Smoky, savory and sweet: Chipotle Pot Roast with Onions and Sweet Potatoes

Beef pot roast, a winter comfort food stalwart, gets livened up with sweet potatoes, onions and smoky, spicy chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Recipe below, with tips on adjusting the heat and smoke.

Turkey and I are taking a break. After some intensely enjoyable time together—Thanksgiving dinner, a delectable soup of dandelion greens, white beans and stock made from the turkey carcass, numerous sandwiches, and random pieces of cold turkey eaten with nothing more than a shake of salt—we hit a bit of a wall. So we both agreed I should see other animal proteins for a while. Continue reading “Smoky, savory and sweet: Chipotle Pot Roast with Onions and Sweet Potatoes” →

Savory with a subtle sweet touch: Braised Chicken with Prunes and Onions

This braised chicken dish combines prunes, onions, sage, bay leaf, garlic, apple juice and a little sherry vinegar for a delicious weeknight-quick meal. Recipe below.

Summer’s bounty has disappeared from produce shelves. Berries, apricots, peaches and plums have been supplanted by a sea of apples, pears and more apples. But in another section of the store, you’ll find many of your summer favorites in a long-lasting, shelf stable form: dried. When dried, apricots, grapes, plums and more provide chewy, flavor-intense snacks to be enjoyed as is. Add them to a savory braise, though, and they achieve a whole new level. They plump up and soften. Flavors mellow and blend. Continue reading “Savory with a subtle sweet touch: Braised Chicken with Prunes and Onions” →

Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Spinach, unstuffed

One-pan simple and weeknight-quick, pork chops are browned, then finished in a braise of mushrooms, spinach, onion, tarragon, garlic and lemon juice. Recipe below.

We’ve been eating a lot of spinach lately. Sometimes in salads, but mostly quickly sautéed until just wilted with butter, olive oil, garlic and salt. Maybe a grind of pepper, if we remember. Eating spinach this way makes me sad that I spent my whole childhood hating it. So when I found myself with spinach, mushrooms and pork chops the other day, I thought they needed to get cooked together. Continue reading “Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Spinach, unstuffed” →

Serious flavor for cool temperatures: Braised Chicken with Artichokes and Olives

Bacon, marinated artichoke hearts, olives, garlic and lemon juice and zest combine with chicken drumsticks and thighs in this big-flavored braise. Recipe below.

WE TURNED ON THE HEAT FOR THE FIRST TIME this fall a few days ago. It’s been unseasonably cool lately in Chicago, and that has prompted complaints from some. Not from me. This is cooking weather for me—not just because it’s cooler in the kitchen, but because we can finally turn away from light summer fare and get back to the good stuff. Roasts. Stews. And robust braises like this one. Continue reading “Serious flavor for cool temperatures: Braised Chicken with Artichokes and Olives” →

Where there’s smoke, there’s delicious: Braised Pork Chops with Chipotle Black Beans

Canned black beans cooked with onion, red bell pepper, garlic and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce make a smoky, spicy, show-stealing side for pork chops, chicken and fish—or a vegetarian meal with tofu. Recipe and variations below.

There is something almost primeval about combining food and smoke. Cooking with fire and its attendant smoke links us to our earliest ancestors. Indeed to all our ancestors before the invention of gas and, later, electric stoves. Smoke is why we love hot dogs charred on sticks over campfires. And why, when grilling season rolls around, some of us refuse to cook indoors again until the first snowfall.

But there are simple ways to add the taste of smoke to foods without firing up the grill, some as close as the supermarket shelves. One of our favorites is canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Continue reading “Where there’s smoke, there’s delicious: Braised Pork Chops with Chipotle Black Beans” →

Semi-classic fried chicken, half baked

In this take on classic fried chicken, buttermilk-soaked chicken thighs are heavily seasoned, fried briefly and finished in the oven. Recipe below.

The term “classic” can be freighted with wildly varying baggage, especially when attached to something as iconic as fried chicken. Largely seen as a Southern dish, it arrived there by way of Scotland. Many Scottish immigrants settled in the South, bringing the deep fried dish with them (fellow Europeans preferred to bake, roast or boil chicken).

According to The Urban Daily, “When African slaves who worked as cooks were brought to the country, they put their own spin on the dish using seasonings and spices not found in most Scottish dishes.” As with many classic dishes, generations of home cooks, chefs and fast food chains have put their own spin on fried chicken, making defining a single classic version impossible. Continue reading “Semi-classic fried chicken, half baked” →

Delicious trio: Scallops with Smoky Chipotle Butter, Tomato Salad and Cornbread

Scallops with Smoky Chipotle Butter, Tomato Salad and Cornbread is actually three separate recipes. All are good on their own, but together they’re a restaurant-inspired, restaurant-worthy meal. Recipes below.

A few weeks back, I had to go to New York City on business. It was two days of intense meetings that actually turned out to be productive and valuable. At the end of the first day, we all went to dinner together. Someone in the New York office chose the venue, in part because it was near the office: Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain. I thought great, another giant midtown eating hall. But you know? It was terrific. Everything was delicious. Everything was interesting. The room was handsome, and the waitstaff was knowledgeable and invested. I had a ball. It was a delightful evening with great colleagues, really a treat.

What did I have? Skate with smoked chile butter, served with a small tomato salad heaped on a circle of crispy hominy. Continue reading “Delicious trio: Scallops with Smoky Chipotle Butter, Tomato Salad and Cornbread” →

Navarin d’Agneau: a French lamb stew for spring

Lamb Navarin combines lamb, peas, carrots, new potatoes and turnips for a spring stew that is hearty, but lighter tasting than beef stew. Recipe below.

MANY RECIPES HERE ARE INSPIRED BY COOKBOOKS. THIS ONE WAS INSPIRED BY A NOVEL. The World at Night is set mainly in Paris, in the early 1940s, during the time of German occupation. To call it a tale of intrigue and romance is accurate enough, but falls far short of doing it justice. Continue reading “Navarin d’Agneau: a French lamb stew for spring” →

A quick, easy* spring lunch: Roasted Asparagus with Poached Eggs and Lardons

Roasted asparagus spears are topped with sautéed bacon and shallots and a poached egg for a light lunch. Recipe below.

Asparagus season is upon us again, a promising sign of the reluctant spring. (Yes, asparagus is available pretty much year-round, but now is when it’s at its best.) First, the pencil-thin spears started showing up in the produce department, requiring little more than a quick blanch to render them bright green, crisp and delicious. Continue reading “A quick, easy* spring lunch: Roasted Asparagus with Poached Eggs and Lardons” →

Pan-grilled Lemon Tarragon Lamb Chops, weeknight quick and naturally tender

A lemon juice/olive oil/tarragon marinade quickly tenderizes lamb shoulder chops and adds a lively citrus note. Recipe below.

Lamb is one of our favorite carnivorous pleasures. And shoulder lamb chops are one of our go-tos for scratching our occasional lamby itch. They’re typically one of the cheaper cuts, they cook quickly and they’re big on flavor. Unfortunately, they can also be chewy. The good news is there are simple techniques to tenderize these delicious chops. Continue reading “Pan-grilled Lemon Tarragon Lamb Chops, weeknight quick and naturally tender” →