Simple comforts and everyday cooking: Chicken with Black Beans and Rice

Chicken thighs, black beans, rice, tomatoes with green chilies, and cilantro make a hearty, slightly spicy dish that’s even better the second day. Recipe below.

Chicken with Black Beans and Rice
Chicken with Black Beans and Rice

WE’RE ALL LOOKING FOR EXTRA LITTLE BITS OF COMFORT these days and taking them wherever we find them. Not big or extravagant things—more often than not, just things that feel comfortably normal. This week, we talk about a few comforts we’re finding, including in the kitchen. Continue reading “Simple comforts and everyday cooking: Chicken with Black Beans and Rice” →

10 French and French-inspired recipes from an unrepentant Francophile

From soup to roast, stew, crêpes and more, we explore classic French cooking and regional favorites.

Watercress Vichyssoise

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” →

Don’t like eggplant? Love it? Eggplant Adobo is for you

Five basic ingredients—soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns—turn Asian eggplants into a tangy, vegan Philippine adobo dish. Recipe below.

Eggplant Adobo
Eggplant Adobo

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” →

A cozy breakfast for you and future you: Buttermilk Waffles

Make a whole batch of these delicious buttermilk waffles and freeze some for homemade toaster waffles. Recipe below.

Buttermilk Waffles
Buttermilk Waffles

ON SATURDAY MORNINGS, IF WE ARE IN TOWN (and let’s face it, these days we still always are), we kind of laze out of bed whenever. We drift down to the kitchen and sit around the island and have boatloads of coffee (me) and tea (Terry). We look out the back door into the tiny backyard and comment on whatever birds are visiting the birdbath (lately, a pair of cardinals are bossing around all other comers). Eventually, one of us makes a late breakfast. Continue reading “A cozy breakfast for you and future you: Buttermilk Waffles” →

Humble comfort from the city on the sea: Shanghai Scallion Oil Noodles

This simple vegetarian dish made with scallions, oil, two soy sauces, sugar and noodles is pure comfort food in Shanghai homes. Recipe below.

Shanghai Scallion Oil Noodles
Shanghai Scallion Oil Noodles

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” →

Vegetarian (or vegan) and delicious: Red Lentil 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.

Red Lentil Soup
Red Lentil Soup

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” →

Speeding up, umami-ing up and downsizing a meaty favorite: Instant Pot Pot Roast

The Instant Pot makes this weekend indulgence weeknight quickish; a secret Asian ingredient makes it irresistibly savory. Recipe below.

Instant Pot Pot Roast
Instant Pot Pot Roast

WE’LL START WITH THE DOWNSIZING. When you’re trying to eat less red meat, pot roast can be a challenge. First, it is one of the most delicious forms of red meat there is, meaty, robust, fatty—and yes, a little chewy. Second, most chuck roasts weigh in at three to four pounds or more, not exactly a dainty cut. Continue reading “Speeding up, umami-ing up and downsizing a meaty favorite: Instant Pot Pot Roast” →

Shrimp, lots of garlic and a little heat: Gambas al Ajillo

The showstopping flavor of this popular Spanish tapas belies how easy it is to make. Recipe below.

Gambas al Ajillo
Gambas al Ajillo

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” →

Creamy and chunky, ready for whatever weather: Baked Potato Soup

A mix of baked and simmered potatoes gives this soup a satisfying texture and real baked potato flavor. Recipe below.

Baked Potato Soup

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” →