May 20, 2012
It’s the time of year that it’s hard to pin me down. I’m outside. Busy in the backyard, planting, weeding, sitting, contemplating. I just want to be outside. Watching for the return of Chestnut. Seeing if we have any new baby rabbits in the yard. I just find so much peace there, that you’re hard pressed to get a post out of me. I have better things to do.
Because of this I was there, in the backyard, when the peonies bloomed this year. They are my absolute favorite flower: profuse, heavy blooms; heady fragrance. I turned the confetti of abundant petals into syrup. I did this last year, but not as adroitly.
Marry to this that I went strawberry picking with friends last week. And 17 pounds picked meant there was certain to be some jamming. Did there happen to be some master pastry chefs along? Why yes, there were. (Thanks, B.) So I asked them how to incorporate my peony syrup into the jam that was sure to follow all that picking. Add the syrup at the last minute, they said, to keep all the flower essence. But of course.
Ten cups of strawberries
read more »
Like this:
3 bloggers like this post.
Posted in Canning, Columbus, Family, Flowers, Friends, Local Foods, Music, Ohio, Peony, Pistacia Vera, Seasonal, Strawberries, Summer |
3 Comments »
May 6, 2012
This weekend’s weather made me gear back up in the garden, get back in the kitchen and get my groove back. Warm weather is all about ease: barely putting a pot on the stove, most things cooked over the grill. Who needs a mess when the back garden begs you to come and play? A quick ten minutes of chopping and a quick simmer is all it takes to throw this big-enough-to-serve-a-crowd slaw together.
Summer Picnic Slaw for Friends, serves 6
1/2 c rice wine vinegar
1 T whole cumin seeds
read more »
Like this:
3 bloggers like this post.
Posted in Recipes, Music, Quick, Family, Vegetarian, Salad, Cabbage, Carrots, Coriander, Vinegar |
4 Comments »
March 28, 2012
I returned home after a lengthy trip to Texas to find spring had sprung: the daffodils were spent and the ferns unfurling. Nestled amongst said ferns on the shady side of the porch were dandelions, just emerged, with slender leaves and nary a flower in sight.
Which of course meant they are at their peak for eating.
Tonight’s dinner involved a return to cooking with a risotto. Included were the fruits of my garden weeding – young dandelion leaves – and broad beans, another early spring arrival.
read more »
Like this:
7 bloggers like this post.
Posted in Columbus, Cooking Tips, Foraging, Music, Ohio, Recipes, Rice, Risotto, Seasonal, Spring, Vegetarian |
5 Comments »
March 18, 2012
We all get stuck in a weeknight routine, I know. I’ve heard the complaints — “I don’t know what to make and I don’t have the time to make it anyway.”
Maybe all you need is to take something familiar and give it a little tweak.
Enter pork jowls. In Italian it’s guanciale, and it’s sliced and cured in a manner similar to bacon. But it’s a deeper, richer almost gamey flavor that brings something different to your weeknight plate. Fry them up, toss them with some familiar ingredients and you’ll have a pasta that’s delicious on its own. Add some slices of easily-prepared monkfish and you can serve your loved ones something wonderfully unexpected.
Just be sure to maintain the mystery: don’t tell them how easy it was.
Pork Jowl Pasta with Roasted Monkfish
For the pasta sauce:
1/3 lbs. of sliced pork jowl
Pinch of red pepper flakes
read more »
Like this:
6 bloggers like this post.
Posted in Fish, Kale, Monkfish, Music, Pasta, Pork, Quick, Recipes |
3 Comments »
March 17, 2012
When we visited our farmer friend Dick Jensen a few weeks ago for maple tapping, we picked up some of his lovingly raised and delicious grass-fed beef. We blew through the short ribs (I still owe you some posts on those, two ways) but we also bought a brisket with the full intention of having it as corned beef.
And everyone loves it for St. Patrick’s Day. But consider it as something you could make anytime. It makes enough for leftovers for a couple of days. Turn it into amazing sandwiches with a little Russian dressing and coleslaw. Add some leftover potatoes that you par boiled and then roasted in fat and turn it into hash. This is not your out of the can variety.
It’s worth the effort.
There is a bit of wiggle room just how long you choose to brine your brisket.
read more »
Like this:
3 bloggers like this post.
Posted in Local Foods, Flying J Farm, Music, Potatoes, Spices, Beer, Family, Beef, Ohio, Irish, Preserving |
4 Comments »
March 8, 2012
I’ll admit it: I am already greedily longing for spring and summer, despite the blissfully mild central Ohio winter we have had.
Forgive me. I grew up in Texas. And I’m almost certain tomatoes are already in season. OK, that’s being dramatic.
But this daikon slaw somehow reminds me of summer. And grilling outdoors. And warm weather. And love.
It’s simple to pull together from what has kept well during the still – quite seriously – dark days of winter. Its Asian flavors make it interesting for topping a hot dog or snuggling up to a nice piece of pan-roasted fish. It’s as fancy or homey as you want it to be. Flexibility with flair.
And that tastes great any season of the year.
Pickled Daikon Radish Slaw
1 very large daikon radish, peeled and shredded
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
read more »
Like this:
7 bloggers like this post.
Posted in Carrots, Cauliflower, Coriander, Daikon, Music, Recipes, Salad, Vegetarian |
4 Comments »
February 26, 2012
I made a whole mess of black-eyed peas and had plenty of leftovers. And to me, black eyed peas are already so creamy, that they almost just beg to be made into a hummus. With only four ingredients, aside from the aforementioned peas and saltpepperoliveoil, it’s a snap to fix.
And I have to say, this batch came out even more velvety than I could imagine. I think it was the generous use of tahini along with an already willing bean.
It was all gobbled up in no time flat.
Black-eyed Pea Hummus
3 green onions, thinly sliced
3 large cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled
read more »
Like this:
5 bloggers like this post.
Posted in Appetizers, Black-eyed Peas, Dip, Music, Olive Oil, Quick, Recipes |
1 Comment »
It’s the time of year that it’s hard to pin me down. I’m outside. Busy in the backyard, planting, weeding, sitting, contemplating. I just want to be outside. Watching for the return of Chestnut. Seeing if we have any new baby rabbits in the yard. I just find so much peace there, that you’re hard pressed to get a post out of me. I have better things to do.
Clever Comments