[su_dropcap style=”flat”]P[/su_dropcap]ork chops are one of our go-tos, especially on weeknights. They can cook up pretty quickly and lend themselves to lots of variations. Here are six recipes that show what we mean. Continue reading “Quick, easy, versatile: six pork chop recipes to cook right now”
Inspired by Macau street food, pork chops are pounded thin and marinated overnight, then coated with panko bread crumbs and quickly fried. Serve with tossed greens or on slices of white bread. Recipe below.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]L[/su_dropcap]ast Friday, Anthony Bourdain broke our hearts. All of our hearts. Partly, of course, because we knew we would never see him again, never hear his funny/smart/poignant/fierce stories again, never vicariously share his adventures again. But what truly broke our hearts was knowing that this generous, gentle, good man had suffered such profound sadness and pain. Continue reading “Macau-style Pork Chops and a farewell dinner”
Pork chops get a major weeknight-quick flavor boost from mushrooms and lemon. Recipe below.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]I[/su_dropcap]’ve been reading a new book on food and cooking that has me rethinking flavors and balance—How to Taste, by Becky Selengut. We’ll explore the book more here soon, but I’m already using things I’m learning, like with this busy-weeknight-you’ve-got-two-porkchops-go! dish. Continue reading “Balancing flavors brings Oven-baked Pork Chops with Mushrooms to life”
Chinese five-spice powder, fresh ginger, soy sauce, star anise and oyster sauce bring subtle Asian flavors to this traditional meat-and-potatoes pot roast. Recipe below.
SLEET IS PELTING THE WINDOWS AS I WRITE THIS. The first day of spring is less than two weeks away, but for many of us, that’s just a number on the calendar—a cruel false promise. So we remain in the braising mode, filling the kitchen with the oven’s warmth and the entire house with heavenly, meaty smells. Continue reading “East meets chuck roast: Chinese-inspired Pot Roast with Potatoes”
Beef short ribs are slow braised with red wine, beef stock, parsnips, shallots, onion, garlic and anchovies (for added umami). Recipe below.
CHICAGO OFFERS A WEALTH OF OPTIONS for carnivorous home cooks. Besides the usual supermarkets, there are Mexican carnicerias, Korean markets, old-fashioned butcher shops, new-fashioned locavore snout-to-tail butchers… When we were looking for short ribs last Saturday, we reacquainted ourselves with yet another source, Peoria Packing. Continue reading “Why we love meat: Wine-braised Beef Short Ribs with Parsnips”
IT’S BEEN A SLOPPY COUPLE OF DAYS HERE AS FALL SETTLES IN—rainy, blustery, chilly. That might get some people thinking about warm, sunny climes somewhere. What I’m thinking about is short ribs. Meaty, flavorful and, yes, a little chewy, short ribs are one of my favorite “cheap cuts” of beef. Here are four recipes perfect for cold, rainy days. Continue reading “Making the most of the cheap cuts: four recipes for braised short ribs”
Lamb and turkey stand in for ground beef in these five burger recipes.
I’ve been thinking about burgers lately. Big, juicy, beefy burgers. So imagine my surprise when I dug through the Blue Kitchen archives and didn’t find a single beef hamburger. But I did find these lamb and turkey burgers, and I remember every one of them fondly. Continue reading “Five burgers, no beef”
A variety of Chinese and not-so-Chinese ingredients create a flavorful marinade for oven-baked pork ribs that aren’t ribs at all. Recipe below.
CALL IT CLEVER BUTCHERING, CALL IT GENIUS MARKETING, CALL IT BOTH. In the 1960s, Clifford G. Bowes took a section of pork that was hard to sell, cut it into meaty/fatty riblike slabs and dubbed it country-style ribs. Bowes, “one of the country’s top meat men and a meat consultant from Chicago,” according to a Chicago Tribune article from 1978, had hit a meat home run. Soon, butchers were using pork shoulder and the blade just behind the shoulder to keep up with the demand for country-style “ribs”—which are actually not ribs at all. Continue reading “Oven-baked, country-style Chinese Pork “Ribs””
Lamb is versatile, delicious and easy to cook. These six recipes showcase that versatility.
According to Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “In the Spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.” Ours turns to thoughts of lamb. To be fair, Marion and I pretty much fancy lamb year-round, but spring tends to be when many others think about cooking and eating this most delectable of red meats. If your thoughts are turning to lamb, here are some ideas for traditional and unexpected ways to cook it. Continue reading “Chops, burgers, shanks, stews, pastas, meatballs… Lamb, six ways from Sunday”
Just in time for Passover, a new cookbook offers recipes that are perfect for the holiday and all year long, like this Maple Glazed Rack of Ribs. Recipe below.
You know those meals and dishes that only come out for the holidays? The ones you wish you could eat all year long? That’s the idea behind Naomi Nachman’s debut cookbook, Perfect for Pesach: Passover Recipes You’ll Want to Make All Year. While the recipes in it are focused on Passover, as the title says, they can be served and enjoyed all year long. Continue reading “Perfect for Pesach: Maple Glazed Rack of Ribs”