In yesterday’s post about flatbread, I mentioned “good olive oil,” and I thought I’d talk about that a little. My cooking uses three grades of extra-virgin olive oil, pictured above. The square bottle lives by my stove, affected by heat and light. It contains my everyday, cooking-grade olive oil, the one I use when I…
Archives for January 2010
Forging ahead with flatbread
I love flatbread. Naan, pita (soft fresh ones, not those kangaroo breads at the grocery store), parathas, roti… you name it. A few weeks ago I had dinner with friends at a new restaurant in town, Lucia. The entrees were very nice, but the appetizers eclipsed them. And the thing that really stuck in my…
The bento lifestyle
A year or so ago, after a long time working at home, I got a job that required monthly attendance at lunchtime staff meetings. Inevitably I would fail to plan ahead, and wind up rushing into McDonald’s to grab lunch for the meeting. I wasn’t fond of this situation. And I had always wanted a…
Winter Citrus Salad
It’s mid-winter, and let’s face it, even the Co-op and the CSA can’t provide much excitement in the produce department. The season provides plenty of two things: greens and citrus. I used some greens in yesterday’s Ghanaian Peanut Stew, but I still had a bunch of oranges and grapefruit in the bottom of my CSA…
Ghanaian Peanut Stew
I love African peanut stew. Its rich, complex flavors belie its simplicity of preparation. For years I’ve made a version with whole chicken thighs, from Mark Bittman’s The Best Recipes in the World. However, as I continue with my vegetarian weeks, that obviously wouldn’t do. (Interestingly, as soon as I decided to go all-veg for…
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos
Over the past year, I have noticed myself cooking more and more meat. I don’t know why, I just seem to have moved into a “meat at the center of the plate” mindset. And I don’t like it. Not that I aspire to be a vegetarian; I’m too interested in trying anything and everything to…
Quick Eats: Salami Sandwich with Olive Tapenade
A simple sandwich, but so good I had to share. Actually, I had intended to make ham-and-cheese sandwiches, but the woman at the deli counter was so slow I gave up in frustration. Arne, casting about for a way to salvage the situation, picked up a package of sliced hard salami. “You love salami sandwiches!”…