Simple Lentil Soup with Brown Butter (Dispatches from French Cooking Class)

I started taking French cooking classes at my local community college, and it’s been the calorie-rich highlight of my weeks. Because the course is conducted in German, I not only get to learn the finer points of butter and egg yolks, I can also practice my umlauts. It’s been a great experience, and I wanted [...]

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“Moroccan” Chicken Stew

There are scare quotes in the title because I have no idea how authentically Moroccan this stew is.  Regardless, it’s delicious and definitely worth the chopping involved.  Jam-packed with vegetables, slightly spicy, and full of flavor, it’s even pretty good for you.  Don’t be scared off by the long list of ingredients; if you make [...]

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Hirschgulasch (German-Style Venison Stew with Red Wine)

Should you ever find yourself with an abundance of venison on your hands (via a generous hunter or a murderous rampage against the buck raiding your flower beds), consider whipping up a batch of Hirschgulasch.  This recipe originates from an Austrian restaurant where I used to serve and bartend.  I met many a character there, [...]

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Chili con Carne with Pan-fried Polenta

It’s official:  all this cold, dark weather has put me on a comfort food kick.  If the forecast is to be trusted, sunset hits Berlin at about 4:30pm. Honestly, I haven’t seen the sun make an appearance on any recent afternoon.  It’s just been gray, gray, gray.  Then pitch dark. As close to a sunny [...]

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Chunky Potato Cream Soup

Image via The Big Blend Cool weather just screams out for hearty, homey food, don’t you think? The weather dropped a good 15 or 20 degrees (Fahrenheit…have to specify now!) this past month in Berlin, and I’ve been craving comfort food. This chunky, creamy potato soup fits the bill without being a total fat-bomb. It’s [...]

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Japanese Curry with Crispy Tofu Cutlets (Tofu Katsu Kare)

Rumor has it that curry made its way from India to Japan during the colonial period via the British navy. There it morphed into a mild, savory-sweet roux-based sauce that’s the perfect counterpoint to a crispy piece of pork or tofu.  If you’re used to eating coconut-milk laden or incredibly spicy curries, Japanese curry is [...]

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“Skyline” Cincinnati Chili, Redux

Superbowl Sunday seemed like the perfect weekend to perfect a classic Cincinnati chili recipe.  And how:

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To Brown or Not to Brown?

Credit: recipetips.com When you make a roast or braise, do you brown the meat first?  I’d always thought this was a crucial step in infusing  a dish with lots of flavor.  But I just read a recipe from Jamie Oliver suggesting that, at least in the case of stew, you get better results if you skip the browning.  Check it [...]

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