tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46146920835203836512011-04-21T23:10:44.939-04:00One adventurous foodie's relentless search for answers to the perpetual question, "What Do You Do With That?".Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.comBlogger311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-53394972350271043902008-03-26T22:51:00.000-04:002008-03-26T22:56:43.878-04:00

Did you ever get really, really stuck for really, really no good reason? I guess I was trying to come up with something to say about oyster mushrooms that was as insightful and/or witty as these photos are gorgeous:Then more than a week passed, and I felt like I should have something REALLY deep and/or revolutionary to offer after all that time. Now it's been over a month, and I just have to get

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-13378707835366702532008-01-27T18:10:00.000-05:002008-02-07T22:00:22.510-05:00

The potatoes were the first harbingers of the impending doom.I had invited adventurously-palated guests for my salt cod feast. I had soaked the cod for three days, changing the water twice a day. I had my ingredients organized, my recipes bookmarked, and my timings plotted out in my head. I was, in a word, ready.I would open with "Robert Motherwell's Brandade de Morue" from Molly O'Neill's New

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-4543666856193972722008-01-24T21:11:00.000-05:002008-01-24T22:43:22.582-05:00

I don't know about you guys, but I had a Very Batali Christmas this year. Between family and friends, I got just about every utensil he puts his name on (the heat resistant spatulas and and the flat edged wooden spoon are particular favorites) to go with my deeply beloved MB enameled cast iron Dutch oven.The NYPL should be delighted to hear I finally got my own copy of Molto Italiano.

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-12001011935435018492007-12-11T23:02:00.000-05:002007-12-11T23:12:14.713-05:00

Fun fact to know and tell: Brussels sprouts grow on stalks.

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-60207431868421032802007-12-10T23:00:00.000-05:002007-12-10T23:10:13.914-05:00

This could be construed as sort of cheating because I actually discovered this vegetable last year, but every time I'm picking one out at the Greenmarket some passerby asks me about it, so it's clear that not as many people as should be are on the romanesco train. Get on board people, it's an express to Thrillsville.It's a cruciferous vegetable whose florets are dense like cauliflower with a

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-9396430960269362332007-12-03T23:09:00.000-05:002007-12-05T00:22:53.037-05:00

Anthony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman had a joint book signing at the Union Square Barnes and Noble tonight, which you can, conveniently, watch here. Or not. I thought it was pretty meh really.The crowd was fawning, but Bourdain seemed rather bored at the end of a long book tour, yet Ruhlman still could barely get a word in. And they kept going on about Food Network stuff, and since I don't watch

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-6187940216186221032007-11-26T23:14:00.000-05:002007-12-03T23:06:32.205-05:00

When I was poking around the net to see if I could find nutritional information about my new best friend,I found this picture on the Produce Hunter website:And the Royal Rose Products site (Everything Radicchio!) describes it as a "cross between asparagus growing out of a fennel bulb covered by dandelion leaves", which describes the PH photo, but not so much what I brought home from Paffenroth's,

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-79815937189085833212007-11-22T19:53:00.000-05:002007-11-25T20:16:29.926-05:00

And a ginormous thanks to the folks over at Serious Eats, and D'Artagnan, for my big, beautiful FREE turkey!! I've never either a) won a contest in my life, or b) eaten an $80 turkey on Thanksgiving. Does that make it unfamiliar enough to count for entry on this blog? Ok, not really. But hey, they gave me a turkey. It's the least I can do to give them a shout out.And it was a lovely bird. The

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-32837061353753992572007-11-14T23:18:00.000-05:002007-11-19T23:15:23.127-05:00

I hate to be judgemental. Generally if I don't care for a food item, I blame myself.Which isn't too much of a burden as the only things I really can't bear are sweet potatoes and cantaloupe. Perfectly wonderful foodstuffs. High nutritional value. Low fat/ low calories / low whatever the bogeyman of the month is. Attractive color that contrasts nicely with leafy greens and beige-y starches.

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-30445238925235778012007-11-12T22:09:00.000-05:002007-11-19T22:06:48.313-05:00

I am, obviously, SOOO out of the National Blog Posting Month thing. Failing to blog on the very first day of the month was not an auspicious beginning, and I've missed days since. Good luck and Godspeed to the other participants, but I realized I had no real idea why I was participating. I thought it might be fun to network with other bloggers in the forums, but in reality if I could make time

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-35482945115182112862007-11-10T23:25:00.000-05:002007-11-12T22:09:04.711-05:00

Cheddar cauliflower is named exclusively for its coloring. It also tastes just like the regular stuff.And despite it's highly photogenic color contrast, I didn't have a much easier time getting a halfway decent photo of it than the purple. Because I suck. You've seen the evidence. There's no denying it. Happily, my extremely talented friend Carla is going to come over later in the week and give

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-40314727313392853782007-11-07T10:20:00.000-05:002007-11-07T10:01:58.429-05:00

Check out the Foodie Blogroll in the right hand column. I haven't had a chance to peruse all the sights, but I've nosed around enough to know that there's a lot of good stuff to be found. Enjoy--then y'all come back!

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-75234626657212549422007-11-06T18:50:00.000-05:002007-11-06T23:10:20.989-05:00

Now that the spaghetti squash has been steamed and cooled off, it's starting to look more interesting.Let's take a closer look, shall we?The writhing nest of strands I expected upon opening the squash magically appear at the teasing of a fork, and only after the brute has been cooked. Now we're back to the fun!I sampled a few strands and was pleased with the slightly al dente texture and (as that

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-42088220187604179502007-11-05T18:31:00.000-05:002007-11-05T15:58:34.195-05:00

A couple quick follow ups to last night's post. First, I had just taken a loaf of No-Knead Bread (arguably the greatest gift to mankind since fire, except double the amount of salt) out of the oven when I started writing. When I was describing the spiced seeds and went to see if the maple sugar package listed a website, the bread had cooled enough to slice. You see where this is heading. OMG--so

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-31482500624939358722007-11-04T23:18:00.000-05:002007-11-04T23:31:38.369-05:00

Remember the spaghetti squash? Yeah, it's been sitting on my shelf this whole time.When Corey and I had only been dating a couple months, I started to make asparagus for dinner one night. "Asparagus makes me vomit", he says. "Good, more for me", I say. "God, dramatic much?", I think. I go about my business lightly steaming the spears and the next thing I know, he's flung the bedroom window open

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-56194105638452783312007-11-03T23:40:00.000-04:002007-11-04T00:36:10.910-04:00

Maybe it's not exactly my madeleine, but the sight of this homely little apple almost brought me to tears at the Greenmarket last Saturday.At the far end of their one acre garden, my grandparents had a small orchard. One peach and one pear tree, neither of which ever did much, and about eight or so apple trees which produced an incredible number of these knobby, spotty little gobs. I can't count

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-30821000471949136192007-11-02T18:35:00.000-04:002007-11-02T18:48:31.018-04:00

I am pathetic. I signed on to post every day for National Blog Posting Month (thinking it would be both fun and motivating). We're one day into November, and I'm already a day behind. Lo. Ser.I do have several excellent excuses involving serial out of town guests and a big fundraising event at work, but whatever. From henceforth, a new post ever day in November.Except tonight, because I have a

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-76675972460285935592007-10-25T16:03:00.000-04:002007-10-25T17:56:47.393-04:00

Everything I read indicated that purslane becomes decidedly mucilaginous when cooked. Since I don't particularly enjoy the texture of okra (except deep fried, natch), I wasn't all that excited about this phase of the experiment. But given the nutritional advantages, and my duty to my readers, I was willing to give it a try.I sauteed a small handful with garlic in olive oil, and it didn't turn

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-18806749976416583852007-10-21T22:06:00.000-04:002007-11-05T00:02:48.287-05:00

So, as I was saying. Purslane. It can take over your lawn in a matter of months, and it could be the savior of starving nations. It's got a lot on its plate.The batches I got had a fairly generic herbaceous flavor eaten raw. The texture is a sort of meaty crunch, much like sunflower sprouts. (If you don't know sunflower sprouts, go find out immediately. They are the best things ever. They have

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-6655665596540561612007-10-19T23:25:00.000-04:002007-11-05T00:03:13.454-05:00

Purple cauliflower is reallyreallyreallyreallyincredibly difficult to photograph to look like anything other than a big pile of poo. Those are the good ones, the finest result of at least half an hour of trying. I think the thing that I've learned most forcefully since I started this blog (in addition to the certainty that someone is bound to tell you an unfamilliar leafy green is "just like

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-21866386412680005792007-10-17T10:44:00.000-04:002007-11-05T00:03:32.311-05:00

Wait for it.It's BOTH! What is regarded as an invasive weed by some (one website claims it to be the seventh most pervasive weed worldwide, though I have been unable to substantiate that from other sources) is hailed elsewhere as an easy-to-cultivate, low-calorie source of high levels of several important nutrients, including more Omega-3 fatty acids than any other land-based edible.Here is a

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-83610751014379531822007-10-15T20:27:00.000-04:002007-10-16T21:42:25.095-04:00

When last I saw Stokes Farm's Italian Heirloom Eggplant of Unknown Proper Name, I was picking out the last four edible looking ones from a dozen or so stragglers at what, I presumed at 11 am on a Saturday, was the tail end of their season.Not so. Another whole bin of magnificent specimens greeted me this Saturday. A got a different woman at checkout this time, so I thought I'd ask again if they

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-36811662386579077542007-10-09T23:42:00.000-04:002007-11-05T00:11:57.518-05:00

Going to the Greenmarket this time of year always inspires a certain ambivalence of feeling in me. Ordinarily, by the second week of October I'm saddened by the recent finale of tomato season, but amped up at the expected debut of Romanesco broccoli; energized by the need for a sweater, but enervated by the thought of months of chilly dark just around the corner. This year, I've been thrilled

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-19161134950126088802007-10-02T18:10:00.000-04:002007-11-05T00:12:54.406-05:00

Yet another great thing about the Greenmarket is that it's probably the best place in the City to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger without their thinking you area) insane and possibly dangerous,b) running a con, orc) sexually available.So when the woman next to me at Paffenroth Gardens told the guy bagging her stuff that the stinging nettles were also hers, I just had to ask. As

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-72066784002535973082007-09-26T22:53:00.000-04:002007-11-05T00:13:40.988-05:00

We interrupt the regularly scheduled blog post for this important announcement.(And I'm really sorry too, because it was going to be a good one. The star was going to be stinging nettle, and Heirloom Italian Eggplant of Unknown Proper Name was going to make a special return appearance. Julia Child's name was to have been evoked. We hope to have that for you by Friday. Or possibly Saturday, as

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-55309504397060940782007-09-19T20:29:00.000-04:002007-11-05T00:14:53.224-05:00

So the craziest thing happened on the way to this week's post.I was absolutely walking on clouds with little birdies tweeting around my head after weeks of travel, weddings, guests in from out of town, etc. to get to wallow wholeheartedly in the Union Square Greenmarket on Saturday morning, knowing I was actually going to be home and have time to enjoy playing around with stuff I found there.I

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-80360012669439639462007-09-12T20:01:00.001-04:002007-09-21T10:16:08.051-04:00

"You know what that is?""Um, I think so."I've ordered the only remotely interesting sounding thing on the predictably predictable menu at the touristy place our quartet ended up in near the Colosseum. Spaghetti alla Bottarga, translated for our English speaking convenience as "spaghetti with fish eggs". The hairy eyeball the waitress is giving me telegraphs that she's been burned before. Clearly

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-59850690359249949422007-09-05T22:19:00.000-04:002007-09-06T00:16:12.315-04:00

So here's the kind of miraculous thing. I'm shambling around Union Square Greenmarket on Labor Day Monday in that particularly listless fugue state brought on by an over-active "vacation", mixed with a touch of jet lag, and gently kissed by a soupcon of too many gin and tonics, trying in vain to pass the hell out already on the return flight. In short, I was definitely more in the head space to

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-79583090181329849972007-08-31T11:41:00.001-04:002007-11-05T00:15:25.941-05:00

I think since a humble eggplant took out a Top Chef contender in the Identify the Ingredient Quickfire Challenge, it can qualify as unusual enough for its own entry. Plus, I'm on vaycay, and it's the only thing I have a photo of, so, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce Italian Heirloom Eggplant of Unknown Proper Name!(A little aside here for me to say that since this was snapped my SigOth

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-77207301436157484872007-08-20T22:52:00.000-04:002007-11-05T00:15:51.121-05:00

Meet Mohea. He's new to the City. A little mysterious, a little prickly, but if you'll give him a chance, he just might grow on you. So no sooner than I commit to starting this blog about exploring unfamiliar ingredients, then suddenly there's nothing I'm not familiar with at the Union Square Greenmarket this week. Baby fennel (so yawn). Heirloom tomatoes (I love you, but even Cherokee Black

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614692083520383651.post-18661153382651234052007-08-15T12:07:00.000-04:002007-08-15T20:28:12.979-04:00

A spiny sea creature staring glassily from the ice at a fish market. A mysterious jar of. . .something gleaming from a shelf at an Italian deli. Unidentifiable tubers, tempting yet intimidating, at a farmer's market.What are they? What do you do with them?I have no idea. I can't find anything on the web to tell me. It looks like I'm actually going to have to figure it out on my own.My mission:

Marshahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857842119225274503noreply@blogger.com0