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: Melissa Clark’s Red Lentil Soup

In one of his weekly recipe roundups, the New York Times’ Sam Sifton mentioned Melissa Clark’s Red Lentil Soup as the only recipe she follows to the letter every time. Which got us wondering: what is so magical about this … Continue reading

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Recipe: Smoky Indian Eggplant (Baingan Ka Bharta)

Smoky Indian Eggplant Baingan Ka Bharta) figures prominently in Happy Endings, a new book by my friend Minita Sanghvi. The smokiness really does come through even if, like me, you roast the eggplant on a gas stove rather than over … Continue reading

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Recipe: Instant Pot Vietnamese Pork Stew (Thit Ko)

Our Instant Pot Vietnamese Pork Stew is pilfered from the excellent Nom Nom Paleo blog. We’ve made her substitution of pork shoulder for pork belly but added caramelized sugar, which is definitely a paleo no-no though essential to the traditional … Continue reading

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Recipe: Creamy Artichoke Pasta

Taverna Novo, a rustic Italian restaurant in my home town, makes a delicious creamy artichoke pasta. Here is my take on it, and it’s pretty good. The secret is frozen artichoke hearts, from our friends at Trader Joe’s. Makes 2-3 … Continue reading

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How to build a Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich

(Apologies for being late with this post. If you’re out of Thanksgiving leftovers, bookmark this post for next year.) Our Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich follows a precise formula to get the ideal balance of textures and sweet/savory flavors. We verified this … Continue reading

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Recipe: Breakfast Sausage Patties with Ginger and Sage

Breakfast Sausage Patties with Ginger and Sage is a modification of the recipe in Ruhlman and Polcyn’s Charcuterie. No need to deal with sausage casings and stuffing when you have access to fresh pork with a high fat content (like … Continue reading

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Recipe: Doenjang Jjigae (Korean Fermented Soybean Stew)

Doenjang jjigae is a savory, filling stew you can make in almost no time once you assemble the ingredients. Doenjang, or fermented soybean paste, is often compared to miso (which drives Korean crazy) but arguably this recipe is superior to … Continue reading

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Recipe: Smoked Salmon Omelet with Everything Bagel Seasoning

A local supermarket occasionally has smoked salmon scraps at a steep discount, which inspired the Smoked Salmon Omelet with Everything Bagel Seasoning. The salmon pieces are too lumpy to serve on a bagel, but work fine chopped in an omelet. … Continue reading

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Recipe: Tuna Salad with Cherries and Walnuts

A place in town makes a Tuna Salad with Cherries and Walnuts but they use chicken. That’s fine, and canned salmon is also an option. Result: turns a boring but reliable sandwich staple or salad into something much more interesting. … Continue reading

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Recipe: Tonkatsu (Japanese breaded pork cutlet)

Katsu or Tonkatsu? The helpful UPB Foods site informs us that katsu was introduced to Japan at the turn of the 20th century as part of Emperor Meiji’s drive to open the country to modern/Western influences. The original dish resembled … Continue reading

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