Gambas al Ajillo: a showstopping Spanish shrimp tapas

Shrimp, garlic, red pepper flakes, paprika and lemon create a popular Spanish tapas dish.

WE ALL NEED CULINARY SECRET WEAPONS, dishes that taste amazing and are easy to make. Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp ajillo) is one of those secret weapon dishes, showstopping delicious and ridiculously simple to prepare. Cook some sliced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes (LOTS of both) in olive oil for a minute; add paprika, lemon juice, sherry and shrimp, and cook for another few minutes; top with parsley and done. Serve with crusty bread for soaking up the juices and you’ll have guests elbowing each other out of the way for the last bits. Continue reading “Gambas al Ajillo: a showstopping Spanish shrimp tapas” →

Ramen? No. Pho? Not that either—comforting, easy Asian Style Soup

Not really a ramen or pho hack, but a flavorful, satisfying, easy-to-make soup. Recipe below.

RECIPES ARE RIFE WITH HACKS AND CHEATS THESE DAYS, especially online and on social media. We recently succumbed to exploring “ramen cheats” because we love ramen. Was the soup we ended up making ramen? No. Was it a faux pho? Again, no. But what it was was a delicious, comforting, easy Asian Style Soup. Continue reading “Ramen? No. Pho? Not that either—comforting, easy Asian Style Soup” →

Tender, juicy, flavorful—Korean Style Pork Chops

A mix of marinade seasonings delivers big flavor and tender, juicy chops. Recipe below.

PORK CHOPS ARE GREAT AT ABSORBING FLAVORS, especially with a marinade. This recipe uses a mix of flavorings—fresh ginger, garlic, soy sauce, honey, gochujang (fermented red pepper paste), sesame oil and soy sauce—to create savory, slightly sweet, slightly spicy pork chops that are juicy and tender. Continue reading “Tender, juicy, flavorful—Korean Style Pork Chops” →

Small in size, big on taste—Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Modestly sized Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with a maple cinnamon cream cheese icing pack big flavor. Recipe below.

WHEN IT COMES TO BAKING, MY VERY FAVORITE BLOG IS SALLY’S BAKING, a great site for bakers at every skill level. Want to make mille-feuille, or baked Alaska, or a checkerboard cake? Sally’s got you. Want to make cornbread, or dinner rolls, or pizza dough? She’s got you. She’s also got you if you are completely inexperienced and baking-curious. She and her team explain everything with a friendly clarity and precision and her site, in operation since 2011, is chock full of excellent recipes. I never fail to learn a lot, and all her recipes taste just great. Case in point? These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. Continue reading “Small in size, big on taste—Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls” →

Braised Pork Stew with Leeks and Mushrooms

Stovetop-cooked Braised Pork Stew with Leeks and Mushrooms is simple, subtle and absolutely comforting. Recipe below.

BIG FLAVORS TEND TO DRIVE A LOT OF OUR COOKING. Sometimes a single big-flavored ingredient, sometimes several. Braised Pork Stew with Leeks and Mushrooms is the opposite—simple, subtle and absolutely comforting in a mild-mannered way. Continue reading “Braised Pork Stew with Leeks and Mushrooms” →

Creamy fried Swiss potatoes: Rösti Potatoes with Gruyere

Parboiling potatoes before grating and frying them makes Swiss rösti potatoes creamy inside and crispy outside. Recipe and variations below.

MY SISTER RECENTLY REMINDED ME OF A TRIP WE TOOK TO TORONTO back in the 90s, which included brunch at one of those restaurants that have a bunch of food stations scattered through a pleasant, bustling hall. Places like that seem to have become the province of hospital and museum cafeterias, but at the time it was a fairly new concept, and, man, I loved it. The place was charming and inviting, everything we had was enjoyable, and everyone was having a lovely time. And the dish my sister particularly remembers was their Rösti potatoes. Continue reading “Creamy fried Swiss potatoes: Rösti Potatoes with Gruyere” →

Roast Chicken Thighs with Fennel and Citrus

Fresh fennel, and lemon and orange slices roasted with chicken thighs deliver a lively, bright, savory meal. Recipe below.

WE COOK WITH FENNEL QUITE A BIT, judging from our archives. The licorice or anise flavor (some stores even call fennel bulbs anise) gets subtle as you cook it and adds a nice freshness to all kinds of dishes. In this simple chicken dish, citrus adds its own brightness, creating a lively, savory dish that belies how easy it is to make. Continue reading “Roast Chicken Thighs with Fennel and Citrus” →

Restaurant authentic, homemade Egg Drop Soup

SOMETIMES THE HUMBLEST RESTAURANT DISHES are what you really crave. Like egg drop soup. It is indeed a traditional Chinese soup, served across many regions with a number of variations. As Fred Walter says in FLAVORYCOOKING, “Egg drop soup has become an integral part of Chinese culture, symbolizing good fortune, prosperity, and unity.” Continue reading “Restaurant authentic, homemade Egg Drop Soup” →

Daube Provençal, a light but hearty beef stew from the South of France

WINTER IS BEING ESPECIALLY WINTRY RIGHT NOW, and that has us thinking of stews. One we like a lot comes from Provence, in the south of France. Daube Provençal. Unlike the other classic French beef stew of the Burgundy region, Boeuf Bourgignon, made with mushrooms, bacon, pearl onions, carrots and a big-bodied red wine, Daube Provençal is made with white wine, orange zest, cloves and olives, giving it a distinctively brighter flavor. And it’s often served over egg noodles. Continue reading “Daube Provençal, a light but hearty beef stew from the South of France” →

Carrot Cake with Dulce de Leche/Cream Cheese Frosting

This easy-to-make carrot cake is topped with equally easy-to-make dulce de leche/cream cheese frosting—and the results are so delicious. Recipe below.

I AM A CARROT CAKE LOVER, but my sole previous foray into baking one was, to be honest, a mess. I’m still not sure what I did wrong, probably every possible thing, and the whole fiasco put me off trying to bake carrot cake for quite a few years. Up until the other day when I stumbled on a recipe that nudged me into giving it another shot. Continue reading “Carrot Cake with Dulce de Leche/Cream Cheese Frosting” →