Posts by The Katz Tales
SMOKED BASMATI COCONUT RICE
I love food markets—the more exotic, the better. Wherever I travel, one of my first trips is always to the local market. Luckily, here in New York, we have a few markets that seem to carry whatever obscure ingredient you can imagine. One of my favorite places to shop aimlessly is Kalustyan’s on Lexington Avenue.…
Read MoreRATATOUILLE
We’re big Pixar fans in our house, so when the movie Ratatouille came out, I wanted to figure out how to re-create the famous dish Remy makes for that harshest of food critics, Anton Ego. Although ratatouille is actually a very simple comfort dish made with whatever vegetables come from the garden, the addition of…
Read MoreSALMON POKE BURGERS
I try to eat salmon at least once a week to make sure I get some Omega-3 fat in my system. It seems to be the only fat that’s good for you, so my hope is that it will seek out all the other fats and scare them away. I’ve broiled salmon, poached it, stir-fried…
Read MoreTORTELLONI CARBONARA
Once I’m home for the day, the bra comes off and the fuzzy slippers go on. It takes a lot to motivate me to go out again. So if I haven’t shopped for dinner or I’ve been spending too much money on pizza delivery, we could be left with cereal for dinner. Of course, since…
Read MoreSEAFOOD PAELLA
Everyone needs a great party dish and one of my favorites is seafood paella. One bite transports me to the Spanish seaside town of Torremolinos where I not only had my first taste of paella, but also one magical evening on the back of a motorcycle with a guy named Enrico. But that’s another story.…
Read MoreNO-KNEAD CHEESE BREAD
Whenever we go to visit my in-laws just north of Chicago, we always make a trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin, just to go to the Mars Cheese Castle. It’s this wonderfully tacky, fake castle just off the highway that sells everything from cheese curds to authentic Danish Kringles. My husband is addicted to their cheddar cheese…
Read MoreSALMON ROULADE
My husband and I practically live at the sushi bar across the street. We’ve spent countless hours watching Osamu, the owner and chef, prepare hundreds of pieces of sushi and rolls. Although I’m reluctant to make raw fish rolls on my own, knowing full well they’ll never be as good as Osamu’s, watching him inspired…
Read MoreBURRATA IN THE GARDEN
Every summer we plant an urban vegetable garden on our roof deck. Depending upon the year, we’ve had some success, particularly if we beat the squirrels to our harvest. But by far, the most consistent and tastiest crops are our cherry tomatoes. We plant all different kinds and sizes. I like using small, sweet tomatoes…
Read MoreTWO INGREDIENT MARINADE
Admit it—you ordered Chinese food at least once a week during Covid lockdown. Okay, maybe you didn’t, but I did. My local take-out place always throws in soy sauce and duck sauce packets by the handful. Being someone who hates to waste, I put them to good use for this very simple marinade. Sometimes I…
Read MoreKK’s EXOTIC SPICE BLEND
Whenever I travel, I’m a sucker for those pre-packed spice blends used in the local cuisine. I’ve got Voodoo Spice from the Caribbean, Creole seasoning from New Orleans, Pacific Cioppino Spice blend from San Francisco, and Shichimi Tagarashi from Tokyo. They’re all taking up space in my pantry, having been forgotten about as soon as…
Read More