Why use a tool for one use when you can use it for five? Or six, or seven? Witness the ubiquitous egg-slicer, a tool that is capable of much more than its name implies. Assuming that you have a sturdy version (preferably made entirely of metal), you can slice anything soft and roughly egg-sized: strawberries, [...]
Continue reading about Eggs, Schmeggs…It’s Time to Multi-Task!
Quinces–which look a bit like squat, yellow pears–are unusual in the fruit world in that they must be cooked before consumption. The first time I tried them, I didn’t know that, and at that point in my German studies, I didn’t know the German word for quince: Holzapfel, or “wood apple.” Germans are masters of [...]
You may have seen these paddle-shaped cactus leaves at your local produce market and wondered what to do with them–while nopales are popular in Mexico and parts of the southwestern U.S., they’re a bit of a curiosity to those of us who live in cooler climes. Their sharp spines also lend them a rather forbidding [...]
Despite its secondary name of “Indian date,” the tamarind is not a date. Nor is it native to India. It originated in tropical Africa, but due to the fact that it was adopted by the Indians with gusto when it reached their shores, when it boomeranged back west, the Persians assumed the Indians were the [...]
The power of lemons in the kitchen never ceases to amaze me: they tenderize meat, keep cut fruit from browning, and bestow zing upon virtually any dish, whether it’s sweet or savory. A glass of cold water and ice with a twist of lemon is a very refreshing and simple drink, and a few small [...]
This African-influenced stew hovers somewhere between being a thick, Italian pomodoro sauce and American chili. You can spoon it over rice or couscous, serve it with crispy flatbread (in this case, a toasted pita with Parmesan cheese), or eat it all on its own. Be sure, though, to buy good-quality tomato sauce–it will be the [...]
