Braised Wax Beans
I don’t always find these guys at the supermarket but when I do, I make a big pot and eat them hot or cold. I can have them as a meal with a piece of crusty bread or as a side. These beans just work …
Recent Posts
Reverse Sear Steak
I love steak. I am a meat eater. Well, I eat everything, but don’t tell steak that! Good quality meat (I love my Walden Local) deserves a cooking method to honor it, to make it shine, to bring out the best in the dish. Other …
Country Pate with Pistachios (terrine)
I love making a meal out of cheese, pate and fruit. What some consider appetizers, I enjoy as the main course pretty often. A crusty bread and a glass of good wine make me happy and full. This recipe will yield a good amount of …
Black Cod (sablefish) Soup
The inspiration for this dish comes from a few peppers I bought in Nice at an outdoor market. We were actually looking for a perfume store but landed quite unexpectedly in the middle of a bustling market. I quickly forgot why I was there and …
“Clean the fridge” Stew – Chicken and Eggplant
One pot meal. I promise! I am one of the weird people that loooove to go food shopping. I like to browse the aisles, look for new produce, get ideas (ideas that promptly disappear from my brain the minute I get home) and, generally, find …
Thai Red Curry with Shrimp
When visiting Thailand, one of the highlights of the trip was a cooking class. The amazing chef took us shopping at a local market where she introduced us to new and never before seen fruits and vegetables. After the shopping trip, we went into the …
Hazelnut Crusted Rack of Lamb
Rack of lamb tends to impress a guest when you set it out on the table. It makes a dramatic entrance when standing at the ready, maybe leaning on a tower of fluffy mashed potatoes or a crisp, cold green salad. Two lamb chops intertwined …
Sichuan Chili Oil
Making a fresh batch of chili oil is worth the time when cooking Mapo tofu. It really does make all the difference. Plus, you’ll have extra on hand for other things: dipping sauces, drizzled over vegetables (it’s killer over sweet potatoes), mix it in some …
Chicken Saltimbocca Zuzu Style
(Keto) NYC has a huge number of really good Italian restaurants. There are a few dishes I like to order in different places to “judge” the quality of the food. Most respectable places do an amazing veal saltimbocca that is at once light and rich …
Asparagus Soup
(Vegan option) I am staying with the soup trend this week. The weather is cold and the snow flurries this morning reminded me it’s still winter, making me long for a warm spring day. As I was driving to work, I was dreaming (with my …
Poached Pears
Desserts are not my strong suit and I am always looking for an easy way out. Baking is precise and demanding so I basically avoid it all costs. You will not see elaborate desserts on these pages unless I can convince my son, the expert, …
“Loaded” Potato Soup
A bitter-cold day needs a comforting soup that warms you up from within, a velvety meal that looks richer than it really is. I am late to the party on the soup train; I am only now catching up to it. I’ve heard for years …
Scallops & Crab Sauce Gemelli
Mystic, CT is a place very near and dear to my heart. My husband and I went there on our very first vacation together close to 27 years ago. We were young and clueless and hungry for new experiences. I can’t honestly remember which restaurant …
Beef Restorative Broth
This is a recipe for the soul. It’s simple flavor brought forth from good quality ingredients that play together well to give you that “oh, heavens, this is what I’ve been missing” feeling. We’ll coax all the beefiness from bones and beef shins and we’ll …
Philly Cheesesteak Keto-style
Everyone I know is on “the keto”. So this one is for you, my friends! When I think “Philly cheesesteak” (which is always “with”- for those in the know), I think of a weird place in Philadelphia that fascinates me: Mutter Museum. Don’t ask my …
Thai Larb Salad (keto option)
One of my favorite dishes from our trip to Thailand is larb salad and every time I make it, the smell brings me right back there. We arrived very late at night at the hotel after an almost 24-hr trip switching planes. The tiny hotel …
Marinated Feta (or tofu)
This post is all about missing travel. My last trip before the pandemic was to Spain. My husband and I went for a week to Madrid and Seville. It’s hard to describe the feeling I got when I first stepped foot in the Mercado de …
Chicken & Rice pilaf/perloo/pilau
A few years back, I went on a college visiting trip with my younger one (hard to believe he is actually graduating from college this spring). We started in Charleston, SC and moved south to Savannah, GA and ended up in St. Augustine, FL. Ok, …
Coconut milk curry (pork)
Winter days scream for comfort food and one of my go-to easy meals is curry. The curry I will make depends on what I have in my fridge and in my pantry. Today I went for an Indian curry. It is velvety, fragrant, not too …
Chicken Pho (Pho Ga)
One of the best breakfasts I ever had was in a small hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam. It was a homey, unassuming, no-name hotel that served an impressive breakfast buffet style (including American-style items) but the aroma of the pho immediately called out to me and …
Five-Spice Powder
You can find five-spice powder in the stores now with relative ease. However, for those times you want to go the extra mile and cook something special that deserves the most flavor possible, you can make your own mix; it elevates the dish. I also …