Category Archives: Recipes (Savory)

A Different Kind of Alfredo

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An Alfredo that's not exactly what you think it is.
An Alfredo that’s not exactly what you think it is.

Imagine your favorite creamy, cheesy Alfredo — but without any wheat, gluten or even fuss.

And with very few carbs.

In fact, this Alfredo comes together so fast, it’s practically done once you boil a pot of water.

That’s because this is “Enoki Alfredo.”

Yes, this clever one-pot recipe substitutes the usual long strands of pasta for the skinny-stemmed, tiny-capped white mushrooms instead.

It’s from “Cooking with Mushrooms” (Artisan, 2022), of which I received a review copy, the first cookbook by Andrea Gentl, an award-winning food and travel photographer.

The informative book includes a primer on mushroom varieties, including how best to use them, as well as their nutritional properties, along with advice for shopping, storing, cleaning, and prepping them. There’s even a section on how to grow your own mushrooms.

Nearly 100 recipes, for both fresh and dried mushrooms, are included. They are certain to broaden your horizons when it comes to enjoying them, too. Wrap your head around “Mushroom Jerky,” Mushroom Rose Cardamom Rye Granola,” “Crispy Rack of Oyster Mushroom,” “Mezcal Mushroom Margarita,” and “Coconut Dark Chocolate Porcini Pots de Creme.”

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The Time Is Ripe For Braised Lamb Shanks with Sweet-and-Sour Kumquats

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Fall-off-the-bone tender lamb shanks get garnished with wine-simmered, sweet-tangy kumquats.
Fall-off-the-bone tender lamb shanks get garnished with wine-simmered, sweet-tangy kumquats.

Admittedly, I often hem and haw, even dodge, duck, and deflect, when people invariably ask me what my favorite recipe is in my cookbook, “East Bay Cooks” (Figure 1, 2019).

It’s like choosing a favorite child — or in my case, only one dessert to eat for the rest of my life.

It just can’t be done.

However, I will concede this: At this time of year especially, I will eagerly flip the pages of my cookbook until I stop longingly at “Braised Lamb Shanks with Sweet-and-Sour Kumquats.”

This comforting dish is from Chef Kevin Gin of Bridges in Danville. It’s one of those fabulous dishes in which your oven really does all the work — turning lamb shanks, cooked with an entire bottle of red wine and aromatics like thyme and rosemary, into fall-off-the-bone lusciousness.

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My Heart Beets

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Classic Georgian beet and walnut spread all ready for Valentine's Day.
Classic Georgian beet and walnut spread all ready for Valentine’s Day.

This Valentine’s Day, this dish will make your heart beat.

Or beet.

As in turn you into a true beet lover if you aren’t already one.

“Georgian Beet and Walnut Spread” will do that to you. It’s from the “Budmo!” (Rizzoli, 2022), of which I received a review copy.

Food photographer and stylist Anna Voloshyna of San Francisco wrote the cookbook as a love letter to her native Ukraine, where she lived for two decades before immigrating to the United States.

Lord knows that Eastern European country has been on everyone’s collected mind for more than a year, as we’ve watched in horror and sorrow the war that Russia has waged against it.

“Budmo!” provides a salve — if for a moment — from that nightmare. It is full of pride and passion for the culture, people, and food traditions that we all hope will endure no matter what.

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Most Excellent Sweet Potato Rolls with Miso

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Sweet potatoes, maple syrup, and white miso make these rolls unforgettable.
Sweet potatoes, maple syrup, and white miso make these rolls unforgettable.

Imagine warm Parker House-like rolls, as soft and yielding as the plushest down pillow — only made anew with the additions of sweet potatoes, a touch of maple syrup, and white miso.

Yes, miso.

Slightly sweet, subtly briny-salty, sensationally savory, and brazenly buttery, they are everything you want in a roll — plus more.

“Sweet Potato Rolls with Miso” is from “Delectable” (Random House, 2022), of which I received a review copy.

It’s the latest cookbook by renowned Pastry Chef Claudia Fleming, a veteran of New York City’s Union Square Cafe, Montrachet, Tribeca Grill, and Gramercy Tavern, as well as Fauchon in Paris. It was written in collaboration with Catherine Young, a former Saveur editor, who has cooked at New York restaurants, including Tribeca Grill, where she and Fleming met.

Fleming is a pastry chef’s pastry chef, revered by those in the industry, but also beloved by home bakers for her straightforward, thoughtful, and do-able recipes.

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Andy Baraghani’s Salt & Pepper Cod with Turmeric Noodles

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A tangle of rice noodles, a mound of tender fish, and a zesty-spicy Asian sauce make this an unforgettable dish.
A tangle of rice noodles, a mound of tender fish, and a zesty-spicy Asian sauce make this an unforgettable dish.

Like cilantro, dill can be one divisive herb.

You either love cherish its distinctive taste or avoid it all costs.

If like me, you’re in the former camp, then you will much enjoy “Salt & Pepper Cod with Turmeric Noodles,” which features more than one cup of the feathery herb with the unmistakable sweet, grassy, anise taste.

The recipe is from the outstanding cookbook, “The Cook You Want to Be” (Lorena Jones Books, 2022) by Andy Baraghani, the food writer, recipe developer, and former Bon Appetit magazine food editor who cooked at Chez Panisse.

Take it from me: The cook you want to be is the one who makes this straightforward Vietnamese noodle dish. It’s a riff on one Baraghani fell for in Hanoi, especially with its liberal use of dill and turmeric, flavorings so familiar to him from his Persian heritage.

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