Really Cool Knives
I ran across this article in Gourmet magazine about this Ohio-based knife factory where they still make their knives by hand. The Warther Carving Museum and Knife Factory. I had to take a look because I have an unhealthy love of cutlery, and I have to say, they are beautiful. What really blows my mind is that you can get a set of hand-made knives like these for much cheaper than your run of the mill Henckels or Shun or whatever your blades of choice. Take a look for yourself.
Filed under Rants | Comment (0)Slow-cooked Chicken in a Clay Pot with Winter Vegetables
Taste: clean, strong chicken flavor, herbal, fresh from the lemon, slightly earthy from the paprika, buttery from the potatoes, sweet and rich from the carrots
It’s not in my nature to slow-cook food, I’m too spur of the moment and I like to fiddle with my food too much, but every once in a while, it’s nice to be able stick something in a pot and let it do its thing for a few hours.
Slow cooking leaves the food incredibly juicy and tender, and because it usually requires a tightly sealed vessel - you can’t afford to loose moisture otherwise your food will dry out or burn - this method effectively concentrates flavor and preserves more of the nutritional value of the food. Cooking things over the course of a few hours also has the added bonus of gradually steeping your whole house in luscious aromas, drawing the occupants to peer longingly through the oven door like a troupe of slightly sad zombies. Continue reading »
Filed under Recipes | Comment (1)UmamiTV Episode #0A is Here!
Marjoram Chicken Soup
Taste: Chickeny, bursting with umami, herbal flavor from the marjoram, slightly lemony and caramel-y from the onions.Apparently there are certain dishes which you’re not supposed to use when ‘entertaining.’ I’ve got several cookbooks which caution that certain recipes aren’t for guests. Well, I wasn’t aware of this distinction until recently and I’ve been serving non-guestworthy foods to my guests for a long time, shockingly no one has ever called me out on it. Continue reading » Filed under Recipes | Comment (0)
Moussaka with Eggplant and Ground Pork
Taste: rich, complex, sweet and acidic, aromatic from the bay leaf and the herbs, tomatoey, good bit of fat from the pork, the eggplant also lends the quality of fat from the texture of its meat, starchy from the potatoes which balance out the acidity and intensity of the filling and keep it from being overwhelming, the crust is mellow and creamy and more about texture and balance than flavor.Filed under Recipes | Comment (0)
Banitza with Feta Cheese
Taste: Crispy, flaky, soft, creamy from the cheese, salty, slightly tangy, golden - like only fresh home baked bread can taste.
This is a traditional Bulgarian pastry which uses hand-made filo dough and can be stuffed with all manner of things, both sweet and savory. I made it for New Year’s Eve and it was a smashing success, if I do say so myself. My uncle went so far as to say that it was better than my grandmother’s, an honor of which I would never suspect myself to be worthy. (My grandmother being the queen of banitza, and of cooking in general.) Continue reading »
Filed under Recipes | Comments (2)Sichuanese Boiled Peanuts
Taste: Not as crunchy as roasted peanuts, more of a soft, delicate crunch, slightly spicy, and very aromatic with only a hint of salt.
This is a really simple recipe that produces interesting and surprising results, I made these for a holiday party and they turned out great.
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Coconut Lemongrass Rice
Taste description: Rich, creamy, slightly sweet, aromatic.
I’ve attempted this very simple recipe several times, and have managed to screw it up every time because I had to keep fiddling with it instead of leaving it alone. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Continue reading »
Filed under Recipes | Comment (0)What is Umami?
When you eat something and it feels and tastes rich and luscious and you sort of want to swirl your tongue along the roof of your mouth to get the full intensity of the flavor, that’s umami. Umami is the fifth taste, it’s less obvious and more difficult to capture than the other four. Foods rich in umami have a satisfying, almost addictive quality, foods lacking it taste watery, thin. When you are cooking something and you find that something is missing, but you can’t quite put your finger on what, likely you’re missing some umami. A bit of parmesan, some ground up anchovies, some tomato paste or a dash of soy sauce - depending on which cuisine you’re dealing with - will usually do the trick. Continue reading »
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