Garlic | We Are Never Full

Anyone who works in a company of any size will tire at some point of hackneyed sports analogies when discussions around departmental or organizational performance occur. I certainly had more than my fill this past week during day-long 2014 strategic planning sessions, but perhaps surprisingly the most common sports cliche “practice makes perfect” didn’t come […]

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Eats, Shoots and Leaves…

Posted in appetizer, Argentina, blogging, butter, fava beans, Garlic, kidneys, lamb, mint, offal, Olive Oil, peas, saute, sweetbreads on Mar 17th, 2013

The world of social media seems to have been created for the sole purpose of allowing the general public to share its idiocy as widely as possible. Along with this opportunity also arrived the penchant for inventing ridiculous new expressions and forming them into one of the most odious aspects of modern life, the hash […]

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No Amphibians Were Hurt in the Making of This Dish…

Posted in bisto, British, butter, easy, egg, England, entertainment, flour, Garlic, gravy, kale, milk, mushy peas, onions, Recipe, Recipes, sausage, toad in the hole, tradition on Dec 3rd, 2012

In his rather witty book, French Lessons, Peter Mayle attends the annual Fete de Grenouilles (Festival of Frogs-Legs) in Vittel, France, and describes an episode at the festival banquet in which an attendee, elbow deep in amphibian thighs, tells him that if he thinks eating frogs is unusual, she had heard of an even more […]

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A Sepia-Tinted Future: Fideua with Cuttlefish

Posted in almond, Barcelona, broiled, calamari, Chorizo, cuttlefish, fish, Garlic, Madrid, Murcia, noodles, nuts, Olive Oil, Pasta, pepper, peppers, pulpo, Spain, Squid, tradition, travel, Valencia, wine on Nov 14th, 2012

For centuries, mankind and cuttlefish have had something of a difficult relationship, certainly from the latter’s perspective. Even prior to the development of the photographic tint known as sepia – a brownish hue that makes the late 19th century appear to have been an unusually dusty period – the ink of the cuttlefish was prized […]

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Garlic Scapes, Cosmic Balance and a Pan-Fried Sea Bass Fillet

Posted in asparagus, chives, condiments, cornichons, egg, fish, French, Garlic, gherkins, healthy, herbs, morels, parsley, polenta, sauce on Jun 23rd, 2012

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Pincho Moruno: Hidden Waters Reveal Miraculous Pork Belly Kebabs

Posted in African, appetizer, castille, chile, Garlic, herbs, history, Meat, Mexican, Olive Oil, pepper, peppers, pimenton, pinchos, pork, racione, Spain, tapas, thyme, tradition, travel on Jun 6th, 2012

St. George, the patron saint of England, whose plucky, dragon-slaying derring-do is taken as emblematic of the English spirit, far from being a native of the British Isles, or for that matter, far from ever having come close to visiting them, was actually an adventurous squire of the modern-day country of Georgia who lived around […]

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Discovering Mamposteao

Posted in Beach, Garlic, history, Olive Oil, olives, onions, oregano, Puerto Rican, rice, side dish, tradition, travel on May 3rd, 2012

Named for the grandson of Puerto Rico’s first governor, the southern city of Ponce is blessed with appropriately distinguished architecture. The equal of few in the Americas, it is a delightful surprise for the visitor. That conquering Americans were responsible for the preservation of the city’s historic district is equally surprising.

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Pork Chops in the Style of Jerez Paired with Delicious, Free Rioja from Campo Viejo

Posted in alcohol, alcoholic drink, almond, Garlic, history, pork, sauce, sherry, Spain, tradition, travel on Feb 25th, 2012

With wine there is probably more room for personal interpretation and opinion than in any other area of gastronomy. The sheer variety of wines available from across the globe encourages this, but the reputation of the wine connoisseur and his often ridiculous descriptions of the perfumes to be nosed out of the glass makes wine-tasting […]

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Pollo en Sidra (Asturian-Style Chicken in Cider): Leaving a Drop in the Glass

Posted in alcohol, apples, Asturias, braised, chicken, drink, Garlic, healthy, mushrooms, poultry, sauce, Spain, tradition, travel on Jan 17th, 2012

“We may have lost paradise because of the apple, but we’ll get it back with cider.” – Asturian saying “Reach out your arms, as far apart as possible – one high, one low – then just bend your wrist, but do not look!”, instructed the waitress. “Oh, and beginners like you must stand over the […]

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Fish Night Throwback: Seared Halibut Aiolli Garni

Posted in beans, British, cognac, easy, family, fennel, fish, France, Garlic, history, Manchester, Provencal, Provence, spicy, white fish on Dec 3rd, 2011

I’m not very old, but for much of my youth in the north west of England, it was almost impossible to find fresh foods that weren’t local. Today such a statement seems like an echo of Victorian times, but, literally, that’s how it was until a supermarket was built behind the Knutsford courthouse in the […]

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Risotto di Polpette di Salsicce al Finocchio: Playing with your Sausage…

Posted in America, fennel, Garlic, ground meat, Italian, Meat, meatballs, rice, sausage, Tuscan, tuscany on Nov 2nd, 2011

I was recently introduced to an Australian with whom I had a number of interesting discussions (that is not meant as a joke). The first, an hour-long discussion of the age-old cricketing rivalry between England and his native land is of no concern here, but the second, a frank exchange of views about the quality […]

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