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Pork Tamales

A great chef once told me that if a recipe isn’t working out, then take an ingredient out. The lesson being, that if you’re using fresh, wholesome ingredients, simple is almost always better. That’s why most of my cooking tends to be simple. But as with any rule, there are always exceptions. French pastries are [...]

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Best Pork Chops

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Pork chops can be effortless and delicious, but first you need to understand a few things about the pork that’s sold in supermarkets. Pigs in the US have been selectively bred to be very lean over the past fifty years. According to the National Pork Board, a 3 ounce serving of pork tenderloin has 3 [...]

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Kenchinjiru

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When people think about Japanese soups, miso soup is about the only one that comes to mind for most. But with harsh winters and rampant poverty only a few generations ago, there’s a rich culinary history of soups and stews in Japan. For vegans that are dismayed to find out that many Japanese soups contain [...]

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Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

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The secret to making a great spaghetti and meat sauce is to build layers of flavor (beyond the meat and tomatoes), and to allow them to meld together in a balanced way. It’s a fairly simple thing to do when you’re including dozens of ingredients and simmering them together for hours, but I wanted to [...]

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Easy Chicken Teriyaki (Pan-fried)

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If you’ve been following this blog for long, you probably remember that I’ve posted about chicken teriyaki before. It was a grilled preparation that involved brining, grilling and basting the chicken, and while delicious, it’s a fair amount of work. While teriyaki may have originally been a grilled dish, these days in Japan, the chicken [...]

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Zucchini Gratin

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For anyone who says they hate zucchini, I’d be willing to bet they’ve never had one so fresh that the verdant gourds tingle the tips of their fingers with a glistening coat of spines. Fresh zucchinis are real summer treat and one of the joys of cultivating a garden during the warmer months. A little [...]

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Korean Fried Chicken (Yangnyeom Chikin)

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My first Korean fried chicken experience was at Bon Chon Chicken in Tribeca over five years ago. It was an epiphany not just because it was delectable, but because it was the first time that it had occurred to me that KFC could stand for something other than Kentucky Fried Chicken. Since then, I’ve gone [...]

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Wonton Soup

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Looking at the photo you may be asking where the wontons are. Before I answer this question you first have to undertand that texture is an important part of wonton noodle soup; the texture of the noodles, the texture of the wonton, and even the texture of the shrimp inside is critical to a really [...]

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