Salmon Juju
Salmon are much more than just a fish. To many Indian cultures, they are a lifegiver, a source of mystical power and force. Like most Americans, I didn’t believe such stories. But after one of the weirdest fishing trips I’ve ever been on, I’m starting to come around to the Indians’ way of thinking.
Recent Posts
German Fish Balls with Green Sauce
Fish meatballs! What’s not to love? This is a German version, doable with pretty much any fish that swims, and it’s served with a bright, herby green sauce that is traditional in Hesse. Remember the Hessians from the War of Independence? That’s them.
Chinese Plum Sauce with Wild Plums
A Chinese style plum sauce made with wild plums. This stuff kicks the crap out of store-bought, and is even better on Peking Duck than the more common hoisin sauce. But hell, this stuff is so good it’d be awesome on an old tire.
Barbecued Quail with Arizona Sauce
Quail barbecued slow and low with Arizona sauce. What is Arizona sauce, you say? All that is good about the wild foods of the Southwest: mesquite honey, tequila, and wild chiltepin chiles.
Chinese Red Cooked Bear
Few dishes speak to the heart of Hunan province in China as does red-cooked pork. It is a masterfully slow-cooked stew of pork belly, and in this case either wild boar or black bear belly, gently transformed into melting magic. It’s one of the best Chinese dishes on this site. I guarantee it.
Reflections on French Food and Wine
My first trip to France was a mixed bag, culinarily speaking. In nine days of binge eating and drinking, nothing I ate could best the best I’ve eaten in America. But make no mistake: The French know how to eat, and eat well. They can teach us a few things even yet.
Ricotta Gnudi with Ramps and Porcini
I had Chef April Bloomfield’s ricotta gnudi in New York at the James Beard Awards, and I had to recreate them, only with my own twist: A sauce of ramps and fresh porcini I found in the High Sierra.
Trout with Orange-Saffron Sauce
Every spring I create a dish that celebrates spring’s colors, which for me are green and gold. Here is this year’s edition, a trout dish that is as simple as it is pretty.
Ramp Pasta with Morels
This might be the prettiest – and best-tasting – dish I’ve made this spring. You can really taste the ramps in the pasta, and the morels, cooked simply with ramps, butter and a little stock, compliment the pasta like sunshine on a pretty girl’s eyes.
Pickled Mustard Greens
Ever since I began studying Chinese food a few years ago, I noticed how much fermented and pickled foods factor into their cooking. Most of us know about Korean kimchi and many have had Japanese pickles before, but Chinese pickles are still relatively rare here in America. One of my favorites — and one that [...]
