Clik here to view.
Schnitzel a la Holstein
This is to pig what XO is to cognac. SERVES 4 4 boneless pork butt steaks 1 cup All purpose flour 1 egg mixed with 1/2 cup of whole milk 2 cups unseasoned bread crumbs, sifted 2 lemon, one of …...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Laotian Beef Salad (Larb)
I really enjoy making and eating the foods of Southeast Asia. I make trips to the Asian grocery and buy up all kinds of different produce that aren’t found in my garden or at the local grocer. I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Karilean Borscht with Resolution
It is shortly after all the present opening hullabaloo, when I look up from cutting peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in half, that I see the look on Vivian’s face. I catch a glimpse of disappointment...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Unctuous Possibilities of Pan Juices
We all know gravy or pan sauce in large quantities might be good for our soul but it isn’t so good for our heart health. After all we are doing nothing more then adding flour or cornstarch to the fat …...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Seasoning with Pork: Polenta with Peas and Pork Sausage
If my extended family’s eating habits are an indication as to what the preferred meat was on my grandparents and great grandparents farm then it is obvious to me I come from a long line of pork eaters....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Breton Butter Cake
This morning little Lynnie keeps yelling and pointing in excitement at the cake I made for last night’s Sunday dinner. She is telling me she wants it for her birthday. The heels on the last three...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Turkey Meatloaf with Peas and Gravy
You can make meatloaf out of anything, from lentils to venison to duck. You can get fancy and have the three meat combo made from equal parts beef, veal and pork or even a seafood loaf made from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Island Style Chicken Fricassee
In the summertime, I want food that is casual, soulful, and unpretentious — food that can double as a family meal and an intimate dinner for entertaining. Any dish that almost needs to be eaten with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Kebabs Come of Age
Inside the house a Frank Sinatra record blares loudly from the phonograph, a big stereophonic console meant to look like a fancy sideboard. The family room windows of the atomic ranch-style house are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Troublemaker Blend 6
I was given an assignment and just like in high school I have blown it off. I procrastinated. In all actuality if this was school, the PR company my teacher, well, I failed with a big fat F. Because...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Art of Honest Fried Chicken (A Lifestyle Choice)
Frying chicken, at its best, is a state of mind formed much in the same way as the quiet back beats of a porch-sitting session with a dear friend. It has a rhythm. It is good company on a sunny …...
View ArticleClik here to view.
5 Tips for Better Grilled Chicken Breasts
Grilling boneless skinless chicken breast presents a set of problems. I’m a firm believer that leaving the skin on and the bones in your chicken goes a long way to alleviating tough, dried out breast....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pork Confit Parmentier (or “Sorta” Shepard’s Pie)
It is not generally in my nature to go out of my way to make a shepherd’s pie from scratch. Instead of cooking all the individual components — breaking them down only to put them back together — it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Recipe Reclamation: Bringing Back Chopped Steak
While it might not be haute cuisine, chopped meat is surely economical, flavorful, and versatile. From meatballs to croquettes to tacos, it can do it all and can do it with ease. It is an uncomplicated...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mustard Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Sauce Robert
Through most of the month of December, I spend a lot of my time preparing recipes that taste great but don’t absorb a lot of my time. It’s the holidays after all, and not only do I want to enjoy …...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tips for Reading Recipes (& Chinese Style Honey Hoisin Sticky Ribs)
Chef Leichte spun on the balls of his feet. A millisecond ago he was heading forward, and I was following him. Now we are face to face, and he pokes my chest with his finger. “Commit!” he says in a …...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Spicy Chickpea and Sour Tomato Curry with Pasta
Whenever a simple, delicious dish — like this spicy chickpea curry — is placed next to me at the table, it doesn’t just make me happy; I become protective of it in a selfish, rabid dog sort of way....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Eastern European “Style” Venison Meatballs
This is a television feature piece I did recently on venison. Click continue reading for the recipe. For the meatballs: 1 pound ground venison, buffalo or beef (if using beef omit the pork but use 1...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chicken Legs in Tomato Gravy ( + 5 Tips to a Better Braise)
Finally, the long standing blanket of snow has begun to recede and melt back into the dark earth, but not without leaving behind a disheveled landscape — like lifting an area rug you have meant to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cuban Style Skirt Steak + 5 Tips for a Better Sear
I won’t lie to you — I like steak. To be specific, I like pan-seared steak. It’s the roar of the hood fan as it comes up to speed; the exhilaration and anticipation of the pop, crackle, and sizzle of …...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Greek Style Shrimp in Tomato Sauce (+ 10 Tips to Better Sautéing)
There is something wonderful about a one-pan sauté. Sure, a quick dinner and easy clean-up would be enough to pass muster for most, but what I love is how wonderfully delicious dinner becomes as you...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The New Steak (+ a Recipe for Duck Teriyaki)
A whole roast duck is as satisfying to eat as it is pretty on the table; while foie gras is a rich man’s food and confit is pure comfort, a delicious seared and crispy-skinned duck breast is one of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Poulet á l’ Estragon (Chicken Tarragon)
Spring always seems rushed. It’s as if we spend months climbing a mountain called winter, and when we finally reach the peak, we’re so grateful that we run as fast as we can down the other side — past...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Morels with Asparagus & Five Reason to Eschew Recipes
There was a time when my father and I would have walked the distance up the hill to Gordon’s Rocky Top. We would have crossed the creek, stepping gingerly across the slick rocks like seasoned hopscotch...
View ArticleClik here to view.
All About Smoking + A Pulled Pork Sandwich
Barbecue is a far cry from the days past when you were simply handed a platter of meat and sent outside to a grill. I mean, you don’t see leg of lamb braising contests at every turn, or weekend-long...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Small Batch Barbacoa Beef for Tacos
There is something about big hunks of meat cooked over long periods at low heat that appeals to us at a very basic level. Pit-cooking traditions like hog roasts, barbacoa, and luaus aren’t just...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Memphis Style Barbecue Nachos
Great barbecue is about the cut of meat, the smoke, the rub, and the sauce. But just because sauce is only one part of the equation, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be excellent. In fact, barbecue sauce...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Barbecue Chicken Pizza (+ How You Should Think About Prep)
This recipe is a throwback. It was extremely popular in the 1990s — along with duck confit and tuna steaks, seared rare. I still see it now and again on menus, but it has largely disappeared due to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Let’s Talk Turkey
As with anything in cooking there are many ways to cook a turkey. It is only limited by your imagination. Beer can, the Louisiana Turducken, deep fried, you name it and someone has attempted it, some...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dinner Rolls and a Bonus Southern White Loaf
I have been, and will continue to be a believer in simple good recipes that follow great technique. I often feel as though complicated directions and hard to find ingredients set us up for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My Favorite Tofu Scramble
It’s not for a lack of eggs. I raise chickens, I have more eggs then I can use most days. So what drives me to this dish. I especially like sprouted tofu, a lot. It’s not just tofu though. I like...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Real Winner: Seared Cauliflower Steaks with Salsa Verde and Almonds
Some people collect cars, for others it is playing golf, for me, it’s barbecues. I don’t collect them per se but rather I cook with them. Their value isn’t termed by condition but in hours of use....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cast Iron Barbecued Crispy Thighs
The best barbecue is anti-corporation. This simple barbecue dish is too. It flies in the face of everything corporate barbecue wants you to believe, that good barbecue requires hours of cook time...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Asian Spaghetti, Changing Seasons
If your weekend was anything like mine then you are comfortable having put summer to bed, tucked-in snugly with the knowledge it will sleep tight until it awakens again next year. Windows will close,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bison Sirloin with Mushroom Ragu
I remember the first time I saw a bison up close and personal. It was out on the rolling prairies of South Dakota. No, it wasn’t wild. Reality is, I am not sure there are to many of those left. Maybe...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Pasta Carbonara (A Midwestern Hybrid)
I melt for this pasta. I always have. As a kid I grew up on heavy, roux laden Fettuccini Alfredo. It was the rigor of the day and it was served everywhere and with everything mixed into the noodles,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Delicious Lentil Soup With A Dirty Little Secret
What you need to know about lentil soup is everyone has their “simple” version. Knowing this, it reminds me how easy it is to get a nutritious hot bowl of soup to the table. It also tells me that it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Searching for the Perfect Risotto
I don’t get the allure of risotto. Years ago at culinary school, every student revered the dish except me, and slowly I’ve come to hate it. It’s overrated. I’ve practiced making it at home with the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Very French Beef Stew
If you are like me, you have made what seems like hundreds of variations on beef stew; the classic tomatoey American version, a Korean version, Chinese, Irish, with beer, or with wine. It’s all done in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pan Fried Trout with Prosciutto, Crispy Sage and Pine Nuts
There is something special about trout that goes beyond just eating. They are one of only fish that have a whole culture built around them. They are a freshwater game fish, they are skittish and will...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pork Pazolé
Chili is great, and a favorite, but sometimes it is nice to find an alternative. This is a nice change for sure. The sourness of the tomatillos cuts the richness of the pork while still letting the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Yellow Corn Tortillas
These are home made corn tortillas. A skill every cook should learn and teach their family. These little disks of goodness have fed countless billions over the centuries. If you have ever seen...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Farmhouse Whole Wheat
There are so many different kinds of bread. You could make sourdough where you feed a starter flour to grow it and keep it alive, you can retard loaves in the refrigerator overnight, there are paté...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lamb Meatballs with a Broken Yogurt Saffron Sauce
At 2am I got out of bed and went to the kitchen to write down a recipe idea for a lamb, blood orange, feta and mint tapas, after all I had been in the mood for North African influenced food. Yes, 2am,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Thai Pesto with Brown Rice Noodles
This dish has a history that is connected to two other dishes. The two dishes were last summer favorites and they were a pesto recipe from Saveur magazine, Trofie al Pesto, that called for green beans...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chicken, Sausage and Red Pepper Paella
Paella to me is the ultimate one pot meal. It also is the time of year where I am not ready for a stew but want something more substantial than the usual summer fare. Paella is a great answer. Although...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dear Mr. Pepin,
I made a recipe of yours last night. It wasn’t the first time I have made this recipe, in fact, I have made it several times but it has been far to long since it has graced our table, rest assured,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
RECIPE CARD: Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup
This is the Midwest and we like baked potatoes and we aren’t ashamed to say so. Loaded baked potatoes, twice baked potatoes, simple baked potatoes, in my part of the country it is un-American not to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
RECIPE CARD: 3 Cheese Beef & Noodles + How To Get The Most Out Of Prep Day
I have always said, “if I am going to cook one chicken, I might as well cook two.” It’s not really any more work. I have come to believe the same about pot roast, pork roast, and just about anything...
View Article
