Welcome to Tuesday Recipe  — so called because you can sign up here to have a recipe emailed to your inbox every Tuesday and because Tuesday Recipe has the same initials I do (you can find out information about me, Tori Ritchie, here too). Sign up in the box at right to join. It's free and it's fun. Here's what's cooking this week:

tuesday february 2, 2010

Once in a while I’m asked what my “secret food craving” is. The answer should probably be single-sourced Venezulan chocolate or a foie gras torchon or Caspian Sea caviar. But it’s not.

The answer is Swiss chard. I know, I know: It sounds too wholesome to be true. But it started in college when I was so sick of dorm food that I craved any greens other than salad bar salads. When I lived in an apartment as a senior, I would cook myself a huge pile of chard and douse it with olive oil, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese. This love of chard explains why it appears in the minestrone, the torta,  and the sausage sauté on my site. It appears I’m not alone though. This Swiss chard dish from my book Braises & Stews is one of the most frequently downloaded recipes on my site. Make a batch tonight. Or, if you live in the Bay Area, come have a bite of it this Saturday Feb. 6 at at 3pm at Omnivore Books in Noe Valley. I’ll be signing copies of Braises & Stews and would love to see you there. (If you haven’t been to Omnivore, it’s an absolute must for cookbook lovers: contemporary and vintage titles in a charming setting in a cool neighborhood with restaurants galore.)

tuesday january 26, 2010

It rained. It hailed. It snowed. And that was in Los Angeles!

Last week was one of the most intense and dramatic I’ve ever experienced, both inside and out. I was in North Hollywood to host a new cooking reality show that’s going to air on the web starting in April. We worked 15-hour days. There were 50 people on the set, including the contestants. We cooked and ate 30 dishes over the course of 4 days. All the while, the rain and hail pounded the roof of the studio. When I finally flew home on Sunday, I looked back from the plane to see the mountains surrounding the LA basin covered — not capped, but covered — in snow. Unreal!

When I got to San Francisco, all I wanted to do was eat something healthy. I stopped on the way home from the airport at the best organic market in town and loaded up on vegetables and greens. Back at my cozy apartment, I made a pot of this soba soup from the Tuesday Recipe archives. Sam was so relieved not to be having take-out food again that he ate two bowlfuls. It was raining outside our windows, but we barely noticed.

By the way, the show is going to be fantastic and as soon as it is available, I will send you a link to watch it and you can vote for who you think should win the incredible kitchen we cooked in. There’s even a Tuesday Recipe subscriber among the contestants.

tuesday january 12, 2010

Is there anything grayer than January? I know most of the country is in a deep freeze so I can’t complain about San Francisco, but even we have had endless days with zero, zip, zilch sunshine. So when a recipe popped into my inbox that was all golden and bright and promised warm, spicy flavors, I grabbed a pot and made it. This squash soup isn’t the usual stuff. Created by my pals Mary and Sara—aka the twins, aka best-selling cookbook authors and now bloggers—it’s buzzed up with curry, ginger, coconut milk and lime. I had pre-cut butternut squash from the grocery store in my fridge (a shortcut I highly recommend; you need about a pound of it) so it came together really fast. I took a photo for you, sat down and stared into that sunny bowlful, then ate the whole thing. Now I feel much better.

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tuesday january 5, 2010

Well, so much for closing my kitchen for the season. Truth is, I can never stay out of the kitchen. Too many intriguing things to try, like this recipe from my old pal Jed in New York. It’s been sitting on my desk, waiting for the right time to pull out my chili pot. Since Jed calls it El Paso Real Texas Chili, the right time seemed to be December 31, when my alma mater played in the Sun Bowl in that very city. However, we ended up eating it the next day while watching Oregon play Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. And that was better for two reasons. One, like all stews, this is superb on the second day. And two, with all the red wine and garlic going on in there, it’s really a cross between spaghetti sauce and chili, which means it’s great on pasta. Which just happens to be the way they serve it in Cincinnati. Which just happens to be in Ohio. Which just happens to be the state where Jed went to college. So two states in one bowl and two ways of making dinner.

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Want to hear what people are saying about Tuesday Recipe? Here are just a few of the comments we've received lately:

Just wanted to relish you with compliments...I made your Christmas dinner from Bon Appetit and it was absolutely fantastic. The meat was unbelievable and so were all the other accompaniments. Beacuse we enjoyed that meal so much, I looked up your website and tried the best ever chicken and potatoes tonight with a fresh salad. Well, it couldn't have been more delicious, in fact it was perfection. I just wanted to thank you...my family thanks you too.
Felicia H.

Last night I made the enchiladas and the spinach slaw and both were phenomenal.  Everyone at dinner asked for your website! Thanks so much for such a great service. 
Judy H.

Thought you'd appreciate knowing that I just returned from a 5th grade Mom's night out potluck. I brought Carol's chili-cheese squares and your quinoa salad and in walked the root beer cake that someone else had made. All were hits!
Sally S.

I have been preparing roast chicken and potatoes for many years and frankly, I was in a bit of a rut. But your recipe was so savory, moist and popular that we had very few leftovers.
Margie W.

We had a wonderful al fresco dinner with your recipes, I made your gazpacho, quinoa salad (we had grilled halibut for the main course) and my friend brought your strawberry meringue cake. Everyone loved it! Thanks for your easy yet tasty recipes. My friends and I look forward to them every Tue.
Terri G.
 
I just wanted to acknowledge how much I am enjoying your recipes.  I, too, consider myself "a cook," and come from a large family of women who are handy in a kitchen. Providing delicious food has always been a gift of love for me to give to the people I love. I consider cooking in my kitchen a day of play and the recipes I have received from your site are always  welcome - great taste, easily prepared.  Thank you for sharing your talents.
Pat M.

Your guaranteed dinner party hit, the beer-and onion-braised chicken recipe was indeed a big hit. I served it last night for some friends and they loved it. I did use chicken breasts because one of the guests does not eat thighs. It still turned out tender and juicy. Thanks for your ideas and keep up the good work.
Anita E.