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: tomato
Burning Questions: How can I build complex flavors from simple ingredients?
Also posted in Ingredient, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt, tomato sauce Tagged flavors, recipe, spices, tomato sauce 3 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, balsamic vinegar, basil, chop, parmesan cheese, salt, shave 2 Comments
The joy of breakfast: western style omelet
I relish the weekend’s slow time, morning minutes spent dicing vegetables, rendering fat and crisping bacon. The luxury to dawdle in the kitchen, allowing eggs to come to temperature, to linger moments over a sizzling pan and get a bearing on the day. And I love the decadence of a perfect omelet.
This past Saturday afforded [...]
Also posted in bacon, bell pepper, cheddar cheese, dice, egg, onion, salt 5 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 balsamic vinegar, boil, chiffonade, farfalle, garlic, goat cheese, mince, oregano, salt, simmer, spinach, white wine Tagged goat cheese, pasta, recipe, spinach, tomato 2 Comments
How to cook vegetarian
On the way back from my in-laws Christmas day, my daughter announced she was officially a vegetarian. My wife and I weren’t surprised. We knew it was coming the day she disavowed bacon, and I’ve been encouraging her since reading Michael Pollan’s “Farmer In Chief,” which includes striking information on environmental impact of [...]
Also posted in artichoke, bake, basil, boil, broil, butter, chop, garlic, mayonnaise, mince, olive oil, oregano, panko, parmesan cheese, salt, simmer, spaghetti, tomato sauce Tagged artichoke, panko, parmesan cheese, pasta, recipe, tomato, vegetarian 8 Comments