Category Archives: Mains

Here are the big boys. The heavy hitters. Main courses to build a meal around. We specialize in strong flavors and quality ingredients and not overly complicated preparation. Check ’em out.

Recipe: Chiles Rellenos

Chiles Rellenos are my litmus test for a good Mexican restaurant. I will order them in a burrito, or as part of a combination plate. Until I started playing around with the chile relleno recipe in Diana Kennedy’s Cuisines of … Continue reading

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Recipe: Crispy Cornmeal Pork Chops

Crispy Cornmeal Pork Chops is our simplification of a recipe in Sean Brock’s Heritage cookbook. The acid and bacteria in the buttermilk help to tenderize the pork and its fat binds the cornmeal coating to the meat. Use a good … Continue reading

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Super Bowl Taste Test: Chicago Style Hot Dogs

The Super Bowl Taste Test almost didn’t happen, because of last week’s bitter weather in Chicago. My order from Vienna Beef sat on the tarmac for days till I finally gave up and started planning an alternative attraction. Then, late … Continue reading

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Recipe: Andersen’s Split Pea Soup

Andersen’s Split Pea Soup was an attraction in college days when I used to drive frequently between Southern and Northern California. I’d always order the “Traveler’s Special” which was a bottomless bowl served with their tasty Onion Cheese Bread. This … Continue reading

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Recipe: Korean Chicken Nuggets

McDonald’s has been running a special on Chicken McNuggets through its app and a few boxes (20 for $4.99) have passed through my home recently. I tried them reheated, and they’re not bad. So it occurred to me to do … Continue reading

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Recipe: Sweet and Sour Pork

This sweet and sour pork recipe is adapted from Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees, a Chinese cookbook organized by cooking method (in this case, velveting and deep frying). I’ve added some of my favorite ingredients from takeout food to what … Continue reading

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Recipe: Sichuan Eggplant with Garlic

Here’s the Sichuan Eggplant with Garlic recipe I used for my Douban Jiang taste test. It’s adapted from a similar prep on the Steamy Kitchen blog. Serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as a side. Ingredients: 2 lbs Asian eggplant … Continue reading

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Recipe: Steak with Cream Corn

Cream corn is something you grew up with if you lived in the south or midwest, but it’s available in most U.S. grocery stores. It’s cooked corn niblets in an umami milky base, produced by squeezing the liquid out of … Continue reading

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Recipe: Mystery Ingredient Fish Chowder

I encountered this mystery ingredient in a fish dish twice in the last few months: once at a sumptuous Chinese banquet and the other time at a high end restaurant in my home town. It has a surprisingly delicious effect … Continue reading

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Recipe: Granny Shimer’s Pickled Beets & Eggs (from Jake Bryan)

Reader Jake Bryan was kind enough to share his grandmother’s Pennsylvania Dutch recipe for pickled beets and eggs with onion. Only modification I’ve made is the salt content: Jake uses 1½ t per pint. (But he tells me his granny … Continue reading

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