This quick side dish is adapted from Damn Good Chinese Food. The quantities below make 2 servings and preparation is about 15 minutes. The original used “mushroom water” from soaking dried mushrooms. I have used mushroom powder from Trader Joe’s ½ tsp. mushroom powder ¼ cup Shoaxing wine (Chinese cooking wine) 1 Tbs. soy sauce Read More …
Flatbreads made from chickpea flour are popular in several countries in Europe and South America. I once bought a case of packets for the Genoese version, farinata. They are popular in Argentina and Uruguay as faina. In Provence, they are known as Socca. Carol asked me to make one of these flatbreads, and I looked Read More …
The Russian Tea Room is an iconic restaurant on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Carol and I have eaten there at least once during one of the times I was working in Manhattan in the 1970s and 1980s. It published a cookbook in 1981 and at some point in the early 1980s I copied Read More …
This Greek-style tomato sauce is spiced with cinnamon, bay leaf, and oregano, and is adapted from Zaytina by José André, and is used in many dishes at his restaurant. (I have used it in Mushroom Saganaki .) ¾ cup olive oil, divided ½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 cinnamon stick Read More …
The last dinner I prepared while visiting Nick’s family was a very traditional one of roast pork, smashed potatoes, gravy, and salad. I largely winged everything, but it was all turned out well, and was popular, even with the little girls, who can be picky eaters. The photo shows the 2 smashed potatoes left out Read More …
Pickled onions are often useful as a garnish. This version makes 2 cups and is adapted from 177MilkStreet.com 1 cup white vinegar 2 tsp. white sugar 2 tsp. kosher salt 2 medium red onions, halved and thinly sliced 1 jalapeno chili, stemmed, halved and seeded In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, sugar, and Read More …
I recently saw an article on “Cowboy Candy”, which referred to sweet pickled jalapenos. That inspired me to make a batch of pickled jalapenos follow the recipe for Bread and Butter Pickles . They turned out well. 1 lb. jalapenos, cut into ¼ inch slices 2 Tbs. salt ½ cup sugar ½ cup white vinegar Read More …
When I was a child, my mother had a large vegetable garden, and we grew and ate some vegetables that I was not fond of, such as beets and the tops (or greens) of the beets. Carol recently made a vegetable dish for herself and had leftover about a pound of greens from the beets. Read More …
This easy and tasty way to cook Asian greens is adapted from Hsiao-Ching Chou’s book Chinese Soul Food. The key thing is to get the pan really hot so that the greens get a bit of char on them. 12 oz. bok choy, baby bok choi, etc., cut into small pieces 1 Tbs. vegetable oil Read More …
Ezme is a spicy tomato-based Turkish chopped salad or meze. This version was based on a YouTube channel “Meliz Cooks” which is run by a British woman of Turkish-Cypriot descent. In Richmond, the specialty ingredients are generally available at New Grand Mart. (I bought the Aleppo pepper from Amazon.) 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained Read More …