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