June/July 2020

Cook's Country

Foolproof recipes of American home cooking and easy, weeknight meals.

Cook's Country1 min read
Twice the Tomato?
My tube of tomato paste says that it is “double concentrated.” Should I use only half the amount called for in recipes? –Norma Dudley, Lynnwood, Wash. Of the tomato pastes sold in American supermarkets, most tubed pastes are made in Italy and most ca
Cook's Country1 min readRegional & Ethnic
Ready To Take It Outside?
In this book, you’ll find all you need for casual patio meals prepared entirely on the grill (from meat to vegetables to pizza). Visited the farmers’ market? Find ideas for main dishes as well as sides inspired by the seasonal bounty, plus the best f
Cook's Country2 min read
Cook’s Country
Chief Executive Officer David Nussbaum Chief Creative Officer Jack Bishop Editor in Chief Tucker Shaw Executive Managing Editor Todd Meier Executive Food Editor Bryan Roof Deputy Editor Scott Kathan Deputy Food Editor Morgan Bolling Senior Editor Cec
Cook's Country2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Dish Dilemma
What’s the difference between a baking pan and a baking dish? –Emily Muldoon, Andover, Mass. When we call for a baking pan in our recipes, we’re referring to a metal pan, ideally one with straight sides and crisp corners that will give well-defined,
Cook's Country2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Letter From The Editor
WHEN I WAS growing up, I often spent a couple of weeks during the summer with my grandparents, who lived in a small New England town with white clapboard houses and old brick civic buildings and a beautiful little Carnegie library, where my grandmoth
Cook's Country1 min read
Biased Thinking
Some of your recipes call for slicing foods such as carrots and scallions on the bias. What does that mean? –Ted Bachmann, St. Augustine, Fla. Foods cut on the bias are cut on the diagonal. Picture yourself slicing a peeled carrot into rounds. Instea
Cook's Country1 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Infuse It and Reuse It
–Leslie Goodman, Saratoga, N.Y. I don’t keep cheesecloth on hand, so when a soup recipe calls for making a spice bundle (bouquet garni), I put my tea infuser to work instead. It’s a cinch compared to tying up the spices and herbs myself, and it’s reu
Cook's Country1 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Season It
Can I use unseasoned rice vinegar in a recipe that calls for seasoned rice vinegar? –Morgan Affleck, Arvada, Colo. Rice vinegar is made from steamed rice. Also called rice wine vinegar (not to be confused with rice wine), it has a mild acidity and ge
Cook's Country1 min readRegional & Ethnic
Bring Home the Bacon (and Freeze It)
–Devon Starhill, Plano, Texas Around my house, bacon is a pantry staple, and I like to have it at the ready at all times. So when I get it from the store, I’ll buy 2 pounds—1 pound to cook into strips for BLTs or breakfast and 1 pound to cut up into
Cook's Country1 min readCooking, Food & Wine
More Appealing Garlic Peeling
–John Dutton, Dover, N.H. I recently saw an ad for a silicone garlic peeler and realized I might already own something that could do the job just as well: my silicone baking mat. I grabbed a handful of unpeeled garlic cloves; rolled them up inside th
Cook's Country1 min read
Finding a Good Pasta Substitute
DUE TO THE demand driven by diverse culinary restrictions, chickpeas, lentils, and dried beans have been popping up in everything from chips and burgers to bread crumbs. Another food category they’ve entered? Pasta. To find out if gluten-free legume
Cook's Country5 min read
North Carolina Barbecue Pork
+ Finer chop, thinner sauce + Best served with collard greens, coleslaw, and cornbread This simple arrangement of carefully counted charcoal briquettes provides a long-burning, low, smoky fire that you need to reload only once for this recipe. WHEN Y
Cook's Country2 min read
Couscous Tabbouleh
COME SUMMER, I crave lighter, fresher, grain-and-vegetable-based dishes such as tabbouleh, a salad from the eastern Mediterranean that’s become a refrigerated supermarket staple in the United States. Tabbouleh is usually made from lightly steamed (or
Cook's Country3 min read
Grilled Chicken Teriyaki
IN JAPANESE, TERIYAKI roughly translates as “shiny grilled” and describes a cooking style in which meats are marinated in a thin but potent mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin (a sweet Japanese wine) or sometimes sake and then quickly grilled or b
Cook's Country2 min readRegional & Ethnic
The Titan of Teriyaki
WHEN SEATTLE COOKING legend Toshi Kasahara invited me for a teriyaki lunch at his restaurant in Mill Creek, Washington, about 30 minutes outside of the city, I hadn’t pictured a strip-mall storefront with just three tables and a view of Staples and R
Cook's Country3 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Brighter, Fresher Succotash
SUCCOTASH, A SAVORY medley of sweet corn, beans, and zucchini or summer squash, should taste clean and fresh. But all too often it is underseasoned, overloaded with dairy, or muddy—not good. When seasonal produce is at its best, it should shine. To b
Cook's Country3 min read
Hot-Honey Chicken
MY GRANDMOTHER, “MOOMOO” as I called her, knew her way around the kitchen. My mother tells tales of her carrying a rolling pin in one hand, not only for rolling out doughs but also for protection against a pet rooster that terrorized the house. I kee
Cook's Country3 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Sausage-Stuffed Peppers
STUFFED PEPPERS HAVE a retro charm I’ve always found appealing. But exemplary versions are rare; when I made a selection of promising-looking recipes for my colleagues, we were all disappointed. Most of the fillings were tasty enough, but the peppers
Cook's Country3 min readRegional & Ethnic
French Bread Pizza
Substitute ¾ cup crumbled cooked bacon and ¾ cup canned pineapple tidbits, drained and patted dry, for pepperoni. BEFORE DEVELOPING MY own recipe for French bread pizza, I first had to gauge my competition. So I picked up some boxed versions from the
Cook's Country2 min read
Greek Potatoes
MY CURRENT FAVORITE side dish is the roasted Greek potatoes served at a restaurant near my apartment. The spuds arrive at the table doused in enough olive oil and lemon juice to give them a balanced mix of brightness and richness. I wanted to create
Cook's Country1 min readRegional & Ethnic
How to Make a Cheap Cut Eat Like a Million Bucks
1. Pound the steaks to an even thickness to tenderize them and for even cooking. 2. Treat the steaks in a baking soda brine; the baking soda helps tenderize the beef. 3. Dip the steaks in flour and then in a mixture of buttermilk and beaten egg. 4. F
Cook's Country3 min read
Cashew Chicken
CRUNCHY, GOLDEN-BROWN, BUTTERY cashews and tender morsels of juicy stir-fried chicken all awash in a salty-sweet, glossy brown sauce—what more could you ask from a recipe you can pull together in less time than it takes to steam some rice? Our versio
Cook's Country4 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Country-Fried Steak
COUNTRY-FRIED STEAK IS a thin cut of beef dredged in seasoned flour, fried, and smothered in a peppery gravy made with the steak drippings. This classic cowboy dish is usually made with cube steak, a tough cut from the round that is mechanically tend
Cook's Country1 min read
Bird’s Beak Paring Knives
A BIRD’S BEAK paring knife features a curved blade shaped like a bird’s beak. Fans of these knives use them for precise detail work. To see if any deserve a place in our kitchens, we bought eight and pitted them against our favorite paring knife, the
Cook's Country1 min readRegional & Ethnic
Building a Better French Bread Pizza
1. Cut bread, place on rimmed baking sheet, and brush crust with olive oil. 2. Flip bread and brush cut side with garlic-butter mixture. 3. Bake until nicely browned around edges. 4. Top with sauce, cheese, and toppings and bake. ■
Cook's Country3 min readCooking, Food & Wine
S’mores Bars
THERE IS NO more iconic summertime treat than a s’more—toasty marshmallow and snappy-soft milk chocolate sandwiched between graham cracker squares—enjoyed around a campfire. I wanted to translate the best parts of a s’more into a portable bar cookie
Cook's Country1 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Building Better Bars
1. Make crust in food processor, press into pan, and bake. 2. Lay chocolate over baked crust. 3. Top with marshmallow crème and marshmallows and bake. ■
Cook's Country3 min read
Sweet Pickle Relish
SWEET PICKLE RELISH, my favorite style of relish, is a must-have topping for hot dogs. It’s also irreplaceable in every mayo-based salad from potato to egg to tuna, and if it’s not in my tartar sauce or rémoulade when I’m eating fried seafood, then I
Cook's Country9 min read
Easy Chorizo Chilaquiles
CHILAQUILES ARE A classic thrifty dish: You take stale corn tortillas, crisp them up, and then soften them in a pan of red sauce. They’re typically draped in shredded cheese and bulked up with eggs, vegetables, or whatever leftover meat the cook has
Cook's Country1 min readRegional & Ethnic
Kansas City’s Sweet Surprise
AT STROUD’S OAK Ridge Manor in Kansas City, Missouri, customers line up for the famous pan-fried chicken. But it’s what’s served on the side of your lunch or dinner plate that intrigued us most: cinnamon rolls. Far from the overly sweet, frosted mons
Cook's Country2 min read
Step by Step
Measure out 4 lightly packed cups (3 ounces) of stemmed leaves. Why? This method provides consistency in measuring. Combine the pine nuts and 1 tablespoon of oil in an 8-inch skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring often. Why? We toast the pine nuts
Cook's Country4 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Stroud’s Cinnamon Rolls
THEY MAY NOT be the image you conjure when you think of cinnamon rolls, but the rolls served at Stroud’s Oak Ridge Manor (see “Kansas City’s Sweet Surprise”) use a similar buttery cinnamon sugar mixture as well as just enough salt to be noticeable. I
Cook's Country3 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Mixed Berry Buckle
A BUCKLE—COUSIN to crumble, crisp, and coffee cake—consists of a thick cake batter mixed with chopped fruit or berries and baked under a crunchy streusel topping. Friendly and rustic, it’s been a favorite of New England home cooks for hundreds of yea
Cook's Country3 min read
Turkey Meatballs with Coconut Rice
FOR ME, THE most comforting weeknight meals start with a bowl of perfectly cooked rice. Add coconut milk and vegetables to the rice and top it with savory meatballs packed with deep, rich flavors, and that comforting meal gets a lot more enticing. Bu
Cook's Country3 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Chicken Noodle Casserole
IN THE 1940s, the Campbell Soup Company introduced Americans to chicken noodle casserole. The recipe, printed on the back of cream of mushroom soup cans, called for the condensed soup plus milk, precooked chicken and egg noodles, and some canned or f
Cook's Country1 min read
Berry Important Stuff
1. Cut blackberries and raspberries in half crosswise. Toss with blueberries and sugar. 2. Fold half of sugared berries into batter. 3. Sprinkle remaining berries on top of batter before baking. ■
Cook's Country4 min read
Basil Pesto
Serves 4 to 6 (Makes 1¾ cups) This recipe yields enough to sauce 1 pound of pasta. We prefer the flavor of Italian pine nuts here; the container should indicate where they’re grown. Use a good-quality, relatively mild extra-virgin olive oil for the b
Cook's Country2 min read
The Best Graters
IT HAD BEEN a while since we last tested graters, and we wanted to know if our favorite, the Rösle Coarse Grater, still held up to the competition. We bought eight models and used them to shred cheese, potatoes, and carrots. Two of the graters (inclu
Cook's Country3 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Adobo-Braised Beef
ADOBO-BRAISED BEEF—WITH its intensely flavored, glossy, mahogany sauce and its hunks of tender, juicy meat—may stand at the pinnacle of Tex-Mex cooking. When I first tried a version of this a few years ago (Cook’s Country readers and TV viewers might
Cook's Country2 min readRegional & Ethnic
Whole Dill Pickles
AMERICANS SPENT MORE than $1 billion on pickles last year, according to data from IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm. We set out to find the best whole dill pickles to enjoy alongside a meal or as a snack. We rounded up eight top-selling, nati
Cook's Country2 min readRegional & Ethnic
Recommended
Boar’s Head Kosher Dill Pickles Price: $4.79 for 26 oz ($0.18 per oz) Style: Vinegar Refrigerated: Yes Ingredients: Cucumbers, water, vinegar, carrots, salt, fresh dill, garlic, spices, 1⁄10 of one percent sodium benzoate (asa preservative), calcium
Cook's Country1 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Find The Rooster!
A tiny version of this rooster has been hidden in a photo in the pages of this issue. Write to us with its location, and we’ll enter you in a random drawing. The first correct entry drawn will win a copy of The Complete Cook’s Country TV Show Cookboo
Cook's Country1 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Malted Milk Whipped Cream
Serves 8 (Makes 2 cups) We found that chilled heavy cream can be whipped to peaks more quickly and easily than room-temperature heavy cream. 2 cups heavy cream, chilled1⁄2 cup malted milk powder3 tablespoons sugar Using stand mixer fitted with whisk
Cook's Country2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Cornmeal Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Strawberries
Serves 8 to 10 We developed this recipe using Quaker Yellow Corn Meal. Our favorite cream cheese is Philadelphia Cream Cheese Brick Original, and our favorite honey is Nature Nate’s 100% Pure Raw and Unfiltered Honey. CAKE ¾ cup (3¾ ounces) cornmeal,
Cook's Country1 min read
Read Us On iPad
Download the Cook’s Country app for iPad and start a free trial subscription or purchase a single issue of the magazine. All issues are enhanced with Cooking Mode slideshows that provide step-by-step instructions for completing recipes, plus expanded
Cook's Country2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Bacon
If you’re not saving your bacon fat, it’s not too late to start. Simply strain the cooled (but still liquid) fat through a fine-mesh strainer into a glass jar or bowl, cover it, and refrigerate it until you’re ready to use it. It will make anything y
Cook's Country1 min readRegional & Ethnic
Coming Next Issue
Celebrate summer outside with our recipes for Grilled Tuna Steaks and Tacos al Pastor. Keep things light with One-Pan Salmon with White Beans, Fennel, and Tomatoes or Mexican Chile-Garlic Shrimp. Or feed your sweet tooth with Pecan Pralines, summery

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