Category Archives: Recipes (Savory)

Instant Ramen? Instant Yum!

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Transform your favorite instant ramen into a version of mac and cheese with spinach.
Transform your favorite instant ramen into a version of mac and cheese with spinach.

They say that if you have a pack of ramen, you have a meal.

Well, know what else you have?

A pretty nifty version of mac and cheese in the making, too.

That’s just what “Spinach Ramen Gratin” is like.

It’s from the ingenious cookbook, “Instant Ramen Kitchen” (Chronicle Books, 2025), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Peter J. Kim, a food entrepreneur who was the founding director of Brooklyn’s now-shuttered Museum of Food and Drink, the former head of creator partnerships at Pinterest, and the former host of Counterjam, Food52’s food and music podcast. He readily admits to eating several bowls of instant ramen each week.

Ramen has a storied history and a fierce following. It was invented in Japan by Momofuku Ando in 1958 in the aftermath of World War II, when he was inspired to create something fast and cheap to nourish his impoverished countrymen.

How beloved is it? As Kim writes in the book, the Fuji Research Institute conducted a poll in 2000 to ask people to name the greatest Japanese invention of the 20th century. The winner, of course, was instant ramen.

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Jose Andres’ Pollo Al Ajillo

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Pan-cooked chicken with plenty of garlic and sherry by Jose Andres.
Pan-cooked chicken with plenty of garlic and sherry by Jose Andres.

His list of achievements is breathtaking.

He is a Michelin-starred chef with restaurants nationwide, an Emmy Award-winning TV host and producer, and a New York Times best-selling cookbook author. Moreover, he is the founder of the humanitarian nonprofit World Central Kitchen that provides emergency food to war-torn and natural disaster-stricken countries around the world, an endeavor that has garnered him a James Beard Foundation “Humanitarian of the Year,” and a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

All that’s missing is a Nobel Prize. And frankly, he deserves that, too.

Jose Andres’ impact on the culinary industry and the world at large has been monumental.

The Spanish-born chef has made his home with his family in Maryland for more than two decades. But his homeland remains a constant influence on all that he does.

His newest cookbook, “Spain My Way” (Ecco), of which I received a review copy, exemplifies that.

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Summer Was Made For Smoked Salmon Lettuce Wraps

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A fun, easy, no-cook crowd-pleasing summer dish.
A fun, easy, no-cook crowd-pleasing summer dish.

When the heat of summer is on, this is the perfect dish to get dinner on the table in no time flat.

It requires absolutely no cooking — just some knife work.

It is full of freshness, crunchiness, and vibrant, good-for-you ingredients.

“Smoked Salmon Lettuce Wraps” is all that.

It’s from “The Mediterranean Dish Simply Dinner” (Clarkson Potter, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Suzy Karadsheh, the Egyptian-born, New York Times best-selling cookbook author and creator of The Mediterranean Dish cooking and lifestyle site who now makes her home in Atlanta.

The cookbook features 125 recipes that follow her carefree philosophy that dinner needn’t always follow a formal format but can be much more free-form. Why not make an entire dinner out of mezze, such as “Cherry Tomato, Pomegranate, and Mint Salsa with Pine Nuts,” “Fried Goat Cheese Balls with Caramelized Onions, Balsamic, and Fig Spread,” and “Simple Marinated Chickpeas with Halloumi”? Or fire up the grill for “Green Goddess Chicken Kebabs” or “Grilled Shrimp Saganaki.”? Or make a one-pot meal like “Armenian Apricot and Red Lentil Soup” to enjoy with a round of crusty bread?

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Fire Up the Grill for Jamie Oliver’s Shrimp Skewers & Ajoblanco Sauce

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All scratch-made, and ready in about half an hour.
All scratch-made, and ready in about half an hour.

Just like with fashion, when it comes to cooking, less often makes for a bigger impact.

I’ve long been a fan of Jamie Oliver for his attitude that cooking shouldn’t be a big deal. Over the years, he’s shown that a handful or so of ingredients plus a modest amount of time is all that’s required to put together a truly winning dish.

Now, he’s turned that same philosophy on the backyard grill with his newest cookbook, “Grill: Easy Grilling, Big Flavor” (Appetite), of which I received a review copy

The British chef offers up 90 recipes that won’t tax the budget, dexterity or comprehension of any home cook.These are simple — some might even consider basic — recipes that are sure to get the summer backyard festivities going.

Fire up the grill for everything from “Grilled Fish Tacos & Stone Fruit Salsa,” “Charred Squash & Tahini Chickpea Salad,” and “Arrabiata Chicken Drumsticks” to “Fruity Pork Chops & Grilled Potatoes” and “Shrimp Toast Burgers.”

Like the rest of the recipes in this book, “Shrimp Skewers & Ajoblanco Sauce” doesn’t require any heavy lifting.

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Revamping the Croissant

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Costco croissants get jazzed up in a big way.
Costco croissants get jazzed up in a big way.

When you’re lucky enough to hold in your hands a perfect specimen of a croissant, made with the finest butter into shatteringly crisp, ethereal layers, say from San Francisco’s Arsicault, do NOT do anything to it. Just enjoy as is. Slowly. Deliberately. Dreamily.

Other times, when the croissant happens to be more mundane, say from Costco, where a package of a dozen can be had for a bargain-basement price of 50 cents per pastry, then by all means, play with your food.

Specifically, by making “Croissant Toasts.”

This fun, summery recipe calls for flattening those croissants, searing them in a pan, then blanketing them with whipped ricotta and juicy, burst cherry tomatoes.

It’s like everyday ricotta toast — but pimped out.

This fanciful recipe is from “Ohana Style” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

It’s the newest cookbook from everyone’s “Top Chef Fan Favorite,” Sheldon Simeon. The Hawaii chef is the owner, along with his wife Janice Simeon, of Tiffany’s and Tin Roof, both in Maui.

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