Category Archives: Recipes (Savory)

A Lazy Way — And A Good Way with Tomatoes

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There's a time and place for stuffed tomatoes. And there's an even greater time for "unstuffed'' ones.
There’s a time and place for stuffed tomatoes. And there’s an even greater time for “unstuffed” ones.

There are times when I am up for a challenge, for those recipes that are as long as a chapter in a novel, made with ingredients that take me four trips to as many different grocery stores, and that leave me spent but gratified when I sit down at the table to enjoy them.

Granted, those times are rare.

More likely, as with so many of you, I gravitate to recipes that are not only quick and easy, but let’s face it, take the lazy approach.

Because there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

For example, I’ve made Julia Child’s classic “Stuffed Tomatoes Provencal,” and they were fantastic.

But when I came across Laura Vitale’s “Baked ‘Unstuffed’ Tomatoes,” the loafer in me immediately latched on to it.

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Michael Symon’s Grilled Pork Steaks with the Surprise of Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce

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Juicy and so very tender, these bountiful pork butt steaks get glazed with a Dr. Pepper -- yes! -- cherry barbecue sauce.
Juicy and so very tender, these bountiful pork butt steaks get glazed with a Dr. Pepper — yes! — cherry barbecue sauce.

Have you ever held a succulent rib between your fingers, then bitten into a taste of sweet-savory, marvelously yielding meat, only to wish there was more left on the bone to enjoy?

You get exactly that with Chef Michael Symon’s “Slow-Grilled Pork Butt Steaks with Cherry BBQ Sauce.”

It has the taste and tenderness of your favorite smoked ribs — but in the much more substantial form of pork butt or shoulder steaks that are meaty and beyond.

Best yet, they get glazed and served with a thick, fruity, savory and slightly spicy barbecue sauce made with not only fresh or frozen cherries but also a can of Dr. Pepper. Yes, you read that right.

The recipe is from his newest cookbook, “Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

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‘Bout That Sauce

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Grilled corn on the cob served with a dazzling tahini chimichurri sauce.
Grilled corn on the cob served with a dazzling tahini chimichurri sauce.

Will apologies to Meghan Trainor, I am all about this sauce.

No doubt, you will be, too.

If you love the bright and tangy herbaceousness of Argentinian chimichurri sauce and the way it livens up anything it touches, then you will go crazy for this Persian-influenced one that adds tahini for a richer, creamier body.

Slather it on ordinary corn on the cob to turn it into something extra special.

“Grilled Corn with Tahini Chimichurri Sauce” is from the new cookbook, “Bitter & Sweet” (Weldon Owen), of which I received a review copy.

It’s the debut cookbook by Seattle-based Omid Roustaei, an Iranian-American chef and culinary instructor, who has quite the background, having worked in the biotech industry and now also happens to be a psychotherapist.

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South African Curried Lamb Skewers for Summertime Grilling

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Lamb cubes get marinated overnight, then threaded on skewers with onions and dried apricots.
Lamb cubes get marinated overnight, then threaded on skewers with onions and dried apricots.

Cooking over fire is as primal and universal as it gets.

That’s perfectly illustrated in the new cookbook, “Barbecue: Smoked & Grilled Recipes From Across the Globe” (Phaidon), of which I received a review copy.

This book is a veritable trip around the world through smoky, charred deliciousness.

The specialties of more than 80 countries are represented through more than 270 recipes.

This encyclopedic cookbook is by Hugh Mangum, a Los Angeles musician-turned-chef who was executive chef and pit master of smoking Lil’s in Pennsylvania, and co-founder of the Mighty Quinn’s BBQ chain nationwide. It was written with the assistance of Shana Liebman, a food and culture writer.

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Anytime Is Right For Chili Crisp Salmon Burger

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Would you believe this was made with tinned smoked salmon flavored with chili crisp?
Would you believe this was made with tinned smoked salmon flavored with chili crisp?

Tinned fish is having a moment. So much so, that some people are just over it.

Not me, though.

At any given moment, you’ll always find in my pantry tins of anchovies, sardines, trout, tuna, and salmon.

Especially Fishwife Tinned Seafood’s collab with my go-to chili crisp-maker, Fly by Jing, of which I recently received samples.

Fishwife was founded by Becca Millstein and Caroline Goldfarb in 2020 during the pandemic. Like so many of us, they were cooking more at home and unsatisfied with the quality of tinned seafood in the market. So, they set out to create their own, based on wild and farmed seafood that’s sustainable.

Today, Fishwife offers a range of products including salmon, mussels, trout, albacore tuna, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, and even California white sturgeon caviar.

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