Spicy, Floaty Zucchini Bread
Monday, October 19th, 2009 Posted in Dishes | 11 Comments »We're at the end of summer squash season, but I couldn't help but snap up a big bag of beautiful yellow and green zucchini at the market yesterday with the thought of making a big loaf of light, superspiced zucchini ...
The Breakaway Vegetarian Burger
Friday, October 16th, 2009 Posted in Dishes | 11 Comments »Stuart over at Toque Blanche recently requested that I take a shot at a vegetarian burger. I'm not fan of attempting to make foods look like other foods, especially where meat is concerned, but, since I've never had a veggie ...
Late Summer Udon — Cool, Easy, Perfect
Thursday, September 17th, 2009 Posted in Dishes | 4 Comments »We're having a mini heatwave again. You've got to love a climate (northern CA) that gets its best weather in mid to late September! When it gets this hot, I immediately think of cool, slippery, chewy udon, the thick wheat ...
Hot Summer Salad — Cauliflower "Rice"
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 Posted in Dishes | 15 Comments »Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that flummox people. Everyone I know seems to have some negative associations with childhood memories of brutally overcooked (i.e. overboiled) florets, yet, when presented with an actual tasty cauliflower dish, everyone likes it! The ...
Breakaway Huevos Rancheros
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 Posted in Dishes | 3 Comments »Another classic foraging lunch. I had some leftover spicy carrots, cooked spinach, salsa verde, and GREAT flame-toasted thick tortillas from my local Mexican grocer. A habanero got sliced up and tossed in. A poached egg in the middle, topped with ...
Umami Beef Jerky, Redux
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 Posted in Dishes | 11 Comments »I was recently daydreaming about the green papaya salad they serve at Bodega Bistro, on Larkin in SF, and especially about that Vietnamese-style beef jerky they use in it, and wanted to try making it. I cruised around the net ...
The Pressure Is On! Star Anise Turkey
Saturday, August 1st, 2009 Posted in Dishes | 5 Comments »Well, after WAY too long an absence, the pressure cooker reentered my life today! For years I did have a reasonably modern one but it was aluminum, got pretty scruffy looking, and didn't make it with the last move, and ...
Give Poor Little Suffering Dukkah Some Champagne
Friday, July 17th, 2009 Posted in Dishes | 9 Comments »I love the fact that dukkah (sometimes spelled dukkha), the classic Egyptian spice mixture made of toasted spices and nuts and taken with olive-oil moistened bread, refers to the concept of suffering in Buddhist terminology. It's simply hard to imagine ...
Transcendent Pork, Fruity Nutty Cauliflower
Friday, July 10th, 2009 Posted in Dishes | 1 Comment »Last night we had chops from our recent pork purchase. We bought half a gorgeous Berkshire that was lovingly nurtured by Mark Pasternak at Devil's Gulch in Nicasio, who feeds his animals ridiculously high-quality fare and gives them lavish digs ...
Great Bread in Five Minutes? Not Quite, But Close
Monday, June 22nd, 2009 Posted in Dishes | 17 Comments »I often find that, after coming home from a long trip, I want to start making a few really basic things: stock and a subsequent big batch of soup, a fresh batch of salts and toasted spices, and . . ...
