Hot Tomatoes!

Rick’s mother, Kath Wise, regularly served tomatoes lightly sauteed and blanketed in a lush, sour cream sauce, as a hot dish. So did Kath’s sister, Rick’s beloved Aunt Joy. There was a titter of family dispute over who made up the dish, Kath or Joy, both claiming to be the first. No matter the true answer, they … Continue reading Hot Tomatoes!

A Savory Pear Side for Autumn and Winter

Pears are so convertible. Top up or top down, they breeze through town lending a bit of culinary exotica to the dark days of winter. Cooked, they provide a welcome blast of fruity, subtly spicy perfume for many a dessert, think pear tarts,  pears poached in syrup of one sort or another, etc., etc., etc. And then there are cooked pears, not sweetened, that lend an aura of mystery to the savory side of the menu. One such is this, adapted from my latest cookbook Bold: A Cookbook

Glazed and roasted Bartlett and Comice Pears. Photo © bt Rick Wise. Left click on the photo to see it full screen.

of Big Flavors (Workman, Dec. 2013, co-authored with Susanna Hoffman). While we designed the dish to accompany roast duck, it easily segues to almost any warming meat, poultry, or game dish. Continue reading “A Savory Pear Side for Autumn and Winter”

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Fresh Fava Beans with Leeks and Lacy Parmesan Cheese Crisps

Fava beans are one of my very favorite vegetables, or rather, vegetations. Like grapes and fennel, favas are a “nose-to-tail” plant, and they have two(!) seasons. Sow them in early spring for a late spring-to-summer crop and again in late summer for a fall harvest. You can pick their tender leaves to use in a salad. Then, … Continue reading Fresh Fava Beans with Leeks and Lacy Parmesan Cheese Crisps

The Loveliness of Limes, in Three Verses with Recipes

The first verse is about Avocado Lime Cream. It’s early March and, odd as it may seem, both avocados and limes are in season. So are shellfish. Here’s a sneak preview of a way they’re put together in my next cookbook, Bold (co-authored with Susanna Hoffman, Workman, November, 2013). We developed the recipe as avocados and … Continue reading The Loveliness of Limes, in Three Verses with Recipes

Romancing Summer IV: Stuffed Peppers with Zucchini Yogurt Salad

Stuffed summer vegetables, a staple of pan-Mediterranean cuisines, are an integral part of my food life, and one version or another appears in almost all of my cookbooks. The ones I grew up on, made by my mother to my Armenian father’s specifications, had the stuffing as lamb and rice. Bell peppers and zucchinis were featured … Continue reading Romancing Summer IV: Stuffed Peppers with Zucchini Yogurt Salad