Category Archives: sidedishes

Israeli Couscous with Butternut Squash

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: February 6, 2012

Israeli couscous with butternut/Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

I almost never "do" recipes. I've written a book that if anything is an anti-recipe book. I set out on this culinary journey in part because, as I wrote in Making of a Chef, I sensed that recipes were nothing more than a tease, that the real cooking lay beneath the recipes. This is not to say that recipes are bad. Say you made a really killer stir-fry and wanted to be able to do it over and over, or you wanted your best friend to give it a try, you'd want to follow a recipe. If you want to recreate a dish, you need a recipe. I could probably make a decent oatmeal raisin cookie just by figuring it out, but I'd feel better at least glancing ...

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Also posted in aromatics, Recipes, Technique, Vegetables | Tagged couscous, david lebovitz, lemon confit | 20 Comments

Do-over: Charleston, Eve, & Grits

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: December 13, 2011

Shrimp and grits. photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

One of hard things about writing books is that they are in constant flux and then they are permanent. Thanks to the organic nature of blogs, I can make amends. When I was at the Culinary Institute of America, one of my best and favorite teachers was Eve Felder, who taught Garde Manger. She was the Cheshire Cat of chefs, perched high on stacked stools, who taught us that "Cooking is alchemy, cooking is magic!" And she was right. Righter than I knew, in fact. I'm heading to her native city, Charleston, South Carolina, and so she's been on my mind. When I wanted to do a butter-poached shrimp for Ruhlman's Twenty, I naturally wanted to pair it with grits. Who did I call for grits finesse ...

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Also posted in american regional cuisine, Appetizers, aromatics, chefs, Food Writing, From Scratch, Recipes, Seafood, Seasonings and Spices, Technique | Tagged Charleston, CIA, Eve Felder, shrimp and grits, South Carolina, twenty | 22 Comments

Homemade Potato Chips

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: September 19, 2011

Homemade Potato Chips/photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

What are the most special things we can cook? I contend the most special preparations are not those that are most difficult, time-consuming, or use the most expensive ingredients, but rather the ones that result in food we can't buy. I can make bread, and it's really good, and fun to bake and fills the house with a great aroma. But it's not going to be as good as the baguettes I can buy at On the Rise bakery. A preparation such as mayonnaise, however, that's different. You can't buy mayonnaise that's as good as mayonnaise you make. It doesn't exist. Potato chips are another such food. I like Lays potato chips just as I like Helmann's mayonnaise, and on a Saturday afternoon, if I want a quick sandwich and chips, ...

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Also posted in Potatoes, Vegetables | Tagged chips & dip, mandoline, potato chips | Comments closed

Roasted Cauliflower

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: September 16, 2011

When I introduced our offset basting tasting saucing spoons, we showed clips of my basting roast cauliflower (above, photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman), numerous people asked me how to I cooked the caulflower. And just today, Ted Allen said in an email he'd roasted plenty of cauliflower but never thought to do it whole, loved the presentation it would make. Indeed, it can be roasted cut or whole. Cut cauliflower cooks faster and there's a lot more surface that gets browned (it's what I do when I forget to start the whole cauliflower in time). But cooking it whole is easier, and it looks so cool while it's roasting and does make a tantalizing presentation at the table. Either way, roasted cauliflower is a great dish, either as a side dish to a bigger meal ...

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Also posted in aromatics, baking, Books, Recipes, Technique, Vegetables | Tagged book, cauliflower, offset spoon, technique, twenty | Comments closed

Pig Ear and Parsley Salad

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: September 7, 2011

Pig Ear and Parsley Salad/photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

Even James, the guy who handed me a bag of 20 pig ears, gave me a funny look. "What do you do with 'em?" It's not obvious, even to farmers, not in America. It wasn't obvious to me till I had my first one several years ago at Michael Symon's Lola, fried crispy on the outside, gelatinous and chewy on the inside, their richness offset by the sweet-sour heat of pickled chillis. Michael said he'd had a similar reaction when he'd first had one from Mario Batali. Where did Mario first have them? "The ears were a prized part of eating whole suckling pigs on weekend lunches in Segovia, Spain, near where we lived in Madrid throughout high school," he said in an ...

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Also posted in Appetizers, Butchery, Charcutepalooza, Charcuterie, Pork!, Recipes, Salads, Seasonings and Spices, Technique | Tagged ear, Fergus Henderson, Jennifer McLagan, Mario Batali, Michael Symon, pig's ear and parsley salad, pork, recipe | Comments closed

Friday Grilling: Radicchio

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: August 26, 2011

Grilled Radiccio/photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

Just about anything can be grilled that won't slip through the grate or grilling basket. You can't grill batter, you can't grill soup (though you could keep it hot on a grill). I don't know that I'd grill a tough vegetable, like cabbage or kale, but you could try. One of my favorite vegetables to grill is radicchio. Its natural bitter notes take on the smokey charred flavors of hot open flames deliciously. And when paired with the acidic sweetness of balasamic vinegar, it's a great side dish. I'd like to underscore the importance of balsamic vinegar here. Its intense sweet acidity offsets the natural (pleasing) bitterness all foods grilled over high heat pick up. I love a product called Crema di Balsamico, which is basically pre-reduced balsamic. Just a few ...

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Also posted in Appetizers, grilling, outdoor cooking, Recipes, Vegetables | Tagged grill, grilled radicchio, summer | Comments closed

Salmon and Potatoes In a Jar

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: July 11, 2011

photos by donna turner ruhlman

I've known of Dorie Greenspan for ages, author of numerous books, highly respected and well-liked in the food world, even has large group of blogs at Tuesdays with Dorie, dedicated to her book, Baking: From My Home To Yours. But it wasn't till last fall at a BlogHer gathering did I get to see for myself what a sweetheart she is. She looks like and reads just like who she is, a genuine cook and wonderful spritely soul. Last fall she published Around My French Table, an exquisite book of her favorite recipes (and a steal at $22 from Amazon—how do they do it?!). My dear friend Lee asked for and received this book for Christmas. When we had Lee and her husband Les over for that spatchcocked grilled ...

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Also posted in Appetizers, Charcuterie, Guest Post, Potatoes, Recipes, Salads, Seafood | Tagged Around my French Table, Dorrie Greenspan, Salmon and Potatoes in a Jar | Comments closed

Grilled Green Beans

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: July 8, 2011

Lemon zest on grilled green beans/Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

For Friday's weekly grill post I want to feature green beans. These are awesome on the grill. Strictly speaking, you don't need a grilling basket, but they do make the work much easier. (I offer these at OpenSky for those who follow.) Baskets are fairly common these days and they do make all kinds of grilling of stuff that might fall through. If you don't have a basket, this same technique and recipe will work with asparagus as well. I like to toss the green veg in olive oil to which I've added smashed or minced garlic, and put them over high direct heat, tossing or turning them every few minutes or so. They cook in about 7-10 minutes. If you like heat, add ...

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Also posted in grilling, Recipes, Vegetables | Tagged Green Beans, Grilled, recipe, summer | Comments closed

BBQ Sides

By emilia | Published: May 30, 2011

Looking for a new bbq side to add to your repertoire? Maybe a pickle, a slaw, some beans, or a salad check out the recipes, via Saveur.

Also posted in Article, baking, grilling, Recipes, Salads | Tagged BBQ sides, salads, Saveur, Side Dishes, summer | Comments closed

Hoppin’ John—Recipe for New Year’s Day

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: December 29, 2010

Hoppin' John Recipe for New Year's Day/Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

This Hoppin' John recipe is a dish from the American south featuring black-eyed peas, often included in southern food and soul food recipes, traditionally served on New Year's Day by those angling for good fortune all year long. I make Hoppin' John every year for this very reason (also, it's inexpensive, easy, nutritious and satisfying). There are all kinds of variants (here's the wikipedia description of Hoppin John), but they all share three features that I think must be a part of the dish or it's not Hoppin John: black-eyed peas, smokey bacon, and some kind of heat. I always include onion and I also always include tomato, which is not traditional but I think it gives great acidity and flavor to this bean ...

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Also posted in Recipes | Tagged how to make hoppin john, recipe for hoppin john, uses for black eyed peas | Comments closed

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