Q: What’s the best way for a very inexperienced cook to learn about spices and how to mix them?
A: There are really three ways I can answer this question. The first would take up a book: The Complete Book of Spices: A Practical Guide to Spices and Aromatic Seeds, which someone else wrote. The second [...]
Category Archives: balsamic vinegar
Burning Questions: How can I build complex flavors from simple ingredients?
Also posted in Ingredient, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt, tomato, tomato sauce Tagged flavors, recipe, spices, tomato sauce 2 Comments
Great northern bean salad
Just before January 1, I resolved to eat better. A glimpse of myself in the JC Penney dressing room mirror convinced me that I had to do something. Not something drastic, not something quick, just something in general. Taking a prompt from Mark Bittman, I resolved to become vegetarian before 6pm (I don’t think I [...]
Also posted in boil, extra virgin olive oil, great northern bean, lemon juice, mince, rotini, salt, saute, shallot Leave a comment
Spinach sald with Gorgonzola and balsamic walnut vinaigrette
I wish I had a clever beginning, some pithy line or sage comment that would speak to freshness or seasonality or something. But I don’t. It was a relaxing weekend, and I made some food and and it was mostly good.
But this one thing was great. And simple.
So simple.
Spinach salad with Gorgonzola and balsamic [...]
Also posted in chop, gorgonzola cheese, olive oil, salt, spinach 7 Comments
Like starting from scratch: a journey to vegetarian cooking
We’ve gone to a mostly vegetarian diet since my daughter declared her new status this past Christmas. It’s been easy in some respects. I put food on the table, we eat it. Not a big deal. But in many ways it’s like starting from scratch. I’m uncertain, don’t know a [...]
Also posted in Ingredient, basil, chop, parmesan cheese, salt, shave, tomato 2 Comments
Tomatoes in winter (where I’m calling from pt. 1)
When thinking about my own culinary history, my first instinct was to label it boring as laundry and catalog the many absences. No ethnic tradition, no national traditions, few regional traditions. No exotic spices. Kitchens the size of walk-in closets. Potatoes and flour in the pantry. The more I thought [...]
Also posted in boil, chiffonade, farfalle, garlic, goat cheese, mince, oregano, salt, simmer, spinach, tomato, white wine Tagged goat cheese, pasta, recipe, spinach, tomato 2 Comments