An offhanded remark leads me down the rabbit hole in search of the mysterious – yet ubiquitous – mallow plant. Who knew how important this weed was to the Eastern Mediterranean?
How-To (DIY stuff)
On Making Homemade Pasta
Making pasta at home is a soothing process I find utterly absorbing: knead, roll, cut, fill, shape. Pasta-making has become a journey for me, with endless combinations of flours and ingredients.
Preserved Lemons
Preserved lemons are not just the province of Morocco. Methods of preserving or pickling lemons exist wherever they are grown, including 19th century America.
Acorn Cake and Acorns Around the World
One of the first questions I had as I began researching acorns years ago was what do other groups do with them? The literature is dominated by roughly hewn recipes from either various American Indian groups or hippies. Neither, quite frankly, are recipes I am overly jazzed about. Oaks live all over the world, from Asia
How to Make Caviar
Caviar has always had a hold on me. It is a mysterious ingredient, almost otherworldy; the individual eggs look like jewels from an alien planet. Caviar tastes briny and vaguely floral, and the textural surprise of the pop in your mouth has led more than one writer to liken it to Pop Rocks for adults. I’ve
Experiments with Madrone Bark Tea
Not much about cooking excites me more than experimenting with a new ingredient. I get especially jazzed when that ingredient is not only new to me, but new to the rest of the culinary world as well. It’s a rush, that feeling — real or imagined — that I am adding something new to our collective knowledge of
How to Cure Green Olives
Brining olives is the oldest way to cure olives, especially green ones. What follows are instructions and troubleshooting on how to cure olives with a brine. There are other ways I’ll get to below. This post assumes you have access to fresh, green olives off the tree, which are pretty but inedible — they are
How to Make Tomato Paste
How to make your own tomato paste, Sicilian style. Patience is needed, but if you have it, you’ll be rewarded.