30 Aug 2011 8 Comments
in Observations, Starlets, Yoga Students & Quinoa (stories) Tags: barbecue, BBQ, Beach Boys, Ecclesiastes, figs, pink wine, proseco, rib eye, rosé, summer
Culinarily speaking, summertime is a feminine season. Sure, the dudes are out by the grill — sucking beer, flipping burgers and talking pre-season football. But it is the salads, the lightly seared skinless chicken breast pailliards, the peaches and the pink wines that prevail.
Pink wine and figs
I sit here drinking my pink wine and looking at a bowl of figs, feeling emasculated. By late August, I’m wondering where is the cold weather and a long-braised leg of some animal? More
26 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
in Recipes, Video Tags: guanciale, Italian cooking, Italy, Mark Taylor, mozzarella, recipes, summer, tomatoes, zucchini, zucchini blossoms
We stopped by our friend Heather’s house the other evening for a visit. On the counter were two enormous zucchini.
“Did someone leave those on your porch?” I asked.
“My client gave them to me,” she replied.
How generous of them, I thought to myself.
“They’re too big to eat, right?”
“Well,” I pondered, “you could make a parmagiana kind of thing with them. I’ve got a good recipe for Greek zucchini balls. But those would make about 400.”
Zucchini blossoms
I’m always wary of the food-giving generosity of friends, neighbors, loved ones, strangers and clients. More
23 Aug 2011 18 Comments
in Observations, Pork Tags: cochon, Henri Toulouse, mascot, pig, Pork, pork shoulder, Skinny Girls, teacup pig
What to get for a 10th anniversary gift for the wife who has everything? Well, sure … I picked up a nice watch and some diamond bling… but was looking for something a little unique. How about a pig! It’s certainly original…
Henri sunbathing
Many things go through your head when you buy your wife a new pet pig as a surprise anniversary gift. The first, after the money has changed hands and the pig is now yours, is, “My god, what have I done??” More
19 Aug 2011 7 Comments
in Observations, Recipes, Starlets, Yoga Students & Quinoa (stories) Tags: anchovies, antipasto, France, fruits de mer, Nice, octopus, offal, pizza, polpo, sardines, sea urchin, Sicily, stinky cheese, sweetbreads
You would think everyone at my house would be living a life of culinary bliss, eagerly anticipating the next plate placed before them. But it ain’t always so…
Polpo diavolo
Everything is grand when I serve breaded chicken cutlets, hamburgers or pizza. Unless I try to slip some anchovies on top. But certain dishes elicit a blank stare from the kids — even from the wife on occasion — that says: “You expect me to eat that??” More
16 Aug 2011 4 Comments
in Observations, Starlets, Yoga Students & Quinoa (stories) Tags: butter, Deliboy, japan, Japanese culture, Little Osaka, Sawtelle, tomato, Tomato Bank
Sometimes in life you stumble upon an odd confluence of food and commerce. And more often than not, the Japanese are behind it. Witness the business I noticed today on a sojourn to L.A.’s Little Osaka to pick up some fish: The Tomato Bank.
Happy customer leaving the Tomato Bank
I’m not sure I would feel confident entrusting my savings to the Tomato Bank. But maybe that’s not what kind of bank it is. More
