Braised Pork Belly with Caramel-Miso Glaze / Peanut Skins / Osso Busso with Quinoa

Blog Post & Recipe: Pork Belly

This is how I cook and this is how I think about cooking. Recipes are the tip of the iceberg—it’s what’s below surface of the recipes that makes cooking so exciting.

Braised Pork Belly with Caramel-Miso Glaze

Blog Post: What's Up with Peanut Skins?

But there seem to be benefits from eating peanut skins as well. Not only are they high in fiber, but they contain reservatrol, the same antioxidant that red wine is famous for, which is also an antimicrobial, and which in lab tests has been shown to lower blood sugar and may be an important weapon in the fight against cancer.

A more recent study in 2009 showed that roasting peanuts with their skin on actually increased the amount of antioxidants in peanuts.

Blog Post & Recipe: Crock Pot Osso Busso with Quinoa

You’ll want to use a larger Crock Pot for this dish, so that your shanks aren’t piled one on top of the other; while some overlap isn’t a problem, but ideally you’ll have them sitting side by side, flat on the bottom of the crock. If you don’t want to use a slow cooker, feel free to braise your shanks in a Dutch oven or other deep, heavy dish, in the oven at 200 degrees for 3 or 4 hours.

Ginataang Hipon (Shrimp in Coconut Milk) / John Allison's Toad in the Hole / Quinoa cakes

Blog Post & Recie: G is for Gata and How to Make Ginataang Hipon (Shrimp in Coconut Milk)

Half a cup of coconut milk for a pound of shrimp. Roughly.
Use cream instead of milk, when you can.
Devein shrimp but keep heads and shells on.

Article & Recipe & Drawings: Recipe Comix: Toad in the Hole

Here, Allison's intrepid school-age detectives Lottie and Mildred whip up a version of toad in the hole that will turn us all into excellent housewives, even if we previously thought ourselves thwarted by age or gender

Blog Post & Recipe: Polpete od kvinoje / Quinoa cakes

They are actually vegetarian burgers, they hold up very well and bake nicely ... Quinoa is so versatile, you can use it both in savory and sweet dishes. These cakes are a hit, topped with some poached egg, or simply served wit a yogurt/cream or vegetable dip

5 Meatless Burgers / 5 Fish Recipes / Zucchini and Spinach Gratin

Blog Post & Recipes: 5 Meatless Burgers to Grill This Weekend

Here are 5 meatless burgers to grill this weekend:

Classic Bean Burger ... Chickpea Burger ... Quinoa Burger ... Baked Eggplant Burger ... Bean Burger

Recipes: Recipes to Help You Conquer Your Fish-Grilling Fears

They all use types of fish that are on the sturdy side—nothing delicate that you'll have to worry about mangling here—and they all include tips to help you achieve seafood success.

Maple-Mustard Grilled Salmon ... Corn-Husk-Wrapped Grilled Halibut with Charred Corn Salsa ... Grilled Blackened Catfish with Creole Mustard Butter ... Grilled Tuna with Cucumber Salad ... Grilled Mackerel with Tomato, Fennel, and Capers

Blog Post & Recipe: Zucchini and Spinach Gratin

To take a break from our usual (almost daily in the summer) way to cook up the zucchini (see mom's summer squash), we prepared a classic French gratin, with grated zucchini, spinach, onions sautéed with bacon, a persillade of parsley and garlic, all bound together with a few eggs, tossed with Parmesan, and baked until golden brown.

Asparagus & Lemon Quinoa Risotto / Chai Iced Tea / Coconut Green Curry Mussels / Ox Tongue Fritters & Green Sauce

Blog Post & Recipe: Asparagus & Lemon Quinoa Risotto

My favorite, lazy way to make quinoa is to throw in some peas and soy sauce. But this time, I was curious how it would work as a risotto. The answer: quite well!

Blog Post & Recipe: Chai Iced Tea

It’s spicy, has a good amount of caffeine (due to the black tea), is milky and sweet, and most important, it’s cold. The sweetened condensed milk is major. If you don’t have a can in your cupboard, and don’t want to buy one, then milk and sugar are totally a workable substitute.

Blog Post & Recipe: coconut green curry mussels

We prep the ingredients (together!) with Andrew picking the mussels over to discard the open or cracked ones. Then he gives them a good rinse and peels a knob of ginger. I busy myself with the lemongrass, the garlic, lime juice, and cilantro. We drop a nob of butter in the pot, and let it melt and get foamy before we bloom the aromatics, stir in coconut milk and curry paste, and add the mussels.

Blog Post & Recipe: tongue and groovy: ox tongue fritters and green sauce (the post includes a link to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's ox tongue, oxtail and pigs' cheek recipes)

First, buy a salted ox tongue from your butcher. It should look like the photo above. You might want to leave it to rinse in cold water for a while before you get properly started - or, if you've got a nice butcher, s/he might have done that for you. Then, cover the tongue with water (you'll need a BIG pan), bring it to the boil, bubble it away for a couple of hours with a few tasty bits and pieces, such as these ...

Fig & Pear Semi-Freddo / Stuffed Chard with Bulgur & Cheese / Rhubarb & Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

Blog Post & Recipe: homemade fig and pear semi-freddo

Semi-freddo is a lovely way to get the idea of ice-cream without all the bother, fluster and equipment needed to produce it.

Blog Post & Recipe: Stuffed Chard with Bulgur and Cheese / Lorlu Pazı Sarma

The recipe is from Sahrap Soysal, a popular Turkish chef, food connoisseur and writer, whose book Bir Yemek Masalı won several Gourmand Awards in 2004 in Spain, including "Best Local Cookery Book in the World."

Blog Post & Recipe: Easy rhubarb and quinoa breakfast bowl

Give the rhubarb a quick wash and cut off any leaves, plus an inch or so of stem from either end. Chop the rhubarb into inch long segments and place in a ceramic bowl. Add a splash of water or a squeeze of orange juice and a scant tablespoon of honey ...

Spinach Feta Pie / Little Quinoa Patties / Easy Chicken Stock

Blog Post & Recipe: Spinach Feta Pie

The original recipe was basically white rice, spinach, feta and eggs, topped with cheddar cheese but for this post I wanted to mix it up a bit.

Blog Post & Recipe: Heidi, well done

One dish that I think serves as great example to Heidi's style is her Little Quinoa Patties. A seemingly humble collection of ingredients, quinoa, eggs, and breadcrumbs, are punctuated by fresh onion, chives, garlic and a grating of cheese. Pan-fried until crusted and golden the cakes get unexpectedly gutsy

Little Quinoa Patties

Blog Post: Stock Convictions

People are unnecessarily afraid of bacteria. Once your stock is cooked, it’s safe to eat. If there was bad bacteria in it, you’d have killed it. Let it cool uncovered (the faster the better; don’t fear bacteria but don’t give them the upper hand). Leave the pot out on the stove top (covered or uncovered once it’s cooled, doesn’t really matter). Bring it up to heat the next day and any bacteria that landed there and began to mulitply (and they multiply with astonishing speed at 90 to 110 degrees F.) will be dispatched well before the stock hits a simmer.

Easy Chicken Stock

Cook Quinoa with David Lynch / Tomatillo Hash with Sausage / Confit

Blog Post: "It's the only grain that's a complete, perfect protein"

How to cook quinoa with David Lynch. Part 1, part 2.

Recipe: Desperate for dinner: Tomatillos lead the rescue

In this case, a medley of chopped vegetables, given weight with sausage (rolled into little balls to break the monotony) and perked up with plenty of cilantro. The tomatillos turned out to be a surprise star, enlivening the dish with their tangy way.

Tomatillo hash with sausage

Article & Recipe: Confit method well worth effort

To confit is normally to cook secondary cuts of meat (or other things such as garlic, tomatoes or salmon) so they are preserved. The best-known would be confit duck. The method works particularly well with tougher and cheaper cuts of meat, as they benefit from the long, slow cooking. In a nutshell, it is essentially any kind of food that has been immersed in any kind of fat for flavour and preservation.

Confit goat legs

Mutton or Lamb Tangine / Split Pea Tom Yum Soup / Recipes For Couscous, Bulgar & Quinoa

Blog Post & Recipe: Mutton Tagine

Mutton ( or Lamb) Tagine , is one of the most recent dishes a long-standing favourite of mine , however I have usually cook it in a Le Cruset in the oven but wanted to see how this dish would work in a slow cooker.

Article & Recipe: How to take soup for lunch: Abandon the Can

She laughed and said, “It’s my new lunch soup. Lentils and vegetables, cooked with some light coconut milk and a bit of tom yum paste."

Related recipe: Split Pea Tom Yum Soup

Article & Recipes: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's couscous, bulgur and quinoa recipes

They may be seemingly insignificant granular particles, but their punch can be mighty, as they're perfectly formed for delivering hefty whacks of flavour, which they steal greedily from herbs, garlic and spices in salads, stir-fries and soups.

Turkish bulgur and red lentil soup ... Quinoa stir-fry with kale chilli and nuts ... Couscous with squash, sultanas and pumpkin seeds

Quinoa, Squash & Leek Pilaf with Runny Eggs / 3 Whole-Grain Pancake Recipes / Gammon with Artichoke & Parsley Sauce

Blog Post & Recipe: A Healthy Start

Quinoa, Squash & Leek Pilaf with Runny Eggs

Article & Recipes: For Whole-Grain Pancakes, Try a Little Tenderness

In bread, it’s difficult to use whole grains exclusively because you usually want the glutens in white flour for stretchiness and toughness. But in pancakes, you’re looking for tenderness.

Bulgur-Ricotta Pancakes ... Cornmeal Pancakes With Vanilla and Pine Nuts ... Cardamom-Scented Oatmeal Pancakes With Apricots and Almonds

Article & Recipes: Nigel Slater's classic gammon with artichoke and parsley sauce, and ham and cabbage fry-up recipes

After an hour and a half on the stove, the meat should fall away with just a tug from the carving fork. This is an unapologetically old-fashioned dish, and the best accompaniments are those of a gentle nature: a cosseting sauce, some floury steamed potatoes and a dab of mild mustard.

GAMMON WITH ARTICHOKE AND PARSLEY SAUCE ... A HAM AND CABBAGE FRY-UP

Spicy Green Tomato & Apple Chutney / Ignore Expiration Dates / FOODday picks 12 favorite recipes of 2010

Blog Post & Recipe: A proper chutney

It’s finally dawning on me that our capacity for sweet preserves is fairly limited, so I knew this year’s project would have to be savory.

English-style Spicy Green Tomato & Apple Chutney

Article: Ignore Expiration Dates

... we should focus our efforts on what really matters to our health—not spoilage bacteria, which are fairly docile, but their malevolent counterparts: disease-causing pathogens ... which infect the food we eat not because it's old but as a result of unsanitary conditions at factories or elsewhere along the supply chain.

Blog Post & Recipes: FOODday picks 12 favorite recipes of 2010

Storm Large's Roasted Vegetables With Toasty Quinoa, Tandoori Fish With Mango and Baby Spinach Salad, Margarita Bars, Bourbon Caramel Sauce, Spicy Chicken Thighs With Apricots and Olives, Grilled Sweet Corn on the Cob With Salty Coconut Cream, Southwestern Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Potato and Corn Salad, Endive, Fennel and Apple Slaw, Potato-Asparagus Soup, Chicken and Vegetable Cobbler, Easy Oven-Roasted Ribs, Thai Chicken Soup

8 Vegetarian Recipes / Palatschinken / Quarter a Turkey

Blog Post: What I've Been Cooking Recently

Broccoli pesto ... Kale and mashed potatoes ... Using kimchi ... Stuffed artichokes ... Quinoa with fennel ... Beetroot and haloumi ... Rice gratin ... Quinoa falafels

Blog Post & Recipe: Sunday Brunch: Palatschinken

These Austrian pancakes are closer to French crêpes than the thick North American pancake ... Instead of the folded French crêpes, palatschinken are filled and then rolled (jelly-roll style), and traditionally filled with apricot jam.

Article & Pictures: Quartering a turkey: How to cut up your own bird

For most of the job, Davis used a common boning knife, but she used a mallet and cleaver to cut the breast halves apart. A chef’s knife or even the boning knife could have done the job, she said, as long as you don’t try to cut down the very center of the breast bone, the strongest part.

Quinoa Paella / Soggy-Bottomed Bread Loaves / Cantaloupe Pasta

Blog Post & Recipe: Build a vegan-friendly paella on foundation of quinoa

Recipe included with this story: Vegan Quinoa Paella With Roasted Chorizo and Kale, Saffron-Lemon Aioli, Fresh Oregano Chimichurri

Article: Food for Fort: Black pudding, misshapen loaves, heavy pans and ricotta substitutes

I've just started using a gas oven for the first time and I'm having a problem with bread-making. While the tops of my loaves bake nicely, the bottoms stay soggy and uncooked.

Blog Post & Recipe: A Mezzaluna and the Most Unusual Pasta Dish I've Had in a Long While

Add a jar of good anchovies – Carol’s preference is for anchovies in a jar rather than a tin – and cook until they melt. Peel, seed and cut a cantaloupe into large bite-size chunks – a cantaloupe for 4 people is what Carol said.

Quinoa Falafels / Grilled Pimento-Cheese Sandwiches / Beer Can Chicken

Blog Post & Recipe: QUINOA FALAFELS WITH TAHINI SAUCE

The falafels themselves are very low in fat, so the sauce, or any sauce of choice is necessary.

Blog Post & Recipe: Grilled Pimento-Cheese Sandwiches

The pimento cheese recipe we got from B. is simple and delicious. It actually relies on roasted red peppers instead of pimientos.

Blog Post & Recipe: Beer Can chicken

Yes the chicken looks rather ridiculous on its beer can perch, covered with an herb rub and half-ready to salute you. But hear me out. While the chicken is dry roasting on the outside, the inside is being bathed with steamy beer, keeping the chicken meat wonderfully moist.

Vietnamese Rice Bowl / Wholemeal Bread / Quinoa

Blog Post & Recipe: Vietnamese Rice Bowl

I’ve always been intrigued by Vietnam as a country to visit but it was Anh of A Food Lover’s Journey who first got me interested in Vietnamese food.

Blog Post & Recipes: How to bake wholemeal bread

Unfortunately, wholemeal bread is, according to many experts, a tricky thing to get right, as the lower gluten content of the flour makes for dense results – the classic worthy loaf beloved of those who also, according to some wits, enjoy knitting their own yoghurt. I need to find a loaf that's quick enough to bake twice a week, yet tasty ...

Blog Post & Recipe: 12 things you should know about quinoa

1. it’s delicious ... 2. it has a funny pronunciation ... 3. it’s high in protein ... 4. it’s gluten free ... 5. it needs washing before use ... 6. it comes in different colours ... 7. it comes in different forms ... 8. it looks like a grain but is actually a seed ... 9. it has an interesting texture ... 10. it’s better if you cook it ... 11. you can also eat the leaves ... 12. it’s becoming more readily available

warm salad of roast cauliflower & quinoa

Poached pumpkin. Mixed Grains. Asparagus.

Recipe: Afghan sweet poached pumpkin

This way of cooking pumpkin, based on a recipe from Afghanistan, is very moist, with the sweetness of the cooking liquid nicely balanced by the tangy yoghurt.

Not only is this a good winter accompaniment for lamb, it is a harmonious partner for a simple rice pilaf.

Blog Post: Quick Tip: Try Mixing Grains!

Because the two grains cooked at different speeds, quinoa melted into the longer-cooking rice and gave a creaminess to the whole dish ... I'll start by using the average amount of liquid required between all the grains and then approximating cooking time based on the grain that will take the longest to cook. This will definitely be a "taste and adjust as needed" kind of experiment!

Have you ever cooked mixed grains? Which combinations do you recommend?

Recipes: 12 asparagus recipes

Green-tea noodle superfood salad ... Raw asparagus salad ... Asparagus, prosciutto and egg pizza ... Grilled asparagus and hollandaise ... Leek, asparagus and tarragon salad ... Asparagus and pea shoot risotto with mint ... Warm asparagus, scallop and green bean salad ... Asparagus, lemon and goat’s cheese tart ... Asparagus and pine nut scones with goat’s cheese filling ... Asparagus, egg and bacon pie ... Asparagus, Pata Negra ham and white bean salad with confit egg yolk ... Asparagus Mimosa