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.

Hindbeh (Lebanese-style sautéed bitter greens)

Here’s a way to cook and eat dandelion greens. They’re still bitter, so this dish would make a nice complement to more unctuous foods in. Serves 8. Ingredients: Dandelion greens or other bitter green, 1 gallon or so, carefully picked … Continue reading

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Recipe: Sautéed Spinach

There are two keys to successful sautéed spinach: wash the hell out of the raw leaves, and then cook the leaves with no additional water after washing. This will eliminate the fails that affect most spinach preps. Serves 4 as … Continue reading

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Recipe: Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Along with Sautéed Spinach, Garlic Mashed Potatoes are the classic accompaniment to Pork Chops with Vinegar Peppers. Serves 4. Ingredient: 1 lb potatoes (new, Yukon Gold or white, but not russets), peeled 4 cloves garlic, raw or roasted*, peeled and … Continue reading

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Recipe: Vinegar Peppers

An essential component of Chicken Riggies and (obviously) Pork Chops with Vinegar Peppers, these couldn’t be easier to make. Your home prep won’t be exactly the same as Casa Visco or other Italian-American brands, but it’s definitely close enough to … Continue reading

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Recipe: Mejadra (Rice and Lentils with Fried Onions) from Jerusalem

There are many recipes for this Middle Eastern comfort food, but the Jerusalem cookbook rendition (with the key addition of currants) the only one worth making. Serves 4 as a main dish or 6 as a side. Ingredients: 1/2 c … Continue reading

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Recipe: Cabbage with Caraway Seeds

Cabbage with caraway is a Hungarian combination which goes well with Sauerbraten and Kartoffelsalat. From the long out of print “New World Encyclopedia of Cooking” published by the Culinary Institute of Chicago. Serves 6-8. Ingredients: 1 head red or green cabbage (or … Continue reading

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Recipe: Asian Seaweed Salad

This is going to look and taste different than the seaweed salad in the deli case because, first, that contains a huge amount of sugar and second, commercial seaweed salad usually includes green food coloring. Natural is definitely ono in this scenario. … Continue reading

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Make mine marrow (BONE marrow, that is)

My market had a special on marrow bones so I had to bring home a batch. They couldn’t be simpler to prepare and enjoy. Stand them up in a pan so the insides don’t leach out, then cook in a … Continue reading

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Recipe: Main Dish Quinoa Salad

The carb-avoiders in my household have been gobbling up this quinoa salad. Even though it is full of protein and fiber and other healthy stuff, it’s pretty tasty. Makes 6-8 main-dish servings or a dozen side salads. Ingredients: ½ c … Continue reading

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Recipe: Chef Salad

Is it Chef Salad or Chef’s Salad? Considering its roots in the aspirational 1950s, “Chef” might have been some food writer’s idea of a descriptive adjective connoting quality—the kind of salad a chef (as opposed to a mere cook) might … Continue reading

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