Padrón, The Frying Pepper
I first experienced Padrón peppers on a trip to Spain two years ago. Glancing at a just delivered plate that sizzled and glistened, our waiter asked what was next. “We’ll have that.” I said in my broken Spanish. I fell in love with the Padrón all over again on my recent trip. Named after Padrón, [...]
Port and Chocolate or Cheese?
When I ask people what they pair with port, the first response is usually chocolate. Deep, dark, silky and smooth, it’s wonderful with most all port. But I have friends who don’t like chocolate and want something different. So I set out to find something for offering up when chocolate gets a thumbs down at [...]
Hubby Cooks: Samosas
Kathy at SacPie had her first pie night in January where the hubby made samosa pies for the first time. He’s at it again, this time altering his recipe to include late seasonal tubers: parsnips, turnips and squash. The aromas while cooking were deeply satisfying, reminiscent of roasted chestnuts, Mediterranean herbs, and vegetables in the [...]
Lotsa Luscious Latkes
A couple of weeks ago, I posted about the Sundays with Marlena project that three bloggers are undertaking here in Sacramento. (They’re actually also posting on Wednesdays, as it turns out, or else they’d be testing recipes until 2011.) Melody asked if I’d be interested in trying the recipe for latkes–the traditional potato pancakes served [...]
Using the Harvest: Asparagus
Tis the season for asparagus. It’s available in abundance now. In past years I’ve tried renditions of asparagus soup too numerous to count, so here is something different. I’ve incorporated familiar items into a fun presentation that tastes good. Although it might sound time consuming, it really isn’t. You can make the polenta the day [...]
Using the Harvest: Tomato Cubes Gelee
As some of you know from a previous post, I had quite a San Marzano tomato harvest this year. With some, I made and froze marinara. To process the marinara, I cut in half and de-seeded the tomatoes. I kept all seeds, inner membranes and tomato water in a bowl then strained this into another [...]
Sardines Go Mainstream
Sardines… They were never anywhere near the top, let alone middle of my list of food items to enjoy. Just the word sardine would ring negatively in my ears. I had them in the pickled herring category, which is on the verge of un-edible. Slimy, oily, fishy and not happening! A friend recently shared she [...]
Using the Harvest: Pâté
For some reason, I’ve been thinking about vegetable pâtés and terrines lately. (I think it might have been the beautiful Ratatouille Terrine Dennis Kercher made at his last Hidden Kitchen dinner, where I’ve been having lots of fun helping out.) Being stranded at home with my healing foot, my only resource for vegetables is our [...]
Sam Choy’s World-Famous Fried Marlin Poke
This is a bit untraditional in that the fish is briefly seared. You could leave it raw if you prefer, but you need the highest-quality fish available. Serves 4 1 pound marlin fillets, cut into 1/4- to 3/4-inch cubes [note: you could try ahi or skipjack tuna as substitutes] 4 teaspoons soy sauce 1 cup [...]
