Crouton’s New Mexico Green Chile Stew
Yesterday someone set up a gas-fired roaster in front of the local Safeway and started roasting fresh Hatch green chiles. They smelled so good I couldn’t resist buying a bag and rushing home to make a pot of New Mexico…
Crouton’s Crockpot Pulled Pork
I had some home-made pulled pork at a friend’s house last month and decided to try it myself. My goodness, even Ditalini liked it. I’ll definitely do this again. Notes This is dead easy, but you need to plan ahead.…
Ditalini’s Crockpot Beef Enchiladas
Here’s an easy beef enchilada recipe Ditalini picked up from her friend Cherie, with slight modifications to make it her own. Notes Serve with green salad (chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and onion), salsa, and chili beans.
Crouton’s Fried Okra
I bought some catfish at the market yesterday and saw they had fresh okra in the produce section. Hmmm, I thought, fried okra to go with the fried catfish? Sounds southern! Notes Fried okra is the perfect side to go…
Crouton’s Red Curry with Beef
Lately I’ve kept the cupboard stocked with coconut milk and a supply of red, green, and Penang curry paste. Because if you have those basics — and some rice — you can make a nice Thai curry out of whatever…
Fried Catfish with Dirty Rice & Sautéed Spinach
If you find yourself with some catfish, you can’t go wrong dredging them in cornmeal and frying them. Served up with dirty rice and sautéed spinach, catfish makes a great dinner. Notes Browning the sausage and preparing the dirty rice…
Jerusalem Artichoke Gratin
When Ditalini told me she’d picked up Jerusalem artichokes at the co-op last Saturday, I pictured something … well, artichokey, maybe a smaller version of the California artichokes I was familiar with. But Ditalini’s Jerusalem artichokes turned out to be…
Dry Rubs for Pork Spareribs
Corky’s Style Rub 1 tsp cayenne 3 tbsp kosher salt 3 tbsp course ground pepper 2 tbsp dried thyme 2 tbsp marjoram 6 tbsp cumin 4 tbsp allspice 6 tbsp paprika 2 tbsp garlic powder 4 tsp celery salt 4…
Technique: Peeling Garlic
I saw this floating around the InterTubes a while back and thought, “bullpucky.” Tonight, I tried it. Holy moly … it works! And you know what? If it works for me, it’ll work for you!
Boeuf Bourguignon à la Julia Child
I finally tackled a long put-off project, the famous boeuf bourguignon (beef stew in red wine with bacon, onions, and mushrooms) from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This is a recipe you’ll need to study and understand…