Cuisine Eric

Jake and Amos' Hot Garlic Mushrooms are a spicy, garlicky, pickled whole button mushroom that pack a kick of flavor and rich mushroom oomph. Jake & Amos is an Amish food provider out of Pennsylvania, and I found a jar of their kickin' mushrooms at a small grocer in mid-state NY while visiting our cousins. I should have bought more, but being not far from PA, we might find some around us. I suppose any other well-spiced pickled mushroom would do well. Here, the zing of these nice bite-sized mushrooms, along with their minced garlic and red pepper flakes is nicely balanced with the herb notes of pesto sauce and the cooling calm of sour cream.  A simple but fun dish prepped quickly on a work night and sure to satisfy. 1/2 lb favorite pasta 1 cup Jake & Amos’ Hot Garlic Mushrooms, drained 1 cup pesto sauce 1/2 cup sour cream 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, for garnish Cook pasta in well salted water until just al-dente.   Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water and drain pasta. Ret

Tzatziki is a wonderful Greek yogurt dip and condiment.  It's great with pita bread or veggies, or as a topping on all kinds of grilled foods. Make sure you use a full fat, thick Greek yogurt, and that you squeeze as much water out of the grated cucumber as you can - you don't want a watery Tzatziki; it should be thick and rich. 1/2 English cucumber (about 6-inches), sliced lengthwise in half 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1 cup full fat Greek Yogurt (I used Fage 5%) 2 cloves garlic, grated with microplane or minced through a press 1/2 shallot, very finely diced 1 Tbsp fresh dill weed, minced (or 1/4 tsp dried dill) 1/8 tsp Aleppo red pepper (or fine-ground Korean chili pepper), or to taste 1 tsp red wine vinegar Cut cucumber in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to gently scrape out the seeds in the center of each half. Coarsely grate cucumber and toss in a colander with the salt.   Allow to sit 10-15 minutes. Squeeze water from cucumber and then tip onto the center of a full-sized paper to

During a recent visit to my sister-in law I learned a fantastic plant-forward ragout she makes regularly. With me as her sous chef, we whipped up this ragout very quickly, making a really rich, festive birthday dinner for my wife. You could add browned ground meat to the sauce and amp it up even more, but I make it veg, as she usually does, since it has plenty of flavor punch. Especially if you don't add meat, don't forget the coconut aminos or soy sauce for the umami kick. 16 oz baby portobello or button mushrooms, coarsely diced 5 oz (1/2pack) matchstick carrots (or grated, about 2 cups) 1 shallot, or 1 small onion, finely diced, or combo 1 red Fresno pepper, finely diced (or Jalapeño pepper) 2 cloves garlic, finely minced   1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced (or 1 tsp dried) 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, minced (or 1/4 tsp dried) 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste 1 medium zucchini, grated on a coarse grater 1 15-oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes (I used Trader Joe’s), d

This is a satisfying high veggie, high protein, low fat dinner for those who need comfort and fitness all at the same time. Quinoa: 1 cup multicolor quinoa 2 cups good chicken broth 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 1 tsp Ajika seasoning (I used Trader Joe’s - see notes) 1 Tbsp parsley, finely minced 1/4 tsp garlic powder 3 Kirby (Israeli, or miniature) cucumbers, sliced 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar (see notes) 1/4 cup cider vinegar Freshly ground pepper 12-14 grape tomatoes, sliced in thirds along their length 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely minced 2 Tbsp favorite vinaigrette dressing (see notes) Salad topping: 4 small Belgian endives, sliced 2 cups radicchio, torn into small pieces 2 cups arugula 2 Tbsp favorite vinaigrette dressing (see notes) 1.3 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch wide strips 1/2 Tbsp butter plus 1/2 Tbsp olive oil 8 oz sugar snap peas 1 yellow pepper, cored and sliced 1/4-inch 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 ripe avocado, halved, cored, peeled and sliced

Visiting Sausalito with a fantastic vantage point above downtown, the sprawling massive marina looming below us, I felt free to experiment with local breads and a light California touch. 4 medium slices sourdough bread butter for toast 1/2 cup hummus 2 slices Provolone cheese 1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced 4 Tbsp of your best fresh salsa about 1 cup of fresh arugula Balsamic vinegar and olive oil coarse salt and freshly ground pepper Get all ingredients ready.   Toast the sourdough to your liking.   Butter generously. Coat each toast slice with about   two tablespoons hummus (1/4 each of what you have). Top with 1/2 slice of cheese. Lay avocado slices evenly about the toasts. Dress each toast with about a tablespoon of salsa and scatter arugula atop each slice. Drizzle each slice with some Balsamic vinegar and olive oil to taste, and finally a light scattering of salt and fresh pepper. Serves 2 hungry or 4 snacking appetites for a great brunch, lunch or snack.