Quick Tomato Rice Cheese Casserole

Adapt this weeknight-quick, satisfying casserole based on what’s in your fridge—or what you’re hankering for. recipe below.

AT MY WORKPLACE, WE ARE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT ROI—RETURN ON INVESTMENT—AND THE ROI FOR THIS RECIPE IS IMMENSE. This is one of those classic recipes that is weeknight fast and super flexible. The key ingredients are tomatoes, rice and cheese. What else you add depends on what you have in your fridge and what you’re in the mood for. For this batch, we included kielbasa and green bell pepper.
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Bigos, Polish Hunter’s Stew

Kielbasa, pork roast, chicken, sauerkraut and cabbage make bigos a hearty stew perfect for winter—and Poland’s national dish.

A WEEKEND DAY TRIP IN NORTHWEST INDIANA LED TO SOME GREAT FOOD. Classic Ruben sandwiches and slices of housemade pie from a 1940s diner. Artisan sweets from a little chocolatier in a former bag factory. And for dinner back at home, takeout bigos—Polish hunter’s stew—from a Polish deli and supermarket that it turns out is dangerously close to our home. Continue reading “Bigos, Polish Hunter’s Stew” →

Inspired by Indian curries, Charred Leek Gulai Sayur

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” →

Warm up with Valerie’s Split Pea Soup

BITTER COLD GOT MARION TO MAKE HER FRIEND VALERIE’S SOUP the first time seven years ago. Now with pretty much all of the U.S. gripped by brutal winter weather—including unprecedented snow across the South—it seemed like a good time to make this warming, hearty split pea soup again. Continue reading “Warm up with Valerie’s Split Pea Soup” →

Friends, family and comfort food: Shepherd’s Pie

“GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS.” Robert Frost’s neighbor likes the thought so much he says it twice as they mend the stone wall between them. We think good food makes even better neighbors. It’s certainly one reason Rosa is a great next door neighbor. Continue reading “Friends, family and comfort food: Shepherd’s Pie” →

Miso Gochujang Butter Chicken

A mix of Asian ingredients create roasted chicken that is juicy, slightly spicy, tangy and a little sweet. Recipe below.

LOOK IN OUR FRIDGE AND PANTRY, AND YOU’LL FIND ASIAN INGREDIENTS GALORE. Some esoteric, but mostly basic things we use regularly. This easy chicken recipe calls for three of the latter, all from different parts of Asia. White miso paste from Japan, gochujang paste from Korea, and rice vinegar used throughout East and Southeast Asia—China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam… Which makes perfect sense since it comes from a lovely pan-Asian cookbook. Continue reading “Miso Gochujang Butter Chicken” →

Spicy Tofu Stir Fry

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” →

Happy holidays from Blue Kitchen

THE KITCHEN IS CLOSED THIS WEEK. We’ll be back next week with a new recipe. In the meantime, enjoy celebrating the holidays deliciously.

Nantucket Pie (or cake or cobbler or…)

A traditional dessert from Massachusetts, Nantucket Pie combines cranberries, nuts and lots of butter to create a rich, tart, sweet, festive treat. Recipe below.

NANTUCKET PIE IS A VENN DIAGRAM KIND OF DESSERT, occupying the overlap among tart, cobbler and cake. It’s sweet, tart and festive looking. It’s incredibly fast and simple to put together—really, it’s the perfect thing for a beginning baker—and when it comes out of the oven, it smells delightful. What it is not is pie, but that’s fine. Continue reading “Nantucket Pie (or cake or cobbler or…)” →

Making the most of fresh cranberries now: Pan-roasted Chicken with Cranberries

THANKS TO THANKSGIVING, FRESH CRANBERRIES ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. BUY THEM. This is a delicious dish that makes the most of them. The signature tartness of fresh cranberries turns pan-roasted chicken, potatoes, shallots and herbs into a complex, company-ready meal. And fortunately, fresh cranberries freeze nicely—future you will thank you. You’ll find the recipe here.