Our lawns are lush, our gardens are already going gangbusters, and we’ve been topping 80 degrees for over a week. (I just got back from Spain, where it was even hotter — it was more like 95 in Córdoba. Thank goodness for refreshingly cool Moorish courtyards! The ones with flowers and fountains give new meaning [...]
Continue reading about A Must-Have Summer Pair: Sweet Berries & Fresh Herbs
Some recipes don’t take long to make; others will require a slot in your schedule. When it comes to the time-hungry recipes, though, there are those that require hands-on attention and those that can pretty much fend for themselves while you do something else nearby: relax with a book, check your email, get caught up [...]
It’s strawberry season! Not to mention chive season and lettuce season. Cool evenings and not-too-hot days make for smoother, softer-tasting chives (as the season progresses, they get more and more oniony) and sweeter, softer-tasting lettuce (hot days = more bitter leaves). All of that means it’s the perfect time to enjoy simple salads, either as [...]
Continue reading about Spring is in the Air…and on the Plate
Who says a salad can’t be manly? The term “salad” derives from sal, the Latin word for salt. A dish that’s salata or salada is simply one that’s been seasoned with salt — the original word has nothing to do with lettuce. And while some of the best classic salads are lettuce-based (Caesar Salad, Salade [...]
Vinegar is what wine becomes when it ferments for a second time. A microorganism naturally present in the air mixes with the wine (or cider, malt, or rice alcohol), forms a layer on top of the wine, and then drifts down through it, transforming the alcohol into acetic acid. How smooth the finished vinegar is [...]
Continue reading about Vinegar, the Other White (and Red) Wine
