Okay, my mozzarella team in the cheese making class I recently took at MCCC didn’t have quite the success we’d hoped for. We think it’s because we quadrupled the recipe, and it was just too much volume of milk to heat evenly and form curds. Nonetheless, we had a great time, thanks to our instructor Frank … Continue reading
Filed under Home Cooking …
Mac ‘n’ Cheese season
With the first fall-like weather, I wanted to make macaroni and cheese. I had miscellaneous cheeses that needed to used up, plus some leftover cooked bacon and even some pork carnitas from Trader Joe’s which sells it already cooked, ready for folding into tortillas – or mac ‘n’ cheese. So I made a white sauce … Continue reading
Beijing-Style Noodles (Zhajiang Mian)
I really enjoyed reading Jen Lin-Liu’s “Serve the People, a stir-fried journey through China.” Of the recipes in the book, I’ve so far made the Beijing-style noodle dish you see at left, which the author made for her cooking school friend, Chairman Wang, when the woman injured her foot and was housebound. It is noodles, … Continue reading
Flanken
Take a bow McCaffrey’s Market, Gillian’s Gourmet, Jade Asian Sauces, and FunniBonz. McCaffrey’s for selling flanken ribs (short ribs cut across the bone), which can be hard to find (and they weren’t too expensive, either). And to the others for making such tasty sauces. What’s more, Gillian’s and FunniBonz are local companies, often to be … Continue reading
The Joy of Breadcrumbs
I’m always going on about how handy home made breadcrumbs are to have around. I’ll buy a nice loaf of bread, but only manage to use some of it before it goes stale. So I either slice and oven toast what’s left (that’s especially good with whole grain breads), or whirl it in the blender or processor … Continue reading
End of Summer Salad
Sigh. Tomato season, and tomatoes at all, were so fleeting this year. But here’s a little homage to good tomato (a Rainbow from Whole Foods, sadly not so local) sliced onto a bed of lettuce and parsley, sprinkled with shallot, and lightly dressed in olive oil and lemon juice. I do have several small Early Girls on … Continue reading
Oysters & Parsley Salad
These oysters were so good! Every now and then I just can’t resist buying one of those little tubs of sucked oysters that sit in crushed ice in front of many seafood counters. So far, they’ve always been fine for cooking purposes, and, at around $6, a real treat. I drained these and briefly rinsed … Continue reading
Italian Prune Plums
I always eagerly await the arrival of those small, oval, Italian prune plums in the markets. The cashiers often ask what they are, or how they differ from the bigger round plums. To me, those are sweeter and for eating out of hand, while Italian plums need to be cooked to bring out their sweetness. They … Continue reading
Roasted Pork Belly
I finally cooked pork belly. This could be dangerous. I was at the Amish Market in Kingston and noticed they had it, and at only $2.29 a pound. Of course, mind you, this is another story of a once cheap cut (usually cured for salt pork or bacon) that is now the darling of up-market … Continue reading
Jersey Scallops Jersey Corn
I’ve done these scallops before, but each summer I am reminded of how much I love the big scallops caught off the coast of New Jersey, and brought into Viking Village on LBI. I bought these at Whole Foods, but next week I’ll be on LBI myself for a few days, so might be able to get … Continue reading
NJ SPICE 