If I had to choose my single favorite comfort food, it would probably be pasta carbonara. It’s a relatively simple dish made with pasta, pork, eggs and a few other ingredients. An important note about carbonara: Correctly made, this dish includes raw or nearly-raw eggs. If you're squeamish about that sort of thing, don't make it or eat it. Also, while lots of r … [Read more...]
Harissa Mussels with Chorizo
Ever since I first visited Brussels, I’ve loved steamed mussels and make them at home frequently. They are very easy and quick to prepare. I have about a dozen different steamed mussels recipes that I use and this is one of my favorites. It’s got a Moroccan flair with the use of spicy harissa paste and chorizo. Many markets carry harissa, but if you can’t find it you could subst … [Read more...]
Recipe for Tender Roasted Pork Loin
This is a very easy, but delicious, recipe for roasted boneless pork loin (not tenderloin) that makes for a terrific fall/winter main dish. The recipe is based on one published on a food website called Kitchn. Ingredients: 1 (3- to 4-pound) boneless pork loin roast 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black … [Read more...]
Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe
After Thanksgiving winds down, I always look forward to using some of the turkey leftovers to make turkey tetrazzini. Although it sounds like an Italian dish, tetrazzini was created in America at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, and named for opera singer Luisa Tetrazzini, who was a long-time hotel resident. Ingredients: 12 oz. spaghetti or other pasta or noodles … [Read more...]
Scheff’s Table: Pork Chile Verde
One thing I love about fall and winter weather is that it’s an excuse to make hearty soups and stews. And probably my very favorite stew is pork chile verde. There are lots of different variations on chile verde. For example, I use tomatoes in mine while some people prefer tomatillos. Feel free to experiment with this recipe and make it your own. Ingredients: 10-12 Anaheim p … [Read more...]
Quick and Easy Pad Thai
Pad Thai might seem like one of those dishes that you can only get in restaurants. However, it is surprisingly quick and easy to make at home. The key is to have all of the ingredients prepped and ready to go, since the actual cooking time for this recipe is just a matter of a few minutes. Ingredients: 8 ounces flat rice noodles (I like linguine or fettuccine width) 2-3 … [Read more...]
Shrimp Saag Recipe
Whenever we go to an Indian restaurant, my wife’s favorite dish to order is shrimp saag. What is saag? Well, it’s a leaf-based type of curry eaten in India, made with leafy veggies like spinach, mustard greens, basella, collard greens, or a combination of those. A popular version is saag paneer, which is creamy and made with fresh Indian cheese called paneer. This recipe is for … [Read more...]
Scheff’s Table : Quick & Easy Pizza Dough
I have experimented with dozens of pizza dough recipes over the years and I find this one to be a really good all-purpose dough recipe, not to mention one of the simplest. I use a food processor to make my dough, but you could do it by hand in a large bowl or with a stand mixer. This recipe will make one large medium-thick-crust pizza, two smaller thin-crust … [Read more...]
Chicken Fried Rice
One of my wife’s favorite comfort foods is Chinese-style fried rice. It’s one of mine, too. Fried rice is a good way to utilize leftover rice, chicken or other foods you might happen to have on hand. And, while this recipe is for fried rice with chicken, you could easily use shrimp, ham or other favorite proteins, or just make veggie fried rice. The key to success here is to hav … [Read more...]
Crab-Stuffed Spring Rolls
I love Vietnamese-style spring rolls, which are made using rice paper wrappers. They are really quite simple to make, and no cooking is even necessary. Obviously, you could put any ingredients you like into your spring rolls. So this recipe is really just a starting point. I love fresh crab, for example, but you could substitute shrimp or ground pork or just use veggies. Be … [Read more...]