morsels & sauces

Happy New Year! So if you're in Ohio, West Virginia, or Pennsylvania, and you're from German stock, you just might be eating what we are slurping down today--Brats and Sauerkraut. Like many good luck foods that usher in a new year, the German tradition of eating pork and sauerkraut come  from a long and   superstitious line . From hoppin' john to New Year's doughnuts (I love the Dutch!), feasts of good luck are served all over the world.  But let's face it: the main reason we're eating this dish is because the sauerkraut is darned good. Especially if you make it yourself. Okay, let me take a long divergence into the world of fermentation--a world where sauerkraut is a resident. I am learning how to make small batch kombucha, something I have been wanting to do for a while . I am on my third batch. The first was a massive success in terms of taste, but my scoby didn't grow. So I did a little reading, and it...

I sent a picture of this to my friend, and she said, "What is  that?"  I suppose without context, dumpling soup doesn't look all that interesting. But, people, let me tell you that it is not only interesting but quite good and even, wait for it, frugal. Which might be exactly what we need as we start the new year. So let me set some context because I promise you, this little soup is worth a spin through your kitchen. Canederli Tirolesi is an Italian speck and chive dumpling soup. But wait a minute, you may be gasping--dumpling soup? That seems more Bavarian than Italian, you say. And you'd be pretty close to right. You see, this soup originates in Alto-Adige region of Italy. (Think: Ruffle at the top of the boot.) It's merely a whisper away from Austria and Germany, and in fact was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1915. And most of the inhabitants speak German, Italian, and their own Alto-Adigian dialect. And these dumplings, known as Kn...

Yum, yum. Dim sum. I am a fan of dim sum, a statement that hardly needs be made here in a blog that extols the virtues of morsels and sauces. A few years ago, when (one of) the landlocked niece(s) came to visit, we took her out for dim sum; she declared that Cantonese food was not her favorite cuisine (instead, she insisted that she loved Ethiopian or Indian food more). While I do not necessarily share in her ranking system (Steamed Pork Buns! Har Gau! Turnip Cakes! Phoenix Claws!), I am glad we got to introduce her to one of my favorite ways to spend a Sunday morning. Dim sum comes from a Cantonese tradition of weary travelers eating morsels and snacks with a pot of tea in roadside tea houses. Typically these small dishes are served from as early as 5 in the morning all the way until mid-afternoon. Such a tradition is one I readily embrace, and this new cookbook,  Asian Dumplings , happily leads me on what is going to be one heck of a culinary journey, even if it i...

In the opening of this beloved cookbook, Judy Rodgers who passed away in 2013, waxes poetic about the importance of basic, everyday fare. The food we eat everyday should be as good as--if not better than--the food we seek out for special occasions. This recipe, which makes use of the gizzards and hearts of poultry, ensures that one stays true to sustainable cooking without sacrificing flavor or making dinner seem, well, fussy. The Zuni Cafe, which I have gone on and on about here , is a hallowed fixture not only in San Francisco but also in our lives. From lunch here with the niece last summer (I think she was surprised and delighted by the mountain of shocestring fries, which we shared in a the triangular corner of the two-storied windowed front room) to birthday dinners tucked into one of the snug alcoves in the back, we have dearly loved this restaurant. The restaurant is well known for their Roast Chicken and Bread Salad--so much so that even the New Yorks Times  h...

In September the great Marcella Hazan died, and like most cooks, nay eaters, I was saddened to hear of her passing.  I have been known to cook from her cookbooks (yes, here and here and here ).  Many others have written about her death, with much gratitude surrounding the way that she taught them to cook among other things .  I add my tribute to her as well. While I have said a lot about her background in some of those earlier posts, one thing I haven't yet written about is the night we almost saw Marcella Hazan.  She's of such celebrity status that the almost sightings are as elevated an experience as the actual sightings, so celebrate we must.  Many years ago, Oliveto's , an Oakland retaurant within walking distance, held a night of cooking with Marcella Hazan.  She apparently consulted on the menu and I imagine did a little bit of bossing around in the kitchen--actually I suspect that's mere fantasy.  She was far too much of a fan of ...

For the Fourth of July, my dad came to visit with his wife, my aunt and my uncle.  After going to the Coliseum to watch the A's (and the Cubs, and I cheered on the losing Cubs, as is usual), they all came over to our place for a backyard barbecue of pork tenderloin, potato salad, and a tossed salad.  It was quite pleasant, sitting in the backyard hearing stories of their growing up. As the husband tended the pork on the grill, my uncle and my dad told stories of my grandfather who commanded performances of delight and surprise for the home movies as his children came down the stairs at Christmas.  Should my father not seem delighted or surprised enough, my grandfather would send him back up the stairs to recreate the moment.  To be honest, my father insisted on a full family portrait on the stairs of his suburban home when my brother, sister, and I were young.  The apple did not fall far from that tree.  I do not make the cats pose on Christmas....