One of the ingredients I need to use more is miso. The earthy, slightly sweet fermented soybean paste is always a pleasant surprise when I recognize the flavor in a dish. Always a perfect pair for something sweet like brown sugar, maple syrup, or, in this case, honey. A quick honey and miso marinade spiked with ginger and garlic? Yes. Count me in. In these days before Thanksgiving, let’s give ourselves a break from all of the turkey talk, shall we? Let’s talk about chicken instead. Continue Reading »
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Bacon, like kale, isn’t going anywhere any time soon. The cured, smoked pork strips make people’s eyes light up, whether they’re served on their on or paired with other meats and vegetables. In my opinion, bacon’s at its best when matched with a complementary ingredient. Tender, sweet shrimp are always welcome to the bacon party. These little bacon-wrapped shrimp are great appetizers for your next party. Or, you can just make them for your next Netflix & chill night. They’re definitely the finger food you’d want to keep to yourself.
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Grills have been working overtime this summer, offering a break from my usual post in front of a hot oven. I don’t need to explain how cooking on those sizzling grates adds depth of flavor to the final dish. Last week, you may have caught the recipe for lamb steaks cooked on a grill. Well, now you have steak of anther kind–skirt steak. This quick cooking, fairly inexpensive cut of beef takes on marinades easily, making it a great choice for your favorite flavors. Here’s a skirt steak recipe that’s sweet, tangy and slightly spicy. The marinade, sweetened with molasses, transforms into a sauce, so nothing goes to waste.
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Firing up the grill is one of those favored pastimes during the summer. Hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, fish, vegetables…all good ones. And let’s not forget steak. A good friend hosted a gathering, and I poked around the kitchen musing over what to bring. My freezer was a treasure trove of grill-able goods, including a couple of lamb steaks. You’ll often find lamb paired with yogurt sauce, so with that in mind, I decided to use some of those same ingredients in a marinade. Whisk it together in less than 5 minutes, and you’re ready to go.
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Have you ever eaten fregola? The little toasted rounds of pasta look like Israeli couscous–relatively large, dried balls of semolina flour baked until golden. They get that color not just from time spent under heat, but often a bit of saffron. Fregola’s home base is Sardinia, one of those Italian islands in the Mediterranean Sea. You’ll find this imported pasta at specialty markets or high end grocery stores. Although fregola is not the most inexpensive pasta on the shelf, it is worth at least one round on your dinner table. Fregola is the base of this salad perfect for your end of summer cookouts or grilling parties, including the quickly approaching Labor Day weekend. Bring the fregola, and your guests will be impressed.
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Oh, how I love pie. I think I like it more than cake. That’s a toss up when it comes to someone like me who admittedly has a penchant for sweets. I really do try to balance an adoration for sugar with fruits, vegetables and grains, which makes every dessert indulgence worth the rush. In late June, I made a couple of pies for my grandmother, and my crust recipe yielded three balls of dough, not just two. With an extra homemade crust in the freezer, I decided to make a pie for July 4th weekend. It’s summer, and a fruit pie is always welcome at the table. With a bag of frozen peaches on hand as well, I knew exactly what to do with this one.
