Simply Recipes

06/12/2013 02:39 AM

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Shrimp and Grits

Shrimp and grits is one of those iconic Southern dishes that stir something deep inside those who grew up with them. Originally from the oceanic South—Georgia, the Low Country coast of the Carolinas and Gulf Coast states all have their versions—this homey bowl of awesome was historically a simple fisherman’s breakfast: Grits, with some bacon and a few shrimp tossed

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06/05/2013 01:56 AM

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Chipotle Salsa Baked Chicken

Dear restaurant chain by the same name, thank you for making chipotle a household word! (And for helping to teach people how to say it correctly—”chee POAT lay”.) I love cooking with chipotles—smoked, dried, red jalapeños—especially those packed in adobo sauce. In this recipe we are making a simple salsa with fire roasted tomatoes, onions, lime juice, and chi

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05/30/2013 09:46 PM

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Buckwheat Waffles

Do you like buckwheat? When I lived in Japan I used to eat buckwheat soba noodles all the time, and a few years ago I started making buckwheat pancakes which have become a favorite. The taste is a little bit like whole wheat or whole grain versus white flour, but not wheat-y. Buckwheat isn’t actually grain—it isn’t a grass, but a plant that produces seeds tha

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05/26/2013 11:38 PM

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Mediterranean Chicken Salad

Do you have a favorite chicken salad? I love making chicken salad because it’s so versatile. You can easily make it ahead, it holds up well for a picnic or potluck, and you can eat it straight, in bread or toast as a sandwich, or toss it with lettuce or pasta. Here’s a tangy twist on the classic we know and love, a Mediterranean-style chicken salad with chopp

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05/24/2013 04:13 AM

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Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

Hello weekend! Sacramento can’t decide if it wants to be hot or cool right now. But the weather has been cooperating gloriously recently, with lots of sun, perfect for relaxing on the patio with tortilla chips and some coctel de camarones, or Mexican shrimp cocktail. I love this version of shrimp cocktail, it’s sort of like a virgin bloody mary with cucumber,

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05/21/2013 02:24 PM

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Hot Dogs with Sriracha and Asian Slaw

Have you ever played around with sriracha hot sauce? It’s that spicy red sauce you often find at south east asian restaurants in the plastic bottle with the rooster on the side. It’s sort of an “in” thing these days, a great combination of sweet, spicy, garlicky, and sour, with the consistency of ketchup. People are finding all sorts of culinary u

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05/17/2013 07:59 PM

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Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake

It’s the beginning of blueberry season over here; let the parade of baked goods begin! I had a basket of blueberries giving me the eye the other morning, as well as some ricotta cheese in the fridge begging to be used up. Hmmm. Blueberry muffins maybe? blueberry pancakes? or pound cake? A lemony blueberry pound cake won the toss this time, a pound cake made even mo

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05/15/2013 05:55 PM

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Lamb Korma

Are you a lover of books? My father, the English teacher, instilled in us an appreciation for literature. When I find a book I love I want to yell about it from the mountain top. Instead, my friends are the beneficiaries of this enthusiasm, since I typically find every excuse to send them a copy of the new favorite. Last year the book my friends received was The Lost Wor

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05/10/2013 06:48 PM

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Hummingbird Cake

Please welcome my dear friend, guest author Steve-Anna Stephens as she shares a Southern classic, just in time for Mother’s Day! ~Elise Do you have a sweet tooth? Truth be told—I do not. At all. Pass me a second helping of beef tenderloin at dinner, thank you very much, and you can have my dessert. So, the Hummingbird Cake perplexes me, because, well, I can’t stop

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05/07/2013 09:01 PM

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Baked Salmon with Avocado Mango Salsa

Of all the ways there are to cook salmon, baking it is one of the easiest. Just brush the fillets with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and cook in a hot oven on a foil-lined pan for 10 minutes. No fuss, no mess, no difficult clean-up. One of my favorite things to serve with salmon is avocado. In this recipe we are gently tossing avocado with a little chopped mang

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05/06/2013 06:26 PM

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Radish Salad with Mint and Pistachios

On any given day after a run to the farmer’s market, you’ll find a bowl full of red radishes, greens and roots lopped off, soaking in water in my parent’s refrigerator. My father loves radishes. Whereas some parents put out cookies and chips for their kids for snacks, my dad put out radishes for us, and still does. Crunchy and cool, they’re a grea

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05/02/2013 09:06 PM

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How to Make Homemade Tortilla Chips

Sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. You know why there is no ice cream in my home? Because if it’s there, I’ll eat it all. Chips and crackers? Their days are numbered in hours, or maybe minutes. So my pathway to moderation is just to not buy the things that I shouldn’t be eating all the time. Or I will. Eat them all the time. (Here’

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05/01/2013 02:00 AM

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Mexican Chicken Soup with Lime (Sopa de Lima)

Chicken, corn tortillas, avocados, lime. These are ingredients that simply love each other. Pretty much anything you make with them is bound to be good. The following soup is a relatively easy version of “Sopa de Lima” or “Lime Soup”, a specialty of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. It’s a chicken soup flavored with fiery habanero, cinnamon,

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04/29/2013 12:58 PM

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Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I made a serendipitous discovery the other day, a discovery that countless bakers have made throughout time eternal. On a quest to make chocolate chip cookies it was discovered by my young charges that no chocolate chips remained in the cupboard. Instead, we found a bag of Hershey bars. So, we chopped them up into large chip-sized pieces and used them instead. You know w

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04/23/2013 06:06 PM

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Shrimp with Snow Peas

Do you grow snow peas? I plant some every year in my garden, and they are usually the first things to come up in the spring. That corner of the garden becomes my grazing spot, the fresh spring peas and snow peas never quite make it to the kitchen. I’m too busy munching on them while I weed. So it’s off to the market for snow peas in the spring. Here’s a

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04/19/2013 04:35 PM

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Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic, Herbs, and Parmesan

When I was a college student living on my own years ago, one of my go-to quick dishes was spaghetti noodles stirred in with a little olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and rosemary. It’s still a favorite comforting side dish, though I’ve fancied it up a notch with the use of angel hair pasta (so quick!), more herbs than just rosemary, sliced garlic, some red pepper

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04/17/2013 12:59 AM

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Chinese Chews

Please welcome my dear friend, guest author Steve-Anna Stephens as she shares a favorite treat, Chinese Chews. ~Elise Every now and then, I just have to bake something. Anything. It’s almost always more about the baking than the eating. So, you’ll find me walking around the neighborhood, knocking on doors, and giving whatever it is away. Perhaps due to an unusually large

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04/11/2013 07:19 PM

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Aida’s Coriander Chicken, Cilantro, and Chard Stew

Now here’s an oft neglected spice—coriander seeds, what you get when you let your cilantro plants go to seed. Although from the same plant as cilantro, the seeds have a distinctively different taste from the leaves. There’s just a hint of familiarity between them. This recipe, in which coriander is one of the star attractions, comes by way of my friend Aida M

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04/05/2013 10:01 PM

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Southern Style Collard Greens

Please welcome Hank Shaw as he shares a Southern favorite, collard greens! ~Elise I grew up with a healthy affection for sauteed greens: Bright, vibrant, spiked with garlic and red pepper and maybe a little citrus at the end. This was how greens were supposed to be served — alive, vigorous and most of all, emerald green. So you can imagine my shock when I first encounter

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04/03/2013 11:35 AM

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Greens, Eggs, and Ham, Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Trying to think of fun things to make with our Easter ham leftovers, my mind kept playing an ear worm from Dr. Seuss’s homage to picky eaters, Green Eggs and Ham. I do not like them Sam-I-am. I do not like green eggs and ham. You can’t blame Sam-I-Am’s friend. The forest green ham and eggs in the book don’t look entirely appetizing. But what if we

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04/01/2013 08:16 PM

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Baked Spaghetti

Okay, this is crazy good. Think lasagna, but made with spaghetti noodles instead. Thin spaghetti noodles, actually, or vermicelli. A couple of beaten eggs are tossed in with the cooked noodles (along with grated Parmesan, yum!) and layered just the way you would if you were using lasagna noodles. The egg helps bind the noodles in place so you can easily cut out even rect

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03/29/2013 04:26 PM

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Baked Asparagus with Parmesan

It’s asparagus season, finally! This has to be one of the easiest ways to cook asparagus. Just trim the ends, lay out on a foil lined baking sheet, toss with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Parm, and then bake until done. I eat them like French fries. Addictive? Yes. Continue reading "Baked Asparagus with Parmesan" »

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03/28/2013 01:24 AM

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Hoisin Glazed Salmon

When I first started living on my own decades ago, and cooking for myself, I would buy some fresh fish at the market, put it in the fridge, cook it several days later, and wonder why it never tasted as good as my mother’s. The reason? It was no longer fresh! Now, having been duly trained by my notoriously picky seafood-loving father and my fisherman friends, I cook

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03/26/2013 11:06 AM

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Beef Brisket Pot Roast

From the recipe archive, originally posted January 2011. Beef brisket is a fabulous cut of meat. The brisket is located between the shoulders and the forelegs of the steer; these muscles get a work-out, and they are also well marbled with fat. So they are highly flavorful and perfect for slow braises. Long cooking time is needed to melt the connective tissue. Upon servin

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03/21/2013 03:45 PM

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Kale, Mushroom, and Cheddar Bake

Are you a lover of kale? Bread? Cheese? Mushrooms? Then you are likely to love this recipe from Jennie Perillo as much as I do. It’s basically a simplified strata of sorts, a casserole layering thin slices of rustic ciabatta bread with sautéed kale, mushrooms, and onions, and cheddar cheese, soaked with milk and egg, and then baked until bubbly and browned. It̵

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03/19/2013 03:38 AM

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Leeks Vinaigrette

Ah the noble leek, often the bridesmaid, rarely the bride. Leeks vinaigrette is a classic French recipe that honors the leek for itself. In this recipe we first clean and prep the leeks, then boil them in water until just cooked, drain them, and marinate them for several hours (or days) in a vinaigrette with a touch of Dijon mustard. Served at room temperature, the leeks

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03/18/2013 08:37 PM

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How to Clean Leeks

Consider the leek. It’s majestic, a titan in the onion family. Mostly just the white and light green parts are eaten, though the darker green parts have plenty of flavor and can either be cooked longer to tenderize them, or used when making homemade soup stock. The challenge when cooking with leeks is that they are almost always dirty. When leeks are grown, soil is

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03/14/2013 09:25 PM

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Pasta e Fagioli

Please welcome Hank as he shares a simple Italian classic, pasta e fagioli, or pasta and bean soup. Perfect for Lent if you swap the chicken stock out for veg stock! ~Elise Pasta fazool. I knew—and loved—this dish years before I knew how to spell it. Growing up in New Jersey, pasta e fagioli is a staple on every red sauce place’s menu, along with spaghetti and meat

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03/13/2013 02:55 AM

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Slow Cooker Guinness Stew

If molasses were a beer, it would be a Guinness stout—rich, thick, dark, caramelly, deeply flavorful. It is Ireland’s most popular brew with, get this, more than 1.8 billion pints sold around the world every year. (That’s a lot of beer!) Around here it’s a favorite for St. Patrick’s Day, and you can find stacks of Guinness displays at practically

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03/11/2013 05:56 PM

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Pork Chops with Braised Cabbage

Is there a more perfect combo than pork and cabbage? Usually the cabbage comes in the form of sauerkraut, but it is just as easily braised in a little stock with some sliced onions and seasonings. We used celery seeds and caraway seeds which work beautifully with the cabbage and pork. By the way, are you aware that the USDA has officially lowered the recommended internal

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03/08/2013 08:59 PM

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Oatmeal Soda Bread

Oh my, there is something magical about this bread. It’s really just a basic soda bread, but with ground up rolled outs swapped in for some of the flour. But the result is deep and nutty, and the crust thick, browned, and crunchy. Perfect with some rich Irish butter and homemade jam. Or maybe a little whipped cream cheese and smoked salmon. Eat it up quick though!

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03/06/2013 10:51 PM

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Green Mashed Potatoes

Here’s something fun to add to your table on St. Patrick’s Day—green mashed potatoes, why not? The Irish have a long tradition of mixing greens into their mashed potatoes. In this recipe we purée raw parsley and green onions, which when mixed into the potatoes turn the mash a vibrant green. Perfect for a festive meal. You could also experiment with baby spina

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03/04/2013 08:09 PM

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Provencal Endive Salad

Belgian endive (correctly pronounced “on-DEEV”, though most people around here say, “N-dive” and good luck getting them to change) is a lettuce-like vegetable that is often used with the leaves acting as little boats, to hold appetizer tidbits. The leaves are delicate tasting, just slightly bitter, exquisite. Belgian endive is a chicory, like radi

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03/01/2013 06:28 PM

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Sole Piccata

Don’t you love petrale sole? Such a lovely light and delicate fish. I couldn’t resist picking up a few fillets today at the market. A classic piccata is a great way to prepare sole, or any small flat fish such as flounder or fluke. Just lightly dust the fillets in seasoned flour, fry them on both sides until nicely browned, and serve them with a sauce made wi

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02/28/2013 05:46 PM

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Chicken Cacciatore (Hunter Style Chicken)

Recipe revised and updated. Originally posted Aug, 2006. Chicken cacciatore is an Italian dish of chicken braised in a tomato-based sauce and often includes wild mushrooms. It is frequently referred to as “hunter style” as the word cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian. Why “hunter” style? One story is that if a hunter came home empty-h

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02/25/2013 08:39 PM

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Carrot Ginger Soup

Years ago I went on a carrot kick. Someone had given me a champion juicer and I set off to consume my weight in carrot juice over the next month. Remember when your biology teacher told you that your skin would turn orange if you ate a lot of carrots? She was right! When I went in for my physical my doctor looked at me with alarm; he thought I was jaundiced. Fortunately,

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02/23/2013 09:15 PM

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Spaghetti Squash and Chard Sauté

Do you ever cook with spaghetti squash? My friend Amber recently gave me a big box of CSA vegetables from a local farm, and in it was a ginormous spaghetti squash. I think it was at least 8 pounds, twice the normal size. Spaghetti squash is called such because the cooked flesh shreds into strands like spaghetti. You can use it as a lower carb and gluten-free replacement

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02/20/2013 11:08 PM

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Hoisin Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Do you ever order mu shu pork at a Chinese restaurant? It’s my favorite, and I think it’s mostly because of the sauce, that thick, dark, gooey, sweet and spicy hoisin sauce. It’s readily available in the Asian section of the grocery aisle, at least around here, and you can use it as a dipping sauce or glaze for practically anything—wings, meatloaf, ribs

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02/17/2013 09:33 PM

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Pasta Puttanesca

Please welcome Hank as he shares his favorite pasta puttanesca, made with pantry staples! ~Elise Of all the dishes I’ve cooked over the years, pasta puttanesca holds a special place in my heart. I’ve been making it regularly since the late 1980s, when I was a freshman in the dorms at SUNY Stony Brook. Puttanesca was the first “adult” meal I ever c

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02/16/2013 10:16 AM

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Refried Black Beans

So, when it’s finally your turn in line to order at the taqueria, and the nice lady behind the counter asks, “what kind of beans?,” (to go with your burrito, taco, carnitas platter, etc.) and you gaze upon your choices of pinto beans or black beans, refried or whole, what do you say? For me, it’s always a struggle. Must. Make. Up. My. Mind. They a

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02/14/2013 01:31 PM

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Buffalo Wings

From the recipe archive. First posted 2006. Football (American) championship season. Sports bars, beer, and spicy things that make you want to drink more beer. Darts, pool, loud conversation, an either ill-spent or well-spent youth, depending on your perspective. Once in my early twenties I happened to be in Buffalo, New York for a wedding of a dear friend. On our site-s

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02/13/2013 07:58 PM

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Rosemary Crusted Lamb Chops

Hello my little lamb chops! Cooking for two? A romantic dinner perhaps? Consider the lamb chop—delicate, tender, juicy, and easy. Rub with some chopped herbs, garlic, salt and pepper, and olive oil, let sit for a bit, sear all over on high heat, let rest a few minutes, and serve. A lamb chop is such a lovely tender cut of meat, you just don’t have to do much to it.

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02/13/2013 06:23 PM

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Celery Root Mash

Gnarly, dude. That’s the expression that comes to mind when I think of celery root. It really is rather gnarly—a big bulbous root vegetable, often tangled with twisted daughter roots. It can also be challenging to prep, given the said tangled roots and the fact that it tends to be hard, butternut squash hard, to cut. That said, it is one of the most lovely things

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02/11/2013 08:57 PM

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Walnut Mocha Torte

Happy Valentine’s! Here’s a special treat that would be perfect for the day of hearts: a German-style torte, a layered cake made with ground walnuts, whipped eggs, sugar and breadcrumbs, frosted with a light, mocha flavored whipping cream frosting. The recipe comes from my friend Gabriele, who has been making it as her go-to special occasion cake for her fami

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02/08/2013 09:06 PM

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Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Sausage

It’s Mardi Gras season, time for gumbo! If you question anybody from Louisiana or the Mississippi Sound about making gumbo, the first thing they will tell you is about making the roux. My college roommate (from Metairie), my brother’s girlfriend (Biloxi), and my parent’s neighbor of 35 years (New Orleans), have pretty much all told me the same thing, &#

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02/07/2013 12:37 AM

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Chicken Mango Lettuce Wraps

After two months of holiday indulging, my friend Patrick informed me that he was going to lose weight in the new year, to get ready for his upcoming wedding to his fiancé Kelsey. “How are you planning to do that?” I asked, curious to know how this young man, a former college football player who could probably bench press a Volkswagen, would approach the chall

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02/02/2013 04:39 PM

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Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork

Do you know what a cook lives for? The look in friends’ eyes when they’ve bitten into something you’ve made, and they’re deliriously happy about what they’re eating. Their wide-eyed smiley faces would say, “OMG, WOW,” if they weren’t so busy eating, and wanting to be polite and not talk with their mouths full. That’s

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02/02/2013 01:40 PM

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Old Bay Chicken Wings

What’s a Super Bowl without wings? Here is the second recipe in our homage to the teams in the XLVII Super Bowl—chicken wings, tossed in a sauce of butter and Baltimore favorite Old Bay seasoning, baked and broiled, and then served with cocktail sauce. Hank wanted to call these “Raven Wings”, but I objected thinking that people might actually believe we

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01/31/2013 07:20 PM

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Crab Salad and Sourdough Panini

Are you ready for game day? I don’t usually get too worked up about the Super Bowl, in fact, it’s usually a great time to shopping, no traffic! But this year is different. This year, Superbowl XLVII, pits two great teams against each other, each coached by terrific coaches, who happen to be brothers. It will be quite the Harbrawl. (Can you imagine being their

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01/28/2013 08:59 PM

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Artichoke Lemon Dip

Do you find artichoke dips dangerous? Do you suffer from self control issues when encountering a particularly compelling dip? Yah, me neither. I don’t know anyone like that. Of course if I were to have this problem, and ahem, I don’t, I would certainly try to stay away from this artichoke lemon dip. I would’t serve it with crackers, or spread it onto to

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