Frozen Potential Originally posted on September 8th, 2021 In Discworld, Nanny Ogg would say “They make it with banananananas.” She knew how to start saying the fruit’s name but didn’t quite know how to stop. I’ve written down my basic recipe for banana bread long ago but was asked in a forum to be a little more … Read More →
Ancient Chinese Secret In another fit of spicing, you’re going to need to know how to concoct classic Chinese five-spice. If not today, someday soon. Possibly over the next week as I post some bao experiments. The combination is as follows and like all my blends, should be stored airtight as mixed whole components when possible *. Grind … Read More →
A Little Extra Cheese Never Hurts You should all know my obsession with beans by now so I’ll not to bore you yet again. Soak from dry, five times cheaper, etc. etc. Here’s how I make a batch of particularly creamy pinto beans suitable for parking next to Mexican red rice. If you’ve ever been to a family-style Mexican restaurant, you’ll … Read More →
Grind Only As Needed You’re going to need this blend of typically Mexican spices for the next few posts. After utterly failing to convince people to mix by volume and ‘feel’, I’m bowing to pressure to provide exact weights of how I make MY version… or at least how I made it today. It will certainly change over time, … Read More →
Frozen Potential In Discworld, Nanny Ogg would say “They make it with banananananas.” She knew how to start saying the fruit’s name but didn’t quite know how to stop. I’ve written down my basic recipe for banana bread long ago but was asked in a forum to be a little more precise with the directions for fledgling … Read More →
Best not to count how many you eat in one sitting Prime grilling season has arrived again and around my kitchen that means “street” tacos cooked over charcoal. The fire is the easy part particularly once you have all the ‘extras’ sorted out. In my case those include a vat of garden-fresh salsa, some well seasoned beans, a little lime and coriander enhanced crema, and a … Read More →
Don't be afraid of the deep, dark spice Brownies are as much about texture as they are flavour. Whenever I’m trying to dance those two attributes around each other in a recipe I inevitably think of the buzz that chiles can add to the tongue which leads me to experimentation. Where better to try than inside a chocolate sponge laced with other exotics? … Read More →
Never Settle for Boring Chicken I’m a big curry fan. The concept of simple spices blended and stewed together for a long time to create something greater than the parts has found its way into the culinary traditions of most cultures on the globe. From the famous versions of India to the tropically inspired creations of Southeast Asia to the … Read More →
Filling For One Easy Pie or Thirty Portable Pastries. You Choose. Samosas are perfect little portable treats beloved in their native India and Central Asia but also anywhere culinary cross-pollination has taken them around the globe. They’re tender and flaky pyramid-shaped pastries filled with spicy potato or other veg that, when exported to the west, are often supplemented with ground meats and local tweaks to spicing. … Read More →
