This side dish accompanied Chinese Braised Beefin the photograph. The mushrooms were a good addition since they really soaked up the sauce. This is an adaptation from Cook’s Illustrated’s “All-Time Best Chinese Recipes”. Sauce 2 Tbs. water 1 Tbs. soy sauce 1 Tbs. dry sherry 2 tsp. brown sugar 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger 1 Read More …
This Central European classic was an accompaniment to a pork roast, the comfort food of Carol’s childhood. It was easy and very good. Note that this was started the day before, rested overnight in the refrigerator to meld the flavors, and then reheated the second day. This version is adapted from a favorite cookbook, The Read More …
This condiment from the Israeli cookbook Sababa is essentially a quick way of making preserved lemons. I just used it in another recipe from Sababa, Lemony Tuna Pasta. 1 lb. lemons (3 large or 4 medium), washed 3 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced 1 small jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced 3 Tbs. kosher salt Read More …
This tasty and easy salad is adapted from Nancie McDermott’s book Quick & Easy Thai. Like many Asian salads, there is no oil in the dish, so this is quite low calorie. I made it with chopped peanuts (vs. dried shrimp) so that I did not have to go to a specialty grocery for any Read More …
In recent years, I have gotten lazy (or have not planned ahead) and have generally microwaved my “baked” potato. It was ready in 7 minutes, vs. the 1 hour+ that it takes for the oven, and that seemed like a good deal. I recently read an article in www.thekitchn.com extolling the virtues of actually baking Read More …
Gazpacho, a chilled liquid salad, is a Spanish classic for high summer when tomatoes are at their best. This straight-forward version is adapted from one of my oldest and most well-worn cookbooks, The Time-Life International Cookbook. It will serve 6 to 8 and needs to be made a few hours before serving to meld and Read More …
I have made sauteed mushrooms a number of different ways. This simple version was quite a hit with the family at the beach last week. A double recipe quickly disappeared. 2 lbs. quartered mushrooms 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 onion chopped 1/4 cup olive oil 1 Tbs. brandy 1/4 cup chopped parsley 2-3 Tbs. fresh Read More …
A frequent problem in cooking is what to do with a partially consumed avocado. Cut avocados are quickly oxidized by contact with the air into an unappealing brown color. I recently saw an article suggesting storing cut avocados in water, and it does work. Because avocados are high in fat, they do not mix much Read More …
Successfully grilling potatoes is really about technique vs. recipe. Here is how I did this batch of grilled potatoes for two persons last night, following some ideas in realsimple.com. 12 small Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and cut in half 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 Tbs. olive oil ½ tsp. dried oregano Salt Bring the potatoes Read More …
The grilled peppers and onions are one of the best parts of fajitas, but they are a bit tricky to get just right. You want a nice (but not excessive) amount of char, and you also want everything to be cooked through and to be in suitable sized pieces. I have tried a number of Read More …