So many things are going on in my life right now. My garden is starting to produce vegetables and fruits and the herbs are green and lush. I have been working with pastry almost on a weekly basis. And I have been meeting potters all over Asheville, talking about their products and how they can be used in baking. It all comes together in a dish that is not something I usually go for, but it just spoke to me: Chicken Potpie with Fresh Peas and Tarragon. Let’s start with the peas and tarragon. My mother used to put fresh mint in with the peas when she made them which is ...
Main Courses
SQUEAKY CHEESE PASTA: GRILLED HALLOUMI CHEESE WITH HERBS AND VEGETABLES
We call it ‘squeaky cheese” because it squeaks in your mouth when you eat it. But Halloumi did not need to squeak to become one of my family’s favorite summer dishes. The bright colors of the herbs and vegetables, the fragrant smell of the marinade and the fun (and novelty) of cooking cheese on a grill might have had something to do with it. Add a flavor that is touched with salt from the cheese, acid from the lime, umani from the grilled peppers and onions, serve it over pasta and, well, there you are. It starts with handfuls of fresh herbs: mint, cilantro, basil, thyme, and oregano are ...
LET’S GET GRILLING: BARBECUED LEG OF LAMB
How to explain this dish? A whole leg of lamb is boned and butterflied, marinated in a spicy sweet sauce then grilled over charcoal before being finished in the oven. The meat is succulent and tender with a char-grilled crust that adds the perfect undertone of flavor to the almost beef-like cook of the meat. It’s lamb for those who think they don’t like lamb: barbecued leg of lamb. This recipe is a family go-to for feeding a crowd, impressing friends and creating the best leftovers ever for a sandwich. It came from my mother, who clipped it from a newspaper sometime in the 1960’s. It is ...
SPRING RADISHES AND SMOKED SALMON TART
I love the changing seasons! There is something wonderful about moving from hot to cold and back again. The colors of the world change along with the temperature and the foods we eat change with them. Spring puts me in the mood for colors and lighter food. It also makes me feel like baking fruit tarts and pastries. Maybe it’s an Easter thing, I don’t know! This Spring I have been working on making my own puff pastry. Or actually, Rough Puff Pastry which is one step below traditional puff pastry in labor. Don’t worry, I’m not throwing that at you yet. I need to make it a few more ...
PORK LARB: AN ASIAN MEAT SALAD
You didn’t think I only made one dish with my Red Wattle Pork from Sugar Creek Meats, did you? Pork Larb, which can be made with almost any protein is, at its heart, a ground meat salad. The two most well known versions come from Laos and Northern Thailand. As an interesting aside, the Laotian version includes fish sauce and lime juice which is what I would have expected to find in the Thai larb. My recipe includes elements from both cuisines. You can serve your larb over rice or noodles, in lettuce cups, or pretty much anyway you want. It can be a light meal or a full dinner. Make ...
BEST PORK SANDWICH EVER
“Hello” The message popped up on my Instagram account. “Have you ever worked with red wattle pork before?” “No. I can’t say that I have.” I replied. Red Wattle Pork, for the uninitiated, is considered by many chefs to be the finest pork meat available. I was intrigued. And so, one dark and rainy day not long after, I found myself driving up a small dirt road in Big Sandy Mush Valley on a visit to the home of Sugar Creek Meats. Tyler De Francisco, a Sicilian transplant from New Jersey, is passionate about his pigs and his meat. Actually, Tyler is passionate about food in ...
MAKING PEA SOUP LOVELY
The other day as I was struggling to take a good picture of my homemade pea soup I realized that winter food is a lot like winter: a lot of it is brown and dreary looking. This is not to say that winter does not have its delights. There are warm and cozy evenings indoors by the fire. The first snow. The night sky on a cold and clear evening when the stars shine bright. And of course, the smell of something cooking long and slow on the stovetop with its promise of a delicious meal to come. And thinking about that, I decided not to get too fussed about the fact that pea soup is ...
TOP CHEF DINNER: LAMB BURGER PROVENCAL
All credit for this recipe goes to Chef Hubert Keller. A number of years ago, I went to Las Vegas with my daughters to celebrate Abby’s 21st birthday. Full disclaimer, this was her choice: like many others I know, I was skeptical that Las Vegas could be any fun. I was so wrong! One of the first things we found out when we got there was that it is kind of foodie paradise. In walking around through the malls and hotels we kept tripping over the restaurants of some of our favorite chefs. We had made reservations, of course, for our dinners but it was lunch that was the big ...
FINDING BALANCE IN JANUARY: CRAB CAKES WITH MANGO SALSA
I always called January “The Month of Atonement”. In the past I have viewed the start of the new year as a time to deprive myself as a means of repenting for the excesses of the December holiday season. But this year as the words slipped casually out of my mouth, I found myself wondering what was the sin I was atoning for? Christmas and New Year’s (to a lesser extent) are holidays of joy and celebration. All the feasting and partying with friends and family, the sharing of foods as gifts and offerings, are acts of love and happiness. This not something to atone for. This year I am ...
The End of the Holidays: Turkey Hash
I love the holidays. I love the decorating and shopping, the mess and the clutter and the sheer busyness of it all. And then I love taking it down, putting away the ribbons and bows, the green and red, sweeping up the pine needles and tossing out the faded flowers. Included in all of this, of course, is ridding one's refrigerator of the remnants of the year-end feasting. In our house we always make sure to have a big enough turkey (or goose) to have left overs. Next day turkey sandwiches are required! And after that it might be time for soup or, if there is enough, my real ...
