You’d think I’d be able to pin down the first time I ate squid. Note that I said squid, not calamari. Squid is the in your face cephalopod that says Eat me if you dare. Calamari, by contrast, is Italian for “tasty bit of something fried in a batter by a female relative.” I mean, …
Category Archives: Appetizer
Aqua Culture and Labor Day Grilled Clams
On a post about Labor Day weekend it seems appropriate to step back and give you a glimpse of the people behind the food. Herewith, a taste of our visit to the Woodbury Shellfish aquaculture grant in Wellfleet. Barbara and Patrick Woodbury are the sort of people you almost never hear about unless you’re in …
The Great White Hope: Almond – Grape Gazpacho with Smoked Bluefish
Tomato gazpacho just doesn’t do it for me. Over the years I’ve tried to love it, and each time a little voice in my head says, You don’t need to do this again. I love the idea of tomato gazpacho–fresh tomatoes, red onion, celery, peppers, a splash of acid in the form of red-wine …
Back to Paris – Potted Peppers
Some weeks ago I wrote about a spring visit to Paris where our son Oliver and I had a great meal at Chez Janou. In iconic French fashion a nearby blackboard listed daily specials, including an hors d’oeuvre of Poivrons grillées au feta. Grilled peppers with feta. Sounded straightforward, simple. Okay, I could go with …
You say pistou, I say pestle
Okay, you were expecting a disquisition on Potted Peppers this week. I’m sorry, but for technical reasons we’ve had to postpone it. In the meantime, console yourself with these Mussels with Pistou instead. We’ll get the Potted Peppers out in a few weeks. All things come to those who wait. In April I met our …
Life is a bowl of pickles
l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is a Provençal village so stunningly picturesque, so filled with good things to eat that you can’t help but wonder if it sprung full-blown from the forehead of an editor at TRAVEL or GOURMET. Go out there, kid, and get that village. If it doesn’t exist, make it up! The town is famous for …
Artichoke junkies
For a month now I’ve been seeing artichokes in markets, both “baby” and full-size globes. I love artichokes and last year I became obsessed creating the perfect grilled long-stemmed artichoke, served with lemon and aioli. During a spring trip to Rome awhile back I was fascinated with artichoke vendors at open air markets sitting atop …
The Garum Factory 