Category Archives: Recipes (Savory)

Summer’s Silky Marinated Zucchini

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Zucchini get blotted of excess moisture, then pan-fried, and finally layered with aromatics.
Zucchini get blotted of excess moisture, then pan-fried, and finally layered with aromatics.

Don’t get me wrong — I do love zucchini bread, that all-American, tender teacake creation.

But it was the Italians who made me love zucchini’s savory side.

They definitely do have a way with this staple summer squash.

Maybe it was making Stanley Tucci’s much ballyhooed take on the classic spaghetti with zucchini alla Nerano last year that sealed the deal on this newfound appreciation for it. In any event, I can’t seem to get enough of zucchini this summer.

Case in point, when I spied the recipe for “Silky Marinated Zucchini,” I knew I had to make this simple dish.

It’s from “Portico” (W.W. Norton & Co.), of which I received a review copy, that explores the Roman Jewish repertoire of cooking.

It’s by Leah Koenig, the Brooklyn-based author of seven cookbooks that have spotlighted the world of Jewish cuisine.

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Time for Thai Cornish Game Hens with Chili Dipping Sauce

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A simple marinade, a toss on the grill, and an easy chile dipping sauce to finish are all that's involved in making this punchy Thai Cornish game hen dish.
A simple marinade, a toss on the grill, and an easy chile dipping sauce to finish are all that’s involved in making this punchy Thai Cornish game hen dish.

You know that favorite, forgotten shirt you stumble upon one day in the back of your closet, and rejoice?

That’s what I think of Cornish game hens.

These small birds are usually hidden away on a low shelf in the grocery store freezer — if you’re able to find them at all.

When you do, and throw them into your shopping cart for the hell of it, you remember just how good they are and how you really ought to cook with them more often.

That’s what ran through my head after one taste of “Thai Cornish Game Hens with Chili Dipping Sauce.”

The recipe is from “The Outdoor Cook” by America’s Test Kitchen, of which I received a review copy.

Perfect for this time of year, this cookbook is filled with 150 recipes for cooking on grills (both gas and charcoal), griddles, planchas, rotisseries, pizza ovens, and smokers.

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Presenting BTS — Of A Different Sort

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BTS -- as in the sandwich.
BTS — as in the sandwich.

Get ready for BTS coming your way.

Nope, not the South Korean boy-band sensation. But the summer classic of bacon, lettuce and tomato elevated with the addition of shiso.

Yes, a “BTS” sandwich.

You know that Sawako Okochi and Aaron Israel, co-chefs and co-owners of Brooklyn’s Shalom Japan restaurant, coyly knew what they were doing when they coined this sensational sandwich, the “BTS,” even though, technically, it really out to be a “BLTS.”

Semantics aside, this carefully crafted sandwich is all about the details. A cinch to make, it includes a couple of steps that make all the difference between a mundane sandwich and a great sandwich.

This marvelous recipe is from the new cookbook, “Love Japan” (Ten Speed Press), of which I received a review copy. The couple wrote the book with the talented food writer, Gabriella Gershenson, an editor at Wirecutter.

The book includes more than 80 home-style Japanese American dishes that cull from Okochi’s Japanese roots and Israel’s Jewish heritage, a blend that has proved winning at their unique Brooklyn restaurant.

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The Summeriest Salad

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A jumble of colorful summer peppers and stone fruit star in this lively tasting salad.
A jumble of colorful summer peppers and stone fruit star in this lively tasting salad.

Besides ones from my own home state of California, the wines that I find myself probably sipping most come from our neighbor to the north — Oregon.

Especially because Pinot Noir happens to be one of my favorite varietals, and grows exceedingly well there.

So, I couldn’t have been more overjoyed to see a new cookbook that highlights not only Oregon’s more than 50-year-old wine industry, but its rich food traditions found at its storied wineries.

“Oregon Wine & Food” (Figure 1), of which I received a review copy, is by my friend and colleague Danielle Centoni, who wrote it with fellow food writer Kerry Newberry.

The book spotlights 40 of Oregon’s top wineries, with two signature recipes from each one that each come with a wine pairing.

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Baked Peppers With An Unexpected Ingredient

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Not the usual cheese, rice or ground beef, but tofu gets stuffed into these peppers.
Not the usual cheese, rice or ground beef, but tofu gets stuffed into these peppers.

As my husband readied the grill for Italian sausages the other night, he looked at me dumbfounded as I pulled out a box of tofu from the fridge.

Yes, silken tofu is the surprising ingredient in these otherwise Mediterranean-influenced stuffed peppers.

Leave it to the one and only Nigel Slater to come up with this simple and inspired riff on a classic, replacing the usual rice, ground meat or cheese in stuffed peppers with custardy-soft tofu instead.

“Baked Peppers with Tofu and Olives” is from the noted British food writer’s newest cookbook, “A Cook’s Book” (Ten Speed Press), of which I received a review copy.

The 500-page book is a collection of 150 recipes along with evocative stories from this home cook’s home cook. These are unfussy recipes, many with 10 or fewer ingredients, full of an appealing carefree spirit.

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