Do you suck at shucking oysters? Me too. But there's a trick. Throw them in the oven for 10 minutes at 350˚F and those little hinges release just enough to let you pry them apart with much less effort. They won't open like clams or mussels when cooked, but the upside is they'll … [Read more...] about Oyster Seafood Paella
Greens & Herbs
Swordfish with Sunflower, Currants and Capers
If you're trying to eat a little healthier, this recipe adapted from Bonnie Stern's The Best of HeartSmart Cooking is for you. Nine grams of fat per serving, 204 calories, 400 mg of potassium and 23 grams of protein mean you'll feel satisfied without the heavy feeling or the … [Read more...] about Swordfish with Sunflower, Currants and Capers
Chicken with Wild Mushrooms and Salicorne
The best thing you can give me is food I can eat. Well, maybe love. I'd have to be pretty heartless to say, "Keep your feelings to yourself" – especially if you're coming to my house for dinner and I've cooked a birthday meal and I'm lactose and gluten intolerant, thus making … [Read more...] about Chicken with Wild Mushrooms and Salicorne
Sweet-and-Sour Meatballs (The Easy Way and the Complicated Way)
Me: "Do you have ground lamb?" Friendly Guy at Boucherie de Tours: "Sure." Me: Turkey? FGBT: "Breast or thigh?" Me, realizing they grind everything to order and appreciating that the butcher even cares to ask when most ground meat is a mix of whatever fatty bits are left … [Read more...] about Sweet-and-Sour Meatballs (The Easy Way and the Complicated Way)
Garlic-Roasted Zucchini
My zucchinis have exploded – yes that's a drastic overstatement. No bomb has gone off in my community garden plot. But the plants I thought were just too big to be zucchini and must be mysterious melons have sprouted limbs, yielding seven giant summer squash and counting. Now, … [Read more...] about Garlic-Roasted Zucchini
What Do I Do With That Zucchini?
If you're like me, zucchini have taken over your life. Maybe you don't have a community garden plot with four enormous zucchini plants, blossoms so big you thought they were squash and baseball bat-sized green summer squash hiding under thick green branches and enormous lily … [Read more...] about What Do I Do With That Zucchini?
Summery Sweet Potato and Arugula Salad
Do you ever crave sweet potatoes? I'm not talking, "Oh, I think I'd like a sweet potato, perhaps." I'm talking a physical need for a sweet and soft, creamy and warm sweet potato, steamed and drizzled with lemon, baked with chile pepper flakes and paprika or roasted with … [Read more...] about Summery Sweet Potato and Arugula Salad
Flashback Friday: Strawberry-Rhubarb Pudding Cake and Maple-Pecan and Arugula Salad
Last year, I wrote a recipe for a gooey strawberry-rhubarb pudding cake. And two years ago it was a maple pecan salad with raw sheep's milk cheese and arugula that's still killer. ...I'd like to have both of those in front of me right now... … [Read more...] about Flashback Friday: Strawberry-Rhubarb Pudding Cake and Maple-Pecan and Arugula Salad
How to Cook Mussels With White Wine and Mushrooms
Why are these hairy mollusks so intimidating? I firmly believe that everybody should be making mussels. Things mussels have going for them include: They make their own sauce when they open. All they generally need is a quick scrub and a toss in boiling liquid. Cooking them … [Read more...] about How to Cook Mussels With White Wine and Mushrooms
Clef des Champs: Mushroom Tarts, a Summer Day Trip From Montreal and What You Didn’t Know About Medicinal Plants
You might have heard of Clef des champs. They're my go-to local company for tinctures — bottles of distilled organic herbal combinations that do anything from easing digestion to improving your immune system to helping you relax. But I didn't know that they had a terraced … [Read more...] about Clef des Champs: Mushroom Tarts, a Summer Day Trip From Montreal and What You Didn’t Know About Medicinal Plants