Wheat Berry Salad / Butternut Pumpkin & Sage Dinner Rolls / Fajita Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

Blog Post & Recipe: Light and Fresh Wheat Berry Salad

This salad is rad because it has so much texture and crunch. So if you’re a salad hater like me, you should try this.

Blog Post & Recipe: Butternut Squash & Sage Dinner Rolls

The flavor of the squash comes through subtly, and I certainly can’t imagine a situation where sage and goat cheese make something worse, can you?

Blog Post & Recipe: Fajita Spiced Roasted Chickpeas [via]

Combine the spice mixture and sprinkle over the chickpeas. Toss to combine well. Pour the chickpeas onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes, turning every 5-10 minutes until they are roasted and crunchy.

M., this is our one thousandth post.

Chicken, White Bean, and Poblano Stew / Peppermint Ice Blended Mocha / Vinegar-Glazed Chicken

Blog Post & Recipe: Chicken, White Bean, and Poblano Stew

There’s nothing fancy to this stew but it’s pretty easy to throw together, is really filling, and a big hit in our family.

Blog Post & Recipe: Peppermint Ice Blended Mocha

I think I had about half a gallon of hot chocolate leftover, so for an extremely nutritious (and diabetic friendly) breakfast, I infused it with some candy canes and then blended it with ice cream, coffee powder and garnished it with an unhealthy dollop of whipped cream.

Blog Post & Recipe: Vinegar-Glazed Chicken

Unlike white rice vinegar, Chinese black vinegar from northern China is an aged vinegar made from black glutinous rice, wheat, millet, or sorghum.. (The Gold Plum version from the city of Zhenjiang in Jiangsu province, made with glutinous rice, is considered the premier brand.) The flavor resembles that of balsamic vinegar. It’s slightly sweet with a barely detectable smokiness [...] I frequently recommend in my recipes a good-quality balsamic vinegar as a substitute if you can’t find Chinese black vinegar. But the same could be said opposite, that if you run out of balsamic vinegar you can use Chinese black vinegar.

Triple Celery Soup / Thai Chicken Stew / Rosemary Squash Bisque

Article & Recipe: A celery-soup celebration

It’s a soup based on both the familiar green stalk celery (high on the list of underappreciated vegetables, in my view) and the knobbly white celeriac, or celery root.

Triple Celery Soup

Blog Post & Recipe: Thai Chicken Stew

Combine the carrots, onions, chiles, ginger, and vegetable oil in a medium bowl and microwave for approximately 10 minutes until the vegetables soften. Transfer the vegetable mixture to your slow cooker.

Blog Post & Recipe: The World is Not Ready for Bacon Squash Caviar

Now, I do precisely one thing with winter squash. Well, technically two things. I cube it, salt it, oil it, roast it. At this point, I either turn it into a soup, or I don’t. If I chose the former, it becomes Rosemary Squash Bisque, with a supporting cast of pork products, vegetable broth, rosemary, cream, and the tender ministrations of my Cuisinart.

Rosemary Squash Bisque

Roasted Cauliflower Risotto / Roasted Cauliflower with Cumin, Coriander & Almonds / Adobong Puti (White Adobo)

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower Risotto

I saw this version of a risotto recipe from Pink Parsley a while back and was intrigued by the simple ingredients.

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower with Cumin, Coriander and Almonds

This is something that is so simple once you make it a couple times, it's easy to whip together as a side dish for lunch or dinner or even just to snack on. Don't get me wrong - it's great when it's hot. But I kinda like it cold too

Blog Post & Recipe: 9 mornings: Adobong Puti/White Adobo

An adobo variation I really like is Adobong Puti/ White Adobo. It’s called that because it doesn’t use soy sauce. Instead you may opt to add fish sauce to give it that saltiness. I also like my adobo without the liquid/sauce, so I reduce the liquid until the meat is practically being fried in the rendered fat.

Super-eggy Scrambled Eggs / Banana Bread / Christmas Dinner with Roast Goose

Blog Post & Recipe: Super-eggy Scrambled Eggs

I came across it while paging through the new Serious Eats book - the idea is to use whole eggs plus egg yolks to make your eggs extra rich, creamy, and flavorful.

Blog Post & Recipe: Sunday Brunch: Banana Bread

This recipe for banana bread is about as simple as it gets, but one of the beauties of banana bread is how well it incorporates odds and ends from the cupboard and fridge. A handful of chocolate chips, some dried cranberries, or even a grated apple can happily be folded into this batter

Article & Recipes: Give goose a gander

Turkey is traditional, but goose makes a fine centrepiece for a Christmas feast [...] If in doubt, buy a meat thermometer, and in general, don’t stuff birds – cook stuffing separately as it can really slow down the whole cooking process.

Mushroom, onion and chestnut soup ... Cranberry sorbet ... Roast goose ... Roast loin of bacon with dried cherries and plums ... Jerusalem artichoke and potato gratin ... Roasted red pepper and macadamia nut stuffing ... Roast Brussels sprouts

Eggnog / Poached Pears with Warm Chocolate Sauce / Brussels Sprouts & Grapes

Blog Post & Recipe: Homemade Eggnog

Every season I try to find an excuse to make a version of my grandmother’s simple eggnog recipe. This weekend, we had a small gathering to let kids run amuck and I treated myself and the other parents to the following variation

Blog Post & Recipe: To poach a pear

As poached pear recipes go, this one could be called plain: just pears, water, brown sugar (or golden caster sugar, if you have it), a vanilla bean, and lemon juice. But what I like about it is that you wind up with a poached pear that tastes intensely of pear. The end.

Blog Post & Recipe: Brussels Sprouts and Grapes: A Counterintuitive Holiday Recipe

Brussels sprouts and grapes? the host repeated, incredulous.

Yes, I said. It’s sweet and savory; the grapes release their delicious sugars as they cook, which in turn caramelize the sprouts. You can eat it hot, cold, or at room temperature. You can add anything to it, within reason: toasted walnuts, pine nuts, spicy pepitas, lardons, whole garlic cloves, fresh thyme or rosemary, sea salt. Or nothing at all, which is generally how I like it.

Mulligatawny / Butternut Pumpkin & Black Bean Enchiladas / Curried Eggplant Soup

Blog Post & Recipe: Mulligatawny Reboot

Meet my favorite chicken soup in the entire world.

Blog Post & Recipe: Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

I can’t begin to explain how delicious they are. I mean, sweet butternut squash with spicy enchilada sauce? That doesn’t even sound good! But they are amazing!

Blog Post & Recipe: Recipe: Curried Eggplant Soup...Eat.Live.Be

It's sweet and spicy and has a lot of staying power due to the white beans that are pureed into it and all the fiber from the eggplant and apple that are mixed in there as well. (Yes, there's an apple in it. Trust me. It's a good move.)

Fasoulia Nashfe: Lamb & White Bean Stew / Cool Rhubarb Glögg / Duck in Port

Blog Post & Recipe: Fasoulia Nashfe: Lamb and White Bean Stew

This fasoulia nashfe is one of my favorite family recipes, and one that has traveled with me to four continents: tender lamb, soft cannellini beans and a rich tomato sauce seasoned in the signature Arab way, with plenty of cinnamon, garlic and baharat.

Blog Post & Recipe: Finnish Christmas with a Twist: Cool rhubarb glögg

I adore rhubarb, I'm sure you've realised that by now, and this drink is for all you die-hard rhubarb lovers out there. It's completely sugar-free, so prepare yourself for some real rhubarb flavour pared with warming spices and a drizzle of lemon juice to freshen it all up.

Blog Post & Recipe: Duck in Port

I also recommend using all the parts that come with. The liver can be chopped up and sautéd with shallots, coriander and cumin. Seasoned with lime and cilantro and you have a perfect appetizer. The neck (head and feet) and rest of the giblets make a great base for a stock (see below).

Braised Red Cabbage with Malaga Raisins & Apple / Turkey Tips + Recipes for Stuffing, Glazes, Etc / Pong Tauhu -- Tofu with Meatball Soup

Recipe: Christmas lunch: braised red cabbage with Malaga raisins and apple

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Put all the ingredients in a casserole and mix well. Place in the oven and bake for 1½ hours until the cabbage is tender.

Article & Recipes: Getting the best from your bird

1. Read your turkey labels ... 2. Brine your turkey ... 3. Consider adding a "stuffing" that will add moisture to the bird ... 4. Invest in a meat thermometer ... 5. Let the cooked turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving ... 6. Great gravy

Recipes: Turkey Brine ... Seasoned Oil Mixture for Turkey ... Maple Mustard Turkey Glaze ... Turkey Gravy ... Turkey Stuffing

Blog Post & Recipe: Pong Tauhu--Tofu with Meatball Soup

BTW, this soup, pong tauhu, should not be confused with the Indonesian tahu pong. Although they are probably derived from the same root, tahu pong are fried tofu puffs. Those in this recipe are denser dumplings of tofu that are not fried.

Apple Pork Ribs Soup / Mulled Cider / Nabeyaki Udon + Three Mushroom Vegetarian Nabeyaki Udon

Blog Post & Recipe: Apple Pork Ribs Soup 苹果猪骨汤

The flavour of this soup really depends on what type or how big the apples are. The original recipe calls for 4 apples but I used 3 instead as the apples I used were quite large and I was afraid that the soup would be too sweet. So remember to adjust accordingly to your taste.

Blog Post & Recipe: How to make mulled cider

The basic idea of making any mulled drink is to warm the liquor gently with spices. Which spices to use is up to you – nutmeg, star anise and vanilla can be used, though we're going to stick with tradition and use just cloves and cinnamon. Sugar or honey can be added to taste but because of the unusual addition of the very sweet sloe gin in this recipe, you probably won't need it.

Blog Post & Recipe: Nabeyaki Udon and Three Mushroom Vegetarian Nabeyaki Udon

So find some loved ones and get yourself into the kitchen to make some nabeyaki udon. This udon has the thick chewy udon noodles and vegetables of the regular nabeyaki udon, but is made with a mushroom stock base. Plus it sports three varieties of mushrooms—shiitake, king trumpet, and enoki mushrooms and cubes of sauteed tofu. If you can’t find some of the mushrooms, substitute your favorites!

Laksa With Ground Bison / Sauerkraut Rye Sandwich Bread / Baking Bread with Different Flours

Blog Post & Recipe: Laksa With Ground Bison

It was one of those day that I wanted to cook a meal that won't required a long time to cook it. You could use regular beef chuck or beef shoulder for this laksa, or you can also use poultry such as chicken, or duck.

Blog Post & Recipe: Sauerkraut Rye Sandwich Bread

If you think about it, what ever you put in a sandwich you can put into a loaf of bread. Well … Ok, maybe not meatloaf. That would not make a good bread. But, Sauerkraut is perfect. It gives the bread a sourdough flavor, without a strong sauerkraut flavor.

Blog Post & Recipe: All Flours Are Not Equal

What would happen if you ran out of bread flour but still wanted to make bread? Or the store had an awesome sale on cake flour which you were tempted to use instead? Flour is basically just flour, after all, no? There’s not much difference between Pastry and All Purpose, besides a bit more protein, right?

Salmon Dill Crepes / Steaming Large Clams with Dashi & Sake / Chickpea Casserole with Lemon, Herbs & Shallots

Blog Post & Recipe: Salmon Dill Crepe Recipe Paired with Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand

You can make the crepes ahead of time and store them layered between wax paper in the refrigerator for up to 2 days (or freeze). As well, you can make the salmon mixture ahead of time and just heat before assembling the crepes.

Blog Post & Recipe: Steaming Large Clams with Dashi & Sake

Then Nobuko, my M-I-L, prepared 2 cups of kombu dashi, adding a pinch of salt to the liquid, and setting aside. She arranged the clams in a dry cast iron skillet, covered the skillet and placed it over high heat. After about 7 or so minutes, the clams opened up.

Blog Post & Recipe: Chickpea Casserole with Lemon, Herbs & Shallots

This is a meatless vegetarian dish, bright with lemon zest and herbs. It gets finished off with a crunchy, olive oil-drizzled crust of Parmesan and breadcrumbs. It's creamy inside, crisp on top. But it leaves out old-fashioned canned soups and all those heaps of cheese and cream. Instead I use some low-fat yogurt (so tasty and tangy!) and some cottage cheese to bind the casserole together.

Pork Chop with White Wine Sauce / Tostone Tostada with Stewed Chicken & Parsnip Hot Sauce / Norwegian Fish Pudding

Blog Post & Recipe: Pork Chop with White Wine Sauce

A creamy, white wine sauce is perfect with either chicken or pork – the white meats are delicate enough to let the nuances of white wine shine through.

Blog Post & Recipe: Tostone Tostada with Stewed Chicken and Parsnip Hot Sauce

This one is almost like a crostini or toastada but it uses a fried plantain as the vessel for the delicious stewed chicken and hot sauce. Oh and the secret ingredient in the hot sauce? Parsnip.

Blog Post & Recipe: Fish Pudding for Fearless Flyers

Exhausted from a day’s snowy recreation, Norwegians no doubt repaired to their homes for a hearty helping of fish pudding. Should you wish to make this signature Nordic dish part of your après-ski, this recipe, which appears in The Ann Arbor Cookbook
(1899), should leave you feeling stuffed to the gills.

Norwegian Fish Pudding

Cheese & Bacon Scones with Homemade Piccalilli / Thai Soba Noodle Bowl / Fresh Mint Hot Chocolate

Blog Post & Recipe: Cheese & Bacon Scones with Homemade Piccalilli

Of course the piccalilli was made several weeks in advance to allow the flavours to mature but the scones were enjoyed fresh from the oven.

Blog Post & Recipe: THAI SOBA NOODLE BOWL

I know heat is subjective, so I am giving amounts for a medium spicy soup. I would start there and add accordingly. It’s tougher to neutralize the spice in a soup like this, so start moderate.

Blog Post & Recipe: Fresh Mint Hot Chocolate

What I love about this version is the mint is from fresh mint. It tastes clean and unlike the candy mint – which I also love – fresh mint gives a clean earthy punch that really suits the chocolate well.

Jugged Hare / Fennel & Pear Soup / Black Pudding Profiteroles

Blog Post & Recipe: Jugged Hare

The recipe kicks off asking for a mixture of flour, mace, cloves and allspice to roll the chunks of rabbit in before frying.

Blog Post & Recipe: Good warm, even better cold - Fennel and Pear Soup

I was standing with a fennel bulb in my hand when I saw a very ripe pear on the table and somehow my mind connected with the two and there was one - the vision of a fennel and pear soup.

Blog Post & Recipe: Black Pudding Profiteroles

Remember the Chorizo Choux Puffs? When I published the recipe on my Estonian site, then one of the readers, Ilse, suggested using our Christmas favourite, finely chopped black pudding instead of chorizo. I liked the sound of that, so nicked the idea, adding a spoonful of roasted onion flakes for an extra depth of flavour.

10 Reasons I Love My Freezer / Stuffed Cabbage Casserole / Phyllo Kourou

Blog Post: Cold comfort - 10 reasons I love my freezer

1. Going nuts ... 2. Flavour bombs ... 3. Scrooge satisfaction ... 4. Stocking up ... 5. Anything with a pulse ... 6. Rice on ice ... 7. The Florence factor ... 8. Pesto power ... 9. Take-away at home ... 10. Craving curb

Blog Post & Recipe: Recipe for Deconstructed Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Being forced to plan ahead for meals meant I always made diet-friendly casseroles or soups on the weekend to make sure my freezer was well-stocked to get me through the week. That's a habit I'm going to work on cultivating again, so over the weekend I made this amazing Deconstructed Stuffed Cabbage Casserole and I have six servings of it in the freezer waiting for me at home

Blog Post & Recipe: Rolo me Phyllo Kourou and my e-book has finally been published

The classic recipe, Rolo me Patates is made with ground meat in which we add hard boiled eggs. In Cyprus we wrap the roulade in caul fat, which melts as it is being baked in the oven and gives a wonderful flavour to the ground meat. Instead of caulfat I wrapped it in kourou phyllo and added ham and halloumi. A very simple recipe but yet so delicious. Instead of Kourou phyllo you can just wrap it in parchment paper or in puff pastry.

Braised Venison Tongue with Mixed Greens / Carrots and Cabbage with Eggs (Orak Arik Wortel) / Homemade Cavatelli

Blog Post & Recipe: A Little Tongue

While the tongues are still warm, transfer them to a cutting surface and peel it with your fingers or a paring knife. The skin is really the only icky thing about tongue: underneath it is pure meat.

braised venison tongue with mixed greens

Blog Post & Recipe: Orak Arik Wortel--Carrots and Cabbage with Eggs

Orak arik are simple scrambles of vegetables and eggs. While a lot of Indonesian food is generously spiced, orak arik dishes tend to be rather tame. The ingredients and the spicing indicate a Dutch influence.

Blog Post & Recipe: Pleasures of Pasta Dough

Homemade cavatelli, by the way, is the current favorite pasta around here. I adore it because it's so much fun to make and each individual piece of pasta scoops up just the right amount of sauce. My husband prefers it for its resilient, satisfying chew.

Spicy Shoyu Ramen / Sausage Rolls with Apricots & Whisky-Caramelised Onions / Moroccan Slow-Roasted Shoulder of Lamb + Bramley & Mincemeat Pasties

Blog Post & Recipe: Spicy Shoyu Ramen

If you prefer no spicy taste at all for yourself or young children, you can use regular chili bean paste (doubanjiang) and not spicy chili bean paste (la doubanjiang).

Blog Post & Recipe: Sausage rolls with apricots and whisky-caramelised onions

Anyway, [whisky-caramelised onions are] incredible in these sausage rolls too, together with re-plumped dried apricots and a good pinch of chipotle chilli flakes to play off that smoky thing going on with the whisky. At first I was worried the rolls might be a little on the sweet side with the onions and fruit but god damn if they weren’t just plain sexy.

Blog Post & Recipe: Nigel Slater's mincemeat pasties and lamb recipes

Chunks of meat are all well and good, but few things beat a whole joint, slowly roasted on the bone until the meat slides away at the slightest prod. Lamb shoulder is arguably the king of such joints. It's tough as old boots, but so perfectly fatty that when sympathetically cooked the fat melts through the meat

Moroccan slow-roasted shoulder of lamb ... Bramley and mincemeat pasties

Basic Turkey Gravy / Butter and Soy Sauce / Sweet Potato Risotto

Blog Post & Recipe: How to: Make Turkey Gravy…Revisited

I figured it was worth publishing my recipe and troubleshooting tips again this year. This recipe does not involve adding wine or herbs, though those things can provide very satisfying results, too. Rather, this version is as basic as turkey gravy recipe can get.

Blog Post & Recipe: The Dynamic Duo: Butter and Soy Sauce

It's a one-two punch that works fantastically with so many ingredients: all manner of mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, shrimp, scallops, flounder fillets and more. First sauté the ingredient in butter, and when it's just cooked through, drizzle in soy sauce. Cook a little more and it's done.

Blog Post & Recipe: Meatless Monday: Sweet Potato Risotto

Most risottos take a fair amount of time and quite of bit of babysitting while you slowly add stock to the rice, gently coaxing it into creaminess. Not this one. Instead, you boil the rice for about 15 minutes, add it to the skillet with the sweet potatoes, onion and ginger, and use the wine and the mascarpone to instantly give you that signature, melt-in-your-mouth, creamy consistency that everyone expects from a risotto.

Concept: cook with butter and soy sauce.

Hot Buttered Rum / Chai Concentrate / Suki Dry Noodles (สุกี้ยากี้แห้ง) /

Blog Post & Recipe: The Wednesday Tipple – Hot Buttered Rum

Mix the butter, sugar and cinnamon together and drop into the bottom of a mug. Add the rum, then top up with hot water

Blog Post & Recipe: Chai Concentrate

I’ve always boiled the spices directly in my milk, however I decided to try making a concentrated version with water. A concentrate is much more flexible, as you can mix it with milk or soy/nut milk.

Blog Post & Recipe: Suki Dry Noodles | สุกี้ยากี้แห้ง

Suki dry is composed of the same ingredients as Thai-style sukiyaki. You have bean thread noodles, which are now the base of the dish instead of being a supplement to the broth. You have thinly-sliced beef, pork, or whatever other protein you wish. You have an egg or two. And you have tons of vegetables.

Baked Sweet Potato with Black Beans / Spinach Egg Drop Soup / Halal Cart-Style Chicken & Rice with White Sauce

Blog Post & Recipe: Baked Sweet Potato with Black Beans

You can also bake the potatoes in the oven for a crispier skin (don’t forget to eat the skin – it’s full of nutrients!)

Blog Post & Recipe: Sickies

Swim in a bowl of chicken broth accentuated with ribbons of velvety, beaten egg and shreds of spinach. Let the bright green onions make your taste buds sing.

Spinach Egg Drop Soup

Blog Post & Recipe: Serious Eats' Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice with White Sauce

Manhattan is home to many smells, but perhaps the most delicious is the chicken-y, savory scent that emanates from from the city's countless halal carts. Serving lunch to late-night, these carts dish up a container full of chicken rice that tastes like nothing else, crave-worthy and totally singular ... Marinated in oregano, lemon, and coriander, chicken thighs are browned, chopped into chunks and served over a pile turmeric-yellow rice.

Seaweed Salad (Miyuk Muchim) / Chai / Boiled Bone Stock

Recipe: Seaweed Salad (Miyuk Muchim)

This seaweed salad is a great little appetizer or side dish for when you want to eat light.

Blog Post & Recipe: Perfect Chai

When I’m brewing from scratch, this here is my ideal recipe. It’s got plenty of cardamom, which (I think) is the only ingredient other than tea in traditional chai. But it’s also got cloves, which add an undercurrent of spice to the drink.

Blog Post & Recipe: The Nasty Bits: Boiled Bones

If you do not want your stock to look cloudy and taste fatty, then simmer your bones. If you have a lot of good meat that's still on the bone, and you want to eat the meat, then simmer your bones ... If, on the other hand, you happen to have a pile of bones leftover from a roast, and there is nothing palatable about them, then boil the heck out of your bones.

Boiled Stock

Cook Perfect Beef Wellington / Albóndigas Soup / 8 Braises

Blog Post & Recipe: How to cook perfect beef wellington

Simon and Lindsey observe in the preface to their beef wellington recipe that "the whole point of cooking meat in pastry is to keep in the juices ... but if the pastry is good and thin, buttery and rich, nothing is nicer than a meat-soaked crust".

Blog Post & Recipe: i just flipped that

Loaded with vegetables and a good amount of spice, I couldn’t wait for it to finish cooking. The meatballs are made with beef and pork, but the book says there are some variations depending on region. You could use chicken instead of beef, and some meatballs are wrapped around a pitted green olive.

Recipe: albóndigas soup

Blog Post & Recipes: Fork-Tender Dinners: 8 Braises to Fill Your Belly

Give it some low heat and an afternoon to baste in its own juices, and food takes on never before seen levels of flavor and tenderness.

Star Anise and Ginger Braised Chicken ... Dijon-Braised Brussels Sprouts ... Braised Lebanese Eggplant with Chickpeas ... Spice-Braised Lamb Shanks with Lentils ... Short Ribs Braised in Coffee Ancho Chile Sauce ... Braised Celery with Crunchy Bread Crumb Topping ... Apple Cider Braised Brisket ... Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots .

Related: Food Science: Why Tougher Meats Make Good Braises

Trimming Globe Artichokes / Fennel Gratin / Pad Thai

Blog Post: Turning (Trimming) Globe Artichokes

Judy Rogers said it before me: choose artichokes as you would flowers- make sure they look freshly picked and young, still about to blossom rather than spent and loosely formed. Hold the petal head in your hand and squeeze. It should sound crunchy. And feel heavy for its size.

Blog Post & Recipe: Fennel Gratin

Fennel is the most wonderfully versatile vegetable. You can slice raw fennel thin and serve it with a little shaved Parmesan for a crisp salad. Or you can plop it in the oven with a little balsamic and roast it until it gets sweetly caramelized. Fennel has a special affinity for Parmesan, and in this simple gratin fennel wedges are tossed with breadcrumbs, Mozzarella and Parm, and baked until golden brown.

Blog Posts & Recipe: Pad Thai Recipe (ผัดไทย) - Part Five: Making Pad Thai (This is the final part of the series. The other four parts are linked in the post.)

The immediate goal of this series is to facilitate you in creating the version of Pad Thai which I like, using the ingredients and method commonly employed by street vendors in Bangkok, my hometown. But that's just to get you started; it's not the ultimate goal. Eventually, you will want to get to a place where you can move the noodles around in the pan with the spatulas and know just how much longer it will take for them to cook, how often to stir them, whether the heat is too low or the evaporation rate is too high, how to season it, etc.

In other words, the ultimate goal is for you to know how to make Pad Thai which is different from how to follow a Pad Thai recipe.

Cochinita Pibil Tacos / Slow-Cooked Goose in Brandy, Aromatics & Tomato / Five Spice Pork Belly with Pickled Vegetable Salad

Blog Post & Recipe: Cochinita Pibil (Puerco Pibil) and then Cochinita Pibil Tacos

A tasty slow roasted pork marinated in sour oranges and red annatto seeds.

Recipe: Slow-cooked goose in brandy, aromatics and tomato recipe

This goose has a wonderful, assertive taste from the brandy, which cuts through the fatty meat. It is cooked long enough for the legs to get wonderfully soft.

Article & Recipes: Five Spice Pork Belly with Pickled Vegetable Salad

Belly Pork is fatty and I think best served with something to cut through, I love these spicy pickled salads, they wake you up, if don’t fancy the thai taste, cabbage , carrot and apple works well too dressed with lemon juice and black pepper.

Fried Carrots / Celeriac Gratin with Caramelised Onions / Oven-Braised Apple Cider Brisket

Blog Post & Recipe: Fried Carrots; the update

It caramelizes the sugars and turns them golden and sweet!

Fried Carrots

Blog Post & Recipe: Celeriac Gratin with Caramelised Onions

Peel and thinly slice the celeriac and potatoes ... and pop them straight into a bowl of cold water. Pat dry on a clean tea towel and then layer into a deep casserole dish, seasoning with salt and pepper and adding the garlic as you go.

Blog Post & Recipe: Recipe for oven-braised apple cider brisket

A few weeks ago, while driving home from the local apple orchard, I had a brisket epiphany. Why not, I thought, combine wine and cider in the braise? When I got home, the (wine) cupboard was bare, so I moved on to Plan B, a cider-and-herb combination with onion and garlic.

Split Pea Soup with Vegetables / How to Use Chinese Vegetables / Grilling Tips + Flattened Chicken with Parsley Sauce

Blog Post & Recipe: Split Pea Soup Loaded With Vegetables - Perfect for Brrrrr Weather

With weather this cold decided to make split pea soup with vegetables from farmers market.

Article & Recipe: How to use Chinese vegetables

Victoria's Chinatown does indeed offer a diverse selection of vegetables for sale. I can't write about them all, but here are some useful facts and suggestions for using six intriguing looking veggies.

Gai Lan ... Bitter Melon ... King Oyster Mushrooms ... Long Beans ... Taro Root ... Lotus Root

RECIPE: Hot and Sour Soup with Gai Lan and King Oyster Mushrooms

Blog Post & Recipes: 7 fires: lessons from the argentine grill master

The good news is you don’t need to have a BBQ to create any of these. An old frying pan in the kitchen will work just as well.

7 lessons from the Argentine grill master himself: 1. The power of the taste of burnt ... 2. You must respect the first contact between food and the cooking surface ... 3. The ‘chapa’ is best for quick cooking ... 4. ‘Rescoldo’ is a great way to cook veg ... 5. Flame should never directly touch your food ... 6. Cast iron is the best cooking material ... 7. The secret to a perfect steak

flattened chicken with parsley sauce

Fish Cake Soup (Odeng Tang) / Cock Ale / Chinese Ginger Duck

Blog Post & Recipe: Fish Cake Soup (Odeng Tang)

If you have the ingredients it won't take you more than 15 minutes to make this.

Blog Post & Recipe: And now for something a little more löwenbräu

So that’s cock ale. The name sounds so dirty. As does another beer brewed with meat: oyster porter. Another relic of the 19th century. Yes, this is English porter brewed with oyster meat, or sometimes ground up oyster shells.

Cock Ale

Blog Post & Recipe: Chinese Ginger Duck Recipe - 姜麻鴨

Anyway, this recipe is so simple in line with his simplistic attitude to food and life in general - the duck is simply cooked with copious amounts of ginger and some soy sauces for seasoning, add a dash of Chinese Shaoxing wine for added fragrance and that's about it. If you like ginger, I'm quite sure you will love this but if not, then this dish may not be your cup of tea to be honest.

Thai-Style Brussels Sprouts / Fried Butternut Pumpkin with Mint / Pork Chops Normandy

Blog Post & Recipe: Recipe: Thai-Style Brussels Sprouts

The sprouts were roasted in a bath of fish sauce, peanuts and palm sugar. So simple. There were seared to a crisp, both salty and sweet, and utterly satisfying.

Blog Post & Recipe: Fried butternut with mint (OMF)

Fry the butternut until it's golden and the sugar is beginning to caramelise. Transfer to paper towel and drizzle with fresh lemon juice (to taste) and sprinkle with chopped mint.

Blog Post & Recipe: Unexpected places: Pork Chops Normandy

Fat, delicious pork chops perfectly cooked with apples, onions, thyme and brandy ... It takes one pan and about 45 minutes to make this happen, from the caramelization of the onions to the braising of the chops; it’s simple and straightforward, but tastes like it took you three days.

Stir Fry Collard Greens / Vegan Parmesan / Poached & Roasted Pig Hocks

Blog Post & Recipe: Stir Fry Collard Greens

Add black pepper and lemon juice over greens and stir. The collard greens are ready to serve.

Blog Post & Recipe: Vegan parmesan

It's a very simple recipe that takes all of 90 seconds to throw together. You don't end up with a particularly parmesan-y flavour, but a half a cup stirred through our pasta added a garlicky cheesiness that was not at all out of place.

Blog Post & Recipe: Let Them Eat Pork! Poached and Roasted Pig Hocks

As with all such parts of the beast, slow cooking is necessary to get the best out of it, and in the case of the hock, poaching tenderizes it perfectly, but ignores the magic of the skin and underlying fat, comparable with the cheeks in terms of porky flavor. To solve this problem, and improve upon the jarret of Compiegne, we roasted it in a hot oven that performed three special functions: 1) it rendered out some of the fat, 2) crisped the skin into some amazing crackling, and 3) transformed the connective tissue into sticky, almost sweet, gelatin.

Soy & Star Anise Oxtail / Horchata / Beetroot Salad with Crispy Leeks & Bacon

Blog Post & Recipe: Soy & Star Anise Oxtail

The oxtail needs cooking slow and low to ensure the is meat that can be sucked off the bone perfect with the spicy sticky sauce but definitely have some napkins handy .

Blog Post & Recipe: Bringing Mexico Home: Horchata

Variations include almonds, lime zest, or even pecans and popcorn. Momofuku Milk Bar serves a Horchata Soft Serve Ice Cream with Cinnamon. And adding a dash of Tequila can improve its already soothing qualities.

Blog Post & Recipe: Beet Salad with Crispy Leeks and Bacon

I decided to take a different route when recreating this dish at home. Instead of chicken skin, I used bacon, and instead of frying it stovetop, I used it to help make the leeks extra crispy in the oven. After a few minutes roasting together, the leeks begin to caramelize in the bacon fat, and the result is a rather rich smoky dressing for your beets.

Turkish Coffee - Persian Armenian Style / Hobak Hotteok (Sweet Stuffed Pumpkin Pancakes) / 11 Literary Recipes

Blog Post & Recipe: Turkish Coffee - Persian Armenian Style

My mother learned to make Turkish coffee from her Armenian neighbor when she was just a young newlywed and had moved to a new home and a new town.

Blog Post & Recipe: Hobak Hotteok (Sweet Stuffed Pumpkin Pancakes)

Hotteok is a popular street snack in Korea. It's basically a pan-fried yeast dough stuffed with a brown sugar and nut filling ... Because it's pumpkin season, I've tweaked it a little to make pumpkin hotteok.

Blog Post & Recipes: Enjoy Thanksgiving with Our Literary Recipes Roundup

Enjoy Turkey Day with Biblioklept’s menu of literary recipes

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Turkey Twelve Ways ... Zora Neale Hurston’s Mulatto Rice ... Ian McEwan’s Fish Stew ... James Joyce’s Burnt Kidney Breakfast ... Herman Melville’s Whale Steaks ... Ernest Heminway’s Absinthe Cocktail, Death in the Afternoon ... Vladimir Nabokov’s Eggs à la Nabocoque ... Thomas Pynchon’s Banana Breakfast ... Cormac McCarthy’s Turtle Soup ... Robert Crumb’s Macaroni Casserole ... George Orwell’s Recipes for Plum Cake and Christmas Pudding

Nigella's Sweet Potato Supper / Vietnamese-style Fish Soup / Mackerel with Harissa, Orange & Fennel

Blog Post & Recipe: Nigella's Sweet Potato Supper

Bright orange sweet potatoes roasted with asparagus, pancetta and cloves of garlic...what is not to love?

Blog Post & Recipe: A Vietnamese-style Fish Soup

It's simple, the flavours are clear and it's done cooking in minutes. The broth is excellent on its own but drop some crusty bread into it, let the bread suck up the broth and then bite into the bread

Blog Post & Recipe: Mackerel with Harissa, Orange & Fennel

I used the harissa with some really fresh mackerel fillets, orange and fennel so that I could finally finish off that bloody cous cous that's been lingering in my cupboard for months. A splash of rose water brought it all to life; though quite a summery dish, the fiery spice made it nice and warming.

Yorkshire Pudding / Leek and Herb Quiche / 3 Turkey Sandwiches

Blog Post & Recipe: Yorkshire Pudding

One of the tricks to get the Yorkshire pudding to rise well and to not fall is to bake it in a very hot oven and you can preheat the pan in addition to the oven to take it one step further ...

dm said... What's also nice is making it so it is shaped like a large bowl which you can then fill with a stew, meat or veggie.

Blog Post & Recipe: Leek and Herb tart

There’s a few things that really make the difference between a soggy sponge-like thing and a crisp, buttery comfort food. The pastry - it's got to be short, really short, like, leprechaun short.

Article & Recipes: The turkey sandwich reinvented

On the construction of a sandwich, he says: "When you bite into it you should taste the bread, but by the time the top of your mouth meets the bottom you get meat and cheese with every bite. Every bite of sandwich should be the same bite."

Turkey sandwich with kabocha spread and chutney ... Turkey with melted Camembert and mostarda ... Turkey sandwich with fried sweet potatoes and aioli

Concept: Yorkshire Pudding bowl

Roast Shoulder of Lamb + Apple & Toffee Cake / Roast Chicken & Butternut Squash Fusilli / Fried Winter Squash with Gorgonzola Butter

Article & Recipes: Put a shoulder into it

A slowly roasted lamb falling off the bone by the forkful, followed by some sweet appley goodness makes for two courses of pure pleasure.

Roast shoulder of lamb with onions and potatoes ... Apple and toffee cake

Blog Post & Recipes: The Best Reason to Roast Hot Hot Hot

A while back I watched a Jamie Oliver Meals in Minutes show and he was making a roasted chicken dinner in under 30 minutes. Impossible you say... not when you cut out the spine, flatten it and blast it at 500°F/260°C...

Roasted Herb & Garlic Spatchcock Chicken ... roasted butternut ... Roasted Chicken & Butternut Squash Fusilli

Article & Recipe: Discovering a new squash: The Rugosa butternut

There are many good things about Rugosa, but I especially like that the seed cavity is quite small and the squash is quite large, which means you have a great deal of solid flesh at your disposal for gratins or other dishes with large intact pieces. Another plus is that the flesh is smooth and creamy, like a butternut, but not quite as sweet — rich, but with more chestnut in its bite.

Fried Winter Squash with Gorgonzola Butter

Concept: roast very hot

Ginger Snaps / Jam Tarts / 5 Breakfasts

Blog Post & Recipe: gingersnaps

These are the kinds your grandmother might have made, as evidenced by the healthy helping of dark, funky and impossibly thick molasses.

Blog Post & Recipe: jam tarts

Rub 40z of butter and 6oz of flour together in a big bowl. Do so quickly, as Tamasin Day-Lewis says, "as though the butter and flour are hot sand".

Article & Recipes: Wake up to a better breakfast

You need crumpet moulds – a slightly unusual piece of kitchen kit, but a handy one when the crumpet bug bites. The rings some people use for making perfectly round fried eggs would work too, of course.

Fried eggs with sumac ... Fried eggs with Turkish pepper ... Fried eggs with sage ... Huevos rancheros ... Crumpets

Pot Roasted Lamb & Turnip Curry / Sour Chicken Stew with Fresh Herbs & Yellow Split Peas / Beef Tongue

Blog Post & Recipe: Pot roasted lamb and turnip curry

I wanted to experiment with the combination of robust curry spicing and the technique of browning off a choice hunk of flesh before leaving to languidly blip away in the oven for hours with a bit of stock and some vegetables, then maybe stirring in a touch of dairy to enrich matters.

Blog Post & Recipe: Morgh-e Torsh - Sour Chicken Stew with Fresh Herbs and Yellow Split Peas

This is a relatively easy dish to make but the taste is just superb and every bite is so full of flavor. Food from shomal (northern Iran) has its own distinct flavor ... I changed a couple of minor things here and there in the recipe. Maryam's recipe calls for one whole chicken, I used four pieces of boneless and skinless chicken breasts which I cut into small pieces (about two pounds) and the second change is adding turmeric to the recipe.

Blog Post & Recipe: Tongue Tied

It certainly felt weird at the time but after simmering in a stock pot for a few hours with carrots, leeks, onion, celery and a bouquet garni and then leaving to cool before slicing thinly and serving with a celeriac remoulade, those initial vapours and fears soon disappeared. Instead, all that remained were wonderous salt beef flavours, reminscent of the corned kind but much more delicate and satisfying, light yet encompassing, fluid and sensuous, just the kind of thing you'd expect from a tongue.

Cook Perfect Christmas Cake / Pennsylvania Dutch Baked Corn Pudding / Turmeric Pickle

Blog Post & Recipe: How to cook perfect Christmas cake

A Christmas cake should be rich and spicy; bursting with boozy fruit but never, ever heavy.

Blog Post & Recipe: Pennsylvania Dutch Baked Corn Pudding

Baked corn pudding is generally made with eggs and milk and baked like a custard. My family always added a little cinnamon and vanilla, but still maintained a savory taste using salt and pepper.

Blog Post & Recipe: Fresh Turmeric Pickle

One way we eat it in my family is by simply marinating it in lime juice and salt like you see here. Clean, peel, slice, add some salt to taste & lime juice enough to coat all the slices, jar and refrigerate. If you let it sit for 2-3 days, it gets better from the juices. It is best eaten within a week as a relish.

Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam) / Agedashi Tofu / Mussaman beef curry

Blog Post & Recipe: Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam)

Som Tam is the epitome of the perfect blends of hot, sour, salty, and sweet—the iconic tastes of Thai cuisine.

Blog Post & Recipe: just back from japan

It’s a tender, silky tofu with a crisp fried coating in a small pool of dashi-based broth. There would be grated ginger, daikon radish, and bonito flakes served on top.

Recipe: agedashi tofu

Blog Post & Recipe: Mussaman beef curry

The preparation began with a method I’ve never come across before: an initial two hour cooking of the meat with just coconut milk, cinnamon bark and black cardamom, the last of which lent a smoky, almost funky aroma. The fattiness of the coconut milk kept the meat moist, while the liquid reduced and took on a nutty flavour and hue. With about 45 minutes to go, cubed potatoes, fish sauce, tamarind, palm sugar and a curry paste were added.

Hokkaido Milk Bread / Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa Recipe / Crusted Butternut Pumpkin

Blog Post & Recipe: Hokkaido Milk Loaf (Hokkaido Milk Bread) - My First Bread Loaf....

The recipe featured here is denser and richer. The incorporation of Hokkaido milk (I do happen to have Hokkaido milk which I had bought from Hong Kong, but normal full cream milk will do just as well) and fresh cream yields a fine crumbed, moist texture.

Blog Post & Recipe: Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa Recipe

I cubed and steamed the squash, mashing half of it to help thicken the stew. In went the quinoa, one of my favorite grains, for an extra punch of protein and fiber. The topper was a kick of briny flavor from some kalamata olives and a burst of freshness from a handful of chopped parsley.

Blog Post & Recipe: CRUSTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

It’s a why-haven’t-I-done-this-before? kind of recipe – written with a short list of familiar ingredients, likely things you have on hand and out comes a tender squash with just the right crunch of breadcrumbs and parmesan. I typically make more than we can eat to have leftovers, but this is the kind of side you’d want to have fresh as the breadcrumbs get a bit soggy.

Ricotta Polenta with Fennel Pollen / Brined Turkey / Greek-Style Lamb

Recipe: Ricotta Polenta with Fennel Pollen

It seems simple but the ricotta adds a ton of flavor and texture to the polenta.

Recipe: Chronicle Classic: Best Way Brined Turkey

Several years ago, we roasted nearly 40 turkeys in our test kitchen and found a brined turkey to be the best. Every year since, we've retested the recipe. It's still our favorite.

Recipe: Simply delicious Greek-style lamb

This dish is delicious and incredibly, almost embarrassingly, simple - a great combination. We originally wrote it as a slow cooker recipe, but it also works very well (and not surprisingly, in a shorter time) on the stovetop.

Turkey Meatballs with Guava Sauce / Vanilla Beetroot Cake / Perfect Roast Beef

Recipe: Turkey Meatballs with Guava Sauce (Albóndigas de Pavo con Salsa de Guayaba)

I served them with guava sauce on the side and absolutely loved the combination of the sweet guava sauce with the turkey.

Blog Post & Recipe: Emma’s Vanilla Beet Cake (Gluten-Free)

It is a wonderfully moist cake that I think would lend itself beautifully to a nice cream cheese frosting. You don’t taste the beets in it, if anything; the beets add an extra wonderful earthy sweetness.

Blog Post & Recipe: The Perfect Roast Beef

One of the best parts of the roast beef is the slightly caramelized outside and to get that we want to keep moisture away and prevent steaming the meat. Roasting at the higher temperature at first will help with the channelization and starting with a dry piece of meat is important.

Kintamani Fish Soup / Creamed Turnips with Their Greens / Jibaritos

Article & Recipe: Flavours of paradise

Questioned about Indonesian food and how it is perceived, she says it is the most misrepresented cuisine of south-east Asia. ''But I believe it is the most majestic,'' she says.

Kintamani fish soup

Blog Post & Recipe: Creamed Turnips with Their Greens

I love turnips. They’re a highlight of the fall vegetable yield, but often overlooked I think. Though they look a bit like a parsnip, they have an underlying bite that sweet little parsnips lack. Maybe they’re the crotchety grandpa of the root vegetable world. The greens, like mustard or beet greens, are pretty thick. They need a decent boil, and, in this case, a nice creamy sauce.

Blog Post & Recipe: jibaritos with guava paste

Months ago I learned what a jibarito was, when I came across it on a blog. I bookmarked the recipe for this grilled cheese sandwich that uses ripe plaintain in place of bread, but I could never make it--I was missing a key ingredient. And then a few weeks ago, my aunt walked into the kitchen with it: guava paste! ... Having had it now, I can tell you that any jelly would make a decent substitute for guava paste, and jibaritos are special.

Ginger Soba Noodles / Pasta With Meat & Fennel Ragu / 3 Black Pudding Recipes

Blog Post & Recipe: Ginger Soba Noodles Recipe

You can certainly make the dressing a day or two ahead of time. Just give it a good shake and a taste before using - then adjust the salt and balance if needed.

Blog Post & Recipe: It's the small things that make a difference - Pasta With Meat and Fennel Ragu

In this meat sauce or ragú, I have substituted the usual celery stick with fennel and added fennel seeds as well, they have a more rounded and sweeter flavour than the vegetable.

Blog Post & Recipes: Things to do with (Estonian) black pudding aka verikäkk

Verikäkk is basically a dense black pudding (also known as blood pudding or blood dumpling). It's a mixture of (usually pig's) blood, flour (rye, barley or wheat), fried onions, lard/bacon and seasonings.

Fried black pudding with sour cream ... Fried black pudding ... Fried black pudding crisps

Cook Bread in Cabbage Leaves / Steamed Chicken with Dried Mushrooms & Red Dates / Rose Turkish Delight

Blog Post: Cabbage Bread

These fanciful looking critters are in fact standard, easily-baked-at-home rolls encased in cabbage leaves, resulting in this cool effect ...

Recipe: Steamed Chicken with Dried Mushrooms and Red Dates

Directions: Mix together all ingredients in a steaming bowl. Cover and leave to marinate for at least 1 hr. Steam on medium low heat for about 20-25 mins or until done.

Blog Post & Recipe: Rose Turkish Delight

This is my first attempt at Turkish Delight even though it is one of my favourite sweets I have never made it before. When looking for a recipe I found there are two kinds, one you just boil the ingredients like you would jam and the other adds gelatin. I decided to make the one with gelatin ...

Celeriac Gratin with Caramelised Onions / Salt Crusted Burgers with Mashy Peas / Turkey Stock For Gravy

Blog Post & Recipe: Celeriac Gratin with Caramelised Onions

Serve the gratin with a spoonful of caramelised onions and a crisp green salad lightly dressed with sherry vinegar and cold pressed rapeseed oil.

Blog Post & Recipe: could you feed yourself for $5 a day?

The secret is using the salt layer to cook the burgers. So as the juices drip out, the salt helps them congeal and form an instant crust which makes for a moist, full flavoured burger. I actually find that more fatty (and cheaper) beef makes for a more moist and tasty burger.

salt crusted burgers with mashy peas

Blog Post & Recipe: Turkey Stock For Gravy: Start Soon

I don’t know where we got the idea that a roasting turkey results enough juices to make gravy. It doesn’t ... Donna picked up two full turkey wings and four turkey necks, about 4.5 pounds/2 kilos. I roasted them in a hot hot oven till they were good enough to eat (Donna and I made a meal of the meaty parts that night, with brown-butter-sage pasta). I also cut up two big onions ...

Concept: salt-crusted hamburger patties: "as the juices drip out, the salt helps them congeal and form an instant crust which makes for a moist, full flavoured burger." Worth trying, M.?

Mushroom Risotto / Roast Pork Loin with Apples & Sage / Roasted Cauliflower Caponata

Blog Post & Recipe: A Miracle: The Best Mushroom Risotto Ever

What could I put in it to make it richer and fuller tasting? Anchovies.

Blog Post & Recipe: apple picking

there are many classic combinations but few are better than pork, apples & sage - this dish is a simple roast dinner and the apples become unbelievably tender and creamy.

Roast Pork Loin with Apples & Sage

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower Caponata

Cauliflower shines in many preparations, from steaming to frying. But boiling tends to draw out all it's flavor and nutrients. It might be a reason why so many people dislike the vegetable in the first place. Roasting is the technique everyone should be doing because it turns the cauliflower tender and sweet. This version of the Sicilian favorite, caponata, is just perfect for it.

Quick Mao Pao Tofu / Roasted Turnips with Olive Oil & Rosemary / Goat Curry

Blog Post & Recipe: Quick Mao Pao Tofu

I prepared it for dinner this past Sunday and had it on the table and ready to eat within 15 minutes.

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Turnips with Olive Oil and Rosemary

Very easy to prepare, and turnips peel much easier than most root vegetables. The smaller the turnip, the more tender. I add the rosemary in stages throughout the roasting process to layer the flavors.

Recipe: Sunday Supper: Goat Curry

Anyone who likes lamb should love goat; the flavor is similar, but with a little more character. The inherent toughness of the meat lends itself well to long, slow cooking, and the strong flavor of the meat can stand up to the assertive curry and chili seasoning in this dish.

Braised Brisket / 4 Confits / Prawn & Lemon Zest Soup

Recipe: Braised Brisket

You can also do this in a slow cooker.

Blog Post & Recipes: Vegetable Confit

This process can be applied to many other foods. Just keep these two guidelines in mind:

- Fully cover the food with fat (duck fat, olive oil, grapeseed oil, bacon fat…)
- Cook at low heat for a long time (no higher than 250ºF, 2-10 hours)

Cherry Tomato Confit ... Garlic Confit ... Bonus recipes: pearl onion confit and leek confit

Blog Post & Recipe: Shrimp & lemon zest soup

This was way, WAY more than the sum of its parts, and it’s all due to the the lemon zest. While the parsley garnish was good, chopped tarragon or chervil would be even better. I’d also consider making a dedicated tomato and shrimp shell broth with a tiny pinch of saffron.

Pumpkin Sardine Patties / Cook Perfect Porridge / One-Pot Meal Miso Soup

Blog Post & Recipe: Pumpkin Sardine Patties

I decided that these patties, rich in Omega-3, shall soon be as usual as the ones I made with dried shrimps.

Blog Post & Recipe: How to cook perfect porridge

The important thing is that porridge should be creamy in texture (lots of stirring required), but with enough chewy bite to keep it interesting.

Blog Post & Recipe: Hearty One-Pot Meal Miso Soup

This soup is very versatile and makes a lot, so plan on leftovers (you may need to add extra broth the next day as the noodles suck up all the liquid overnight). You can use whatever vegetables

What makes it easier to eat well? / Use Citrus with US Thanksgiving Food / Roasted Chickpeas

Blog Post: Guest posts: what makes it easier to eat well?

While I have many, many thoughts and opinions on ways to eat healthy food, I’m aware that one perspective can be limited. So I started this series to find out what other people were doing.

Article & Recipes: Use citrus to lighten Thanksgiving meal, not its impact

Whether it comes from orange, lemon or lime, the acid in citrus fruits balances fat, the way vinegar balances oil in a dressing. It invites salt and awakens the palate. Citrus zest offers bite with its intensely fragrant oils. Used together -- as in the lemon-lime sweet potatoes here -- the juice and zest create levels of sweet-sour-bitter

Citrus-Soy Sauce Turkey with Gravy ... Orange Pecan Stuffing ... Sweet Potatoes with Lemon-Lime Vinaigrette ... Citrus Mincemeat Crumb Pie ... Citrus Thanksgiving Side Dish Trio

Recipe: Roasted Chickpeas

Roasting cooked chickpeas in a little oil — first briefly on the stove and later in the oven — leaves their insides tender while adding crunch to their exterior; they make both a great side dish and a perfect snack. After you take them out of the oven, try dusting with a little chile powder, curry powder, or other spice mixture, or drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil, some lemon juice, and a lot of black pepper.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds / How to Cut Hard Winter Squash / Brussels Sprout Hash with Caramelized Shallots & Pancetta

Blog Post & Recipe: The Best Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

As I normally make savory pumpkin seeds, I decided this time around to go with a movie theater style pumpkin seed, and wow, am I glad I took this approach.

Video: How to Cut Hard Winter Squash Without Hacking Off Your Hand

Butternut squash, sweet pumpkins, acorn squash, and all those other tasty but rock-hard winter squashes are coming into season. They can be tricky to cut, but we've got you covered. Here are two video CHOW Tips for getting winter squash cracked open safely.

Blog Post & Recipe: Brussels Sprout Hash with Caramelized Shallots and Pancetta

The shallots are caramelized then sweetened with a bit of sugar and deglazed with some red wine vinegar. The pancetta is cooked until crisp. The Brussels sprouts are sautéed then steamed with a little chicken broth. This method makes them tender without over cooking them.

Make The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich + Top 10 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches / Seafood Curry Laksa / Beef Stew with Gremolata

Blog Post & Recipe: How to Make The Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Top 10 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Since I have picked up a few tricks along the way, I thought that it was about time that I shared them with you.

Blog Post & Recipe: Seafood Curry Laksa [via]

Laksa can be categorized into two types which is Curry and Asam, they are both soup based dishes but the difference is that the Curry is made out of coconut milk while the Asam comes from the extract of some sour fruit like tamarind.

Blog Post & Recipe: beef stew with gremolata

Now don’t get all uppity about gremolata because it’s simply a fancy word for some freshly chopped herbs, lemon zest, sea salt and a small drizzle of olive oil. It seems humble enough, but when scattered over top the hot bowl of stew, it releases some seriously delicious scents and flavours.

Monggo Guisado – Filipino Mung Bean Stew with Prawns & Kale / Blue Grouse with Roasted Apples & Pears / Barbecued King Prawns

Blog Post & Recipe: Monggo Guisado – Filipino Mung Bean Stew with Shrimp and Kale

It’s a simple stew consisting of mung beans, a small green bean native to India and popular in the Philippines for sweet and savory dishes.

Blog Post & Recipe: “Blue Grouse with Roasted Apples and Pears”

There are several kinds of grouse: sage grouse (which tastes a lot like what it eats, sage), spruce grouse, sooty grouse, ruffed grouse, sharp-tail grouse, and the blue grouse, also known as the dusky grouse.

Blog Post & Recipe: Fishermen in for the long haul

The Spencer Gulf prawn fishery has formally acquired Marine Stewardship Council certification as a sustainable and well-managed fishery, the first prawn fishery in Australia, the southern hemisphere and the Asia-Pacific region to do so.

Neil Perry's barbecued king prawns

3 Juniper Recipes / Ultra-Crispy Roast Potatoes / Pan-Fried Mackerel + Smoked Mackerel Cakes & Tomato Salad

Blog Post & Recipe: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's juniper recipes

Crush a juniper berry between your fingers and its clean, resinous smell perks up a dull brain as effectively as a two-shot espresso. And, of course, its piny sweetness has the clean, bright aroma of gin

Chicken with rosemary and juniper ... Potato and celeriac gratin with juniper ... Rabbit and bacon with juniper and chestnuts

Blog Post & Recipe: The Food Lab Thanksgiving Special: Ultra-Crispy Roast Potatoes

The problem is that with simple roasting, they'll crisp up all right, but the layer of crispness will be very very thin. Within moments, steam from the interior of the spud will cause the crisp bits to soften. So what is it that makes a potato crisp?

Blog Post & Recipe: Pan-Fried Mackerel; Smoked Mackerel Cakes and Tomato Salad

Mackerel is delicious and versatile and can be served hot or cold, smoked, raw or cooked. Due to the rich oily flesh mackerel works best with strong acid flavours such as saffron, lemons, limes, tomatoes, orange, fennel, chilli, ginger and wasabi. The skin of mackerel is thin and therefore crisps up easily and tastes equally delicious. My philosophy about mackerel is to keep it simple; it’s a humble fish

Key Lime Pie / Nyonya Style Pumpkin & Prawn Curry / Barbacoa Beef Cheek Tacos

Blog Post & Recipe: Key Lime Pie

I like this recipe because of the lime zest in the graham cracker crust. The filling is sweet and the zest gives some bitterness to the crust and creates a very nice flavour.

Blog Post & Recipe: Nyonya Style Pumpkin and Shrimp Curry

Now, let us get back to today’s recipe. This curry turned out relatively mild as the red chilies found here are not that spicy and the sweet pumpkin did neutralize the heat a little.

Blog Post & Recipe: Cook the Book: Barbacoa Beef Cheek Tacos

For those who are unaccustomed to cheek meat, braising it for tacos does wonders to accessibility because, after all, there's really nothing all that scary about a taco (right?). But odd cuts aside, these beef cheek tacos are pretty incredible. They're marinated in a mole-esque blend of spices, chiles, coffee, and peanut butter with a deep yet mellow spiciness that permeates the cheeks beautifully.

Concept: braise beef cheeks

Preserve Butternut Pumpkin / Roasted Butternut Pumpkin Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette / Carrot Fritters

Blog Post & Recipe: Help Me Preserve 15 Pounds of Winter Squash

Editor: Rose, yes, you can preserve the squash by pureeing. Here's a good post on this:

• Preserving Butternut Squash by Amy Palanjian

Also check out this post:

• Eight Things To Do With Butternut Squash

Readers, what else do you suggest?

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette

This is pretty much the ultimate holiday salad – mixed greens tossed with roasted butternut squash, dried cranberries, walnuts and Parmesan cheese, and then dressed with a warm apple cider vinaigrette.

Blog Post & Recipe: Carrot Fritters

Serve the carrot fritters with a wedge of lemon and natural yoghurt as well as a delicious salad, or two, and you have a fantastic lunch or dinner on those hot summer days. They can also be served cold, making them the perfect picnic food.

Hot Dogs with Kimchi Relish / Marinated Avocado / Baked Lamb Shanks

Blog Post & Recipe: Hot Dogs with Kimchi Relish

In this recipe, my most favorite American street food gets a makeover for the Korean palate. Jean-Georges created a kimchi relish that's made sweet with honey and sour with rice vinegar.

Blog Post & Recipe: Marinated Avocado

Lately I have made an effort to bring lunch to work more often, and the idea of marinating avocado in sandwich has been on my mind. Cumin, coriander, lime juice, cayenne pepper, garlic. Inspirations: guacamole, can't you tell?

Blog Post & Recipe: Incredible Baked Lamb Shanks

These were some of the softest shanks that ever came out of my oven. Wrapping the meat and all the aromatics in foil (and see to it that it’s tightly sealed please!) creates a little steam bath that keeps the meat moist and flavorful, and renders it sinuously pliant. The lamb ends up soft and sticky, drenched in intensely flavored buttery juices.

Baigan Bharta (Punjabi Eggplant Curry) / White Bean & Red Curry Soup in Coconut Milk / Roasted Lemon Chutney

Blog Post & Recipe: Baigan Bharta (Punjabi Eggplant Curry): Virtue Out of Necessity

The recipe below – baigan bhartha – makes use of eggplant’s previously unappreciated attribute of being able to bind a sauce. Like its nightshade cousin the tomato, eggplant seems as comfortable in this role as any other we’ve tried with it. The smoky flavor gained through roasting is quite startling

Blog Post & Recipe: White Bean and Red Curry Soup in Coconut Milk - An MLLA Guest Post from Courtney of Coco Cooks

To achieve the creaminess I adore in chowders and bisques, I knew there would be coconut milk as a base. I then got to thinking of my beloved Thai soups and decided red curry would add the heat. The richness and fullness would come from white cannellini beans pureed to give structure. And the finish, influenced by the Thai culture again, would be squirt of lime and cilantro finished with drops of red chili oil.

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Lemon Chutney Recipe

I slathered the chutney on thick slabs of toasted bread with a good amount of whipped goat cheese - that's what you see in the photos. But really, there are so many other things you can do with it. A couple ideas: a dollop stirred into brown rice, chopped sauteed spinach, topped with a fried/poached egg and a touch of soy sauce. Or incorporated into a hot pasta bowl. Or, inside a savory crepe. Or, tossed with hot roasted potatoes, or baked potatoes. You get the idea.

Chaud-Froid Egg & Grissini / Dorayaki (Japanese Red Bean Pancake) / Dawood Basha (Lebanese Meatballs in Tomato Sauce)

Article & Recipe: Marque of excellence

Sweet and sour, hot and cold, this symphony in a shell delivers with magnificent simplicity.

Chaud-froid free-range egg and grissini

Blog Post & Recipe: Dorayaki (Japanese Red Bean Pancake)

Today’s dessert Dorayaki is best described as a dessert sandwich with red bean filling between two slices of pancake.

Blog Post & Recipe: Dawood Basha - Lebanese meatballs in tomato sauce

This dish gets its name from the Ottoman pasha Dawood who governed Lebanon in the 18th century. The dish is easy to make, tender, melt-in-your-mouth meatballs with a simple tomato sauce over rice, is irresistibly good.

Barbounofassoula (Stewed Borlotti Beans) / Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes with Lemon, Parmesan Cheese & Parsley / Lemony Leeks with Chickpeas & Feta

Blog Post & Recipe: Fassolia Ηantres Giahni or Barbounofassoula (Stewed Borlotti Beans)

This is one of the dishes I enjoy as they are delicious, with a meatier texture than common beans and a good source of protein and fibre

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes) with lemon, Parmesan cheese and parsley

Scrub your vegetables really well. Do not peel, but cut in halves or quarters depending on their size. Par-boil or steam for about 10 minutes, until crispy tender ...

Blog Post & Recipe: Meatless Mondays with Martha Stewart - Lemony Leeks with Chickpeas and Feta

Guess what happens when you put a bunch of leeks in a pan with some veggie broth? Surprisingly, a totally mind-blowing flavour fest. Then guess what happens when you add lemon zest, dill, garlic, olive oil, goat feta, chickpeas, and lots of cracked black pepper?

Pickled Prawns / Pesto Frittata Bites / Freeze Chicken Stock in Ice Cube Trays

Blog Post & Recipe: Pickled Shrimp

Essentially, then, this recipe boils down to one simple step: "Throw all the ingredients in a jar and chill overnight." Easy, peasy!

Blog Post & Recipe: Pesto Frittata Bites

I was asked to bring an egg dish, which usually means a frittata. But when you go to brunch at the home of the hostess with the mostess plus, you best bring something real nice. So I went all fancy on you: I tucked my frittata recipe into mini-muffin cups.

Blog Post & Recipe: Weekend Project: Freeze Chicken Stock in Ice Cube Trays

When ready, crack the ice cubes into a large bowl, and then transfer to a zip-lock bags. Each ice cube equals about one ounce of liquid. If they seem to stick together, carefully toss the bags on the counter — they should easily break back into individual cubes.

Coconut Cake From Emily Dickinson / Acorn Spaetzle / 3 Chickpea Recipes

Blog Post & Recipe: A Coconut Cake From Emily Dickinson: Reclusive Poet, Passionate Baker

This week, the Poet's House in New York City put on exhibit an original manuscript of a Dickinson cake recipe that contained coconut.

Blog Post & Recipe: Acorn Spaetzle

This is a pretty standard recipe for spaetzle, only I add some acorn flour to the mix to make them earthier, nuttier and generally more rustic; I think they go better with wild game that way. While there are a few online sources for acorn flour, you pretty much have to make it yourself — here are instructions on how to make acorn flour.

Blog Post & Recipe: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's chickpea recipes

When you're cooking your own, soak them overnight in a generous amount of cold water. Next day, drain and put them in a large pan with fresh water (don't add salt at this stage, as it makes the skins tough) and bring to a simmer, skimming off any scum that rises to the top. Cook for about two hours, until they're very soft, then leave to cool in the cooking water

Chickpea stew with lamb meatballs ... Chickpea and pumpkin salad ... Herby chickpea pancakes

Toasty Pumpkin Chickpea Fritters / Achari Paneer Tikka – Skewered Indian Cheese With Pickling Spices / Tauge Goreng

Blog Post & Recipe: Toasty Pumpkin Chickpea Fritters!

A light, crisp layer of panko breadcrumbs coat a cozy fall-inspired filling of mashed chickpeas, rich golden pumpkin, nutty hemp seeds, garlic, a hint of maple and a splash of bright cider vinegar.

Blog Post & Recipe: Achari Paneer Tikka – Skewered Indian Cheese With Pickling Spices

Achari comes from the word “Achaar” which means pickle in Hindi. Tikka is any kind of boneless meat or vegetables baked or roasted on skewers ... Paneer complements the strong flavors of the spice mix perfectly but you can use lamb, chicken or shrimp.

Blog Post & Recipe: Tauge Goreng

Humble, yet delicious, easy and quick to make. No wonder is popular in Indonesia and SE Asian country. Every household seems to have their own version. Some recipe add prawns, some add tofu and tempe, or simply nothing other then mung bean sprouts itself as a star. This is my version of tauge goreng, I always serve it with hot steaming Japanese, or Jasmine rice, no other side dish needed.

Eggplant Parmesan Sliders / Mussel Conchiglie / How to Cook Perfect Welsh Rarebit

Blog Post & Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan Sliders

Top off the patties with homemade tomato sauce and a slice of fresh, melted mozzarella

Blog Post & Recipe: Mussel Conchiglie

Despite the cream, it tastes light and fresh but luxurious too. The shells are very good at scooping up the sauce and hiding mussels within them. Of course I had to put my own spin on it and add some lemon zest for some citrus flavour that I find essential with seafood.

Blog Post & Recipe: How to cook perfect welsh rarebit

Most rarebit recipes, with the exception of Nigel Slater's quick version, loosen the cheese with a liquid: milk or ale, in Jane Grigson's version; cider for Cheese Society; port for Mrs Beeton; or stout, which comes with the weighty recommendations of both Mark Hix and the Bareham / Hopkinson team.

Toad-in-the-Hole / Korean Kimchi Stew / Mushroom & Beetroot Frittata

Blog Post & Recipe: Classic English Toad-in-the-Hole

I first posted a recipe for Toad in the Hole back in 2003. I wasn't quite satisfied with that recipe, and based on feedback from readers and a bit more experimentation, recently updated the recipe.

Blog Post & Recipe: Korean Kimchi Stew

I first came across Soondoobu Jiggae (or, soft tofu stew to me and you) at Koba, on Charlotte Place. A bubbling stew in a hot stone pot, it as packed with little clams, silky soft tofu and the punchy heat of kimchi. Further exploration with my chopsticks revealed a perfectly poached egg in the broth.

Blog Post & Recipe: Mushroom and beetroot frittata

Frittatas are easy-peasy, weeknight food. Something you can make in one pan, cram full of vegetables and top with whatever is in the fridge. Nutritionally this particular frittata combines antioxidant rich beetroot, with B vitamin and antioxidant containing mushrooms, plus protein packed eggs. I topped the frittata with a dairy free kind of pesto, made from coriander, miso, garlic and walnuts.

What to Save & Freeze for Stocks / Roast Butternut Squash & Chickpeas / Gnocchi di Pane e Prugne (Bread Gnocchi with Prunes)

Blog Post: Stockpiling Your Scraps: What to Save & Freeze for Stocks

• Bones and carcasses ... Vegetable & herb scraps ... Seafood shells & bones ... Cheese rinds

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash & Chickpeas

This recipe is reminiscent of chana masala, a savory dish of stewed chickpeas with spices and tomatoes. For a fall version, butternut squash has been added, pre-cooked by roasting pieces in the oven with spices.

Blog Post & Recipe: Gnocchi di Pane e Prugne (bread gnocchi w/ prunes)

This recipe is from the far north of Italy in the region of Trentino-Alto Ridge where the influence of Austro-Tyrolean food is prevalent. Some staples in their diet are wurst, cabbage, potatoes, apples, butter, polenta & dumplings. Yes this is Italy! These little bread gnocchi are called Knodeln which is a German word referring to a bread dumpling.

Pickled Cabbage Rolls with Mushroom & Brown Rice Stuffing / Beetroot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting / Chicken Katsu Don

Blog Post & Recipe: Pickled Cabbage Rolls with Mushroom and Brown Rice Stuffing

This is the vegan version of the Romanian traditional dish "sarmale" which usually contains ground pork/beef meat.

Blog Post & Recipe: Beetroot cake with cream cheese frosting

The recipe is based on Joanne Chang’s classic carrot cake recipe from Flour. If you don’t like beetroot, make it with carrot, and be sure to make it in your favourite baking pan.

Blog Post & Recipe: Chicken Katsu Don

My mom always make Chicken Katsu with chicken tenders so that’s how I make it, but you can use chicken breasts or thighs. If you use chicken breasts, make sure to cut each piece thin so it will cook faster ... Even though you don’t like deep frying, shallow deep frying is less scary and the easiest way to deep fry.

Pumpkin Rice Noodles / Roasted Figs with Sage in Red Wine / Irish Ale Battered Fish & Chickpea Chips

Blog Post & Recipe: Pumpkin Rice Noodles

This pumpkin noodles with minced pork is one of my favorite noodle recipes. I love to order this at my favorite Taiwanese noodle house.

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Figs with Sage in Red Wine

To add to the earthy bite of roasted figs we snipped some fresh sage to the recipe. Wonderful, fragrant sage rounded off the roasted figs beautifully and the addition of some red wine really finished off the recipe perfectly.

Blog Post & Recipe: Irish Ale Battered Fish + Chickpea Chips

These chips are somewhat time-consuming upfront, but well worth the trouble. Totally delicious and marginally more healthy than potatoes because chickpeas are protein packed. In fact, you could make a meal out of the chickpea chips alone.