Sautéed Beets & Greens with Feta
For weeks and weeks, I’ve had beets and other greens coming out my garden ears. We’ve eaten more greens then I can remember all sorts of ways. The other night, Greek food was sounding flavorsome so the greens turned Greek. Quick and simple, and perfect for a light summer dinner with a chilled glass of [...]
The Bicycle Bakery, a Vegan Alternative for Everyone
Gluten-free Vegan Cranberry Oatmeal Bars. Yum. I double-checked the ingredient list because these were almost too good of an afternoon snack to be taken seriously. Yep, they were in fact all they said. It was a bite of the Chocolate Brownie Cake with Cacao Frosting that did me in. I brought one home for the [...]
Garlic Scapes
I first saw these at my friend Margie’s house where we’d been invited for dinner and she’d harvested them from her garden. The tops looked edible so she broke off a piece, tasted and decided she’d work them into dinner somehow because they seemed a shame to waste. She was making tempura asparagus and ended [...]
Using the Harvest: English Peas with Romesco and Mint
English Peas with Romesco and Mint, a.k.a, Guisantes Tiernos al Romesco is a tantalizing tapas dish.
Term of the Week: Montaditos
I saw this term on the menu at the newly relaunched Sofia restaurant recently. Luckily, a Spanish speaker at the table translated it for us as “little assemblies.” Similar to bruschetta, they consisted of little toasts with a variety of toppings chosen by the chef differently each day. Depending on the season and the ingredients [...]
Modern Gastronomy with Pajo Bruich
A self-taught cook, private chef and owner of Pajo’s Catering based in Lincoln, California, Pajo (pronounced pie-yo) Bruich is connected to food in a molecular way. His repertoire includes hydrocolloids to modified food starches, and maltodextrin to liquid nitrogen. He uses amazing quality ingredients to produce modern food with textural variations and flavor bursts that [...]
Term of the Week: Crostata
I was served this heavenly strawberry crostata recently at Grange. Some of the other diners there asked about the name and whether it wasn’t really a galette? So I came home and looked up the terms. My indispensable book for food terms is the Food Lover’s Companion, The (Barron’s Cooking Guide) 3rd Edition. I use [...]
Dancing with Romesco
A classic Catalan roasted vegetable sauce, Romesco can dance with many things. I first used it with grilled vegetables and a drizzle of cooked down balsamic vinegar. Then for breakfast one day, I slathered it on toast topped with an egg coddled to a poach. It found it’s way to grilled chicken and was even [...]
Petting Goats and Picking Peas
Not long ago, we started getting the CSA from Capay Organic called Farm Fresh to You. They deliver right to our doorstep and always include a little newsletter with recipes. In May, we finally got our acts together to drive out to Capay Valley to visit their farm for one of their open farm days. [...]
Sugar Plums, Dried Please
“Would you like to taste a prune,” my friend Suzanne said to a woman. The woman’s face turned sour and she scrunched her nose in disgust. “Well then how about a sugar plum?” The woman happily took Suzanne up on this offer and commented on liking the plum. People frequently turn down prunes but not [...]
