A kitchen notebook by Cole
I sell cars. I cook a lot.
These are the recipes I’ve tried, the things I’ve changed, and what I’d make again.
Serious Eats' red wine braise with seared oxtail for flavour and short ribs for the meat, cooked low for hours, then tossed with pasta and parmesan.
Read the cook : Beautifully Braised Oxtail and Short Rib PastaSerious Eats' garlic butter shrimp pasta: shrimp brined with salt and baking soda, a vermouth deglaze, and lemon and parsley. Easy last-minute dinner.
Read the cook : Simple Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta with VermouthFermented hot sauce from Thai chilis, onion, garlic, and ginger in a 2% salt brine. Two easy methods, a week or two of patience, and how I finished it.
Read the cook : A Simple Must Try: Fermented Hot SauceFilipino chicken adobo with a little heat: coarse-ground pepper bloomed in oil, chilli flakes, and the sauce cooked down until syrupy. Serve over rice.
Read the cook : Slightly Spicy Chicken AdoboGreen Cholula-style hot sauce from a kilo of jalapeños: softened with onion, simmered, and blended with vinegar. Not the hottest, but great on everything.
Read the cook : Homemade Green Cholula Style Hot SauceMy go-to roasted potatoes: an even dice, garlic and chilli-infused olive oil, and enough room on the pan that they roast crispy instead of steaming.
Read the cook : Cole's Crispy Crunchy Roasted PotatoesJoël Robuchon's pommes purée at home: four ingredients, potatoes boiled in their skins and riced, then cold butter and milk. Next time I'd rice them twice.
Read the cook : Joël Robuchon's Michelin Starred Pommes Purée (Mashed Potatoes)Potatoes au gratin layered with onion and a gruyère and cheddar sauce, baked covered, then uncovered to crust. Four of us, 1.4 kg (3 lb), no leftovers.
Read the cook : There Will Be No Leftovers; Potatoes Au GratinMeathead's competition chicken, simplified: dry-brined thighs with my rub and a stock injection, cooked in butter on the barbecue, then sauced and crisped.
Read the cook : Coles Non Competition Barbecue Chicken ThighsMeathead's Louisiana-style barbecue sauce: roasted peppers and garlic blended with Tabasco, molasses, vinegar, and ketchup. Spicy, tangy, not too sweet.
Read the cook : Louisiana Style BBQ Sauce - Spicy, Tangy, Sweet, DeliciousThe TikTok-famous penne alla vodka: tomato paste cooked until it darkens, vodka to lift the fond, and tempered cream so the sauce doesn't split.
Read the cook : Penne alla Vodka - Millennial's Most Popular TikTok PastaPaul Prudhomme's chicken and sausage gumbo: fried chicken, a roux taken nearly black, and the holy trinity, simmered an hour. Deep flavour, long finish.
Read the cook : Great Gumbo Using Paul Prudhomme's Delightful RecipeHow I make beef or chicken stock: roast the bones with freezer veggie scraps, deglaze, and simmer until it sets like Jell-O in the fridge. Hard to mess up.
Read the cook : Deep, Flavourful, Rich, Bone Broth or Stock - The Basis of Many Great DishesA store-bought ham, scored and basted every 15 minutes with a mustard, brown sugar, and honey glaze with cloves, garlic, and cinnamon. Best ham I've made.
Read the cook : Simple, Delicious, Mustard, Brown Sugar, and Honey Glazed HamOh Sweet Basil's award-winning chili, made on the stove instead of the Instant Pot, with about 8x the hot peppers, optional bacon, and a three-hour simmer.
Read the cook : Absolute Best Chili Recipe AroundRagù alla Bolognese from Rachael Ray's base: beef and pork, a red wine deglaze, and milk for a smoother sauce, with the pasta finished right in the pot.
Read the cook : Get Back to Basics with Classic Ragù alla BologneseMy Caesar: more Worcestershire and less horseradish than most, Clamato Pickled Bean, a 350 mL glass, and a paprika rim blend in place of celery salt.
Read the cook : Cole's Non-Traditional Classic Caesar RecipeA simple marinara for pizza and pasta: onions, a whole bulb of garlic, a wine deglaze, and canned tomatoes simmered up to an hour. I'd add more onion.
Read the cook : Delightful Marinara Sauce for Pizza, Pasta, and Everything In-betweenA 2-inch dry-brined ribeye, reverse seared in the oven, then seared caveman-style right on the Big Green Egg coals. What worked and what I'd change.
Read the cook : Dry Brined Ribeye Cooked Like a CavemanCacio e pepe with three ingredients: toasted black pepper, pasta, and cheese (parmesan stood in for pecorino). The trick is emulsifying with pasta water.
Read the cook : Cole's Cacio e Pepe - Simple, Traditional, DeliciousFlank steak marinated for 24 hours in my uncle Arden's lime, fish sauce, chilli, garlic, and ginger marinade, then seared hot on the Big Green Egg.
Read the cook : Flank Steak With Arden's Amazing Asian Inspired Chile Pepper MarinadeMy quick fridge pickle for red onion and jalapeño: 50/50 vinegar and water with garlic, peppercorns, and mustard powder. Ready in two days; lasts a month.
Read the cook : Cole's Deliciously Patented Pickled Red OnionBeef stew from The Daring Gourmet: chuck browned in batches, deglazed with red wine, and simmered with potatoes, carrots, and celery. Great reheated.
Read the cook : Best Beef StewA farmers market summer pasta: tagliatelle with bacon, fresh garlic, scallions, homemade stock, and cherry tomatoes on the vine blistered in the oven.
Read the cook : Scallion and Blistered Tomato TagliatelleKenji's lacto-fermented kosher dills: cucumbers in a 3% salt brine with garlic, dill seed, bay leaf, and peppercorns, plus calcium chloride for crunch.
Read the cook : Lacto Fermented Kosher Dill Pickles
