Pork Belly 101 By Andrew Zimmern Roasted pork belly is one of the most unctuous, delicious dishes that you’ll ever eat. To achieve a meltingly tender piece of pork crowned with crispy skin requires a multi-day process, but don’t let that scare you, it’s a simple technique. Serve it with bao, or on its own,… Read More →
Bar La Grassa This ode to Italy isn’t your grandparent’s eye-talian eatery. With moody date-night lighting beaming from chandeliers, a steel pasta bar that provides the best seats in the house, and a broad range of shareable plates, Bar La Grassa is one of the great Italian restaurants in the Twin Cities with consistently good… Read More →
Chicken Paillard with Panzanella Salad By Andrew Zimmern Panzanella salad perched atop grilled chicken paillard is an old-school recipe I used on restaurant menus in the 80s—proof that good food never goes out of style. Watch Andrew make this recipe: Like this recipe? Save it on Pinterest!
Ginger Scallion Oil Dipping Sauce By Andrew Zimmern Chopped scallions, grated ginger and salt are combined with heated peanut oil to create this flavorful dipping sauce—the perfect complement to my Hainanese chicken rice. This sauce is so easy to throw together and pairs well with a piece of grilled meat or fish, noodles, dumplings or… Read More →
Hot Sesame Oil Dipping Sauce By Andrew Zimmern This dipping sauce uses hot sesame oil to coax the flavor out of ginger, garlic and Szechuan peppercorns. It goes well with my Hainanese Chicken Rice, on pork, chicken, fish or beef. You’re going to love it. Watch Andrew make this recipe:
Soy & Ginger Dipping Sauce By Andrew Zimmern This scallion, soy, cilantro and ginger dipping sauce is wonderful with dumplings, poached chicken or fresh egg noodles. If I have a lot of it left over, I use it as a marinade for chicken. Watch Andrew make this recipe:
Aki’s BreadHaus In the midst of Oktoberfest season—now a worldwide trend no longer reserved for Munich—it’s only appropriate I share my favorite German bakery. In the Twin Cities, most steins of beer this month seem to be accompanied by one of Aki’s famed pretzels, and for good reason. Located in Minneapolis’ Northeast neighborhood, Aki’s BreadHaus… Read More →
How to Truss a Chicken My digital series, AZ Cooks, is all about culinary literacy. I want to give you the tips, techniques and recipes you need to become a better cook—from demystifying essential dishes from cultures around the globe to teaching basic methods for peeling, chopping and preparing everyday ingredients. Learning to truss a… Read More →
Hainanese Chicken Rice with 3 Dipping Sauces By Andrew Zimmern A popular dish in southern China and Southeast Asia, Hainan-style chicken and rice is a dish I crave often—and I’m not the only one. The ginger-scented, perfectly poached chicken served with fatty, unctuous rice seems to have developed a cult following over the years. I… Read More →
Spicy Meat-Filled Bulgur Dumplings By Robyn Eckhardt These chewy bulgur dumplings hide a filling of ground lamb and onion spiked with tomato and Turkish red pepper paste. Deep-fried versions are found all over Turkey, but I prefer this boiled version from Van, especially when it is drizzled with tomato butter before serving. You will have… Read More →
What’s the easiest way to peel fresh ginger? The best tool for prepping ginger is something I guarantee you have in your kitchen cabinet: a spoon. Because the irregular-shaped root has thin, delicate skin, a spoon can easily scrape it away without much waste. It’s also much easier to get into all of the nooks and crannies… Read More →
The Best Snack Mix Ever Invented By Andrew Zimmern It’s hard to improve on something like homemade Chex mix, but everything’s better with bacon candy—you can’t argue with that. I’ve added spiced nuts and lots of candied bacon to Chex and bagel chips, creating a symphonic blend of crunchy, salty, sweet and savory. This recipe… Read More →
Black Sheep Pizza One of my favorite pizzerias in the Twin Cities, Black Sheep Pizza brings something different to the table. While I love traditional Neapolitan-style, blistery thin crust pies, Black Sheep’s coal-fired pizza—with its chewy, crisp, sturdy and slightly charred crust—has a nostalgic East Coast vibe that always hits the spot. The menu is… Read More →
Twice-Fried Crispy Shallots By Andrew Zimmern Just like good French fries, shallots are best fried not once, but twice. Cook them the first time at a low temperature, allowing the shallots to release their moisture and soften. Raise the temperature and fry them again for just a few seconds, and the shallots will brown and… Read More →
Creamy Corn Pasta with Crispy Shallots By Andrew Zimmern All great recipes have contrasting textures and complementary flavors. This creamy corn pasta checks all of the boxes—with sweet corn, spice from chile flakes and lots of black pepper, acidity from fresh tomatoes, and a topping of crunchy fried shallots and the salty kiss of pecorino… Read More →
What is Huitlacoche? Easy to identify from its grey kernels, huitlacoche is a fungal mold that grows on corn. Often called corn smut or Mexican truffle, it’s considered a delicacy with its uniquely sweet, earthy, funky, antique corn flavor. Use the huitlacoche to season soups, saute it with vegetables, stuff it in a quesadilla or… Read More →
Brisket Nachos with Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa By Andrew Zimmern One of the easiest and most satisfying ways to utilize leftover brisket is to make a big platter of these insanely delicious nachos. Your friends will go crazy when you put these out on game day with a pitcher of margaritas…. be prepared to make a second… Read More →
The Best Latke Recipe By Andrew Zimmern Topped with leftover slices of brisket, these potato pancakes will blow your mind. For me, making latkes has always been a family activity. I first made these with my grandmother when I was 4 years old. I had my son squeezing potatoes for me when he was 3.… Read More →
112 Eatery Located a few short blocks from Target Field in downtown Minneapolis, James Beard award-winning chef Isaac Becker’s first restaurant is a favorite amongst chefs and service industry folks. That has as much to do with their steak tartare, famous 112 cheeseburger and foie gras meatballs, as it does with their night owl hours… Read More →
My Ultimate Brisket Sandwich By Andrew Zimmern Building the perfect sandwich is all about finding the right balance of flavor and texture. Brisket is a fatty, rich meat, so you need to add enough acidity and sweetness to create the best bite. With homemade pickled jalapenos, a pleasantly piquant Russian dressing, sweet and sour koolickles… Read More →
Brisket Hash with Fried Eggs By Andrew Zimmern We all lead busy lives, so it never hurts to do a little meal prep on Sunday to make weekday meals a breeze. Braise a whole brisket over the weekend, and you can cook a hearty brisket chili on Monday and this classic hash on Tuesday. Who… Read More →
Hearty Brisket Chili By Andrew Zimmern What do you do with leftover brisket? Make one of my favorite dishes, this hearty meal in a bowl. Watch Andrew make this recipe: Like this recipe? Save it on Pinterest.
Sausage, Potatoes, Onions, & Mushrooms en Papillote By Jacques Pepin I wanted to show Shorey how to make a great one-dish meal for dinner, so I chose this one featuring sausage, potatoes, onions, and mushrooms en papillote. Papillote refers to a wrapping of foil or parchment paper in which meat or fish is cooked. This… Read More →
Braised Brisket with Fennel & Onions By Andrew Zimmern This classic braised brisket is a riff on my grandmother’s recipe. It was one of the first dishes I helped my grandmother make and a staple at my family’s holiday table for generations. Braised in the oven with fennel and onions, it’s perfectly melting and tender.… Read More →
Join me in the kitchen for #BrisketWeek! I’m sharing my go-to brisket recipe, one of the first dishes I helped my grandmother make and a staple at my family’s holiday table for generations. Braised in the oven with fennel and onions, it’s perfectly melting and tender. I like to cook a whole brisket because the… Read More →
Esker Grove The Walker Art Center, a contemporary art mecca with a newly refinished sculpture garden, is one of the Twin Cities’ most beloved cultural assets. Add a beautifully designed restaurant with a menu from one of the country’s best chefs, and you have a winning combination, whether it’s date night, happy hour or brunch… Read More →
Braised Shellfish 101 By Andrew Zimmern Mussels fra diavolo is a classic, simple shellfish braise loaded with tomato sauce, shallots, garlic and lots of parsley. Be sure to serve with plenty of crusty bread, because the scarpetta, or the ritual of mopping up the remaining sauce in the bowl, is one of the great moments… Read More →
Basic Tomato Sauce I am a huge believer in culinary literacy. Everyone should know how to make a simple tomato sauce because there are so many ways to use it in the kitchen. The best part? This recipe only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish. Once you master the basic recipe, feel free… Read More →
Mixed Berry Crumble By Andrew Zimmern One morning several years ago, I was set up in the kitchen to bake a dessert as my contribution for a family dinner. My son begged me to make cookies, but I had a berry crisp in the works, so a compromise was made and this recipe was born.… Read More →
Kramarczuk’s Sausage Company Kramarczuk’s is an iconic Twin Cities restaurant and deli, serving Eastern European sausages and comfort classics for more than 50 years. Wasyl and Anna Kramarczuk moved to the United States from Ukraine in 1949. In the 50s, they bought an established butcher shop in Northeast Minneapolis, started making sausages and quickly became… Read More →
