Green tomatoes, and some kind of pepper and onion are at the heart of this crisp, tart, easy-to-make traditional Burmese salad. Recipe below.
IT’S OCTOBER. THE DAYS ARE GETTING SHORTER, the nights crisp (well, sometimes). The bees are fewer in number and acting kind of drowsy. But the tomato plants, ever cheerful, are still optimistically generating loads of tomatoes. Continue reading “Simple, authentic, delicious: Burmese Green Tomato Salad (kayan chin thi thoke)”
A curry sauce made of onions, garlic, ginger, mango and coconut milk is the base for the delicious Burmese chicken dish. Recipe below.
BURMESE RESTAURANTS ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN in the United States. So when boredom-inspired antiquing sent us out to the western suburbs last weekend, we knew we would be visiting Pa Lian. Continue reading “Exploring an underknown cuisine: Burmese Mango Chicken”
TO US, CHICKEN AND GRILLING JUST GO TOGETHER. It’s flavorful and forgiving, even when overcooked. It’s also versatile. Here are seven of our favorite recipes, borrowing ingredients and techniques from all over the globe. Continue reading “Seven grilled chicken recipes with a world of influences”
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”
From soup to roast, stew, crêpes and more, we explore classic French cooking and regional favorites.
THE NUMBER OF FRENCH-INSPIRED RECIPES I’ve shared here impresses (surprises? frightens?) even me. And they are all of a particular sort—not the haute cuisine of gourmet restaurants and luxury hotels, but the everyday dishes cooked at home that illustrate, for me, the French understanding—and love—of food. Simply cooked, usually with a handful of perfectly chosen ingredients perfectly prepared. Here are some of my favorites. Continue reading “10 French and French-inspired recipes from an unrepentant Francophile”
Five basic ingredients—soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns—turn Asian eggplants into a tangy, vegan Philippine adobo dish. Recipe below.
WE LOVE EGGPLANT. We also understand that some people don’t. There’s that slightly bitter taste that just puts them off. That’s one reason we really love Asian varieties of eggplant—they’re slightly sweet, without any bitterness. Of course another big reason we love Asian eggplants is that we most often encounter them on menus in Chinese restaurants—seek them out, in fact. Recently, a Filipino eggplant dish, Eggplant Adobo, caught our eye. Having just made Chicken Adobo, the unofficial national dish of the Philippines, we were intrigued, to say the least. Continue reading “Don’t like eggplant? Love it? Eggplant Adobo is for you”
This simple vegetarian dish made with scallions, oil, two soy sauces, sugar and noodles is pure comfort food in Shanghai homes. Recipe below.
CHINESE FOOD IS ALWAYS SURPRISING US, always teaching us something new. There are so many regional cuisines, so many cooking techniques, so many secrets. Recently, ordering takeout from a new-to-us restaurant featuring Shanghai dishes, we came across scallion oil noodles— cōng yóu bàn miàn. Continue reading “Humble comfort from the city on the sea: Shanghai Scallion Oil Noodles”
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”
The showstopping flavor of this popular Spanish tapas belies how easy it is to make. Recipe below.
WE OFTEN TALK ABOUT WHAT INSPIRES OUR COOKING. This dish began its circuitous route to our table with flamenco. Like pretty much everyone, we are seeking out performances online—music, dance, stand-up, anything—as live, in-person shows are still not happening. Most recently, we happened on flamenco performed in a narrow Spanish bar in Sevilla, Spain—and in the bar’s tiny kitchen and in the plaza in front of the bar. Continue reading “Shrimp, lots of garlic and a little heat: Gambas al Ajillo”
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”