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: Gonzalez Food Market Macaroni Salad

Gonzalez Food Market Macaroni Salad comes to us from Robb Walsh, who explores the less-traveled backroads of the Texas barbecue trail for his Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook. The raisins add a note of sweetness that makes us think Miracle … Continue reading

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Recipe: Blackened String Beans

Blackened String Beans are a signature dish for local chef Ric Orlando; he claims in this video to have sold over a million servings. The technique is very adaptable to other seasoning mixes. We stuck with Penzey’s Cajun Style Seasoning … Continue reading

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Recipe: Pickled Shiso (Perilla)

Pickled shiso, aka perilla, is a popular component in an array of Korean banchan appetizers. You can get it jarred, or in the deli case of your Korean market, but it’s much better when made with fresh shiso from your … Continue reading

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Recipe: Garlic Spread (Toum)

At Goood Frickin’ Chicken in San Francisco, they provided an addictive garlic spread (called Toum) along with their addictive grilled chicken. The plan was to slather it on everything: pita, chicken, your fingers. Our version is just as good though … Continue reading

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Recipe: Fire-Roasted Cole Slaw

If you’re cooking over embers from wood or charcoal, fire-roasted cole slaw is a nice bonus dish. The brief heat steams the cole slaw and adds a bit of smoky taste which is intriguing and not overwhelming. Makes 8-12 servings. … 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: Giardiniera

Our giardiniera recipe has a perfect balance of tart/salty/a bit of sweet, so please do not change the ratios of vinegar, sugar and salt unless you want to experiment. We were inspired by some aggressive giardiniera at Palm City Wines … Continue reading

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Recipe: Roasted Red Peppers Marinated with Artichoke Hearts

Roasted Red Peppers Marinated with Artichoke Hearts was a happy accident. We roast and marinate red peppers whenever they’re on sale; this time we had extra dressing and found a can of artichoke hearts in the pantry. The artichokes have … Continue reading

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Recipe: Turmeric Cabbage

Turmeric Cabbage is a recipe from The Yogi Cookbook, a paperback in my possession published in 1968. Most old cookbooks can be found from resellers on Amazon or Abebooks, but this one seems to have disappeared into the mists of … Continue reading

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Recipe: Boston Market Creamed Spinach

Boston Market Creamed Spinach has a secret ingredient that’s not really a secret because they tell you on their website: cream cheese. So if you look up a copycat recipe and it doesn’t include cream cheese, it’s bogus. Makes about … Continue reading

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