Whether you’re lucky enough to lay your hands on salmon from the Copper River, or one of my new favorites, Chum from the Yukon River in Alaska, (more on this later from Jon Rowley), fresh, wild salmon is definitely in season. This begins a series of recipes for salmon I’ve created over the years and some stories about this remarkable food.
I’ve recently met someone who I think may be a pioneer in the arena of mindful gourmet products. Carrie Oliver, through her Artisan Beef Institute and Oliver Ranch Artisan Beef Tasting program (she sells blind tasting kits) is offering modern food enthusiasts a genuinely unique and possibly even elevating experience.
Homemade pizza really over-delivers on the effort involved. It’s waaay better than restaurant fare and, depending on the toppings, will cost at most a couple of dollars for a pizza that will be serve 2 or 3.
I must have been to 4 or 5 election fundraisers (I don’t want to get into politics, I’ll just say that my candidate’s name rhymes with Obama). Anyway, the last one was a potluck and I decided to take my “famous” gazpacho because my tomato plants had just thrown their last crop before giving up [...]
This recipe was inspired by the wonderful Indian cookbook by Ruta Kahate, 5 Spices, 50 Dishes. I would serve this alongside simple grilled salmon or sablefish, or a sautéed spinach and mushroom frittata.
I’ve always thought that cloth cocktail napkins were much cooler than paper—even ones printed with snazzy quotes or martini olives. But the cloth ones were a nuisance, so I settled for paper and tried to stock up on anything that wasn’t too sappy when I found them.
But now, the option of using cloth cocktail [...]
Continuing from the previous story, the Misterleys also introduced me to the nutty grain called emmer or farro. I had heard of this ancient food, but never gotten around to preparing it. As we cooked our way through the week in teams, we discovered some great ways to use this remarkably nutritious grain. My [...]
Last week I had the good fortune to attend the school for culinary professionals at renowned Quillisascut Farms in northeastern Washington state. Home for over 20 years of artisanal goat cheeses of the same name, Quillisascut is an organic masterpiece built by two hardy green pioneers. Lora Lea and Rick Misterley have devoted their lives [...]
Summer! It’s finally warmed up enough to take the cover off the BBQ and break out the lawn furniture. Cooking and eating out of doors is absolutely one of the greatest pleasures of this gentler season. Today 75% of American households cook some of their meals (usually dinner) on a barbecue. So, what would [...]
As Americans are embracing a new way of thinking about what they eat, new jargon is being created to describe their new experiences, like the way our language exploded when technology blossomed. ‘Conscientious Carnivore’ is one of the most compelling to me because it names a lifestyle I’ve chosen.
Conscientious Carnivores are ethical meat eaters [...]
