Have Knives, Will Cook

Greetings friends. If you’ve been having trouble finding us, I’ve returned to hosting on WordPress at www.havekniveswillcook.wordpress.com. This is because I was away from writing so long, that my domain name provider changed, and before I realized, havekniveswillcook.com had expired and got scooped up by someone who wanted too much money to sell it back. So I let it go. But that’s OK. A lot…

Warm Octopus Salad with Black-eyed Peas and Linguiça (Mild Portuguese Sausage)

This deceptively easy salad combines ready-to-eat octopus, black-eyed peas and linguiça in a 30-minute dish that would take hours to make from scratch. But no one has to know that. It’s perfect for a late spring or summer gathering outdoors, and hearty enough to serve alone as a light lunch, or as part of a larger meal. Impress guests with your grill skills by preparing it table side. Slice the…

Sweet Basmati Rice with Date Syrup and Orange Blossom Water

This recipe is inspired by Muhammar, a rice dish originating from Bahrain, where it’s also known as “Pearl Diver’s Rice.” The dish is associated with early Bahraini pearl divers, who discovered eating this aromatic rice fortified with date syrup and butter enabled them to better withstand the physiological demands of free diving at great depths for extended periods of time.1 Although it’s…

Since Tifosi won’t be attending F1’s Italian Grand Prix at Imola, we’ll settle for an imaginary picnic at the track, with a lunch of Piadina Romagnola and refreshing Lambrusco while watching the race from our living room floor instead. (Jump to recipe). Piadina, or Piada is a rustic flatbread with a long history in Emilia-Romagna.  A staple of the region’s farming communities, it’s an easy…

My Global Cooking Project

The first F1 race of the season is exactly one month away, and if you follow my little blog you may know that DP and I are avid fans.  I’m determined this year to commemorate each race by preparing food inspired by the track’s locale.  It’s something I’ve been toying with for years, but my restaurant schedule didn’t always allow.  Then in late 2019, I made the move from traditional restaurants…

Winter Bean Stew with Sweet Potato & Kale

If mother nature exists, I’m convinced she hordes snow all winter just to dump it all on us in February.  I love the snow, but in New York City, fluffy white powder turns to grey sludge in a matter of hours.  Today’s snow has just turned to freezing rain, so it’s pretty gross out there.   In this weather, there are few things as comforting as a hearty bowl of vegetable soup…as long it doesn’t…

Thank you Ramdon noodles for making January bearable.

In 2020, the Korean film Parasite cleaned up at the Academy Awards, taking home four Oscars, including the first Best Picture awarded to a foreign language film. Watching it on Netflix, this dark comedy certainly gave us some tense and uncomfortable moments, but the most compelling for DP and me was the scene where the housekeeper is seen sautéing cubed steak and tossing it with ramen noodles in…

Raspberry Soufflés are not just for summer.

You know what I remember about learning to make fruit soufflés in culinary school? EASY PEASY. That’s right. No fussing with chocolate sauce, cheese sauce or English custard. Just whip egg whites and fold in a base of fruit puree mixed with sugar and egg yolks and bake. DONE. So over the holidays I brushed off the old notebooks and devised this recipe for one of DP’s favorite desserts – Raspberry…

Quinoa & Black Bean Salad

Here’s a recipe for those days when you don’t want to thaw anything out, turn anything on, wash any pots and pans, or buy anything special at the store. I make it with basic items I always have in the pantry or the fridge: cooked quinoa, cooked black beans, fresh tomatoes, shallots or red onions, parsley or cilantro, lemon juice, olive oil, and a few spices.  Whenever we do our meal prep, DP and…

Green Chile & Hominy Stew

Happy New Year everyone. I think it’s fitting to say goodbye to 2020 and welcome 2021, with food that signifies progress and forward movement. So DP and I are ringing in the new year with what has quickly become one of our favorite pork stews. I love of Pozole, and DP’s been talking about making Hatch Green Chile Stew for as long we’ve been together, so we recently developed a hybrid of these two…

Reveillon Tourtiere (Acadian Meat Pie)

It’s been years since I’ve made Reveillon Tourtière. So this Christmas I thought I’d brush off the old recipe and give the photos a facelift. This is a traditional meat pie that originated with 17th century French Acadian settlers of Eastern Canada and New England. On Christmas eve, or Reveillon, the family would attend midnight mass together, then return home to open their presents and feast on…

Mulligatawny Soup Two Ways

I can’t remember the last time I ate Mulligatawny soup, but I’ve had this craving, like I’ve been craving a lot of nostalgic comfort foods lately.  Maybe it’s anxiety around the pandemic and uncertainty about our collective economic future, but I find myself eating more and more like I did in college, building meals around inexpensive items like lentils.  Those days, Mulligatawny was a mainstay…

Turkey Shawarma with Whole Wheat Flatbread

In honor of this season’s final Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, I’m using the turkey thighs I froze at Thanksgiving to make Shawarma. A while back, I found an excellent marinade at Recipe Tin Eats that’s now my go-to. Full of aromatic garlic, cumin, coriander, and cardamom brightened by lemon juice, it smells so good on it’s own I’ll bet it’s pretty tasty just smeared on buttered bread. I…

Kitchen Mashup #2: Moo Shu Duck, Still Better Than Takeout

In today’s weekly fridge forage, I’m confronted with a piece of duck breast I roasted the other day that needs to be eaten today.  There’s an open jar of hoisin sauce that gets me leaning toward a makeshift Peking duck situation.  Mandarin pancakes are essential, but I’ve never made them before, so I rely on Woks of Life for a recipe.  Flour, salt, boiling water, and oil. That’s it? The key is in…

So easy a 10 year old can make it. Easy Cheesy Tortellini Bake with 20-Minute Tomato Sauce

Today for meatless Monday we’re keeping it short and sweet. This Baked Tortellini is the ultimate comfort food, and features a quick 20-minute tomato sauce that’s so easy a 10 year old could make it. I mean that literally – it’s the same tomato sauce I learned to make in 6th grade home economics class that got me excited about cooking. It’s been almost that long since I’ve eaten tortellini, and I…

Bison or Beef Curry with Daikon

One of the dishes I’ll miss this holiday season is Mom’s beef and potato curry.  She’s the oldest of seven siblings, (if you think that’s a lot, Dad is one of nine) so holiday gatherings are always a huge multi-generational affair.  My aunt Connie always makes the turkey, and if not my mom, one of my aunts or uncles always makes a big pot of beef curry.  Instead of serving it at the buffet table,…

Garlic Rosemary Turkey Brine

Garlic Rosemary Turkey Brine

For 2 pounds turkey breast, boil 4 cups water with 1 cup kosher salt, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 6 cloves smashed garlic, 2 sprigs rosemary and 1 tablespoon peppercorns. Add another 4 cups cold water to cool the brine and transfer to a container or zip-loc bag. Submerge the turkey breast in the liquid and brine for 6 to 12 hours. Rinse, season, and cook as desired.