This cornish game hen recipe is elegant enough to serve for a special New Year’s Eve dinner, but also delicious any old time. The vibrant flavor comes primarily from a blend of 10 different herbs and spices. I like to serve these game hens on a bed of couscous or basmati rice. Ingredients: 2 Cornish game hens, giblets and backbone removed and split in half 1 Tbsp … [Read more...]
Marcella’s Spaghetti with Clams
One of my favorite cooks and teachers was the late, great Marcella Hazan. I have cooked using recipes from her book Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking probably over a hundred times. Her recipe for spaghetti with clams is one of my all-time favorites and I’m happy to share it here with you. Ingredients: 2 dozen littleneck clams 5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 2 … [Read more...]
Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin
Not long ago, sous vide methods of cooking were very expensive, requiring pricy restaurant style sous vide machines. However, with the introduction of home kitchen sous vide tools like ChefSteps Joule and the Anova Precision Cooker, sous vide cooking is now within reach of most home cooks. Here is a simple recipe for sous vide pork tenderloin. Ingredients: 1 pork … [Read more...]
Creole-Style Barbecued Shrimp
I love a popular Creole dish from Louisiana called “barbecued” shrimp. It’s a bit of a misnomer however, because the shrimp isn’t grilled or barbecued, nor does it come with anything resembling regular BBQ sauce, The “barbecue” sauce here is buttery and spicy. I’m not sure how it got its name, but barbecued shrimp sure is delicious! Ingredients: ½ tsp. cayenne pepper … [Read more...]
Bianco’s Chicken Cacciatore
For many years, I’ve made Italian-style chicken cacciatore and was always happy with the results. However, I recently came across a recipe that was much better than any chicken cacciatore I’ve made before. It’s a recipe from Chris Bianco, James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of the much-lauded Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix. His cookbook titled simply Bianco: Pizza, Pasta, and … [Read more...]
Air Fryer Shoestring Fries
For my monthly air fryer recipe, I thought I’d include air fryer shoestring fries this time since they are so easy to make and almost fat-free. Ingredients: 1-2 Russet potatoes, depending on the size of your air fryer basket Vegetable oil Sea salt Freshly cracked black pepper (optional) Method Using a mandolin or V-slicer, cut the potatoes into … [Read more...]
Black Pepper Chicken
This simple recipe is an adaptation of one of Food & Wine’s most popular recipes - one of their 40 Best. Caramelized chicken melds with Vietnamese flavors in this delicious, sweet & spicy dish that cooks in a mere matter of minutes. Ingredients: 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1/4 cup nam pla (fish sauce) 1/4 cup water 3 Tbsp rice vinegar 1 tsp. minced … [Read more...]
Ma-Po Tofu Noodles
Ma-po (or ma po or mapo) tofu is a signature dish of Chinese Sichuan cuisine, but it’s quite easy to make at home. Ma-po tofu is typically served with white rice. However, I decided to change things up a bit and make it with noodles. Since my wife is gluten free, I used Thai rice noodles, but you could use whatever type of noodle you prefer. Ingredients: 1 package (1 … [Read more...]
Sausage with White Beans
One of my most memorable meals ever was a rustic lunch at a roadside bistro in Provence, France -- a green salad with poached egg and lardons, and a main course of sausage with white beans; so simple, yet so delicious. Here is my version of the main dish. You could use any type of sausage, and just about any kind of bean, too. So, feel free to experiment with the ingredients … [Read more...]
Ham Fried Rice
Discovering some leftover holiday ham while digging through our freezer this week I was puzzling about what to do with it for a quick and easy dinner. Fried rice! I thought. The key to making great fried rice is to cook the rice ahead of time (or use leftover rice) to allow it to dry out a bit so it doesn’t clump. Ingredients: Cooked long-grain white rice — 1 1/2 cups … [Read more...]