MALLMANN ON FIRE100 Recipes
The passionate master of the Argentine grill takes us grilling in magical places. Each locale inspiring new discoveries as revealed in 100 recipes for meals both intimate and outsized.
“Elemental, fundamental, and delicious” is how Anthony Bourdain describes the trailblazing live-fire cooking of Francis Mallmann. The New York Times called Mallmann’s first book, Seven Fires, “captivating” and “inspiring.” And now, in Mallmann on Fire, the passionate master of the Argentine grill takes us grilling in magical places—in winter’s snow, on mountaintops, on the beach, on the crowded streets of Manhattan, on a deserted island in Patagonia, in Paris, Brooklyn, Bolinas, Brazil—each locale inspiring new discoveries as revealed in 100 recipes for meals both intimate and outsized. We encounter legs of lamb and chicken hung from strings, coal-roasted delicata squash, roasted herbs, a parrillada of many fish, and all sorts of griddled and charred meats, vegetables, and fruits, plus rustic desserts cooked on the chapa and baked in wood-fired ovens. At every stop along the way there is something delicious to eat and a lesson to be learned about slowing down and enjoying the process, not just the result.
Francis Mallmann is the reigning star of food television in the Spanish-speaking world, and the most famous and popular chef in South America. He has three restaurants: one in Mendoza, Argentina’s wine country; another in the La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires; and the third in the picturesque village of Garzón, Uruguay. USA Today and The Times (U.K.) have named his restaurants among the top 10 places to eat in the world.
Peter Kaminsky is the author and coauthor of many books, including Pig Perfect, Culinary Intelligence,Seven Fires and Mallmann on Fire (with Francis Mallmann), and Charred and Scruffed (with Adam Perry Lang). He is a longtime contributor to Food & Wine and a former columnist for The New York Times and New Yorkmagazine. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Cowboy Rib Eye a la Plancha with Crispy Brioche Salad and Grilled Dates
Serves 2 or 3
I first learned the technique of pan-roasting rib eye when I apprenticed in France. Before that, I had always cooked steak on a grill over an open fire. But you can get a gorgeous crunchy crust with a luscious pink interior using a cast-iron skillet or a chapa. When I dreamed up this recipe on the shores of Red Hook (see page 000), we were in sight of the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the French people to the United States, so I felt duty bound to include a French touch—and decided to toast some brioche on the chapa. Toast wants something sweet on it, so onto the chapa as well went some dates and, for contrast and piquancy, some arugula.
One 2-inch-thick bone-in rib-eye steak, about 2 pounds
About 1⁄3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Fleur de sel
1 small brioche loaf (about 6 ounces), crusts trimmed off, torn into rough 1⁄2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1⁄2 cup Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
4 large, soft fresh dates, such as Medjool, pitted and spread open
1 bunch arugula, tough stems removed
1. Heat a chapa or a cast-iron griddle over medium heat. Pat the steak dry with paper towels. Brush the chapa generously with olive oil. When the oil shimmers, sprinkle one side of the steak with fleur de sel and set it salt side down on the hot surface. After about 10 minutes, when the steak is browned and crusty on the bottom, season the top with salt and flip it over to cook on the other side for about 8 more minutes, or until nicely browned. Stand the steak upright on its side to brown the fat for several minutes, then lay it back down and cook on each side for a minute or two, until the internal temperature reaches 120°F for rare. Transfer it to a carving board and let it rest for 10 minutes while you make the brioche salad. (The temperature will increase slightly as it rests.)
2. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan drippings. Arrange the pieces of brioche on the hot surface to toast: this can take less than a minute, depending on the heat of the chapa, so keep your eye on them and turn them before they burn. As the bread is toasting, dot it all over with the mustard, and season with salt, black pepper, and the red pepper flakes. Drizzle olive oil generously over it, then fit the dates in, cut side down. Scatter the arugula over the top and, using two spatulas, toss it all together as you would a salad, scraping up the drippings, oil, and mustard to combine. Sprinkle the salad generously with olive oil and heap it on a serving platter.
3. Slice the meat, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with the salad, spooning the juices over all.
Excerpted from Mallmann On Fire by Francis Mallmann (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2014. Photographs by Santiago Soto Monllor.
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