Sara Kate Gillingham's Recent Articles
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The Creamy Ricotta Pasta You Can Make in 15 Minutes
Dinner in under 15 minutes is hard to argue with.
May 7, 2019
Recipe: Lyonnaise Salad
We have a lot to thank France for when it comes to mealtime, but perhaps one of my favorites is Lyonnaise Salad, or Salade Lyonniase: it’s a perfect combination of frisée, a curly bitter salad green, tossed in a warm vinaigrette and topped with a poached egg and crispy thick-slab bacon pieces. It’s one of those timeless dishes that hits the spot every time and can transport you to the banks of the Seine even if you’re stuck in your sweltering American apartment.
May 3, 2019
Recipe: Slow-Cooked Kale with Smashed Garlic & Red Onions
When people started eating kale like crazy a number of years ago, I jumped on the wagon. One of the first ways I cooked it was low and slow, but then the trend became quick sautés and raw kale salads, even smoothies. I like a quick side-dish as much as the next guy, but I still love long-cooked kale for the way its flavor deepens and its ruffly edges crisp. It’s just the thing to eat on a winter night atop polenta or beside a piece of meat.
May 3, 2019
How to Caramelize Sugar
here was a good bit of chatter on the weekend open thread about how to caramelize sugar. Readers really came through for one another with some great tips. Of course, the technique depends on what you’re using the caramel for, so care should be taken to note in your recipe what kind of caramel is called for. For example, the caramel needed for caramel candies is much less cooked than what’s needed for spun sugar.
May 3, 2019
Recipe: Mexican Chicken Soup
This is the soup my one-fourth Mexican mother used to make all the time, and for that reason alone, it is authentic to me. Yes, go to Mexico and you will have a pretty different soup, but this is the way she fed me as a child, and so it is how I make it today. It has a lot to do with using up leftovers. If you don’t have a sweet potato, a yellow or red potato will work fine if that’s what you have on hand. Again, potatoes came into the soup in the first place because of leftovers.
May 3, 2019
Recipe: Sweet Morning Potato with Yogurt, Maple Syrup & Nuts
I recently came across a really old recipe post that I wrote about having a sweet potato for breakfast, and I noticed the date: May 2006, which put me at about four-and-a-half months pregnant at the time. My mother was in town to help me with a project, and one day, she made me breakfast out of a leftover sweet potato with yogurt.
May 3, 2019
Recipe: Watermelon Popsicles
What I love about summer is the fruit. There are peaches and plums for pies, nectarines for dribbling down your chin, apricots for tarts, cherries for snacks, and all sorts of berries for breakfast — plus other melons, like cantaloupe and honeydew, to wrap ham around.
May 3, 2019
Recipe: Flu-Season Ginger-Honey-Lemon Tonic
Whenever I’m sick, I soothe myself with this simple tonic. Whether I actually feel like I’m coming down with something or whether my voice is just hoarse, this tonic does the trick. I recall having a bout of the flu a few years ago that lasted eleven days, and this drink was the only thing I consumed. I’m not here to give medical advice, but I can say this cocktail kept me alive when it seemed the flu was trying to kill me.
May 3, 2019
Good Cure Question: What Are Processed Foods?
Last Thursday I gave a controversial assignment as part of Week Two of The Kitchn Cure: I asked you to pitch your processed foods.And the questions started rolling in about what, exactly, processed foods are?Processed food is basically food that has been changed from its natural state for the sake of shelf life and safety, or for the sake of convenience.
May 3, 2019
Recipe: John Besh’s Louisiana Speckled Trout Amandine
On my recent trip to New Orleans, I had the pleasure of tasting some incredible food, from classic po’ boys to quite elegant, Bayou-inspired cuisine. My first night there a whole gaggle of food journalists gathered at Chef John Besh’s restaurant, Lüke, a brasserie-style place with all the brasserie trimmings and a menu that drops serious hints of Louisiana cooking.It seemed all the locals were ordering Chef Besh’s Speckled Trout Amandine, so I hopped on the bandwagon.
May 3, 2019
Kitchn Cure: What Every Pantry Needs: Savory
With a well-stocked pantry, you’ll not only be prepared to cook a wide range of dishes, you’ll save time and money in the long run, because by getting accustomed to your personal set of supplies, you’ll develop your own style, and you will not have to go out to the store and buy every single ingredient in a dish when it’s time for dinner. In the Kitchn Cure, I’m starting to try to impart some techniques for cooking more by instinct than by recipe.
May 3, 2019
Recipe: The Perfect Tomato Salad
It’s not really fair to suggest something so definitive as The Perfect Tomato Salad. When it comes to vegetables, especially, so much of perfect has to do with the vegetable itself. But I had perfect on the brain. We were visiting friends up in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts and I cooked quite a bit. It started with an enthusiastic hop onto the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie bandwagon. Then I found myself making dinner on Friday night, but trying to make it easy.
May 3, 2019
Recipe: Mexican Chocolate and Almond Ice Cream
I grew up drinking a lot of Mexican hot chocolate, made from those granular discs of Ibarra Mexican chocolate that were always stashed somewhere in our pantry. Whizzed with hot milk in the blender, it made a great morning treat. Sometimes Mom added a dash of almond extract. It’s only a matter of time before I turn something I love into ice cream. This is how a recipe evolves.
May 3, 2019
Recipe: Sesame Cucumber Salad
I have a cucumber problem: suddenly I have armfuls of giant, prickly cukes in my garden. They’re called Suyo Long Cucumbers and most gardeners would say there’s not a lot to do with such a large fruit and ideally, they should be picked before reaching such a massive size. That one in the photo above weighed in at 1 1/4 pounds. And I’ve seen bigger.The thing with these guys, though, is that they do not lack in flavor as you might expect them to.
May 3, 2019
From The Email: Easy Summer Gazpacho
A version of this post was originally sent to our email subscribers on August 14th when tomato season was just starting for us. To receive Sara Kate’s weekly email, sign up in the column to the left or click here. Something tasty will arrive in your inbox every Thursday.When August (or September) brings on the steamy nights (or the cooling ones) and the tomato plants are (still) hot and heavy with ripe fruit, it’s time for gazpacho.
May 3, 2019
Recipe: Tarte Aux Pommes
This is the time for apples. I cannot get enough of the Honeycrips at the Greenmarket now, always buying two more than I think I want, since we usually down two on the stroll home. If you can stand it, save some for baking.When I was in culinary school, I learned a classic Tarte Aux Pommes, which looks and sounds fancy, but is really easy to make. Great for your weekend dinner party. Impresses the socks (sure, in some cases, pants) off people.
May 3, 2019
How To Use Fennel Pollen
I got really into using fennel pollen a few years ago when I got addicted to Mario Batali’s Goat Cheese Tortelloni with Dried Orange and Fennel Pollen. The first time I made it I didn’t have fennel pollen sitting around in my pantry, so I used Batali’s suggested alternative: ground up fennel seeds. The pollen, I quickly found, makes a difference. And so I started using it on everything. A pinch of this stuff, makes magic happen.
May 3, 2019
DIY Recipe: Baking Soda Toothpaste
A reader named Alicia recently tipped me off to a growing niche of homemade toothpaste makers. Google around and you’ll find all kinds of health-nut websites with techniques for doing it yourself and why it’s better than the commercial stuff. I won’t make any health claims, but I will say that it is a big money saver. All of the ingredients are inexpensive, and it’s nice knowing where they came from. Look at the ingredients on your toothpaste tube lately?
May 3, 2019
Recipe: Fridge-Clearing Lentil Soup
The fridge-clearing soup is a staple at my house. In fact, fridge-clearing in general is a good way to characterize my cooking style. But there is something about a sack of lentils that brings out the best of vegetables that have seen better days. After three straight weeks of intense eating and carrying on in honor of the holidays, a soup that requires no shopping for ingredients is just what I need. Clean, simple cooking. Join me.
May 3, 2019
Recipe: Kale & Apple Soup
Many two year-olds won’t eat a plateful of sautéed greens even if they’re cooked in bacon, and my daughter — an excellent eater most of the time — was no exception. When she was a toddler, I could usually get by with mixing shredded greens into a few scrambled eggs, but much was my delight when I discovered the kid liked kale soup. This one is mildly sweet with a bit of apple, and it has that beloved bacon-y edge that goes so well with sautéed greens.
May 3, 2019
Tip: How To Roast and Peel Beets
A roasted beet is a great base for a salad especially this time of year when, for most of us in the northern hemisphere, there are few choices other than cellared root vegetables. It’s a great skill to have under your belt.Just this weekend I made a beautiful beet salad with a horseradish cream and some frizzled onions. That recipe is tomorrow. Today, here’s how you roast and peel beets without much drama.
May 3, 2019
Recipe: Whole Wheat Raisin English Muffins
It’s a sick day for me, so I’m working at home on some recipes. With a congested head, I made the first mistake in cooking: I didn’t check to see if I had all the ingredients I needed before starting to test my winter breakfast bread wreath, so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow’s email for that.I didn’t have enough butter. Ouch, the yeast was already dissolving in warm water and the flour was already out. What’s a cook to do? Make English Muffins.
May 3, 2019
Recipe: Holiday Breakfast Wreath
I’ve been writing about this wreath on the site since 2008, each year updating the story, because I think it’s worth reminding you how perfect this bread is to start a holiday morning. When I say I make it every year, I’m not kidding. It weaves its way deeper and deeper into our family’s memory each holiday.
May 3, 2019
Recipe: Sticky Toffee Cakelets
Back in LA for two weeks, I’m having flashbacks to the work I did here a few years ago on my book, The Greyston Bakery Cookbook (Rodale).One of the groups of recipes I added to the book that were not based on products from the Bakery were the individual cakes, which I affectionately called cakelets: Chocolate Molten Cakelets, Steamed Lemon Cakelets, and Sticky Toffee Cakelets. Any of these would be great for Valentine’s Day. Today I’m sharing the Sticky Toffee Cakelets.
May 3, 2019
Recipe: Roasted Baby Cabbage
Last week I showed you some baby cabbages I bought at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market in my post about dropping in on other cities’ farmers markets. These little fist-sized gems called out to me so I bought an armful without knowing how I’d cook them. I didn’t want to torture them too much, but wanted a warm, comforting dish to go with some grilled pork chops on a rainy night.I started by cutting them in half.
May 3, 2019
Kale Chips: How To Eat a Bunch of Kale in One Sitting
Maxwell was lucky to be part of a kale chip making project a few nights ago — very un-meat, eh? — when he was visiting an apartment being photographed for his upcoming book. He came home, barely put his briefcase down, and started rummaging through the fridge asking “do we have any Kale? I want to make chips!” Pic: ChowMama“Sure, you know Dana posted a Kale Chip recipe in November.
May 3, 2019
Solving the Pot Lid Problem: The Space Above the Pot Rack
When we launched the Kitchen Cure, we asked people to tell us about the problems they had with their kitchens. One issue that came up many times was the problem of where to store pot lids.Faith and I have two different solutions. Mine isn’t perfect by any means, but for me it solves the problem and gets those clanky lids out of my way.I keep my pots on a hanging pot rack, and my lids on top of the rack.
May 3, 2019
Best Jars to Organize Your Pantry
Those who are participating in The Kitchen Cure know that Week Three’s Assignment has you stocking the kitchen. This is a nice opportunity to stream-line your cabinets by replacing some of that ugly, clunky packaging with jars.I love storing our food this way because I get a good seal and I can see what’s inside.
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Dark Chocolate Walnut Cookies
Five years ago, we hosted our 10 full-time staff members for a weekend retreat in the country, and I was in charge of the cooking. We were hungry worker bees, stretching our brains all day, decoding the secrets of site design, traffic analytics, and reader satisfaction. Tried as I did to push the healthy snacks on my coworkers, it was a plate of dark chocolate walnut cookies that won for best snack.
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Peas with Prosciutto & Mint
Tuesday night we ate at Mario Batali’s pizzeria, Otto. The not-so-secret secret to enjoying this place is to order a bunch of the sides and just munch. And so we did. Minty English peas and prosciutto, anchovies with breadcrumbs and scallions, and asparagus with Pecorino were favorites.But what I was really taken with was the way they were served. Nothing genius, but a great entertaining tip.
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Anchovies with Breadcrumbs & Scallions
Last week I told you about an idea to serve little bowls of varied prepared vegetables to start a meal and gave the recipes for some minty peas with prosciutto and some asparagus and pecorino cheese. The third dish in the photo was actually a simple preparation of anchovies with croutons (apologies to the vegetarians).
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Asparagus & Pecorino
Last week we ate at Mario Batali’s pizzeria, Otto and promptly afterward I decided to tell you about my vegetables sides tucked in little bowls. Last week’s email gave the recipe for some minty English peas and prosciutto and today the asparagus with Pecorino is up.
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Apricot Breakfast Pie
Years back, I found myself in Italy with quite a lot of apricots. In Florence, I bought a very generous kilo of fresh, ripe apricots from a little farm stall on the Piazza Santo Spirito. My daughter and I ate quite a few of them as we strolled around the city. Then we had some for breakfast the next day, then a couple more in the rental car as we made our way down to Chianti, where we would stay another week with friends and where I would finally get my hands into a kitchen.
May 2, 2019
How To Sew Napkins and a Table Runner
I’m trying to learn to sew. It isn’t easy. Even sewing something as seemingly simple as some square napkins and a rectangular table runner challenges my patience, but a few weeks ago, as I watched my mother whip up these napkins and runner on my mother-in-law’s old Singer, I thought, hey, I can do that!Well, sort of.I love the wavy design of this fabric. See below for resources… and hold your comments about how I don’t iron!
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Homemade Jerky in the Oven
When my daughter started first grade, the talk coming from my little girl was more about lunches than what to wear on the first day. With my daughter, it’s never a sure thing if she’ll eat her whole lunch, but if there’s a piece of sweet and salty jerky nearby, she’s sure to mow it. So with school on the horizon and a London broil beckoning at the neighborhood butcher, all signs that week pointed to making a big batch of jerky.
May 2, 2019
How Many Cookbooks is Too Many?
I’m a busy working college student so this is what happens. I have made the best of my “kitchenette” but it is definitely in need the cure. (aubreylane in Santa Cruz, CA)One thing that keeps popping up in the Kitchen Cure submissions is concerns over cookbook storage and the question of how many is too many. First, let’s get a sense of how many cookbooks you have lurking on your shelves.
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Shellfish Stock
Seafood stock is one of those things I just can’t deal with in a can; fresh is so far superior. If you happen to have some shrimp, crab or lobster shells, the process is actually pretty easy. A fish stock using whole fish heads can be a bit messier, so I’m going to recommend you go the shellfish route. This stock is a great base for soups and stews and for cooking risotto. Cook it down as a base for pasta sauces and sauces to top other seafood dishes.
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Nutty Chocolate Tart
Two days and counting until Valentine’s Day. For me, cooking for someone is love and love is cooking for someone and my love certainly isn’t limited to one day a year. But I’m no grinch either. February 14th is a sweet little opportunity to make something extra lovely and so this year my Valentine gets this fancy-pants nutty chocolate tart.
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Matcha Green Tea Shake
I was commiserating with a friend the recently about the heat and she told me her latest afternoon addiction was a shake made from matcha, the Japanese powdered green tea. “Blend matcha powder with milk, sugar, and ice. Green frothy jolt at 2pm!” Easy enough. I put down my work and raced to the blender. Matcha isn’t always available at your average grocery store, but it can usually be found at Asian groceries or specialty tea shops, and certainly online.
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
We started this website to help people cook more often and more joyfully, with the idea that the kitchen is the hearth of the home, the warm place. It is by spending time there that we connect and grow. But sometimes it gets so hot in the summer, you have to draw the line. A few straight days of humidity and 90°F weather, and I do not feel like being in the kitchen at all, let alone putting together a big meal.
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Real Irish Scones
I once took a work trip to do nothing but learn about Irish milk, cheese, and butter. Lucky for me, the first thing I ate when I arrived, jet-lagged and haggard, was a scone. I still remember this particular scone because it was fluffier and richer than any scone I’d ever had. After spending a few minutes under the spell of this little morsel, I pulled myself together and asked the chef if it wasn’t in fact a biscuit.
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Rye Toasting Bread with Dried Cherries & Pumpkin Seeds
Winter has me baking a lot — bread, especially — so this week when it got unbearably frigid outside I came up with a bread for breakfast and snack-time that pulls inspiration from three very different recipes: my grandmother’s English muffin toasting bread, a thin dark 100% rye I used to be able to find in health food stores but alas no longer, and the fruity, nutty, seediness of my “truly everything bagels” recipe.
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Baby Greens Salad with Asparagus, Sweet Amaranth & Green Garlic Dressing
I’ve only cooked for a really big crowd (a hundred people or more) a few times, but I’ve learned the hard way that one of the keys to success has less to do with the cooking techniques and more to do with the tableware and the attitude. Think big and gather up all your confidence. Ask for help.This is how I ended up serving a salad for 150 people out of a giant washtub usually reserved for the booze at our parties.
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Cuatro Leches Cake
I have this thing about kids and sugar. I don’t think they make such a great combination and I grip to this conviction, hard. When she was much younger, I used to tell my daughter that she could have sweets when she was five. Five seemed like a safe and far-away target, but as it approached, I knew I had to keep my promise.
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Masala Chai Tea
When I moved to New York City almost fifteen years ago, a friend took me on a downtown tour of inexpensive places to fill my belly. One stop was the Lahore Deli, a Pakistani joint on the edge of Soho where for four dollars I could have a little box of rice, dal and veggies plus a hot cup of sweet milky chai. The chai’s share of that bill was one dollar; these days it’s a buck fifty.
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Steamed Chocolate Pudding Cakes
When I set out to write my first book, one of the first recipes I knew I wanted to include was one for individual steamed pudding cakes. I ended up doing a lemon cakelet after a pregnancy-inspired double-order at a neighborhood eatery called Mary’s Fish Camp. The chef there walked me through the magic of a pudding cake; how, thanks to an imbalance of wet to dry ingredients, a creamy smooth pudding layer forms on the bottom and a layer of fluffy sponge cake blossoms on top.
May 2, 2019
Recipe: Savory Oatmeal Cookies
I’m more of a savory girl than anything else. It’s not that I never eat dessert, but I like a sprinkle of sea salt on my chocolate and herbs steeped in my ice cream. So after a kick of eating savory oatmeal for breakfast — olive oil, parmesan, cracked pepper — I asked myself what would happen if I tried making an oatmeal cookie that was more savory than sweet? Not as a dessert, but as a snack, or something to serve before a meal?
May 2, 2019
Gluten-Free Dessert Recipe: Olive Oil, Lemon & Sea Salt Sundaes
These days it happens more often than not: you find yourself hosting a dinner party where at least one guest has a dietary restriction. I’ve gotten used to this. I once fed a group of ten actors for a week: one vegan, two vegetarians, one allergic to nuts, one lactose intolerant and one with a wheat allergy, so I know I can usually roll with pretty much any cooking challenge.
May 2, 2019