The essence of a green goddess sauce is (surprise!) an abundance of fresh green herbs. It’s a light, bright and refreshing dip, dressing or crema. Precisely which herbs you use in the sauce is dependent upon your taste, garden and refrigerator. Suffice to say that you should use what you like, and do not skimp. I make the dressing with herbs I always have on hand, which often include parsley and cilantro. If I have chervil, tarragon, chives or dill, I’ll add them, too. Feel free to tinker and mix and match the herbs to your preference -- just be sure to mind the quantity.

The sauce in this recipe is used as a marinade for the chicken and an accompaniment for serving. I’ll often make a double batch and use the remainder for dipping crudites or drizzling over roasted potatoes or other vegetables. It’s less creamy and less sweet than many goddesses, which often include mayonnaise. This one does not. If you prefer a runnier sauce, add a little more yogurt.

Green Goddess-y Chicken Skewers

Active time: 25 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes, plus marinating time

Yield: Serves 4; makes about 1 cup sauce

Sauce:

1 cup packed Italian parsley leaves and tender stems

1 cup packed cilantro leaves and tender stems

1 cup coarsely chopped mixed herbs, such as chives, dill and/or tarragon

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup whole-milk European-style yogurt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 scallion, white and green parts chopped

2 teaspoons drained capers

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs), cut in 1-inch pieces

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Lemon wedges

Combine the sauce ingredients in a food processor. Process to blend. Taste for seasoning. Set aside about 1/2 cup for the marinade. Reserve and refrigerate the remaining sauce for serving.

Place the chicken in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the marinade and stir to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 to 4 hours, stirring the chicken occasionally.

When ready to grill, remove the chicken from the marinade and thread on skewers. (If using bamboo skewers, pre-soak them for 30 minutes.)

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat. Grill the skewers until the chicken is cooked through the center, about 10 minutes, turning once or twice to evenly cook and char. (An instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the chicken pieces will register 165 degrees.)

Serve the chicken with lemon wedges and the reserved sauce for drizzling.

581-7500

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood

Chowder is an all-year, all-weather soup. When the weather is wet and chilly, there’s nothing more comforting than hunkering over a steaming bowl of chowder, with seafood and chunky potatoes jockeying for space in a rich and creamy stew. When the weather shifts to sunshine and warmth, a bowl of chowder evokes the sea and beach and memories of slurping piping-hot cups of clam chowder, filled to the rim with a milky broth speckled with tender littlenecks bobbing between oyster crackers and slicks of swirling, melted butter.

My roots are in the East Coast, so a New England-style clam chowder holds a special place in my food lexicon. Which is to say that wherever I’ve lived since then (and quite far from New England), when the craving strikes, I will rally and make a chowder. This at times requires a good amount of improvisation, depending on geography and available ingredients.

Over time, I’ve devised this simple recipe, to which I return when I need an easy fix. You might call it a hack -- an inauthentic yet convenient recipe -- that delivers the briny salt and smoke of a chowder while leaning toward the lighter side for guilt-free slurping. For purists, this is not a traditional chowder, but flavor-wise, it hits the spot.

The base of my chowder always consists of onions and potatoes with a little all-purpose flour for thickening. To that, I might add leeks and root vegetables, such as celery root or turnips, depending on the status of my vegetable bin. Salt pork (or bacon) is a common ingredient in a chowder, lending the necessary salty, smoky depth of flavor to the broth. I often skip the pork component and substitute chunks of warm-smoked salmon (not cold-smoked) for that extra flavor. Of course, warm-smoked salmon is not a refrigerator staple, and as a simpler alternative, I’ll add a generous spoonful of smoked paprika and up the salt. Finally, I add chicken stock to the base of the stew/chowder for more depth of flavor, then finish with a cup of milk or half-and-half for a lightly creamy broth.

So, whether you call this a chowder hack or a faux chowder, it’s a recipe worth keeping for a quick weeknight improvisation. Note that the clams are cooked in their shells in this recipe. While they cook, the clam shells will open and release their juices into the broth. Choose small clams, such as littlenecks or Manila clams, or even substitute small mussels. And in the spirit of ultimate flexibility, you can switch the shellfish out entirely and add chunks of firm-fleshed fish, such as salmon or halibut, and call it a fish chowder.

Clam Chowder

Active time: 35 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 to 2 leeks, white and pale green parts chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken stock (and/or water)

10 to 12 ounces Yukon gold potatoes, cut in bite-size chunks

1 large turnip, diced

2 thyme sprigs

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

16 littleneck clams

1 to 1 1/2 cups whole milk (or half-and-half)

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco

Heat the oil and melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and leeks and saute until soft without coloring, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and stir until slightly toasty in aroma, 1 to 2 minutes.

Pour in 2 cups chicken stock and whisk to blend. Add the potatoes, turnip, thyme and smoked paprika. Add additional chicken stock (or water) to completely cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil, partially cover the pot, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the clams to the pot. Cover the pot and cook until the clams open, 5 to 7 minutes. (Discard any unopened clams.) Stir in the milk, salt, black pepper and hot sauce and continue to cook until just heated through. Taste for seasoning. Serve immediately.

581-7500

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood

Pasta carbonara is the Roman’s answer to comfort food. It’s composed of a humble trio of ingredients -- eggs, cheese and noodles -- which, with the elemental magic of heat and water, alchemize to create a glistening bowl of pasta that’s as restorative as it is comforting. Crispy pancetta is a traditional ingredient in a carbonara, and its rendered fat adds salt and flavor to the dish. While less traditional, sweet peas add brightness and balance the pork in this recipe.

This carbonara comes together quickly, so it’s important that your ingredients are prepped before you begin cooking. The most important element is the egg and cheese mixture, which coats the hot noodles and creates the slick sauce that binds the dish. Add the whisked eggs and cheese to the hot noodles away from direct heat, stirring constantly to thoroughly coat the noodles. The heat from the pasta will help to cook the eggs, and the stirring will prevent them from scrambling. It may sound complicated, but once you give it a go, you will see how easy and foolproof this method is.

Try to use bucatini for the pasta, which resembles thick spaghetti with a hole running through the center, which allows the sauce to permeate the pasta and give it more flavor.

Pasta Carbonara With Sweet Peas

Active time: 25 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup finely grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for sprinkling

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 pound bucatini

6 ounces thick-cut bacon or guanciale, diced

1 cup thawed frozen sweet peas

1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced or pushed through a press

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

Whisk the eggs and cheese in a bowl to combine; set aside.

Bring a large pot of water and 1 tablespoon kosher salt to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat is rendered, stirring to separate the pieces, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with a paper towel.

Add the peas, garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and cook briefly, stirring to coat the noodles.

Remove the pan from the heat. Quickly add the eggs and cheese, stirring constantly to coat the pasta and to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Add some of the reserved pasta water, a little at a time, to loosen the pasta to your desired consistency. Return the bacon to the pan and stir once more.

Serve immediately with extra cheese for sprinkling.

581-7500

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood