The Pasadena Chef - Travel widely. Cook authentically, Teach generously.

Gai Tung – Thai Braised Chicken with Aromatic Spices

August 12, 2026August 12, 2026Leave a comment

This braised chicken recipe comes from Jennifer Brennan’s wonderful The Original Thai Cookbook, 1981, one of the pioneering English-language books that introduced authentic Thai cooking to Western home cooks. Brennan describes first discovering Gai Tung after an afternoon wandering Bangkok’s bustling Sam Peng market, where a simple neighborhood restaurant served her a fragrant braised chicken over rice that became one of her most memorable meals. After making this recipe for years, I understand exactly why it left such an impression.

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Demi-Glacé: The Workhorse of the French Kitchen.

August 8, 2026August 12, 2026Leave a comment

I learned how to make demi-glacé from the legend Anthony Bourdain. I followed his wonderfully written step-by-step instructions in his Les Halles Cookbook, and the results were excellent.

Demi-glace is one of the foundations of classic French cooking. Made by slowly reducing rich brown stock until its flavors become deeply concentrated, it adds remarkable depth, richness, and body to sauces, stews, braises, and even soups. Just a spoonful can transform an ordinary pan sauce into something that tastes like it came from a fine restaurant.

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Spaghetti al Pomodoro: The 3-Michelin-Star Tomato Sauce That Breaks Every Rule

August 6, 2026August 13, 2026Leave a comment

When you think of Spaghetti al Pomodoro, you probably picture a slow-simmered sauce of crushed San Marzano tomatoes cooking for hours until rich and dark.

At Ristorante Quattro Passi, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant perched on the cliffs of Nerano along Italy’s Amalfi Coast, Chef Fabrizio Mellino proves that sometimes less really is more.

His signature Spaghetti al Pomodoro abandons canned tomatoes, heavy purées, and long cooking times altogether. Instead, sweet cherry tomatoes, whole cloves of garlic, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, and just enough water are gently simmered together, creating a fragrant golden tomato broth rather than a thick sauce.

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Three Foundation Sauces That Make Chinese Cooking Easier at Home

August 2, 2026August 2, 2026Leave a comment

After years of making Chinese recipes at home, I found myself measuring the same ingredients over and over. Eventually I started mixing a jar of sauce ahead of time. It isn’t meant to replace the unique seasonings that make each recipe different, but it gets me halfway there on a busy weeknight.

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Pasta alla Norcina: Authentic Creamy Sausage Pasta from Umbria

August 1, 2026August 1, 2026Leave a comment

This pasta from Norcia, in the Umbria region of Italy, is made with a crumbled fresh sausage which is traditionally made without fennel and seasoned with garlic and white wine.

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Ginger Spice Cookies -Recipe for Rainy Days

July 31, 2026August 10, 20262 Comments

Super rainy here today, so time to bake. Here’s a great recipe to bring the wonderful smell of spices into the house. These cookies are addictive and really do make the house smell wonderful.

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Authentic Thai Minced Shrimp and Pork Salad (Lon Kung Moo Sub)

July 31, 2026August 12, 2026Leave a comment

Calling this a salad is using the term rather loosely, but it does fall into the broad family of Thai salads. Unlike many Thai salads, this one isn’t especially fiery, making it perfect for a light lunch or simple dinner.

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Rigatoni with Peas and Bacon/Sausage

July 26, 2026August 1, 2026Leave a comment

Sometimes the best Italian meals are the simplest. This rustic rigatoni pasta combines smoky bacon or flavorful Italian sausage with sweet peas, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and just enough cream to bring everything together into a silky sauce.

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Quick and Easy Shrimp Recipe with Harissa Paste

July 26, 2026August 4, 2026Leave a comment

Harissa is a fiery paste which is commonly used in North African cuisine. You see it show up in Tunisian and Moroccan food quite often. It is packed with flavor and comes in many varieties, but common ingredients are chilies, olive oil, garlic, sundried tomatoes, salt, coriander, cumin and caraway seeds.

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Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

July 21, 2026August 1, 2026Leave a comment

This is the tomato sauce recipe that changed everything for me. So simple, but mind blowingly good. When I first made it, I couldn’t get my head around how it could be so good with just these few ingredients.

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