Ingredients from around the world create this smoky, big-flavored, slightly spicy lentil soup. Recipe below.
LENTILS ARE A STAPLE AROUND THE WORLD, from India (where 40% of the world’s lentils are consumed) to the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas. We’ve shared lentil recipes here from India, France, Turkey, Italy and other spots around the globe. This recipe is a global adventure all its own. Continue reading “Many cultures in a single bowl: Ham Hock and Lentil Soup”
PULSES ARE THE EDIBLE SEEDS OF PLANTS IN THE LEGUME FAMILY. Beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas and such. Food Network calls them a superfood. They’re good for you—high in fiber and protein, and packed with nutrients and antioxidants. And they can help you lose weight. They’re also inexpensive and versatile. Here are seven delicious ways to get more of this superfood on your table. Continue reading “Lentils, beans and peas—seven recipes deliver the pluses of pulses”
Pasta tossed with tangy labneh, lemon juice, peas and bacon is a creamy, weeknight-quick meal that tastes like spring. Recipe below.
LABNEH FIRST APPEARED ON THE BLUE KITCHEN MENU TWO WEEKS AGO, as the main ingredient of our Ramadan-inspired vegetarian Labneh Sandwiches. Having leftover labneh inspired us to make this creamy, tangy pasta dish—and we’re ready to make it again. Continue reading “Quick, easy and deliciously springlike: Labneh Pasta with Peas and Bacon”
With Passover here, matzoh is in your supermarket. Here are two delightful, unexpected ways to enjoy it.
ALONG WITH SHOWERS AND FLOWERS, SPRING BRINGS HOLIDAY EXCUSES TO EAT WELL. Ramadan, which we covered last week with Middle Eastern Labneh Sandwiches, Easter with its various food traditions, and our personal favorite, Passover. With our family scattered, we don’t always manage the full holiday dinner, but we do indulge in a pair of treats made with matzoh. Continue reading “Matzoh Brei for breakfast, Matzoh Crack for dessert”
Baking soda tenderizes the ground beef in this richly flavored classic chili. Recipe below.
DON’T YOU LOVE IT WHEN COOKING BECOMES A SCIENCE LESSON? We do. In this chili recipe, baking soda (that same thing the fluffs up cakes and cookies) tenderizes the ground beef while making it brown better. Continue reading “The art and science of Classic Beef Chili with Beans”
WITH ST. PATRICK’S DAY UPON US, MANY ARE THINKING CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE. Which is fine, except it puts cabbage in an undeserved supporting role—the romantic lead’s goofy buddy. That’s just wrong. In a recent issue of Taste, Rachel Wharton rightly proclaimed “Cabbage is Always King.” She dives deep into cabbage’s history (we’ll share the link further down). But for now, we’d like to share seven recipes that show off the healthy brassica’s flavor and versatility. Continue reading “Step aside, corned beef—seven recipes that make cabbage the star”
Johnnycakes and apple butter create a delicious breakfast that straddles traditional Southern and Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. Recipes below.
LIKE MANY CHEFS, CHRIS SCOTT DEVELOPED HIS LOVE FOR COOKING IN HIS GRANDMOTHER’S KITCHEN. And like many Black Americans, his life has been shaped by migration. After the Civil War, his great grandfather left the South and moved to work in a steel factory in “the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country,” as Scott puts it. So when Scott learned to cook at his grandmother’s side, he picked up traditional Black Southern recipes, of course, but also those of the family’s adopted home, Amish country. Continue reading “Amish soul food from a Top Chef semi-finalist: Johnnycakes and Apple Butter”
A couple of our favorite recipes turn into an informal Sunday dinner when family drops in.
IF BLUE KITCHEN WERE A PRINTED COOKBOOK, some pages would be more dogeared and food-speckled than others. Often, Marion or I will be in the kitchen, a laptop open to a recipe on the blog as we cook. Last Sunday, we were both in the kitchen armed with laptops. We were cooking two of our favorite recipes. Continue reading “Sunday in the kitchen with family”
TUESDAYS ARE WHEN WE DO OUR NEW POSTS EACH WEEK. Except this past Tuesday was Valentine’s Day. Instead of cooking and talking about cooking, we wanted to eat restaurant food and feel all festive. So it seems somehow appropriate to dig into the archives and share a recipe that brings genuine restaurant flavor home. And as a bonus, it is crazy easy to make. So enjoy Marion’s Egg Drop Soup—and happy belated Valentine’s Day.
White wine and two French mustards give this meaty roast a surprisingly light finish. Recipe below.
OUR FRIEND RONNIE ANN SAYS POT ROASTS ARE “LIKE A WARM HUG FROM HOME.” We agree. So when we found chuck roast on sale recently, we snatched one right up. And looking for something new to do with a pot roast, we thought of one of the oldest culinary tricks up our sleeve: add mustard. Two mustards, actually. Continue reading “The dependable comforts of home: Pot Roast with Mustard”