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: Cevapcici (or cevabcici)

Cevapcici is a skinless sausage popular in slightly different versions throughout the Balkans. The secret ingredient that makes it a sausage, not a burger, is the baking soda. A small amount makes the ground meat firm and springy so it … Continue reading

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Recipe: Onion Burgers

I learned about Onion Burgers in this article on Atlas Obscura. It seems that during the Great Depression a burger joint in Oklahoma had the inspiration to cut costs by greatly increasing the amount of onions mixed in with its … Continue reading

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Recipe: Coronation Chicken Salad

Coronation Chicken Salad was created for King Charles’ mother back in 1953, possibly as a tribute to the far-flung British empire which was winding down at that time. It has a pleasant sweetness the late queen doubtless enjoyed, as do … Continue reading

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Recipe: Prune Bacon Salad

Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! I bought a huge bag of prunes on sale from Bella Viva Orchards, my favorite source of dried fruit. Then I happened on Prunes for Epicures, a 1933 publication of the United Prune … Continue reading

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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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