I’m from Tennessee, where fried okra reigns supreme. While I inhaled the fried bites as a kid—I still enjoy fried okra like my grandmother made it, tossed in cornmeal and quickly fried—my love has evolved. Okra is not just for frying; in fact, it might be even better grilled. Why Grilled Okra Reigns Supreme The high heat of the grill gives okra a lightly charred exterior and a tender (not slimy) interior....
The glaze we are using for this recipe couldn’t be easier to pull together. It uses orange marmalade, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. We marinate the pork first in half of the glaze sauce, and then use the remaining sauce to coat the finished tenderloin. The secret to grilling pork tenderloin is to watch it carefully, with a meat thermometer in hand, because once it goes, it goes quickly....
How to Shop for Shrimp When you’re shopping for shrimp, the size will be listed by how many pieces you’re likely to find per pound. This recipe calls for 16/20 shrimp—also called extra jumbo—which means there will be 16 to 20 shrimp per pound. It’s a nicely sized shrimp for threading on skewers. For reference, small shrimp is listed as 51/60, and colossal shrimp is U/15, which means you’ll get under 15 shrimp per pound....
Hoisin can be used for all sorts of dishes and is terrific as glaze for baked salmon. In this recipe salmon fillets marinate for about 30 minutes in a hoisin-based marinade, and then are quickly broiled. It’s such a quick and easy way to cook salmon I highly recommend keeping a jar of this sauce on hand. By the way, 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....
My version is spicier and sweeter than most store-bought ones I’ve had. Pop open a jar and I doubt it’ll make it through the week—I find myself snagging a piece or two every time I open the fridge! What is Giardiniera? Giardiniera means “gardener” in Italian. As you may guess, it’s essentially a garden in a jar—you can use a wide range of vegetables. I like to use cauliflower, carrots, celery, and peppers....
We have the lowdown on proven methods, from “safest yet slowest” to “oh snap.” The Safest Way to Thaw a Turkey Without a doubt, the safest and easiest way to thaw a turkey is in the refrigerator. Why? As a turkey thaws, bacteria that may have been present before the turkey was frozen can spring back to life and multiply, like the undead in a horror movie. In the fridge, the turkey stays at a steady temperature, one that keeps it out of that bacteria-happy danger zone....
Two Ways to Toast Sesame Seeds You can approach toasting sesame seeds one of two ways. Either fire up the oven—if you’re toasting a bunch at once—or toast them in a skillet on the stovetop—this is much easier to control and is faster. Since sesame seeds are rich in healthy fats, there’s no need to add oil to the skillet. I Use Both Black and White Sesame Seeds I like to stock both black and white sesame seeds in my pantry, since the contracting colors offer visual appeal....
The recipe I make is classic and very simple, but to get it ready even more quickly, I make it in the pressure cooker. Why Use the Pressure Cooker? Pressure cooking in the Instant Pot (or any electric pressure cooker) reduces the cooking time a fair amount. Using an electric one also allows you to leave the pot unattended while it cooks. The cooker will even switch to a “Keep Warm” setting once cooking has finished so you don’t have to worry about turning off the cooker right away when the soup is done....
Cooked in a mixture of Mexican spices and tangy pineapple juice, chicken thighs quickly become tender and easily shredded, ready for piling into tortillas. How to Make Shredded Chicken in the Pressure Cooker This recipe is a riff on Elise’s original slow cooker version, just sped up in the pressure cooker. (I love my Instant Pot!) I didn’t do much to change Elise’s recipe—it’s delicious as is. My one tweak for the pressure cooker was to use ketchup instead of tomato paste to ensure that there was enough cooking liquid for the pot to come up to pressure; if it’s too thick it won’t....
You don’t need an Instant Pot to make yogurt—but an Instant Pot is an ace yogurt maker. If you love yogurt, give it a shot—I think you’ll be hooked. Where I live, I can’t find a plain, whole milk organic yogurt I like, so I make my own. And I love my homemade yogurt. It’s silky and luxurious. I’m a yogurt snob now. Why Make Yogurt with an Instant Pot?...
This tuber looks like a seriously overgrown radish and is the root of a vine native to Mexico and Central America. The flesh is crunchy, mild, and even faintly sweet, and is often served with a little lime juice and chile powder to accompany Mexican dishes. I first encountered jicama (pronounced HICK-ah-mah) years ago in cafeteria salad bars, and on its own (how they typically serve it in those places), jicama can be a little boring....
I find that standard daiquiris are packed with ice, which tends to water them down. My version eliminates most of the frozen water and replaces it with frozen mango chunks, which not only keeps the mango flavor front and center, but also creates a smoothie-like consistency. It’s not a heavy drink so it lends itself well to afternoon sipping. What’s in a Mango Daquiri? Rum is a must for any daiquiri, but the type of rum you use is up for experimentation....
Family homes and Turkish restaurants prepare many little dishes to fill the dining table, allowing you to sample them at your leisure while drinking Turkish brewed black tea or freshly squeezed orange juice. An essential part of the kahvalti spread is an egg-based dish like menemen. What Is Menemen? Menemen is a traditional breakfast dish originating from the Izmir Province in Türkiye. The silky, smoky scrambled eggs are made by cooking eggs with fresh grated tomatoes, diced green peppers, and onion....
For days the hostess and I deliberated on what to cook. We finally settled on these luxurious chocolate pudding cakes, because 1) they’re easy to make, 2) they could be prepped, cooked, and eaten in the allotted time (about an hour), and 3) everyone loves chocolate! The recipe is from Bon Appétit magazine. The cakes are generally inverted and served with ice cream, which is how I first enjoyed them at a friend’s dinner party....
Motta porrichu is traditionally served for lunch or dinner as a main or side dish accompanied with matta rice and spicy Indian pickles on the side. Matta rice, also known as Kerala red rice, it is cultivated on the black soil of Kerala and Karnatica. The soil yields a uniquely flavored and earthy rice. Coconut Cream for Richness Coconut cream adds richness to this omelette. You can either buy canned coconut cream or simply use the coconut cream that congeals on top of a can of full-fat coconut milk....
We’ve all been there—trying to spread cold, hard butter on toast and watching it rip through the golden brown bread. Or wanting to make a grilled cheese and having to carefully arrange thin pats of butter all over the bread for even distribution. I refuse to use cold butter unless I’m making biscuits, and with the holidays around the corner, I’m begging you to do the same. Nothing ruins a fresh baked dinner rolls than fighting butter that can’t possibly melt fast enough to get into every nook and cranny....
I want to give them a mocktail that truly lives up to the name, and for that, I’m turning to my friend Maggie Hoffman’s new book Batch Cocktails and her recipe for Pomegranate-Citrus Sans-Gria. How to Make a Good Mocktail While Maggie’s new book mostly concentrates on big batch cocktails made with alcohol—check out the recipe for Side Porch Sangria that I’m also sharing—she devotes an entire chapter to alcohol-free refreshments....
So recently I decided to develop a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that everyone could eat. My secret ingredient? Sunflower butter! It imparts a nutty flavor similar to peanut butter, but is much more allergy-friendly. A Cookie Everyone Can Eat—and Will Love I love these cookies for a few reasons: First, they straddle the line between super chewy and crispy, which I feel is always something to celebrate in a chocolate chip cookie....
