Creamy fried Swiss potatoes: Rösti Potatoes with Gruyere

Parboiling potatoes before grating and frying them makes Swiss rösti potatoes creamy inside and crispy outside. Recipe and variations below.

MY SISTER RECENTLY REMINDED ME OF A TRIP WE TOOK TO TORONTO back in the 90s, which included brunch at one of those restaurants that have a bunch of food stations scattered through a pleasant, bustling hall. Places like that seem to have become the province of hospital and museum cafeterias, but at the time it was a fairly new concept, and, man, I loved it. The place was charming and inviting, everything we had was enjoyable, and everyone was having a lovely time. And the dish my sister particularly remembers was their Rösti potatoes. Continue reading “Creamy fried Swiss potatoes: Rösti Potatoes with Gruyere” →

Restaurant authentic, homemade Egg Drop Soup

SOMETIMES THE HUMBLEST RESTAURANT DISHES are what you really crave. Like egg drop soup. It is indeed a traditional Chinese soup, served across many regions with a number of variations. As Fred Walter says in FLAVORYCOOKING, “Egg drop soup has become an integral part of Chinese culture, symbolizing good fortune, prosperity, and unity.” Continue reading “Restaurant authentic, homemade Egg Drop Soup” →

Thai-style Watermelon Salad

Chilled watermelon cubes, Thai basil, mint, peppers, pickled red onion and fish sauce create a refreshing salad with a touch of umami. Recipe below.

I AM NOT A BRUNCH PERSON, but there’s a place in Milwaukee, Uncle Wolfie’s Downtown, that is making me change my ways. It’s always so delicious, and friendly, and interesting, and I always have something that opens my eyes. TBH, it’s one of my favorite places to eat on the planet. Continue reading “Thai-style Watermelon Salad” →

The quickest, easiest Corn on the Cob

Microwaving ears of corn in their husks is so fast and so easy. And the corn is absolutely delicious, even without butter and salt. Recipe below.

YOU KNOW THE OLD ADAGE ABOUT IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT’S NOT. Yeah, not this time. This corn on the cob is truly amazing—and amazingly simple to prepare. Continue reading “The quickest, easiest Corn on the Cob” →

Two easy recipes featuring delicious, healthy button mushrooms

Basic button mushrooms are flavorful and healthy

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” →

Spicy Tofu Stir Fry

This quick, simple dish with sweet/tangy/spicy Asian flavors can be an exciting vegetarian side or a main course. Recipe below.

TOFU IS A WONDERFUL BLANK CANVAS, ready to take on all kinds of flavors and textures, depending on the tofu you choose and how you cook it. It’s also a chameleon, used in many cuisines in many countries. It’s often used as a vegetarian source of protein, but then again, many Asian dishes combine it with animal protein. Spicy Tofu Stir Fry is a vegetarian dish, but it can be served as a side or as a main course. See what we mean? Continue reading “Spicy Tofu Stir Fry” →

Butter Beans with Roasted Tomatoes

Butter beans cooked with roasted tomatoes, garlic and a red bell pepper, served over Greek yogurt make a delicious light meal or side. Recipe below.

THE OTHER DAY, I WAS NOODLING AROUND ONLINE, actually hunting for photos of English house interiors, when I stumbled on a recipe from a new book, Ottolenghi Comfort, by Yotam Ottolenghi and his frequent collaborator Helen Goh, along with Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley. I am always interested in anything Ottolenghi and his friends create—his first cookbook, Plenty, is a tried-and-true at our house—and this latest collaborative work looks like it will be marvelous too. One recipe that caught my eye was Butter Beans with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes. Continue reading “Butter Beans with Roasted Tomatoes” →

Two deliciously different red cabbage salads

Two recipes this week: Red Cabbage and Carrot Coleslaw, and Korean-inspired Red Cabbage Potsticker Salad.

A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WE WENT TO A BIG FUN FAMILY BARBECUE in Milwaukee, and our daughter Laurel brought a huge bowl of coleslaw—a recipe that as far as I can tell, she made up the night before. It was wonderful! Crisp, flavorful, fresh, crunchy, and very pretty—just the thing to accompany the many awesome, meaty mains. Continue reading “Two deliciously different red cabbage salads” →

Six dishes guaranteed to make you the best barbecue guest

IT’S BARBECUE-HOSTING SEASON. And for the lucky ones among us, that means it’s being-invited-to-barbecues season. Of course, that also means it’s what-can-I-bring-to-the-barbecue season. Don’t be the guy who brings a big bag of chips, even the fancy kind. Unless your host specifically tells you to bring chips—in which case, maybe you should ponder the things you’ve brought in the past that were not as good as a bag of chips. For the non-chip bringers among us, here are six recipes that will absolutely shine. Continue reading “Six dishes guaranteed to make you the best barbecue guest” →

A weekend of potato salads

Potato Salad with Capers, Shallots and Mustard

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IS THE UNOFFICIAL START OF SUMMER. For us, summer is potato salad season, and weekend events conspired to confirm that. First, we were invited to an out-of-town birthday barbecue. Because we were traveling, we didn’t want to do anything mayonnaise based that needed refrigerating. Our Mark Bittman-inspired Potato Salad with Capers, Shallots and Mustard does not. Continue reading “A weekend of potato salads” →