A French twist: Hake with Lentils and Sage Mustard Butter

In this take on the classic French recipe Saumon aux Lentilles, mild white-fleshed fish and sage stand in for salmon and tarragon. Recipe below.

Julia Child famously said, “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.” We’re not afraid of butter. We use an impressive amount, especially given how little we bake. But when I started researching the classic French dish of salmon with lentils and mustard-herb butter, I was still taken aback by how much butter was called for.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t just the volume of butter—eight tablespoons, a stick of butter, divided among the various components. It’s that this dish was fish. And lentils. These are not foods one generally associates with such exuberant use of butter. Continue reading “A French twist: Hake with Lentils and Sage Mustard Butter” →

Two Irish cookbooks, one hearty weeknight meal: Pork and Potato Cakes

Leftover mashed potatoes combine with ground pork, grated apple, chopped onion and fresh sage for a quick, economical, thoroughly satisfying dinner. Recipe below.

AS ST. PATRICK’S DAY APPROACHES, revving up America’s love of all things Irish, two cookbooks celebrate Ireland’s culinary heritage in very different ways. The first is Irish Pantry: Traditional Breads, Preserves, and Goodies to Feed the Ones You Love, published last November by Running Press. Chef/restaurateur Noel McMeel and writer Lynn Marie Hulsman have teamed up to deliver foods steeped in Irish tradition. Continue reading “Two Irish cookbooks, one hearty weeknight meal: Pork and Potato Cakes” →

Dinner fit for winter’s apparently endless tale: Mustard-glazed Pork Loin Roast

A pork loin roast is coated with a glaze of Dijon mustard, rosemary, shallot and garlic, allowed to marinate for several hours, then roasted until just cooked through. Recipe below.

We are so over winter. Two weeks ago, I reported here that we were already a foot over our annual average of three feet of snow. We have now had more than five feet of snow, and we’re not done.

The only good thing I can say about the weather is that it encourages firing up the oven and roasting savory cuts of meat. The warmth fills the entire apartment, as do wonderful, meaty fragrances. Chickens, beef pot roasts and, when I’m feeling flush, legs of lamb all spring to mind when I’m ready to roast. Somehow, though, as much as I cook with pork, I seldom think of it as a roast. This weekend, I decided it was time to fix that. Continue reading “Dinner fit for winter’s apparently endless tale: Mustard-glazed Pork Loin Roast” →

Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts, Sausage and Olives, with a side of New York City

Pantry and freezer staples—jarred marinated artichoke hearts, green olives, Italian sausage, tomato paste and pasta—create a weeknight-quick, rustic Italian meal. Recipe below.

New York is a feast every time we’re there. On arrival, it puts our senses on high alert and keeps them there, in a good way, until we leave. There is always something to see, hear, do… always.

Our recent four-day visit was no exception. As always, we arrived with an overly ambitious list of things to do. As always, some went undone, often replaced by new things we learned about on the fly. And as always, the longest part of the list was devoted to art. Continue reading “Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts, Sausage and Olives, with a side of New York City” →

Six warm dishes to beat winter’s chill

As winter rages on, this mix of stews, soups and hearty oven-made dishes from the Blue Kitchen archives will keep you warm.

After years of slacking off, winter is officially back. Across the country, places that normally don’t see snow are getting it. And places that do normally get it are really getting it. Here in Chicago, even before the latest snowstorm that started last night, we’d had more than four feet of snow already this season. Usually, we get about three feet for the entire season. And the cold can be best summarized this way. Yesterday morning as I was heading out, I saw that the temperature was 12ºF and thought, “Oh, not bad!”

With winter playing hardball, it’s time to fight back in the kitchen. Fire up the oven for a long braise or a roast. Cook up a hearty stew or soup on the stovetop, the kind of meals my grandmother called “stick-to-your-ribs” food. Here are six dishes that fit the bill nicely. Continue reading “Six warm dishes to beat winter’s chill” →

A quick improvised dinner on a busy Saturday: Linguine with Mushrooms and Kale

Mushrooms are quickly cooked in butter and sherry. Kale is sautéed just as quickly with pancetta (optional), onion and garlic. Combined, they make a delicious sauce for pasta. Recipe below.

Last Saturday was one of our typical whirlwinds. It included shopping in two different neighborhoods for birthday gifts, picking up and dropping off dry cleaning, a smash-and-grab run through Trader Joe’s, getting lunch fixings at our neighborhood Polish bakery and sausage shop, wrapping gifts, packaging said gifts for shipping and running to the downtown post office to mail them, with a detour by the library.

As dinnertime approached, we wanted something quick and easy, but also satisfying. This improvised dish delivered on all counts. Continue reading “A quick improvised dinner on a busy Saturday: Linguine with Mushrooms and Kale” →

Making the most of too much: Braised Chicken Thighs with Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes

Oven-braised Chicken Thighs with Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes is a hearty, one-pan meal—perfect for a winter night. Dried minced orange peel adds a bright citrusy note. Recipe below.

I recently remembered a children’s book that was already ancient when I was a child. The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss, was first published in 1938. It tells the story of a boy who removes his hat as the king passes (as the law says he should), but a new one magically appears in its place. This happens again and again, until the boy is eventually threatened with death if he fails to bare his head.

What got me thinking of young Cubbins’s troubles was a giant bag of Brussels sprouts in our fridge. We try very hard not to waste food, especially fresh produce. But it seemed the more sprouts we took from the bag for various meals, the more there were. To their credit, while they didn’t seem to be diminishing in quantity, they also weren’t going bad. That’s a great thing about most winter vegetables. They reliably last when you need them most. Continue reading “Making the most of too much: Braised Chicken Thighs with Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes” →

The bread of the dog that bit you: Bourbon Pecan Banana Bread

Celebrating the new year with a banana bread that gets a boozy flavor boost with bourbon, pecans and orange zest. Recipe below.

The last day of 2013 began with me in the kitchen at 8:30 in the morning, preheating the oven, preparing to bake. The day being New Year’s Eve, it was somehow appropriate that I would be baking with bourbon.

Our houseguest was still asleep, so instead of the kitchen boombox, I had my iPod going. Somehow appropriate to cooking with bourbon, what was playing on it was The Cannonball Adderley Sextet in New York, a live album recorded at the Village Vanguard in January 1962. In addition to Cannonball on alto sax and his brother Nat on cornet, it featured the always inventive Yusef Lateef on tenor sax, flute and oboe. Hard bop jazz of the 1950s and ’60s is a sweet spot for me, and this album is particularly sweet. Great music to cook to—especially with bourbon. Continue reading “The bread of the dog that bit you: Bourbon Pecan Banana Bread” →

Merry Christmas from Blue Kitchen

A TV dinner and a hula girl. How much more Christmasy can you get? Somehow another year has flown by. And while other food bloggers were busy sharing holiday recipes and gift ideas, I was, well, not. Partly, it’s because I was settling into a new job and we were traveling to see our older daughter graduate summa cum laude, both really wonderful things.

But mostly, it’s because I am perhaps one of the most accomplished procrastinators on the planet. I frequently amaze even myself with my abilities in this arena. So instead of all the ideas I should have been giving you to make your holidays brighter, cooler, funner, tastier, I’ll just tell you a little bit about how we’re enjoying ours. Continue reading “Merry Christmas from Blue Kitchen” →

Healthy, delicious and one-pan easy: Tilapia with White Beans and Kale

Tilapia with White Beans and Kale is a weeknight-quick, one-pan meal. Capers add a bright, briny kick. Recipe below.

INSPIRATION FOR THE RECIPES YOU FIND HERE COMES FROM EVERYWHERE. From restaurant meals to farmers market or grocery store finds, cookbooks, magazines, even random photographs or phrases. This recipe’s origin was much more straightforward. The tilapia fillets in the fridge weren’t getting any younger, and I wanted something other than my usual couple of go-to recipes. Oh, and it had to be quick. We had something to do after dinner. Continue reading “Healthy, delicious and one-pan easy: Tilapia with White Beans and Kale” →