Newsletter: In the kitchen: Gwyneth Paltrow and rose onion pickles
If there’s one thing Gwyneth Paltrow inspires, it’s passion. Some of us love her; some of us love to, well, not love her. Paltrow has just released her third cookbook, “It’s All Easy,” which we took for a spin. We also caught up with chef Kwang Uh, co-owner and the chef behind Baroo, one of the hottest new restaurants in Los Angeles.
It’s also the season for fava beans, which you can find piled high at a farmers market stand or even in the supermarket. We share tips for using, along with some great recipes. We also revisit one of our favorite veggie burger recipes, and argue it’s the only one you’ll ever need.
Finally, if you think wandering the aisles of a Japanese market is as much fun as going to Disneyland, you’ll want to check out this subscription-based delivery service so you can have the magic delivered to your door, once a month.
Cooking with Gwyneth Paltrow
You probably already have an opinion about Gwyneth Paltrow’s new cookbook, “It’s All Easy,” regardless of whether or not you’ve bothered to open it. Paltrow is polarizing that way. But fans of hers have argued, since her first cookbook came out, that the recipes are in fact really good. We tried the new cookbook out, even testing a couple of the recipes in our Test Kitchen. The results? The recipes may not all be as easy as the title of the book implies, but we did really like them.
Learning the joys of fermentation from Baroo chef Kwang Uh
Baroo’s Noorook features mixed grains with Job’s tears, Kamut, farro grains, roasted koji beet cream, concentrated kombu dashi, toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds, macadamia nuts, fingerlime and rose onion pickle.
Chef Kwang Uh has traveled the globe studying food, spending time in some of the world’s most prestigious kitchens. So it was more than a little surprising he decided to open his first restaurant in a run-down strip mall in a quiet section of Hollywood. Baroo, which hasn’t even been open a year, has already been nominated for a James Beard Award for best new restaurant. We sat down with the chef, learning about the seasonal and fermented ingredients that inspire him. As an added bonus, he shares his recipe for rose onion pickles.
What to do with all the fava beans showing up at the farmers markets
Granted, fava beans are one of the more high-maintenance vegetables to bring into the kitchen, but those rich, buttery beans are worth it. Now that favas are in season, we offer tips (not all favas need to be shucked!) and combed through our recipe database to select some of our favorite recipes.
This veggie burger is bound to please even meat eaters
There are so many veggie burger recipes to be found, how can you tell when you’ve found a good one? Let us help. We tested this burger recipe a few years back in our Test Kitchen, and it had even the most ardent meat lovers begging for seconds. The recipe combines quinoa, mushrooms, zucchini and yams to make a filling patty that has just a hint of spice from crushed red pepper flakes. Top the burger with a spiced tomato chutney, fried shallots and guacamole, and you’ve got a dish bound to please everyone at the table, vegetarian or not.
Japanese market care packages
If you’re one of those people who could happily lose yourself for hours on end in a Japanese market, Skoshbox is for you. A subscription-based monthly delivery service, Skoshbox brings the Japanese market experience to your door, each delivery containing a selection of Japanese snacks, toys and candies. As an added bonus, the company says most of the items delivered can only be found in Japan.
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