One can learn a lot about a place in a short period of time. I’d even venture to say that exploring a city on hyperdrive can actually be quite fulfilling. It forces you to examine what aspects of a place are really important to you—for me, it’s the local food, people, culture, art and music, […]
Hit the specialty stores. One day at Hana Japanese market in DC, I found myself loading up on ingredients that I either don’t normally use or cannot find at my regular grocery. This one act resulted in a totally different style of cooking, at least for that week, and later led me to latin American markets, […]
The Place to Buy your Foodstuffs in a Metropolitan Culinary Mecca The Jean-Talon Market is situated in the center of a huge urban residential area of Montréal, and it is the largest outdoor public farmers’ market in Canada. At it’s peak in the summer there are over 130 vendors and shops that set up mostly […]
It’s almost time for Sunday morning brunch! This week: Huevos rancheros (“ranch-style eggs.”) This dish was created during the 16th century when chickens were brought to Mexico by the Spanish during their conquest of the new world. The original version consisted of fried eggs atop fried corn tortillas with pureed chili drizzled on top of […]
Historically, (and today in many parts of the world) no part of an animal is wasted from the dinner table — a good example of this is bottarga, cured mullet roe from the Mediterranean. Another is French pâté. Pâté was first sold as a simple meat pie in food markets in ancient Greece. In its early form, […]
Bottarga, sometimes called the “poor man’s caviar,” is prized by award-winning chefs and by simple eaters alike — proving that when it comes to taste, the smartest ingredients often have humble beginnings. Bottarga is a fish roe pouch that is cleaned, massaged to eliminate air pockets, salted, pressed and dried for up to five months. This […]
Ingredients: 20 jumbo prawns, chilled, peeled and deveined 2 white onions, sliced 6 celery stalks, chopped 1 leek, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 3 bay leaves, crushed 1 tsp. thyme 1 tsp. whole peppercorns 4 Tbsp. kosher salt 2 qt. water 1 ¾ qt. chicken stock 1 cup white table wine lemon wedges (garnish) Method: In […]
Switzerland’s most beloved dish is Raclette. A hearty and inexpensive meal perfected for centuries in the Alps. Traditionally, this hobo-style meal was meant to satisfy big appetites in cold winter weather and was made out of just cheese, potatoes and vegetables—all ingredients grown in the mountains. Adding meat became popular when the dish hit populated […]
It’s the weekend and on the weekend, we should cook feasts. Here is a good feast to share (and it can be a costly one because seafood and saffron can both be quite expensive.) Worth the cost, though, with a host of approving eyebrows raising the roof and a story to tell while chowing down. So, Paella. First […]
World on a Fork 