AWEsome Cookery

  Superpowers? I sometimes wish my superpowers were more exciting.  List-making is not terribly sexy or awe-inspiring.  I visualize what needs to happen then scribble (with .09 lead pencil and paper) the amounts then compile all the amounts into another list, then figure out the day and order in which things need to happen. It might take numerous drafts to achieve something understandable and useable.  I may even teeter into OCD moments of how a proper list should look and I

  Every culture has their flatbread—tortillas, crepes, roti, pita, gözleme, mana’eesh, msemmen, naan—the list of edible wraps from around the world goes on and on.  This garbanzo flatbread, a.k.a. farinata, socca, torta di ceci or cecina, is common in Italy, France and northern Africa where garbanzos abound.  They’re gluten free, full of protein, and provide a great vehicle to get your favorite toppings into your mouth.     It takes a while for the garbanzo flour to be absorbed into the water so begin early in the

  Spring veggies are not far off and these miniature bites of goodness will go well with all of them.  Spinach, garlic scapes, asparagus, kale, green onions, peas, watercress, fiddlehead ferns, morel mushrooms—-mix any or all of these delicacies with ricotta gnocchi (and butter!) and you’ll have a seasonal celebration on your table. Gnocchi is traditionally made with cooked potatoes, which are also delicious and a great way to use up your leftover mash, but this version gives more protein

  Fritter me this. You can make a flavorful mash of nearly anything then fry it up and call it a fritter.  British fritters are often coated in a batter before frying, but U.S. fritters mainly consist of main ingredient with some kind of binder (like egg, flour or cornmeal) then are deep fried or pan fried.  Fritters are hugely popular in Southeast Asia, combinations like squash, chickpea and green onion; or yam and banana; or squid dipped in batter; or a mixture of shredded

  It’s been a very Baltic few months!   Zeppelins are adorable stuffed potato dumplings often served at Baltic holidays and they have the coolest name around.  We made these cuties for the Estonian Dinner last fall but I have to admit…I don’t have a Lithuanian grandmother therefore I really struggled with these stuffed dumplings.  Later I found some comfort to read online that other Zeppelin newbies have also struggled and I was not alone.   Though there are many versions,

  This is a full-flavored simple soup for a fall day, and especially great for the dreary chill that arrives in this part of the northern hemisphere as we shift into late October.  And it’s orange.  That should cheer up nearly anyone.     I roasted and froze corn in August and was happy to use it up in this soup.  Fresh corn would work well too—it might not have the roasty flavor but it would make a smoother puree than the

  Once in a while during my occasional extrovert phases I would love my hair to be this color of deep, rich, delicious, Carmine red.  I looked up the many shades of red to find the best name for this particular color of paprika and Carmine from the aluminium salt of carminic acid was the closest match.  This photo is of the sauce before the sour cream is added which gives it a lighter hue, then it becomes more like a Carnelian Red or Venetian Red.   You can also dye eggs

    It’s true, there was a similar post last year about lemongrass pork patties, but when something tastes this good it’s okay to do variations on a theme. I made these buddies small for a tapas-style potluck, but you could make them larger for full servings or into little balls served on skewers.  The small ones were handy for post-meal snacking, tasty even when they were cold.   Outdoor dinners, they might be the best part about summer.  Serve

  These are the foods I had so this is what happened for dinner.  You can’t go wrong with asparagus and bacon together so really this is more of a reminder to you than it is a formal recipe.  It probably falls into the Vague Recipe category where there is much leeway given to what you have and it assumes you know some general guidelines of putting things together. I know that vagueness drives some people crazy.  I actually looked

  An Irish potato pancake just in time for St. Patrick’s day. These are hearty buddies for any kind of meal and a great way to use your leftover mashed potatoes. The basic idea is to mix mashed potatoes with grated raw potatoes and an egg, but there are infinite possibilities of variables that could be introduced.  Herbs, garlic, curry, jalapeños, horseradish, siracha, yams, caraway, saffron…   The origin of the name is likely the Irish phrase arán bocht tí meaning “poor-house bread”.  

  A crust should be both a snack by itself as well as a vehicle to transport delicious toppings to your salivating mouth.  I’ve known of recipes using cauliflower for various crusts but had never tried it until recently.  This recipe has no grain but there is cheese which helps bind everything.  Why cauliflower?  It has a light texture and a mild flavor so it should blend well with whatever toppings you want to add.     Squeezing out the

  This was another hearty soup from the deli days.  The cinnamon and clove really help build the layers of flavor, not to mention they smell heavenly while simmering.  The ingredients and flavors are of a Mexican móle or adobo with the cocoa, oregano and clove.  We used to call it a Mexican Black Bean Soup but I’ll change it to Adobo to be a little more specific.  The cumin-coriander dynamic duo mixes well with cloves and cinnamon, it’s that blurring of sweet

  I was introduced to this dish by my friend Kristen years ago when she created it as a special for the deli.  She made it with peanut butter, served it room temperature and it was a favorite of the clientele. Dan Dan Mien, or ‘peddler’s noodles’, of course has many renditions and adaptations from its origins in the Sichuan region of China.  Sometimes it’s noodles in a hot spicy broth like a soup and sometimes it’s made with a tahini or peanut butter paste and

  It’s been grey and drizzly for days…a perfect time for comfort food.   We made Sauerbraten for the Edible Alien Theatre’s Faeries: Autumn Feast many years ago, it was ideal for a chilly fall eve.  This (artfully) fuzzy frame is captured from a video shot in dim lighting from the Faeries Feast.  Note the visitor in the front, investigating the dinner fare. Check out this LINK to a slideshow of the evening (all in artfully blurry video frames) with music by Joajoby from

  Picadillo is a traditional Spanish and Latin American dish that one could call a ‘hash’.  Ground meat, olives, dried fruit, and veggies sautéed together and served with rice or in tacos.  How handy is that?  A way to use your regional ingredients in a delicious one-dish wonder with rice, or as a filling for tacos or savory pastry empanadas.  The word Picadillo comes from the Spanish word ‘picar’ which can mean to grind, chop, sting or peck.   Though the hash is generally made with meat

    How do you learn about a culture?  Travel to the region and wander around indulging in street food. Street-vendor food in Mexico like the carne asada tacos in Hermosillo and churros in Tepic shaped some of my greatest food memories ever and have influenced my food choices my whole life.  Street food is always what people miss about their home countries, and after tasting these lemongrass wonders I would almost make the monumental effort to overcome my fear of flying over an ocean to experience real

  First a little blast of color from local edible flowers.     These are a pile of late summer flowers grown by my friends at Canoe Creek Produce that I used as garnish on salads and an appetizer for a wedding a couple of weeks ago.  I see runner bean flowers, calendula petals, bachelor buttons, snapdragons, and I’m not sure what else.  They were so stunning I had to share them with you.       And even more stunning color brought to

  Fresh herbs are amazing.  A-mazing.   I’ve been putting Thai Basil in my drinking water lately, just leaving it in the glass and refilling to let it mildly steep throughout the day.  It’s such a refreshing beverage that my curiosity was aroused of the medicinal properties of basil, so off to ask the Wizard of Google with this question I went .     Anti-inflammatory and anti-depressant—and these are just are just a few of its superpowers! I then looked up all

  How do you describe cardamom?  Such an curious flavor, ‘A hint of camphor, eucalyptus, and lemon’, it is one spice that does not hide—like dill, saffron and caraway you really must intend to add this flavor, it will not go quietly.  But that’s okay, because there’s no need to be quiet when you taste like cardamom.   Originating in southern India, it’s a key ingredient of garam masala and is used in many Indian dishes both sweet and savory, even in coffee.

  A few more shots of ABR in Ironwood, Michigan.  Datsa lotta wood.     I forgot to bring my coffee cup out to the ski-in cabin the first night so I made it in a jar in the morning.  The heavy cream went in first and the coffee on top—a beautiful little melding point.  Note the wood stove in the background.   While we’re at the remote cabins at ABR we use a small insulated bag for the ‘refrigerated’ items like cream, cheese,