Coq au Riesling: an Alsatian take on the French classic, coq au vin

Coq au Riesling combines chicken, lardons, shallots, mushrooms and dry Riesling wine in a distinctly regional French dish that’s even better the next day.

COQ AU VIN IS A TRUE FRENCH CLASSIC, chicken braised with wine, lardons, mushrooms, onions (or shallots) and garlic. And the wine is almost always red—usually Burgundy. So when we came across Coq au Riesling, a regional version made in Alsace and usually made with a white wine, most often Riesling, we were ready to try it. Continue reading “Coq au Riesling: an Alsatian take on the French classic, coq au vin” →

Simple and simply comforting Apricot Balsamic Pork Chops

Apricot jam, balsamic vinegar, garlic and thyme flavor these delicious weeknight-quick pork chops.

I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT THE EARLY DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC, maybe because we both just got our latest COVID-19 vaccine. We are always grateful when we do, remembering back to the beginnings of the outbreak—pre-vaccines, pre everything—when we wore homemade masks, washed our hands constantly and basically hunkered down. Most of us cooked a lot then too, afraid to go into restaurants, or anywhere really. Looking through our archives, we came across this comforting recipe from that time when comfort was so needed, Apricot Balsamic Pork Chops. Continue reading “Simple and simply comforting Apricot Balsamic Pork Chops” →

Kimchi Carbonara Linguine

Pasta carbonara, a bacon-rich Italian favorite, gets a cross-cultural makeover with kimchi, Korea’s national dish.

Linguine Kimchi Carbonara — Kimchi Carbonara Linguine

WE RECENTLY CAME ACROSS A RECIPE for a kimchi carbonara. It sounded like a terrific mashup of one of our favorite Italian dishes and the delicious tangy funk of kimchi, the Korean national dish made with vegetables—often Napa cabbage—fermented for months with various spices. Looking for other recipes for variations to riff on, we came across our own recipe. Continue reading “Kimchi Carbonara Linguine” →

White Bean Soup with Chicken, Fennel and Mustard Greens

White Bean Soup with Chicken, Fennel and Mustard Green is comforting, healthy, lively and weeknight quick. Recipe below.

I LOVE WET FOOD. SAUCY PASTAS, GORGEOUS STEWS, BRAISES… If it’s very liquid, I’m already inclined to love it. I’m also puzzled by criticisms of wet food. Years ago, I remember reading a restaurant review that chided the chef for serving an entree that was swimming in a sauce, rather than lightly coated with it. I was at once hurt and indignant. You mean liking a lot of sauce is…. wrong? So as you can guess, I absolutely adore soups. Continue reading “White Bean Soup with Chicken, Fennel and Mustard Greens” →

French-inspired Chicken and Wine

CHICKEN AND WINE IS THE FIRST THING I COOKED FOR MARION. I cooked it on our second date. She had cooked dinner for me on our first date. I’ve read somewhere that cooking for a date is a big deal step that should be saved until you’ve been dating a while, and it’s really easy to scare someone off. I guess Marion and I aren’t that easily spooked. Continue reading “French-inspired Chicken and Wine” →

Spicy Chicken Salad with Giardiniera

Hot giardiniera gives this summery Spicy Chicken Salad a little heat and big flavor. It’s great on sandwiches or on its own.

Spicy Chicken Salad with Hot Giardiniera

WHEN SUMMER TURNS UP THE HEAT, most of us try to turn down the time we spend cooking in a hot kitchen. With store bought rotisserie chicken and a handful of other store bought ingredients, you can make Spicy Chicken Salad with Giardiniera without turning on the stove. And like summer, it packs a little heat, but in a delicious way. Continue reading “Spicy Chicken Salad with Giardiniera” →

Pan-Asian Noodles with Ground Chicken

A mix of globetrotting Asian ingredients creates a delicious, weeknight-simple meal. Recipe below.

PAN-ASIAN IS KIND OF A CATCH-ALL COOKING TERM. Chefs sometimes use it to refer to an intentional mixing of cuisines and cultures to create something new. But many Asian ingredients are in fact pan-Asian, maybe originating in one country, but crossing borders to be used in kitchens throughout Asia. Pan-Asian Noodles with Ground Chicken falls in the latter camp, using ingredients from China, India, East Asia and Southeast Asia to create a dish that is not distinctly any one cuisine, but is distinctly delicious. Continue reading “Pan-Asian Noodles with Ground Chicken” →

Roasted Eggplant with Butter Beans

Mediterranean-inspired Roasted Eggplant with Butter Beans is a healthy, delicious vegetarian-friendly meal. Recipe below.

EGGPLANT (OR AUBERGINE, DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU CALL HOME) is one of those “actually, it’s a fruit” foods generally treated as a vegetable. If it’s treated at all. Other than as the venerable Eggplant Parmesan, it doesn’t see a lot of action in many home kitchens, and that’s a shame. It’s deliciously creamy, mild and meaty. And it’s chock full of health benefits. Our easy-to-make, easy-to-reheat Roasted Eggplant with Butter Beans ticks all those boxes. Continue reading “Roasted Eggplant with Butter Beans” →

Slow Cooker Red Braised Country-style Pork Ribs

Red braising, a popular Chinese cooking technique adapted here for slow cooker, produces flavorful, fork tender pork ribs. Recipe below.

AH, IMPULSE PURCHASES! Not looking for country-style pork ribs at the grocery store recently, we came across some nice looking ones and bought them anyway. Then digging in the pantry, we came across not so much an impulse purchase as an over-purchase, a large bag of star anise. We do use star anise, just not in such impressive volumes. Looking for a way to use both, we came across a classic Chinese cooking technique that I know we’ve experienced when eating out, but never heard it named: red braising. Continue reading “Slow Cooker Red Braised Country-style Pork Ribs” →

Frijoles Charros (Mexican Cowboy beans)

Smoky, meaty and a little spicy, this traditional Mexican dish is hearty, creamy and satisfying. Recipe below.

INSPIRATION FOR THIS DISH CAME, APPROPRIATELY, ON A COLD, WINDY DAY, as we stood in line to order from a taco truck in Milwaukee. It was the much loved Lonchera El Tapatio Taco Truck, a fixture north of downtown. The tacos were delicious, as were the burritos, but what really caught our attention was their frijoles charros, or Mexican cowboy beans. Hearty, smoky, meaty and slightly spicy, they could be a satisfying meal in their own right. Of course, we had to make some. Continue reading “Frijoles Charros (Mexican Cowboy beans)” →