Mark Bittman’s Pea Dip

11. August 2009 Soups, Stocks + Sauces 1
Mark Bittman’s pea dip recipe was such a big hit with our friends, I’m posting our revised version up. This is smoother and less chunkier which made it just right on top of grilled slices of bread and as a side to a perfectly cooked leg of lamb. Ingredients: 1 box of frozen peas 1 ...

Cabbage Soup with White Beans and Sausage

21. June 2009 Soups, Stocks + Sauces 2
I’ve only seen two episodes of Top Chef Masters on Bravo but I’m already hooked. It’s obvious that the participants are real chefs because they all get along and act professionally under pressure. Their demeanors separate them from the whiney amateurs of Top Chef. During the first episode, chef Michael Schlow sweated his way through ...

Carrot Top Soup

07. April 2009 Soups, Stocks + Sauces 0
The last bunch of carrots I bought from the market came with very fresh tops. Usually, they’re too wet and limp from over-spritzing, but this time I couldn’t just chop and throw them away. I remember a time when I was growing up in Manila and cooking. My Uncle Tony was quietly watching me slice ...

Chicken Tinola, Filipino Chicken Ginger Soup

05. March 2009 Chicken, Soups, Stocks + Sauces 2
Tinola, or Filipino chicken ginger soup, is one dish that I don’t make often. When I was growing up in Manila in the, ahem, 80s, my father brought the farm from his hometown of Ilocos Sur with him. We had a backyard with a small fish pond and a chicken coop. Each week, we would ...

Porcini Mushroom and Somen Noodle Soup

05. February 2009 Soups, Stocks + Sauces 0
I haven’t been in the mood to cook even though I’ve been spending a lot of time at home. But while inside the Grand Central Terminal Market earlier, I was inspired to go back to the kitchen after I saw a small container of really fragrant dried porcini mushrooms on sale for $3.50. I turned ...