100 Cooking Tips / 3 Recipes with Bread Crumbs / 3 Pear Recipes

Article: 100 Greatest Cooking Tips (of all time!) [via]

Food Network Magazine asked top chefs across the country for their best advice.

Article & Recipes: The California Cook: Mighty, mighty bread crumbs

But what I'd never really realized was the true potential of bread crumbs, how instead of being bland character actors toiling in the background, they can actually become the stars of a dish, or at least a very impressive second lead.

Grilled romaine with radishes, hard-boiled eggs and toasted bread crumbs ... Spaghetti with arugula and garlic bread crumbs ... Swiss chard with golden raisins and lemon bread crumbs

Article & Recipes: Perfect pears

To test to see if a pear is ripe, all you need to do is press the neck of the pear and if it gives a little it is ripe. If it is hard as a rock it needs a bit of time. Pears are rich in fibre and vitamin C – most of this is in the skin, so make sure you are eating some pears in the raw and in their skins to get the maximum nutritional value from them.

PEAR CHUTNEY ... PEAR AND PECORINO SALAD ... POACHED PEARS

Concept: bread crumbs

n.b. M! I'm going to top linking to the New York Times because they've installed a paywall.

Saag Paneer Pasta / Leftover Rice Cake / Tomato Chili Lime Marmalade

Blog Post & Recipe: Saag Paneer Pasta

The spinach yogurt curry sauce went perfectly with the pasta. The chunks of fried cheese were a nice crunchy texture balance with the soft noodles.

Blog Post & Recipe: Leftover rice cake

It’s like a massive vege burger in a way, with grilled cheese on top, crispy crumby cheese edges, and a nice moist middle. The bonus is that you don’t need to get your hands dirty shaping any patties, and you don’t need to dip the patties into breadcrumbs. I’m considering making all my vege burger recipes like this from now on – you can still cut them into wedges and put them in a sandwich or bun.

Blog Post & Recipe: Tomato Chili Lime Marmalade

I wasn’t sure whether to call this a marmalade or a relish, I think really it would be a relish because of the tomatoes but the tang of the lime rind really gives it that marmalade edge. So what do you use such a marmalade relish for? Well we have eaten it on toast, with cheese and I have even dipped my fish & chips into it! You could use it to spice up grilled fish or chicken, adding it to the dish before serving or you could just offer it as an extra condiment at the table.

Crispy Chicken Skin Tacos with Habanero Salsa / Pasta con le Sarde / Eggs Drumkilbo

Blog Post & Recipe: Crispy Chicken Skin Tacos with Habanero Salsa

I ask you, do you like bacon? Because if you do, think of fried chicken skin as "chicken bacon". They're just tasty fried, fatty, salty bits.

Blog Post & Recipe: Pasta con le Sarde: Sicily on a plate

A strikingly simple plate of spaghetti, fennel, onions, and sardines garnished with golden raisins (sultanas) and pine nuts, but its layers of flavor and texture speak of Sicily’s multifarious heritage.

Blog Post & Recipe: Eggs Drumkilbo

Eggs Drumkilbo was a favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (Gawd bless 'er), and has recently been described by the food critic, Giles Coren, as "so awful it's almost good". It's a splendid old thing, with Lord knows how many flavours going on in there; completely over-the-top and utterly unfashionable. It was served at previous royal weddings. Here's how you make it

Hot Cross Buns / Apple & Fennel Salad / 4 Recipes from the New York Times

Blog Post & Recipe: How to cook perfect hot cross buns

Hot cross buns are a festive food, rather than a common or garden breadstuff, and they deserve to be treated as such. A rich, golden dough, heavy with spice and sweet with dried fruits and sugar

Blog Post & Recipe: apple and fennel salad

The fennel is so crunchy and refreshing (I can’t believe I ever gagged eating this stuff – I was crazy, I tell you!) and the slightly tart apples shaved paper thin feel like they’ve meat to be paired with the fennel slices. Also the dill: I know being Russian, I’m a little dill-crazy, but I really think dill and fennel were meant to be together

Blog Post & Recipes: Classic American recipes come to life

Amanda Hesser, a food editor at the New York Times, spent six years compiling a book that would bring together the best recipes in the paper's history, from the 1850s to the present day. Here she picks her personal favourites.

Purée of peas and watercress recipe ... Ginger duck recipe ... Spaghetti with fried eggs and roasted peppers recipe ... Winter borscht recipe

Potato-Sunchoke Soup with Chile Oil / Hot Chocolate / Spaghetti with Braised Kale

Blog Post & Recipe: potato-sunchoke soup with homemade chile oil

These are sunchokes. You might know them as Jerusalem artichokes instead. They’re not flashy vegetables — look at those knotty tubers!

Blog Post & Recipe: As our own

You're going to boil the chocolate. Well, the chocolate and cream and all the rest of it. Just for a minute or two, the bubbles shouldn't be furious. And stir conscientiously as it's happening please

Our hot chocolate

Blog Post & Recipe: a delicious comfort

Have I lost you already, with the mere mention of whole wheat spaghetti? If not, has kale scared you away? I sure hope not, because I really think you’ll like this one. It’s quick and deeply satisfying—hearty and earthy and lemony and garlic-y and spicy—especially on a winter weeknight.

Spaghetti with Braised Kale

Pan Fried Ginger Pork / Baked Spaghetti Royale / Spicy Mango-Pineapple Hot Dogs

Blog Post & Recipe: Pan Fried Ginger Pork

One of my favourite Japanese Pork recipe is the very accessible Pan Fried Ginger Pork. Extremely simple and quick to make, this dish goes beautifully with steaming hot white rice.

Blog Post & Recipe: Baked Spaghetti Royale – How to Win Friends and Influence People

Made with chorizo, bell peppers, a secret herb and an ultra creamy bechamel sauce, it’s no wonder The Blog Monster’s words that night enticed so many to come to my birthday party.

Recipe: Spicy Mango-Pineapple Hot Dogs

I've never been to Hawaii but I am already making a list of Hawaiian hot dog joints to visit when I finally get there. A common theme on the menu are fruit topped hot dogs which intrigued me.

Scrambled Eggs / Ramps / Twelve Grilled Cheese Recipes

Blog Post & Recipe: the secret ingredient – how to scramble eggs like tetsuya

And the first thing Australia’s most famous chef demonstrated was the humble scrambled egg ... the most surprising revelation of the evening was the creamed corn.

Article & Recipes: Ravenous for Ramps

Ramps (Allium trioccum) are a member of the lily family, which includes garlic, leeks, and onions ... They occupy a middle ground of flavor, with the sweetness of leeks and the bite of garlic.

Ramp Grits Soufflé ... Ramp Soup ... Ramp Tart ... Roasted Chicken, Ramps, and Potatoes ... Spaghetti with Ramps

Blog Post & Recipes: The Month of Grilled Cheese

But if you want to try a month of grilled cheese madness–or if you just want a few delicious and unusual sandwiches, check out the recipes below.

Cornbread Grilled Cheese with Poblano and Avocado ... Grilled Cheddar and Applie Sandwich with Raspberry Coulis ... Grilled Smoked Mozzarella with Maple-Caramelized Bacon ... Tomato Soup Grilled Cheese (the soup is in the sandwich) ... Grilled Sweet Five-Spice Sandwich ... Grilled Goat’s Cheese with Proscuitto and Eucalyptus Honey ... Grilled Fontina with Proscuitto-wrapped Melon ... Grilled Caprese Sandwich ... Greek-ish Grilled Feta Sandwich with Green Garlic ... Smoky Grilled Cheese with Sopressata and Sage ... Grilled Manchego with Fig Jam and Olives ... Brie and Nutella Grilled Cheese

Fennel-Pastrami Gratin / Roasted Marrow Bones with Parsley Salad / One Blogger's Most Popular Posts of 2009

Blog Post & Recipe: Fennel-Pastrami Gratin (this recipe is an entry in a mass fennel-recipe gathering).

Give a fennel some pastrami and they let go of their guards. So imagine what a fennel, fronds and toasted seeds included, would become if cooked in cream with layers of pastrami and yukon gold potatoes.

Blog Post & Recipe: The Greatest Form of Flattery: Blatantly Copying Fergus Henderson’s Roasted Marrow Bones with Parsley Salad

If you can’t find marrow bones (we used beef bones, but veal are very popular as well), talk with your butcher about ordering some. They freeze well and can be used to thicken soups ... and stocks if you prefer not to have them roasted.

Blog Post: Top Ten from 2009

I’ve figured out how to see which recipes received the most attention from readers. So here are the 10 most popular with readers according to the blog counter I use ...

Spaghetti and Meatballs Cake ... Chocolate Zucchini Cake ... Strawberry Tiramisu ... Grilled Shrimp and Bulgur Salad ... Candied Orange Peel ... Stuffed Zucchini ... Zucchini Cheese Scones ... How To Make Homemade Pasta ... Pumpkin Ravioli with Walnut Cream Sauce ... Side Dish Salads

Baked Fish. Grilled Cheese. Ten Summer Recipes.

Recipe: Fish Baked in a Paper

This is a recipe from Sale & Pepe magazine, Serbian issue for June 2009, and I promise, this is so much tastier than it looks ;)

Video: How to Make Grilled Cheese with Laura Werlin

The noted cheese expert and author of Laura Werlin’s Cheese Essentials now turns her critical gaze to the sine qua non of cheese expression, the grilled cheese sandwich. Only a few factors—the butter, the cheese, the bread—yet so many possibilities for a wrong turn.

Blog Post & Recipes: Fish, Tofu, & Frittata: 10 Fast, Fresh Summer Suppers

Here are 10 meals from our archives that are fast and fresh. There are vegetarian dishes like tofu steaks and potato and red pepper frittata, plus three delicious ways to cook fish fast.

• 1 Arugula with Orzo and Garden Tomatoes
• 2 Pan-Seared Copper River Sockeye with Porcini Mushrooms, Red Bell Peppers and Sea Beans
• 3 Tofu Steak with Miso and Ginger
• 4 30-Minute Chicken Posole
• 5 Potato, Red Pepper, and Feta Frittata
• 6 Eggplant Caponata Sandwiches with Mozzarella
• 7 Spaghetti with Mascarpone, Meyer Lemon, Spinach, and Hazelnuts
• 8 Weeknight Fish for Two
• 9 Big Green Salad with Shallots, Chicken, Smoked Almonds, Goat Cheese, and Dates
• 10 Ginger and Cilantro Baked Tilapia

Bean and Zucchini Hummus. Spinach Soup. Spaghetti All'arrabbiata.

Blog Post & recipe: Pinto Bean and Zucchini Hummus

Zucchini lends a western Mediterranean flair to this spicy but rich and earthy hummus made from pinto beans instead of chickpeas, with yogurt along to add a ... tang.

Blog Post & Recipe: Spinach Soup with Potato & Fried Garlic

... a simple spinach soup, with all in a bowl & one dominant flavor of fried garlic ... Unlike the popular pureed & creamy spinach soup, this one has the leaves just wilted. The color of the soup will depend on the amount of tomato you use & also the turmeric. More tomato also adds a slight tang, so if you want yours slightly sharp, feel free to use more tomato in it.

Blog Post & Recipe: Spaghetti All'arrabbiata

All'arrabbiata means "angry style", and that's all you really need to know about this recipe. It's a tomato sauce with a kick. Usually that comes from crushed red pepper flakes, but I found this recipe from FX Cuisine that trades the flakes for ... one fiercely hot chile ... something happens to the chile during the cooking process. Since only a little bit is used, the shocking spiciness fades away into a glorious lingering glow ...

Sardines and Spaghetti. Leek and Zucchini Soup. Noodle Soup.

Blog Post & Recipe: Dinner Tonight: Venetian Spaghetti with Sardines

Not that there are any clams to be found—just the ultrahealthy and ultracheap sardine, onions, and a little milk which almost melt to combine as a gently flavored and slightly thick sauce. It coats the pasta beautifully.

Blog Post & Recipe: cream of leek & zucchini soup

... the flavor was perfect, the creaminess lent it a satisfying richness, and the zucchini made me feel like I was eating something reasonably healthy. A small cup was the perfect amount for a light lunch.

Article & Recipe: From a Simple Base, Endless Possibilities

Look at the 'Related" side-box for the link to the recipe.

What it is: a tasty, fast, cheap, infinitely variable broth-and-noodle combination. Its preparation is slowed down only by waiting for the water to boil.

A key ingredient is ketchup; if you can’t bear that thought, you can use tomato paste instead. There’s also sriracha, the Southeast Asian hot sauce; and soy sauce; vinegar; and sesame oil, all of which add character. The noodles I use are fresh egg pasta, but just about any kind of noodle can be used ...

Egg Noodles With Soy Broth

Chocolate Stout Cake. Favourites. Bunny Chow.

Blog Post & Recipe: Chocolate Stout Cake Revisited

Recipes: Favourite things

Got a recipe you could happily dish up for the rest of your life? Here are our favourites ...

A bowl of beef stew with pickled walnuts / Roast chicken with aioli / Smooth mashed potato / A plate of spaghetti carbonara / A scoop of coffee ice cream

Blog Post & Recipe: Bunny chow

There is some discussion as to the origin of this steet food which broadly consists of curry ladled into a scooped-out loaf of bread. One theory is that it originated at a restaurant in Durban's Grey Street when, in the early 1900s, caddies from the Royal Durban Golf Club were unable to get enough time off over lunch to dash to predominanty Indian Grey Street to pick up a curry for lunch. The caddies would ask their friends to bring back curries for them and because there were no polystyrene containers back then, the shopkeepers sent the curry in holowed out loaves of bread. There was also no disposable cutlery, so the bread was useful as a tool to dip into the curry and use instead of a fork. This theory might also explain the rather unusual name: the shopkeepers on Grey Street were called banias (an Indian caste of merchants), and "bunny" could be a corruption of this. Another similar theory is that bunny chows originated as a means for the (mostly Indian) labourers to take lunch onto the sugar cane plantations of Kwa-Zulu Natal in the days before disposable containers.

Potatoes. Spaghetti. Who's Cooking?

Article: Who’s Cooking? (For Health, It Matters)

Home-cooked meals are typically more healthful than those prepared at restaurants. But just how much more healthful depends on who’s doing the cooking, where the recipe comes from, and even the dishes in which the food is served.

Studies show that the biggest influence on family eating habits is the person who buys and prepares the food. These “nutritional gatekeepers,” as researchers call them, influence more than 70 percent of the foods we eat, according to a 2006 report in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association ...

Recipes: Five ways with a packet of spaghetti

1. Artichoke and mascarpone pasta

2. Spaghetti, sausages and mustard

3. Spaghetti and mussels

4. Chicken and pasta pie

5. A quick and cheap tomato and pasta soup

Recipes: New Potato Day: Eat and Plant Potatoes Today

Did you know that today is a big day for potatoes? Not only are they a featured part of most St. Patrick's Day menus, but this is also the day when potatoes are traditionally planted! Potatoes go into the ground earlier than most garden seeds, at least in the northern parts of the world ... Here are five fresh ways to eat new potatoes, which are turning up at the markets soon ...

• 1 Crème fraîche and chives

• 2 Saffron and parsley

• 3 Ginger, cumin and sesame

• 4 Honey and basil

• 5 Thyme and carrots

Related: Sixteen Kinds of Potatoes

Bread

Article & Recipes: Bread recipes: Use your Loaf.

Links to three recipes to the right of the introduction.

Think beyond stuffing and you’ll hit on some of the chicest platefuls around – the bread salad panzanella, bread-and-butter pudding, pain perdu . The fashion for peasant food has seen us exalt dishes that were created to use up old bread. Its ability to soak up flavours, to be soft or crispy and to thicken a dish, make it one of the most useful leftovers ...

... Bread recipes: Ribollita ... Bread recipes: Pommes Lorraines ... Bread recipes: Spaghetti with chilli, garlic and breadcrumbs ...

Chutney. Spaghetti. Tempura Prawns. Rendering Bacon Fat.

Recipe: How to ... make chutney.

Recipe: Spaghetti with creamy bacon and pea sauce.

Blog Post/Recipe: Rendering bacon fat.

Recipe: Tempura nori prawns with fragrant rice and Thai salad.

To make classic Thai dipping sauce: Place chopped chilli into mortar with a pinch of salt and sugar and, using a pestle, pound to a paste. Add lemon juice, palm sugar and fish sauce and combine well. The taste should be a balance of salty, sour, sweet and hot.