Asparagus! It’s asparagus season! Are you sick of it yet? Let me help. It’s perfectly fine to treat asparagus like a delicate flower, seasoning with just a splash of olive oil and lemon juice and maybe some herbs – but just a skosh. It’s lovely. I do it often. But man, asparagus can stand up [...]
I had beet greens. I had cooked wheatberries and lentils. I had toasted hazelnuts, and olives marinated with chilies. I had dinner, and it was frickin’ awesome. Good lord, I’m getting lazy over here. I need to step it up. PrintSpicy Wheatberries and Lentils with Beet Greens, Olives, and Hazelnuts Yield: 4 servings Please [...]
This is the best kind of salad. It’s one that requires no stove, oven, microwave, or any other sort of heating device. It doesn’t require any special equipment or power tools. All you need is a can opener, a knife, a cutting board, and a big ol’ mixing bowl. I guess most people would want [...]
I’ll be honest. I don’t love cooked carrots. They’re too often mushy and have that somehow sweet blandness that screams “overcooked”. But I’ve found that a quick toss in a hot sauté pan does something to carrots that I really enjoy. They stay al dente in the middle, but soften enough so you’re not eating [...]
Are we still talking about kale? Has kale jumped the shark yet? Whatever. I don’t think I could ever get sick of greens of any sort. Kale, chard, collards, mustard greens, turnip greens… they just do it for me. Kale in particular has this wonderful texture, much like your workaday cabbage, that’s just as good [...]
Man, who doesn’t like a big ol’ bowl of roasted Brussels sprouts? If you don’t, I suspect you haven’t had them prepared correctly. And while it’s tempting to treat Brussels sprouts like any other vegetable when roasting, the usual “toss ‘em in olive oil, add salt and pepper, roast at 400º F” business doesn’t really [...]
Ah, Thanksgiving. How was yours? Mine was super-relaxing. Want to know what a Personal Chef eats on the day before Thanksgiving? And for lunch the day of? The same thing everyone else eats: whatever is most convenient. And when it’s a pescatarian Thanksgiving meal that one doesn’t start planning until Tuesday (luckily for only three [...]
Part of the reason I never cook beans is because I lack foresight. I never think about soaking them overnight, partly because I never want beans hard enough. Overnight pizza crust, I can do; but then, I kinda love bread. Also, you’re somewhat tied to the kitchen when you have a pot of beans on. [...]
I’m deeply aware that the way I cook on a weeknight is a skosh more involved than the way most of America cooks. One might even go so far as to call it convoluted. Or even flat-out crazy. Exhibit A. Exhibit B. Exhibit C. But I figure that, given my job, it’s justified. It’s all [...]
Fall, amirite? Seriously, though, let’s never speak of the weather again. Here are some phrases you won’t see me using on this site (and if I do, you are please requested to reprimand me): 1. ”nip in the air” 2. ”crunch of leaves” (that goes double if used in conjunction with the word “underfoot”) 3. [...]
