See you later, sweet potato casserole—with these four unexpected recipes, you can change it up with your sweet potato sides.
AS A THANKSGIVING SIDE, TOO-SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE does sweet potatoes no favors. It turns these delicious, colorful, super-healthy root vegetables into a cloying, gooey mess. Try one of these surprising recipes instead—you just might start a new holiday tradition. Continue reading “Four surprising ways to use sweet potatoes—for Thanksgiving or anytime”
A COLLEAGUE AND HIS WIFE JUST TOOK THE TRAIN TO NEW ORLEANS. They do this every year, getting a sleeping car for the long ride from Chicago and then back again. Besides inspiring a certain amount of travel envy in us, they had us remembering a gumbo we’ve made here. More specifically, Duck and Andouille Sausage Gumbo. It combines onion, celery, bell peppers, garlic and plenty of seasonings to make big flavored Creole/Cajun comfort food, the perfect foil for chilly autumnal weather. You’ll find the recipe and the inevitable backstory here.
Created by Basque tuna fishermen, this simple one-pot soup is a satisfying meal on its own. Recipe below.
CERTAIN WORDS ATTACHED TO FOOD JUST CATCH OUR EYE. RUSTIC IS ONE OF THEM. When we saw it attached to a tuna and potato soup, we were ready to make it right then. Marmitako is billed as comforting cold weather fare, but its quick, one-pot cooking also makes it a good, simple summer meal. Continue reading “Marmitako: a hearty, rustic Basque tuna and potato soup”
Variations of flavorful, comforting Lamb and White Bean Soup appear across much of western Europe. This Instant Pot version is weeknight quick. Recipe below.
CALL IT A SOUP, CALL IT A STEW, some combination of white beans, lamb, herbs and aromatics shows up in Italy, in France, in the UK… And for good reason. It is hearty and delicious. So when we had lots of leftover leg of lamb recently, our own combination of the above ingredients showed up in our Instant Pot. Continue reading “Quick, border-crossing comfort: Instant Pot Lamb and White Bean Soup”
Flavors from all over Asia (ginger, lemongrass, five-spice powder, garam masala, fish sauce…) spice up this delicious, aromatic, meaty stew. The Instant Pot speeds it up. Recipe below.
OUR FAMILY LOVES THIS DISH. Hearty, complex, aromatic, it’s a popular favorite over here. Now that we are not eating all that much red meat, this has become even more of a special occasion meal. When one of our daughters found herself able to visit us over the holidays, this was the dish she requested. This time, we made it in the Instant Pot to see how it would work out. Continue reading “Bò Kho (Vietnamese beef stew) gets an Instant Pot makeover”
Beef stew meat, Portuguese chouriço, bell peppers, paprika and potatoes drive the comforting flavor of this hearty stew. Recipe below.
PORTUGAL POPPED UP ON OUR CULINARY RADAR innocently enough. Not finding anything new we wanted to watch on TV one night, we settled into something old. We had already binge-watched Somebody Feed Phil about a year ago, and Netflix offered it up to us again. The first episode they served up was Lisbon, Portugal. Continue reading “Authenticish maybe, genuinely delicious: Portuguese-style Beef Stew”
Lettuce, peas, leeks, garlic, tarragon, butter and cream make a fresh soup that can be served warm or cold, and tastes like spring. Recipe below.
SOUP OR SALAD? IT’S A QUESTION most of us have answered countless times in restaurants. This soup, made with six cups of chopped lettuce, lets you answer “both.” Next question: who would make lettuce a main ingredient in a soup? French cooks, of course. And it is brilliant. Continue reading “Two courses in one: Delicate Pea and Lettuce Soup”
You’ll want to add this hearty soup of red lentils, coconut and coconut milk, garam masala, spinach and tomatoes to your rotation. Recipe below.
BY MOST STANDARDS, WE COOK WITH LENTILS A LOT. But to us, every time we do, we lament that we don’t do so more often. Most recently, cooking this vegetarian soup with red lentils, coconut and coconut milk, spinach, and tomatoes had us thinking just that. Continue reading “Vegetarian (or vegan) and delicious: Red Lentil Soup”
A mix of baked and simmered potatoes gives this soup a satisfying texture and real baked potato flavor. Recipe below.
A LOT OF BAKED POTATO SOUP RECIPES DO NOT INVOLVE BAKED POTATOES. They are simply an excuse to load your regular potato soup with cheese, sour cream, bacon and whatever you personally would add to a loaded baked potato. Here, though, we wanted to go a little farther. We wanted to use actually baked potatoes. But we also wanted the smooth, healthy, satisfying foundation that you only get from simmered potatoes. Continue reading “Creamy and chunky, ready for whatever weather: Baked Potato Soup”
Egg yolks, lemon juice and broth form the silky, bright avgolemono sauce that beautifully elevates chicken rice soup. Recipe below.
WHEN YOU’RE LOOKING FOR BASIC COMFORT FOOD, chicken and rice soup is right there. Soothing and filling and easy enough to make. In Greek kitchens, they take that simple idea, layer on a silky brightness and call it avgolemono. Continue reading “Greek comfort, weeknight quick: Lemony, luscious Avgolemono Soup”