Food’s recipes are developed by a team of professionally trained chefs who know what might be too difficult for home cooks and what new methods to recommend. And like you, we go to the supermarket regularly, so we take advantage of what’s available, including once-hard-to-find products (small spicy vegetables, tomatoes with vines, feta cheese from different countries). I see it. Globe writers develop and test recipes in their home kitchens. A dish that appears in a chef or cookbook is no guarantee that it will work. Chef’s recipes are for professional use, but they are not necessarily suitable for use at home. Unfortunately, cookbooks aren’t always thoroughly tested (I’ve found some glaring mistakes). That’s why we test everything (often multiple times) before publishing it in print or online.
Most cooks like to share their recipes. All they want is some prestige for you to say it came from so-and-so when the guest is satisfied. Some people are not so forgiving. Her aunt had given her mother an index card that her mother called her “her sister-in-law’s recipes.” Because the dish was always missing a key ingredient or technique and was never right. This is her story in America in the 1960s, when the housewife competition was in full swing.
I came up with the idea for pot roast turkey breast because no matter how much I baby it, I end up eating way too much dry turkey breast. Brown the boneless brisket in a deep Dutch oven, lightly sauteing the root vegetables and thinly sliced lemon, uncovered, hoping the high sides of the pot will keep the meat juicy. I sent it to the oven. It was a revelation.
I discovered Kos Cafe’s green frittata at a cafe in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Chef Sarah Hack had already downsized. Sliced red potatoes form the bottom layer, topped with sautéed Swiss chard, scallions, feta, and eggs. Huck bakes rectangular frittatas, cuts them into triangles and serves them with hearty pieces of dark toast.
The marmalade cake came from Dame du Paradis podcastIn the film, Kate Hill, an American-born woman living in rural southwest France, and her British neighbor Tamsin Jardinier converse over cake. They were kind enough to send me the recipe for the cake they were nibbling on by the fire in one episode.
I also make “Sally Lynn’s fried rice.”Dango girl” talks about the amazing cooking of Nadia Lew Spellman’s famous mother and the restaurants Spellman owns in the area.
Arjoli, a Maltese tuna and tomato dip, isMalta: Mediterranean recipes from the islands” written by Simon Bahada.They use water crackers made by the islanders, which is nostalgic. cars table water crackers Works just as well with olive oil crackers. Arjoli is a sunny place that provides a little light during the short winter days.
When food writer Grace Elkas’ Crispy Feta Fried Eggs went viral, I ran to the kitchen to see what all the fuss was about. Elkas melts the crumbled feta around the edges of the skillet and drops the egg into the center. She serves this simple, delicious wonder on a charred tortilla lined with avocado and sprinkled with lime. Try it!
I’m always happy when Globe readers send in recipes, like Waban resident Alice Jacobs did with her grandmother’s Passover specialties. I really fell in love with Rose Katz’s chicken soup with matzo balls. Of course, the soup is made from scratch. The matzo balls are mixed with club soda and are very light.
When I was writing aboutItalian Jewish TasteEarlier this year, I made Nonna Emma’s Spaghetti Frittata, written by Sylvia Nacamulli, which I inherited from my Romano-Jewish grandmother (her family has lived in Italy for 16 generations). Mix tomato sauce and eggs with boiled spaghetti and make a large cake in a heated frying pan. Brown both sides and cut into wedges. Flipping a frittata isn’t easy, but it feels epic once you do it.
Speaking of nonnas, Globe contributor Claudia Catalano’s Sicilian grandmother taught her how to sauté Swiss chard in a colorful dish with olives and tomatoes in oil.
Contributor Jill Gibson’s spicy shrimp skewers with herb marinade are juicy and brown well under the broiler this time of year.
The dish that Sena Desai Gopal gave us, green beans in ginger and soy sauce, uses a blend of Indian and Chinese ingredients that was created when Chinese workers went to India. kolkata During the British Raj. When green beans are blanched and stir-fried in a frying pan with spices, ginger, soy sauce, and rice vinegar, they become brightly colored, crunchy, and delicious.
Sally Pasley Vargas wrote that her mother may have posted a sign in the kitchen that said, “Anywhere but here.” But she made one amazing dish. It’s meatloaf topped with ketchup.
Master baker Lisa Jokelson gave me shortbread break-apart cookies mixed with a little yellow cornmeal and lemon zest. Roll the dough between parchment paper and bake into a large circle, then have your guests break it up.
For St. Patrick’s Day, contributor Caroline Boehm Goodnick created Irish Soda Foals, an Irish favorite. Triangular-shaped farls are browned in a dry frying pan and look a bit like English muffins. Goodnick says to spread butter on it while it’s still warm.
There are many other dishes, but let’s start with the ones that interest you. Keep cooking until you find one that fits comfortably into your daily life. As your inventory of recipes increases, your confidence will increase. rise rapidly.
Sheryl Julian can be reached at sheryl.julian@globe.com.