Executive Chef Tara Monsod of Animae is known for being one of the most prominent chefs in Southern California, commanding the coal-fire, pan-Asian steakhouse kitchen that feeds a sold-out dining room every night. Her resume is impressive, with long stints training under Top Chef alums like Richard Blais, Amanda Baumgarten, […]
When ButcherBox first launched a blog, the idea was to share interesting information about food and give folks easy recipes to feel confident cooking a variety of meats. Since then, we’ve expanded Just Cook to improve upon those initial aspirations by creating content to challenge aspiring chefs in the kitchen […]
The first time I had peri-peri was in Maputo, Mozambique, at a seaside restaurant called Casa de Peixe, which in Portuguese means “house of fish.” It was a shrimp dish stewed in a peri-peri sauce, served with white rice. Once I got to Portugal (where I live), I was happy […]
In 30 minutes or less, you can make chicken larb (larb gai), a dish that will tingle your senses and fill your kitchen with fresh aromas. Larb gai originated in Laos, but you can also find the dish in northern Thailand (brought over by Laotians) where it is served with […]
Spicy. Savory. Sweet. Complex. Even mysterious. These are the words that emerge at the sight of a big pot of dark Oaxacan mole bubbling away on the stove. Bricia Lopez will tell you that “mole is the epitome of Mexican cooking.” And she should know. Together with her siblings, Bricia […]
If I had to eat one dish forever, I would choose the noodle soups that are staples in the food cultures of many East Asian countries. I love all of them: Vietnamese pho, Japanese ramen, Tawainese beef noodle soup (Niu Rou Mian), Japanese udon, Korean beef soup (Galbitang)…the list goes […]
The Middle Eastern specialty kofta is a grilled, spiced meat served on skewers that can be found at nearly any food stall in the region. Its intoxicating smell perfumes the streets of many countries and is guaranteed to entice locals and tourists alike. Every region has its own version of […]
Chef Angel Barreto grew up listening to stories of other lands. With his father in politics and his mother in the military, his taste for travel was cultivated from an early age. In particular, Barreto dreamed of Korea. “I would hear stories of my mom talking about her time when […]
In the pantheon of great American food inventions (many of which have been co-opted from other country’s food traditions, let’s be honest), the breakfast burrito, in our opinion, stands out as the most satisfyingly culinary innovation to start a day. First off, it is a breakfast food, and we’ve long […]
This coveted Jewish comfort food is perfect for Passover and year-round. Passover meals don’t contain leavening, and though menus vary from family to family, the only bread or cracker-type item found on the Passover table is made with matzoh, the flatbread made with just flour and water that forms the […]
Beefsteak banquets were once considered a guys-only event. But for generations, women have played a defining role in sustaining—and evolving—the feasting tradition. My first beefsteak experience was in 2019. It included drinking whiskey, singing along to Beyoncé with a dozen or so feminists, and routinely wiping beef juice from my […]
When Betty Liu started posting to her blog in 2015, she dreamed of mastering a favorite childhood dish: Hong shao rou, or red-braised pork belly. At the time, Liu was living in St. Louis for college and missed the tangy soy-sauce flavors from her mom’s Shanghainese cooking. So she convinced […]