Mustard’s delicious disappearing act: Roast Chicken Breasts with Mustard and Sage

Chicken breasts are briefly marinated in olive oil, sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard and fresh sage, then roasted. The mustard quietly blends in, taking on a subtle role. Recipe below.

Mustard is pretty much our favorite condiment. At any given moment, we have five or six varieties in our fridge. We give each other mustards as stocking stuffers. We love its brash, tangy brightness when slathered on things and all the ways it can be transformed by various makers—a current favorite is Edmond Fallot’s Walnut Dijon Mustard. But a curious thing happens when you cook with mustard. It disappears. Continue reading “Mustard’s delicious disappearing act: Roast Chicken Breasts with Mustard and Sage” →

We’ve got the plates, just no recipe

This kind of sums up our lives right now. So no recipe. But we’ll be back with a fresh one next week. Please ignore all the crashing crockery sounds.

Trio of big flavors blends beautifully: Pork Chops with Basil and Garlic

A quick marinade of fresh basil, garlic and olive oil gives pan-grilled pork chops classic Italian flavor. Recipe below.

I like basil. Scratch that. I love it. Basil and rosemary are my two favorite fresh herbs. So when Marion recently announced that one of our basil plants was finally ready for harvesting, I was ready too. Continue reading “Trio of big flavors blends beautifully: Pork Chops with Basil and Garlic” →

Six recipes for a summer with a thousand Julys

We’re not cooking much this summer—well, not cooking much in the way of new shareable recipes. So I raided the archives to see what we’ve cooked in past Julys. Some good stuff, it turns out. Continue reading “Six recipes for a summer with a thousand Julys” →

Independence Day and food in the land of immigrants

We are a nation of immigrants. Appropriately enough, our eating on the 4th of July holiday weekend, a time that celebrates our nation’s birth, illustrates why this is a good thing. We started Friday night at Lao Beijing. Continue reading “Independence Day and food in the land of immigrants” →

A vegetarian-inspired Feta and Olive Salsa plays nicely with Pan-seared Pork Chops

Feta cheese, black olives, red onion, dill, and lemon juice and zest do their predictably wonderful thing when mixed together and heaped on pan-seared pork chops. Recipe below.

Leave it to me to appropriate a vegetarian dish for a meaty use. We were at a housewarming last weekend thrown by the adult daughter of a friend from our St. Louis days. She and her roommate have a lovely new Humboldt Park apartment, and it was filled with a lively crowd—including an impressive contingency of fairly newly minted babies. We seem to be going through a period right now where many of our friends, old and new, are young. Continue reading “A vegetarian-inspired Feta and Olive Salsa plays nicely with Pan-seared Pork Chops” →

Salsa cruda minus the pasta: Tuna Artichoke Potato Salad

Potatoes stand in for pasta as the only cooked ingredient in this dish, warming the Italian tuna, artichoke hearts, capers, red onion, lemon and parsley. Recipe below.

This was going to be a salsa cruda pasta, one I make several times every summer. A salsa cruda (uncooked sauce) is perfect for warm weather cooking, because all that gets cooked is the pasta. It warms the other ingredients, causing their fragrances and flavors to blossom. The other ingredients, in turn, cool the pasta a bit. Your meal is warm, but not hot—perfect for warm weather dining. And your kitchen doesn’t overheat either, since you’re only cooking the pasta. Continue reading “Salsa cruda minus the pasta: Tuna Artichoke Potato Salad” →

Variations on a delicious theme: Hoisin Chicken Thighs, grilled or roasted

Hoisin sauce brings a barbecue sauce-like flavor to this chicken dish equally at home on the grill or in the oven. Ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce and rice vinegar add their own flavor notes.

The kitchen in our new old house is still very much a work in progress. As is the rest of the house. But we entertained our first non-family member on Memorial Day. It being the traditional kickoff weekend for grilling, we had bought a new charcoal grill the previous weekend. What we didn’t do in the ensuing week was assemble it. So instead of a cookout, we had a cook-in. And the in-progress kitchen performed beautifully. Continue reading “Variations on a delicious theme: Hoisin Chicken Thighs, grilled or roasted” →

Eat your (garden) enemy: Dandelion Greens, Prosciutto and Chicken Pasta

Dandelion greens add a pleasant bitter bite—and loads of nutrients—to this weeknight-quick pasta. Recipe below.

Last week, we cooked with ramps acquired at a supermarket, of all places. That same trip yielded fresh dandelion greens. While long a staple of farmers markets and farm-to-table restaurant menus, their recentish appearance in mainstream grocery store produce departments surprises me a little. It also impresses me. Supermarkets are increasingly getting the way we eat—or at least aspire to. Continue reading “Eat your (garden) enemy: Dandelion Greens, Prosciutto and Chicken Pasta” →

A wild onion, in season right now: Linguine with Ramps and Shrimp

Garlicky, oniony ramps—”wild leeks”—star in this simple, seasonal pasta dish. Recipe below.

Farmers markets seem to be leaking into supermarkets. Or at least influencing the better ones. There is more emphasis on seasonal and locally grown in the produce section—like at farmers markets. The most recent example for us was this past weekend at our neighborhood Mariano’s. They had ramps. Hyper-seasonal, local, often foraged ramps. Continue reading “A wild onion, in season right now: Linguine with Ramps and Shrimp” →