Grilled Skirt Steak Skewers

Ah, that time of year in which you dust off the grill, vacuum out the cobwebs, scare away any critters who have taken up residence over the winter (including one black widow, yikes!), clean the grates, turn on the gas, and realize your starter doesn’t work.

So you use a match, and for some reason that grill. Will. Just. Not. Get. Hot. Enough.

So you start over with the Weber and some charcoal, and grill a batch of beautiful skirt steak skewers that were marinating the whole time you were futzing with the equipment.

And they are so perfect and delicious that you don’t care about the broken starter that needs to get fixed or your close call with a black widow. Like a Homer Simpson thought bubble, all you can think about is steak so goooooood.

Why is skirt steak in particular so good, and so perfect for grilling threaded on skewers? Let me show you:

It’s the fat, of course!

Skirt steak is much fattier than, say, flank steak. The way that the fat is marbleized throughout the meat results in a cut that is much more flavorful, and more forgiving when you cook it.

Unlike flank steak, which because it’s so lean needs to be cooked rare or it gets too dry, skirt steak can be cooked all the way through without suffering.

You still need to cut the steak across the grain when you cut your strips, but the steak will be tender and flavorful because of the fat.

Grilled Skirt Steak Skewers Recipe

Ingredients

Marinade ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1-inch piece of ginger, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Other ingredients:

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds skirt steak, trimmed of membranes and silver skin
• Olive oil for grill grates
• 25-30 bamboo or wooden skewers for grilling

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Pickled Shrimp

Pickled shrimp is one of those party dishes that has everyone rushing into the kitchen to see how you made it. In fact, you didn’t do very much at all, which is what makes pickled shrimp such a great choice for cocktail parties and holiday gatherings.

The shrimp look so amazing packed into a jar. You can see the pink curls against the glass with spices and herbs swirling around them.

Pickled shrimp is an easy, make-ahead appetizer that never fails to impress.

All you do to make pickled shrimp is poach some shrimp and then pack them into a big crock or canning jar with simple pickling spices, vinegar, and olive oil. Let this sit in the fridge for a day or two, and pull out the jar just before the party starts.

It’s all very colorful, especially if you use a clear glass jar: pink shrimp, bright yellow slices of lemon, mustard seeds, thyme leaves, red onion, and fronds from a bulb of fresh fennel. (The fennel gives mix some crunch in addition to being pretty!)

The pickling liquid is a combination of cider vinegar and olive oil. As long as the shrimp are submerged in liquid, they’ll keep well for a few days in the refrigerator.

When it’s party time, tip the contents into a bowl – spices and all – and hand out toothpicks. Part of the fun is letting guests go fishing.

Pickled Shrimp Recipe

You can double or triple this recipe as needed as long as you have extra jars!

Ingredients

• 1 stalk celery, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, sliced into very thin rounds
• Salt, to taste
• 4 cups water
• 1 pound (12-20 count) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails intact
• 1/2 bulb fresh fennel
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil, or more if needed
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Few sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 clove garlic, halved
• 2 tablespoons capers and their juices
• 2 teaspoons mustard seed

Special equipment:

• 1-quart canning jar or crock, or any combination of smaller jars equaling 1 quart

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Blueberry Shortcake

When the summer months come, I find it almost impossibly hard to resist buying fresh blueberries by the double basketful.

Thank goodness they’re such good brain food! (These days my brain needs all the help it can get.)

My twelve year old nephew is in town which is perfect excuse to make shortcake of any variety.Unlike with strawberries, where all you have to do is cut them and sprinkle them with sugar, to get the blueberries juicy enough for shortcake it works well to cook them, just a little, with sugar. This way more juices are released.

This recipe makes a lot of blueberry topping. If you find you have leftover, it’s great over ice cream, or better yet, pancakes.

Blueberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

Berries

• 5 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 pinch cinnamon

Biscuits

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• Pinch cinnamon
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 7/8 cup (1 cup minus 2 Tbsp) heavy whipping cream
• 1 large egg*
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Heavy cream for whipping

*The egg is optional. Including the egg will result in a less crumbly shortcake biscuit, but either way, with or without egg, is good.

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Short-Rib Beef Stew with Ale

The debate didn’t last long. “You could have used boneless beef short-ribs. You’re paying for the bones when you buy them bone-in,” my mother remarked in while we were all enjoying this wonderful stew.

“It’s better with the bones,” my father and I replied, practically in unison. “Better flavor,” dad added. “And then there’s all that goodness from the marrow,” said I.

Mom, not willing to give in so easily, said, “these bones are too small, I can’t see any marrow.” At this point, dad and I put our forks down and focused our gaze upon her.

“Mom, just because you can’t see a hole in the bones, doesn’t mean there’s no marrow.”

“But they couldn’t have cooked long enough for anything to come out.”

“They cooked for two and a half hours.”

“Okay. Nevermind.”

And so it goes. Lest you think that my dad and I unfairly give my mom a hard time, tonight both of them pounced on me for not knowing who Falstaff was. “Shakespeare, Henry IV!,” said they, rolling their eyes the way they do when they realize how little I, the daughter of two teachers, really know.

By the way, my mother is right more often than not, though in this case I’ll stand by our assertion that this stew tastes better, and is better for you, when cooked with the short ribs bone-in.

This recipe is adapted from one in a old Sunset Magazine. We used a malty brown ale in place of the beer the original recipe calls for, and added carrots and turnips.

We love turnips in stews, though they have their own unique, somewhat bitter flavor; you can easily leave them out.

Updated. From the recipe archive. First posted 2007.

Short-Rib Beef Stew with Ale Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp hot paprika
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, trimmed of excess fat
• 4 strips thick-cut bacon
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 bottle (12 oz.) a malty brown ale (we used Newcastle Brown ale)
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) whole peeled tomatoes, chopped and juices reserved
• 2 pounds Yukon Gold or russet potatoes
• 2 large carrots
• 1 pound turnips (optional)

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Hot and Sour Soup

Hot and sour soup is a lot like chili; every family has their own recipe, and each family thinks that theirs is the best. When I was in the local Chinese market perusing the mushrooms I asked one of the other shoppers, a tiny and ancient woman half my height whose etched wrinkles framed a friendly smile, where the wood ear mushrooms were.

“What are you using them for?”

“Hot and sour soup,” I replied.

“What? You don’t want those. Here,” she grabbed a bag of dried shiitake, “use these.”

“No! You don’t want those for hot and sour soup!” cried another, more stout lady behind me. She said something in Cantonese to the first lady before grabbing a fresh bunch of enoki mushrooms and throwing them in my basket. “This is better.”

Soon, nine women were having an all out argument in the middle of the aisle. I was stuck in the middle, caught between volleys of angry insults and defenses of cherished family recipes for hot and sour soup, both in Cantonese and English.

People insulted each other’s families, critiqued the various provinces of China (all were in agreement that the people in the North, apparently, can’t cook good soup), and altered the contents of my shopping basket at whim.

Eventually, a decision was reached that you absolutely have to use black fungus—an apt, but unappetizing name for a delightful ingredient—and lily buds. The other mushroom is up to you. Whatever one you decide on be sure to be ready to defend your choice.

Hot and Sour Soup Recipe

You can use gluten-free soy sauce in this recipe, and use vegetable stock to make it vegetarian. However, do not substitute black pepper for the white pepper. The mushrooms and lily buds can be found at any Chinese market.

Ingredients

• 6 dried Chinese black fungus
• 6 dried wood ear, black, cloud, straw, or shiitake mushrooms, or one bunch of fresh enoki mushrooms
• 5 dried lily buds
• One can of bamboo shoots
• 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1/2 block of firm tofu, diced into small cubes
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 3 scallions, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of finely ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of chili oil (optional)
• Cilantro (optional)

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Classic King Crab

Please welcome Hank Shaw as he serves up some Alaskan king crab! ~Elise

One of my early memories as a kid was eating piles of Alaskan king crab legs in restaurants. Dipped in lots of melted butter and served with a lemon wedge I rarely used, it was tons of fun pulling big chunks of rich, luscious crab meat from those enormous legs. I grew up in New Jersey, where the much smaller blue crab reigns supreme, so the idea of gigantic crabs up to six feet long wandering around on the bottom of the ocean was both exotic and slightly scary. Eating these crabs was like traveling to a different world.

As I later learned, it was a different world back then. Our family was not particularly wealthy, and I never remember king crab even being in the same class as Maine lobster. King crab was what you got when lobster was too expensive. If you look at the history of the Alaskan king crab fishery, you’ll know why: At precisely the same time I was enjoying mountains of king crab, the fishery was reaching the high-water mark of unsustainability: In 1981, fishermen hauled up 130 million pounds of kings. Two years later, the fishery collapsed.

It took years, but crab stocks did recover. Since then, king crab has been fished sustainably throughout Alaska. And while it will never be inexpensive again, it’s still one of the world’s great luxury foods. Rich, soft and briny, king crab is reminiscent more of lobster than of crab. The meat is also easy to extract and fills the shells, which gives you a good amount of meat per pound — unlike most other crabs.

King crab is best served simply. To do too much to it would be like stuffing caviar into a burrito. Steam it, grill it or even microwave it, and then choose a support player and enjoy. The classic is, was and always will be melted butter and lemon. It is a classic for a reason.

As a consumer, you need to keep in mind two things: First, be certain to buy American crab. There is a lot of inexpensive Russian king crab on the market, and the reason it’s so cheap is because the Russians are destroying their fishery for a quick buck. American fishermen work under strict rules of sustainability, which is why U.S. crab is more expensive. We should reward them for playing fair.

The second thing you need to remember is that virtually all king crab is pre-cooked. It has to be, to preserve freshness. Alaskan king crab is cooked and blast frozen right in the harbor. If they did not, the giant crabs would die and rot within hours. This means that as a cook, you are really reheating king crab, not actually cooking it. So be gentle. I prefer to steam it for 5 minutes and call it a day. King crab really needs nothing else.

Classic King Crab Recipe

You could use olive oil instead of butter, but why would you want to?

Ingredients

• 3-4 pounds Alaskan king crab legs and claws
• 1 stick of butter
• Lemon wedges for garnish

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Sesame Cucumber Salad

Will someone please tell me why it is 60°F and drizzly, at the end of May, here in Sacramento?

For my Memorial Day BBQ, we huddled around the fireplace, while the brave ones (or those more appropriately dressed for the weather) manned the grill.

I don’t want to complain too loudly though, lest some of you enduring the heat wave that’s sitting on much of the country send those searing temps back towards us. We’ll get our share later, I can assure you.

For those of you who do find yourself in stifling heat, and are looking for something cooling, I can recommend this cucumber salad, recipe courtesy of a certain tall, dark, and handsome Frenchman. (Thank you Guy!)

It’s actually good any time of the year; we like it for a light late night snack while watching Poirot or the Pink Panther.

Sesame Cucumber Salad Recipe

Make sure your sesame oil is fresh and not rancid. These oils can go rancid after a few months. Do a taste test before adding to the cucumbers; if it tastes off, don't use. If you want you can sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on the cucumbers.

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized cucumbers (about 1 lb total)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tbsp dark sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes

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Clam Chowder

Repeat after me, “Chow-DAH!” That’s the way it should be said, if you are anywhere in the vicinity of New England, which is the birthplace of this wonderful clam stew.

The word “chowder” is thought to have been derived from “chaudière”, an old French term for cauldron, or a big cooking pot.

Traditionally chowder is made with salt pork, onions, potatoes, milk or cream, butter, and fish like cod or haddock, or clams. Many of the older recipes add some wine (Madeira) as well.

There’s a wonderful website I recommend called The New England Chowder Compendium which showcases a collection of historical chowder recipes dating back to the 1700s. Chowder is one of those things that is made in many different ways, and pretty much everyone thinks their way is best. It’s worth noting that the variations of this stew go back hundreds of years!

On a recent trip to Massachusetts, we sampled clam chowders at practically every stop. The best one we had, in my opinion, was at a little coffee shop in Concord, Mass. The soup was creamy, but not overly so (some clam chowders can be such cream bombs), thickened a little with flour, but not too much, and with tasty chunks of what appeared to be salt pork, and lots of corn in addition to chopped clams.

I loved it! Corn isn’t usually included in clam chowder, but believe me, it’s fabulous.

Here is my take on clam chowder, with plenty of suggestions for substitutions. Even my dad, who insists he doesn’t like clam chowder, loved this soup. Consider the recipe a guideline, and play with it to your liking.

Speaking of which, how do you like your clam chowder? Please let us know in the comments.

Clam Chowder Recipe

This recipe uses fresh clams. If you don't have access to fresh clams, you can use clam juice and canned chopped clams. In that case, skip steps 1 and 2 and use 16 oz of clam juice, and 1 1/2 to 2 cups of chopped clams, saving the liquid from the cans to add to the clam juice.

Salt pork is traditional, it's like slab bacon that hasn't been smoked. You can easily substitute with bacon, or pancetta. If you don't use salt pork, you may need to add more salt to the soup.

The flour is a thickener. If you are cooking gluten-free or want a thinner consistency to your soup, leave it out. If you want a thicker soup, add more flour.

Ingredients

• About 4 lbs of littleneck or cherrystone clams (about 3 dozen clams or so, depending on the size)
• 1 Tbsp butter or vegetable oil
• 4 ounces salt pork, cubed (or chopped bacon or pancetta, cubed)
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 Tbsp flour (or more, depending on how thick you want the soup)
• 1 cup dry white wine, like a Sauvignon blanc (or you can use 2 Tbsp of white or cider vinegar, or lemon juice)
• 2 pounds potatoes (russets or Yukon gold), peeled and diced
• 1 to 2 cups of water
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (or paprika with a dash of cayenne)
• 1 1/2 cups corn (frozen is fine) optional
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

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Oven-Roasted Salmon, Asparagus and New Potatoes

My dad pulled out a favorite recipe from his collection of decades old Food & Wine magazine to make and share with “the people on the website.”

A “discussion” then ensued between the rental units for at least half an hour along the lines of “What do you mean this is a favorite recipe? You always told me you didn’t like salmon.” “What are you talking about? I used to make this all the time.” “You’ve never made it in this house!…” and so on and so on.

Turns out my mother’s preferred method of cooking any fish is to pan-fry it, coated with cornmeal. Pan-frying salmon tends to leave odoriferous remnants (it stinks up the house) which my father really doesn’t appreciate.

Likely he did cook it often enough, just not when mom was around, lest she get ideas about cooking salmon herself. Just a theory of course, I didn’t stick around to see the outcome of this particular chat…

This salmon recipe comes together quickly in the oven, all in one sheet pan or roasting pan. You roast the potatoes first, because they take much longer than the fish and asparagus to cook. Then you toss the asparagus in with the potatoes, move them over to the side of the pan, add the salmon and cook everything together until the salmon is cooked through.

Super easy with wonderful flavors. Perfect for a midweek dinner!

Recipe and photos updated, first published 2008

Oven-Roasted Salmon, Asparagus and New Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound (450 g) small new potatoes, scrubbed clean and halved
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound (225 g) medium asparagus, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal, 1-inch long pieces
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 1 strip of lemon zest
• 1 small garlic clove, coarsely chopped
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) of salmon fillets or salmon steaks cut about 1-inch thick
• 1 lemon, cut into large wedges

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Tomatillo Scrambled Eggs

Every few days, for the last month, I’ve gone out to my garden in the morning and gathered enough tomatillos to cook up with some eggs for breakfast.

Here it is November, and the leaves are all turning, but we’re in Northern California and we still have yet to get a frost, so the tomatillos are still growing, albeit more slowly.

We grew up with my mother making huevos a la Mexicana, or scrambled eggs cooked in a tomato and jalapeno salsa.

This recipe is a salsa verde version of my mom’s huevos. Add some chorizo and you’ll have a Mexican version of Green Eggs and Ham!

Yes, the eggs are green, but if you, like me, love salsa verde, this is a good thing.

Tomatillo Scrambled Eggs Recipe

If you don't have access to tomatillos you can use prepared salsa verde, about a half cup for this recipe.

Use as much or as little jalapeño for this recipe as you want. Skip it if you don't want the heat at all.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 1/2 pound tomatillos, papery husks removed and discarded, rinsed, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 fresh or canned jalapeno chile pepper, minced (more or less depending on how hot the pepper is, and how much heat you want)
• Splash of lemon or lime juice
• 5 to 6 eggs
• Salt and pepper
• Some chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

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Cheddar and Jalapeño Biscuits

My friend Garrett was over the other day, and made for me these fabulous cheddar jalapeño biscuits. I’ve since made them several times and each time they disappear within minutes. They are surprisingly light in texture and crumb, given the amount of cheese and cream.

The secret ingredient? A quarter cup of cornmeal or polenta added to the flour. Just that amount lends a slight crunch to the biscuit, without making it gritty. The cornmeal of course works beautifully with the jalapeños and cheddar cheese. Garrett tops the biscuits with extra grated cheddar, giving them an even more cheesy edge. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, an afternoon snack, or served alongside a hot bowl of chili.

Cheddar and Jalapeño Biscuits Recipe

Taste the jalapeño. If too mild, include the seeds, if hot, use just the flesh, not the seeds. Adjust the amount to taste. Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese can also be substituted for the cheddar.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups (175g) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (45g) polenta or fine milled corn meal
• 3 tablespoons (45g) sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 cups packed, 170g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided (1 1/4 cup and 1/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons diced fresh jalapeños (more or less to taste)
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream (200ml), plus extra for brushing

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Seared Scallops with Asparagus Sauce

A few years ago my father discovered scallops, not that he didn’t know about them before, it’s just that some light bulb went off in his head one day and he decided that he had to cook them. So for a time he would madly attack any scallop recipe that seemed half-way interesting.

The problem was that he just couldn’t get them right. He had a hard time getting them browned, and more often than not, they were overcooked.

So when the-man-who-knows-more-about-seafood-than-I-ever-hope-to Hank Shaw was here the other day cooking scallops, both dad and I circled Hank like hawks, watching to see how he did it. Here’s what we learned.

You need a screaming hot pan. Scallops have a lot of moisture in them, which means you have to get the pan really hot to dry the outer edge of that moist scallop so that it can actually get hot enough to brown.

When the scallops brown, the meat pulls back a bit (contracting proteins) making them easier to turn. Now theory doesn’t always translate to practice, you might still have some sticking. But when the scallop is seared enough, it should move more easily.

An asparagus sauce is an excellent way to complement the scallops. While it looks fancy, it’s really just boiled asparagus, chopped then tossed in a blender with some chicken stock and then reheated with butter and salt. Any leftovers can be used as a sauce for pasta.

Seared Scallops with Asparagus Sauce Recipe

Plan on 3 sea scallops per person for a light dinner or appetizer, 5 scallops for a full main course.

Many sea scallops come with a tough flap of meat attached to them. Just pull it off and either discard or use in a seafood stock.

The asparagus sauce is a great way to use the spears of asparagus in case you’ve chopped off the tips for use in another recipe. You’re just puréeing them here, so you’ll never see the tips.

Ingredients

• 6 sea scallops*
• Salt
• 1 pound asparagus
• 1/2 cup warm chicken broth (if cooking gluten-free use gluten-free stock)
• 2-3 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp canola or grapeseed oil or other high smoke-point oil

*Sea scallops are the big scallops, about 1 1/2-inches wide, as opposed to bay scallops which are small, about 1/2-inch wide. Look for “dry pack” scallops, as they are not treated with chemicals to keep them fresh; the chemicals are not overly harmful, but they change the texture of the scallop and make them harder to sear properly.

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Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Kale

Spaghetti squash is winter squash unlike any other. When you cook it and scrape it with a fork, the flesh peels away like ribbons of pasta, hence the name. The taste is light and texture almost a little crunchy. Spaghetti squash’s best friend? Sausage. They just like each other, like pasta and meatballs.

So when I saw this recipe in my friends Todd Porter and Diane Cu‘s stunning new cookbook Bountiful, with recipes inspired by their garden, I couldn’t wait to dive in. I changed it ever so slightly, adding a cup of sliced kale for some green, and using minced red onions instead of shallots. Score! Thank you Diane and Todd, this recipe is fabulous.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Kale Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• One 3-pound (1.4 kg) spaghetti squash
• 3/4 pound (340 g) turkey sausage (or any favorite sausage)
• 1/2 cup minced red onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 to 2 cups thinly sliced kale
• 1 cup (100 g) coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
• Kosher or sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

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Veal Goulash with Sauerkraut

Years ago in Manhattan, there was a rather famous German restaurant by the name of Luchow’s. It was established in 1882 and operated continuously for a hundred years, finally shutting down in 1984. In its heyday Luchow’s was well known as a hang out for musicians and entertainers such as Steinway, Dvorak, and later, Oscar Hammerstein. It even had a room named after Diamond Jim Brady, a regular.

I don’t recall how it happened, but my father came across a used copy of Luchow’s German Cookbook, a compilation of recipes from that now long gone restaurant. He quickly zeroed in on the recipe for an Austrian goulash with sauerkraut, also called Szegedine Goulasch in the book. I often accuse my dad of having sauerkraut in his veins, and not without reason. He just can’t pass up an interesting recipe that calls for that fermented cabbage. This “goulash” is chunks of veal, cooked with onions and tomatoes in a paprika sour cream sauce, served over sauerkraut. So so good.

We have since made the recipe six ways to Sunday—with pork instead of veal (not as good), with beef instead of veal (also not as good), shorter cooking time, longer cooking time, etc.—and have come to the conclusion that it is a fabulous recipe, it just needs more sauekraut (we doubled it for ours) and it really is best with veal. It’s also important to not get overzealous with the browning of the meat. It just needs the slightest hint of brown so that you know it’s done, not a sear which can toughen up the delicate veal meat.

Veal Goulash with Sauerkraut Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter or rendered beef fat
• 2 pounds of veal, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cups sliced onions, sliced root to tip, 1/4-inch thick slices
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes, or chopped fresh ripe tomatoes
• 1 cup full-fat sour cream
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, chopped or crushed in a mortar with pestle
• 2 28-30 ounce jars sauerkraut (we recommend Bubbies, in the refrigerated section of the grocery store)
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

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Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles. Chee-lah-KEE-less! I mentioned I wanted to make chilaquiles to a Mexican friend the other day and you should have see the smile and look of rapture that came over his face.

This is true Mexican comfort food, what your mom made you for breakfast when she had some stale tortillas that needed to get used up.

Chilaquiles are basically corn tortilla pieces that are fried, cooked in salsa, and sprinkled with cheese. They are often served for breakfast with eggs and a side of beans or nopalitos.

My mother grew up with her mother making them with green chile tomato salsa and grated longhorn cheese, a Tex Mex version.

I recently brought some homemade salsa verde over to my friend Arturo‘s house and he made two traditional Mexican versions for me, one with the salsa verde, and one with a red chile sauce made with dried ancho chiles (pictured above). Recipes for both follow.

Do you like enchiladas? Chilaquiles are basically the same ingredients, but with a lot less work. No rolling.

Chilaquiles Recipe

It will help with the frying if your tortillas are a little dry. If they are fresh, cut them first, put them in a warm oven for a few minutes first to dry them out a bit, then proceed.

Ingredients

• 1 dozen corn tortillas, preferably stale, or left out overnight to dry out a bit, quartered or cut into 6 wedges
• Corn oil
• Salt
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups red chile sauce or salsa verde*
• A few sprigs of epazote (optional)

Garnishes

• Cotija cheese or queso fresco
• Crema Mexicana or creme fraiche
• Cilantro, chopped
• Chopped red onion
• Avocado, sliced or roughly chopped

*Red chili sauce

Take 4 dried ancho chiles, remove seeds, stems, and veins. Heat chiles lightly on a skillet on medium heat to draw out their flavor. Put chilies in a saucepan, pour boiling hot water over to cover. Let sit for 15 minutes. Add chiles, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 1/2 cups of chili soaking liquid to a blender. Hold down lid of blender tightly while blending, blend until completely puréed. Strain through a mesh sieve into a frying pan to make the chilaquiles. (Red chile sauce recipe)

*Salsa verde

Put 1 lb tomatillos, husks removed, into a saucepan, cover with water by an inch. Add 1 jalapeno, stems and seeds removed. Add 2 cloves garlic. Bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes until tomatillos have changed color and are cooked through. Use slotted spoon to remove tomatillos, jalapeno and garlic to a blender. Add a cup of the cooking liquid. Blend until completely puréed. Add salt to taste. (Salsa verde recipe)

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Honey Mustard Baked Salmon

Take one part honey, one part Dijon mustard, mix, and now you have one of the most versatile sauces possible, for chicken, ham, corned beef, and in this case, honey mustard salmon.

It’s one of those couldn’t-be-easier, how-to-impress-without-doing-much recipes. Takes 10 minute to prep, and 10 minutes to cook. 

There are only two things to remember.

First, use good quality salmon. That cheapest fillet at the fish counter that looks like it’s seen better days, has seen better days. There is nothing you can do to improve old fish. How do you tell? The best way is to smell it. If it smells strongly of fish (or something worse), don’t buy it. I’ve actually taken fish back to the market that didn’t smell right when I took it out of the package. Trust me, you don’t want to eat it.

Second, don’t overcook the salmon! It’s so easy to do. Do not cook the salmon until it is completely flaking apart, that’s overdone. When the fillets come out of the oven they should still be just a little bit rare in the center. They’ll continue to cook in the residual heat and be perfect when you go to eat them.

Honey Mustard Baked Salmon Recipe

If you don't have already prepared honey mustard, just combine equal amounts of honey and Dijon mustard.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds (680 to 900g) salmon fillets
• 3 Tbsp honey mustard (1 1/2 Tbsp honey plus 1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 3 teaspoons)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil (divided 2 T and 1 T)
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
• Pinch of salt

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Green Goddess Dressing

Do you remember green goddess dressing? It used to be pretty popular in the 70s and 80s when I first encountered it. If I’m not mistaken it was one of the usual dressings for a typical California salad with mixed greens, alfalfa sprouts and sunflower seeds, that one could order at the aptly named Good Earth restaurant in Palo Alto.

It sounds like a dressing right out of Marin County central casting, but apparently it was invented in the 20s, by the chef at the Palace Hotel (beautiful hotel, still there) in San Francisco, to commemorate the actor George Arliss and his play, The Green Goddess.

Pre-Internet, not knowing the provenance of this dressing, all I cared about was that it tasted good, good enough to mask the taste of alfalfa sprouts which thankfully people don’t eat much of any more, and it was called “green” and “goddess” which appealed to this Birkenstock-wearing hippie wanna-be.

Italian parsley and garlic chives

Fast forward to now, and you know what? This dressing is a gardener’s dream. I just picked some herbs from the garden, puréed them with some anchovy paste (essential), lemon juice, garlic, sour cream and mayo.

Instant awesome!

By the way, this recipe makes the kind of dressing that sort of glops on, so you want to toss it in with the lettuce greens, to just lightly coat the salad before serving. Or you can serve it as a dip. It’s great spread on crackers or with crudités.

Green Goddess Dressing Recipe

Vary the proportions of the herbs to suit your taste. If you want, add some ripe avocado to the mix.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons anchovy paste or 2-4 canned anchovies
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped tarragon
• 3 Tbsp chopped chives
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• Salt and black pepper to taste

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Peach Galette

Have you seen the peaches in the market? They’re beautiful this season. As we skid into the official end of summer I’m happy we can still find them. One of my favorite summer desserts is a rustic tart, or galette, because it’s just so easy to put together.

As I have an almost unreasonable love of homemade crusts, I make several batches of dough in advance, and just wrap them in plastic wrap and keep them in the freezer until needed.

This is a simple peach galette, with fresh yellow peaches tossed with a little sugar, flour, and vanilla. You can play around with it a bit. Before laying down the peaches I dotted the bottom of the crust with a little almond paste.

You could add blueberries, or toss in a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg. Sprinkle with lemon juice if the peaches are too sweet.

Speaking of sweetness, it’s best to use yellow peaches for this baked dessert. The flavor of sweet white peaches is delicate and doesn’t hold up well to cooking.

Peach Galette Recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 oz (1/2 cup, 1 stick, 8 Tbsp) butter, cut into small (1/2-inch) cubes, chilled in freezer at least 15 minutes, preferably an hour
• 4 to 6 Tbsp ice water

Filling:

• 2 large, not-overly-ripe yellow peaches (about 3/4 pound total), pitted, sliced into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch slices
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp almond paste (optional)
• 1 teaspoon butter

• 1 egg
• A sprinkling of coarse sugar (optional)

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Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri

I love a daiquiri, be it frozen or straight, strawberry or banana. It’s all good.

A daiquiri is essentially a mixture of rum, sugar, and citrus – anything after that is just gilding the lily. A frozen strawberry daiquiri, however, is the ultimate refresher for summer days spent poolside or with your toes buried deep in the sand.

Many strawberry daiquiri recipes use fresh strawberries, but personally, I find that frozen strawberries help thicken the drink (like a smoothie!) and ensures that the cocktail stays uber chilly. This said, by all means, feel free to use fresh strawberries if you prefer!

Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri Recipe

You can buy prepared simple syrup for this recipe, or make it yourself! Combine equal parts sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat (1/2 cup of each will make a good amount). Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Cool and refrigerate; it will keep for several weeks.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white rum
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice, from about 6 juicy limes
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup simple syrup, depending on your preferred sweetness
• 1 16-ounce package frozen strawberries
• 4 cups ice cubes
• Strawberries, lime wheels, or little umbrellas for garnish (optional)

Special equipment:

• Blender

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Classic Glazed Carrots

Is there a more classic vegetable side dish than glazed carrots? Maybe steamed broccoli, maybe. Yet, as simple and classic as glazed carrots are, you need to know what to do in terms of adding sugar, salt and heat in order to get the right results.

Too much sugar and the dish will be cloying. Too much heat and the sugar burns. Not enough and the stock won’t reduce. That said, it isn’t difficult, and so well worth doing.

Classic Glazed Carrots Recipe

It’s traditional to serve glazed carrots hot, but they are also good at room temperature.

Ingredients

• 1 pound carrots, peeled
• 2-3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup chicken stock (use vegetable stock for vegetarian option)
• 1 heaping tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (optional)

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Mom’s Roast Turkey

When it comes to holiday cooking, my father and I spend weeks deciding who is making the various side dishes. But when it comes to roasting the turkey, there’s no discussion. Of course that task falls to my mother.

Why? True, she has cooked our Thanksgiving turkey for over 50 years, so she knows what she’s doing.

But the real reason is that her roast turkey is always perfectly done, the breast never dried out, but tender and full of flavor.

How does she do it? She cooks the turkey breast-side down. While the turkey roasts, the juices fall down towards the breast, resulting in the most succulent meat. The breast is also more protected from the heat, which helps keep it getting too dried out.

She also uses a meat thermometer to take out any guess work of when the turkey is done.

Breast down roast turkey

My mother cooks the turkey stuffing separately, not in the cavity, which makes it easier to cook the turkey more evenly.

In the years since we first posted this recipe, my mother still cooks her turkeys breast-side down, and they’re still wonderful. When I’m cooking a turkey, if it is small enough, sometimes I’ll flip it over near the end to get the breast side browned, but usually like my mom, I’ll just roast it the whole time breast-down.

Not much has changed with our approach over the years, other than the USDA has finally officially lowered the recommended temperature for cooked poultry (it’s now 165°F), which means we don’t need to cook the turkey as long.

Cooking a turkey is pretty straightforward, but you do need to plan ahead, given that it can take several hours to roast, and needs time (days if you need to defrost) beforehand to lose the chill from the refrigerator.

If you don’t have a meat thermometer, please get one! Using one will make your life a lot easier, otherwise there’s just too much guesswork.

Breast-side up roast turkey, after the turkey has been turned over and broiled a few minutes to brown the breast

Recipe from the recipe archive for Thanksgiving, enjoy!

Mom’s Roast Turkey Recipe

Handle raw turkey the way you would raw chicken, with care. Use a separate cutting board and utensils to avoid contaminating other foods.

Wash your hands with soap and water after touching raw turkey and before you touch anything else in the kitchen. Wipe down surfaces with dampened paper towels.

Ingredients

• 1 turkey, approx. 15 lbs.*
• Juice of a lemon
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil or melted butter
• 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• Tops and bottoms of a bunch of celery
• 1 to 2 carrots
• 1 bunch of parsley
• Several sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme

* Need help figuring out how big a turkey to get? Butterball has a turkey calculator that helps you figure out just how many pounds you need. In general, plan for:

12-15 lb turkey for 10-12 people
15-18 lb turkey for 14-16 people
18-22 lb turkey for 20-22 people

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Asparagus Risotto

In California winter can transition to spring in a flash. It seems like yesterday we were beset by chilly storms while the forecast for this week is all sunny and 70s.

Daffodils are blooming, as are cherry trees, and the truest test of spring, asparagus in the market can be found for less than $2 a pound.

I just couldn’t resist these at the market today, and cooked them up into a creamy risotto. This recipe is a classic asparagus risotto recipe.

You can easily dress it up with some lemon zest, lump crab meat, green onions, truffle salt, fresh thyme or chopped mint.

This risotto we’ve made on the loose side, which is why we are serving it in a bowl. When making risotto you get to decide how loose you want it. Just stop adding liquid when the risotto gets to the consistency you like!

Asparagus Risotto Recipe

If you want to make this a vegetarian dish, use vegetable stock or water instead of the chicken stock.

Ingredients

• About 4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarian option)
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (or 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 3 Tbsp water)
• 1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed, tips cut off, tough skins of the spears peeled (if working with thick apparatus spears), and the spears cut into thin disks
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

If cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free stock.

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Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Please welcome author, pastry chef, and delightful raconteur David Lebovitz of DavidLebovitz.com who shares with us his way of making homemade ricotta cheese. ~Elise

With so many fabulous cheeses made in France (where I live) I guess there’s not the need to import more from elsewhere.

But for those of us that occasionally make recipes calling for a large amount of ricotta, there aren’t any 2-pound tubs available, just tiny plastic containers in the supermarket.

You can find very good ricotta by taking a trip to an Italian épicerie, although if you need a large quantity, you’ll quickly find yourself headed for the maison des pauvres. (The Poor House.)

Making ricotta really is easy and for the price of a quart or two of milk, you can have a lovely mound of freshly-made, still-warm ricotta with very little effort.

Homemade ricotta makes a wonderful base for Italian cheesecakes, ravioli fillings, and lasagna. I like to serve a spoonful of this with sliced fresh fruit; peaches, nectarines, or berries are lovely, along with a drizzle of honey.

It also make a nice accompaniment to a stewed apricot compote, fresh or ripe figs, or poached dried fruits in the winter.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese Recipe

I always use whole milk yogurt, but if you do try it with low-fat yogurt, please let me know in the comments how it works out. I don't recommend non-fat yogurt for this recipe. This recipe can easily be halved or doubled.

Ingredients

• 2 quarts whole milk
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• Optional: 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt

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Wild Rice Salad

Looking for a great summer picnic salad to take to your next potluck? This wild rice salad is a winner!

It is a combo of wild rice and white rice, cooked in stock and tossed with celery, toasted pine nuts, peas, dried cranberries, and a sesame oil-infused vinaigrette.

The recipe makes a lot! It also holds up well to sitting around, so it’s a perfect salad to bring to a summer BBQ.

Don’t know about you, but I love rice salads. If you have a favorite one, please let us know about it in the comments.

Wild Rice Salad Recipe

Pre the celery and onions while the rice cooks to save time.

Ingredients

• 1 cup wild rice
• 1 cup basmati or long grain rice
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 stalks celery, sliced (about 2 cups)
• 8 green onions, sliced (about 1 cup)
• 2 cups thawed frozen peas
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• Salt and pepper

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 Tbsp dark sesame oil

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Okra Pilaf

Okra love. Okay, I admit it, I have a mad crush on this vegetable. From okra pickles to okra and tomato stir-fry, I’m finding every excuse to make something with okra.

It just tastes so good!

Sort of like the best tasting green bean, but even better. And the okra plants, new to my garden this year, are thriving, putting forth pods to pick every other day.

This okra rice pilaf recipe, also known as okra pilau, perloo, or purloo, is a southern staple, particularly of South Carolina, in whose swampy lands rice has been cultivated since colonial days.

It’s simple; you just render bacon fat, cook chopped onions, peppers, and okra briefly in it, add rice, stock, and cook until done. Stir in chopped cooked bacon at the end.

Whatever sliminess the famously slimy okra produces while cooking gets absorbed by the rice, and what you’re left with is just lovely okra, and okra and bacon infused rice.

Ever make something that you don’t want to share because you just want to keep it all for yourself? Yeah. This is one of those.

From what I understand (if there are any South Carolinians out there, please advise me if I’m off base here) shrimp, sausage, and/or black eyed peas are often added to the pilau, making for a more substantial meal than what I’m presenting here.

The dish is also curiously known as “Limpin’ Susan”, but I can find no reference to the etymology of that name.

If you love bacon and rice and have been sitting on the fence about okra, this is the recipe to try. I think you will be pleased.

Okra Pilaf Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bacon (about 5 ounces), chopped
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 cups okra, sliced into disks, 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick (fresh or frozen, thawed)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt (use less salt if using seasoned broth)
• 1 cup long-grain rice
• 1 3/4 cup chicken stock*

*Review the instructions on your package of rice for how much liquid is needed for your particular brand of rice. Some rice calls for a 1:1 1/2 ratio, some 1:2 ratio, rice to liquid. Use whatever ratio is indicated by your rice package.

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Spinach Risotto

When spring finally makes an appearance around here, it does so with an explosion of green. Trees that have stood gloomily bare for months begin to leaf out all at once, beckoning us to wake up(!) and get ready for the warmer days to come.

Thus the inspiration for this lovely green spinach risotto.

It’s a simple risotto—made in the classic way with risotto rice, stock, wine, and Parmesan—with the addition at the end of a half pound of chopped baby spinach with a little lemon zest and juice to brighten the flavors.

A tip about making risotto—use a rice that is meant for risotto, like arborio or carnaroli—and don’t rinse the rice. You want to use a starchy rice because it’s the stirring and slow even cooking that helps loosen the starch to create the creaminess of the risotto.

Risotto is best served immediately. It starts to firm up quickly after you make it. If you have leftovers and want to reheat, loosen with more stock.

Spinach Risotto Recipe

We are using baby spinach because of its convenience and tenderness. If you are using mature spinach, thoroughly rinse it first. You may want to blanch it first for a few seconds, before chopping and using in this recipe.

Ingredients

• 5 Tbsp butter, divided 4 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (dried herbs such as basil and thyme)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups (400 g) risotto rice (arborio, carnaroli, vialone nano)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 5 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarian option)
• 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 8 ounces baby spinach, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt, more to taste

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