So Many Recipes, So Little Time
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,…
Another day — another lasagna. Nothing special: good sausage, good cheese, home made marinara — that’s what it is. Another family favorite workhorse. This recipe is huge and good for large gatherings. It also stores well and, in our clan, its leftovers have never been frozen, beautifully survived transportation to college campuses, and never went…
Julia Child’s The New Way to Cook was my very first cookbook. Ever. Almost thirty years ago, Tom got it to mark our move from Manhattan to New Jersey and the start of our new life. The book started my cooking craze. Until then, I didn’t really know how to boil eggs or peel potatoes….
When someone compliments my cooking, the family’s joint response is — Enjoy, she’ll never make it again. Can you blame me? So many recipes, so little time. However, there are exceptions. Here’s one. Since in 2003 I got Tom Valenti’s book of One Pot Meals, this lasagna has been on our table at least once…
Kimchi Fried Rice from Dinner in One by Melissa Clark — tasty, quick, easy, perfect for leftovers, excellent refrigerator cleanup. Love the ending of the recipe that suggests topping the rice with eggs, scallion greens, more kimchi, more sesame oil, more fish sauce, more soy sauce. More, more, more!.. That’s how I like it —…
Dan Dan Mian is one of our family favorites. We tried many versions of this simple Sichuan pork-and-noodles staple and never had a bad one. This version from the Milk Street Magazine is attractive with its super streamlined process — dinner comes together within minutes it takes to boil pasta and calls for the ingredients…