Sacramento Chefs' Cookbook

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SACRAMENTO MAGAZINE June 2020

, Brad Cecchi s Spring Pea Salad

SACR A ME N TO

cookbook

by marybeth bizjak photography by stephanie russo

LOCAL CHEFS AND FOOD FOLK OPEN THEIR KITCHENS AND SHARE THEIR FAVORITE RECIPES. Chances are you’ve been doing a lot of cooking these past few months. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic that abruptly shuttered restaurants and changed life in so many ways, we’ve all had to discover our inner chef.

Sacramento’s top chefs and leading food professionals are no exception. While many of them were busy transitioning to a takeout model or transforming their kitchens into commissaries to feed the vulnerable, they still found themselves with plenty of time to cook at home. So we reached out to a few and asked them to share their favorite recipes with Sacramento Magazine readers. These are dishes they cook at home with love for their families. Nothing fancy, just good home cooking.

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grilled branzino with grilled lemon and spring pea salad Brad Cecchi, the chef and part-owner of Canon in East Sacramento, hates to be stuck in the kitchen when the weather heats up. “The way I like to cook in summer is do cold or room-temp side dishes: pasta salads, cold salads, things I can prepare in the morning,” he says. “Then, while I’m outside playing yard games or hanging by the pool, I can pop my meat in the smoker or on the grill.” While the pandemic has turned Sacramento’s restaurant scene upside down, Cecchi says it’s been a net positive for him and his family, wife Mackenzie and their 2½-year-old daughter, Wallis. “I’m home by dinner time, so we can sit down together. Yes, there’s definitely a silver lining to this whole thing.”

SERVES 4

Fish ¼ cup basil leaves ¼ cup parsley leaves ¼ cup tarragon leaves ¼ cup cilantro leaves 1 shallot, roughly chopped 2 cornichons 2 tablespoons lime juice ½ cup olive oil 1 teaspoon salt

Salad 1 half red onion, thinly sliced into rings ¼ cup thinly sliced radishes 3 tablespoons high-quality extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons high-quality red wine vinegar 2 teaspoons salt

1 whole branzino (you can also use whole bass or snapper) 2 lemons, cut in half Vegetable oil for seasoning the grill

1 tablespoon chopped toasted Marcona almonds ¼ cup torn mint leaves

8 ounces snow peas, stems and strings removed 4 ounces sugar snap peas, stems and strings removed 4 ounces pea sprouts

, , What s in Brad s pantry

Cobram Estate olive oil, Banyuls vinegar, tortillas

And in his freezer

“You gotta have popsicles. My kid loves these fruit-yogurt bars, so I’m always getting into them. That’s the best part of being a dad: You get the leftovers.”

His favorite condiment

“I have to have a wide variety of hot sauces.

I like Cholula to put on my eggs, Sriracha for rice and noodle bowls, Tapatío for tacos and Crystal for potato salad. Trader Joe’s has this stuff in a jar called Chili Onion Crunch that’s so good.”

¼ cup torn parsley leaves

Fish Place basil, parsley, tarragon, cilantro, shallot, cornichons and lime juice in a blender and process until smooth. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a stream. Add salt to taste. In a large dish or bowl, pour the mixture over the fish and the lemon halves and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Wipe excess marinade off the fish and lemon halves. Lightly season the fish with salt.

Preheat the grill to medium high and brush it with vegetable oil. Place the whole fish on the grill and sear until skin is charred. Flip the fish and sear the other side until charred.

Lower heat to medium, cover grill and leave the fish on the grill until it is fully cooked, about 2–3 minutes.

Remove fish from the grill and turn the heat up to high.

Place the lemons, cut side down, on the grill and leave them there until they are charred, about 45 seconds.

Serve the fish on a platter with the charred lemons (for squeezing over the fish) and spring pea salad.

Salad Combine onions, radishes, olive oil, vinegar and salt in a bowl and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, toss and serve immediately.

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strawberry shortcake You might expect that master chocolatier Ginger Hahn would serve nothing but chocolate desserts for her husband, Tom, and their three kids, Connor, 11, Charles, 9, and Cosette, 6. Instead, she usually brings home macaron ice cream sandwiches from her midtown shop, Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates, or whips up something simple by hand. “We have not even a mixer in my house kitchen,” she says.

“Ever since the business started, all of my equipment always ends up in my professional kitchen.” This recipe for cream biscuits with fluff y whipped cream is something Hahn’s mom would throw together quickly when she got home from work. “The tradition has carried on at my house,” she says. “After a long day of making intricate desserts, I’m ready to make something amazing tasting and quick—simple, yummy soul food.”

SERVES 9

2⅓ cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup sugar, divided 2 tablespoons baking powder

1¼ teaspoon salt 4 cups heavy cream, divided 2 baskets strawberries, quartered and stems removed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

, , What s in Ginger s pantry

* “A very good bottle of soy sauce” * YOLO Press organic olive oil Organic * maple syrup for the kids * Grass-fed butter

To make the cream biscuits, combine flour, ⅓ cup sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add 1½ cups heavy cream. With a wooden spoon, mix just enough to form a loose, shaggy dough.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured board. Knead and fold the dough until it comes together. Flatten into a 7-inch square and cut into nine square pieces. Brush the tops with 2 tablespoons cream and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until golden brown, 20–25 minutes.

To make whipped cream, place 2 cups heavy cream in a bowl. Add ∑ cup sugar. Using an electric mixer, whip on high speed until the cream thickens and forms medium peaks.

To assemble, cut cooled cream biscuits in half. Spoon fruit and whipped cream onto the bottom layer of the shortbread. Top with the other biscuit half and serve immediately.

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grilled beef and vegetable kebabs With two restaurants and three children, Molly Hawks and Michael Fagnoni have a lot on their plates. Even so, they still make time for family dinner every night. But nothing too cheff y for them. “We tend to cook straightforward but yummy meals at home,” says Hawks. “Protein, vegetables and some type of salad.” Since the shutdown, they’ve become solid customers of their own restaurants, Hawks (in Granite Bay) and Hawks Public House (in midtown), which now sell family-style meals for curbside pickup. These beef-andveggie skewers were a recent Hawks at Home offering. The recipe is based on one from Hawks’ childhood. “Anytime there was a summer birthday, that was the dish we requested,” she says.

SERVES 4

2 pounds beef tenderloin or New York strip steak, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes Salt and pepper 1 red onion, cut into 1-inch dice 2 zucchini, cut into ½-inch rounds

12 cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed 1 cup homemade or bottled vinaigrette (we use Good Seasons Italian dressing at home) 2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares Salt and pepper

Preheat grill.

In a bowl, season the beef with salt and pepper and toss with ¼ cup vinaigrette. In a separate bowl, season the vegetables with salt and pepper and toss with ¼ cup vinaigrette. Thread the seasoned beef and vegetables onto skewers.

(You can put the beef and vegetables on separate skewers or alternate the beef and vegetables on a single skewer.)

Place the skewers on the hot grill and cook, turning periodically, until the meat is done, about 8 minutes for medium rare. Remove skewers from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes.

Once rested, remove the meat and vegetables from the skewers and place them together in a bowl. Toss the meat and vegetables with the remaining vinaigrette and serve with couscous or quinoa tabbouleh.

, Molly s must-haves

* Strauss mint chip ice cream “Our kids all love mint chip ice cream. This one is organic and doesn’t contain the dye.”

* California avocados “They’re in season now!” * The Baker & the Cakemaker seeded wheat

bread “I’ll make a special trip to the farmers market for this. Goes great with my avocados.”

* Strawberries from Saeng’s Strawberry Stand in Granite Bay “They just taste so much better when they come from the local stand.”

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quinoa and grilled vegetable salad Cacio, a cozy Italian trattoria in the Pocket, is a true mom-and-pop operation. Jonathan Kerksieck oversees the kitchen and does most of the cooking, while his wife, Katie Kinner-Kerksieck, handles front-of-the-house duties. But despite the demands of running a popular restaurant, Kerksieck still manages to cook at home at least once a day. “My cooking style is actually fairly simple: Cook what’s in season, and don’t get crazy with the amount of ingredients in a dish,” he explains. “I may be German, but I cook very Mediterranean.”

His recipe for quinoa and vegetable salad is very adaptable to whatever you have on hand. “We like zucchini, broccoli rabe and red onion, but you can use any vegetables you like. Additions such as toasted nuts or crumbly cheeses such as bleu or feta are also great.”

SERVES 8

2 cups quinoa 4 cups water 1 red onion, peeled and cut into ¾-inch-thick rings 1 bunch green onion 1 bunch broccoli rabe or broccolini 1 zucchini, cut lengthwise in half

¾ cup olive oil, divided ½ cup vinegar (we use red wine, but balsamic, apple cider and sherry vinegar all work well) 1 shallot, minced 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, whole grain or not Salt and pepper

Rinse the quinoa under cold water and place in a saucepan with 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes.

Pour the quinoa into a strainer and rinse with cold water. Place quinoa in a large mixing bowl.

Brush the vegetables with ∑ cup olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill the vegetables over mediumhigh heat until soft and tender. Chop into bite-size pieces and add to the quinoa in the mixing bowl.

To make the dressing, combine ∏ cup olive oil, vinegar, shallot and mustard in a small jar and shake vigorously.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the dressing over the quinoa and vegetables. Mix to combine and chill until ready to serve, or serve immediately.

, , What s inJonathan s pantry Olive oil, dried pasta, tortilla chips, canned tomatoes

In the fridge

Beer, milk, eggs, cheese

And in the freezer

“Some sort of frozen potatoes,” ice cream, pasta sauce, blueberries

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pasta with tomato and arugula sauce At Land Park’s Masullo, Robert Masullo turns out ethereal, crisp-crusted Neapolitan-style pizzas from a wood-fired oven. But when he’s at home, he often likes to have a simple plate of pasta, like this dish made with ripe tomatoes and spicy arugula. “It’s my favorite vegetarian meal,” he says.

SERVES 4

3 pounds ripe tomatoes 1 pound short macaroni like calamarata Salt 3 garlic cloves

½ cup olive oil, divided 1 large bunch of arugula Dried crushed red pepper Grated Pecorino Romano cheese or nutritional yeast

Quarter the tomatoes and place in a heavy-lidded pot. Cook over medium heat until soft, approximately 30 minutes.

Pass the cooked tomatoes through a medium-disk food mill to remove seeds and skins. Return the tomatoes to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. As the sauce thickens, add ∑ cup olive oil to keep it from splattering. Once the sauce is thickened, keep it warm on low heat as you cook the pasta.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.

Calamarata Pasta

...is a traditional Neapolitan pasta shape. It gets its name from its shape, which resembles calamari or squid rings.

Meanwhile, halve and slice the garlic. Heat a wide sauté pan on medium-high heat. Add ⅛ cup olive oil and the garlic. Sauté the garlic in the oil until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Do not let it brown. Toss in the arugula and a spoonful of the pasta water, stirring to keep the garlic from burning. Cook until arugula is soft and wilted.

Drain the pasta when it is almost but not fully cooked. Add the drained pasta to the tomato sauce and cook over medium heat until al dente, about 1–2 minutes. Add the arugula mixture and the remaining ∑ cup of olive oil to the pasta-tomato sauce mixture. Serve with hot chili flakes and a handful of Pecorino Romano cheese. You can use nutritional yeast if you want to keep the dish vegan.

Tomato sandwich: Callista Polhemus

burnt tomato sandwich Callista Polhemus is a Sacramento food-industry triple threat: She’s a marketer, a photographer and a cake decorator whose stunningly beautiful creations can be seen on her Instagram account, @semisweetcc. When summer rolls around, she loves nothing better than a burnt tomato sandwich. “It’s a recipe adapted from my Grandma Wengler. Ever since I can remember, this is what I’d ask her to make when I came to visit,” Polhemus says. “Now, my husband asks for it as soon as tomatoes come into season. It may seem wrong to burn the bread, but trust me: You really want to burn it, and burn it well. I have thought about elevating the recipe by making an aioli or using a different bread, but sometimes you just have to stick with the classics.”

SERVES 2

Butter, softened 4 slices of white bread, thick-cut Mayonnaise

Fresh basil leaves Salt and pepper to taste 1 large heirloom tomato, cut into slices Continued on next page SACMAG.COM June 2020

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Generously spread the butter onto one side of each piece of bread. Place the bread slices onto a pan or griddle and cook on high until the toasted side is sufficiently black and burnt. Remove and place burnt side up on the cutting board.

, Callista s food obsession

Apply a generous amount of mayonnaise to the burnt side of each piece of bread.

“Zhug is a Middle Eastern hot sauce similar to chimichurri. It’s packed with all the flavors I love: cardamom, cumin, garlic, chilies, good olive oil and lots of parsley and cilantro. Good Eats has a great recipe for it. A drizzle of zhug will instantly elevate any grilled dish, soup or even salad.”

Place a layer of tomato slices onto the burnt side of one piece of bread, then top with basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Top with the other slice of bread, burnt side down. Repeat to make a second sandwich.

Serve immediately.

“I’m obsessed with Alison Roman’s cookbooks lately. The recipes are so approachable and manageable.”

Her favorite condiment

Kid food

“My daughter is 3 years old and I would refer to her palate as charcuterie based: She loves cheese, cured meats and pickled things. I haven’t gotten her into tomatoes yet, but I’ve made it my goal to make it happen this summer.”

pantry pasta with heirloom beans At midtown’s Magpie, Ed Roehr and his wife, Janel Inouye, have attracted a cult following with their simple, farm-focused food. Heirloom beans are a particular favorite of theirs. “We are lucky to have cool heirloom beans from all around the Central Valley,” says Roehr, who uses a plump, nutty bean called Good Mother Stallard in this tasty vegan recipe. “The cool thing about the dish is that there is really nothing perishable about it. These are all pantry items. Making a great dish from things that don’t need refrigeration is something that is fitting for this time when we all don’t want to go to the store every day.”

SERVES 4

1 pound heirloom beans, soaked overnight in 6 cups cold water ¾ cup good-quality olive oil, divided 4 onions, diced small 4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons dried herbs (I use savory and oregano) Salt and pepper 1 bay leaf 1 pound rigatoni pasta Place the beans and the soaking water in a large pot. Add bay leaf and salt. Bring the beans to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and cook until the beans are soft and the insides are creamy.

Once the beans are creamy, simmer 5 minutes longer. Drain the beans, making sure to reserve the liquid.

Heat ∏ cup olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat.

Add the chopped onions and cook slowly until the onions are soft, translucent and very sweet. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Season with salt, pepper and dried herbs.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until it is almost but not quite al dente, 1 or 2 minutes less than the instructions on the package. Drain the pasta and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil.

To the pan with the vegetable mixture, add 3 cups cooked beans, 2 cups reserved bean liquid and the drained pasta. Cook over medium heat until the sauce is thickened and the pasta is perfectly al dente. Season to taste. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and serve with toasted bread.

, Ed s Bean Advice

Cook a large batch of beans. After cooking, strain the beans and cool them and the liquid separately. Before they are completely cool, recombine beans and liquid and store in the fridge. You can now use them like canned beans. They’ll last a week or longer.

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pizza with the kids At downtown’s Camden Spit & Larder, Oliver Ridgeway presides over a chic London-style brasserie. But when he’s home with wife Tia and their kids, he enjoys simple, familyfriendly fare, with everyone pitching in. Making the dough, preparing the sauce, choosing the toppings and assembling the pie adds up to a “great learning moment,” he says.

SERVES 4

1 tablespoon sugar 2¼ teaspoons dry active yeast 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3¾ cups all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons salt 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

1 6-ounce can tomato paste 1 tablespoon ground oregano 1½ teaspoons dried minced garlic 1 teaspoon ground paprika 1 pound mozzarella Vegetable and meat toppings of your choice

Place the sugar in a medium bowl and add 1⅓ cups warm water, whisking to combine. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the sugar-water mixture and set aside until the mixture foams, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the olive oil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture. Gradually stir to make a rough dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, dusting with more flour if necessary.

Form into a large ball. Brush a large bowl with olive oil and add the ball of dough. Cover with a cloth and set aside at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the pizza sauce by combining the tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, garlic and paprika. Set aside until ready to assemble the pizza.

Divide the dough into two balls. Working with one ball at a time, stretch the dough to form a 12inch circle and place onto a cookie sheet or pizza stone. Spread a small amount of the sauce onto the dough, then top with cheese and the vegetables and meats of your choice. Bake on the center rack of a preheated 425-degree oven until done, about 15–20 minutes.

, Oliver s tips for making pizza at home

* If you’re running short on time, feel free to use jarred marinara sauce. * Let the kids choose the pizza toppings. “Then they will be vested in eating the pizza.” * Any good melting cheese will do. He prefers mozzarella. * Pepperoni is his top meat choice, but salami, bacon and ham are also good options.

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risi e bisi Kathi Riley Smith has had a long and storied career in the food industry, first as a chef at San Francisco’s famed Zuni Cafe, later as a restaurant consultant and high-end caterer. These days, she serves as the culinary supervisor for American River College’s highly regarded culinary program, overseeing the student-run Oak Cafe. When ARC’s campus shut down for the pandemic, she found herself cooking a lot at home. “It’s what’s keeping me sane right now,” says Riley Smith, who lives in River Park with her husband, Bob. This recipe for risi e bisi (Italian rice and peas) is one of her summertime favorites. A simple dish from Italy’s Veneto region, it’s made with freshly shelled peas and short-grain rice (preferably Carnaroli), which combine to create a soupy, flavorful risotto-style dish. She likes to steep the pea pods in the vegetable stock for additional flavor.

SERVES 6–8

4½ pounds English peas in their pods or approximately 5 cups shelled peas 10 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock 4 tablespoons olive oil 5 tablespoons butter, divided 1½ cups white onion, diced small 6 ounces pancetta, chopped

2¾ cups Carnaroli rice 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 tablespoons Italian parsley, coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons mint, coarsely chopped ⅔ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated Freshly cracked black pepper to garnish

Separate the peas from the pod, reserving the pods for flavoring the stock. Simmer pods and vegetable or chicken stock together for 10–12 minutes. Remove from heat and strain, discarding the pods. Reserve the stock and keep it at a simmer over low heat.

In a heavy-bottomed 4-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil and 3 tablespoons of the butter over low heat. Add chopped onions and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add the pancetta and cook 5 minutes.

Add the rice to the pan and stir for 2 minutes, coating every grain in the fat. Add enough stock to the pan to just cover everything. The first addition of stock will absorb and evaporate quickly. The heat should be very low so that the stock is not absorbed too quickly.

Stir occasionally for the next 10 minutes or so and add a ladle of stock every time the rice looks parched. After 10 minutes and with the addition of the next stock, add the peas, salt and half of the parsley. Taste and add more salt if needed. Keep in mind that the Parmesan will add a little salt to the dish.

Cook another 5 minutes or so. The rice should still have a little bite, and the mixture should be runny.

Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, mint and parsley. Cover the pan and let rest for a few minutes. Taste for seasoning and garnish with black pepper.

, , What s in Kathi s pantry

* Agrumato lemon olive oil “It’s sold at Corti Brothers. I think it just makes everything better.” * Pistachios “I love the shelled raw ones. I toast them and put olive oil and salt on them. It’s our snack.”

Rustichella d’Abruzzo artisanal pasta “They have one called garganelli. It’s an egg pasta, so it cooks up * differently than a regular pasta: I’ll sauté some zucchini, garlic and basil and put it on top.” tomatoes “I always have really good canned tomatoes on hand from Muir Glen or DiNapoli. I buy * theCanned whole peeled ones, because I like to cut or squish them up myself.”

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cold carrot curry soup Sara Arbabian, the co-owner of midtown’s The Rind and La Crosta in West Sac, came up with this recipe for cold carrot curry soup during the COVID-19 shutdown, when going to the grocery store was a challenge. “I happened to have carrots, corn and onions in the house, and a cold curried soup sounded like a fun idea,” she says. She roasted the vegetables, threw them in her NutriBullet and added broth and cream for a cool, refreshing, easy-to-prepare soup. Arbabian suggests serving it with grilled bread for a light meal, or with grilled shrimp with lime and cilantro for a heartier repast.

SERVES 8

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 2 cups yellow corn kernels 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped 3 tablespoons olive oil 6 garlic cloves, minced 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock 1 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons curry powder 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon mustard powder 1 teaspoon celery salt ½ teaspoon cayenne (or to taste) Salt and pepper 4 ounces Laura Chenel chevre for garnish Cilantro leaves for garnish Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place carrots, corn and onion on a large baking sheet. Drizzle vegetables with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven until slightly soft and golden, approximately 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Place roasted vegetables, garlic, stock and heavy cream in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add curry powder, smoked paprika, mustard powder, celery salt and cayenne to the soup. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Pour the soup into a container and chill in the refrigerator at least two hours. To serve, pour into a bowl, top with a dollop of chevre and garnish with cilantro leaves.

, , What s in Sara s pantry Quinoa, arborio rice

Quarantine cuisine building blocks

Cream, eggs and cheese. “Those are my basics.

I’ve been making a lot of kitchen-sink quarantine food. I’ll take mixed greens, top with scrambled eggs, then add tater tots, cilantro, Sriracha, cheese and vegetables. It sounds weird to have eggs over greens, but it’s really good.”

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green bean and asparagus chicken stir-fry

, , N Gina s must-haves Chicken, olive oil, wine, pepperoncinis

Confession

“I eat salad for breakfast sometimes.”

As the co-owner of South restaurant, N’Gina Guyton is closely associated with decadent dishes like fried chicken and biscuits dripping with honey butter. But when it comes to cooking for herself and her two kids, Guyton prefers a lighter menu. “I recently lost 40 pounds, and that was due to me cooking more and being mindful of the ingredients and quality of food,” she says. “I eat mostly organic and plenty of veggies.” Daughter Izzy and son Isaac are big fans of this stir-fry, which Guyton adapted from a recipe from The Modern Proper website. “The blistered veggies are the kids’ favorite part of the dish,” she says. “They will literally eat all the veggies, then eat the chicken.”

SERVES 4

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch cubes 3 tablespoons cornstarch ¼ cup sesame oil, divided 6 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces 6 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces

3 large garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari 1 teaspoon ground fresh chili paste Sesame seeds for garnish Cilantro for garnish

In a medium-sized bowl, toss chicken cubes in cornstarch.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of sesame oil over medium heat until glistening. Working in small batches, add chicken to the pan and sauté, turning, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked, adding more oil only if necessary. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil to the pan and heat over high heat until the oil is glistening and almost smoking. Add green beans and asparagus to the oil and stir constantly until the vegetables are blistered with little dark spots and just barely tender. Remove the green beans and asparagus from pan and set aside.

Allow skillet to cool slightly. Over medium-low heat, add garlic, ginger, soy sauce and chili paste to the pan. Cook, stirring, until all ingredients are combined and the garlic is fragrant. Add chicken and vegetables back to the pan, stirring until coated in sauce. Top with sesame seeds and cilantro and serve over jasmine rice.

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