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 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