher salt

2 oil-cured black olives, pitted and torn

3 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature

Cracked black pepper

2 whole loup de mer or branzino, about 1 pound each

About 3 ounces pork caul fat (see option at right)

Extra-virgin olive oil

Ladolemono (page 270)

Small handful torn fresh herbs, such as dill, parsley, and/or chives

Sea salt

In a food processor, combine the Dried Lemon Zest, Garlic Confit, scallion, 1 teaspoon salt, and the olives. Process until smooth and add the butter and a generous grinding of pepper. Pulse until evenly blended.

Turn the butter out onto the bottom end of a large piece of parchment paper and fold the top down to cover. Smooth with your fingers until the layer of butter is ¼ inch thick. Freeze on a baking sheet for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Place the fish on a cutting board positioned perpendicularly to your body and cut down on either side of the spine all the way through. Snip the spine just