Cooking with F1: Asparagus Risotto with Jus de Viande aux Champignons Infusés and Socca
It’s spring, and to me, that always means it’s time for asparagus. Thin, delicate stalks that melt in your mouth. I know white asparagus commands the spotlight, but when I was little, it was the fresh green asparagus that stole the show. Picked fresh from the garden and not even allowed to cool down from its sun-warmed state before being steamed and served, it was magic. You wouldn’t even have dreamed of peeling it, because it didn’t need it. This strange phenomenon known as “woody bottom stems that need cutting off” was similarly unheard-of. Asparagus is best when it’s young, and its best is very good indeed.
That being said, deciding what to do for Monaco was challenging up until I discovered the popularity of this dish there. Monagasque cuisine draws heavily on its neighbors, and with good reason. What to choose? The asparagus made it all terribly clear.
Cooking with F1: Scallop and Chicken Paella Valenciana
Yes, I know. It’s nowhere near on time, this post—a fact for which I apologize profusely. Personal life has been slightly hectic lately…but at least, unlike Kevin Shields, it didn’t take me years to post this. 
At any rate, paella’s one of those things where so many people have adapted it that most of what’s served no longer resembles the original paella. Does that make other recipes inauthentic? That depends. If you’re using Minute Rice, then probably, you already know the answer. Paella is not just Spain’s most famous dish—it’s a subject of obsession and endless controversy. Originally from Valencia, like most good ideas, it spread and morphed (sometimes in nearly unrecognizable ways) as the years went on. What I’ve made here is fairly authentic, with one major exception: no rabbit. Sorry, but I won’t do it. I have few things I won’t cook or eat, but that’s one of them (and probably the biggest one).
That being said, follow the jump for more.
Cooking with F1: Za Jiang Mein
There are noodles in there, I swear.
Follow the jump for more on what else is in there. Not vegetarian-friendly as-is, but it could be adapted that way with little difficulty.
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Janaki
