Coming Soon: Peach Gelee Glee
Fresh Tomato Gazpacho – Crumbled Stale Wet Bread Sold Separately
Sorry, panzanella, but I’ve never been a big fan of the whole wet bread thing. Even versions I’ve had where the crumbs where completely pureed in, weren’t as pleasing to me as all-veg versions. Besides, some culinary traditions are simply leftover from a time when people had to do it that way, you know, so they wouldn’t starve to death. I call this the rutabaga syndrome.
Like I said in the video, this is not even worth trying unless you’re going to use some killer, end-of-summer, super-sweet tomatoes. After a long wait, we finally have some decent ones here in San Francisco. There just isn’t any substitute, so happy hunting, and I hope you find some so you give this a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
4 large vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 English cucumber, diced
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup minced green onion
1 large jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch dried oregano
cayenne to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pint “Sweet 100” cherry tomatoes
1 lime, juiced, or to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh Tomato Gazpacho – Crumbled Stale Wet Bread Sold Separately
Sorry, panzanella, but I’ve never been a big fan of the whole wet bread thing. Even versions I’ve had where the crumbs where completely pureed in, weren’t as pleasing to me as all-veg versions. Besides, some culinary traditions are simply leftover from a time when people had to do it that way, you know, so they wouldn’t starve to death. I call this the rutabaga syndrome.
Like I said in the video, this is not even worth trying unless you’re going to use some killer, end-of-summer, super-sweet tomatoes. After a long wait, we finally have some decent ones here in San Francisco. There just isn’t any substitute, so happy hunting, and I hope you find some so you give this a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
4 large vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 English cucumber, diced
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup minced green onion
1 large jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch dried oregano
cayenne to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pint “Sweet 100” cherry tomatoes
1 lime, juiced, or to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
chiffonade of fresh basil leaves or cilantro
Oh, You Little Dumpling!
I just returned from dinner at a place here in San Francisco called Shanghai Dumpling King, where Michele and I enjoyed their famous Xiao Long Bao, or, as it’s also known, Shanghai soup dumplings. I got the tip from my friend, Amy Sherman, from Cooking with Amy, and she was not kidding. They were so incredibly good.
The photo is of some crab and pork dumplings I just posted on Instagram (btw, if you want to follow my foodie adventures in all their photographic glory, you should get that app). When I got home, I went to YouTube to try and find a how-to video for it, and lo and behold, there was a great one…shot in the exact same restaurant we had just left! I love when that happens.
Anyway, this comes from the fine folks at Chow.com, and features chef Andrea Nguyen, author of the celebrated cookbook, Asian Dumplings, and Shanghai Dumpling King’s chef and owner Lu Kuang. Enjoy!
Oh, You Little Dumpling!
I just returned from dinner at a place here in San Francisco called Shanghai Dumpling King, where Michele and I enjoyed their famous Xiao Long Bao, or, as it’s also known, Shanghai soup dumplings. I got the tip from my friend, Amy Sherman, from Cooking with Amy, and she was not kidding. They were so incredibly good.
The photo is of some crab and pork dumplings I just posted on Instagram (btw, if you want to follow my foodie adventures in all their photographic glory, you should get that app). When I got home, I went to YouTube to try and find a how-to video for it, and lo and behold, there was a great one…shot in the exact same restaurant we had just left! I love when that happens.
Anyway, this comes from the fine folks at Chow.com, and features chef Andrea Nguyen, author of the celebrated cookbook, Asian Dumplings, and Shanghai Dumpling King’s chef and owner Lu Kuang. Enjoy!
Creamy Wild Mushroom Ragout – A Triple Threat of Fungi Flavor
This very easy mushroom ragout, not only looks and tastes great, but it one of those magical recipes that shines equally as bright whether you serve it with breakfast, lunch, or dinner. We call these dishes, “triple threats,” and they’re important weapons in any cook’s arsenal.
Imagine this under a perfectly poached egg for breakfast – the golden yolk slowly running into the hot mushrooms and creamy sauce; all sitting on a thick slab of crispy toast. It’s almost too perfect to comprehend. I said “almost,” so try to comprehend it.
For lunch, I can’t think of a better meatless meal than this and a cold, crisp green salad. You could score bonus foodie points for using the same vinegar you used in the ragout, to make the dressing.
For dinner, the possibilities are endless. There are very few meat-based main courses this wouldn’t make a very handsome side dish for. Or, used as a sauce for those meats, or even just over a plate of pasta.
As I mentioned in the video, literally any combination of fresh mushrooms will work. If you can’t get fresh wild mushrooms, you can always use the trick of adding some dried porcini or morel to plain button mushrooms. These are now sold at virtually every large grocery store, and their funkier flavors will permeate the porous flesh of the regular ‘shrooms.
Anyway, I’m not in the habit of threatening my readers, let alone triple-threatening them, but I really hope you all give this outrageously delicious mushroom ragout a try soon. By the way, don't forget we showed you all how easy it is to make you own creme fraiche in this video. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 1/4 lbs mixed mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp butter, divided
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 tbsp champagne vinegar, or other wine vinegar
2 tbsp cognac, brandy or sherry
1/2 cup crème fraiche
1/2 cup chicken broth or as needed
1 tbsp fresh herb
