Cheng’s Kitchen, Everett; Boston, MA; home cooking; weekly Instagram: @cheng.s.kitchen
Weekly Cooking Blog
52 weeks, 52 dishes I’ve never cooked before.
Quarter 1 — Handmade Fresh Pasta
A study of pasta craft: shape, sauce, filling, and plating.
Quarter 2 — Sea [Current]
Technique-driven seafood dishes inspired by winter and spring seasonality.
Quarter 3 — Land
Land-based proteins explored through depth, balance, pairing, and execution.
Quarter 4 — Earth
Devoted to the garden, vegetables at their peak, expressed through ingredient-first cooking.
Week 24: Crab & Corn Chowder
Sweet corn chowder with fresh crab, topped with crispy guanciale and chili flakes.
Week 23: Salmon Mosaic
Raw salmon rolled and dusted in seaweed powder, sliced into medallions. Paired with cauliflower sauce and tamarind–basil gel cubes.
Week 22: Sea Bream
Pan-seared sea bream with crisped skin, served over a medley of asparagus, peas, and potato, finished with a mustard–fish stock reduction.
Week 21: Seafood Paella
Bomba rice cooked in a tomato–seafood base, mixed with shrimp, clams, calamari, and scallops.
Week 20: Mala Dim Sum
Shrimp and lotus root wrapped in shredded wonton skin, deep-fried, and set over a shrimp-reduction mala sauce.
(Inspired by Culinary War, Season 1)
Week 19: Korean Crab Stew (꽃게탕)
Stone crab simmered in a gochujang-miso broth with daikon, onion, zucchini, enoki, and scallions. Served with steamed rice.
Week 18: Korean Seafood Pancake (Haemul Pajeon)
Pan-fried seafood pancake with scallions and mixed seafood.
Served with greens and fried chicken.
Week 17: Fish & Chips with Tartar Sauce
Fried cod fillet and triple-cooked fries, served with house-made tartar sauce.
Week 16: Octopus on Cilantro Cream
Boiled and seared Octupus, served over cilantro-lime cream.
Week 15: Miso Cod
Baked miso-cured cod, torch-caramelized. Finished with lemon juice, served with bok choy and radish.
Week 14: Calamari - Lime Risotto
Squid ink risotto folded with lime juice and Pecorino, topped with seared calamari.
Week 13: Squid Ink Cappelletti with Corn & Potato
Handmade squid ink cappelletti in corn–potato purée, finished with charred corn and a touch of chili.
Week 12: Squash–Chanterelle Caramelle
Handmade striped caramelle filled with roasted squash and chanterelles, served with a miso beurre blanc and sautéed chanterelles.
Week 11: Beetroot Agnolotti
Homemade agnolotti filled with a lemon–honey mascarpone cream, served in a white-wine reduction infused with chili pepper and finished with a touch of poppy seeds.
Week 10: Lemon-Anchovy Ravioli
Homemade ravioli filled with a lemon-anchovy ricotta cream, finished with dill oil and toasted breadcrumbs.
Week 9: Sausage & Broccoli Rabe Cavatelli
Hand-rolled cavatelli tossed with linguica sausage, garlic, and broccoli rabe, finished with a touch of lemon and Parmigiano.
Week 8: Pear-Gorgonzola Spaghetti
Homemade spaghetti tossed in a pear–Gorgonzola cream, folded with garlic breadcrumbs, served over green leaf puree.
Week 7: Chestnut-Moose Sausage Spaghetti
Homemade spaghetti tossed in chestnut and butternut purée, mixed with caramelized moose sausage and finished with a touch of chili.
Week 6: Short Rib Ragu Lasagna
Slow-braised short rib ragù layered between fresh pasta sheets, béchamel, and ricotta.
Here are some dishes I’ve cooked before: