I used to think that hummus was a great dip. Then I moved on to thinking it was a great condiment and dip. These days, I’ve given up trying to categorize hummus — I’m willing to try it with darned near anything. (And I’m usually glad I did!) Somehow, that combination of smooth, creamy chickpeas [...]
While many cultures have a “little bites” tradition — Middle Eastern mezze, Russian zakuski, Italian antipasto — it seems like the Spaniards are the most passionate about theirs. Tapas bars are everywhere you look in Spain, and diners are just as likely to make a full meal of tapas as they are to sit down [...]
There are savory foods and there are sweet foods, and spinach is definitely one of the former. But even when a food falls firmly into one category, you can mix and match it with foods from the other to create contrasts — it’s sort of like yin meets yang. (Although I would probably draw the [...]
Here’s an example of how top-notch ingredients can transform standard ballgame junk fare into a dish you’d be proud to serve Emeril Lagasse. Seek out grass-fed hot dogs (Trader Joe’s carries products from Applegate Farms), whip up your own homemade cocktail sauce, and enjoy a truly American meal. The proof really is in the dog!
Real [...]
I got the “rice browns” idea when I was flipping through a Spanish cookbook and reminiscing about the glorious tortilla españolas I’d had at the tapas bars in Spain. Unlike the Mexican corn-based flat tortillas, the Spanish version is a thick omelette consisting of eggs and fried potatoes. It’s deceptively and simply glorious. (And it’s [...]
When I was a kid, I thought cranberries were sweet — after all, cranberry juice sure was! But then I finally tasted an honest-to-goodness whole cranberry and realized that good ol’ Ocean Spray had added a fair amount of sweeteners to make the juice palatable for the American tongue. Now that I’ve veered off the [...]
With New Year’s Eve just around the corner, you’re probably looking for easy holiday crowd pleasers that you can assemble ahead of time and serve either cold or just-heated. (Or re-heated.) If they’re finger foods and highly portable, so much the better!
Serve-as-they-are foods like cheese cubes and fresh fruit are ideal, of course, and chip-and-dip [...]
Food is like life — it’s all about balance and simplicity. And although any dish has the potential to hit that sublime yin-yang-ness, salads are probably the easiest and most versatile showcase for a blending of flavors. Sweet? Salty? Sharp? Smooth? Those elements are probably already on your shelves and ready to go.
All it takes [...]
I love ice cream. (Who doesn’t?) I love chocolate. (Ditto.) Lately, I had the best chocolate ice cream I’d ever tasted — it was silky and creamy beyond belief and hinted at a little something past the cocoa. The secret, I figured out after the third spoonful, was that it was made with coconut milk [...]
There’s a time for crusts and ends and corners, but that time isn’t all the time. Sometimes you just want what’s in the middle without having to bother with anything else. If you’re a big pumpkin fan like I am, you might prefer no-holds-barred, maximum pumpkin, especially at this time of the year when it’s [...]
