Category Archives: Recipes (Savory)

Michael Symon’s Throwback American Goulash

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Michael Symon's homemade version of Hamburger Helper.
Michael Symon’s homemade version of Hamburger Helper.

One taste of this one-pot dish sends me back to my elementary school days.

When my best friend and I would feel so grown-up whenever we had the rare chance to cook dinner for ourselves when our parents were out.

We’d grab wooden spoons like microphones and pretend we were stars in our own cooking show.

As we hungrily and proudly dug into the comforting dish we had put together with our own wit,

Granted, Hamburger Helper wasn’t the most ambitious dinner to make. But we didn’t care. We loved the taste and the sense of freedom it gave us.

“American Goulash” is a fresher, homemade version of that nostalgic store-bought product that is just about as fast and easy to make, too.

Only this version is by Michael Symon, the James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur, and Emmy-winning television personality known his Food Network shows and co-hosting ABC’s “The Chew.” I also had the distinct pleasure of helping judge a cookie baking contest in San Francisco with him many years ago, and he is a hoot to be around.

This recipe is featured in his latest cookbook, “Simply Symon Suppers” (Clarkson Potter, 2023), of which I received a review copy. This is his eighth cookbook.

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Eric Ripert’s Halibut-Mushroom Casserole

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An elegant halibut dish fit for a restaurant but so easy to make at home.
An elegant halibut dish fit for a restaurant but so easy to make at home.

If there was ever anyone qualified to write a masterful cookbook on seafood, it is Eric Ripert.

After all, the renowned chef is co-owner of Le Bernardin in New York City, the absolute mecca of seafood that holds three Michelin stars and has held four stars from the New York Times for more than three decades.

What’s incredibly refreshing about his “Seafood Simple” (Random House, 2023), of which I received a review copy, is how easy and doable these recipes are.

These recipes are absolutely made for the home cook, with many of them calling for little more than a handful of ingredients and only one page of instruction. Try your hand at “Tuna Carpaccio with Ginger-Lime Mayonnaise” (made with store-bought mayo and ginger juice that only requires grating it, then squeezing out the juice); “Salmon Wrapped in Collard Greens with Beurre Rouge” (a sauce that’s simply red wine reduced, then swirled with butter); “Fish Fingers” (a favorite of his son’s that is breaded in panko and served with ketchup); and “Shrimp Skewers with Green Curry Sauce” (with the shrimp skewered with pineapple chunks and grilled).

There’s also expert advice, as well as detailed photos, on how to skin a fish, clean shrimp, split a lobster, shuck an oyster, and remove pin bones from salmon.

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Welcoming 2024 with Fried and Braised Lotus Root and Carrot

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The simplest of root veggie dishes to reset the palate for a new year.
The simplest of root veggie dishes to reset the palate for a new year.

After indulgent holiday prime rib, potatoes au gratin, and countless buttery pies, rich puddings, and lofty cakes, time to start the new year off on a lighter note, don’t you think?

If so, then “Fried and Braised Lotus Root and Carrot” fits the bill.

It is the simplest of Japanese side dishes with a whole lot of crunch and sweet caramelization.

It’s from the cookbook, “Gohan: Everyday Japanese Cooking” (Smith Street Books, 2022), of which I received a review copy.

The books is by Emiko Davies, an Australian-Japanese food writer and photographer who now lives in Italy. This is her sixth cookbook, and the first one centered on Japanese cuisine.

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Cheers to The New Year With An Arugula Gimlet

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A riff on a classic with a festive bold hue.
A riff on a classic with a festive bold hue.

What more festive way to celebrate the holidays and usher in the new year than with a great cocktail.

A vibrant green one at that with a deeply peppery taste.

“Arugula Gimlet” is a recipe in the new book, “Every Cocktail Has A Twist” (Countryman Press), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by the Sonoma-based couple, Carey Jones, a food and spirits writer who was the managing editor of Serious Eats, and John McCarthy, a mixologist and sports writer.

What makes this book especially fun is that it includes recipes for 25 classic drinks, but then goes further to provide 200 variations on them.

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A Chicken Dish For Cocktail Lovers

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Plenty of sage and a splash of gin make this a winning chicken dish at this time of year.
Plenty of sage and a splash of gin make this a winning chicken dish at this time of year.

Imagine donning your best “Mad Men” pearls while standing at the stove nonchalantly sauteing chicken when — oops — you accidentally splash some of your gin martini into the pan.

That’s the happy accident Amy Thielen, a James Beard Award-winning food writer and cookbook author, aptly envisions when she makes her delicious “Crispy Smashed Chicken Breasts with Gin-and-Sage Jus.”

Whether you envision a martini or a favorite gin-and-tonic like I did, this dish delivers the herby, woodsy tastes of mint, menthol, and eucalyptus, along with a surefire technique for cooking moist chicken breasts on the stovetop.

The recipe is from her new cookbook, “Company” (W.W. Norton), of which I received a review copy.

Thielen lives in wooded, remote Northern Minnesota, where there are only three restaurants in town — a 25-minute drive away. As such, when she gathers with friends and families for a meal, it’s usually at her own home.

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