When making Pho, hot and sour shrimp soup, risotto or a number of shrimp and seafood dishes, it’s great to have some good shrimp stock on hand. Save your shrimp shells every time you peel and make shrimp, it’s easy to keep a ziploc bag in the freezer and just […]
Bringing out rich flavor in a vegetable dish can be a challenge. Vegetables are often cooked with bacon or pancetta, soups are made with chicken stock, split pea soup or beans are cooked with a ham bone. How can we go to flavortown without using meat? One good way is […]
With more people eating plant based diets these days, the challenge in the cooking world and especially for restaurants is how to create great vegetable dishes without sacrificing the flavor. Stocks and broths is the answer. The base for most stocks is mirepoix ,which is covered in the recipe index […]
At the end of the growing season, usually sometime in October around here, all the peppers ripen up at once. We use some hot peppers in our cooking but can not possibly use the dozens and dozens of peppers that ripen at the end of the season. Hot sauce is […]
Rich, creamy and delicious are words that come to mind when describing New England clam chowder which is sometimes called Boston clam chowder. There are 3 main types of clam chowder served in northeastern US, there is Manhattan style which is tomato based, Rhode Island style which is clear and […]
This is a simple black currant jam or gelé which is firm due to the pectin added and also the pectin naturally occuring in the black currants. When making jam the ratio is often 50/50 fruit to sugar ratio but I like a less sweet combination so you can taste […]
In late June and early July the black currants ripen in our garden. The bushes are quite productive but the berries usually ripen all at once so you have to be creative in utilizing the harvest. Jams, jellies and just the juice from the berries are all delicious as well […]
During the summer there are often cookouts with barbecued pork, chicken, brisket or even just hamburgers. There is always a need for hamburger buns. We try to make our own bread with sourdough because it’s much gentler on your stomach, does not have additives that store bought bread does and […]
Sourdough bread baking I love bread, especially fresh, warm and crusty loaves that crackle when you squeeze them. Put some butter on a slice and cheese and it’s like heaven or just tear off a piece and dunk in soup, sauce or olive oil – yum! Fresh bread is great […]
I love sourdough bread, not only is it delicious but it is easier to digest so it is better for you. The longer process involved in making it allows the gluten to start breaking down in the proofing process and it makes you feel less stuffed when eating it. The […]
Welcome! I have been cooking professionally and for fun over 40 years and love it as ever. I would like to share some of the things I have learned over the years as well as some of the miscues.