Even though green salads are more of a summer dish, sometimes I find myself hankering for salads even more in the winter months, when the days are chilly and overcast. Thank goodness for greenhouse greens! In the winter, I’ll happily devour greens from someone else’s gardens. Markets often stock pre-washed organic greens of all types: [...]
For sheer flavor punch — and kitchen economics — you can’t beat pickled ingredients. From pickles to olives to capers, a little goes a deliciously long way! And if you’re looking to create contrasting flavors, you can’t go wrong pairing a savory pickled ingredient with a creamy rich one, like cheese with olives or sour [...]
The only thing better than fresh-out-of-the-slow-cooker pork is wrapping that tender slow-cooked pork in whole-grain corn tortillas, slathering them with fresh salsa and shredded cheese, and baking them until you have a cross between a taco and an enchilada. Ultra-savory, ultra-easy. (Not to mention a darned good reason to haul out that slow cooker.) If [...]
The eternal question of “What to have for dinner?” can often be answered by means of the KISS approach — i.e., keeping it simple. Many veggies only need about a three-minute simmer to arrive at their tender/crunchy best and their optimal taste; other veggies, like tomatoes and lettuce, are best raw. And good-quality cheese pretty [...]
Let’s not kid ourselves — the best part of the omelet is the cheese. Assuming, that is, the cheese isn’t Velveeta or anything else that calls itself “a pasteurized process cheese food.” Yep, “cheese food,” not cheese. I don’t make this stuff up, folks. Just comes down to reading the labels… But anyway, back to [...]
It’s Monday, it’s lunchtime, and you’re lunch-less and hungry. Odds are, you’re stuck going to the nearest faux-healthy restaurant. (Ever looked at the ingredients in a Panera sandwich? If you print out what’s in the Turkey Artichoke Panini, it’ll take up almost a full 8 1/2″ x 11″ page. But hey, I guess that’s better [...]
Here’s a truth that’s inconvenient for the dinner-in-a-sack industry but is great for the rest of us: fast food doesn’t have to be junk food. You’ve probably already got a lot of tasty quick meals loitering about in your kitchen, from canned beans that can be made into hearty salads to canned squash or pumpkin [...]
Although popular conception would have you believe that the vaunted Mediterranean diet mostly consists of olive oil and vegetables, in reality, it also involves a lot of pastured eggs and dairy. What self-respecting Greek would be without her feta cheese? Or halloumi or kasseri? Then there’s the whole extra-thick, double-strained yogurt that has caught on [...]
Continue reading about Mediterranean Meals: More Than Just Olives
The time has come again for that quintessential summer dish, the one I could relish eating every day, the reason I have scads of basil in my garden every year: Insalata Caprese, or salad made in the style of the isle of Capri (off Italy’s southwestern coast). I get even more excited about making this [...]
Continue reading about How Milking Buffaloes and the Island of Capri Are Connected
This may look like a Danish pastry, but it isn’t a pastry and doesn’t taste anything like one. I’d be willing to bet, in fact, that this concoction doesn’t taste like anything you’ve had before: the saltiness of the sharp cheese, the sweet smokiness of the roasted pepper, and the rich depth of the dark [...]
Continue reading about The Marriage of the Millenium: Cheese & Chocolate
