WE LOVE MUSSELS. A LOT. Every time we cook them, we think we should have them way more often. Here are four reasons you should cook them more often. Continue reading “Four good reasons to cook mussels, six great recipes for cooking them”
BECAUSE PASSOVER IS UPON US (sundown April 12 through April 20), you’ll find that matzoh is readily available in many stores. For us, that means it’s time for two of our favorite recipes, matzoh brei and matzoh crack. Continue reading “Making the most of Passover with two matzoh treats”
IN HONOR OF WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH, we’re revisiting a recipe, a cookbook and a place. We first reviewed Hedgebrook Cookbook: Celebrating Radical Hospitality back in 2013. Hedgebrook is a women’s writing retreat on Whidbey Island in Washington state. Since 1988, its six cabins have been home to an impressive list of women writers. Continue reading “Italian Chicken Stew from a women’s writing retreat”
FANCY MUSHROOMS ARE EVERYWHERE. Supermarkets, farmers markets. Even foraging, if you’re adventurous. So it’s easy to overlook the humble white button mushroom. But as it turns out, they have as much, and in some cases, more anti-oxidant properties than more expensive varieties. And with a few simple ingredients, they can pack some amazing flavor. Continue reading “Two easy recipes featuring delicious, healthy button mushrooms”
MANY PEOPLE SEE MARCH AS HEADING INTO SPRING. And indeed, March 20 is the first official day this year. But the reality here in Chicago and many places elsewhere can be quite different. Lately, we’ve been craving warming comfort food. In recent weeks, we’ve made Kimchi Chicken Soup, Valerie’s Split Pea Soup, Polish Hunter’s Stew, Shepherd’s Pie… March also being the month of St. Patrick’s Day, we’re currently thinking fondly of Irish Lamb Stew. Continue reading “Lamb Stew and a guide to Chicago weekend fun”
Leftover rotisserie chicken, kimchi and canned white beans create a big-flavored, satisfying, healthy, weeknight-quick meal. Recipe below.
WE LOVE LEFTOVERS. Besides the way certain dishes just taste better the second day, there’s the deliciously smug pleasure we get from using stuff up rather than discarding it. So when we were recently faced with leftover rotisserie chicken and a giant jar of kimchi that wasn’t depleting or getting any younger, we created this impromptu soup. It was so good that you’re actually looking at the second batch we’ve made—from the same chicken and jar of kimchi. Continue reading “Kimchi Chicken Soup and the Luxury of Leftovers”
Kielbasa, pork roast, chicken, sauerkraut and cabbage make bigos a hearty stew perfect for winter—and Poland’s national dish.
A WEEKEND DAY TRIP IN NORTHWEST INDIANA LED TO SOME GREAT FOOD. Classic Ruben sandwiches and slices of housemade pie from a 1940s diner. Artisan sweets from a little chocolatier in a former bag factory. And for dinner back at home, takeout bigos—Polish hunter’s stew—from a Polish deli and supermarket that it turns out is dangerously close to our home. Continue reading “Bigos, Polish Hunter’s Stew”
BITTER COLD GOT MARION TO MAKE HER FRIEND VALERIE’S SOUP the first time seven years ago. Now with pretty much all of the U.S. gripped by brutal winter weather—including unprecedented snow across the South—it seemed like a good time to make this warming, hearty split pea soup again. Continue reading “Warm up with Valerie’s Split Pea Soup”
“GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS.” Robert Frost’s neighbor likes the thought so much he says it twice as they mend the stone wall between them. We think good food makes even better neighbors. It’s certainly one reason Rosa is a great next door neighbor. Continue reading “Friends, family and comfort food: Shepherd’s Pie”
A mix of Asian ingredients create roasted chicken that is juicy, slightly spicy, tangy and a little sweet. Recipe below.
LOOK IN OUR FRIDGE AND PANTRY, AND YOU’LL FIND ASIAN INGREDIENTS GALORE. Some esoteric, but mostly basic things we use regularly. This easy chicken recipe calls for three of the latter, all from different parts of Asia. White miso paste from Japan, gochujang paste from Korea, and rice vinegar used throughout East and Southeast Asia—China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam… Which makes perfect sense since it comes from a lovely pan-Asian cookbook. Continue reading “Miso Gochujang Butter Chicken”