Posts by joanne
Grilled Lamb and Onion Kabobs with Olive Aioli
Lemon, olive oil, rosemary, and garlic – this is my favorite marinade for lamb, whether I am cooking a roast or skewering kabobs. They work well together because both the marinade and the lamb are products of the Mediterranean. The sauce, made of garlic and olive-flavored mayonnaise, is also…
Grilled Eggplant Wraps with Lemon Aioli, Feta, and Mint
Many of my favorite flavors from Greece are contained in this one fragrant little wrap. You can make them all summer long using an outdoor grill, but you can also cook them indoors year round using a grill pan or a broiler. Stick a skewer sideways through the onions to…
Ask the Kitchen Shrink!
It’s time for summer entertaining and I just wanted to remind you that over the years the Kitchen Shrink has answered many of the questions you might encounter in planning and preparing your special menus–and the answers are all here on this site 24/7. Just select Kitchen Shrink in the…
Radish and Orange Salad with Peppery Orange Dressing
Radishes don’t get enough love in this country and I have no idea why. They are both peppery and sweet, crunchy, and quite refreshing. Teamed up with oranges, arugula, and olives, they make a great side salad. By the way, The best way to slice radishes is with a food…
Shallots and Onions: Can they be interchanged?
There are many varieties of both shallots and onions within the species Allium cepa. They vary in appearance in that shallots grow in clusters attached at the bottom and each onion is an individual. But there doesn’t seem to be a consensus as to which is stronger in flavor. Perhaps…
Grilled Potato and Corn Salad with Chipotle Mayonnaise
The corn in this salad should be grilled, but what’s the best way to do it? In the husk? With some of the husk removed? Stripped naked? My wholehearted vote is for the “naked” or fully husked, method, which creates an unbeatable toasted popcorn flavor. The secret ingredients here are…
Packing Safely: How Can I Safely Pack and Carry a Picnic?
Now that summer picnic season is in full swing, I have had several requests for information on safely packing and carrying foods. Whether you are driving miles to a park or the beach or going next door for supper on the deck, the heat is on and you need to…
A Summer Salad from Paris
Several years ago Cory Van Horn sent me this photo along with an e-mail saying “I made your ‘Summer Salad from Paris’. . . . This recipe is delicious! I loved how all the flavors scream summer.” You can find more of his work at www.culinarycory.com. Janis Adler is my…
Sautéed Pork Loin with Mustard and Grapes
When I was in High School my Mom and I threw all kinds of dinner parties. (Actually she threw the parties and I helped cook.) Our favorite dish was Veal Scaloppine. I liked it no matter how it was cooked or sauced. It seemed so elegant to us, and there…
Creamed Finnan Haddie with Johnnycakes
The smoked haddock known as finnan haddie is a Scottish thing and therefore a New England thing. My Dad (pictured here with me on Labor Day 2001) grew up loving it for breakfast—almost always prepared in the creamed version detailed here—as a kid in Milton, Massachusetts. I added the johnnycakes…