AWEsome Cookery

  This book made me so happy. I’m involved in other activities so that I fall behind on the goings-on of the larger Food World, but perhaps that keeps me from becoming jaded and makes the discoveries that I do encounter even more magical and appreciated. So I am still elated when I come across works of art. Yotam Ottolenghi is a name you may recognize from his London restaurants and numerous cookbooks.  Jerusalem has been on my want-list— he

  There are innumerable pickling directions you can go, most regions of the world had either a fermentation process or made fermented liquids (like vinegar) to quick pickle and lightly preserve. I’ve been reading about Korean versions of pickled veggies and getting excited to try them, but for the Seed Savers Conference Dinner I wanted an Indian direction to the seasonings since it would be servedwith Smoked Lamb, Chickpea Masala, and Pilau.   The most surprising addition idea to me

    Fall and the Flowers that can handle it.  I’ve always loved Chrysanthemums because they were the only flower in bloom outside during my birthday season, and our mother had large bushes of orange mums growing in front of our house. They also have the word ‘mum’ in their name, and our mum was a great mum. I’m enjoying seeing their hearty colors everywhere these days and thinking of her.     I suppose it’s human to search for

  It’s handy to find leftover hominy in the freezer, it goes so well in soups and other dishes. Recently I needed to make something tasty for a potluck dinner and found all of these ingredients within easy reach. Numerous other additions could fit with this as well—black beans, green onions, peppers, tomatoes—feel free to amend. This is the stunning Henry Moore yellow hominy from Anson Mills that I used in a Seed Savers dinner last year. The process of nixtamalization

  My friend and former housemate Carrie O used to often make a version of this dip to serve with a stir fry or other group dinners at our house. This was decades ago, so I’m leaning on a 30 year old memory to reenact whatever I can for the flavors and ingredients. Our dining goals back then: good food, lots of garlic, cheap because we were often feeding numerous people, and to use things we had around. The garlic

  The Sleeping Giant Provincial Park north of Thunder Bay, Ontario, this was a peaceful night of camping with loons to sing us to sleep. Camping is alive and well north of the border, we had some great chats with our neighbors, one of whom said they were from Mankato and couldn’t find available campsites in Minnesota so they just kept on driving and crossed the border into Canada to find a place. Hmm…no camping spots available in Minnesota, this

    The many faces of Pilaf. A pilaf is usually made with rice that is cooked in a savory broth then a variety of vegetables, spices, dried fruits and sometimes meat added to the savory grain.  The ingredients range depending on regions and availability, and the name of the dish adapts as well: Pilav, pallao, pilau, pulao, pulaav, palaw, palavu, plov, palov, polov, polo, polu, kurysh, fulao, fulab, and fulav. The grain is cooked in broth, herb seasoned water, or fruit juices to

  Yep, that’s right, purslane. If you’re not a farmer, grounds keeper, or gardener this word will probably not elicit an emotional reaction, it will merely be another possibility of omega-3-fatty-acid-packed greens for your table. If, however, you are of the variety of people who clashes with plants that they have not intended to be a part of their lives, your jaw may drop in surprise to know that one of your rivals that you have agonized over is not only very edible,

  This salad is a great side dish with a little kick for a hot summer’s day, and another step for me to learn more about the marinated quick pickles of Korea. They also say this salad is a good substitute for kimchi if you’re needing a fix and cannot make it or find any nearby.     Red Pepper Powder, or Gochugaru, is prevalent in Korean cooking and is a main ingredient of this salad. In Korea it’s not uncommon that people raise their own peppers

    This is one of those recipes that I have no idea who to credit other than the many Peoples of Argentina. It’s a national condiment, used as a marinade or eaten with grilled beef or other meats for which Argentina is also well known. They say the name is from the word tximitxurri of the Basque language meaning ‘a mix of several things’. A fascinating little side note: the Basque language (of northern Spain and southern France) appears to not be

    Yep. It’s summer.  Sultry, steamy, sunny, sizzling, sweaty and sometimes stifling…if it were any more humid last week the air would have simply transformed to water and we would have been left to fend for our gill-less selves in the new ocean. In these days of Deep Summer I walk by the bundles of skis by the front door, tidily packed in their bags for the warm-season storage, and that time of peace and exercise seems an elusive world far out of

  After visiting friends in the Bay Area last fall and being introduced to and discovering that I love Korean home-cooking, folk music, and bar food, I came home vowing to learn more. A gifted Korean cookbook happened next, and now I’m finally getting around to trying my hand at a few dishes.   Ingredients are not all equal. While visiting these friends in Berkeley I was treated to fresh sesame seeds, sesame oil, and red chili paste that were grown on

      It’s that time of year and the Willow Weavers of the annual Willow Gathering were again in town for a week and I was able to witness their beautiful creations-in-progress while feeding them throughout the classes. I am always amazed at the sculptures that can be constructed using leaves and sticks—a skill that these artists are helping to pass along as well as evolve.     These adorable beaver awls were carved and made by the teacher

  I wrote about this a number of years ago and it seemed time to bring it ’round again. It’s a good exercise to review and revamp past writings, like a second chance at getting it right. This topic is way more enormous than can fit into a little post but it’s an introduction and gives some food for thought.   My little mantra when I cook and in recipes is “Taste and Adjust”.  People often ask me “But how do you know

  I’ve been perusing recipes lately, books on the shelf and the random pieces of paper with notes scribbled on them that are stuffed in the books or in my folders labeled “Recipes”. I’ve had this piece of paper for a while, I have no idea who gave it to me or where it’s from but it looked intriguing. Nearly everything with chocolate could be called intriguing, yes? I searched online to find a source for this delectability—it’s very possibly from

  What would we do without Deborah Madison? I don’t actually have that many cookbooks…well okay it’s a couple of shelves, but considering I’m in the food business I don’t have that many. But I do have Deborah’s cookbooks, and I do use them.   In My Kitchen is her latest with new and old recipes and giving more narrative about how her recipes have changed over the years.  Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone sits firmly in the Top Two List of

  While wandering around Port Townsend we stumbled upon this 1917 ship which happened to be docked for one day only and full of a crew ready to give tours. They were from the Sound Experience, an organization working with youth interested in environmental sustainability and maritime careers. They sail to different locations in Puget Sound on the Adventuress using the ‘ship as a teacher’ in a hands-on setting and offer a number of programs including Teen Summer Programs and Apprenticeships. Check out

  My Darling Lemon Thyme by Emma Galloway of New Zealand is one of my favorite food blogs. Emma worked as a pastry chef for a while and it really shows in her amazing creativity with gluten free desserts. This cake is based on one of her recipes she created for Taste Magazine in New Zealand and it sounded like a perfectly seasonal tea-time treat. Check out more rhubarb recipes from Taste Magazine’s Food to Love.     It’s been

  Yesterday a friend said to me, “It seems okay that spring is a crazy busy time, there is so much beauty and life coming up all around that it makes it bearable”.  I would have to agree. Bustling is the word that comes to mind, all the project planning during winter is ramping up into the physical manifestations of those preparations and you just have to ride the wave and try not to fall off.   That’s when pink blossoms,

  Cute and colorful crepes to use as wraps or tacos, these hold together well and give great flavor to a wrap. As the heat of summer approaches these are something to keep in mind for light dinners, like tacos filled with fresh bounty from the garden or farmers market. Bánh Xèo is the name for the real deal Vietnamese Pancake, these are an altered version that are more crepe-like but still a handy little treat. They are best eaten