Month: September 2011
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Spanakopita
I’m a big cheese lover and I’m a big Greek food lover. So it’s a natural fit to make this Greek delicacy, spanakopita, a Greek spinach pie. The ingredients are few, surprisingly, but the amount of work it takes is large. Well, let me correct that a bit. The filling is a piece of pie…
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Mascarpone Macaroni & Cheese
There’s nothing like a delicious, cheesy mac ‘n cheese. Something about the cheesiness is comforting and magical. Surprisingly, you can even make a mac ‘n cheese with mascarpone! I was a bit uncertain of this recipe, but after giving it a try, I have to say it’s one of the best mac ‘n cheeses I’ve…
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Tom Ka Gai
Tom Ka Gai is a coconut-based chicken soup from Thailand. Certainly, it’s hard to duplicate many Thai dishes outside of Thailand for lack of ingredients. Most of them call for things like galangal and kaffir leaves, both of which aren’t the easiest to find. But they can also be substituted with almost no negative effect…
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Pastél de Choclo
Pastél de Choclo is a Chilean corn casserole. On a visit to Chile, it wasn’t nearly as easy to find as you’d imagine, mostly because it’s not a quick food like empanadas. But sure enough, visit a nice Chilean restaurant and you’ll find it ready to eat. Let it be known that this is not…
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Pupusas de Queso
Pupusas are Salvadoran stuffed flatbread. The first time I had one was at a restaurant called La Bamba in Mountain View, CA. I mistakenly thought it was a Mexican dish, but a friend quickly set me straight. Certainly, there are a number of dishes that are delicious from El Salvador, but pupusas are the best…
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Pesto
Pesto is one of the easiest things to make – assuming you have a food processor – and it adds a great kick to a number of different recipes. You’ll see me using pesto in a variety of places and when I do, this is the recipe I follow. Ingredients 2 cups packed, fresh basil…
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Three Bean Salad
I was looking for a nice salad to accompany a delicious, rich mac ‘n cheese and I just couldn’t decide what kind to make. Would a green salad be best? Or maybe a potato salad? Potato salads seem a bit too heavy given the mac ‘n cheese. How about a bean salad? It wasn’t long…
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Candied Pecans
You never know when you’re going to need candied pecans. They come in handy as a topping on ice cream or on top of yams for any holiday you’d like. This recipe isn’t hard to follow and results in delicious candied pecans. Ingredients 1 egg white ½ tsp vanilla extract ¼ cup brown sugar ½…
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Borani Esfanaaj
Borani Esfanaaj is a Persian-style yogurt and spinach dip. Like many Persian dishes, this is a very simple dip that accompanies a number of other dishes wonderfully. We recommend eating it with some lavash and fresh herbs, but you can do whatever you like. In fact, there’s nothing wrong with eating this dip with just…
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Greek-Style Roasted Lamb & Potatoes
Let me start by saying that lamb is an expensive, but delicious meat. Don’t expect to make this dish for cheap. While this recipe is rather common and easy to make – found mostly in the villages of Greece – it tastes wonderful. If you ever find lamb on sale, I can’t imagine not buying…