What to Eat at the Minnesota State Fair I like to stick with tradition when it comes to the State Fair, never passing up an opportunity for cheese curds, a foot-long hot dog, an ice cold 1919 root beer and a bucket of Sweet Martha’s cookies. Fair food doesn’t need to be, and probably shouldn’t… Read More →
Pollo al Carbon with Wasakaka By Andrew Zimmern A few years ago I was filming in the Dominican Republic and stumbled across a small stand serving the most incredible version of pollo al carbon I’d ever had. I watched the cook’s technique and took notes on the marinade and basting sauce. When I returned home,… Read More →
Ruby Red Tablet Lollipops By Andrew Zimmern Inspired by my new book, AZ and the Lost City of Ophir, these lollipops are a fun and easy treat to make at home with your kids. If you don’t love cinnamon, feel free to use a different flavor oil.
Poached Salmon with Hollandaise Sauce By Andrew Zimmern I adore poached salmon. No one poaches fish anymore, but it’s a simple, elegant, feed-a-crowd meal. Plus this recipe provides great leftovers—think salmon salad, salmon cakes or salmon aspic. Watch Andrew make this recipe:
Chengdu Chicken with Black Beans, Chiles & Peanuts By Andrew Zimmern This spicy Chengdu-style chicken in an umami-rich black bean sauce is a mainstay at my house. Marinating the chicken overnight in rice wine and cornstarch makes the meat tender, helps tighten the sauce and gives the chicken a twice-cooked slippery quality that’s a sign of… Read More →
Smoked Duck & Barley Salad with Lovage & Plums By Nevada Berg Duck season begins in early autumn and one of my favorite ways to prepare duck is to smoke it. It’s a simple process and makes for fantastic flavor and crispy skin. I tend not to brine duck, but rather pat it dry and… Read More →
Top 5 Minnesota State Fair Foods My most frequently asked question has to be: “Andrew Zimmern, what is the best thing to eat at the Minnesota State Fair?” It’s a really tough question to answer, there are too many great options. Alas, I’ve tried to dwindle it down to a few items you should absolutely… Read More →
Charred Tomatillo Salsa By Andrew Zimmern This is one of my favorite salsas. It’s sweet, smoky, roasty, spicy, acidic and bright, with a hint of bitterness that I find addictive. Eat it with chips as an easy appetizer, on top of shrimp and green chiles, brisket nachos, or my Mexican pork burgers. Watch Andrew make… Read More →
Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe by Adeev & Ezra Potash I’ve invited my friends Adeev and Ezra Potash into the studio kitchen to share their recipe for chicken tikka masala. Internationally known jazz musicians dubbed the “twin horns of joy,” the brothers are also hosts of Bravo’s new digital series Beats + Bites, in which they… Read More →
Salmon Burgers with Roasted Tomatoes & Avocado By Andrew Zimmern This simple recipe allows the flavor of the salmon to shine. I prefer to use fresh salmon, as opposed to canned salmon, the extra effort and cost is worth it for a better tasting burger with a superior texture. I top my salmon burgers with oven… Read More →
Banh Mi Pork Burgers By Andrew Zimmern In this recipe, I’ve turned the craveable flavors of a classic Vietnamese banh mi sandwich into a show stopping burger—a ground pork patty chock full of vegetables, herbs and aromatics, griddled and served on a bun with a schmear of spicy mayo and pâté. Watch Andrew make this… Read More →
Bizarre Foods: Pony Express Premieres Tuesday July 3, 9/8c on Travel Channel! We filmed in some truly amazing locations for this season of Bizarre Foods. There were moments in each episode where I just had to pinch myself—whether it was driving a real World War II tank in Belgium, trout fishing in Scotland with Angus… Read More →
Chicken Skewers with Za’atar By Andrew Zimmern Here’s a peek at research and development for our Andrew Zimmern’s Canteen: Skewers concept at Minneapolis’ Target Field. In this recipe, we marinate chicken thighs in za’atar (a blend of thyme, sumac and sesame seeds that’s commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking), lemon and olive oil, before skewering… Read More →
Potato Salad By Andrew Zimmern Everyone needs a potato salad recipe in their back pocket during backyard barbecue season. I’m channeling my inner French grandmother in this version with fingerling potatoes glossed in a warm, rich bacon vinaigrette. It’s always the first thing to disappear off the potluck table… just saying. Watch Andrew make this… Read More →
Homemade Mayonnaise By Andrew Zimmern Making a batch of mayonnaise at home is so simple, and the result is a more flavorful, tangy and silky condiment than what’s available at the grocery store. It’s incredibly versatile and customizable—use it as a base for all kinds of dips, marinades and sauces, or schmear it on a… Read More →
Salad with Poached Eggs & Bacon Vinaigrette By Andrew Zimmern It’s hard to beat the contrasting combination of salty and sweet, hot and cold, soft and crunchy in this one-eyed salad with bacon and brown sugar vinaigrette. Make it for an easy brunch, lunch or weeknight supper. Watch Andrew make this recipe:
Broiled Salmon with Blue Cheese, Lemon & Dill By Andrew Zimmern With this super-flavorful dish, I debunk the myth that cheese and fish don’t go together. This recipe is a show-stopper. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Watch Andrew make this recipe:
Matzoh Ball Soup By Andrew Zimmern A Passover staple, matzoh ball soup is nurturing and medicinal. Before I had a bottle in my mouth I was sipping on this soup, and it’s remained one of my top five favorite foods. This is the only recipe I’ve come across that measures up to my grandmother’s. This… Read More →
Salmon Gravlax By Andrew Zimmern This salmon is cured for two days with a mix of fresh herbs, star anise, Pernod, sugar and salt. The salt and sugar draw out the liquid from the fish, so the texture and flavor is superb without having to weigh it down to expel the moisture. While gravlax seems… Read More →
AZ Cooks Snack Bracket Champion We have a winner! This March has been full of surprises, and my snack bracket was no different. Although my money was on Chinese chicken wings making it to the championship, I’m happy to announce that our voters crowned roast pork belly as the AZ Cooks Snack Bracket Champion. I… Read More →
Avgolemono Sauce By Andrew Zimmern Avgolemono sauce is one of the classic sauces in the Greek pantheon of culinary wisdom. It’s a lemony sauce that’s liaised, or thickened, with eggs. Here, I’m using the drippings from a roasted leg of lamb to fortify the avgolemono sauce with extra flavor. If you are making this sauce… Read More →
Roasted Leg of Lamb with Avgolemono Sauce By Andrew Zimmern Nothing beats roasting a whole leg of lamb. Roasting the leg of lamb directly on the oven rack will allow the meat to evenly brown and caramelize on all sides. While this recipe is best in the oven, it’s easily adaptable for the grill, cooking over… Read More →
Beef Gravy 101 By Andrew Zimmern This is an all-purpose beef gravy recipe. I use it to smother Swedish meatballs, roast beef, chops off the grill and broiled steak. Watch Andrew make this recipe:
How to Prepare a Geoduck We go behind the scenes at last year’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival to show you how to prepare the most delicious clam in the world. I often say eating geoduck is like kissing a mermaid. Try it and I guarantee you’ll agree. The giant clam can be daunting… Read More →
Swedish Meatballs with Beef Gravy By Andrew Zimmern I don’t think there is a more soul-satisfying meal than Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes smothered in homemade beef gravy. I like to brown the meatballs in butter first, before finishing them in the oven with a little chicken stock so they stay nice and moist. This… Read More →
Bull’s Horn Food & Drink Minneapolis has no shortage of throwback dive bars that embrace a no-frills come-as-you-are vibe, with self-service popcorn machines and cheap drinks. Even with a faint hint of stale cigarette smoke lingering, the nostalgia keeps the bar stools filled. The problem is, most of them don’t—or can’t—serve food beyond a frozen… Read More →
In my video series, AZ Cooks, I’m sharing cooking techniques and recipes inspired by my childhood, travels and experiences in the professional kitchen, all in the pursuit of culinary literacy. Thanks for tuning in, your support and feedback have made this venture a success! From classics like key lime pie and meatloaf to wok-tossed crickets and… Read More →
How to Make Paneer at Home By Andrew Zimmern One of the easiest cheeses to make at home is the classic Indian paneer. It’s a mild, fresh farmers’ cheese that takes on flavors really well, soaking up the sauce it cooks in. For my version of saag paneer, I like it to be soft and… Read More →
Moqueca de Peixe By Andrew Zimmern I tasted moqueca for the first time along the Brazilian coast south of Rio de Janeiro, and I was instantly hooked. Brazilian seafood stews of this type will blow your mind. Every time I cook this dish for friends and family, even on Food Network’s All-Star Academy, the reaction is… Read More →
How to Make Chicken Lollipops Looking for a fun presentation for chicken wings or legs? Learn how to make chicken lollipops, an easy frenching technique where you scrape the meat away from the bone to create a lollipop shape. The chicken will be more succulent and easy to eat with its bone handle. Learn how… Read More →
