For special occasions such as a New Year’s Eve dinner celebration, I like to sometimes serve a rich, decadent, and memorable dish like this one: Tortellini with nutty walnut-cream sauce. It is based on a dish that I used to enjoy in New York City at the late Alfredo Viazzi’s Trattoria da Alfredo restaurant in Greenwich Village. A perfect accompaniment would be a high-quality … [Read more...]
Cheesy Potatoes Au Gratin
During the holidays - or really, anytime at all - this cheesy potatoes au gratin is a terrific side dish and a real crowd-pleaser. It’s also an efficient dish to make during the busy holidays because you can assemble it in advance and then cook it up after your turkey, ham, roast or whatever comes out of the oven. It's become a holiday staple at our house. Ingredients: 2 lbs. … [Read more...]
Chicken-Chile Enchiladas
I love homemade enchiladas. They are pretty inexpensive to cook, especially if you use leftover cooked chicken or turkey to make them. At this time of year, it's a great way to make use of leftover Thanksgiving turkey. The key to success here is to be organized - set up a production line for filling and assembling the enchiladas. It’s a bit messy, but the result is very … [Read more...]
Scheff’s Table—Thai-Style Larb with Turkey
Larb is a dish commonly found in Thai restaurants that features ground chicken, but can also be made with ground turkey, beef or pork. I prefer the taste of turkey, which is a bit more interesting than chicken. This turkey larb dish comes together very quickly, so have all of the ingredients prepped and standing by before you turn on the stove. Larb is commonly served on/in … [Read more...]
Moroccan-Style Chicken Tagine
A few years ago my wife gave me a tagine for my birthday. A tagine is an earthenware pot with a shallow, circular base and a domed or cone-shaped cover. It’s a cooking vessel that’s used all over North Africa and is especially useful for dishes—also called tajines—like this one. If you don’t have a tagine just substitute a large skillet with a lid. Tagine … [Read more...]
Homemade Lobster rolls
Last week I wrote an article for Utah Bites about the terrific lobster rolls at Freshie’s. Well, with a little work and great ingredients (fresh lobster), you can create really delicious lobster rolls at home. These would be a tasty addition to your Labor Day weekend. Ingredients for homemade Lobster rolls : 1 lb. cooked lobster meat (shelled) 1 small celery … [Read more...]
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes recipe
Last week I shared a recipe for Provençal-style pork tenderloin. A few people wondered about the side dish for it. It was roasted fingerling potatoes—a really simple and inexpensive but delicious side dish. Roasted Fingerling Potatoes recipe ingredients: 1 lb. fingerling potatoes, sliced in half lengthwise Leaves from 2 rosemary sprigs, minced Leaves from 2 … [Read more...]
Simple recipe for roasted pork tenderloin
Pork Provençal I’ve been lucky to be able to spend a fair amount of time in the Provence region of France. It’s there that I learned to love rosé wines, Cavaillon melons, pastis, petanque, and the sunny disposition of Southern France. Garlic, rosemary, and fennel are ingredients commonly used in the region. Here is a simple recipe for roasted pork tenderloin that, … [Read more...]
Thai Shrimp Curry
Thai Shrimp Curry ... I love Thai curries and they are pretty easy to make at home as long as you get all of the ingredients prepped and ready to go. It actually takes longer to cook rice to accompany this Thai curry than to cook the curry itself. If you’d like it spicier, add some sriracha or hot chili oil to the dish. Thai Shrimp Curry ingredients: 1 Tbsp … [Read more...]
Instant Pot Tacos al Pastor
One of my favorite Mexican foods is tacos al pastor, a dish brought to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants. It is spit-grilled pork prepared in a similar manner to Greek gyros and the döner kebabs of Turkey. Making truly authentic al pastor is very time-consuming and complicated—best left to the pros. But here is a quick and easy Instant Pot version that I like very … [Read more...]