Lisa on June 17th, 2011

Why taste one thing when you can taste three?  Or four or five?  Not only are nibbles — or “small plates,” if you want to get fancy about it — usually something quick and simple, if you have enough nibbles on a plate, you have a meal!  So the next time you’re in the mood [...]

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Lisa on October 12th, 2009

Mirepoix is a fixture of classic French cuisine:  it’s a mixture of diced and sautéed carrots, celery, and onions used as a base for soups, stews, stocks, and sauces.  You can add other vegetables and whatever herbs you’d like to tailor it to your tongue; like the staple Latin sofrito blend of garlic, onion, and [...]

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Lisa on October 9th, 2008

Artichokes are wonderful vegetables–they have an exotic flair, they’re something of a delicacy, and their flavor is sweetly unique. They’re also rather time-consuming to prepare…although you’re sure to impress your dinner guests if you can expertly cut out their artichoke hearts. But here’s a way to serve artichokes that’s very simple: roast them. Serve on [...]

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Lisa on September 16th, 2008

The allium family includes everything from the delicate chive to the hardy leek to the eye-stinging yellow onion. “Spring” onions refer to the greener, milder types that were traditionally harvested in the spring: green onions or scallions. The more-familiar types–red, yellow, white, Spanish–are “storage” or “dry” onions. There isn’t as wide of a gulf in [...]

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