Chef de Cuisine Johan Svensson (BLT Steak, Honolulu, Hawaii)
Serves 4
1 sprig fresh curly parsley
1 sprig fresh cilantro
2 green zebra tomatoes, skinned and core removed (see Chef’s Tips on tomato concasse, this page)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ red onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed (see Chef’s Tips on garlic, this page)
½-1 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup kosher salt
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
8 ounces Shinsato Farm pork belly
2 pounds Kulana rib-eye, cleaned and trimmed
8 ounces unsalted butter
8 ounces freshly cracked black pepper
4 bone marrows, roasted and marrow carefully removed
1 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar
Salt, to taste
In a high-speed blender, add all the ingredients. Blend until smooth, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Mix sugar and salt, add thyme and bay leaf, rub into the belly, and let it cure overnight. Wash off the salt mixture the day after.
Season the beef with butter, salt, and pepper. Grill and broil until medium-rare; then let it rest. Slice the pork belly into 4 slices, grill, and season with pepper.
Serve by placing some chimichurri on a plate, drizzling with balsamic vinegar, and topping with the pork belly and roasted bone marrow.
Michelada
Elvia Guerrero and Tianna Petersen (San Antonio and Dallas, Texas)
Serves 1
While dining with two colleagues, they introduced me to a michelada, a drink native to Texas, which I had never heard of before. I quickly jotted down the recipe on a cocktail napkin to recreate once I got home. It is a nice alternative to a margarita or a Bloody Mary.
Story by Mary Elizabeth
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1 (6 oz.) bottle beer
Dash Tabasco®, Worchester, or soy sauce
Kosher salt, as needed
Rub the rim of a 6-inch-high ball glass with a lime wedge, and then dip the glass in a flat plate full of salt until the entire rim is full of salt. Fill the glass with ice, and pour in the lime juice, followed by the beer and a dash of all or any of the sauces on top.
Chef’s Tip
As an alternative, add half Clamato® juice and half beer with a splash of lime juice and hot sauce.