5 Effortlessly Delicious Recipes for Mother’s Day

Name: Vermicular
Price range: $$$

What better way to show your appreciation than by preparing a delicious home-cooked meal for your mom? To make this Mother's Day truly memorable, we've compiled a collection of five main dishes that are not only easy to prepare but also guaranteed to impress your mom and the entire family. Whether you decide to go with a comforting dish like Provençal-Style Braised Pork or opt for something light and flavorful such as Eggplant Involtini, any of these five recipes will be a sure hit.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Indulge in a classic Italian dish with a simple yet silky-rich sauce made with egg and freshly grated Parmesan cheese, all tangled in thin spaghetti. Perfect this light and flavorful meal for a Mother’s Day lunch or dinner.

Tailored for: Vermicular Frying Pan 24cm Deep / 26cm or Oven-Safe Skillet 24cm Deep / 26cm

INGREDIENTS | Serves 2

Pasta
6 oz (160 g) spaghettini or thin spaghetti pasta
2 qt water
1 tablespoon (20 g) kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 oz (80 g) bacon, cut into ½” pieces
1 clove garlic, minced

Egg Mixture
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
¼ cup (20 g) freshly grated parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine ingredients for Egg Mixture and mix well. Set aside.
Boil water in a large pot and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Cook pasta for 1 minute less than the suggested cooking time. Reserve ½ cup (100 ml) of pasta water.
Add olive oil and bacon in the pan. Turn on low heat and cook for about 3 minutes. Once bacon starts to release fat, add in garlic and cook for another minute.
Once fragrant, add pasta water from Step 2 to the pan. Turn up to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Once pasta is finished cooking, drain with a colander and add into the pan. Cook over medium heat and reduce for about 1 minute leaving some liquid in the pan. Remove pan from heat.
Transfer pasta to the bowl from Step 1 and quickly stir to coat Egg Mixture on the pasta. Once the sauce thickens, transfer to a plate. Sprinkle pepper and parmesan cheese on top and serve.

N O T E
Using slab bacon is recommended to enhance texture and flavors. Place ingredients in the pan before preheating. Slowing the heating process builds deeper flavors.

Sea Bass and Eggplant Poêlé

This one pan dish not only boasts a mouthwatering sauce made with olives and panko breadcrumb, but also features perfectly crispy fish skin that can be achieved every time with the Vermicular pan. The harmonious blend of flavors and textures will leave your mom craving for more on Mother’s Day.

Tailored for: Vermicular Frying Pan 28cm or Oven-Safe Skillet 28cm

INGREDIENTS | Serves 4

1 ⅓ lb sea bass fillets (or other white fish), skin-on, cut into 4 fillets
1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
2 small Japanese eggplants, stemmed, halved lengthwise
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 clove garlic, minced
12 green olives, pitted, sliced
2 anchovy fillets, minced
2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
Fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

Lemon juice, optional
Extra-virgin olive oil, optional

DIRECTIONS

Season fillets with salt and let rest for 15 minutes. Remove excess moisture with paper towels. Cut a crosshatch pattern on the eggplants. Add 1 quart of water and 2 teaspoons of salt into a large bowl and soak the eggplants for about 15–20 minutes. Drain water and pat eggplants dry.
Preheat the pan over medium-high heat for about 90 seconds. Add in 2 tablespoons of oil and swirl to coat evenly. Allow smoke to rise from the entire surface of the pan, then turn off heat. Once smoke clears, add eggplants, cut-side down, and sear over low heat for about 3–5 minutes until lightly browned. Flip and sear the other side for another 3–5 minutes. Once softened, transfer to a plate.
In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Allow smoke to rise from the entire surface of the pan, then turn off the heat. Once smoke clears, add fillets, skin-side down, and sear over low heat for about 5 minutes. Once about 70% cooked, flip fillets, turn off heat, and let cook in residual heat for about 1 minute. Transfer the fillets, skin-side up, on top of the plated eggplants.
In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil and garlic. Sauté over low heat until fragrant, then add olives, anchovies, panko breadcrumbs, and parsley. Stir to combine, then turn off the heat.
Add the olive mixture on top of the fillets and serve with a drizzle of lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil.

N O T E
Soaking eggplants in saltwater keeps the eggplants from absorbing excess oil while cooking.
Adjust cooking time depending on the thickness of the fillets.
In case fish skin sticks to the pan, let the fillets cook further until the skin peels off cleanly without force.
Pat dry fillets as thoroughly as possible to get a nice crisp skin.

Steam-Roasted Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Juicy and tender chicken is cooked to perfection with the unique steam-roasting capabilities of the Musui–Kamado. Complete the dish with a creamy mushroom sauce made in the same pot, capturing the rich umami flavors of the steam-roasted chicken.

Tailored for: Musui–Kamado or Oven Pot

INGREDIENTS | Serves 4

2–3 chicken thighs, boneless
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

3 ½ oz (100 g) mushrooms, sliced
¼ medium onion, finely chopped
¼ cup (60 ml) white wine
½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
1 tablespoon (15 g) unsalted butter

1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil

Garnish
1 tablespoon chopped parsley, optional

DIRECTIONS

Season chicken by rubbing salt and pepper on all sides.
Preheat the pot with [MED] heat. Once [GRILL OK] sign appears, spread olive oil evenly. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add chicken skin-side down and sear for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.
Flip chicken and steam-roast over [WARM 140°F] for 20 minutes, covered. Remove chicken from the pot and set it aside.
Add mushrooms and onions to the pot. Sauté over [MED] heat, stirring with a spatula for about 1–2 minutes. Add white wine and simmer until reduced in volume by half. Add heavy cream and simmer for about 1–2 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Turn off heat and quickly stir in butter. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cut chicken from Step 3, drizzle sauce from Step 4, and serve.

N O T E
Substituting chicken thighs with chicken breasts can yield equally juicy and delicious results.
¼ onion can be substituted with ½ shallot.

Eggplant Involtini

Tender eggplant rolls stuffed with ricotta cheese meet tangy tomato sauce to create the perfect harmony in this flavorful Italian vegetarian dish. Along with its aesthetically pleasing visual, relish the natural flavors of ingredients intensified by the Oven-Safe Skillet for a delightful Mother’s Day meal.

Tailored for: Oven-Safe Skillet 24cm Deep / 26cm

INGREDIENTS | Serves 2-3

2 Japanese eggplants, cut vertically into 8 thin slices
Kosher salt

Tomato Sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
½ large onion, finely chopped
⅔ 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
⅓ cup ricotta cheese
1 lemon, juiced
Zest from 1 lemon, grated
Fresh thyme, torn into small pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt

3½ tablespoons (50 ml) heavy cream
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Garnish
Parmesan cheese
Chopped Italian parsley

Equipment
Glass or Stainless Steel Lid

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the skillet over medium-high heat for about 90 seconds. Add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and swirl to coat evenly. Allow smoke to rise from the entire surface of the skillet, then turn off heat. When smoke clears, place 4 slices of eggplant in the skillet, sprinkle salt, and sear over low heat for about 1–2 minutes per side or until lightly browned. Set aside and repeat with the remaining 4 slices.
In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and garlic for Tomato Sauce and simmer over low heat. Once fragrant, add onion and salt. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once onion begins to brown, add diced tomatoes. Cover and simmer over very low heat for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Thoroughly mix the ingredients for Filling, and then divide it into eight equal portions. Roll each eggplant slice from Step 1 around the filling. Place rolled up eggplants seam-side down on top of tomato sauce. Pour heavy cream over eggplant rolls. Transfer the skillet to oven and bake in oven for about 20–30 minutes.
Once eggplants are browned, remove from oven and sprinkle parmesan cheese and parsley before serving.

Provençal-Style Braised Pork

Savor a heartwarming and comforting dish that features succulent pork shoulder, tender and full of flavor, along with flavor-packed vegetables. Make this recipe extra special by serving it with your mom’s favorite rice, pasta, or bread.

Tailored for: Musui–Kamado or Oven Pot

INGREDIENTS | Serves 4

1 ½ lb pork shoulder, cut into chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
All-purpose flour

3 oz pancetta, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced

4 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut in half
1 cluster shimeji mushrooms, stemmed and separated
1 onion, sliced into eight wedges
1 large tomato, diced into ½” pieces
1 eggplant, cut into ½” rounds
⅖ cup (3.5 oz) tomato puree
1 teaspoon kosher salt

12 black olives
2 tablespoon white wine
1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon olive oil

Garnish
Italian parsley, optional

DIRECTIONS

Season pork with salt and pepper. Lightly coat with flour.
Preheat the pot with [MED] heat. Once [GRILL OK] sign appears, spread olive oil evenly and sear pork for about 3–4 minutes until all sides are golden brown. Add pancetta and garlic. Sear for another minute.
Once garlic is fragrant, mix in shiitake, shimeji, onion, tomato, eggplant, tomato puree, and salt.
Add white wine, bay leaf, and olives and simmer over [LOW] heat for 60 minutes, covered. Sprinkle parsley and serve.

N O T E
Substituting pork with chicken can yield equally delicious results.
Optionally, add thyme, rosemary, or other herbs to your liking.

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5 Effortlessly Delicious Recipes for Mother’s Day