One of the most exciting cookbooks I’ve come across this year is Asha Gomez’s My Two Souths. Gomez spent her childhood in Kerala, at the southern tip of India. She learned to cook with her family there, and was often called upon to hand-grind spice mixes, reveling in the scents of classic South Indian spices like black…
Nantucket Shoals Pop-Up Dinner at Elaine’s
A few weeks ago we were walking through Nob Hill when an intriguing flyer in the window of Scalo caught my eye. Nantucket Shoals, the best fish market in Albuquerque – really, the only standalone fish market – was hosting a popup dinner at Elaine’s restaurant. The menu was posted on the flyer, and it…
Singapore Crab Cakes with Sweet and Tangy Red Chile Sauce
I am a sucker for the words “street food.” They call to mind the most exciting and delectable experiences: sizzling fish tacos handed down from the window of a brightly painted truck; smoky grilled meat sticky with spicy lemongrass-chile sauce; colorful drinks in plastic bags, skewered with straws for sipping; steaming bowls of soup slurped…
Sous Vide Shrimp in the Kitchen Sink
Arguably the most coveted object of 2012 for the true cooking geek was Nathan Myhrvold’s mini-opus, Modernist Cuisine at Home. For most cookbook authors, a two-volume (one hardcover with gorgeous photos, one spiral-bound recipe book with special spillproof paper), 11-pound, $100 cookbook would be an opus. But not for Microsoft geek and multi-multi-millionaire Myhrvold; Modernist…
Quick and Simple Mussels with White Wine, Garlic, and Tomato
My love affair with mussels started in earnest when I went with Arne on a business trip to Europe. His business was in Luxembourg, so we took some time to travel the Benelux countries – Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. We started in the Netherlands, visiting the canals of Amsterdam and the windmills of Zaanse…
Seared Scallops in Orange-Scented Caramel Sauce
It’s been almost two weeks since I posted, and I apologize. I was sick last week. It’s no fun to be sick on Thanksgiving! Sore throat, stuffy nose… trouble swallowing, reduced sense of taste… just not a blast on the great eat-a-thon of Turkey Day! But I’m back. And not just back, but back with…
Eating ABQ: Supper Truck at Hyder Park
It’s no secret that I love food trucks, and have been excited to sample their fare in Portland and New York. But possibly my best food-truck experience ever happened Tuesday night, right here in Albuquerque. I have to thank my friend and neighbor Mary. A few weeks ago, she rode by on her adorable flowered…
Crispy Vietnamese Rice-Flour Crepes with Nuoc Cham
I live near Albuquerque’s International District, which means there are probably 20 Vietnamese restaurants within two miles of my house. I have by no means tried them all, but of those I’ve tried I have three favorites: Banh Mi Coda, an addiction, which I reviewed rapturously here; Banh Mi’s big sister, Cafe Trang, with its…
Salade Nicoise
Holy moley, look at the temperature out there! It’s been hovering near 100 for a week. Not when you want to heat up the house with cooking. It is definitely salad time. So last night I fell back on an old favorite: Salade Nicoise, a French composed salad. As with so many iconic dishes, there…
Warm Scallop, Sweet Corn, and Avocado Salad
Welcome to the dog days of summer. It is HOT outside, and not too pleasant in the house at midday either. You know, midday, say 2:00 to 5:00 or so, the hottest, stickiest part of the day – and the time when you have to start planning dinner. I dreamed up this recipe on one…