Cooking and Chef Recipes

In this episode, chef and cookbook author Hari Pulapaka shows me how to make bhindi masala, a popular okra dish from India.

It’s a recipe from Pulapaka’s upcoming book, Dreaming In Spice, a Sinfully Vegetarian Odyssey.

Many of the ingredients may be found in your favorite grocery store, but you may need to go to an Indian specialty store, such as Spice House in Longwood, for the curry leaves. (They keep the curry leaves behind the checkout counter, for some reason.)

Watch the video then read Pulapaka’s recipe below. And make the naan, too, it really adds to the enjoyment.

Here’s the excerpt from Pulapaka’s book:

One of the more popular dishes at Delaney’s Tavern is the Chilean Sea Bass. In this episode of Scott’s Kitchen, executive chef Anthony Albino demonstrates how it’s done. And then Scott tries his hand at it.

You can give it a try, too. Watch the video, read the recipe and get cooking.

In this episode of Scott’s Kitchen, Bruno Vrignon, executive chef at Epcot’s Chefs de France, walks Scott through the preparation of a classic steak tartare.

If you like a lot of chopping, this recipe is for you. Watch the video, then sharpen your knife and get chopping.

In this episode of Scott’s Kitchen, chef Jason Wolfe of Tornatore’s Cafe & Pizzeria in College Park walks Scott through the process of making the fan-favorite dish Rigatoni alla Vodka, complete with death-defying flambé.

(If you don’t have a gas stovetop, you can flambé the vodka using a long-handled butane lighter.)

Watch the video, then give the recipe a try.

Note: Today's column is the final edition from our good friends Pam Brandon and Anne-Marie Denicole, the Divas of Dish. Their first column appeared here on June 20, 2009, and twice monthly since then they've offered wonderful, reliable recipes, expert cooking advice and entertaining tips. Like many of you, I looked forward to each new column and followed the easy instructions with the hope that the results would be as beautiful as the photo of the Divas' finished product. The 140 so past columns are always available on the Divas of Dish pages here on SJO. And, of course, there is the cookbook that started it all, "Culinary Confessions of the PTA Divas." 

Some would argue that soup is best served on a chilly winter day, but we disagree. In all its salubrious glory, soup is a year-round pick for your health, waistline – and wallet. Perfecting the pot is an opportunity to clean out the fridge with a deliciously creative spin.
A single one-pot wonder per week, teaming with fresh veggies, legumes and whole grains (think bulgar, quinoa and farro) is your go-to lunch on the fly, or a cozy, casual supper curled up with a book, a glass of wine--and a nice big spoon.

Sweet asparagus, spring’s runway-slim veggie, is dressed to impress with a classic vinaigrette, accessorized with chopped egg and black olives for a crunchy, salty ménage a trois. And the green giant gets super-food status with no fat and no cholesterol.

Just a quick plunge in boiling water brightens the asparagus and gives it a crisp-tender crunch—or microwave for 3 to 4 minutes with about a tablespoon of water, salt and pepper, and a small drizzle of olive oil. (Broccoli can stand in for the asparagus, but be sure it’s crisp tender.)

Though tempting, it's probably not a good idea to down a big 'ol bowl of pasta every night. So it's time to get smart – you can have your noodles and slurp them with a yummy tweak or two.

Thinly sliced cabbage is the perfect playmate for noodles, seared to a slight crisp, caramelized in shimmering olive oil and garlic. Mixed with hearty bucatini, you get your carb fix, but in a smaller serving. Uncork a crisp white or a fruity red and say “cheers” to the new, buca-teeny you.

Ah, it’s almost Florida Zellwood corn season (if weather cooperates, April is the month). And while there’s other corn in season, we hold out for the sweet, tender Zellwood version.

And it’s also the season for the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, which not only celebrates blooms, but also edible plants with more than a dozen Outdoor Kitchens around World Showcase Lagoon for noshing March 2-May 30.

This Roasted Corn Salad is served with ribs at the festival’s Smokehouse Kitchen, but we think it’s great as a side with grilled fish or roast pork – or all by itself. It takes a little time to roast the corn in the husk, and to roast and peel the poblano, but you’re rewarded with intense flavors that make this dish sing.

February is as close to winter as we get in Florida, and when the temperatures dip, the divas love a simmering pot of stew. This version uses seasonal fish with just enough cream to make a rich, thin broth for sipping and dipping a crusty hunk of bread.

We used grouper, shrimp and clams, but you could add whatever seafood suits your fancy -- blue crab, oysters and scallops all would be delicious. Add a bright green salad and a crusty loaf of bread for a satisfying meal that’s a true taste of the Sunshine State.

So maybe you're over the whole hearts, flowers, and fatty chocolate foolishness. Maybe your current idea of romance is a bit less predictable, something juicy, primal, perhaps thickly sliced, cloaked in a sheen of perfectly caramelized glaze: brisket, the-ever elusive, nearly unknowable cut of beef that, not unlike a romance, demands patience and perseverance.

The brisket’s scarlet beauty seems to promise the most tender of relationships with a slow hand and some culinary wiles. Seduce her with a warm, saucy bath, both during and after cooking time, and then she's all yours (after 15 minutes of beauty rest, of course).