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,…

Year of the Rabbit

Today, January 22, refreshes the Chinese lunar calendar, inaugurating 4721, the Year of the Rabbit.  Rabbits are considered to be thoughtful, friendly, and fathomless.  A pretty good description of this blog’s readers, right?  Thus, before you is a Taiwanese Lunar New Year feast, prepared in your honor Most of the dishes, including the Pork Wontons…

Plenty for Everyone!

That’s what inspired Thanksgiving, isn’t it, a celebration of, and gratitude for, a bountiful harvest?  Today’s entry heartily endorses that appeal with a plate full  of the best of farm, forest and field.  Just the crops alone are well-represented in the produce spilling from the cornucopia below:Today’s feast started with an episode of the Cook’s…

Again with the Peaches?

Of course. It’s late summer, after all, and the stonefruit is gloriously in season. Time for the produce, which is fantastic most of the time, to attain perfection. Sweet and tangy, juicy and lush, peaches are precisely why we spend the rest of the year dreaming about August. This week, peaches make up a vibrant…

There Once Was a Chef on Nantucket…

Who used oysters and clams by the bucket Until one day the market ran dry So the chef asked, “Why not give lobsters a try?” To those who think chowder means clams, I say…” The rest has been lost, but you might speculate. Point is, summer often includes a trip to the beach, and shore…

New Toy

On the doorstep is a box, shipped straight from Japan! Packed inside, carefully, is a donabe, a lidded clay cooking pot beloved all over the island nation for the full-flavored moistness it bestows. Lots of ideas for dishes to try, but most of them seem oriented to winter. You know, steaming pot and all. It’s…

What’s with These Names?

Last December brought a Dutch Baby, and a month ago came something called a “Grunt.”  What’s left?  What bizarre linguistic twists will the kitchen inspire next?  How about a Berry Fool?  No kidding.  Unlike the other two creations, this name goes back centuries, too.  Plenty of time to change things, but no. In common with…

For Real This Time

Not too long ago, a preparation of shrimp and orzo, a pasta somewhat reminiscent of rice, was featured on these pages.  Satisfying, surely, but it was merely wheat acting.  Enough of the imposture.  This time we get the real deal, no looks-like.  Honest-to-goodness rice, simmered with tomatoes and parmesan cheese until the whole sauce is…