Roasted oyster mushrooms become almost like crispy croutons on this flavorful kale salad.
If lettuce, and specifically iceberg, still leave you skittish, then turn instead to our hardy and hearty friend, kale.
Even if you think you’ve grown bored of this vivid dark green, leafy brassica, there’s no denying its versatility, not to mention its powerhouse of nutrition and antioxidants.
So, if it’s been a while, now is the perfect time to get reacquainted with it in this flavorful “Kale and Shoyu Mushroom Salad.”
This quick recipe is from “Aloha Veggies” (Ten Speed Press), of which I received a review copy.
It was written by Hawaii-born recipe developer and photographer, Alana Kysar, who makes her home on Maui.
Crispy and chewy, sweet and spicy, these pan-fried mochi bao have so much deliciousness going on.
You’ve enjoyed it hot and cold, on the cob and off, and in salads, pastas, soups, and sides.
But have you ever had corn stuffed inside chewy, crisp pan-fried mochi?
With gooey cheese and spicy kimchi folded in to boot?
This perfect trio of ingredients make up the filling for clever “Kimchi & Corn Cheese Pan-Fried Mochi.”
This fun recipe is from “Breaking Bao” (Chronicle Books, 2024), of which I received a review copy.
It was written by Clarice Lam, an award-winning New York City pastry chef who has worked at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Spice Market, and the Chocolate Room.
Toronto-born, Los Angeles-reared, and the daughter of parents who emigrated from Hong Kong, Lam’s creations reflect her heritage and travels, melding Asian flavors with global techniques.
Sweet Sungold cherry tomatoes get an Indian-inspired treatment in this summery dish.
Each year as spring comes around, I start to contemplate what tomato seedlings to plant in my backyard planters.
All four of them.
Yup, that’s it. That’s all I have room for in my tiny yard.
Three of my four planters call for some mulling. But with the last one, there is never a doubt. That one is reserved for Sungolds, the bright orange cherry tomatoes that pop with as much sweetness as candy.
Many of them actually go straight into my mouth, plucked from the branches one by one while I’m still pitter-pattering in the yard. (Don’t tell my husband.) But some do make it into my kitchen, where they’re destined for green salads, grain salads, pasta dishes, and ricotta toast.
Thanks to New York’s Rachel Gurjar, a Mumbai-born chef, recipe developer, and food writer who attended the Culinary Institute of America, though, I now have another showcase for these itty-bitty tomatoes with the outsized flavor.
Her “Paneer with Sungold Tomatoes and Basil” is like an Indian riff on the classic Italian Caprese salad. It not only subs in the fresh Indian cheese known as paneer for the mozzarella, but adds a pinch of cumin seeds for earthy savoriness. It’s not served cold or at room temp, either, but cozy warm, too.
This inspired recipe is from her debut cookbook, “East to East” (Chronicle Books), of which I received a review copy
You won’t believe how easy and delicious these microwaved shiitakes are.
This is the mushroom hack that you didn’t know you needed.
It’s a quick-as-a-wink recipe that’s perfect when you’re time-pressed.
Or in need an ideal base for a quick vegetarian meal. Or a no-brainer side dish to any Asian-influenced main.
“Steamed Shiitakes with Ginger-Garlic-Scallion Sauce” is fast, delicious, and deceptive. That’s because the “steaming” happens in about 5 minutes in your microwave.
It results in the silkiest, slipperiest, most supple mushrooms that are also plenty saucy.
This genius recipe is from “Hello, Home Cooking” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.
The cookbook is by Ham El-Waylly, a New York City recipe developer and video creator who is chef-partner of the New Orleans-style seafood bar, Strange Delight in Brooklyn.
Meet tomato schnitzel — a fun and delicious treatment to give summer tomatoes.
When it comes to summer tomatoes, I’ve sandwiched them, stuffed them, layered them, grilled them, pureed ’em, salad-ed them, and even devoured them right out of hand plucked from the vines in my own backyard.
But until now, I’d never schnitzel-ed them.
And boy, was I missing out.
Yes, the German method of breading and frying pork, veal or beef until crisp and golden can be applied to thick slices of beefsteak heirloom tomatoes to fun and delicious effect.
The former chef-owner of the acclaimed Olmstead in Brooklyn, Baxtrom has worked in such standout establishments as Michelin three-starred Per Se in New York City; and Michelin two-starred restaurants, Alinea in Chicago and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York.
