Pork, cabbage and potatoes create a hearty, peasanty stew; fennel seed subtly elevates it. Recipe below.
IT IS NOW DAY WHATEVER IN THE SHUTDOWN, and we are still self-isolating. I said three weeks ago that we hadn’t been inside any building that is not our house for some time. That remains true. We also have not eaten anything that was not cooked by one of us. I’m happy to report that we are okay with that. Continue reading “Fennel seed finesses Instant Pot Pork and Cabbage Stew”
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.
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”
Turns out English Muffins are as easy to make as they are great to eat. You don’t even bake them—you cook them on your stovetop. Recipe below.
WHEN I UNDERSTOOD HOW EASY IT IS is to make English muffins, I regretted all the years in which I have never made them. The basic elements are few—flour, yeast, salt, buttermilk or yogurt. They have one hour-long rise and then a short ten-minute rest once they are shaped. You don’t even bake them—you cook them on the stovetop. And then you have these delicious things. Continue reading “Deliciously simple (simply delicious?) English Muffins”
Some thoughts on life and food right now, and five simple, comforting recipes.
THE OTHER NIGHT ON OUR NEIGHBORHOOD WALK, Marion said two things she was missing most right now were us getting in the car and going to see one of our daughters—both live driving distance away—and the two of us going to some little place for cocktails and dinner. A place like Martin’s Corner. Continue reading “Life in the time of shuttered restaurants, long walks and embracing home cooking”
The hearty Polish dish Stuffed Cabbage is easier to make and just as delicious when you unstuff it. Recipe below.
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”
Tuscan Lentil and White Bean Soup is delicious, comforting, infinitely flexible—vegetarian, not vegetarian—and easy to make from what you have on hand. Recipe below.
SHELTER IN PLACE. Enough has been said about how we got to this strange time and place that I don’t need to add anything here. But suddenly, more of us are cooking at home than ever, oftentimes with what we have at hand. Partly, of course, it is by necessity. But many of us are taking comfort in cooking. Continue reading “Simple comfort when we need it most: Tuscan Lentil and White Bean Soup”
Cognac and two Dijon mustards flavor this rich, hearty classic French stew. Recipe below.
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”
EVEN IF YOU DON’T CELEBRATE ST. PATRICK’S DAY, we think you’ll appreciate their way with satisfying, rib-sticking dishes during the vagaries of March weather. Here are three we really like, all featuring potatoes. Continue reading “Three favorite Irish recipes, don’t hold the potatoes”
Un-iced and not overly sweet, this cinnamon roll is a perfect dessert, breakfast or anytime snack. Recipe below.
YOU KNOW HOW SOMETIMES SOMEONE SAYS A THING TO YOU that unexpectedly puts everything in a whole new light? That opens a doorway where, for the longest and most wearying time, you’d just seen the same dull wall? Continue reading “Cinnamon Rolls, almost like my mother made”
Belgian endives, leeks, onions, celery and cream are the basis for this delicately flavored traditional Belgian soup. Recipe below.
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”