Welcome to Tuesday Recipe  — so called because you can sign up here to have a recipe emailed to your inbox (almost) 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 august 24, 2010

I’m a fig freak and I haven’t been getting my fix this year because the cool weather in California slowed down the ripening of the main crop—98% of the nation’s fresh figs come from here. But I’m starting to see them in markets and my sources tell me the crop is now in full production. Phew! That means I’m breaking out my recipes for fig and gorgonzola crostini, fig galette, and my current craving, roasted figs with orange juice, which take moments to put together and are especially good with Greek yogurt ice cream.

click here for this week's recipe  

tuesday august 10, 2010

They're baaaaack. I mean zucchini, of course. Popping up in farmers' markets, CSA boxes and neighbors' yards, in sizes from fingerling to baseball bat. And even though I get zucchini all year long at the grocery store, the summer harvest seems to deserve more than just a toss in a pan for side dish status. So ever since I learned about vegetable gratins from Greene on Greens, the all-time great vegetable cookbook by the late Bert Greene, that's how I treat zucchini at this time of year. It's really a matter of dragging out stuff you probably already have in the kitchen: some cheese, some breadcrumbs, some herbs, some milk.
    Milk? Yes, milk. I discovered this year that if I moisten the topping with milk instead of oil, it's less greasy and more crunchy because the sugar in the milk caramelizes along with the cheese. Speaking of which, I recommend gruyere or Asiago cheese, but I've also used cheapo pre-grated cheddar in an emergency and it works fine. The secret is to brown the zucchini first for extra flavor. Other than that, this a cinch to make and you can serve it for lunch or dinner, even breakfast. Seriously. It's fantastic with a fried egg.

click here for this week's recipe 

tuesday august 3, 2010

Yesterday, I got an email from an illustrator in Salt Lake City who is a friend of a friend. Attached was a colorful, textural image of "corn and tomatoes"…she wanted to know if I had a recipe she could link with it on her blog. Of course I said yes, corn and tomatoes being one of the all-time great combos (except if you're my friend Heather, but that's another story). This inspired me to dig up a recipe for corn and tomato relish that I created for Bon Appetit's grilling issue a few summers ago. It's vivid, it's healthy, it's quick to make and it's a summer classic. Put the relish on grilled fish or pork, in tacos or quesadillas, or on grilled bread, like they did for the photo in the magazine.

click here for this week's recipe

tuesday july 20, 2010

I’m suffering from a weird syndrome where the only alcohol I can tolerate is good tequila. Wine gives me a headache; beer makes me too full; other hard liquor leaves me goofy. I figure, if it has to be tequila, it might as well be the good stuff. So I emptied my wallet to procure a bottle of golden, 100% agave añejo. Then I started experimenting with margarita recipes and this is my favorite to date. Use real grapefruits and real limes; no cheating with bottled citrus juice. You can cheat and use less expensive tequila than the one I do, however. In fact, you can use any tequila, as long as it’s 100% agave. Otherwise I guarantee you will have a headache.

click here for this week's recipe 

tuesday july 13, 2010

I saw a recipe called Eggplant with Preserved Lemon in the San Francisco Chronicle food section and thought, hmmm...that sounds good. I made it and the flavors were outstanding, but hmmm...the texture wasn’t right (the roasted, mashed eggplant was a bit watery). I prefer eggplant roasted with the skin on, so I made it again with little cubes and, hmmm...it was truly outstanding, but the amount was chintzy. So I made it a third time with one roasted/mashed eggplant and one roasted/cubed eggplant and...it was off the charts! Serve this as an appetizer scooped up with seeded crackers, or as a topping on toasted baguette for crostini, or as a pita-bread filler with roasted red bell pepper and sliced feta cheese, or as a side dish with roasted lamb or chicken. In other words, find any excuse you can to eat it. 

click here for this week's recipe

tuesday july 6, 2010

 It was the typical July 4th in San Francisco — beautiful until 4:30 in the afternoon when the fog came swooshing through the Golden Gate, the temperature dove to 55° and the fireworks were just colored blurs in the clouds. So while most of the country was roasting, I was roasting strawberries. I swear it’s worth turning on the oven for this, though. The fruit comes out intensely concentrated with a built-in syrup that begs to be poured over ice cream. I put it on the world's easiest yogurt ice cream (just whisk together 3 ingredients and freeze). Or use any store-bought vanilla ice cream. Or put the roasted strawberries on pancakes or waffles or crepes. Or set this recipe aside for when you can bear to face your oven again.

click here for this week's recipe

tuesday june 29, 2010

My cookbook club got together last week to make dishes from Ad Hoc at Home, the newest book by Thomas Keller, about his family-style restaurant in Yountville. We've worked from his books before -- the French Laundry was one of our all time great performances -- but unlike that book, this is one you will cook from again and again. Since I like to keep these notes brief, I'll refer you over to Jodi's blog if you want to read the full details of our menu, but I'm sharing one of the recipes I made because it sums up everything Keller teaches in the book: use seasonal ingredients, combine them simply, and add a touch of unexpected flavor to distinguish it from every other version. In this case, it's fresh lime stirred into creamed corn. Who woulda thunk? As with all Keller recipes, it pays to follow directions closely: start with the amount of lime recommended, then taste and adjust seasonings as you find fit. Aim for a perfect balance of sweet, salty, sour and creamy.

click here for this week's recipe

tuesday june 15, 2010

I’m in the weirdest pickle: I can’t find my beloved ice cream machine. A friend gave it to me 20 years ago and even though it’s a simple Sunbeam electric model that you load with ice and rock salt, it was the neatest, most efficient, easy-to-store appliance. Ice cream makers today usually have canisters that need to be pre-frozen, so the only way to make ice cream at the last minute is to have that thing constantly at the ready. Well, I can’t sacrifice space to store one full-time in my compact Liebherr freezer. I know Sunbeam makes a new model and I’ll probably just buy it, but it’s bigger than my old one and not nearly as cute.  So in the meantime, I’m making granita rather than ice cream. You don’t need a machine for granita (aka Italian ice) – you just freeze it in a baking pan. And that I can make room for, especially when it’s cherry season. 

click here for this week's recipe

tuesday june 8, 2010

I love spontaneous dinner parties. They’re always the best. So when our friends Judy and Don showed up in San Francisco this weekend on — surprise! — their honeymoon, we had them over to celebrate on the fly. It had to be the simplest menu ever (I didn’t even go shopping until 5pm) and it was, especially dessert, which I whipped up after I cleared the dinner plates. Keep it in your files for when you can’t think of anything else or when you don’t want to turn on the oven or if you're lucky enough to have friends drop by on their honeymoon. (And thanks to Lynn, who taught me this in the first place, when we showed up at her house for dinner once.)

click here for this week's recipe

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

Yesterday, I was baking cookies with my 12-year-old son and commented that I thought he needed to know how to cook more than just cookies. What, I asked, will you do when you go to college, buy take-out all the time?  He replied, "No way.  I'll subscribe to Tori Ritchie and cook everything that comes on Tuesdays. I'll be fine."
Kate F. 

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" [not a "chef"] 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.