Meal of The Week
FRIED SKATE WINGS
FRIED SKATE WINGSRead More »
CHEF JOHN SPEAKS

I GOTTA WOK
I’M NOT A BIG FAN OF ROASTED GREEN VEGETABLES, WHICH LOSE THEIR BRIGHT FLAVOR WHEN COOKED IN THE OVEN. I PREFER TO STIR-FRY MY BROCOLLINI, SPINACH, AND, MOST RECENTLY, A FABULOUS GREEN CALLED SPIGARELLO, WHICH IS THE BEST OF ALL THREE. FOR YEARS I’VE STRUGGLED WITH A LARGE, ROUND-SIDED SAUCEPAN, BUT THE SPINACH HAS TO BE ADDED IN INCREMENTS AND THE VOLUME OF THE VEGE- TABLE ALWAYS OVERWHELMS THE PAN. I KNEW I NEEDED A WOK. YOU CAN BUY EXPENSIVE STAINLESS STEEL WOKS FROM ALL-CLAD, HESTON OR ANY NUMBER OF EXCELLENT MANUFACTURERS BUT I OPTED FOR THE REAL THING — A BLUE STEEL, FLAT-BOTTOMED WOK (SO IT SITS ON A BURNER) WITH A WOODEN HANDLE, MADE BY BY MAMMAFONG. IT CAME PRE-SEASONED. YOU MAINTAIN IT LIKE A CAST-RON PAN. NO SOAP AND WATER. I HAVE JUST BEGIN TO LEARN HOW TO USE THIS 2000-YEAR-OLD “COOKING POT” WHICH TRANSLATES TO “WOK” IN CANTONESE. I LOOK AT MY BATTERIE DE CUISINE, COLLECTED OVER YEARS OF COOKING AND REALIZE THAT WITH THE ADDITION OF A STEAMING RACK AND A LID, THIS SINGLE POT CAN DO PRACTICALLY EVERYTHING I DO WITH TEN OR MORE SPECIALIZED POTS AND PANS. SPIGARELLO IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.
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