Entrees

Brown Rice Jambalaya

June 9, 2012 by Charles Leave a Comment

In many ways, a recipe is like a fingerprint. While the basic curves and contours are always the same, each has an identity of its own. From the portions and ingredients down to the size of the dice and the speed of the whisk, there is always some level of inherent uniqueness to any one recipe. This individuality may not always be apparent at first-glance – a finger-tip is, after all, a finger-tip – but look close enough and you will find it.

Jambalaya, a New Orleans classic, is particularly well-suited to this individuality. The basic structure of jambalaya centers around the “trinity” — celery, onion, and peppers. Rice is almost essential,…

Spaghetti with Homemade Pesto

May 7, 2012 by Charles 1 Comment

Sometimes the simplest dinners are the ones that shine and surprise.

This dinner was not inspired or born of a late-night epiphany. Instead, its origins were pedestrian and utilitarian. It was a question of practicality over originality. There was no high math.

It was Saturday morning and I was taking inventory in the refrigerator. I was checking expiration dates, volume levels, and the state of the fruit and vegetable drawers. Milk was running low and the sour cream was running bad. There was plenty of fruit, but not enough vegetables. The cheese still looked strong, but the herbs were getting soft. …

Sweet Potato Falafel

March 21, 2012 by Charles 9 Comments

When Caitlin comes to Cincinnati, she often takes a flight right after work, which puts her into CVG around 8:40 P.M. That means she’s hungry for dinner. And since I’ve also been waiting until then to have my dinner, it’s imperative that I arrive at the airport with a strategy in hand. I can be very slightly grumpy when I’m hungry.

One of the problems, though, is finding a fun place that is not winding down at that hour. In a city like New York, Chicago, or the like, it’s certainly not a problem. But in a smaller city like Cincinnati, a lot of restaurants are closing shop by 10:00 P.M.

One afternoon, as Caitlin was readying to leave, I spent a few minutes on Yelp, and found my answer. The Senate Restaurant was open until 11:00 P.M. Better yet, it was downtown, a convenient location coming from the airport. And finally, scanning the menu, I knew it had something I would love. After I sent the menu to Caitlin, she also agreed that it looked good. We had a plan.

When we arrived at the Senate,…

Vegetarian Tofu Chili

December 26, 2011 by Charles Leave a Comment

As the Holidays come to an end and the weather turns from cool to downright frigid, a warm bowl of chili becomes all the more inviting.

While I was in Cincinnati, I made a version of that city’s namesake chili. In that effort, I used ground turkey to thicken the chili and give it that hearty depth.

This year, Caitlin and I have been striving to eat less meat, all …

Aloo Gobhi Masala

November 30, 2011 by Charles 4 Comments

The other day, when I was in the gym, I was flipping through the channels, searching for something to hold my attention while on the treadmill. After a few clicks, I stopped, landing on the familiar fedora of Indiana Jones.

As Indiana trekked through the jungles on his elephant, I immediately recognized this movie as the second installment in the series, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I wasn’t old enough to see the movie in the theaters — I was only four — but I can remember watching the movie as a young teen, perhaps catching the movie on television late one weekend night.

Owing to my young age, …