Shishito peppers make such an irresistible snack – grassy pleasure with a spicy edge. You don’t need to deep fry them. Simply sauté. In a hot skillet, within just a couple of minutes, those fresh beauties brown up and take on some caramelization sass. A little coarse salt, and voila! Bliss. In a large, deep skillet swirl a couple of…
Cathy Thomas Cooks
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My late mother was the queen of salads. Whenever there was a potluck gathering, the requests came early for her to be the one to bring the green salad. I thought about her as I developed the recipe for this concoction that teams crisp greens tossed with a creamy vinaigrette, and then is garnished with smashed Baby Dutch Yellow potatoes,…
Candied Pecans are scrumptious tossed into green salad or eaten out of hand as an oh-so-tasty snack. They are be utilized in everything from green beans to adorning a big slab of chocolate cake. SOME prefer using the oven, but I like the stovetop method to candy them, either in a wok or large deep skillet. The method takes just…
There’s no way to calculate the impact Julia Child had on generations of American cooks. For me, she provided a turning point in my culinary education. I cooked my way through her first book in my early 20’s, splattering the pages willy-nilly with sauce drips, softened butter or melted chocolate. “Mastering the Art of French Cooking ( Volume One)” was…
Ah, the somewhat neutral taste of cauliflower – it’s a canvas for delicious add-ons. I love the attitude that toasted cumin and coriander bring to the party, along with paprika, cayenne and lime zest. Pan-Fried and finished with flavor pizzaz. Pan-Fried Cauliflower with Spices, Lime, and PistachiosYield: 6 servings 1 medium-large cauliflower, about 2 pounds1 teaspoon cumin seeds1 teaspoon coriander…
Candy Box Chocolate Cake I’ve been writing about cooking, food trends and chefs for over three decades. Before that, I taught cooking classes, rounding up groups of culinary students to watch and listen as I prepared myriad concoctions. I conducted culinary tours to Europe and Asian long before culinary travel became “a thing,” and have written three cookbooks. Along the…
This recipe is a perfect example of food that excites more than one area of the palate. It blends the cool sweetness of melon with sour lime and hot chili syrup. Any ripe, firm-fleshed melon will work work here. Once the chili syrup is made, this dish can be thrown together just before serving. Firecracker CantaloupeYield: 8 servings 1/3 cup…
Most supermarkets sell big bags of coarsely chopped curly-leaf kale. I couldn’t have imagined such a product when I started writing fruit-and-vegetable cookbooks almost 20 years ago. Back then kale was only available in bundles, if at all. For the most part, the chopped product is free of thick stems, but the occasional sturdy bit or two sneaks in. That…