Ojibwa Spring

At last, life returns to the North Woods.  Throughout northern Minnesota people gather surging maple syrup and the first carrots coaxed from the thawed soil, and combine them with the last of the supplies laid in for the winter, including wild rice, collected locally in the fall, and dried fruit.  Taken together, all this makes…

So, That’s What They Taste Like

A dish boasting such vibrant colors is bound to be packed with effusive flavors too, and today’s entry excels in both regards.  In taste and in tone, this curry is off the charts.  Good thing it wasn’t featured on an old Technicolor television set, or the poor equipment wouldn’t have been able to keep pace…

Yesterday a Crumb, Today on Top

Finally, the crumb gets top billing, basking in the prominence it long has deserved.  It even gets sprinkled with powdered sugar, if that’s your thing.  All thanks to Crumb Cake, a standout New York sweet treat for many decades, rivaling Cheesecake itself.  Before that, its origins were in Germany, where Streuselkuchen was savored for centuries.…

Best to Have a Green Thumb

That way, you can grow most of the good things that build today’s entry, Okroshka.  It’s a chilled soup, making it perfect for dialing down the swelter enveloping us.  Generous helpings of herbs take full advantage of gardens beginning to hit their stride, and they aid in the soup’s refreshing mission. An aside, this is…

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…

It All Leads to This

August brings exuberant gardens yielding fresh basil, green beans and tomatoes by the basketful, and people firing up the grill in preparation for a balmy evening outdoors enjoyed with family and neighbors.  Plenty of good times and happy memories as we head into one final month of glorious weather.  This is summer’s moment. Today’s entry…

Maui Family Picnic

If it’s your good fortune to have relatives in Hawaii, there’s no question where the family picnic will happen each summer.   What’s also assured is that one of the meals offered there will be the Sweet and Sticky Roast Pork with Sesame Noodles featured this week and as described in the June 2018 issue…

Here’s a New One for You

Not only do we enjoy a country’s cuisine this site hasn’t visited yet, Guatemala’s, but today’s entry samples a facet of that culture not many outsiders, myself included, have tried, namely Mayan food.  Formally, the soup pictured above is called Guatemalan Turkey Soup, at least that’s how the recipe lists it, but its alternate name,…

Salmon, While Swimming

…which probably is the closest English equivalent to this dish’s original French title, Salmon à la Nage.  Actually, it makes sense.  The fish nestles among mussels and the asparagus suggests seaweed, doesn’t it? The name applies more prosaically as well.  Being a French creation, it’s not surprising a wine and butter sauce submerses everything.  The salmon swims…