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History suggests that cooking green tomatoes was passed on to the Black people of the South by Indigenous Americans from Mexico.

Introduction

History suggests that cooking green tomatoes was passed on to the Black people of the South by Indigenous Americans from Mexico, of which there was a large population in Mississippi.

Green tomatoes share similarities with tomatillos, which are also native to Mexico and commonly used to make sauces and stews. This dish is a great way of demonstrating that not all Southern food needs to be fried. I dry tomato slices between paper towels before grilling, drizzle them with buttermilk dressing, and sprinkle on toasted pepitas—anode to Mexico—for crunch.

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This ratatouille might look like an intimidating dish, but it’s a simple veggie stew.

Introduction

This ratatouille might look like an intimidating dish, but it’s a simple veggie stew made with colourful tomato, zucchini, eggplant, summer squash, and fragrant herbs baked in a cast-iron skillet or casserole dish until soft and bubbling.

Ratatouille is a classic summer dish originating from Provence, in the South of France. Leave it to the French to make a simple stew so impressive! We absolutely love this French-inspired rainbow ratatouille for dinner, and often include it in our weekly rotation. I especially like to serve it with toasted baguette slathered with my vegan Blue Cheese or topped with a dollop of Refreshing Ricotta Cheese.

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Oysters BBQ Fella are the elegant barbeque dish you didn't know you were missing out on.

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These slow-grilled chicken thighs and the perfect dish for any summer barbeque.

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Fruits are so delicate and evanescent that they rarely benefit from long cooking.

Introduction

Fruits are so delicate and evanescent that they rarely benefit from long cooking. But pineapples—just like a rib roast—can cook for a long time. When I cook them on a dome, I hang them for hours, but you can also cook them, as I do here, on the grill and obtain lovely results in less time. Think a young wine versus aged Burgundy: they both have their virtues, but with a different investment of time.

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Part of Vietnamese everyday meals, fragrant, wholesome, and fast soups like this one are called canh.

Introduction

Part of Vietnamese everyday meals, fragrant, wholesome, and fast soups like this one are called canh. Surprisingly, they’re typically made with water and rely on gently sautéed onion, salt, and fish sauce for foundational depth. What often defines canh is a ton of leafy greens, cooked in the pot to contribute their flavor and nutrients. A little protein is dropped in for savory flair. At the Viet table, canh is not just a first course—you can help yourself to it throughout a meal to refresh your palate. This nimble soup plays well with other dishes, but you can make a light meal of it too. Just add warm bread and butter.

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Fresh fruit cocktails are a staple in most authentic Japanese cocktail bars, so it’s no surprise the sherry cobbler is popular.

Introduction

Fresh fruit cocktails are a staple in most authentic Japanese cocktail bars, so it’s no surprise the sherry cobbler is a recipe many bartenders have embraced. The classic version features sherry as the base with a crown of berries, mint, and other fresh fruit. The TSC incorporates tomato water and takes the drink in an unexpected but still very summery direction. The rosy hue and slight acidity of tomato water interweaves with fino sherry, which is dry, salty, and tastes like Marcona almonds. I suggest sipping the TSC alongside a cheese and charcuterie board, or one of my favorite izakaya dishes: tomato wedges with Kewpie mayo and salt.

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Florence Lin showed me the depth of Chinese cuisine beginning with starches.

Introduction

Florence Lin showed me the depth of Chinese cuisine beginning with starches. In her Complete Book of Chinese Noodles, Dumplings and Breads, she explains the importance of water temperature for achieving the right spring and bite in Chinese doughs. You need very hot water to hydrate the flour most efficiently for shui jiao (水餃) wrappers and other boiled dumplings. I had learned with Italian pasta to use egg yolk to give flour elasticity, but Florence revealed how to achieve it with just the right temperature water in the right proportion. Florence wasn’t a purist. She was okay with substituting sauerkraut and Tabasco when needed, but she believed in technique. Through it, she showed that Chinese cuisine wasn’t a monolith but a world of diverse cuisines. I never got to meet her, but I carried her Chinese Regional Cookbook around with me everywhere for a long time.

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It helps with fried rice dishes to have a mise en place: meaning to have prepped and measured out all the ingredients.

Introduction

It helps with fried rice dishes to have a mise en place: meaning to have prepped and measured out all the ingredients before you start cooking. Because once you start, it all comes together very quickly. The one thing you don’t want to do is burn the gochugaru or the kimchi, which is how you lose the bright red flavor that’s characteristic of kimchi fried rice. I actually like the taste of the raw kimchi juice and all its red-peppery glory here; it’s what makes this dish taste, as my dad said, “like fire.”

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The idea of frying bananas comes from this street snack. It’s not so much a dessert as it is a mildly sweet snack.

Introduction

Thai restaurants overseas often serve some sort of battered-and-fried bananas with ice cream, which is delicious, but it’s not actually a Thai dish . . . not in that particular form. The idea of frying bananas comes from this street snack. It’s not so much a dessert as it is a mildly sweet snack, perfect for a 3 o’ clock refuel or even breakfast. Most gluay kag vendors also sell fried sweet potato and taro using the same batter, so you can certainly add those to your mix.