Arugula and mushrooms team up in this slightly peppery, umami-rich vegetarian quiche. Recipe below.
ONE OF LIFE’S LITTLE PLEASURES FOR US is looking in the fridge and seeing leftover quiche, ready to be gently reheated or, honestly, just eaten cold. We’re experiencing that now, thanks to my recent urge to actually make a quiche. Continue reading “Arugula Mushroom Quiche”
Red currants, apple, shallots and lots of spices create a deliciously acid/sweet/spice chutney to serve with various meats or tofu or… Recipe below.
I LOVE RED CURRANTS. When I was a kid, my father always had currant bushes, and to this day I always make room for one red currant bush, even in our very small yard. Continue reading “Red Currant Chutney”
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”
A host of big-flavored ingredients—kimchi, gochujang paste, crumbled dried seaweed, garlic, Parmesan and scallions—all topped with an egg create a delicious vegetarian meal. Recipe below.
CHEF AND FOOD WRITER LARA LEE calls her Cheesy Kimchi Linguine with Gochujang Butter “a dish that flies the flag for sweet-spicy-salty-umami-fermented flavor.” That pretty much nails it. Continue reading “Vegetarian flavor fest: Cheesy Kimchi Linguine with Gochujang Butter”
Roasted mushrooms combine with polenta and Parmesan to create a creamy, earthy, cheesy vegetarian meal. Recipe below.
THE OTHER DAY, SOCIAL MEDIA OFFERED ME A VIDEO of someone making what he called Mushroom Polenta Bake. It was one of those super short, super telegraphic videos, the sort of airy thing that breezes past the nonsense side of cooking—measurements, timing, a lot of the ingredients—in favor of a quick, charming impression. But, as with so many of these sort-of-cooking videos, the information may have been ridiculous, but the visuals were alluring—so very alluring. Continue reading “Baked Polenta with Roasted Mushrooms”
Often described as Indonesian curry, gulais are rich, spicy stews. This plant-based one features leeks as the key ingredient. Recipe below.
LIBRARIES ARE ONE OF THE GREAT INSTITUTIONS OF MODERN SOCIETY, and we love them. Early in the pandemic, when we were able to get our first vaccinations, the first public place we went was not a bar or a restaurant, but the Harold Washington Library—the gem that is Chicago’s central library. That’s where we recently came across a gem of a cookbook, A Splash of Soy: Everyday Food from Asia—Charred Leek Gulai Sayur is the second recipe we’ve cooked from it. Continue reading “Inspired by Indian curries, Charred Leek Gulai Sayur”
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”
Mushrooms and spices used in sausage making give this vegetarian version of a Southern diner breakfast staple a convincingly meaty flavor.
BISCUITS AND GRAVY ARE PERHAPS THE ICONIC SOUTHERN BREAKFAST FOOD. More specifically, biscuits and some kind of meaty gravy made with either pork sausage or rendered fat from fried ham or even lard, if no meat is available. Sounds dodgy, tastes delicious. Continue reading “Biscuits and Vegetarian Red Eye Gravy that will fool your favorite carnivore”
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”
Kimchi puts a tangy, slightly spicy, umami-rich Korean spin on the classic grilled cheese sandwich. Recipe below.
IS THERE ANYTHING KIMCHI CAN’T DO? When we first heard the words “kimchi grilled cheese,” we thought perfect. Take a classic American comfort food favorite, the grilled cheese sandwich, and add kimchi to it? We’re there.
Continue reading “Livening up a comfort food classic—Kimchi Grilled Cheese”