Risotto. . .tender, creamy arborio rice, slow simmered in a flavorful broth, with lots of butter and cheese. It’s so good I could eat just that for dinner and call it a day. My favorite risotto was served to me many years ago at a small, family-run restaurant in Kansas City. I can’t even remember…
Field Trip Friday – Mustang Flea Market
(Field Trip Fridays capture interesting, fun, food-related and/or fishing adventures that I like to share with you!). UPDATE: Sadly, effective June 30, 2020, Mustang Flea Market and Wagon Wheel Flea Market are closed, after 55 years. . .) ___ After 27 years in Florida, I still find interesting places. This time it was the Wagon…
Korean Style Radish Salad
In my quest to find new inspiration for my share of vegetables each week from my favorite CSA farm, I’ve been digging through recipe books and sites to find out how folks are using radishes, and I found lots of references to Japanese Daikon radish (those huge purple or white varieties). One of the more…
Herb & Citrus Roasted Potatoes
I simply adore potatoes. Mashed, roasted, smashed, boiled, grilled, fried, baked – you name it, I won’t turn it away. As I write this post, I recall something I read from Mark Bittman about potatoes. . .it may have been one of his blog posts a while back, maybe referencing content in his How to…
Delmonico Fish
Sometimes you find interesting things when you rifle through your grandmother’s old recipe box. I thought I knew about everything in there, but for some reason, never noticed a couple of cards in the ‘Fish’ section, until recently. I don’t even remember her making these dishes, but I knew that if they were in her…
Braised Turnips with Fresh Sage
You might recall my recent post about challenges relating to using up the turnips I’ve been getting in my weekly farm share. . . Sure, turnips are great Winter vegetables, and they’re so good for you, but I must admit that I’m about ready for Spring veggies! The Turnip Hash Browns I made were yummy, and…
Classic Peel & Eat Shrimp
I sometimes get creative in the kitchen with seafood or produce in an attempt to offer new possibilities using ‘old standards’. But sometimes an ingredient simply begs to be used in a classic dish. When my friends at Left Coast Seafood Company recently offered me some fresh Gulf shrimp, I was SO excited. Those talented…
Poached Strawberries
Strawberry season is in full swing in Florida, which means we get to enjoy fresh berries until late February/early March. You’ll see them at farmer’s markets, roadside stands, farms and festivals and, if I’m nearby, you’ll probably see me buying some because I simply can’t get enough. It also happens to be peak citrus season,…
Radish Crostini
When it comes to comfort food the ones I reach for are those that perform well in small bowls and are eaten with a spoon – you know, things like home made soup, creamy polenta, ice cream, oatmeal, buttered noodles, mac & cheese, chili, etc. Holding a little bowl of something creamy, soft or warm…
Garden Fresh Ratatouille
According to Merriam-Webster, ratatouille is “a seasoned stew made of eggplant, tomatoes, green peppers, squash, and sometimes meat.” It’s French, believed to have originated in Provence, where peasants made it regularly. The word itself is actually a combination of ratouiller (to disturb, shake) and tatouiller (to stir) and my former French teacher at Cardinal Spellman High…
Colorful Tomato Tartines
When you see the word ‘tartine’ (pronounced tar-teen) on a menu do you assume it’s something fancy because it’s French? Well, today we’re going to put that assumption to bed, because a tartine is basically an open-faced sandwich on a toasted piece of bread with something tasty on it. That’s it. But talk about possibilities!…
Zesty Kohlrabi Slaw
Kohlrabi (pronounced ‘kole-rah-bee’) is definitely an unusual-looking vegetable. It’s one that, when you see it at the farmer’s market or supermarket, you just sort of stroll by because it looks a little too ‘complicated’ to consider trying in your kitchen. I rest my case: And that’s just how I’ve always reacted to it whenever I’ve…