Americas & Caribbean
Do you know the difference between Memphis and Texas barbecue? How to crack a Chesapeake crab, and where to get the best corned beef hash? Maybe you're curious to know what chocolate was first used for, or want to learn what should be done with adobo. Have a salteña with a strong Cuban cordito and take the plunge.
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Cakes - to order or make beautiful - 10 Mar 2010
Easter's coming. Spring weddings are swishing into view. Baking cake for a celebration, cupcakes for school or work? Or need someone else to do it for you? Here's all you need to keep you in cake. read more...
It may look like a Big Mac but it isn't. - 10 Mar 2010
You think you know junk food when you see it? Betcha you're wrong... read more...
Plaza Market - 16 Feb 2010
This Latin American market has been in Wheaton for years. Its shelves are stuffed with ingredients that, if they're not familiar, the owners are happy to explain to you and how they should be used. Some of them, like the choclo from Peru (pictured), sold dried, might inspire some different cooking adventures. read more...
Sam Dunn of Saltwater's winning, de-chilling, chili - 16 Feb 2010
This is an 'award-winning' chili recipe says Shoestring magazine, from the Martha's Vineyard's cook-off in the 2010 Big Chili Contests. It comes from Sam Dunn, owner-chef of the island's Saltwater restaurant and native Washingtonian. The secret, he says, is to slow cook it in a crockpot.
I leave you to do the math to make it in smaller quantities. But why would you? It's perishing outside. You have enough friends...A winter wedding, perhaps...A winter banquet, maybe. And if not, arrange one and if necessary, rent the people. The recipe's worth it, and despite the lengthy list of ingredients, not lengthy in execution. read more...
Chilies - the hot stuff - 16 Feb 2010
Chilies are addictive. Hillary Clinton apparently had hot sauce added to her food at the White House, while NPR political analyst Cokie Roberts is said to travel with a bottle in her purse. read more...
Potatoes - earthy delights - 27 Jan 2010
Potatoes get such a bad rap. But they're one of the world's most versatile and nutritious ingredients. Here are some spud, tatty and tater facts. read more...
Chestnuts and chestnut stuffing - 21 Dec 2009
Whether you roast them at an open fire (remembering to stab them with the point of a knife so they don't burst) or include them in a turkey stuffing, chestnuts are a key winter solstice ingredient. read more...
New Year celebrations - something different & where to buy it - 21 Dec 2009
Want to spice up your New Year festivities? Try one of the traditions from another part of the world. read more...
West Indian Black Cake - 9 Dec 2009
At Christmas time in Jamaica, a traditional black cake is baked in which the dried fruits and peel have been soaking in alcohol since the previous Christmas. It's a far more intense cake than traditional fruit cake, and covered in a dark, dark frosting. read more...
York Castle Tropical Ice Cream: one of my favorites - 23 Nov 2009
This is one of my favorite spots not just for its exotic ice cream flavors. Owner Caroline Tay is also one of my favorite market people. Like me, she thinks Washingtonians should venture beyond the diamond for their culinary adventures. After all, her ice cream parlor is just at the top of 16th Street where it meets Georgia Avenue - a straight shot from the 7th Street NW Convention Center.
If you don't manage to get there in time for Thanksgiving, look for her ice cream cake with a pumpkin-flavored turkey shape running through it for a fall treat any time. And the Eggnog flavor ice cream is perfect for any holiday party. read more...
Starters: Chestnut Soup - 18 Nov 2009
Rodney Scruggs, executive chef of The Occidental's recipe for Chestnut Soup produces an unctuous, elegant fall and winter soup that's little trouble to conjure up. What it does make is a stunning impression. read more...
Rodney Scruggs - Chef of The Occidental - 18 Nov 2009
Rodney Scruggs started as a line cook at the Occidental in 1980, when he was 17. He moved on to work with some of the area's top chefs. But after two decades away, he returned a while back to the venerable restaurant as executive chef. read more...
Kubo - 18 Nov 2009
Kubo has been at the top of Knowles Avenue in Kensington for some four years. But a year ago, Brenda and her husband Froy took over this small but friendly Filipino market. read more...
Rob Klink - Chef of Oceanaire - 11 Nov 2009
Rob Klink, executive chef and operating partner of The Oceanaire Seafood Room, would rather be fishing - but with an eye to conservation. read more...
Fish: Wild Chesapeake Rockfish with Lemongrass Broth and Shiitake Mushrooms - 11 Nov 2009
You don't need to be a master chef to make this elegant dish from Rob Klink, chef of Oceanaire Seafood Room. The broth can be finished ahead of time, and with a final 10 minutes to saute the fish and mushrooms, it can star at any dinner party without driving the cook into a frenzy. read more...
Filipino Home Baking & Grocery - 4 Nov 2009
Triangle Lane in Wheaton is an international food court in itself. One of the little markets tucked away is Filipino Home Baking & Grocery. It's a modest place with a very small selection of fresh produce. But it's filled with groceries essential to Filipino cooking. read more...
Bestway - 21 Oct 2009
Bestway is a real local success story. It began in the 1970s in Washington DC to supply the growing Hispanic community with fresh produce and dried goods to keep cooks in the kind of ingredients they needed to create the dishes of back home. These days, the company has become a large independent ethnic grocery chain with several stores in the capital, in Maryland and Virginia. And it doesn't just sell traditionally Hispanic groceries. Its range of standard general foods is broad. read more...
Joe Raffa - Chef of Oyamel - 14 Oct 2009
Joe Raffa left the U.S. Government Accountability Office to become a chef. He now heads Oyamel, where he serves up to 40 grasshopper tacos a day. read more...
Fish: Quesadilla de Camaron (Shrimp Quesadillas) - 14 Oct 2009
You could make the different elements of Joe Raffa, chef of Oyamel's easily-prepared recipe ahead of time and only toast the tortillas at the last minute. It would turn it into a dish you could serve at a large party. read more...
Manila Oriental - 7 Oct 2009
Close to Bailey's Crossroads is this popular Filipino market. While it's small, you'll probably find everything you need to cook up a Filipino feast, with quarts of ice cream made from purple yam, maize, baby bananas, coconut, jackfruit and more or some coconut desserts to follow.
But you can stay in for your feast. The secret treasure of the market is right at the back, a carry-out counter with a few tables read more...
In March 2007, Mike Isabella started at Zaytinya. Just a few months later, the hip downtown mezzethes restaurant won a RAMMY award.
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Cakes - to order or make beautiful
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My favorite markets - Yasaman Persian Bakery
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Cerkez Salad
Shiraz Grocery
Make your own tahini
Olives
Mike Isabella - Chef of Zaytinya
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Chew on This: No link between red meat and cancer?
Plaza Market
Veal Cheeks
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