Potato Cardoon Gratin
Cardoons, which are seasonal for the next ten seconds, have long fascinated me.With their truly brief window–a few winter weeks in Northern California–cardoons remain that rare thing, a truly seasonal vegetable. This rarity means I’ve had little experience with them, and until now, that experience has been of…
Braised Short Ribs
Braised Short Ribs belong to the important family of stews, braises, and daubes, those heartily earthy dishes of winter. In this discussion, the term “stew” is synonymous with “braise,” signifying a dish requiring long, slow cooking, usually in a low oven. My passion for braising began in grad school, while reading…
New Year’s Greens
To wildly twist a Marilyn Manson phrase, it’s not that I don’t like the vegetables, it’s that they don’t like me. How to put this delicately? Ehlers Danlos attacks the entire digestive system, causing heartburn and G.I. issues not discussed in polite company. Suffice to say, the vegetables I do eat…
Kitchen Kit and Singing Chickens
What follows is an unusually long post, and isn’t indicative of future writing. Given the holidays, I felt this was the time write about equipment, and perhaps take a risk with a longer piece. Feel free to skip to the end and check out the recipe for Chicken with…
Irish Lamb Stew and bad pickup lines
“You look like Stevie Nicks.” “Before or after the cocaine?” I retorted. — This exchange took place last Friday night. After a dreadfully long week, I was looking forward to a nice dinner followed by a San Francisco Ballet performance of The Nutcracker. Alone. This was not to be. Bay Area Rapid Transit…
Pork Belly With Beans
Over at Gluten Free Girl And The Chef, Shauna James Ahern admits it’s been difficult getting into the holiday spirit. I couldn’t agree more. The past week has seen me writing and discarding countless drafts to that effect. All sounded too whiny, too negative, too miserable. But recent months have seen…
Nutella Sandwich Cookies
So Christmas is next Thursday and I am so late to the “Food Blogger-Must-Have-Holiday-Cookie-Recipe Party.” What can I tell you? Yeah, I’m late. But I bring Nutella.
Pork Roasted In Banana Leaves (Cochinita Pibil)
Yesterday I had a doctor appointment; I’ve been trying to get follow-up care for the tennis elbow. I arrived at the office only to find my doctor had cancelled her appointments for the day. Had her patients been informed? Of course not. Clearly, the very notion of continuing medical care falls into the…
Chocolate Marzipan Ice Cream
The idea for Chocolate Marzipan Ice Cream arose after I’d bought the marzipan for almond cake. In truth, I’d also bought a package of that chocolate-coated marzipan that appears in specialty shops at holiday time. Once home, I wondered what to do with it. Do people just eat it out of…
Chicken with bacon, olives, and tomato sauce
Another blogger would be posting all kinds of holiday recipes now, specifically Chanukah recipes, as the first night is but four days away, and I am a fully-fledged member of the tribe. But… I’m going to assume you neither need nor want another recipe for challah with cilantro or latkes with…
