Coq au Riesling: an Alsatian take on the French classic, coq au vin

Coq au Riesling combines chicken, lardons, shallots, mushrooms and dry Riesling wine in a distinctly regional French dish that’s even better the next day.

COQ AU VIN IS A TRUE FRENCH CLASSIC, chicken braised with wine, lardons, mushrooms, onions (or shallots) and garlic. And the wine is almost always red—usually Burgundy. So when we came across Coq au Riesling, a regional version made in Alsace and usually made with a white wine, most often Riesling, we were ready to try it. Continue reading “Coq au Riesling: an Alsatian take on the French classic, coq au vin” →

Simple and simply comforting Apricot Balsamic Pork Chops

Apricot jam, balsamic vinegar, garlic and thyme flavor these delicious weeknight-quick pork chops.

I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT THE EARLY DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC, maybe because we both just got our latest COVID-19 vaccine. We are always grateful when we do, remembering back to the beginnings of the outbreak—pre-vaccines, pre everything—when we wore homemade masks, washed our hands constantly and basically hunkered down. Most of us cooked a lot then too, afraid to go into restaurants, or anywhere really. Looking through our archives, we came across this comforting recipe from that time when comfort was so needed, Apricot Balsamic Pork Chops. Continue reading “Simple and simply comforting Apricot Balsamic Pork Chops” →

Serious gingerbread, with an easy chocolate upgrade

MARION’S GINGERBREAD IS AN ABSOLUTE GO-TO DESSERT for our family. With dark molasses, black pepper and Chinese five-spice powder, it is a big-flavored gingerbread with plenty of spicy bite. So imagine our delight when she recently devised a simple, delicious upgrade: chocolate. Continue reading “Serious gingerbread, with an easy chocolate upgrade” →

Filipino comfort food for breakfast: Lugaw

Lugaw is a savory rice porridge, flavored with ginger and chicken, and served as breakfast in the Philippines. Recipe below.

WE FIRST TASTED THIS CREAMY, COMFORTING RICE PORRIDGE at Uncle Mike’s Place, a diner in Chicago known for its “Famous Filipino Breakfast.” Before you even order from the menu, welcoming bowls of lugaw (LOO-gaw) are placed in front of each guest. At its heart, it is creamy, savory and gingery, rice slowly cooked in broth until it becomes thick and rich, with bites of tender chicken. It’s topped with garlic chips, scallions and a half slice of lemon. No big flavors jumping out at you, just subtle, soothing deliciousness. Continue reading “Filipino comfort food for breakfast: Lugaw” →

Kimchi Carbonara Linguine

Pasta carbonara, a bacon-rich Italian favorite, gets a cross-cultural makeover with kimchi, Korea’s national dish.

Linguine Kimchi Carbonara — Kimchi Carbonara Linguine

WE RECENTLY CAME ACROSS A RECIPE for a kimchi carbonara. It sounded like a terrific mashup of one of our favorite Italian dishes and the delicious tangy funk of kimchi, the Korean national dish made with vegetables—often Napa cabbage—fermented for months with various spices. Looking for other recipes for variations to riff on, we came across our own recipe. Continue reading “Kimchi Carbonara Linguine” →

French-inspired Chicken and Wine

CHICKEN AND WINE IS THE FIRST THING I COOKED FOR MARION. I cooked it on our second date. She had cooked dinner for me on our first date. I’ve read somewhere that cooking for a date is a big deal step that should be saved until you’ve been dating a while, and it’s really easy to scare someone off. I guess Marion and I aren’t that easily spooked. Continue reading “French-inspired Chicken and Wine” →

Spicy Chicken Salad with Giardiniera

Hot giardiniera gives this summery Spicy Chicken Salad a little heat and big flavor. It’s great on sandwiches or on its own.

Spicy Chicken Salad with Hot Giardiniera

WHEN SUMMER TURNS UP THE HEAT, most of us try to turn down the time we spend cooking in a hot kitchen. With store bought rotisserie chicken and a handful of other store bought ingredients, you can make Spicy Chicken Salad with Giardiniera without turning on the stove. And like summer, it packs a little heat, but in a delicious way. Continue reading “Spicy Chicken Salad with Giardiniera” →

Sweet, spicy summer treat: Peach Habanero Tarragon Butter

LOOKING FOR WAYS TO MAKE THE MOST OF BOUNTIFUL SUMMER PEACHES? Peach Habanero Tarragon Butter is a sweet, spicy treat, perfect for spreading on toasts with goat cheese, as shown above, livening up a peanut butter sandwich, spooning onto ice cream, stirring into yogurt and more. Continue reading “Sweet, spicy summer treat: Peach Habanero Tarragon Butter” →

Simple Japanese finger food: Blistered Shishito Peppers

FOUR-INGREDIENT BLISTERED SHISHITO PEPPERS, simply fried (or grilled), are popular appetizers in Japanese izakaya, casual after-work bars that also feature small plates menus. The slender, pleated green peppers have a delicate peppery flavor. Mostly mild, one in ten randomly packs a tiny bit of heat. Continue reading “Simple Japanese finger food: Blistered Shishito Peppers” →

Sweet summer fruits, deliciously, safely cooked

Six delicious baked fruit desserts to keep us happy and safe from cyclospora.

DELICIOUS SUMMER FRUIT IS IN FULL SWING RIGHT NOW. Unfortunately, so is a health alert advising us to cook our fruit as a safety precaution. Cyclospora, the dastardly parasite wreaking digestive havoc across the country, is most effectively killed by cooking fruits and veggies to 158ºF. Well, these desserts bake at 350ºF or higher for long enough to hit that internal temp. Done. Continue reading “Sweet summer fruits, deliciously, safely cooked” →