AWEsome Cookery

  Figs and Balsamic Vinegar…a match made in heaven! Rich, Deep Flavors with Sweet and Tangy, together they tango.   Balsamic Vinegar Balsamic originates from the word ‘balm’ and years ago this rich caramel liquid was used for medicinal purposes such as curing colds and aiding heart conditions, not for cooking as we use it today.   Traditionally it was aged for decades, sometimes up to 100 years, in a series of wooden barrels (mulberry, ash, cherry, chestnut, and oak)

  Potato salad you can take to a picnic and not worry about the mayo.   I recently made this for an outdoor meal with 340 people.  It held up well and tasted even better after it rested for a few hours.  Because of the rainy spring and late plantings there weren’t many local potatoes ready yet so I added zucchini to bulk it up to the 14 gallons that I needed to make.  We’re just beginning the season where

    YELLOW! With the summer sun blazing every day, it seems like the season of yellow.   Preserved lemons, a.k.a. lemon pickles, are known as a North African condiment but they appear in dishes all over the region. The entire lemon is preserved in a bed of salt and lemon juice to keep it usable for many months and the result is a distinct lemon flavor that adds a surprising sparkle… yet is also kind of mellow.  I’ve often

. The idea is not to just find ways to substitute dairy, but to have a dish be whole and delicious on its own.  To make good food.   The role of ricotta in lasagna is to give some creaminess, some protein, and a mild flavor that will take on the surrounding strong flavors of the sauce.  Here we replace the ricotta with a puree of cannelini beans, leeks and nutritional yeast.  The goal is a fluffy, creamy, salty blend

. These are a few pictures of canapés-with-a-Scandinavian-twist (smørrebrød) from a recent Norwegian Independence Day (Syttende Mai) dinner.  They were cute and tasty so I think I’ll add them to my list of Regulars. From the outside in: Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Parsley Shallot Butter and Star Anise Pickled Red Onions on Roasted Garlic Baguette Pickled Asparagus with Anchovy Butter and Shredded Egg Yolk on Pumpernickel Applewood Smoked Shrimp with Lemon Dill Cream Cheese on a Sourdough Crostini   . Apple wood was

  I used to cook with tofu like I might cook a fish.  Tofu is somewhat bland and fleshy but with a delicate texture…so I started using it as a blank slate for other flavors.  This concoction became a Deli sandwich, served with a Lemon Caper Aioli, tomatoes and lettuce.   . Let the tofu sit for a few minutes to let the liquids soak in, then sprinkle with the spices.   .. . I like my tofu crispy or chewy,

  Last fall we bought an extra turkey —we love turkey and can’t figure out why we don’t eat it all year round.  This week we cooked it because it’s been so cold and rainy that the idea of a warm oven and turkey aromas sounded cozy and appealing.  The day after turkey-roasting came the stock-making ritual, and we awoke to another rainy chilly day so I was doubly glad to have a that flame and good smell in the

  My little mantra after each recipe is “Taste and Adjust” but people often ask me “How do you  know what to add?  How can I taste and adjust if I don’t know what will help?”.   So here are a few basics about seasoning, hopefully they will help.   Think of a dish as a painting or a picture: the palette of colors are your seasonings, the medium is food. What is the story?  What are the main colors?  Is there balance?

  Green green green—after numerous May snowfalls, finally Spring has erupted into GREEN around here!  And with it I want to eat more green.  I found watercress in a store recently and it seemed like the perfect addition to a Spring dinner.   Watercress grows in our local streams and in the past I have picked it from ones that I think (and hope) are clean (no ‘hot’ manure, no field runoff).  Commercial greens are usually grown hydroponically in alkaline

  These little buddies are great for parties (graduation season is approaching…) or you could make them as larger patties and serve them for supper.  They’re even good as leftovers and road food.  Because they have a medium-mild flavor I often serve them with a garlic aioli or a Middle Eastern lemon-garlic dip.  Vehicles for big flavor! . . . As spinach cooks it releases an enormous amount of water.  The spinach needs to be as dry as possible so

  My sister made this dish for our sister’s weekend and we devoured it—she said that even her finicky teenage boys love it.  The chicken makes it a meal but I’ve also made it without the chicken and it was scrumptious.  When my sister started her new job she found in her office a pile of recipes that someone left behind so we have no idea where the recipe originated, we’re just grateful for this little gem that was in

  I needed to stop and stretch my legs on a recent road trip, and stumbled upon this Miniature Museum near the Amana Colonies in Iowa.   There were more than a few moments of Twilight Zone flashbacks…   . Mini-Americana and the dream of Henry Moore, this is the largest miniature replica collection built by one man: Barn Museum  . . One inch to one foot.   . The episode ended and I was allowed to leave the Twilight Zone.  Whew.

  I know I keep saying this…but this soup really truly was one of the favorites at the Deli.  The silky broth texture was such a treat.   My friend Kristen shared many a great recipe with the Deli and Hmong Market Soup was no exception.  It was adapted from a recipe she brought us from Savoring the Seasons Of the Northern Heartland. . .  Fresh ginger is available these days in most grocery stores, but unless you have creative

  In 2009 my friend Liz gave me the book The Artist’s Way.  It was the perfect moment in my life for such an undertaking and I dove into it headfirst, letting it do its magic on me. .   The Artist’s Way is a workbook by Julia Cameron (author, teacher, playwright, filmmaker, composer) about unblocking the Creative—a 12-week program of readings and art-homework to help people retrieve and nourish their inner Artist.  The backbone of her process is the practice

. Let’s start with a few images from a weekend in a cabin with my sisters…as you can see it was full of hardship and suffering!  My favorite is the top photo taken by my sister. .   Girls with blow torches! .   This is a post about the Little Guys—ingredients that tirelessly support the whole, the oft Unsung Heroes of our culinary quests, the Ameliorators. I try to have near me at all times what I call The

  Here is the second part to the GF Samosa post I did last year after the Edible Alien Theatre performance: “In Profundus“.   The first post was the vegetarian version and here is the beef option we served on these awesome Rorschach inkblot triangular plates that were made by The Clay Studio and members of DArtCo. . Originating in Muslim kitchens for a meal after the morning prayers, Nihari is a beef stew that is slow cooked with garlic, ginger, chilis

  Spring!   It’s here, complete with snow that will soon turn to muddy slush.   I don’t have anything poking through in the garden yet, but our local hoop house gardeners soon will and I’m ready for some good greenery.   This soup was another favorite in the Deli and a great one for spring.  When I started working there in the 90’s it was a tiny operation and I was making things up as I went along.  My

  Recovering from the trip and waiting out the minimal income of the pre-catering season, I’ve been trying to not go to the store unless absolutely necessary (coffee, cream…).   This means scrounging through cupboards, ransacking the refrigerator and rummaging through the freezer to use up whatever inventory can be found. Fortunately I still have a bag of (slightly wrinkly) beets from last fall’s farmer’s market spree, and a block of feta cheese…I wonder how well it will pair with

  We arrived home last week from our Northwoods sabbatical and the skis are now tucked away into their bags and rack, waiting patiently for the next snowfall or the next season.   The trick now is to somehow maintain those warm-fuzzies of a less complicated life and the rock-hard glutes from daily skiing as we re-enter the routines of the working life. The top photo is a pile of coals in the cabin’s woodstove, to keep our memory embers burning

  I often call myself a 1/4 Extrovert and 3/4 Introvert and being alone most of the time is fine with me.  But once in a while I love a gathering, the Exchange.   My friend Dennis recently taught me a Danish word with no direct English translation, and I think it describes what I love about little gatherings.  The word is Hyggelig (pronounced hoogly): the art of creating intimacy…that feeling after dinner with friends when you hang out for