What is that? A witch’s kettle of Thai green curry, perhaps, pieces of zucchini mysteriously bobbing to the surface. How about pairing it with rice, blacker than midnight, and pulsing with cubed squash, colors of the spooky season? This is a pairing Martha Stewart imagines and features on her website. (*1) In keeping with the… Continue reading “Something Wicked This Way Comes”
Truth is, the chicken even would’ve done this for free. So flavorful and vibrant are the Thai spices that enrobe it, the bird rises to perfection when the grill’s flames seal in all those juices and caramelize the curry paste. The peanut dipping sauce tempts, but really, the chicken has all it needs. Fine, but… Continue reading Works for Peanuts
An important point, because Jaew dipping sauce is vital to vaulting Thai Grilled Pork Skewers (Moo Ping) past excellent all the way to legendary. Already, the thinly sliced meat ribboned onto skewers allows the flavorful marinade to permeate every square millimeter. Then, dunking it in the jaew after grilling enacts some new kind of magic. … Continue reading They Gave You Some Sauce, Right?
On India’s southwestern coast, the sun bejewels a sea washing tropical shores fragrant with flowering spices. Can somewhere as lavishly endowed with vibrant vistas, aromas and colors produce anything other than an exuberant cuisine? Definitely, the state of Kerala does, and one of its favorite creations, Chemmeen Moilee, Curried Shrimp and Coconut Soup, headlines today.… Continue reading Malabar Coast
Then there’s Task #386, Setting Smoothly Rich Background Music for Chicken Dishes. Though today’s entry, Adobo Aromatic Chicken, is a Filipino poultry preparation, bacon infuses the chicken with its signature buttery smokiness when its fat is used to pan sear the bird initially. After that, bacon itself makes an appearance just before serving, when… Continue reading Bacon’s Many Uses
Indeed, Persian cookery engages not just the eyes and nose, but it captivates the taste buds as well, unfolding flavors that subtly hint at the delights that await. The visuals, though, beguile, and make the first pass at seduction. Persians call the pilaf Javaher Polow, or Jeweled Rice, and fittingly so. Saffron sets the rice… Continue reading Treasure Beyond Gold and Jewels
When Cambodians make Chicken Samlá Curry they put everything into the soupy basting sauce – lemongrass, ginger, lime zest, garlic, coconut milk…everything. Even the chicken itself luxuriates in the impossibly fragrant mixtures, absorbing all manner of wonderful tastes. One thing this “curry” doesn’t have, though, is curry itself. The name is assigned to any number… Continue reading It’s All in the Sauce
August brings exuberant gardens yielding fresh basil, green beans and tomatoes by the basketful, and people firing up the grill in preparation for a balmy evening outdoors enjoyed with family and neighbors. Plenty of good times and happy memories as we head into one final month of glorious weather. This is summer’s moment. Today’s entry… Continue reading It All Leads to This
Indeed, today brings Chicken Posole, as well as the limes that make it so delectable a soup. There’s the citrus, of course, which contributes a vibrant zing, a sweetly tangy melody that boosts the other flavors. The fruit’s qualities are familiar and require little additional elaboration. However, another sort of lime is significant too. It… Continue reading Various Limes
It must be easy to forget all the effort expended in juicing and zesting Key Limes, because less than a year after the cheesecake ordeal, here we are again. Do you realize how many limes it takes to yield even the relatively limited quantities of essence described in the recipe below? No wonder most people… Continue reading These Guys Again?
The Terrified Amateur 