Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang: Spaghetti with Ramps, Green Garlic and Goat Feta

I bet you are wondering why I called this recipe “Kiss, Kiss, Bang Bang,” right?
Well, it has nothing to do with either James Bond, the movie with Robert Downey Jr. or the Torchwood episode of the same name.
It has to do with the nature of the recipe I am presenting.
This pasta sauce is […]

Sauerkraut Braised in Beer: An Early Spring Delight

Yes, sauerkraut is a spring vegetable.
Yes, it is made in the autumn, and eaten all winter, but the last of it is also eaten in the early spring, before the emergence of the first spring greens, asparagus and peas.
Well, it is eaten in the spring if you made enough of it to get […]

Tasty Retro Holiday Spread: Bubbling Hot Artichoke Parmesan

I don’t have any clue the provenance of artichoke parmesan dip/spread. My suspicions are that it came into existence in the United States between the decades of the 1950’s and 1970’s, probably in a woman’s magazine, either as an article, or in an ad promoting the use of canned artichoke hearts to make an “elegant […]

A Holiday Sauce Worth Waiting For: Cranberry Sauce with Mulled Wine and Pomegranates

Zak and Morganna don’t like homemade cranberry sauce.
They like the jellied kind that comes in cans.
I am the exact opposite.
I despise the weird jiggly stuff that unmolds in the perfect shape of a can, and which must be sliced to be served, and love the homemade stuff with chunks of fruit and […]

How Do You Make Shrimp Etouffee? Well, Cher, First You Make A Roux….

Now you see why I had to explain to y’all how to go about making a roux.
Because if you don’t know how, the first sentence of most etouffee recipes will not make a damned bit of sense to you, whether they are in many Cajun-Creole cookbooks or they are coming from the mouths of […]