Dining

Food on the Hill

I decided long ago to cook vegetables separate from meat, even when they are traditionally cooked together. I didn’t like what happened to the vegetables when they were together; they often turned limp and greasy. 

The two recipes that prompted this change in practice were osso buco and chicken soup. In each case I ended up cooking the meat and veggies separately and “marrying” them late in the cooking process. I’ve come to a similar conclusion with corned beef, cabbage and potatoes, and either add the vegetables near the end of the cooking of the corned beef Read More

Food on the Hill

I had intended this week to share one of the soups my mother made regularly as we were growing up: potato leek. I was planning to make a big batch to share. I purchased five pounds of Yukon gold potatoes and two bunches of leeks and a bouquet of fresh parsley to chop as a bright green garnish for the top of each bowl. I knew that pureeing some of the potato/leek mixture after it was cooked would take the place of most or all of the cream one might ordinarily add. I also have a tip to share about cleaning leeks, which are notoriously muddy and gritty.

And then…it was as though a spell Read More

Food on the Hill

Skiers had cause to celebrate this past week in Los Alamos, as did those of us patrolling the produce section for the very earliest signs of spring: the light green asparagus with tightly closed tips, and an abundance of fresh berries from California. (Contrary indicators remain, of course—whoever is pressing “Ripe Now” stickers on the rock-hard avocados appears mistaken either about the meaning of the word “ripe” or the concept of “now.”)

But the strawberries! Enough to brighten a late-winter salad, and I was delighted to enjoy such a salad prepared by Robyn Schultz Read More

FOOD on the HILL

I know that if I ask the husband what he wants for dinner, he is likely to say “vegetables in curry” or “eggplant parm.” (Either answer, of course, is better than “I don’t care,” which I find annoying and unhelpful, even if his intention is to convey that he’s flexible, or something.)  

Although I’ve been cooking since I was a child, I had never prepared eggplant parmigiana before our marriage. When I did finally try to make it for dinner, I was put off by the amount of cheese, bread crumbs, frying oil and active time necessary to prepare it. Over the years I tried to reduce Read More