Once you master the simple and ancient process of nixtamalization, it’s easy to whip up your own tacos, memelas (see recipe below!) sopes, tamales, or pozole. Warning, once you have the real deal, there’s no going back to the industrialized imitations found all over!
Hot off the grilll, our duck pizza is bursting with fresh summer flavors, unctuous triple cream brie, peppery arugula and just the right touch of smokiness.
Originating in northern Mexico and beloved throughout the world, flour tortillas are versatile, delicious and practical. Fill them with beans, cheese, vegetables and meat for a hearty burrito, or flatten them out on a griddle for a crispy quesadilla dripping with melted cheese.
Barley isn’t just for soup or porridge. This ancient grain is as versatile as it is simple to prepare. Here I treat it a bit like risotto, but without all the fuss. Barley naturally forms a creamy sauce base right in the pan, to which you can add your vegetables, protein and seasoning of choice
This savory, slow-cooked Indian stew is perfect for sopping up with fresh naan. Serve over steaming aromatic rice (try Charleston Gold in place of BasmatiI) or mix it together, casserole style. Top off with Cucumber Riata for a refreshing contrast to the fiery spices.
Like spring pancakes, this dish originates from the Shandong province, but Chinese American chefs have adapted it to locally available ingredients. The Chinese version is made with pork, egg, bamboo shoots, day lily, wood ear mushrooms, and seasoned with soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger, while the Chinese American version replaces the cucumber and day lilies with cabbage and carrots.
Fresh milled buckwheat flour imbues these traditional French crepes with a rich, earthy flavor. I first discovered this dish in my early 20s and was immediately in love with the combination of mildly sweet leeks, nutty gruyère and grassy buckwheat.
High-quality beans, ideally navy beans, slow-simmered with molasses and bacon, are the foundation of this classic New England dish. Growing up outside of Boston it was a childhood favorite, and he never made it from scratch!
Gumbo combines uniquely southern flavors and textures, starting with the holy trinity of creole cooking: bell peppers, onions, and celery, and thickened with brown roux and sweet, viscous okra. Traditionally, gumbo features fresh seafood and andouille sausage, but as with most stews, it is meant to be a catch-all for the best of what’s around. You can even make it vegetarian. Serve over long grain rice (especially Carolina Gold!) with a sprinkle of filé powder, and Tabasco, of course!
This style of cornbread is crisp, crumbly and contains no wheat or sugar! It goes incredibly well with savory foods like bacon and collards or chili con carne, or you can mix them into the batter for an all-in-one cornbread meal.
Making ravioli is an easy way to maximize your pasta skills. It yields very “fancy” results with just a little practice and no special equipment. Fill your ravioli with ricotta or other cheeses, scallops, beef, mushrooms, squash, lobster, or crab.
The rich winter flavors of duck, chestnuts, mushrooms, squash and cider syrup perfection come together on a soft bed of sweet, fluffy heirloom rice.
This Japanese cabbage and wheat pancake, also known as Japanese pizza, is both healthy and delicious.
This beloved Eastern European comfort food is fun and easy to make at home. You don’t need a pasta roller or other special equipment, just a mixing bowl and colander!
No matter where you come from, there is something innately comforting about the combination of creamy ground corn and savory seafood.
The original Italian hot pocket, the calzone was popularized by street venders in 18th century Naples as a pizza-on-the-go. Our ultimate King of Calzones is loaded with ricotta and cheddar, fresh broccoli, caramelized onions, garlic and red peppers, folded into a bubbly cheese crust.
Making pasta dough from scratch is simple. You probably already have the ingredients on hand.
While I am not religious per se, making matzah is certainly a spiritual act for me. The fact that this type of bread has been prepared for thousands of years makes it an act that connects us to so many generations of our ancestors in such a profound way.
