Thyme Well Spent

See what just happened there? Thyme=Time. Clever, huh? However insipid, the sleight does make a larger point, namely, that when good cooking is given care and attention, it rewards the cook tenfold. Both in a delicious meal, and in dinner guests’ delight. In this endeavor, little is more satisfying than is risotto. A contentment Bon…

Cover Stories

Classic. After all, who’s going to suspect a lowly food blogger of being a top Field Op? If the cover story’s any good, and this one most definitely is, a promotion to Station Chief won’t be far behind. Really, it’s just a matter of… Wait, not that particular cover story? Yikes… Then forget you read…

Happy as Clams

Why wouldn’t they be? The bivalves finish up in a buttery sauce imparted with their flavorful essence, bringing to mind more than just a hint of the sea. There’s that, and there’s also the cup of sake (or maybe, instead, white wine) that keeps things warm and humming. Really, is there any more exquisite a…

Lend Me Your Ears

“I come to bury Caesar Salad, not to prepare it.”  So wrote Shakespeare in Julius Caesar.  More or less. Well, maybe not the part disparaging a wonderfully worthy salad (attempted here summers ago), but the preface, soliciting ears, definitely.  Round up all your corn, whether acquired from the garden, supermarket or roadside stand.  In return…

Power Up

Need a boost?  No matter what’s sapped you, be it hiking, heat, hunger or hanging (out), trail mix includes all sorts of goodies to revive the spirits.   Though there are as many types as there are summer days, most trail mixes include variations on three exhilarating themes – granola, nuts and fruit. Now, think about…

Whites and Brights

That was classic attire for old-school Havana, a white seersucker suit, complete with matching brimmed hat. As befits a tropical occasion, the tie would’ve set a striking contrast with its riot of vivid colors, yet the dinner served that evening would’ve featured hues even brighter. Especially if the dish is Vaca Frita de Pollo, Chicken…

Yes, but Not Flapjacks

Going to do up some pancakes. Interested? Good. Do you remember where the skillet is? No, not those kind of pancakes, though, but scallion pancakes. You know, the ones featured on the menu at that neighborhood Cantonese place several blocks over. Light and crispy and just loaded with those beautifully fresh spring onions that announce…

First Up

On and on winter seemed to go, month following month, unrelieved. Just when the greys and the browns threatened permanence, and greenery faded to a memory which maybe never really was after all, the earth stirred. Weary at first, a subtle softening here, a brief thaw there. Maybe a sporadic glint of brightness. Then, one…

Watch for Tigers!

Particularly good advice when wandering Southeast Asia’s jungled mountains. Ask any local, including the Hmong, a people inhabiting Laos’s out-of-the-way forests. A tiger bite makes quite an impact. In fact, that’s the best way the Hmong have of describing their signature sauce, which they serve with grilled, marinated steak. This, in addition to Blistered Green…

Aww, That’s So Sweet!

Chances are, if you purr these words this upcoming Valentine’s Day – or, if they’re directed to you – chocolate is involved.  Not just any variety, either, but chocolate made by the couverture method, a highly-refined Belgian technique reserved for the very finest cacao available.  With a price tag to match, too.  Though for you,…