April 2017 ~ Super Food Notes

Quick and Crispy Home Fries – Or as We Call Them at Home, Fries

By JOKO April 28, 2017

It’s a kind of ironic that the only place many people enjoy top-quality home fries is when they eat out at a diner, but sadly that’s the case. Your average home cook’s home fries look great, and we’ll assume taste amazing, but they usually don’t get that nice crispy crust, like the ones at the local greasy spoon. The reason is simple. There the potatoes are steamed or boiled...

Calamari Marinara – Would You Like That In 45 Seconds or 45 Minutes?

By JOKO April 24, 2017

Calamari is affordable, delicious, and sustainable, yet many cooks shy away from it, since it has a reputation for being tricky to work with. I should’ve said “unfair reputation,” because while it’s true calamari can end up with a rubbery texture if overcooked, there’s a very simple way to avoid this… by really overcooking it. When it comes to calamari, it needs to be cooked...

Grilled Fava Beans – Flavor Flav, Indeed

By JOKO April 21, 2017

I bet fava beans would be a lot more popular if people knew how to cook them, or even what they were. For many people, these are just those mysterious, semi-scary, oversized green beans that they’re not sure what to do with. Which is a shame, since they’re not only delicious, and easy to prepare, but also very versatile. Fava beans shine in salads, and pastas, as well as...

Hilah’s Happy Hour featuring Chef John’s First Podcast

By JOKO April 19, 2017

That’s right, I did a podcast! Which, come to find out, is a great way to learn what those are. It’s basically like listening to the radio, only more complicated. Anyway, I appeared on Hilah’s Happy Hour, with the lovely and talented Hilah Johnson. As you’ll hear, she does most of the heavy lifting in this free-flowing interview, but you'll also get a few behind-the-scenes...

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken – My Pad Krapow Gai

By JOKO April 17, 2017

I don’t cook Thai food at home often, mostly because there are at least a dozen such restaurants within walking distance, but when I do, there’s nothing I enjoy more than this spicy Thai basil chicken. Thai basil sold separately. No, I didn’t use the real “Holy” basil, but even with regular basil, this simple recipe is spectacular. Aromatic basil is the perfect herb...

Hot Cross Buns – Mother Goose Would Love These

By JOKO April 11, 2017

Pretty much all I know about hot cross buns, I learned from the nursery rhyme, but thanks to a recipe I found on Anson Mills, I was still able to make a fairly decent batch. Including real crosses, not to be confused with dinner rolls on which an icing cross has been piped.In addition to its eye-catching appearance, the dough-based “cross” provides an interesting textual contrast,...

Hot Cross Buns – Mother Goose Would Love These

By JOKO April 11, 2017

Fresh Strawberry Jam – Because Man Cannot Live on Clotted Cream Alone

By JOKO April 07, 2017

Actually, I don’t think you can live on just clotted cream and fruit preserves either, but regardless, as promised, here’s my preferred method for making strawberry jam. While amazingly delicious, and quite satisfying to make, I’ll have to put this on the same list as homemade ketchup. This is fun to make once in a while, but due to the effort, and time involved, Smuckers...

Baked Spring Rolls

By JOKO April 07, 2017

I have always fried spring rolls and have not tried baking them until today. I don't know why I always felt they would not be crispy enough. But this time they were as good as fried ones and my husband could not tell that they were baked until I told him which kind of left him confused. They were not only crisp and crunchy but also not oily. I smeared them with olive...

The Name's Cream...Clotted Cream

By JOKO April 04, 2017

If you invented a cream preparation so incredibly delicious that you couldn’t bear the thought of anyone besides you, and the other dairy farmers in the area enjoying it, adding the word “clotted” to the name is a pretty sound strategy. While the name doesn’t exactly make the mouth water, the flavor and texture are the stuff of legends. The long, slow cooking sort of toasts...