Category Archives: Recipes (Savory)

Bejeweled Pomegranate Rice Pilaf

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Presto chango -- basmati rice goes from white to deep fuchsia in this pilaf recipe.
Presto chango — basmati rice goes from white to deep fuchsia in this pilaf recipe.

Light up the holiday table this year with a shot of brilliant fuchsia that’s dazzlingly delicious, too.

That’s just what this “Pomegranate Rice Pilaf” is like.

It’s from the new “Masala” (Ten Speed Press), of which I received a review copy.

The collection of 100 recipes is by India-born Anita Jaisinghani, chef-owner of Pondicheri restaurant in Houston and a cooking columnist for the Houston Chronicle.

Spices are integral to Indian cooking, and there’s a whole chapter on them that includes a primer on how to toast and bloom them, the taste profile of the most commonly used ones, their Ayurveda properties, and suggestions on best ways to use them.

The recipes will take you from morning through afternoon to evening in dishes such as “Coconut Pancakes,” “Three Dal Stew,” “Homestyle Butter Chicken,” “Kerala Beef Fry,” and “Saffron Chocolate Bread Pudding.”

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Ottolenghi Test Kitchen’s 2-Scalloped Potatoes with Chimichurri

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All eyes will be on this potato dish at your holiday table.
All eyes will be on this potato dish at your holiday table.

Why have just one type of potato when you can have two?

After all, the holidays were made for going big on excess.

Even so, I’m sure I’m not alone in trying to shave a calorie or two here and there wherever it won’t be missed.

So, while I swoon over decadent scalloped potatoes with all that heavy cream and oodles of cheese, sometimes it’s a bit much even for me.

That’s why I was thrilled to discover “2-Scalloped Potatoes with Chimichurri,” a dazzling spiral of Yukon Gold and sweet potato slices cooked not with cream, but chicken or vegetable stock instead that gets finished with a drizzle of bright, garlicky Argentinian chimichurri sauce.

The recipe is from the new “Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Extra Good Things” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

It’s the newest Ottolenghi Test Kitchen cookbook by Noor Murad and Yotam Ottolenghi. The latter, of course, is the acclaimed London restaurateur and best-selling cookbook author; and the former is the head of his Ottolenghi Test Kitchen.

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Shaking Up Shakshuka

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Shakshuka -- with a twist.
Shakshuka — with a twist.

Whether for brunch or dinner, many of us have eagerly spooned up the delectable Middle Eastern dish of whole eggs cracked open and cooked gently in a chunky, bubbling sauce of tomatoes and peppers.

Now, this one-pot dish known as shakshuka gets turned on its head in this clever take that swaps out the eggs for fresh fish and shrimp instead.

“Seafood Shakshuka” is from “The Mediterranean Dish” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

Egypt-born Suzy Karadsheh, founder of The Mediterranean Dish blog, who now makes her home in Atlanta, offers up 120 sunny recipes that draw from her heritage, as well as from the flavors of neighboring Greece, Italy and Morocco.

Loaded with beautiful color photos, the book tempts with recipes that include “Anytime Falafel,” “Harissa, Red Lentil, and Tomato Soup,” “Braised Chicken, Mushrooms, and Poblano Peppers with Pomegranate Molasses,” and “No-Churn Tahini and Hazelnut Ice Cream.”

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Celebrate with Roast Duck with Quince & Brussels Sprouts

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A celebratory roast duck with quince, potatoes and Brussels sprouts to get the holiday season started.
A celebratory roast duck with quince, potatoes and Brussels sprouts to get the holiday season started.

And just like that, we’re into the holiday season again.

Not quite ready for it? Me, neither.

But this grand looking “Roast Duck with Quince & Brussels Sprouts (and Potatoes)” will surely put you in a festive mood.

This simple recipe is from “Pipers Farm The Sustainable Meat Cookbook” (Kyle), of which I received a review copy.

Family-owned in Devon in southwest England, Pipers Farm was founded more than 30 years ago and adheres to regenerative farming techniques to raise native breeds that are grass-fed and free-range. It also now works with 40 small-scale farms in the area.

The cookbook was written by Abby Allen, who operates Pipers Farm, and Rachel Lovell, a food writer who has worked with the farm for years.

While this is a cookbook with plenty of carnivore recipes, Allen’s intent is to get you to eat meat more wisely by supporting family farms that raise animals the right way. She also encourages you to eat less of it, making every bit count by choosing quality over quantity; and to not waste anything, even offering up detailed recipes to make fortifying chicken and beef stocks, as well as one to use up off-cuts in “Haggis.”

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It’s The Great Pumpkin (Curry)

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Pumpkin gets spiced up for the season.
Pumpkin gets spiced up for the season.

We can’t help but get smitten with all things pumpkin at this time of year.

We make no secret, either, of tending to veer to the sweet side, with pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie, and even pumpkin lattes (which, of course, has no pumpkin in it at all).

However, the savory flip side shouldn’t be relegated to second fiddle.

Not when it means indulging in something savory and sweet, plus spiced and spicy like “Pumpkin Curry.”

A Sugar Pie pumpkin stars in this dish.
A Sugar Pie pumpkin stars in this dish.

This hearty, warming dish is from “Plant-Based Himalaya” (Red Lightning Books), of which I received a review copy, a new cookbook showcasing vegan recipes from Nepal.

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