The Kitchn Archive: Oct 2015

When you’re out to eat, there’s something magical about a sizzling skillet of fajitas landing on your table. The novelty of assembling your own dinner — rolling the seasoned meat and veggies into warm tortillas, and topping them with sour cream and guacamole — also adds to the fun. But what about making fajitas at home? Instead of standing over the stove, throw everything in a pan and let it all roast in the oven.

Like Mark Bittman’s How To Cook Everything, The New York Times Essential CookbookThe New York Times Here are a couple favorites from the book. Amanda Hesser addresses two techniques for Boeuf Bourguignon in the book, the second of which Sara Kate writes about here. This version has you layer the ingredients and cook everything on the stove for a more broth-like sauce. This is what many consider the “true” recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon — definitely one worth knowing!

When I was flipping through chef Jacques Pépins’s newest cookbook, Heart & Soul in the Kitchen, this recipe immediately jumped out to me. I love crispy pork schnitzel, but using rice cakes as an alternative to bread crumbs or flour for the breading? I needed to try this immediately. Jacques says, “I make this recipe with boneless pork loin steaks or chops.

You’ve heard of putting carrots in cake, but what about beets? This chocolate cake gets a double dose of beets — both in the cake itself and the whipped cream topping. The best part: it practically cooks itself in the slow cooker. This cake gets a lot of its moisture and sweetness from puréed cooked beets. You mix them with the standard cake essentials — butter, sugar, eggs, flour — and a bit of cocoa powder to create a rich, fudgy masterpiece.

Tea might be the second most-consumed beverage in the world, but we often overlook these fragrant leaves when it comes to cooking. Think of tea as a spice, and this throws open the pantry doors of possibility. Each different kind of tea provides a unique flavor profile and personality that can add a touch of exotic essence to familiar flavors of your favorite dinners and desserts.

When I asked chef Jacques Pépin about his favorite childhood dishes, he fondly brought up this soup. He mentioned that it was simple, versatile, comforting, and satisfying — all qualities I agree that this delicious soup has. Jacques says, “Leeks and potatoes are commonly made into creamy vichyssoise. For Parisian potage, the leeks and potatoes are cut into very small pieces, stewed in a little butter for a couple of minutes, and then cooked with chicken stock.

Sometimes all it takes to make your morning a little better is a simple yet special breakfast. Grabbing a granola bar on the way out the door? Simple, but not special. Microwaving a packet of oatmeal at the office? Again, simple, but not special. These baked egg cups will only take about 15 minutes of your time and make you feel ready to take on the day. All you have to do is cut the crusts off slices of whole-wheat bread, and press each slice into the well of a buttered muffin tin.

In my chat with beloved chef Jacques Pépin about home cooking, he mentioned this braise full of juicy dark-meat chicken and vegetables that his mother used to make. I loved the name, which really reflects the essence of this dish that pairs chicken with a full range of vegetables from the garden. Jacques says, “Jardinière means ‘gardener’ in French, and the vegetables change according to what is in season or in my garden.

Do you remember your first cookbook? Many of us can trace the start of our cooking life back to one or two cookbooks that showed how enticing and accessible cooking could be; cookbooks that proved it was possible to cook delicious food at home, in our own kitchen, by ourselves! This week we’re highlighting our favorite recipes from five classic cookbooks, beginning with Mollie Katzen’s beloved The Moosewood Cookbook. Did you dog-ear pages from this cookbook back in the day?

You can ditch the plate and fork for this version of spanakopita. The spinach and feta filling you know and love from this Greek dish is tucked inside whole-wheat pizza dough, then wrapped and baked into portable hand pies. This recipe is a riff on the traditional Greek pie, spanakopita, that sandwiches a spinach and feta filling between layers of buttery and flaky phyllo dough. Here I traded the phyllo for whole-wheat pizza dough.

We’ve made it pretty clear on The Kitchn that just because you live in a college dorm doesn’t mean you can’t cook awesome meals for yourself — you just have to get a little creative. Case in point: 10-minute microwaveable pumpkin chowder in a mug. All you need to make this chowder are a few ingredients, a mug, and a microwave. You can even use frozen chopped vegetables to make things even easier on yourself.