Make the most of the season with two new recipes created especially for at-home cooks by Josh Brown, executive chef at the Walker’s acclaimed restaurant Gather by D’Amico (you might also want to try the raw-and-cooked vegetable salad that has become a popular mainstay on Gather’s lunch menu).
For one dish, Brown paired the sweetness of a perfectly ripe, late-summer tomato with the creaminess of buratta in a salad that “is the essence of simple yet flavorful eating this time of year” he says, adding that buratta, made from mozzarella and cream, is “one of the sexiest cheeses right now,” showing up on menus all over. “We pair it with buttermilk chicken, artichokes, chard, and sweet peas at Gather—and it’s a hit.”
His other recipe is a seasonal take on steak-and-potatoes: chili-crusted tenderloin with sweet corn risotto and green tomato chimichurri. “Add a few Negra Modelos or a Dos Equis and you’re set with the perfect Sunday night dinner.”
BURATTA WITH HEIRLOOM TOMATO, WATERMELON, BAGUETTE AND ARUGULA PESTO
6 oz buratta, divided in one-ounce pieces
6 cups heirloom or other top-quality tomato, diced
1 cup watermelon, diced
3 T shallots, thinly sliced
1tsp fresh chili, thinly sliced (I like Serranos, but use your favorite)
2T fresh ginger juice (grate ginger; squeeze out juice; discard solids)
2T pine nuts, toasted
3T green onion, thinly sliced on a bias (both white and green parts are fine)
4T extra virgin olive oil
6 baguette slices, grilled or toasted
Salt and pepper
Toss tomato, watermelon, shallot, ginger juice, pine nuts, green onion and olive oil in a bowl til everything is mixed evenly. Divide the salad between six bowls; top each with buratta and a baguette slice smothered in arugula pesto. Drizzle with olive oil; finish with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt.
Arugula pesto
2 cups wild arugula
3 garlic cloves, boiled in whole milk, strained, patted dry
3T toasted pine nuts
1T lemon zest
2T lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Puree all ingredients in a blender til fairly smooth; season with salt and pepper and refrigerate.
GRILLED TENDERLOIN WITH CORN RISOTTO AND GREEN TOMATO CHIMICHURRI
Tenderloin marinade
6 tenderloin steaks, 7 oz each
1T salt
1 can chipotle en adobo
4 ancho chilis (soak in hot water for 10 minutes, remove)
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup lime juice
Puree the salt, anchos, chipotle en adobo, lime juice in a blender. Slowly add oil to emulsify. Rub the tenderloins with the marinade and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. Grill to your preferred temperature.
Sweet corn risotto
2-1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 cup onion, diced small
4 T butter
7 cups chicken stock (hot)
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup grated cotija cheese
2 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
4T butter
Sauté onions in butter on medium/medium-high heat til translucent. Add the rice, saute for 2-3 more minutes. Add 1/2 cup of white wine; cook, stirring constantly, til the wine is gone. Repeat with the other 1/2 cup of wine. Add chicken stock 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly and cooking til the stock is almost gone before adding another cup. Continue til the chicken stock is gone, about 20-25 minutes. (Constant stirring is the key to a creamy risotto, and to keep rice from sticking to pan bottom.) Turn off heat and stir in corn, cilantro, butter, and cheese til combined.
Green tomato chimichurri
1 cup tomatillos, diced small
1T garlic, chopped
1T fresno chili or jalapeno, diced small
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup green onion sliced thin
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and let it sit for 30-45 minutes so the flavors can come together.
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