All Things Food
Now in the last days of my fourth trip to Italy with students (and there have been many more visits with family, as well as a semester in Rome during college), I’m struck by how many times I’ve heard students declare with surprise that a food they normally don’t like is really good here!
You can consider yourself lucky if you have friends in Italy! Italians are the most thoughtful generous people you will ever know, and I feel very lucky that I have some wonderful, dear friends in Umbria, the heart of Italy, in the small city of Gubbio. I am now on my third visit to this beautiful, charming town, and this time we are so lucky to be doing a gnocchi-making class at Pasta Fresca All’Eugubina!
Read MoreA few weeks ago, I met a former student, A.J., for a cup of coffee. I love keeping in touch with former students, hearing what they are doing now! Among other things, A.J. recently got married, and as we talked about cooking, he mentioned how he and his wife, Grace, lead very busy professional lives and often don’t have time to cook. Even when they do cook, he said, they find themselves with random leftovers and don’t know what to do with them, and he suggested I post some easy ideas for that.
Read MorePut on your sunglasses – this beet risotto is bright, hot pink!
I recently got a thank-you note from my niece, Sophie, and she told me I should write a blog post about the beet risotto she remembers eating at my house. To be honest, I can’t believe she remembers! She must have been quite young (she’s now 17), and it’s not often these days that children like beets! I know, I know, many people are not keen on beets, but do give this a try – it’s not like the usual plate of beets!
Read MoreI never knew Alva Rollins. But her memory continues to be a blessing for our family. Alva is the reason we have cake for a breakfast treat after a special occasion. And Alva’s meatloaf is the first recipe my kids asked me to send them when they first were out on their own.
Read MoreAt least once during our week in Maine, we head over the Steep Hill Farm to pick blueberries so that we can have a “jam session” at Anne Marie and Steve’s cabin. We always make blueberry, and sometimes jam from other berries as well, depending on what’s ripe at the moment.
Read MoreFor a long time I was afraid of yeast! As I read cookbooks, I would just skip over any recipes that required yeast, so I never made any bread except for quick breads such as zucchini bread.
Read MoreRight now, among the nine cookbooks I currently have borrowed from the library, I’ve been reading through Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables by Abra Berens. Her recipe for caramelizing onions suggests deglazing the pan with white wine or hard cider. I immediately thought of the Johnny Mash hard cider from Hilltop Orchards in Richmond, MA, my go-to for making gravy. Then a little bit further on in Ruffage, there was a recipe that caramelized onions before adding parsnips and cream to make a luscious purée. There were no parsnips in fridge, but I did have a Cape Cod turnip.
Read MoreWe had no space left in the freezer. Or should I say in either freezer. We have a second refrigerator in the garage, and both freezers were packed without an inch to spare. I told Hank we couldn’t have any meal that didn’t involve at least one item from the freezer.
Read MoreAs one might imagine, when I have an unplanned day off from teaching, I go to the kitchen! Today’s snow day was rather unexpected, and we recently got a box of pears from Linda, Al, and Sophie, my sister and her family, a sweet memory of our father who used to send us a box every year.
Read MoreA short while back, my friend and colleague, Ellen Perry, who is a Classics professor at Holy Cross, interviewed me about my recipe-testing and copy editing endeavor. She wanted to write a piece about me for an online publication for which she is an occasional contributor, and it has just been published!
Read MoreI would guess that for many, the complications surrounding Thanksgiving often involve difficult family members, like the uncle who won’t stop arguing about politics or the sister-in-law who insists on bringing a salad that includes canned cranberry sauce, mini marshmallows, and mayonnaise. (Apologies to all who like this combination and to those who like to argue politics at Thanksgiving.)
When we zoom out beyond the stress of our own family dramas, we find Thanksgiving is also complicated in the same way that Columbus Day / Indigenous People’s Day is.
Read MoreIn her memoir, The Temporary Bride, Jennifer Klinec finds herself applying for a second visa extension in Esfahan, Iran. The functionaries don’t seem to know what to do with her brazen insistence, so they send her upstairs to their superiors. Not surprisingly, all the Iranian officials are quite suspicious of this Canadian-born woman who wants to stay longer in Iran, and they certainly do not believe her interests lie in the kitchen and learning about Iranian cuisine.
Read MoreWe Americans readily and eagerly enjoy foods we believe to be from other cultures. But there’s the sticky problem that so many of such dishes we enjoy have never been served in the countries from which they are said to have originated!
It’s pretty clear that General Tso’s Chicken is not something you would ever find in China. But just because General Tso’s Chicken may not be an authentic Chinese recipe, does not mean it should be discarded and disregarded.
Read MoreMy step-son, Ben, and his husband, Brian, like to travel. A lot. And I think they have found the perfect gift to bring back for me every time – special salts!
Read MoreI used to make the best brownies ever, back when Hershey’s made raspberry-flavored chocolate chips. Back then I would use 1 Tablespoon of Chambord in place of the vanilla and add ½ cup of raspberry chocolate chips to the recipe below, and they were my absolute favorite ever.
Read MoreAt the intersection of Routes 202 and 17 in Manchester, ME, is a gas station and convenience store called Mulligan’s. There are many unappealing (at least to me) gas station food offerings there and for years I wouldn’t have dreamed of trying a lobster roll from them.
Read MoreFor the annual summer luncheon with my dear friends and language-teacher colleagues, Carmen & Anne, I made two spreads for the nan-e barbari bread I baked. The “Ricotta Spoonable” is a fabulously versatile delight from Everyday Dorie, page 22. So versatile, in fact, that Hank and I enjoyed the leftovers tossed with pasta the next day!
But Michael Solomonov’s 5-Minute Hummus is a revelation!
Read MoreMostly when we spend time on Echo Lake in Fayette, ME, we cook our meals at the cabin we rent. But we have a new find this year, the Oak Table and Bar on Water Street in Augusta.
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