Category Archives: Recipes (Savory)

Welcoming 2024 with Fried and Braised Lotus Root and Carrot

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The simplest of root veggie dishes to reset the palate for a new year.
The simplest of root veggie dishes to reset the palate for a new year.

After indulgent holiday prime rib, potatoes au gratin, and countless buttery pies, rich puddings, and lofty cakes, time to start the new year off on a lighter note, don’t you think?

If so, then “Fried and Braised Lotus Root and Carrot” fits the bill.

It is the simplest of Japanese side dishes with a whole lot of crunch and sweet caramelization.

It’s from the cookbook, “Gohan: Everyday Japanese Cooking” (Smith Street Books, 2022), of which I received a review copy.

The books is by Emiko Davies, an Australian-Japanese food writer and photographer who now lives in Italy. This is her sixth cookbook, and the first one centered on Japanese cuisine.

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Cheers to The New Year With An Arugula Gimlet

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A riff on a classic with a festive bold hue.
A riff on a classic with a festive bold hue.

What more festive way to celebrate the holidays and usher in the new year than with a great cocktail.

A vibrant green one at that with a deeply peppery taste.

“Arugula Gimlet” is a recipe in the new book, “Every Cocktail Has A Twist” (Countryman Press), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by the Sonoma-based couple, Carey Jones, a food and spirits writer who was the managing editor of Serious Eats, and John McCarthy, a mixologist and sports writer.

What makes this book especially fun is that it includes recipes for 25 classic drinks, but then goes further to provide 200 variations on them.

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A Chicken Dish For Cocktail Lovers

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Plenty of sage and a splash of gin make this a winning chicken dish at this time of year.
Plenty of sage and a splash of gin make this a winning chicken dish at this time of year.

Imagine donning your best “Mad Men” pearls while standing at the stove nonchalantly sauteing chicken when — oops — you accidentally splash some of your gin martini into the pan.

That’s the happy accident Amy Thielen, a James Beard Award-winning food writer and cookbook author, aptly envisions when she makes her delicious “Crispy Smashed Chicken Breasts with Gin-and-Sage Jus.”

Whether you envision a martini or a favorite gin-and-tonic like I did, this dish delivers the herby, woodsy tastes of mint, menthol, and eucalyptus, along with a surefire technique for cooking moist chicken breasts on the stovetop.

The recipe is from her new cookbook, “Company” (W.W. Norton), of which I received a review copy.

Thielen lives in wooded, remote Northern Minnesota, where there are only three restaurants in town — a 25-minute drive away. As such, when she gathers with friends and families for a meal, it’s usually at her own home.

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The Lamb Dish You Crave On A Cold Night

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Lamb shoulder braised with tomatoes and garnished with bodacious burrata.
Lamb shoulder braised with tomatoes and garnished with bodacious burrata.

How can one possibly make low and slow-braised, fall-apart tender lamb any better?

Try topping it with a big ol’ ball of burrata, that’s how.

You’ve probably enjoyed many a meaty stew or ragu dolloped with creamy ricotta. But when you swap that out for voluptuous burrata whose luscious creamy center spills out to add dreamy, milky sweetness to anything it touches, you’ve just about attained nirvana.

“Braised Lamb with Burrata and Herb Oil” is that dish.

It’s from “Okanagan Eats” (Figure 1), of which I received a review copy. A collection of recipes from British Columbia’s Wine Country, it was written by Dawn Postnikoff, co-founder of Edible Vancouver Island; and Joanne Sasvari, a food writer and Canadian Wine Scholar.

Learn about this fertile region, which comprises three valleys, two river valleys, and the Okanagan Valley.

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Potato and Mushroom Gratin — With A Japanese Twist

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A potato and mushroom gratin made with miso.
A potato and mushroom gratin made with miso.

At this time of year, a potato gratin is almost de rigueur.

And over the years, I’ve made countless variations on them.

This particular one for “Potato and Mushroom Gratin” caught my eye because it includes a novel ingredient: miso.

The recipe is from “Make It Japanese” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

The cookbook is by Rie McClenny, a culinary content creator and graduate of the French Culinary Institute who created viral food videos for BuzzFeed Tasty. Born in Hiroshima, she now lives in Los Angeles. It was written with Sanae Lemoine, a former cookbook editor for Phaidon and Martha Stewart.

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