Category: World Cuisine

Aptly named, make-it-again delicious: Weeknight Spicy Tofu Stir Fry

Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp adds crunchy, garlicky spiciness to celery, bell peppers, garlic, ginger and extra firm tofu in this quick vegan stir fry. Recipe below.

Weeknight Spicy Tofu Stir Fry
Weeknight Spicy Tofu Stir Fry

IN RECENT DAYS, WE’VE SEEN A NUMBER OF ARTICLES in which food writers and chefs stuck at home and even regular folks talk about the extras they need to have in their kitchen—not the basic pantry items like beans or tinned fish or unbleached flour, but basics-plus—the things that bring a dish to life, that are the foundations of their palates and styles. Preserved lemons, black garlic, 5-year cheddar, harissa paste, Plugra butter, fish sauce, Tabasco, gochujang. Continue reading “Aptly named, make-it-again delicious: Weeknight Spicy Tofu Stir Fry” →

A little kimchi delivers big flavor in Instant Pot Country-Style Pork Ribs with Kimchi

A modest amount of kimchi has a big, delicious effect on boneless country-style pork ribs, and the Instant Pot makes it weeknight-quick. Recipe below.

Instant Pot Country Style Pork Ribs with Kimchi
Instant Pot Country Style Pork Ribs with Kimchi

I’VE NEVER BEEN A FAN OF TV COOKING CHALLENGES, those ridiculous shows in which contestants are given a handful of seemingly random ingredients and 45 minutes to turn it into something. But now, we are all living that show on a daily basis. Going into the kitchen, delving ever deeper into the fridge, the freezer, the pantry, trying to turn something, anything, into dinner. Continue reading “A little kimchi delivers big flavor in Instant Pot Country-Style Pork Ribs with Kimchi” →

Deconstructing a classic Polish dish: Unstuffed Cabbage

The hearty Polish dish Stuffed Cabbage is easier to make and just as delicious when you unstuff it. Recipe below.

Unstuffed Cabbage

SO HERE WE ALL ARE, STAYING IN, looking after each other by staying apart from each other. Hiding. Staying well, healing, hunkering down and making do with what we’ve got and just getting through it. Continue reading “Deconstructing a classic Polish dish: Unstuffed Cabbage” →

Two distinctly French ingredients flavor Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew

Cognac and two Dijon mustards flavor this rich, hearty classic French stew. Recipe below.

Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew
Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew

LOOK UP CARNIVOROUS FRANCOPHILE in the dictionary and you’ll probably see my picture. Okay, it’s not a real dictionary term, but it should be. The French are particularly good at taking humble cheap cuts of meat—beef chuck roast, for instance—and slow cooking them into something spectacular. Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew is a perfect example. Continue reading “Two distinctly French ingredients flavor Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew” →

Easy, subtle comfort: Cream of Belgian Endive Soup

Belgian endives, leeks, onions, celery and cream are the basis for this delicately flavored traditional Belgian soup. Recipe below.

Cream of Belgian Endive Soup
Cream of Belgian Endive Soup

SOME YEARS AGO, MARION AND HER SISTER VISITED PARIS REGULARLY. On one trip, they also went to Belgium. Marion said they ate better there than any place they had eaten in Paris. So when I recently discovered the apparently appropriately named Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook, I was intrigued, to say the least. Continue reading “Easy, subtle comfort: Cream of Belgian Endive Soup” →

Hold the garlic for traditional Amatriciana sauce

Guanciale (or pancetta), onion, canned Italian tomatoes and Pecorino Romano—but no garlic—are the basic ingredients for Amatriciana sauce, a simple Italian favorite. Recipe below.

Spaghetti with Amatriciana Sauce
Spaghetti All’ Amatriciana

[su_dropcap style=”flat”]T[/su_dropcap]o me, garlic is deeply ingrained in Italian cuisine. So much so that every single time I make Lidia Bastianich’s Ziti with Sausage and Fennel, I’m surprised to remember that it has no garlic. Turns out Italians have a much more nuanced relationship with this fragrant Allium. Continue reading “Hold the garlic for traditional Amatriciana sauce” →

A Korean staple flavors perfect-for-winter Gochujang Chicken and Cauliflower

Gochujang—a readily available Korean pepper paste—teams up with ginger, garlic and lime juice to create a lively sauce for roasted chicken and cauliflower. Recipe below.

Gochujang Chicken and Cauliflower

TO US, THE BEST WAY TO ROAST A WHOLE CHICKEN is to not roast a whole chicken, but to roast chicken parts. So when Marion came across a promising recipe for a slow-roasted whole chicken featuring a gochujang sauce, we broke it down to thighs and drumsticks. Continue reading “A Korean staple flavors perfect-for-winter Gochujang Chicken and Cauliflower” →

A vegetarian Okra Stew offers balancing, restorative powers

This traditional, vegetarian Sudanese stew of okra, tomatoes, onion, garlic and cinnamon, topped with cinnamon-flavored couscous, is perfect for re-energizing—or just enjoying. Recipes below.

Alek Wek’s Balancing Okra Stew

[su_dropcap style=”flat” size=”3″]T[/su_dropcap]his refreshing, healthy recipe is by the model, author and Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Alek Wek. A traditional Sudanese dish, it originally appeared in the New York Times in 2018, part of its occasional My Detox series. Continue reading “A vegetarian Okra Stew offers balancing, restorative powers” →

Eating, drinking, walking and museuming our way through Mexico City

Ciudad de Mexico

[su_dropcap style=”flat”]W[/su_dropcap]e were in Mexico City recently. Ciudad de México, CDMX. On our return, a colleague asked me what we’d done. I said, “We drank mezcal and ate bugs.” Totally true. We also did other things. Continue reading “Eating, drinking, walking and museuming our way through Mexico City” →