Cooking Method: Sautéing

Shrimp with Mustard

There are a few cookbooks that were very influential to me in my early days of cooking. One of them was Wolfgang Puck’s French Cooking for the American Kitchen, published in 1981. The Austrian born Wolfgang wanted to make French cooking accessible to Americans, like Julia.

After cooking my way through most of the book one summer, I fondly remember the first time I made his Shrimp with Mustard. It was in the early eighties and my now-husband, Eric, was there with me deveining shrimp in my parent’s kitchen. I had just had foot surgery and had to sit on the counter with my feet elevated while they throbbed. Why was I throwing a FORMAL dinner party after foot surgery? I have no idea. Maybe my father, the retired foot surgeon can answer that question!

It is typically French, in that, it includes cream and butter. I have catered hundreds of parties, events, dinners, etcetera and I have been literally held hostage in people’s kitchens with hosts and guests demanding that I reveal the recipe for this delectable Shrimp with Mustard appetizer. I must say, it’s divine! Why? - because it contains CREAM and BUTTER!!!

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Italian Sausage & White Bean Braise

This Italian Sausage & White Bean Braise is simple and comforting. Braising is a combination-cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats: typically, the food is first sautéed or seared at a high temperature, then finished in a covered pot at a lower temperature while sitting in liquid. This technique imparts deep layers of flavor. Serve it with your favorite bottle of wine and some crusty bread to sop up all that lovely juice.

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Venetian-Style Sweet-and-Sour Ragù

My husband and I spent the day making meat sauces for the freezer. We made this Venetian-Style Sweet-and-Sour Ragù, which I have to say is about the best meat sauce EVER! I made it in the Instant Pot, but have also included the stovetop instructions. You can put it on pasta, but we put it on a sliced ciabatta, fresh mozzarella, golden raisins, and crispy fried sage leaves. You put it under the broiler and OMG!!! The flavor is absolutely incredible.

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Buffalo Style Sloppy Joes

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Ginger Ale Pork Chops

If you are a fan of ginger, you must try these Ginger Ale Pork Chops. It literally couldn't get any more ginger-y! It has powdered ginger, ginger ale, fresh ginger, and crystallized ginger. It's a tad sweet because of the ginger ale (NO, do not use diet ginger ale!), but it's delicious and topped off with walnuts and golden raisins.

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White Beans with Broccoli Rabe and Lemon

I love broccoli rabe, which is also known as rapini, and I am always trying to find new ways to make it. This White Beans with Broccoli Rabe and Lemon recipe is really good. You fry the slices of lemon and garlic in olive oil before adding the broccoli and beans. The recipe calls for anchovies, but I didn't have any, so I left them out. I know some people will be outraged, but "tant pis", which means TOO BAD in French (and happens to be the name of our family cat!). 

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Spicy-Sweet Sambal Pork Noodles

My daughter has a friend at Bon Appétit and he told her this was the best recipe they published this year. She made it and called me immediately to say it was the best thing she's ever eaten! So I made it last night and yes, these Spicy-Sweet Sambal Pork Noodles are all that and a bag of chips as my husband says. It's so good that you should make the full recipe. Apparently, it's even better the next day. Sambal is an Indonesian chili sauce or paste.

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Fettuccini with Sausage, Bacon, and Eggplant

Years ago when I lived in NYC, I used to have drinks at the now-defunct Café des Artistes (R.I.P.). This restaurant was an institution and had the best bartender in the US named Victor. His discretion was exemplary. I went there with my friend Brady and he bought me a sidecar, then another, then another. He actually would have my glass refilled when my back was turned. I could have killed him the next day, not sure how I got home that night!

Anyway, in 1988, I bought The Café des Artistes Cookbook for my then-boyfriend / now-husband Eric. So, I thought it would be fun to make something for dinner from the book. I chose Fettuccini with Sausage, Bacon, and Eggplant. Typically, I don’t follow the recipe exactly, mainly because I am lazy. I eliminate steps that seem unnecessary. This recipe is an absolute MESS! The first instruction is to sauté bacon in olive oil. WTF?!?! WHY!?!? Then you are meant to blanch the eggplant (eggplant requires a brief heat treatment, called blanching, in boiling water or steam, to destroy the enzymes ONLY before freezing it!). The next HORRIFYING step is to blanch the sausage! @#%$&???????? Serves 4 > actually it serves 6! Here is the REVISED recipe.

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Grilled Salmon with Warm Pineapple Sauce

Now that I can finally access all my cookbooks, I found this recipe for Grilled Salmon with Warm Pineapple Sauce. I have to say, it's now my absolute favorite way to eat salmon. The recipe says to grill it, but I almost always roast it. The pineapple sauce is utter nirvana. It has jalapeños, shallots, ginger and orange juice, but the ingredient that takes it to a whole new level is curry powder. I added a little bit extra. The sauce would also work well with chicken or pork. If you like salmon, you must try it!

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Onion Bhaji

This Onion Bhaji recipe comes from a wonderful chef and talented photographer from London. Her name is Dimple and she has a vegetarian FaceBook page that I have contributed to for years called Sharing Food With Shivaay Delights. It's a fantastic source for interesting vegetarian recipes.

Indian food is one of my desert island foods. I suppose I would have to add Italian too! Anyway, I have always loved onion bhaji. I saw Dimple make these online using a muffin tin, which appealed to me. I couldn't find my regular muffin tins, so I used a mini tin. I really don't like deep frying things. These came out very flavorful, though not quite as crispy as usual, it's lower in fat and just as good. The recipe calls for gram or chickpea flour. I am very lucky to live super close to a large Indian market, though Bob's Red Mill had this flour as well.

The next time I am in London, I would love to meet Dimple in person!

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