So Many Recipes, So Little Time
On a ground meat streak. That’s my cold weather comfort zone. Found this great one pan meatloaf variation in Classic Lebanese Cuisine cookbook by Chef Kamal Al-Faquih. Tweaked it a bit adding more vegetables and lemon juice for potatoes to keep their shape better. WHAT WENT IN— a few baking potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise…
These are probably my favorite mussels. The flavor are distinctly South East Asian — strong but balanced at the same time. And this one you are hearing it from the queen of electric immersion blender: mortar and pestle are better. I made this recipe many times using different equipment. Mortar and pestle make the world…
On Mondays, all our local fishmongers go fishing to The Fulton Fish Market and their stores are closed. Our village, on the other hand, has a rear yard garbage collection on Tuesdays. And there’s none more until the end of the week. Do you see my dilemma? Another reason to love H Mart. This is…
Malaysian Fried shrimp with Tamarind — Udang Goreng Asam from Fish and Shellfish of Williams Sonoma Savoring series. My first book from this set was a garage sale find at my girls’ nursery school. It took me years to discover the real value behind this and other books from the set — most of them…
Years ago, this Gin and Spice Flank Steak was my introduction to juniper berries. Until then, I had only seen them in Crimean juniper groves and had no idea they were edible. Only their scent amplified by hot and sunny air settled in my memory as a symbol of carefree summers. Learning about their culinary…
There was a comedy in Soviet times about a scientist who invented a Time Machine. An accidental glitch during a test landed Ivan the Terrible in 1970s Moscow and a bunch of Soviet Muscovites in the 1500s Kremlin. At the royal 16th century dinner reception to honor the Swedish ambassador, a chief clerk was explaining…
Ever since I first mixed chipotle chilies en adobo with crema, this has become one of my favorite summer grilled meals. Thinly sliced tomatillos in place of lettuce leaves provide a nice barrier for the bun so it doesn’t get mushy from the juices. Sweet grilled onions complement the tartness and crunch of this green…
There are recipes you look at and think — so what? Then you make them and there’s an A-ha! moment. What was the A-ha! here? Mint and garlic — lots of both — in a burger. They shined through and complemented lamb so fine. Plus, incredible avocado-yogurt mash — with mint. And garlic. It was…
Emperor’s Rice from Julia Child’s The New Way to Cook. This is when thirty years ago Julia was showing what to do with the leftover rice. Thirty years ago, I remember being excited about this recipe in the book because pictures and ingredients and not liking it when on the table. This is not a…
A week or so later, pulling up my chair to the coronation events with the Coronation Cauliflower from Yotam Ottlenghi’s Simple. According to the book, this dish pushed off the classic French chicken recipe that shines curry flavors. It was created at the Cordon Bleu culinary school in 1953 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II, and,…