Category Archives: Recipes (Savory)

Summer’s Sensational Tonnato With Tomatoes

A simple way to dress up fresh summer tomatoes spectacularly.
A simple way to dress up fresh summer tomatoes spectacularly.

Years ago, I went to a summer potluck, where the first dish to be demolished was a friend’s homegrown tomatoes, simply sliced, arranged on a pretty platter, and dressed with olive oil, and sea salt.

Not that the other dishes weren’t fabulous. It was just that tomatoes like that, ripened on the vine to let their deep, natural sweetness, tartness and mouthwatering savoriness develop to their fullest are absolutely impossible to resist.

When summer provides tomatoes that good, you don’t have to do much to them. That’s why “Tonnato with Tomatoes” is such a winning recipe.

It’s little more than an assortment of sliced tomatoes drizzled with the creamy Italian sauce of tuna, anchovies, capers, and lemon juice that’s traditionally spooned over cold slices of veal. It’s like the taste of a tuna salad sandwich with slices of fresh tomatoes inside — but turned on its bread with the tomatoes the star and the tuna a supporting yet major player.

This super easy recipe is from “Big Night” (Union Square & Co.), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Katherine Lewin, who went from a career as a copywriter at J.Crew to a food writer and editor at The Infatuation to opening two Big Night gourmet stores in New York City.

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A Taste of West Africa With Ivorian Roasted Chicken

This delicious roast chicken has its roots in the Ivory Coast.
This delicious roast chicken has its roots in the Ivory Coast.

With the searing heat we’ve been having of late, the last thing you probably want to do is crank your oven up to a blazing 500 degrees.

But hear me out.

“Ivorian Roasted Chicken” does involve roasting a spatchcocked or cut-up chicken in the oven for at least 40 minutes. But we Californians know very well that this chicken could easily be grilled, too, thereby keeping the inside of our abodes cooler. So, do keep that option in mind.

Moreover, this juicy chicken is served with a delightfully named “Moyo Sauce Goes with Everything” that’s a chunky, salsa-like sauce that’s bright, refreshing, and stars summery cherry tomatoes, making it perfect for this time of year.

Lastly, this recipe was inspired by the roasted chicken served at open-air markets in the Cote d’Ivoire, giving you a beachy taste of a place most of us have never had the pleasure of visiting.

Thankfully, Pierre Thiam shows us the way in his cookbook, “Simply West African” (Clarkson Potter, 2023), of which I received a review copy.

Thiem lives in El Cerrito with his wife Lisa Katayama, a Tokyo-born writer and the co-author of the book, and their daughter Na’ia. Raised in Senegal, he is the executive chef of Nok by Alara restaurant in Lagos, Nigeria; the chef of the Pullman Hotel in Dakar, Senegal; and the executive chef and co-owner of Teranga in New York City.

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Lamb-Spice Lamb Chops That Are Kismet

A quick spice mix gives these lamb rib chops incomparable flavor.
A quick spice mix gives these lamb rib chops incomparable flavor.

Dare I say that smoky, juicy, and flavorfully spiced little lamb rib chops are your destiny?

They definitely are if you follow this recipe from the new “Kismet” cookbook (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

“Lamb-Spice Lamb Chops” is one of more than 100 mouthwatering recipes in this book by the chef-owners of Los Angeles restaurants, Kismet and Kismet Rotisserie. Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson were named among the “Best New Chefs” in 2017 by Food & Wine magazine.

You have to love a cookbook that states from the get-go: “Yes, we’re restaurant chefs. No, this isn’t a restaurant book. Why? Because we want you to actually cook these recipes.”

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Endive Salad With Indian Flair

An endive and romaine salad gets jazzed up with seared paneer and a punchy tamarind chutney dressing.
An endive and romaine salad gets jazzed up with seared paneer and a punchy tamarind chutney dressing.

Like so many ethnic households, my family’s included a pantry where fermented black beans, three types of soy sauce, and tubs of tofu had equal billing as ketchup, mustard, and frozen hash browns.

Same for Khushbu Shah, whose family arrived in the first wave of Indian immigration to the United States.

The former restaurant editor at Food & Wine magazine, the Los Angeles-based Shah grew up in a home where Bisquick, peanut butter, and Taco Bell burritos were as beloved as curry leaves, coconut milk, and moong dal.

It’s that blending of heritages that informs her new cookbook, “Amrikan” (W.W. Norton), of which I received a review copy. Just what is “Amrikan”? As Shah explains in the book: Both a noun and an adjective, it is the word that Indians use to describe all things American. Or in short: “It’s America — with a desi accent.”

As such, the 125 recipes showcase the clever, surprising, and inspired ways that Indian American families have adapted what they found in American grocery stores or added a Southeast Asian spin to American comfort food classics.

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Hawaiian-Style Lemongrass Adobo Grilled Chicken With Pineapple

Savor a taste of Hawaii -- in the comfort of your own backyard.
Savor a taste of Hawaii — in the comfort of your own backyard.

If you’re braving the record-setting crowds to fly off to some tropical paradise this Fourth of July, more power to you.

Me? I’ll be mellowing out at home instead, and creating my own sunny island feast with “Lemongrass Adobo Grilled Chicken With Pineapple.”

Marinate the chicken overnight with plenty of fresh ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and adobo seasoning. When ready to eat, fire up the grill to cook the flavorful chicken plus juicy sweet rings of pineapple. Then, sit back and enjoy.

This easy recipe is from “Islas” (Chronicle Books, 2023), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Von Diaz, an Emmy Award-winning documentarian, food historian and food writer who was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Atlanta, GA.

A celebration of tropical cuisines, this cookbook is all about summer cooking from beginning to end. It’s a collection of 125 recipes from the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Ocean Islands.

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