TL;DR: Every month, my Cookbook Club on Patreon gets three bonus, in-development recipes from my next cookbook. Club members test these dishes in their own home kitchens and share their feedback with one another and with me. This month’s Cookbook Club recipes are pretty special, as we’re opening the door for all Frienjis here on Patreon to get a taste of what this club is about. See the recipes below and follow along!

Have you ever wondered how chefs or experienced home cooks are able to pull together a delicious meal out of whatever they have on hand, or whatever looks good at the grocery store or farmer’s market that day? It’s because they don’t think in terms of specific recipes—they think in terms of structure: a framework of techniques and blueprints that can be adapted on the fly.

What you’re getting here isn’t just a set of recipes, but a way of thinking about recipes. The book I’m currently working on is designed to teach exactly that process, with the goal of freeing you from recipes and giving you the confidence to cook what you want, when you want, with what you already have.

As members of the Cookbook Club, you get multiple exclusive recipes and videos each month, along with the opportunity to directly shape the book itself by sharing your feedback, variations, and discussing the recipes in the community chat. Everyone who maintains an annual membership will have their name printed in the book.

Our hope is that we’ll even be able to work directly with some of you to develop your ideas into fully tested recipes that we can include in the final publication. (And yes, if we do publish your work, you’ll be fully credited and compensated.)

We’ll get to the recipes soon, but first, a little context.

When the pandemic hit and my restaurant Wursthall was forced to close for several months, we transformed the kitchen into a production facility, cooking and packing meal boxes for hospital workers, community centers, and first responders.

At the same time, many restaurants and food vendors suddenly found themselves with inventory they couldn’t use. We accepted donations from anyone who wanted to contribute, which meant that every single day felt like opening a mystery box. The challenge was to turn whatever showed up into balanced, nutritious, and satisfying meals.

How did we do it? By relying on a set of basic recipe blueprints that were simple, repeatable structures that streamlined the process and allowed any cook on the team to execute them efficiently and consistently.

That way of thinking didn’t start with the pandemic, and it didn’t end there either. Every cook—professional or home—is constantly dealing with unpredictability: missing ingredients, vegetables that need to be used up, or just the desire to eat something different.

By thinking of recipes as frameworks for making a meal, you can adapt to these situations, no matter what life (or your toddler) throws at you. Those situations stop becoming obstacles and start becoming opportunities.

Take, for instance, the updated Halal Cart Chicken and Rice recipe I shared last week. It’s one of my most popular recipes for a reason; it uses a single skillet, follows a streamlined process, and delivers a complete, balanced meal with a range of textures and big, satisfying flavors.

Today, I’m sharing three more recipes that use that exact same process but head in completely different directions. Once you’ve got that rhythm in your body, it becomes very easy to turn it into easy-to-execute meals.

At its core, the structure looks like this:

Marinate the chicken and give it a sear

Cook a grain or pulse in the fond to build flavor

Chop and reheat the meat with reserved marinade for extra juiciness

Add a fresh element and a simple, no-cook sauce

Once you internalize that structure, you can swap flavors, cuisines, and ingredients almost endlessly.

In the video above, I show how you can make version with the flavors of North Africa. We start by swapping out the oregano and lemon-based marinade for one flavored with harissa, a spicy North African spice paste. In lieu of rice cooked in the fond, we steam a batch of couscous flavored with raisins and almonds. The mayo-based white sauce becomes a garlicky yogurt sauce (not necessarily typical in North African cuisines, but it works nicely with this meal), while the iceberg and tomato salad gets swapped out for a Moroccan-style salad of cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes.

Below, you’ll find two more variations—one built around white beans and a bright, herb-packed salsa verde, and another based on my Peruvian-style roast chicken with green sauce.

Each recipe includes a link to a short survey. If you cook one (or more), I’d love for you to fill it out so we can see what’s working, what people are changing, and where inspiration is taking things.

For our current Cookbook Club members, it's been a joy cooking alongside you and seeing what you’ve been making the past six months. And to any new visitors to the club, I hope you enjoy this preview—and consider joining what is, without exaggeration, the greatest community of obsessive food nerds on the internet. It's a great place to be.

Recipe #1: Harissa Chicken with Couscous, Almonds, and Moroccan Salad

Every recipe I publish here is personally tested, tasted, and approved.

None of these changes alter the underlying technique. You’re still marinating, searing, cooking your secondary ingredient in the fond, and finishing the chicken with that second hit of marinade. But the end result tastes completely different—spicy, a little sweet, herbaceous, and full of contrasting textures from the raisins and almonds.

In the video I use Minna brand harissa, but any brand of harissa will work. Taste and adjust the amount you use according to your spice tolerance, as heat levels can vary quite a bit.

What I love about this recipe:

Harissa adds heat and depth without extra work

Couscous cooks in minutes and absorbs all that fond

Sweet raisins and crunchy almonds balance the spice

Same exact workflow as the original, just different flavors

Yield: 4 servingsActive Time: ~30 minutesTotal Time: ~45 minutes

Notes: Do not marinate the chicken much longer than 4 hours or it may start to dry out and get chalky. If you are in a rush, you can skip the extended rest and cook the chicken immediately after massaging with the marinade mixture in Step 1. Couscous cooks off heat—just pour in the liquid, cover, and let it sit. If you want to bulk it up, a can of chickpeas stirred into the couscous works nicely.

Feedback Form: Click here!

Ingredients

For the marinade:3 cloves garlic2–3 tablespoons (30–45 ml) lemon juice½ cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil⅓ to ½ cup (80–120 g) harissa paste1 teaspoon (3 g) ground cumin½ teaspoon (1.5 g) ground coriander1 ½ teaspoons (6 g) kosher saltPinch of MSG (optional)Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the chicken:2 pounds (900 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

For the couscous:1½ cups (250 g) Moroccan couscous1 ½ cups (360 ml) chicken stock½ cup (75 g) raisins½ cup (75 g) toasted almonds, chopped or slivered2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

For the yogurt sauce:1 cup (240 g) Greek yogurt2 cloves garlic, minced2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oilKosher salt, black pepper, MSG2 tablespoons (10 g) chopped parsley

For the salad:1 cucumber, diced2 tomatoes, diced½ small red onion, thinly sliced½ cup parsley leaves (15 g)Olive oil and lemon juiceKosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Marinate the chicken: Combine garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, harissa, cumin, coriander, salt, MSG, and pepper in a mortar and pestle or blender and pound or blend until emulsified. Taste—it should be quite salty. Place the chicken in a bowl and pour half the marinade over it, reserving the rest. Massage the marinade into the chicken so all surfaces are coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours (see note above).

Cook the chicken: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken in a single layer and cook without moving until browned, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until second side is browned, about 4–5 minutes longer. If the fond ever threatens to burn, reduce the heat. Transfer to a cutting board, leaving fat and fond behind.

Cook the couscous: Add chicken stock to the skillet and scrape up browned bits. Stir in raisins and bring to a simmer. Add couscous, stir once, cover, and turn off heat. Let sit 10 minutes. Season to taste and fluff with almonds and olive oil.

While the couscous cooks, make the sauce: Stir together yogurt sauce ingredients until smooth.

Chop and reheat the chicken: Chop chicken into bite-size pieces (about ½ inch / 1 cm). Return to skillet with reserved marinade and juices and cook, tossing, until coated and fully heated through, about 2–3 minutes.

Make the salad: Toss the salad with olive oil and lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

Serve: Spoon couscous onto a platter, top with chicken, and serve with salad and yogurt sauce.

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Recipe #2: Lemony Herb Chicken with Cannellini Beans, Arugula, and Salsa Verde

Every recipe I publish here is personally tested, tasted, and approved.

This version leans in a Mediterranean direction and swaps rice out entirely for canned beans. Instead of a grain absorbing the chicken drippings, you’ve got cannellini beans simmering in that fat and fond until they turn creamy and rich.

The marinade here is stripped down to basics—garlic, lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper—and then gets reused as a dressing for the arugula, tying the whole dish together. The salsa verde brings the punch: briny, herbal, sharp, and loaded with texture from capers, cornichons, and anchovies.

What I love about this recipe:

Beans soak up chicken fat and become incredibly rich

Salsa verde adds brightness, saltiness, and herbs

The marinade doubles as a vinaigrette

Yield: 4 servingsActive Time: ~30 minutesTotal Time: ~1 hour

Notes: Do not marinate the chicken much longer than 4 hours or it may start to dry out and get chalky. If you are in a rush, you can skip the extended rest and cook the chicken immediately after massaging with the marinade mixture in Step 1. If the beans start to dry out, add a splash of water or broth. They should be creamy, not soupy.

Feedback Form: Click here!

Ingredients

For the marinade:3 cloves garlic3 tablespoons (45 ml) lemon juice1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil1 ½ teaspoons (6 g) kosher saltPinch MSG (optional)Freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the chicken:2 pounds (900 g) chicken thighs1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

For the beans:2 cans (about 800 g total) cannellini beans, drained but not rinsed1 cup (240 ml) homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock, or water2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

For the salsa verde:2 tablespoons (20 g) capers, minced8 cornichons, minced2 cloves garlic, minced1 cup (30 g) parsley leaves, minced½ cup (15 g) mint leaves, minced6 anchovy fillets, minced1 small shallot (about 30 g), minced2 teaspoons (10 g) Dijon mustard2 tablespoons (30 ml) sherry vinegar1/4 cup (120 ml) olive oilSalt and pepper

For the salad:4 cups (120 g) arugulaReserved marinade

Method

Marinate the chicken: Combine garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, MSG, and pepper. Taste—it should be quite salty. Place the chicken in a bowl and pour half the marinade over it, reserving the rest. Massage the marinade into the chicken so all surfaces are coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours (see note above).

Cook the chicken: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken in a single layer and cook without moving until browned, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until second side is browned, about 4–5 minutes longer. If the fond ever threatens to burn, reduce the heat. Transfer to a cutting board, leaving fat and fond behind.

Cook the beans: Add beans, broth, and olive oil to the skillet and simmer, stirring and scraping up fond. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the beans are very tender and bound in a creamy sauce, about 15 minutes, topping up with additional stock or water if necessary.

Meanwhile, make the salsa verde: Combine capers, cornichons, garlic, parsley, mint, anchovies, shallot, mustard, and vinegar in a bowl. Whisk in olive oil. Season to taste.

Chop and reheat the chicken: Chop chicken into bite-size pieces (about ½ inch / 1 cm). Return to skillet with reserved marinade and cook until glossy and heated through, 2–3 minutes.

Prepare the salad: Toss arugula lightly with a small amount of reserved marinade.

Serve: Spoon beans onto a platter and top with chicken. Drizzle with salsa verde. Serve with the arugula salad and additional salsa verde on the side.

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Recipe #3: Peruvian-Style Chicken with Cilantro Rice, Cabbage, and Green Sauce

Every recipe I publish here is personally tested, tasted, and approved.

This one is built around another one of my most popular recipes, my Peruvian-style roast chicken with its cumin- and paprika-heavy marinade and that iconic green sauce. The structure is identical to the original halal cart version, but the flavor profile shifts completely.

The rice gets blended with cilantro before cooking so it comes out green and aromatic, especially after picking up all the chicken drippings in the pan. The cabbage adds crunch and acidity, and the green sauce—creamy, spicy, tangy—is the thing that ties it all together.

What I love about this recipe:

The spice marinade builds deep, savory flavor

Cilantro rice picks up all the chicken drippings

The green sauce is creamy, spicy, and addictive

Crunchy cabbage balances everything out

Yield: 4 servingsActive Time: ~35 minutesTotal Time: ~1 hour

Notes: Do not marinate the chicken much longer than 4 hours or it may start to dry out and get chalky. If you are in a rush, you can skip the extended rest and cook the chicken immediately after massaging with the marinade mixture in Step 1. Remove seeds from jalapeños for a milder sauce. The green sauce keeps well for a couple days in the fridge.

Feedback Form: Click here!

Ingredients

For the marinade:2 teaspoons (6 g) kosher saltPinch MSG (optional)2 tablespoons (18 g) ground cumin2 tablespoons (18 g) paprika1 teaspoon (3 g) black pepper3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon / 10 g)2 tablespoons (30 ml) white vinegar3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable oil

For the chicken:2 pounds (900 g) chicken thighs

For the rice:1 ½ cups (300 g) long-grain rice1 tablespoon (14 g) butter2 ½ cups (600 ml) chicken broth1 cup (30 g) cilantro leaves, finely choppedSalt to taste

For the green sauce:3 jalapeños (about 90 g), chopped (see note)1 tablespoon (15 ml) ají amarillo paste1 cup (30 g) cilantro leaves and fine stems2 cloves garlic½ cup (120 ml) mayonnaise¼ cup (60 ml) sour cream2 teaspoons (10 ml) lime juice1 teaspoon (5 ml) vinegar2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oilSalt and pepper

For serving:2 cups (150 g) shredded cabbageSalt and vinegar

Method

Marinate the chicken: Combine salt, cumin, paprika, pepper, garlic, vinegar, and oil. Place the chicken in a bowl and pour half the marinade over it, reserving the rest. Massage the marinade into the chicken so all surfaces are coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours (see note above).

Cook the chicken: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken in a single layer and cook without moving until browned, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until second side is browned, about 4–5 minutes longer. If the fond ever threatens to burn, reduce the heat. Transfer to a cutting board, leaving fat and fond behind.

Cook the rice: Add butter to the skillet and melt. Add rice and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan until the rice is coated, about 1 minute. Add broth, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and fold in minced cilantro while seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, and MSG.

Make the green sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in the bowl of a blender and blend until completely smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and MSG.

Chop and reheat the chicken: Chop chicken into bite-size pieces (about ½ inch / 1 cm). Return to skillet with reserved marinade and cook until coated and fully heated through, 2–3 minutes.

Prepare cabbage: Toss the cabbage with salt and a splash of vinegar.

Serve: Fluff rice onto a platter, and top with chicken. Serve with cabbage and green sauce.

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