Lettuce, peas, leeks, garlic, tarragon, butter and cream make a fresh soup that can be served warm or cold, and tastes like spring. Recipe below.
SOUP OR SALAD? IT’S A QUESTION most of us have answered countless times in restaurants. This soup, made with six cups of chopped lettuce, lets you answer “both.” Next question: who would make lettuce a main ingredient in a soup? French cooks, of course. And it is brilliant. Continue reading “Two courses in one: Delicate Pea and Lettuce Soup”
Chicken thighs, black beans, rice, tomatoes with green chilies, and cilantro make a hearty, slightly spicy dish that’s even better the second day. Recipe below.
WE’RE ALL LOOKING FOR EXTRA LITTLE BITS OF COMFORT these days and taking them wherever we find them. Not big or extravagant things—more often than not, just things that feel comfortably normal. This week, we talk about a few comforts we’re finding, including in the kitchen. Continue reading “Simple comforts and everyday cooking: Chicken with Black Beans and Rice”
From soup to roast, stew, crêpes and more, we explore classic French cooking and regional favorites.
THE NUMBER OF FRENCH-INSPIRED RECIPES I’ve shared here impresses (surprises? frightens?) even me. And they are all of a particular sort—not the haute cuisine of gourmet restaurants and luxury hotels, but the everyday dishes cooked at home that illustrate, for me, the French understanding—and love—of food. Simply cooked, usually with a handful of perfectly chosen ingredients perfectly prepared. Here are some of my favorites. Continue reading “10 French and French-inspired recipes from an unrepentant Francophile”
Five basic ingredients—soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns—turn Asian eggplants into a tangy, vegan Philippine adobo dish. Recipe below.
WE LOVE EGGPLANT. We also understand that some people don’t. There’s that slightly bitter taste that just puts them off. That’s one reason we really love Asian varieties of eggplant—they’re slightly sweet, without any bitterness. Of course another big reason we love Asian eggplants is that we most often encounter them on menus in Chinese restaurants—seek them out, in fact. Recently, a Filipino eggplant dish, Eggplant Adobo, caught our eye. Having just made Chicken Adobo, the unofficial national dish of the Philippines, we were intrigued, to say the least. Continue reading “Don’t like eggplant? Love it? Eggplant Adobo is for you”
FAMILY RECIPES GET SHARED IN MANY WAYS. Boxes of index cards, well worn and food-stained. Favorite cookbooks passed on with page corners turned down. And, for our daughter Laurel, this blog. Continue reading “Five favorite Blue Kitchen recipes, as selected by our Milwaukee daughter”
This simple vegetarian dish made with scallions, oil, two soy sauces, sugar and noodles is pure comfort food in Shanghai homes. Recipe below.
CHINESE FOOD IS ALWAYS SURPRISING US, always teaching us something new. There are so many regional cuisines, so many cooking techniques, so many secrets. Recently, ordering takeout from a new-to-us restaurant featuring Shanghai dishes, we came across scallion oil noodles— cōng yóu bàn miàn. Continue reading “Humble comfort from the city on the sea: Shanghai Scallion Oil Noodles”
The Instant Pot makes this weekend indulgence weeknight quickish; a secret Asian ingredient makes it irresistibly savory. Recipe below.
WE’LL START WITH THE DOWNSIZING. When you’re trying to eat less red meat, pot roast can be a challenge. First, it is one of the most delicious forms of red meat there is, meaty, robust, fatty—and yes, a little chewy. Second, most chuck roasts weigh in at three to four pounds or more, not exactly a dainty cut. Continue reading “Speeding up, umami-ing up and downsizing a meaty favorite: Instant Pot Pot Roast”
The showstopping flavor of this popular Spanish tapas belies how easy it is to make. Recipe below.
WE OFTEN TALK ABOUT WHAT INSPIRES OUR COOKING. This dish began its circuitous route to our table with flamenco. Like pretty much everyone, we are seeking out performances online—music, dance, stand-up, anything—as live, in-person shows are still not happening. Most recently, we happened on flamenco performed in a narrow Spanish bar in Sevilla, Spain—and in the bar’s tiny kitchen and in the plaza in front of the bar. Continue reading “Shrimp, lots of garlic and a little heat: Gambas al Ajillo”
NO RECIPE THIS WEEK, JUST SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT. We crossed a state line last weekend. We went to a library. And a store. These are things we hadn’t done in more than a year. It felt good. And strange. Continue reading “Small steps into the new normal”
Egg yolks, lemon juice and broth form the silky, bright avgolemono sauce that beautifully elevates chicken rice soup. Recipe below.
WHEN YOU’RE LOOKING FOR BASIC COMFORT FOOD, chicken and rice soup is right there. Soothing and filling and easy enough to make. In Greek kitchens, they take that simple idea, layer on a silky brightness and call it avgolemono. Continue reading “Greek comfort, weeknight quick: Lemony, luscious Avgolemono Soup”