Poultry Sauces & Condiments Vegetables

Honey Butter-Glazed Chicken with Radishes

The radish is a vegetable that is typically consumed fresh, at least in this country. But in many culinary traditions, radishes are eaten both fresh and cooked. Daikon, the long, white Asian radish, is an important ingredient in many traditional soups, stews and other cooked dishes, in addition to being eaten fresh or preserved in a pickled form. Like other members of the Brassicaceae family, the flavor of radishes is earthy and pungent, frequently bordering on downright spicy. Cooking tends to …

Meat Sauces & Condiments Wild Foods

Pork Loin Chops with Peppered Maple-Mustard Glaze

Savory. Succulent. Tender. Sweet. We’re talking about pork, but not just any old cut.  We’re talking about thick-cut boneless pork loin chops, in our opinion, one of the best and most flavorful cuts of pork.  Boneless pork loin is essentially a pork loin chop without the bone. When you de-bone a whole pork loin, you end up with baby back ribs and a boneless pork loin.  Pork loin chops are easy to cook, they’re big, meaty and tender – and …

Miso Broth with Crab and Grilled Matsutake Mushrooms
Asian Mushrooms Seafood Soups & Stews Wild Foods

Miso Broth with Crab and Grilled Matsutake Mushrooms

Matsutake mushrooms are in season again. Wild mushroom aficionados look forward to the arrival of the esteemed pine mushroom with great anticipation each year. Matsutake can be prepared in any number of traditional ways, but it’s always a pleasant challenge to create new dishes that highlight their woodsy flavor. Matsutake have an intriguingly spicy aroma akin to a blend of pine, cinnamon and rosemary. Their texture is quite firm and holds up well to just about any cooking method. We …

Porcini Stroganoff with Turkey Mini-meatballs
Mushrooms Pasta Sauces & Condiments Tips and Techniques Wild Foods

Porcini Stroganoff with Turkey Mini-meatballs

  Dried porcini mushrooms do double duty in this healthy new take on a classic recipe. Instead of the usual beef, our stroganoff features plump little mini-meatballs made with ground turkey. Making these turkey mini-meatballs is incredibly easy; instead of frying, they bake in the oven in just minutes. Since they’re made of lean turkey and baked, not fried, they’re very low in fat. Best news of all – even without all that fat, they still taste fantastic! This recipe really highlights the …

Thai Mushroom and Coconut Soup
Asian Mushrooms Soups & Stews

Thai Mushroom & Coconut Soup

This rich and satisfying soup starts with a mixture of dried mushrooms typical of Asian cooking – shiitakes, with their deep and distinctive woodsy flavor; oyster mushrooms, with a light buttery taste that goes well with everything; lastly, woodear mushrooms, which have very little flavor at all, but which contribute a wonderfully crunchy texture. Like all dried mushrooms, this blend requires rehydration before use. A good soak in a hot bath for 20 – 30 minutes is all that’s needed …

Meat Mushrooms Wild Foods

Pan-fried Sausages with Dark Beer and Porcini Mushrooms

Summer isn’t even over yet, but with Labor Day weekend upon us, there’s already a little bit of fall in the air. Shadows are growing longer, nights are cooler and soon, instead of picnicking, we’ll be tailgating. There’s another September tradition worth mentioning: Oktoberfest, the German celebration of beer and all the wonderful food that accompanies it. Everyone loves Oktoberfest. Who doesn’t enjoy drinking beer and eating sausages?  (Not that we really need an excuse.) But why is Oktoberfest celebrated …

Soba Noodles with Black Lentils, Smoked Bacon and Greens
Asian Meat Pasta Vegetables

Soba Noodles with Black Lentils, Smoked Bacon and Greens

Quick-cooking lentils are probably the oldest cultivated legumes and are certainly among the earliest cultivated plants. Often planted alongside wild wheat and barley by our ancestors, lentils are both highly nutritious and good-tasting. Lentils are generally split into two broad groups: flat, large lentils and small, rounded lentils. While the large varieties are generally more common, it’s the small, varieties that are more prized. Small lentils tend to keep their shape better and have a finer, creamier texture than their …

Grilling Game Hens
Poultry Rubs and Marinades

Grilled Game Hens with Oregano, Lemon, Black Pepper & Truffle Oil

The game hen is the diner’s delight. Half a bird gives you a bit of everything – a leg, a thigh, a breast and a wing – in a single portion-sized serving. It’s as satisfying as eating an entire chicken, but a lot less filling. Game hens are a great choice for grilling too, especially when split in half. Their petite size means that they cook quickly, sealing in the flavor and keeping them moist and juicy. One of our favorite …

Sausage-stuffed Tofu
Appetizers Asian

Sausage-Stuffed Tofu with Smoked Soy Sauce

To fans of authentic Asian cuisine, the flavors & textures of this dish will feel as comfortable and familiar as an old friend. A steamed dish might not seem like summer food, but the preparation is quite easy and cooking time is only about 20 minutes. It won’t heat up the kitchen and can be enjoyed immediately while hot, or later, at room temperature. Our version of stuffed tofu, a venerable classic of many Asian cuisines, uses sausage made from ground …

Appetizers Asian Mushrooms Poultry Sauces & Condiments

Black Garlic Shu Mai with Smoked Soy Dipping Sauce

If you’ve ever been to a dim sum restaurant, you’ve probably eaten shu mai. Shu mai are little open-topped filled dumplings that usually come to your table in little steamer baskets. Shu mai rank among our favorite dumplings, and are both fun to make and eat. They don’t take a lot of effort and are very forgiving for the uninitiated – much easier than wontons or potstickers. Think of them as delicious little meatballs held in a tender, noodle-like wrapper. …