Weeknight Kitchen

Tarragon was made for chicken and mushrooms. Its muted aniseed flavour is somehow both bold and gentle; the sponginess of the mushrooms just soaks up the tarragon and their earthiness marries with it beautifully. The second wonder of this dish is its simplicity – just throw everything into the pan, place the chicken on top and roast.

Cauliflower-Coconut Crown Soup | garnished with smoky baby florets

If you like falafel (fried chickpea patties usually sandwiched in a pita pocket), you’ll love this healthier baked twist on that theme. The flavor profile of the fish cakes, like falafel, comes from a tasty puree of chickpeas, lemon, and spices. Adding mackerel gives a healthy seaside twist to this fusion sandwich.

Cookbook author and cooking teacher Rick Rodgers’s immediate family isn’t too large (he has two brothers, also excellent cooks), but his extended family is very big. His great-grandmother had nine children, and his maternal grandmother had seven, so, many relatives show up for the family reunions that occur on an irregular basis. “We often use my mom’s birthday as a reason for us all to get together—last year it was thirty-five hungry people. Spareribs are the favorite main course. My method grew out of a necessity to serve everyone.” Rick says that he prefers big,meaty spareribs to baby backs because he can get more servings from the spareribs. He also recommends having many filling side dishes as a way to keep everyone’s plate filled and to cut down on the work required by the person attending the grill.

Here’s a new take on Tex-Mex. The salsa that roasts under the kebabs is something like a cross between salsa and baked beans. It’s spicy and not too sweet, despite the tiny amount of brown sugar which aids in caramelization. Serve the beef and salsa with tortillas and jarred pickled jalapeño slices for easy homemade tacos.

When I’m home late from a long day’s cooking but still craving something flavour-packed and comforting to round off the day, this is what I make. These are ingredients I tend always to have in my kitchen, but you could easily mix it up with whatever veggies are in your fridge.

Traditionally made with bulgur wheat, tabbouleh is probably one of the most popular Middle Eastern salads. This version uses quinoa instead of bulgur wheat and black beans to make it more filling and nutritious by adding fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Store the tabbouleh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Our version of America’s favorite fast food skips the bun in favor of a thick, hot dosa. The Dosa Dog is one of the most popular menu items at our food truck. Kids enjoy theirs with Cheddar from Grafton Village Cheese, the Vermont factory where we park our truck, and adults typically add mustard and Masala Sauerkraut. We always choose high-quality hot dogs—the farmers’ market or the meat aisle of a natural food store are good places to find a local brand.

This “pizza” is extremely popular in Vietnam and is often ordered at street-food stands to be eaten straight off the grill. And we totally understand why. Either in spite of or because of its simplicity, it tastes fantastic.

One day at the restaurant, we got in a shipment of particularly perfect cauliflower from a farm in upstate New York. These cruciferous beauties were so grand that I was compelled to cut them into slabs, coat them in Japanese breadcrumbs, herbs, and cheese and pan-fry them until crisp on the outside and tender inside, and that’s how this dish was born.