Lisa on August 9th, 2010

Nothing proclaims “SUMMER!” like a simple tomato and herb pasta.  Basil is a perennial favorite herb to use, of course, along with thyme and oregano.  Dill is another.  This year, though, I decided to plant a new herb in my garden: lemon verbena.  As its name suggests, it’s quite lemony!  Its softly fragrant leaves are [...]

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Lisa on July 21st, 2010

Good bacon goes with everything — I have a sneaking suspicion that bacon ice cream would be a hit.  (Especially if you paired the bacon with pecans.)  When I say “good” bacon, I’m referring to bacon from pastured hogs that snort and snuffle about on an actual farm.  You can find this kind of bacon [...]

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Lisa on July 7th, 2010

Crunchy lettuce is great…but so is wilted lettuce!  Lettuces with a faint bitterness/pepperiness to them — arugula, watercress, frisée — are especially good complements to savory dishes.  Plus, because they wilt so quickly, they’re a snap to toss into a sautée or stir-fry at the last minute.  Just the heat coming from the pan and [...]

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Lisa on May 17th, 2010

The arugula piles up sometimes, doesn’t it?  (Especially now that we’re getting into lettuce-growing season.)  Even if you don’t have a lettuce garden, I bet you’ve stared down a half-full container of baby greens and wondered what to do with it.  Salads are great, but no dish can tickle your gastronomic fancy 100% of the [...]

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Lisa on April 7th, 2010

When it comes to produce, I’m a big fan of the “two-fer” deals: you buy beets with the greens attached and you get two veggies for the price of one, you buy one papaya and get fruit + edible garnishing seeds for the price of one.  Rapini (or broccoli rabe, as it’s often called) is [...]

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Lisa on March 22nd, 2010

Although we’ve become accustomed to the taste and style of European-made chocolates (most American chocolatiers stick to Continental methods when it comes to cocoa), the great chocolate traditions originally came from Mexico — specifically, the Aztec civilization.  They drank their chocolate unsweetened, accenting their frothing cups with chilies, cinnamon, and vanilla rather than sugar. [...]

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Lisa on February 5th, 2010

A whimsical name for a whimsical dish: pasta tossed with guacamole.  I got the idea when I wanted to make guacamole but was out of corn chips.  What to do?  Use corn in a different form, I decided.  I did.  I also deepened the flavors of the dish by sautéeing the garlic and onion before [...]

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Lisa on November 25th, 2009

Who says pumpkin is only for pies?  It’s a squash, after all, and we use every other kind of squash — acorn, butternut, spaghetti — in savory dishes.  It’s a shame that zucchinis are the only squashes that have managed to make the jump from savory (in countless Mediterranean dishes) to sweet (quickbreads and fritters).  [...]

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Lisa on November 18th, 2009

Hey, we’re all hanging onto our pocketbooks for dear life nowadays, so why not make the most of your groceries?  Fresh beets are the perfect example of a food that has hidden potential — namely, two ingredients for the price of one.  No sense in throwing away the tasty greens when you can use them [...]

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Lisa on October 16th, 2009

Just before I slipped off to sleep last night — a surprisingly sound one considering that I’d just watched another two episodes of my new favorite show, True Blood — I had a culinary ephiphany:  the term “leftover” needs to be revamped.  (Pun intended.)
“Leftover”  sounds distinctly unappealing, doesn’t it?  I mean, who wants what’s left [...]

Continue reading about Refresh, Renew, Rejoice!