Author: Terry B

Cullen Skink, a traditional Scottish smoked fish soup—creamy, buttery, hearty

Butter, whole milk, potatoes and leeks add richness and stewlike heartiness to this Scottish favorite. Recipe below.

Cullen Skink

SCOTLAND KNOWS ITS WAY AROUND COLD WEATHER, pretty much year ’round. I’ve written here about a wintry summer visit there years ago with my brother. So it’s easy to understand how the fishing village of Cullen, on Scotland’s windswept northeast coast, would create such a hearty, warming, almost stewlike soup. And how Cullen skink has become something of a national treasure. Continue reading “Cullen Skink, a traditional Scottish smoked fish soup—creamy, buttery, hearty” →

Jocón de Pollo: Guatemalan Chicken and Tomatillo Stew

A lively, comforting traditional Guatemalan stew with Mayan roots. Recipe below.

Jocón de Pollo

TIMING IS EVERYTHING. When Marion recently came across a mention of jocón, a Guatemalan chicken and tomatillo stew, the yo-yo that is winter weather this year had just taken another chilly dive. We were ready for something warm, stew-y and comforting. Something just like this. Continue reading “Jocón de Pollo: Guatemalan Chicken and Tomatillo Stew” →

An easy peasy spectacular side dish: Quick Charred Brussels Sprouts

These burned-looking Brussels sprouts are actually perfectly done—and delicious. Extremely simple recipe and variations below.

Quick Charred Brussels Sprouts

SOME HOME COOKS ARE VERY SIDE DISH-FOCUSED. ME, NOT SO MUCH. I want sides to be healthy and delicious, of course, but I also want them to appear magically while I’m working on the main course. These quick charred Brussels sprouts come close. Continue reading “An easy peasy spectacular side dish: Quick Charred Brussels Sprouts” →

Another way to enjoy a favorite winter vegetable: Linguine with Brussels Sprouts, Feta and Bacon

Linguine with Brussels Sprouts, Feta and Bacon

WE’VE BEEN COOKING BRUSSELS SPROUTS A LOT LATELY, even for us. This was supposed to be a post about our most recent method of cooking this mighty winter vegetable that’s so simple, it’s almost a non-recipe. Unfortunately, a mighty winter cold had other ideas and pretty much knocked us out. So watch for the new recipe soon—and in the meantime, enjoy Linguine with Brussels Sprouts, Feta and Bacon from our archives.

8 recipes for celebrating Chinese New Year at home

Chinese-style Braised Duck Legs

CHICAGO IS BLESSED WITH A LARGE CHINATOWN FILLED WITH AUTHENTIC REGIONAL RESTAURANTS. Unfortunately for us, during Chinese New Year, those restaurants are more than filled with celebrants. So if like us, you’re looking to celebrate the Year of the Dragon at home (February 10th through the 16th is the public holiday this year) here are eight Chinese and Chinese-inspired recipes. Why eight? It’s considered a very lucky number in many Asian cultures. Continue reading “8 recipes for celebrating Chinese New Year at home” →

Vibrant and delicate—cooking with vinegar delivers both

Three recipes show how vinegar can bring lively, surprisingly subtle finishes to your cooking.

Chicken with Vinegar Shallot Sauce

THERE WAS A QUARTER-CUP OF BALSAMIC VINEGAR in last week’s Balsamic Mushroom Sausage Pasta recipe, added at the very end. When faithful reader Dani commented that it wouldn’t have occurred to her to add vinegar, we thought of how often we actually do that here. Continue reading “Vibrant and delicate—cooking with vinegar delivers both” →

Simple ingredients, big flavor: Balsamic Mushroom Sausage Pasta

Mushrooms, Italian sausage and balsamic vinegar create an umami-rich, weeknight-quick meal. Recipe below.

Balsamic Mushroom Sausage Pasta

WHEN YOU HEAR MUSHROOM PASTA, YOU EXPECT TO SEE MUSHROOMS IN THE DISH. That’s one of the charms of most mushroom dishes, the distinctive shapes of sliced, halved or even whole mushrooms. As you can see above, that’s not the case here. Continue reading “Simple ingredients, big flavor: Balsamic Mushroom Sausage Pasta” →

A comforting, rustic soup born in the South West of France: Garbure

Hearty, meaty and stuffed with vegetables, including white beans and cabbage, garbure is a soul-satisfying French tradition. Recipe below.

Garbure

WINTER WEATHER BRINGS OUT THE SOUP LOVER IN EVERYONE. And for us, that means a world of soups to explore. Marion recently discovered garbure, a hearty traditional favorite in the South West region of France—think Toulouse, Bordeaux, Gascony, the Pyrénées along France’s border with Spain. It generally features white beans and savoy cabbage, but it’s not a bean soup or cabbage soup. Continue reading “A comforting, rustic soup born in the South West of France: Garbure” →

Season’s greetings—and Ricotta Pancakes with Sautéed Pears—to you

Ricotta Pancakes with Sautéed Pears

OUR CHRISTMAS PLANS ARE STILL BEING SORTED OUT. We know it will involve some overnight guests, but exactly when (and for that matter, how many) is still TBD. We do know that it will involve some holiday and post-holiday breakfasts. And that reminds me of these light, lovely ricotta pancakes that Marion has wowed guests with on more than one Thanksgiving weekend. They sound perfect for Christmas too, I think.

Happy holidays to you and yours, and have a happy, healthy new year.