New York City chef Ignacio Mattos talks debut cookbook, "Estela"

Born in Uruguay, Ignacio Mattos grew up eating local specialties but also the fresh pastas made by his Italian grandmother, who was his first food major influence. Later came other mentors including the legendary Alice Waters at California's Chez Panisse. 

Mattos eventually moved to New York and in 2013 opened Estela, named one of Bon Appetit's best new restaurants and later two other venues, which led Esquire magazine to name him chef of the year. Mattos just released his debut cookbook, "Estela." 

Here are some of Mattos' signature recipes: 

Lamb ribs with "chermoula" and honey

Brine ingredients

10 cups hot water
1 cup (225 g) kosher salt
1½ teaspoons pink curing salt
5 pounds (2.25 kg) Denver-cut lamb spareribs
(cut from the breast)
For the Spice Mixture
⅓ cup (25 g) coriander seeds
⅓ cup (37 g) fennel seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 clove
Heaping 1 tablespoon chile flakes
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 

Chermoula ingredients

2 bunches cilantro, roughly chopped
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons chardonnay vinegar
A handful of mint leaves, torn, for garnish 

Directions

1. Brine the ribs: Pour the hot water into a container large enough to hold the lamb ribs and add the kosher and pink salts, stirring to dissolve them. Let cool, then add the ribs, cover, and refrigerate overnight, ideally for 15 to 17 hours.

2. The next day, make the spice mixture: Coarsely grind each spice separately using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. (This takes a little extra time, but grinding them together makes for an uneven, too-fine mixture.)

3. Take the ribs out of the brine, pat dry, and arrange them on a baking sheet so the inner side is facing up. Press on a light layer of the spice mixture. Flip them and press and pat the rest of the spice mixture onto the top of the ribs-you really want to get a good crust on there, so much that you can't really see the meat anymore. Return the ribs to the refrigerator for 12 more hours so the meat has time to take on the flavor of the spice mixture.

4. When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and pour ½ cup (about 120 ml) water into the bottom of the baking sheet to keep the ribs from drying out. Place the ribs on the rack, then cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, crimping the edges to keep the steam from escaping. (You don't want too much contact between the ribs and the foil, but a little is okay.) Slide the ribs into the oven.

5. Check the ribs after 2½ hours: When they are ready, the bones at the ends of the slabs will be a little wiggly, so that you could pull them out easily. If you need to, give them another 15 minutes or so. Remove the pan from the oven, being careful that the water doesn't spill. Uncover the ribs-be careful of the hot escaping steam-and let them cool, then cut between the bones into 2-rib sections. (The ribs can sit in the refrigerator overnight, if you like. In fact, this will make them easier to cut.)r. 

6. When you're ready to serve, arrange the ribs on a baking sheet, meat side up; bring to room temperature if you've refrigerated them. Preheat the broiler.

7. Make the chermoula: Put the cilantro in a large mortar, add a pinch of salt, and pound lightly with the pestle. Mix in the sherry vinegar, fish sauce, and olive oil.

8. Mix together the honey and chardonnay vinegar, then brush or spoon about half the mixture over the ribs and place under the broiler for 3 minutes. Lacquer on the remaining honey mixture, then place the ribs back under the broiler for another 3 minutes or so. You're just looking to add some toasty color and heat the ribs fully; you don't want to cook the meat any further. And yet, you may need to give them a bit more time.

9. To serve, place a spoonful of chermoula on each plate, top with mint leaves, then set as many ribs as you like on top.

Scallops with peas, lardo, and collard greens

Ingredients

6 large scallops (see Note), patted dry
Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup (about 100 g) cubed (¼-inch) lardo
 2 tablespoons lard
1 cup shelled fresh peas (see Note)
3 collard leaves, torn into roughly 2 by 3-inch pieces
½ lemon 

Directions

1. Practical Notes: We use U-10 scallops here; the size designation means there are only 10 of these large scallops per pound. Just grab the biggest ones you can find. Get the freshest and most tender peas possible.

2. Heat a large carbon-steel or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Salt both sides of the scallops, then place them in the dry pan, pressing down on them with a spatula so they develop a good crust. Cook for 2 minutes, or until browned on the first side, then add a thin spill of olive oil, carefully flip the scallops, and cook for 20 to 30 seconds on the other side; the scallops should be just barely cooked through. Transfer to a plate.

3. Warm the lardo and lard (one is cured, the other is not) in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for about 30 seconds, until the lardo begins to turn translucent and the edges soften. Add the peas and a splash of water to help them cook and cook just until the peas are bright green, about 2 minutes. Add the collard leaves and cook until they wilt, then season with a pinch of salt and remove from the heat.

4. Remove the collard leaves from the peas and place a spoonful of the peas and lardo on each of four plates. Top with the scallops, season with a squeeze of lemon juice, then top with the collards and serve.

Steak with brussels sprouts and taleggio 

Ingredients

2 pounds (900 g) hanger steak, tough sinew removed, cut into 4 portions
(ask your butcher to do this)
Kosher salt
¼ cup (60 ml) fish sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced rosemary
About 20 Brussels sprouts
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup (180 ml) Taleggio Sauce (page 37)
About 1½ tablespoons Marjoram-Anchovy Salsa Verde (page 42)
Coarse grinds of black pepper 

Directions

1. Let your steak come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Coat all the pieces of steak with a generous layer of salt on all sides, really patting it into the flesh. Let sit for another 30 minutes. It may look as if it's beginning to dry out, and that's a good thing; it means you'll get a better sear.

2. Meanwhile, mix together the fish sauce, garlic, and rosemary in a small bowl. Trim the bottoms of the Brussels sprouts. Steam them until they are bright green and retain just a bit of crunch, 10 to 12 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool a bit, then quarter if large and toss them in a bowl with ½ teaspoon salt and the lemon zest. Set aside. 

3. When you're ready to cook the steak, heat a large carbon-steel or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.

4. Add the olive oil to the pan, then add the steaks, gently pressing them down to get even contact and a good sear, and let cook for 2 minutes. (You'll have to do this in two batches if your pan isn't big enough; or use two pans.) Lacquer each piece with two or three brushes of the fish sauce mixture, then flip. Cook on the second side for 2 minutes, then lacquer with more fish sauce and flip again. After a minute, lacquer with more fish sauce and flip. Cook for another minute, brush again, and flip. If you have an instant-read thermometer, use it to test your steaks' internal temperature; it should be about 125°F (52°C). If you don't have a thermometer, a cake tester inserted into the interior of the steak for 10 seconds should come out warm. When the steaks are done, let them rest for 5 minutes, ideally propped up on something-like chopsticks laid over a plate-to keep the bottoms from steaming. Set the pan aside.

5. While the steaks rest, gently warm the Taleggio sauce. Just before serving, heat the same skillet over medium heat and lightly sear your steaks again to warm them up, about 30 seconds on each side. Remove from the pan and slice each steak horizontally.

Taleggio sauce ingredients

8 ounces (about 225 g) Taleggio, cold
½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream,
plus more if needed
Kosher salt 

Directions

1. Remove the rind from the Taleggio. Cut the cheese into ½-inch cubes and place them in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to simmer, then pour it over the cheese and immediately cover the bowl with plastic wrap. As you need a good seal to trap the heat so the cheese melts, it's actually best to wrap the plastic around the bowl a few times. Let stand for 20 minutes.

2. Remove the plastic wrap and, using an immersion blender, blend the cheese and cream until smooth. Taste and add salt. If the sauce seems too thick, add an additional tablespoon or so of hot cream. You want it to be loose enough that you can spread it onto a plate without it clumping.

3. You can make this a few days ahead of time and refrigerate it. To reheat it, bring to room temperature first, then place the container in a bowl of hot tap water and stir occasionally until the sauce warms and softens; a bain-marie would be the best way of doing this. You may need to add more hot cream.

Asparagus with "béarnaise" and wild salmon bottarga

Ingredients

20 medium-slim asparagus stalks
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 generous tablespoons béarnaise (recipe follows)
About 1 ounce (30 g) wild salmon or any other type of bottarga or mojama for grating

Directions

1.Preheat the broiler. Prep the asparagus by snapping off the woody ends and trimming off their tips-save the tips for a salad or sautéing. Rinse the stalks to wash off any grit, then halve them lengthwise, if large, and cut into 2-inch lengths. 

2. Put the asparagus on a baking sheet and toss with a pinch of salt, and then with a few drops of water and the olive oil. Broil for 2 minutes, or until the asparagus has a bit of color and is beginning to get tender but is not soft all the way through.

3. Put a ring mold on a plate and spread half the béarnaise evenly in it, then scatter and layer half the asparagus over it. Using a regular Microplane, shave an even layer of bottarga or mojama over the asparagus-you want enough that you can taste it but not so much that you can't see the asparagus. Lift off the ring mold and repeat on a second plate with the remaining ingredients. Serve.

Béarnaise ingredients

½ medium shallot, minced
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
½ cup (120 ml) dry vermouth
½ cup (120 ml) white wine
2 large egg yolks
½ pound (2 sticks; 225 g) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
¼ teaspoon chardonnay vinegar 

Directions

1.Combine the shallot and olive oil in a small saucepan, add a pinch of salt, and sweat the shallot over medium-low heat until soft but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add the vermouth and wine, increase the heat to medium, and simmer until you have ¼ cup (60 ml) of liquid, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer set over a liquid measuring cup and discard the shallot.

2. Put the egg yolks in a plastic quart container or other tall, narrow vessel and blend with an immersion blender. With the blender running, slowly stream in the melted butter a few tablespoons at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition before adding the next, until the mixture is completely emulsified. Stream in the reduced wine mixture, blending until fully incorporated. Add the vinegar and a pinch of salt, or to taste; you want the béarnaise to be bright, with the vinegar providing a nice balance against the fat.

3. Use as soon as possible, since it can't be reheated; if necessary, keep warm in a bain-marie.