I’m always looking for lazy side dishes, and these roasted leeks are absolutely perfect. They take very little work, and you can concentrate on the main course while they’re roasting in the oven for about half an hour. The result is tender and slightly caramelized, with a sophisticated flavor from the aromatic herbs de provence. Of course, you can use different spices to switch up this dish and make it the perfect side to whatever your main course may be.
Char siu, also known as Chinese barbecued pork, is used in a variety of applications; you’ll find this delicious meat, with its often bright red exterior, on top of ramen, diced in fried rice, as a filling in char siu bao (steamed pork buns), and even served plain, arranged beautifully on a plate. The characteristic red crust is best achieved with the addition of food coloring, but I opted to go without it and still had a gorgeous deep red hue on the outside. I chose to make this using pork shoulder, but for something more decadent, you can use pork belly.
Although I’m pretty sure this dish isn’t authentic (due to the inclusion of butter), it tastes exactly like what I’ve eaten at dim sum restaurants before and is really simple (and fast) to make. The sauce, given a kick from garlic, ginger, and five-spice, is a great match to Chinese broccoli, but should work wonderfully on other vegetables as well. It’s not often that I find something that only takes about 10 minutes to make and still tastes delicious, so I know I’ll be coming back to this recipe.
I recently visited Nashville and happened to stop in at a chain called Jim ‘n Nick’s BBQ. I had been told that their “Pig in the Garden” salad was outstanding, and although I usually like my pulled pork in sandwich form, I went with the recommendation. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the crisp lettuce and crunchy almonds were the perfect complement to the pulled pork, and the use of both salad dressing and barbecue sauce bordered on ingenious. Of course, it didn’t hurt that there was also bacon involved. Shortly after returning home, I set about attempting to recreate this salad, and I’m pleased to report that this homemade version is not only delicious but also simple to make. My rendition omits croutons (because I’m not really a fan) and grape tomatoes (because they’re not in season), but feel free to include these to be truer to the original.
Inspired by breakfast flavors, this salad is tasty at any time of day. Bacon and eggs are, of course, crucial elements here, where they play quite nicely with bell pepper, pickled jalapeno, and preserved lemon. A warm bacon vinaigrette pulls the whole salad together. This salad can be easily adapted – I think sundried tomatoes would be a great addition (or substitution), as would fresh diced avocado.
We’re approaching the end of pumpkin season, so I’ve been posting my very best pumpkin recipes last week and this week. Luckily, pumpkins keep well for a couple months (and my pumpkin puree will keep good for 6 months or more when frozen) which means after you buy up those last pumpkins, you’ll have ample time to cook these delicious recipes!
I can see why pumpkin (and butternut squash) risotto shows up on a lot of menus around this time of year. This restaurant darling is fairly simple to make and packed with flavor, and the risotto easily takes on a beautiful orange color from the pumpkin puree. In this rendition, fresh ginger plays a subtle background note to the rich pumpkin flavor. This dish makes for a filling vegetarian main course or a great side along a cut of steak.
We’re approaching the end of pumpkin season, so I’ll be posting my very best pumpkin recipes this week and next week. Luckily, pumpkins keep well for a couple months (and my pumpkin puree will keep good for 6 months or more when frozen) which means after you buy up those last pumpkins, you’ll have ample time to cook these delicious recipes!
This recipe manages to be both simple and impressive. Placing a whole cooked pumpkin in the center of the table is sure to elicit compliments from your dinner companions, and the combination of cooked pumpkin flesh with bread, cheese, bacon, spinach, and apple is perfect for fall. This stuffed pumpkin would make a great Thanksgiving side but can also serve as a complete meal. Feel free to get creative when choosing what to stuff your pumpkin with; cooked rice or another grain can be used in place of bread, you can use whatever cheese you have on hand, and nearly any of the ingredients can be omitted or replaced and still result in a delicious dish. You can even cut a butternut squash in half and stuff the halves if you can’t get your hands on a pumpkin.
With this recipe, I put a bit of a twist on the traditional Irish colcannon (typically made with mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale) by using sweet potatoes alongside regular potatoes and cooking the cabbage with beer. Creamy mashed potatoes, smoky bacon bits, and malty beer meld together into a very rich and filling dish. I found this made a great meal on a cold night although for those of you looking to be less decadent, it would also work very well as a side dish.
Around this time of year, I find myself unable to resist the gorgeous butternut squashes piled high at grocery stores and farmers’ markets. I always buy a few, tempted by vague thoughts of meals with the squash’s sweet richness and autumnal orange hue. Then I find myself at home trying to come up with the best ways to actually use my newly acquired ingredient. This warm salad is a somewhat unusual combination of flavors, with chickpeas, allspice, and tahini as major players alongside the butternut squash. The result is fantastically addictive and a great alternative to the more common recipes using butternut squash. This salad works equally well as an appetizer or main course.
When it starts to get cold outside, I really crave simple and filling meals, and this soup perfectly fits the bill. Red lentils are used here because they start to fall apart when cooked which works wonders on thickening the soup, and pureeing half the soup at the end helps even more in lending it a hearty thick consistency. Smoked paprika is one of my favorite spices, so I’ve made it the star of the show here (if you want, you can add some sweet paprika as well). This soup tastes equally well served plain or with a tangy dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt and can work as a full meal or a hearty appetizer.