RECIPES
Soy Sauce-Braised Shell-On Shrimp and Scallions
These soy sauce-braised shrimp bring me back to those happy days in Shanghai when I finally could enjoy more than a few crustaceans at a time.
Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
The distinct shape of a standard donut, the torus, enables the operator of said equipment to perform a variety of essential functions. These are covered in cinnamon and can also make you nap.
Chicken, Andouille, and Red Bean Gumbo
As a red bean, I’ve been in chilis a good bit, been seated next to rice, and sometimes get invited to swim in soups, so I guess it’s not all that new to be in a gumbo. It’s exciting, though, since there are definitely a few unfamiliar characters to get used to…
Shrimp Arancini (Fried Rice Balls) with Lemon
Packed with big cheese and livened with lemon, these balls emerge hot from their swim in an olive oil ocean to please and delight you.
Shrimp Risotto with Homemade Stock and Cherry Tomatoes
Neither soup nor merely starch, risotto dwells at an interstice of textural delight. Supple and smooth with a slight bite, this dish binds shrimp and stock with pearls of creamy white. From roots in France and the Italian coast, ocean flavors and orange feelings combine for a vibrant experience that will abide.
Duck Cracklings (or Quacklings)
In a waddling line no longer, ducks have got snacks built right in: Quack, Quack, Crunch! Just like how bacon gains its particularly popular crisp from a happy hog’s bulging belly, ducks keep warm on the water and in the winter with plenty of fat under their thick skin. When the farmer comes a loppin’, and you get to choppin’, respect the bird, and make it better than bacon.
Twice-Cooked Pork Belly Stir-fry with Shiitakes and Shishito Peppers
This twice-cooked pork belly stir-fry presents my own imaginings of a dish rooted in place, yet allowed to wander.
Spicy Cauliflower
My cauliflower is crisp and fun, spicy and no-longer white, and promises to tinkle your tongue with every bite.
Buttermilk-Brined Spatchcocked Chicken
It’s no surprise that Southern fried chicken often relies on a buttermilk brine for both flavor and function. The tang tenderizes, while the salt works its magic, transforming a generic pound of poultry into a favorite pre-lunch snack.
Spinach Gomae (Spinach with Sweet Peanut Sauce)
This Japanese-inspired spinach dish is pleasantly sweet and best served cold.
Crunchy Cajun-inspired Oven Potatoes
These Crunchy Cajun-inspired Oven Potatoes pack so much flavor that you’ll finish them faster than you can say: I like potatoes.
Chicken Turmeric Fried Rice
A few ingredients prepared very simply can make for a wonderful meal, and, depending on the aromatics involved, can indeed evoke the feels of foreign lands. So, buckle the seatbelts on that beautiful Karastan rug, and transport yourselves to an imagined world made right here in the US of A.
Potato Sauerkraut Stir-fry
There comes a day in the life of any ferment when it’s time to come out of the jar. Today is that day. Most choose to follow in the footsteps of those who have come before: hooking up with a fat sausage, sliding into a reuben, or idling as choucroute. But this sauerkraut will be different.
Pickled Pepper and Bacon Stir-fry
These pickled peppers have reached the end of their ride, where bacon are waitin’.
Twice-Cooked Pork Belly Stir-fry #1
Pork belly falls into three categories of cooked: strikingly crisp, luxuriously soft, or kind of chewy. Bacon, braises, and our twice-cooked pork belly stir-fry, respectively, represent this general range.
Carrot Daikon Pickles
They’re sweet. They’re funky. They’re acidic. What else can I say? These carrot daikon pickles are a family-favorite that pop up all over Our American Cuisine. Think of them like Where’s Waldo? (or perhaps Finding Nemo), and you’ll soon have a new jar in the back of your fridge that you’ll never want to forget.
Cheddar, Onion, and Pickle Sandwich
The classic Reuben served at a wood-paneled bar was a delight for road-weary travelers. This cheddar, onion, and pickle sandwich is a variation with only a few minor substitutions.
Gorgonzola, Quince Jam, and Mint Sandwich
If I were a sandwich, I’d want to leave your mouth minty fresh. Enough with tuna and all the onions, put me inside of you, and feel confident that the date you’re cooking a glorified grilled cheese for will want to flip you around like a sandwich on that hot, hot griddle.
Palm Sugar Caramel Corn with Pecans
When I was a Boy Scout, I sold popcorn door-to-door one summer to the sympathetic senior citizens who lived within three blocks of my house. The fishing pole I earned for my efforts was entertaining, although peddling stale popcorn at inflated prices was simply a losing proposition.
Cajun-inspired Shrimp Fried Rice
On Our American Cuisine, you never know what you are going to get. The term “cajun” reminds me of my high school orchestra trip to New Orleans. Big brass, beignets, and a night of zydeco (plus dancing!) come to mind, along with alligator sausage, a very cold hot-tub-sized pool, and dinner with Bubba Gump.