Posted in basil, cauliflower, crispy, culture, Fall, fish, Iceland, language, lemon, nuts, salmon, shark, travel on Oct 12th, 2012
My guidebook assured me that 3 out of 5 Icelanders believe that faeries, mischievous sprites and trolls are real. Many, it continues, actively take precautions against them, refusing to set foot in the spots they are thought to inhabit. My first introduction to the country, the drive from the airport into Reykjavik, past a giant […]
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Posted in butter, cheap meal, France, French, game, Garlic, history, lemon, offal, parsley, pigs, pork, Potato, shanks, slow cooking, tourism, tradition, travel, trotter on Oct 4th, 2011
The largely unknown city of Compiegne, France, has the distinction of being the site of one of Louis XV’s most extravagant homes away from home. Under him, the Chateau de Compiegne became one of three distinctly opulent seats of government alongside Versailles and Fontainbleau. The latter French monarchs were hardly known for their desire to […]
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With the summer over (sad face) but the warm days of Indian Summer lingering on (happy face), this dish will be relavant for a few more weeks (for those who are super traditional about eating warm weather dishes only in warm weather). For me, this will be an excellent dish to eat after months of […]
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Posted in Burmese, chicken, chicken stock, coconut, culture, flour, Garlic, ginger, history, lemon, noodles, onions, shallots, spices, tradition on Apr 15th, 2010
There is so little information available about Burma (or Myanmar, depending on how you rock it) that after the inevitable Wikipedia entry, the CIA World Factbook is the second item that appears in Google’s search results. This anonymity is largely due to the military dictatorship that has kept the country under lock and key for […]
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Posted in beef, Buenos Aires, crispy, culture, grilled, grilling, guts, indulgent meal, lemon, Montevideo, morcilla, offal, pork, sausage, South America, sweetbreads, tourism, travel, Uruguay, veal on Jun 2nd, 2009
As Odysseus was nearly drawn to his destruction on the rocks by the enchanting song of the sirens, so your hardy WANF voyagers were almost powerless to resist breaking themselves on the plentiful tables of Uruguay. However, unlike Homer’s hero, for whom women were the main weakness throughout his epic peregrinations, during our recent travels […]
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Posted in alcoholic drink, Argentina, beverage, cognac, drink, egg, grapes, history, lemon, lime, South America, tart, travel on May 7th, 2009
Picture this, if you will: A warm, humid day in Argentina’s early autumn; the last rays of sun slanting sharply through the browning leaves of mature plane trees; myriad dog-walkers rustling quietly by in the litter of those already fallen. In the lee of a giant ficus planted for sidewalk shade, two travelers recline in […]
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Posted in almond, couscous, crispy, egg, fish, fried, healthy, Jose Andres, lemon, nuts, Olive Oil, olives, oranges, parsley, Recipe, sauce, seafood, side dish, vegetables on Mar 19th, 2009
So, lately we’ve been experiencing a certain degree of apathy with regard to food. Maybe it’s the time of year or the grind of work, either way, it’s not a great place to be for us, and hopefully somewhere we will leave soon. Nonetheless, sometimes inspiration can strike, and delicious, seasonal citrus fruit can be […]
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Posted in Alba, celery, culture, Garlic, Italian, Italy, lemon, octopus, Olive Oil, Puglia, Pugliese, salad, seafood, tourism, travel, winter on Feb 25th, 2009
Looking for a ray of sunshine in your diet?
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Posted in broccoli raab, crispy, fish, healthy, lemon, lower fat, mushroom, mushrooms, Olive Oil, onions, Recipe, Recipes, skin, vegetables on Feb 8th, 2009
How many times can one person write the word crispy in one post title? Guess five times was enough. Now how many times can one person write crispy within a post? Word count at the end of this post – I know you’ll be on the edge of your computer chair. Seriously, the other night I was […]
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Posted in alcohol, alcoholic drink, anise, bay, beverage, British, brown sugar, Christmas, cinnamon, culture, drink, easy, England, holiday, holidays, juice, lemon, orange juice, oranges, Recipe, spices, sweet, tradition, wine, winter on Dec 20th, 2008
Even though mulled wine should remind me of being in the church choir as a cherub-faced youngster and singing Christmas carols with frosty breath overlooking a seasonally-decorated nave and a sea of pink-cheeked parishoners, it doesn’t. In spite of this being the way I was introduced to this most famous Yuletide beverage, my abiding memories […]
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Posted in breadcrumbs, butter, easy, egg, Fall, flour, Garlic, herbs, lemon, liver, lunch, mushrooms, Olive Oil, Recipe, thyme, veal, weather on Nov 19th, 2008
A month or so ago we bought a package of veal liver at our local grocery store telling ourselves that we going to cook them, but not really having any idea how. We’ve made veal kidneys before without relying on a recipe so we were convinced we could do the same with the beast’s liver, […]
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Posted in asparagus, cheap meal, chops, grilled, grilling, healthy, lamb, lemon, Moroccan, olives, onions, paprika, pine nuts, pistachios, Recipe, Recipes, spices on Jul 26th, 2008
Although we were the lucky recipients of a gorgeous red tagine as an engagement pressie from my parents friends a few years ago, we decided to forgo using it in the 95 degree heat New Yorkers were forced to endure last week. For those who may not know, a tagine (or tajine) is a clay […]
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Posted in culture, dessert, easy, lemon, Philadelphia, Recipe, Recipes, tradition, vegetarian, water on Jul 12th, 2008
Another post that brings me back to my childhood while growing up in the outskirts of Philadelphia and its plethora of suburbs. One of my favorite summertime treats (I was too young to know the beauty that is a soft-shell crab, mind you) was a local treat called Water Ice (pronounced “wooder ice” when speaking […]
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Posted in butter, cabbage, capers, chipotle, crab, easy, lemon, New Jersey, Olive Oil, peppers, Recipe, Recipes, sandwiches, sauce, soft-shell on Jun 28th, 2008
So now you’ve searched high and low for soft-shell crabs, maybe to make Soft-Shell Crabs with Butter and Garlic and a side of Aglio e Olio? I can just see it – you finally find them and, in a panic, you decide to spend part of your life savings so you can put a bunch […]
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Posted in appetizer, beer, bread, capers, cheese, easy, eating, England, Food Commentary, healthy, Jose Andres, lemon, mackerel, manchego, morcilla, peppers, pinchos, pintxos, piquillo peppers, racione, sausage, savory, seafood, soccer, Spain, Squid, tapas on Jun 8th, 2008
In celebration of the start of Euro 2008 – the European soccer/football championships – yesterday, and in light of the fact that England failed to qualify because they were awful, I am in need of a team to follow, so have decided to become an honorary Spanish soccer fan for the next month, or however […]
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Posted in British, calamari, chile, chipotle, easy, fish, Garlic, grilled, grilling, Jamie Oliver, lemon, Meat, Mexican, morcilla, Olive Oil, onions, parsley, racione, Recipe, Recipes, sauce, sausage, savory, seafood, Spain, spicy, Squid, tapas, tomato on Jun 4th, 2008
A lot of people love Jamie Oliver for his informal, cheekie-chappie attitude and antics, which they welcome as a nice break from the seemingly unapproachable TV chefs of the past. Personally, I find his mockney styles and instant familiarity grating, and have let this issue influence my opinion of his cooking. However, I’m big enough […]
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Posted in appetizer, cheap meal, easy, grilled, grilling, Japanese, Korean, lemon, mirin, miso, offal, Recipe, Recipes, veal on Jun 2nd, 2008
So I know what you’re already thinking (if you’ve even dared to read this post at all!) – tongue?! WHA-WHA-WHAT!? I think i just threw up a little. Nasty. Or, maybe you’re thinking, “interesting… I’d give it a try… I trust these two.” And possibly you’ve been lucky enough to have tried tongue before and […]
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Posted in calamari, Clams, easy, fish, healthy, lemon, Madrid, meal, peppers, Recipe, Recipes, restaurant, rice, soup, Spain, spices, Squid, tomato, vegetarian on May 5th, 2008
On our final day in Madrid, it was pissing down with rain. We spent about 4 hours walking around the Reina Sofia drooling over Picasso’s Guernica (the size of a giant museum wall) and the large amount of Dali and Miro works. We’re not really artsy-fartsy folks, but that museum made me wet myself with […]
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Posted in anchovies, cheap meal, easy, Garlic, herbs, Italian, lemon, Olive Oil, parsley, Pernil, pork, Recipe, Recipes, skin, slow cooking, thyme on Apr 6th, 2008
One of the tastiest and cheapest things I can buy in my grocery store is a bone-in pork shoulder. When I saw that they were on sale for 79 cents (YES, that’s right) a pound, I figured I’d pick one up. For only two of us, I bought the smallest one I found – a […]
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Posted in adobo, barbecue, chicken, crispy, eating, grilled, grilling, healthy, important details, lemon, oregano, poultry, Puerto Rican, Recipe, Recipes, salt, savory, skin, spices, Steven Raichlen, technique, television show on Apr 4th, 2008
So, rather like the DJ I never was, but always secretly thought I could be if I could just get my hands on 1,000 records, 2 gold Technics 1200s, and 5 years to practice in my bedroom, I’m starting this post, or jam, if you will, by giving a series of shout outs. The first […]
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Posted in artichoke, cheap meal, cheese, chile, easy, Garlic, Italian, lemon, Mario Batali, meal, Olive Oil, parsley, Recipe, Recipes, vegetables, vegetarian on Mar 29th, 2008
With artichokes on sale for 98 cents each (better than the rabbit we bought the other week!), I just had to pick a few up. For some reason, I only grabbed two thinking I would make an appetizer or a side-dish with them. Well, let me tell you, this slight adaptation of a Mario Batali […]
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Posted in baking, cheap meal, cornmeal, easy, Food Commentary, fried, fritters, healthy, important details, lemon, lower fat, parsley, Recipe, Recipes, salt, sauce, seafood, side dish, snapper, tradition, vegetables, vegetarian, whole fish on Mar 11th, 2008
Salt. Does this word get your stomach growling? Get your mouth salivating? Lips smacking? Make you want to just ‘dig in’? Probably not. But could we live without it? Most definitely not. Doing some brief research on this dietary mineral not only “schooled” me on its lengthy history, but it also made me majorly appreciate […]
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Posted in America, broccoli raab, cheap meal, chile, culture, healthy, Italian, Italy, lemon, Little Italy, New York City, Pasta, quick meal, Recipe, Recipes, sausage, side dish, spicy, vegetables, vegetarian on Mar 4th, 2008
How many of you out there in We Are Never Full-land have never heard of Broccoli di Rape? Anyone who has heard of it but never saw or ate it? I ask this only because, after researching this delectable, delicious and healthy green, I discovered that it’s U.S. roots (or that the vast majority of […]
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Posted in asparagus, batter, British, crepes, dessert, easy, egg, England, Europe, flour, French, Garlic, juice, lemon, milk, mushrooms, orange juice, pancakes, salmon, sauce, tarragon, tomato, tradition on Feb 9th, 2008
In the British calendar the final Tuesday before Lent is known as “Shrove Tuesday”, though it’s more often referred to as “pancake day” in modern times. The derivation of the word “shrove” is unclear but it is thought to be derived from “shriving” or asking forgiveness for sins, a typical Christian activity on this day. […]
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Posted in cheap meal, chicken, easy, Greek, healthy, lemon, onions, oregano, orzo, pita, quick meal, Recipe, Recipes, rice, soup on Feb 7th, 2008
There’s a Greek restaurant up the street from where we live that makes really delicious Avgolemono Soup and we’ve been recreating it at home since we first tried it. The best way to describe this soup is like a lemony, creamy chicken soup – Avgolemono actually means ‘egg-lemon’, natch. The most interesting part about it […]
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Posted in Alton Brown, anise, cheap meal, easy, fish, healthy, lemon, onions, quick meal, Recipe, Recipes, salmon, sauce, vegetables on Feb 1st, 2008
As we mentioned in other posts, although our trip to Madrid was fabu and delicious, we definitely needed to abstain from eating any meat and drinking any alcohol the week we returned. It was difficult and I officially think my body went through a strange form of detox – NonCelebrity Vacation Overconsumption Rehab, anyone? Has […]
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Posted in alcohol, alcoholic drink, Asian, British, culture, drink, easy, embarrassment, England, ginger, history, honey, hot toddy, juice, lemon, New York City, Pub, Recipe, Recipes, red bush, rooibos, rooibosh, South Africa, sugar, tea, tradition, water, weather on Jan 22nd, 2008
It’s freezing here in New York. Freezing! Yesterday, it didn’t get above 26F/-3C. Just the kind of weather when you need something to warm (as they say in London’s East End) the cockles of your heart. Years ago, on a freezing January day I took a walk with a friend around Alexandra Palace in north […]
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Ok, so I’m overusing the title “Quickest Meal Ever”. There can only be one “Quickest Meal”, right? In our bizarre blog world, no. I’ll have as many “Quickest Meal Ever” posts as I want! You know why? Cause they’re quick and we all know you like some things to happen quickly – getting a shot […]
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Posted in asparagus, calamari, culture, Feast of 7 Fishes, fish, fried, holiday, Italian, Italy, language, lemon, mushrooms, Recipe, Recipes, seafood, shrimp, Squid on Dec 29th, 2007
Like I promised, a new day brings a new recipe from Christmas Eve. To pay homage to my Italian heritage, and also to tip our hat to the country we were married in, we wanted to try our hand at the 7 Fishes tradition. The Feast of the 7 Fishes (called La Vigilia in Italy […]
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Posted in beef, cheese, culture, feta, Garlic, grilled, ground meat, lamb, language, Lebanese, lemon, lower fat, Meat, parsley, pita, pork, quick meal, Recipe, Recipes, sauce, skewers, tradition, yogurt on Dec 3rd, 2007
This is one of those meals we often make in the winter when we want something tasty, filling, but not high in fat. By cooking the ‘kabobs’ on the flat griddle pan, the fat drips off into the drip pan part of the griddle leaving us with a leaner kabob. I’ve been meaning to post […]
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