Category Archives: Sides

Man and woman do not live by main courses alone. Sides are the chorus that makes the meal come together in all its symphonic elegance. Whatever.

Recipe: KFC-Style Black Eyed Pea Salad (AKA Kentucky Caviar)

In the South, folks eat black eyed peas around New Years Day for good luck. Thus it occurred to us to take our very popular KFC Three-Bean Salad and modify it for a KFC-Style Black Eyed Pea Salad. The result … Continue reading

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Recipe: Fermented Beet Pickles

Fermented beet pickles are similar to sauerkraut in texture and flavor profile, but made with beets. (If you’re looking for the traditional sweet beet pickles, here they are.) Toss them in a salad, or serve on a mezze plate with … Continue reading

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Recipe: Middle Eastern Lentil Salad with Cilantro

Christopher Kimball of Cook’s Illustrated came up with a novel cooking technique for this Middle Eastern Lentil Salad. The lentils are soaked, then cooked in the oven so they maintain their individual identity. This goes well on a mezze platter … Continue reading

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Recipe: Michael Bauer’s Bacon Chex Mix

Though best known as the feared and fussy restaurant critic of the San Francisco Chronicle, Michael Bauer had a midwestern upbringing rich in middle American pleasures like snack mix and bacon. Here, he (actually his mom) combines them in a … Continue reading

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Recipe: Amish Creamed Celery

Here’s a refreshingly different side dish to serve at Thanksgiving, when celery is on sale. I went ISO Amish Creamed Celery recipes because I missed out on the wedding feast* at Fisher’s Restaurant during my recent trip to Amish country. … Continue reading

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Recipe: Best Sour Slaw

Best Sour Slaw is just that, or at least much better than all the versions I struggled with in my long-ago obsessiveness. The proportions have been dramatically rejiggered, and we’ve added a new ingredient, dried mustard, to open up the … Continue reading

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Recipe: Maple Bacon Squash

I used delicata for my maple bacon squash, but butternut, acorn or kabocha would work as well. You could also cut the squash into cubes and drizzle the bacon grease/butter/maple syrup on top. A just-rich-enough accompaniment to grilled chicken or … Continue reading

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Recipe: Jack Daniels-Style Baked Beans

The Jack Daniels folks are smart marketers, but you don’t have to use that expensive bourbon to make Jack Daniels-style beans. I prefer Evan Williams and it works very nicely. An I-can’t-stop-eating-it barbecue essential, along with slaw and potato salad. … Continue reading

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Recipe: Better-than-KFC Cole Slaw

The cole slaw sold in the fried chicken stores is too sweet for my taste so I’ve dialed back the sugar; the original/copycat recipe can be found here. Better-than-KFC Cole Slaw is superior to the original because it’s less sweet … Continue reading

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Recipe: Leo Y’s Olivie (Russian Potato Salad)

My friend Leo Y brought this famous salad, a staple at Russian festive events, to a Yelp potluck. He emphasizes that the cubes of each element must be equal in size for a proper olivie; in fact, according to his … Continue reading

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