Musings on Starters, Mains, Desserts and Second-Helpings…
Posted in France, French, Garlic, Meat, chicken, fried, herbs, offal, poultry, shallots, thyme, tradition, travel on Feb 20th, 2010
Do you ever wish you had a secret power? I don’t mean like some stupid superhero who can fly, make it rain, or look great in a unitard. I mean like a gerbil’s ability to store tasty bits in its cheeks for later, or a tiger’s ability to eat 30lbs of wild boar at a [...]
Posted in Clams, Gallego, Garlic, Jose Andres, Olive Oil, Paul Bocuse, Recipe, Spain, culture, fish, healthy, history, parsley, sauce, seafood, sustainable, tapas, tradition, travel, white fish on Feb 3rd, 2010
It is no coincidence that, in the 30 years since Franco’s death, Spanish creativity in the arts, architecture, business, and gastronomy has blossomed. It is also no coincidence that it has been, predominantly, though not exclusively, Spain’s sub-national and regional groups — who were repressed most viciously by the Fascist dictator — that have led [...]
Posted in Arezzo, Florence, Garlic, Italian, Italy, Meat, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Olive Oil, Pasta, Recipes, Tuscan, bolognese, carrots, celery, chicken stock, duck, flour, game, guanciale, hearty, herbs, indulgent meal, mushroom, mushrooms, noodles, philosophy, porcini, sauce, tomato, tradition, travel, tuscany, wine on Jan 23rd, 2010
It might be generational, or, perhaps, philosophical, but there are, on the one hand, those who enjoy and appreciate handmade things, and the art and craft they require to make, and, on the other, those who prefer their things machine-made, reliable, and standard. The ‘things’ here could be quite literally anything. My father, who, to [...]
Posted in Mexican, Recipe, adobo, braised, chicken, chile, chili, chilli, chipotle, cilantro, cinnamon, nuts, peanut, peppers, sauce, tradition on Jan 15th, 2010
Ever have one of those days where the only thing that gets you through is knowing you are going to have a good meal later on? I have no idea where I read about this dish, but one day, trying to unwind after a long, frustrating and tiring day of putting out the fires that [...]
Posted in America, British, England, Recipe, alcohol, alcoholic drink, apples, barbecue, beverage, drink, eastenders, holiday, patriotism, summer, tradition on Jul 4th, 2009
Every stereotype, no matter how absurd the caricature, has, at its core, a grain of truth. Though I doubt anyone has ever seen him, the beret and black and white hooped sweater-sporting Frenchman with a cigarette hanging off his lower lip and a baguette under his arm, remains an abiding image of France; and in [...]
Posted in Argentina, Buenos Aires, Easter, Food Commentary, Genoa, Genovese, Italian, Italy, Liguria, Piemonte, Pizza, Restaurant Review, South America, anchovies, chick peas, crispy, eating, history, language, onions, restaurant, tourism, tradition, travel on Apr 24th, 2009
It’s fairly safe to say that no group, with the exception of the enigmatic gaucho, played as significant a role in defining Argentine national character as the Italians. Primarily (and principally, numerically-speaking) from Liguria (particularly Genoa), Piemonte and Tuscany, but latterly also from Naples and other areas of southern Italy, these Italian immigrants, literally by [...]
Posted in British, Christmas, England, Recipe, alcohol, alcoholic drink, anise, bay, beverage, brown sugar, cinnamon, culture, drink, easy, holiday, holidays, juice, lemon, orange juice, oranges, 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 [...]
Posted in Christmas, blogging, fondue, giveaway, holidays, top five, tradition, wine on Dec 15th, 2008
‘Tis the season, so in that spirit, we’re joyously giving away two prizes to the winners of this month’s top five – your favorite holiday foods/drinks.
This month’s entries were fascinating, perhaps more fascinating than usual because the unique choices allowed us a small but intimate window into your lives, especially those that came with explanations [...]
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