MOLLY'S PLANT FOOD RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over high heat until smoking. In a medium bowl, drizzle the broccolini with olive oil and season with salt. Toss to coat. Place the broccolini on the hot pan or griddle but do not crowd (if using a 12-inch cast iron you can do two batches) Allow to sear, undisturbed, for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side for 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges of the florets are a deep brown and the stems are tender and bright green with charring on the edges. Turn off the heat. Return the broccolini to the bowl. Season with a couple turns of black pepper. Add the grated garlic and lemon zest and toss to coat. Season to taste.
• To serve, spoon some Ricotta (recipe follows) in the center of a plate. Arrange the broccolini around the cheese, sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes, if using, flakey salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.
• Line a colander or large sieve with 1 layer of very fine cheesecloth (or 2 to 3 layers of more porous cloth) and set over a large bowl.
• To make the cheese, combine the milk and salt in a non-reactive pot over medium heat. Heat the mixture, stirring occasionally until it reaches 175 degrees F, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice. Gently stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until chunks form and separate from the whey (this happens within 30 seconds or so). Don’t stir too often or vigorously or the curds will break. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the curds into the prepared cheesecloth-lined sieve. Allow to sit and strain for 20 minutes. Serve immediately at room temperature or transfer the ricotta cheese into an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Steps:

• For the chicken: Combine the chicken and salt in a bowl and massage the salt into the chicken. Cover with plastic and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour.
• To make the sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the orange juice, apricot jam, chile sauce, rice vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with a few spoonfuls of the hot mixture to make a slurry. Add the slurry back to the saucepan and whisk to combine. Continue cooking until the sauce is thickened and syrupy; this should only take about 30 seconds of boiling. Remove from the heat and reserve in the pan.
• To finish: Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat to 375 degrees F.
• To make the batter: Add 3 tablespoons tempura flour to a medium bowl. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat. In a separate large bowl, add the remaining tempura flour and whisk in 1 1/4 cups very cold water. (The batter should still have a few lumps.) Add the dredged chicken to the batter mixture and toss to coat.
• When the oil reaches 375 degrees, fry the chicken pieces in batches, turning frequently, until the chicken is golden brown, 3 minutes total. Remove to a wire rack set over a baking sheet to drain of excess oil. Allow the oil to return to temperature before adding another batch.
• When ready to serve, warm the sauce in the pan, then toss in the fried chicken pieces. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the scallions. Serve with rice.