FIRE IS FAST. It’s fickle. It’s unpredictable. For chef Eric Anderson, that makes fire endlessly fascinating. “Cooking with fire challenges chefs in ways that regular ovens don’t,” he says. “The attention it requires brings cooking to a different level.” 

Anderson grew enamored with manipulating flame at Palace Kitchen, where he cooked for nearly five years. When he conceived his Sunset Hill restaurant, Samara, which he opened in January 2019, he made the kitchen totally reliant on wood fire. (The only electric oven is in the basement, where pastry chef Andrew Meltzer crafts glorious breads and pastries.) 

Samara’s kitchen is one with the dining room. The entire restaurant is compact enough that every table has a view of the multitiered grill and hearth oven. They form a brick-walled backdrop to the broad soapstone counter where Anderson and his team prep and plate. Prepandemic, diners could sit across the counter and watch. Now they can once again. This month, Samara introduced a chef’s counter tasting menu comprising 11 to 15 dishes, from canapés to cheese and chocolate. For now, it’s available only on Thursdays, so reservations are a must for the two seatings. The $150 per person prix fixe includes tax and gratuity but not beverages. 

Blazing logs and burning embers aren’t the only things that transform Samara’s hyper-seasonal ingredients, each chosen with sustainability in mind. To counter the smoke, sizzle and char, Anderson employs an arsenal of fresh herbs, piquant spices, lush sauces and tangy cheeses, applying them with the same savvy restraint that French women use to accessorize.

At Samara right now, with springtime on the doorstep, they are pickling rhubarb to bejewel toasted buckwheat groats, dappling roasted sunchokes with a sunny lemon purée and gathering the most seasonal green herbs for salsa verde to cradle roasted carrots. You can try these recipes at home or, better yet, bask in the fire’s glow at Samara and watch an expert at work. 

Carrots, Watercress and Tarragon with Almond Salsa Verde  Roast the carrots on a sheet pan in your oven, or in a grill basket on an outdoor grill. Serves 4-6 

2 ounces fresh tarragon leaves  2 ounces fresh parsley leaves  2 ounces fresh chervil leaves  ¾ cup Marcona almonds, toasted  ½ cup capers, rinsed if using salt-cured  2 lemons, zested on microplane, juice reserved  1 clove garlic, sliced on microplane  ¼-½ teaspoon cayenne  ¼-½ teaspoon white pepper  Extra virgin olive oil  1½ pounds of carrots  Sea salt or kosher salt, to taste  4 ounces watercress  Almond slivers, as garnish 1. For the Almond Salsa Verde: Place herbs, ½ cup almonds, capers, lemon zest, garlic and 1¼ cup olive oil in a food processor, and pulse to a rough paste. Season with cayenne, white pepper and salt, to taste. (Makes about 3 cups. Keeps refrigerated for a week to 10 days.) 2. Preheat your oven or grill to 475-500° F. Scrub carrots and, if needed, cut into similar sizes. (If the carrots are very fat, cut into 1-to-2-inch lengths.) Put the carrots in a dry pan or basket (oil will burn over very high heat), and cook, keeping a close eye on them. Turn and adjust their positions so they brown deeply and evenly. Salt to taste halfway through to promote browning. Remove from heat when tender (test with a toothpick or skewer). Season with more salt, if needed, and allow to rest. 3. Mix a dressing of 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Dress the carrots while still warm. Dress the watercress separately. Place a large circle of salsa verde in the center of the plate, and arrange carrots on top. Scatter watercress around the carrots. Garnish with almonds. 

Toasted Buckwheat Groats with Fresh Sheep Cheese and Pickled Rhubarb  Buckwheat groats are the hulled seeds of the plant. This recipe calls for toasting the groats. At Samara, they malt the groats before toasting by alternately soaking and drying them to encourage sprouting. The malting step adds flavor but also a few days to the recipe.  Serves 3-4 

1 pound rhubarb, small diced 1½ cups white balsamic condiment (aka white Modena vinegar)  ¾ cup sugar  3 strips of orange peel, each about 2 inches in length  1 tablespoon coriander seed  1 tablespoon chili flakes  1 cup buckwheat groats  2 tablespoons olive oil  3 ounces fresh sheep’s milk cheese  6-8 cilantro leaves and stems  Kosher salt to taste 

1. Season the diced rhubarb well with salt, and place in a pickle jar or other heatproof container. In a small pan, combine the vinegar, 1 cup water, sugar, orange peel, coriander seed and chili flakes. Bring to a boil, and pour over the rhubarb. Allow to cool, then refrigerate. 2. Rinse and dry the buckwheat groats by toasting on a tray in a medium oven until fragrant and nutty. 3. Place groats in small, deep pot over medium heat with 2 cups of water, a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Simmer while casually stirring until the groats become a creamy porridge with a pleasantly toothsome texture, about 10 minutes. Salt to taste, and let them rest. 4. Place groats in shallow bowl, and dot with cheese and pickled rhubarb. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the pickle liquid and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over everything. Top with cilantro. Lemon Purée  At Samara, this sunny sauce brightens roasted sunchokes and grilled Washington albacore tuna. If using a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix, Anderson says, you’ll need at least 9 lemons, but it is much easier with 12. A less-powerful blender likely would produce a good result with less volume. The same method works with orange or grapefruit peels, too. (If using grapefruit, it’s especially important to remove all trace of bitter pith.)  Yield: about 1½ cups 

9-12 lemons  Salt  Sugar 

1. Using a “Y” peeler, remove just the yellow part of the lemon skin. Remove any remaining white pith from each piece with a sharp knife and a filleting motion. 2. Squeeze the peeled lemons, and reserve juice. 3. Place lemon skins in cold water with a pinch of salt and sugar, bring to a boil, then strain. Repeat three times. Boil a fourth time until the skins are very tender. This is crucial to a smooth sauce. Strain and reserve skins. 4. Place skins in a blender, adding just enough lemon juice to spin into thick purée. Add a small pinch of salt. The sauce will keep up to 2 weeks refrigerated.  — All recipes from chef Eric Anderson of Samara

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