Mushrooms

Chanterelle Soup

If Porcini are the kings of the mushroom world, chanterelles are its queen. There are several varieties of chanterelle, ranging…

Asian

Japanese Seaweed Salad

I can’t remember exactly when I had my first Japanese seaweed salad, but I am pretty sure I ordered as…

Venison

Venison Tacos

Grilled venison tacos. Yeah, baby. This is summer comfort food at its best. Venison backstrap or flank steak grilled medium-rare, sliced thin and piled onto tortillas and all kinds of accompaniments. Who doesn't love taco night?

Salmon and Trout

Smoked Lake Trout

Smoking a lake trout (a/k/a mackinaw) is a lot like smoking a salmon, but I recently had the chance to smoke a couple fish in Manitoba, Canada with some Cree Indians and learned a lot about the process.

Sweet Things

Elderberry Ice Cream

Elderberries are in season here in California, and one of my favorite ways to enjoy them during our hot summers is in ice cream. Here's how to make it.

Fish

Sweet and Sour Fish

Chinese sweet and sour fish is normally done with a whole fish, but who says you can't do it with fillets? This dish is so damn good Holly and I ate more than a pound at one sitting. You want to make this recipe, my friends. Oh yes you do.

Recipe

Pickled Walnuts

Pickled walnuts? Yep, you read right. Pickled unripe, green walnuts is a British thing that originated because in parts of Britain the climate's too harsh for walnuts to fully ripen. They take a while to make, but once you do, they are a great sweet-sour condiment to cheeses as well as cured and roasted meats.

Salmon and Trout

Grilled Trout or Kokanee

Little mountain trout, grilled simply and served simply. This is one of the iconic foods of the outdoors, one technique you should master if you chase these little torpedoes of quicksilver. Here's how to grill trout without it sticking.

Recipe

Pan Seared Red Snapper with Cherry Tomatoes

Hooray! The first tomatoes of the season are here in NorCal! This, as usual, coincides with the Pacific rock cod opener, and as I got a gorgeous vermillion rock cod (commonly known as a red snapper here), I thought I'd celebrate the two with this dish.

Fish

How to Purge Sand from Clams

It's occurred to me that there is a lot of misinformation out there about purging the sand from clams. I've been doing it for many, many years and here is how I do it, and what you need to know to do it yourself at home.

Venison

Teriyaki Meatballs with Venison

Pretty much every culture in the world loves meatballs, and Japan is no exception. This is a venison version of the Japanese niku dango meatball, which is normally made with pork. If you like teriyaki, you'll love this.

Sweet Things

Anise Cookies

I don't eat a lot of sweet things, but I do have a soft spot for cookies. These I call "Bacchus Biscuits," and they're my take on a Greek fennel seed cookie. It's like a shortbread cookie, not too sweet, with toasted fennel seeds in it. They last a while and are great as a quick snack.