Tuesday, July 28, 2003
Eating in Rome 2003
Last week, I wrote an item called Bargain Beds, about two moderately priced but wonderful places to stay in Rome – a small hotel and a bed and breakfast, both in the historic center of the city.
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Friday, July 25, 2003
Bargain Beds in Rome
I am more and more asked where to sleep and eat in Rome. Many of my Cook At Seliano guests make a stay in Rome part of their trip, either before or after they spend a week with me. Many other listeners to my radio show are calling in with questions about Rome and other places in Italy. [more]
Monday, July 21, 2003
Eggplant Cooking Strategies
The eggplants are coming in from local farms and they present two problems – not even counting which of the many colors should we be buying, and are best for cooking and eating:
How do you select an eggplant?
To salt or not to salt? [more]
Friday, July 18, 2003
Sorrel Tea
I’ve had sorrel tea in Jamaican restaurants and roti shops around town but now the flower pods used in making the tea are starting to pop up in grocery stores as well.
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Friday, July 17, 2003
Chai
Chai is a generic word which simply means tea in many parts of the world. Think: Even the word “tea” comes from “chai.” And order Chai in an Indian restaurant and the waiter may ask “What, just plain tea?”
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Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Butter Grading
I’ve mentioned the different qualities of each grade of butter on the air before but here is the official word from the USDA.
[more]
Monday, July 14, 2003
Garlic Reminder
It’s garlic season out West and that means it’s time to place this year’s order for Vashon’s Old Fashioned Nursery garlic. I’ve mentioned Linda Swanson’s garlic before. It is amazingly long lasting. I still have braids of last year’s crop hanging in my kitchen, as beautiful to look at as they are delicious. This strain of garlic will stay fresh without sprouting or desiccating for over a year. Linda grows this garlic on Vashon Island, near Seattle, but it was brought to America by a Yugoslavian neighbor. The long braids of cured garlic she produces are as beautiful to look at as they are delicious. [more]
Thursday, July 10, 2003
Cosmopolitan Revisited
Dale Degroff was the chief bartender at the Rainbow Room for 12 years and started many drink-making trends during his tenure, including the Cosmopolitan. The drink’s origin, as he said on Food Talk this week, can be traced back to the test marketing of Absolut Citron Vodka. I’ve mentioned my favorite Cosmopolitan recipe in a previous entry. Dale placed his version on the menu at the Rainbow Room in 1996, shortly thereafter Madonna was seen sipping one, and the drink swiftly skyrocketed to new found levels of popularity. Dale’s book The Craft of the Cocktail is a complete guide to being a master bartender. [more]
Wednesday, July 9, 2003
Whipped Cream Techniques
Strawberry season is here and what better excuse is there for making whipped cream than fresh, Greenmarket strawberries...or any other fruit. I mentioned these techniques on the Morning show on July 9, 2003. The difference between heavy cream and whipping cream is a matter of fat. Whipping Cream tops out anywhere between 32-36% fat. Heavy cream is the richer of the two, containing a minimum of 36% fat and up to 40%. This extra fat helps it to whip more easily and stay more stable. If you’re going to be whipping it ahead of time, say for a strawberry shortcake, heavy cream is preferable. It will stay for a day before it liquefies. [more]
Thursday, July 3, 2003
Karnatzlack
I have been dying to try my hand at Karnatzlach for ages. They are the bullet-shaped and garlicky “sausage” – actually more closely related to Middle Eastern kefta kebab than to sausage – that are made in Romania, or at least at Sammy’s Romanian Restaurant on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. But Steven Raichlen got to Karnatzlach first. The recipe he weedled out of Stanley Zimmerman, the owner of Sammy’s, is in Steve’s new book BBQ USA (Workman Publishing, $19.95). [more]
