Summer. Sangria. They go hand-in-hand. A cooling mix of wine, fruit, and some liquor really hits the spot on a hot day. When we lived in Washington DC we’d enjoy some sangria and tapas at a great Spanish restaurant, Taberna del Alabardero. With the start of the 2014 FIFA World Cup I found myself fondlyContinue reading “Sangria – World Cup and Wedding Memories”
Category Archives: Recipes
Cranberry and Orange Farro Salad
Not gonna lie, the Flavor Bible I bought in New Orleans is getting a lot of use and I think it’s probably one of the best kitchen/cooking investments anyone can make. It will bring your cooking to a new level and I am definitely using it when I get stuck like last Friday. My conundrumContinue reading “Cranberry and Orange Farro Salad”
Yay Spring! Ramp Gougères
A few weeks ago when the weather finally turned gorgeous, my friend Chef Julius Russell and his wife Jada stopped by for a visit to catch up. As you can imagine, food was one of the topics and Chef told me all about some really cool things he was doing with ramps this spring. IContinue reading “Yay Spring! Ramp Gougères”
Coppa – Here’s Where Curing Pork Gets Serious
Coppa. This is the one where I’ll look back and say ‘that’s where it really began.’ Of all the curing I’ve done in the past year this coppa is my best. I’ve wanted to make some since I first got Salumi but had to learn how to walk first with some smaller, quicker cures. I’mContinue reading “Coppa – Here’s Where Curing Pork Gets Serious”
Bresaola – Home Cured Dried Beef
When we were in New Orleans a few weekends ago we ended up eating dinner at an Italian place where one of the appetizers on he menu was a simple salad of arugula, parmigiano reggiano, and bresaola. I pointed it out to Cheryl and said something like ‘you know that beef I cured and hungContinue reading “Bresaola – Home Cured Dried Beef”
Yellow Lentils with Pickled Ginger and Watercress
As promised here’s the second part of last week’s NOLA inspired dish of Ginger Beer Pork Cheeks. These lentils are a really flavorful side dish which, while fantastic when paired with the pork cheeks, can easily stand on its own as a separate dish or even side salad. Like revenge I think they’re best servedContinue reading “Yellow Lentils with Pickled Ginger and Watercress”
New Orleans Inspiration: Ginger Beer Pork Cheeks with Basil Apricot Ginger Sauce
New Orleans. How can a chef or home cook not draw inspiration from the Crescent City? It’s a very unique culinary city and I really don’t think there’s any place on earth which compares to it for the vibrant and diverse food combinations you discover there. As well as all of the other outrageous stuffContinue reading “New Orleans Inspiration: Ginger Beer Pork Cheeks with Basil Apricot Ginger Sauce”
Beurre Manié and French Style Spring Peas
This week I’m kneading things up a little bit (wait for it…) and incorporating a simple yet useful technique into the post. Cheryl picked up a package of shelled peas at Trader Joe’s so I made some French peas to go with our Sunday dinner roast. Since I’d made this dish before, I knew thereContinue reading “Beurre Manié and French Style Spring Peas”
Curried Lamb Salad – Finishing Off A Leg of Lamb
This week we had a few leftovers in the house from Easter, mostly leg of lamb and some pastel colored hard-boiled eggs. Initially I thought maybe I’d do a post on egg salad since national egg salad day (seriously?) occurred last week. Yes I know, egg salad can be boring but it triggered the followingContinue reading “Curried Lamb Salad – Finishing Off A Leg of Lamb”
A Classic Piadina – Prosciutto e Taleggio (Ham and Cheese)
What’s a piadina? A thin, almost pita-like Italian flatbread dough which doesn’t rise and can cook quickly on a grill or griddle. From our travels throughout Italy I’ve noticed these types of sandwiches are pretty popular in small cafes and places where people are on-the-go like, train stations. Piadina (piadine?) can be filled with aContinue reading “A Classic Piadina – Prosciutto e Taleggio (Ham and Cheese)”
The Roaming GastroGnome 