13 Recipes You Should Try

October 5, 2006 /

Yesterday’s Chronicle listed the 20 best recipes from their last 20 years of having a Food Section. A couple of them were intriguing, and almost tempted me into making them. But I’m more of a cook, (“cooker”, as Maya would have said in her youth), not so much of a baker, so these were just a bit too much for me. That got me to thinking of other recipes that I really like, and that maybe some of you might enjoy as well. 🙂 So, here are a few from the Chron, and a bunch that we really enjoy.

  1. Twice-Baked Goat Cheese Souffle. I’ve had this at Zax Tavern in Berkeley. It’s VERY yummy. If you live in the area, it’s worth the trip. They also have a beet salad with a yummy cheese called Bermuda Triangle that you can (so far) only get in specialty shops and restaurants. If you don’t live in the area, and you like to bake, give this recipe a try.
  2. Bostoni Cream Pie. I like Boston Cream Pie, so the name of this one attracted me. Then the write up from the paper drew me further in: “This dessert from Donna Scala and Kurtis L. Baguley of Bistro Don Giovanni was the hands-down winning recipe for 1996 — maybe for the entire 20 years.” The downside? I think this recipe takes over a dozen eggs, and each serving has 1,170 calories. Ouch. This one is beyond my comfort zone, so I’m leaving it up to you bakers out there.
  3. Batter Fried Fish with Garlic Sauce. This recipe is from my “Sundays At Moosewood Restaurant” cookbook, though the website here doesn’t seem to give any credit for the recipe. This is a really yummy Chinese fish recipe. The key is not to crowd the pan while you’re frying it. I’m not much of a fryer, so that was news to me. 😉
  4. Robert Redford’s Lamb Chili with Black Beans. This recipe was in a cookbook that La Luna gave me a few years ago, and boy, it’s yummy.
  5. Pot Roast Pasta (Stracotto). This is in our New Basics cookbook, and it’s perfect for cold winter weather. Ted’s not much of a fan of the beef, so we make it with a leg of lamb instead. The meat gets all tender and falls apart, and it’s SOOO good.
  6. Black Bean Chili. This vegetarian recipe is from Greens Restaurant, in San Francisco. It’s perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon project, because it does take awhile. It’s worth it. There is a modified (and maybe easier) version here. I haven’t tried the modified version yet. I’m all old school like that.
  7. Once you make the delicious Black Bean Chili, you can have super tasty black bean enchiladas the next night. I don’t have the recipe anymore, because my Greens Cookbook got ruined, but Cherry’s going to get me a photocopy soon. I know that doesn’t help you any, but really, the recipe is this: Fill corn tortillas with black bean chili. Cover with tomatillo sauce. Sprinkle with jack cheese. Bake. If you can’t find a good recipe for the tomatillo sauce, there are some pretty decent green enchilada sauces in a can that would do in a pinch.
  8. Broccoli/Sun Dried Tomato Fusilli. My favorite pasta dish, which I copied from California Pizza Kitchen. It’s made from Fusilli, fresh baby broccoli, garlic, sun-dried and fresh tomatoes, fresh thyme and Parmesan cheese. Sometimes I make it with grilled chicken breasts, sometimes without. I like to use cherry tomatoes rather than diced, because they’re sweeter.
  9. Turkey Tea Sandwiches. Got this one from Barefoot Contessa, and boy, they’re yummy. Equally good are the Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches. Perfect with a glass of iced tea, or maybe some chardonnay. Yum.
  10. Spaghetti & Meatballs. Our recipe is from the Chez Panisse Pasta, Pizza, and Calzone Cookbook, and it’s different from the one in the Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook. But since I can only find the Cafe recipe online, I’m not giving it to you today. When we make it, Ted makes the meatballs, and I make the sauce. It’s a match made in heaven. We replace the beef and pork with lamb and turkey sausage. It’s truly yummy. I’ll type it up, or maybe scan it (’cause I’m lazy that way) for you soon.
  11. Bruschetta. My favorite recipe is from the New Basics Cookbook, and you can find it almost half way down on this page. It’s the recipe for Basic Bruschetta. My friend Pat would argue with the shallots, and probably call me a heathen for including them, but you know what? I am a heathen. So there. And this is very tasty.
  12. I’m running out of ideas here, so I’m going to jump the gun a bit. Wendy posted a recipe the other day that LOOKED really good, so I’ll add it. Sesame Seed Chicken. We’re having that on Saturday, I think…tonight is leftovers (I have a class to attend, so faster is better) and tomorrow is our Battlestar Galactica party (does that make us geeks? We don’t care! It’s better than your darned Grey’s Anatomy AND Star Search American Idol put together!)* This weekend I’ll post a recipe that should be on this list, too, for Orange-Garlic Sauteed Shrimp, but since it’s not posted yet, you’ll have to wait. 😉
  13. Kettle Stew (Mole de Olla). This is another recipe from our Moosewood Cookbook, and it’s a winner. Perfect for cold winter nights (do I sense a theme here? Many of these recipes are for coldish weather. But we ARE going into autumn now…). This recipe has nothing to do with chocolate mole sauce. Rather, it is a yummy vegetable stew, with interesting spices like chiles, cloves, and cinnamon. I noticed on the link that the last ingredient is “1 salt”. My cookbook says “salt to taste”, and also specifies that you can top with ‘plenty of grated chedder cheese or sour cream’ when serving. Mmm.

Happy Cooking!(BTW, doesn’t that cook in the header look like Busy Mom?)

* I suspect I’ll be catching a bit of hell for that comment…

19 Comments

  • Ml

    October 5, 2006 at 9:51 pm

    Yum! Yes, I do see a theme there with it getting colder and all. I love this time of year where I make huge pots of chili, soups, stews, and pie…something about pie in the fall…dunno. Not that I can eat pie anymore (I have an intolerance to gluten – Beanzzz too). Thanks for all the yummy recipes!

  • Beenzzz

    October 5, 2006 at 9:55 pm

    It all sounds so delicious. I definitely want to try the sesame seed chicken……….then again, I want to try it all!!!!! Zoe used to say “cooker” too. 🙂

  • jefito

    October 5, 2006 at 11:28 pm

    I printed some of these out! Not the black bean ones, though. I mean, they’re black. That’s naturespeak for “not meant to be eaten.”

  • Py Korry

    October 5, 2006 at 11:51 pm

    I am SO hungry right now that I want all of these!

    Jefito: Don’t knock the black bean! They are the superior bean in the bean family. Plus, we used to call Maya our “little black bean burrito” when she was a baby. That’s because when we wrapped her up in a blanket, it was same “wrapping” technique we used when we made black bean burritos. 🙂

  • CG

    October 6, 2006 at 12:10 am

    I haven’t had your black bean chilli for quite a long time. Let me know when next you have it for dinner and I will be there.

  • Nikki

    October 6, 2006 at 1:31 am

    I am so lazy in cooking but those sounds really nice and makes me hungry again. I do love soups — I’m looking for the pumpkin soup recipe. Great list — mine is up =)

  • Wendy

    October 6, 2006 at 1:55 am

    You know I have to give you crap about the Grey’s comment – I mean it’s only my reason to live favorite show 😉 kidding..enjoy the meal!

  • jay lassiter

    October 6, 2006 at 3:38 am

    my friend david (from florida) just shared with me an amazing recipe for gumbo. I had to beg him to give me a non-propreity version of his grandma’s old-world recipe.

    here is the recipe:
    http://dbv-itsmylife.blogspot.com/2006/10/heres-gumbo-recipe.html
    i think that sharing recipes is such a cool way to explore common ground. I mean, think about it, we all eat and the rituals surrounding food prep and breaking bread tells us a lot about ourselves (and about what we attach value to.)

    SO the recipe i am sharing has been given to be with love and now i pass it on.

    In the meantime, go say heyyyyy to david (the gumbo maker.) not only is he a magnificent chef and a unapologetic feminist, but he’s from Mark Foley’s legislative district!

  • david

    October 6, 2006 at 4:19 am

    hi there… david the gumbo guy here… it’s link sausage, not like the breakfast sausage though… like kielbasa… hillshire farms is a brand here… i’ll add a pic to the recipe, i think i have some in the freezer… anyway, i’m originally from louisiana, hence the recipe and i now live in houston… we have a winter place in florida though… enjoy the recipe…

  • Cherry

    October 6, 2006 at 5:05 am

    Oh Drat!
    This reminded me that I was supposed to mail you some recipes. I swear I’ll copy them tonight.

    With the rain from this week, I think a pot of chili sounds fantastic.

  • david

    October 6, 2006 at 9:18 pm

    have you checked out the new bon apetit? 50 years of recipes… oh my… i’ll be catering a party with nothing but recipes from the mag, i’ll take some pics and post them… i love a good food blog…