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: 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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Recipe: The Bear’s Braciole

Chef Courtney Storer, sister of the show’s producer, generously shared a recipe for this Italian “family meal” dish which was prepared before our eyes in the 6th episode of The Bear. I’ve made some tweaks which I humbly believe will … Continue reading

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Recipe: Good Frickin’ Chicken

There was a place in San Francisco called Goood Frickin’ Chicken (note the extra O; we’re not stealing anybody’s name here) that served an addictive middle eastern grilled chicken that had been heavily marinated in spices, oil and acid. Sadly, … Continue reading

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Recipe: Easy Thai Curry

We made this with shrimp, but you could use just about any protein. The key is the readily available Mesri Thai Green Curry Paste. Adapted from this recipe. Serves 4. Ingredients: 1 T coconut oil or neutral vegetable oil 1 … Continue reading

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Recipe: Instant Pot Al Pastor

Al Pastor pork is marinated in citrus juice and it’s our favorite taco meat next to lengua. In Mexico, the product is cooked on spits rotated next to an open flame so the meat carved off is crispy on the … Continue reading

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Recipe: Fried Calamari with Three Kinds of Peppers

  Three Vines Bistro, an establishment in my town, makes a superb fried calamari with three kinds of peppers: cherry, jalapeño and banana. I didn’t have banana peppers so I substituted some sliced pepperoncini. They were fine but the hot … Continue reading

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Recipe: Secret Ingredient Steak Tartare

The secret ingredient in our steak tartare is reconstituted dried onions…. a natural extension of their use in daddyburgers. By the way, turns out in his later years Sigmund Freud ate steak tartare for breakfast every day, something his Kosher-keeping … Continue reading

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Recipe: Midcentury Chinese Pepper Steak

Elsie Lee says this Chinese Pepper Steak recipe, which appears in her hard-to-find Easy Gourmet Cooking, cannot be improved on. It’s a midcentury classic; if you grew up then you will immediately recognize the taste profile of celery flavored with … Continue reading

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Recipe: Chicken Rice from Supermarket Rotisserie Chicken

Chicken rice is a Hainanese recipe in which tender poached chicken is served over rice cooked in a rich chicken and ginger stock. It’s supreme comfort food that has spawned a number of fast takeout places in the Bay Area … Continue reading

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