How to Trick Winter

Granted, the current situation seems to be hopeless.  The sun fades ever more deeply into the past – was it ever that warm, really? – and it’ll be months before things begin to thaw.  Yet, even now, the cold flees on spotting a means of vaulting us well beyond its grip… Citrus!  If you can’t…

Quite a Gift!

Family tradition going back generations places a tangerine at the tip of each Christmas stocking.  As such, it’s the last treasure children (and other lucky recipients) extract that happy morning.  There are practical reasons for the gift, maybe, in that citrus is in season late December, but where’s the holiday magic in that? The real…

Small Place, Big Flavors

Where the Atlantic very nearly meets the Pacific you’ll find Panama on the thin strip of land between the oceans.  While this doesn’t give the country much area, it does put it at key spot at the world’s crossroads.  In common with its strategic importance, Panama’s cuisine outshines its modest size. Today’s entry is Pollo…

A Night in (Little) Havana

Though the sun fades – for now, anyway – dinner brings back its bright, sparkling glory and transports diners to a land of eternal sunshine.  Today’s attempts, Mojo Chicken served alongside Roasted Sweet Potatoes, are justifiably prominent in the Cuban kitchen and are favorites too in the thriving expat community in and around Miami. Citrus…

Go with the Season

Most recipes work best when their star ingredient is abundantly, gloriously at peak.  Definitely the case this week, which features Tangerine Beef Stir-Fry.  In this instance, clementine oranges stand in for tangerines; the difference is subtle, but clementines are, if anything, even more flavorful and vibrant than tangerines.  Particularly right now, when they’re at their…

Sweet Sunshine

A few weeks ago we reached the solstice, meaning we, at least those of us in the northern hemisphere, began leaning toward the sun again.  Eventually we’ll banish the cold and the land will spring, as it were, exuberantly back to life, but it’ll take a while for this to happen. Fortunately,  our wait won’t…

Sunny New Year!

The sun is in abundance today, a promising start to 2017, and the resplendence carries beyond the skies.  Today’s dish, for example, brightens the palate and warms the spirit with a vibrant clementine salsa.  It’s  as flavorful and as effervescent as its colors are bold. Imagine feeling a fresh clementine, and how the wonderful citrus fragrance fills the room. …