Mediterranean
Have you discovered how different olives are one from another? Or coaxed dried salt cod into a creamy bacalao? How long does it take for Parma or Serrano ham to cure? (As much as four years for the best) and how many liters of genuine balsamic vinegar are released for sale each year? Grab a slice of Manchego cheese or dip your spoon into fresh ricotta (how do they make that stuff?) while you consider how easy it is to bring the Mediterranean into your kitchen without getting your feet wet.
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Olives - 2 Mar 2010
All olives begin life green. After that, it gets complicated. With so many varieties available, here's a breakdown of the most common to help you avoid the pits... read more...
Mike Isabella - Chef of Zaytinya - 2 Mar 2010
In March 2007, Mike Isabella started at Zaytinya. Just a few months later, the hip downtown mezzethes restaurant won a RAMMY award. read more...
Fish: Sautéed Shrimp with Cannellini Beans - 4 Nov 2009
Shrimp and cannellini beans make a surprising and successful combination in this quickly cooked recipe from Savino Recine, owner-chef of Primi Piatti, a man who believes in providing richness in taste without resorting to unhealthy dairy products. read more...
Savino Recine - Owner-chef of Primi Piatti - 4 Nov 2009
Savino Recine, owner chef of Primi Piatti, doesn't just have a magical touch with Italian food. He can also magically open a bottle of wine and bend your cutlery without touching either. read more...
Quince - 4 Nov 2009
Quince season is short, so run out to a Middle Eastern market like Yekta or an Asian market like H Mart or Le Market, and pick out some of these yellow, pear-like and scented fruits to chop into a rough-on-the-tongue stewed puree or to make membrillo, the Spanish paste to eat with Manchego or Cheddar cheese, or for an exquisite translucent coral pink jelly to go with cold meats. read more...
Starters: Mushroom and Goat Cheese Fonduta - 21 Oct 2009
When Stephen Scott was chef at Zola, he served this Fonduta as an appetizer. But it makes a great Sunday supper for two served with a crisp green salad in front of a favorite TV movie. And if you can't get hold of every type, use what's available. read more...
Fish - fresh or not so fresh? - 14 Oct 2009
Once upon a time, fishmongers would cut fish to order from whole fish, so the customer could be sure, by the clarity of its eyes, the firmness of flesh and the color of its gills, of the freshness of the fish. Not any longer. Now that it's generally sold ready-filletted, you've only your nose to rely on. Use it. read more...
Starters: Flambéed Figs with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto - 23 Sep 2009
Janis McLean, chef of The Morrison-Clark Inn, turns fresh or dried figs into an appetizer or something to pass around with cocktails that's a little out of the ordinary. read more...
Lemons - some sharp advice - 9 Sep 2009
Across the Mediterranean and Middle East at the end of summer, lemons scent the warm fall air. So if you've got lemons, what do you do: make lemonade. (You knew that...)
Whether they come from Israel or California, buy them at their best in the early fall and freeze them for winter use in vinaigrettes, tagines, roasted chickens, lemonade and more. read more...
Fish:Sea Urchin Linguine - 19 Aug 2009
This recipe from Enzo Febbraro at D'Acqua Restaurant takes a certain amount of dedication: first find your sea urchin. Don't worry, though - you can order it on line. read more...
DC's wholesale/retail market - 18 Aug 2009
Shop fresh global and local produce, meat, groceries and flowers at retail prices where many of DC's grocery store and restaurant owners go to buy wholesale. read more...
Ibérico Pork comes to town - 22 Jul 2009
At last it's happened! The capital can experience some of the world's best pork. Ibérico de Bellota pork is available at Wagshal's and Jaleo. This is pork meat that comes from the same acorn-fed pigs that produce that heavenly Ibérico ham I can't get (or afford) enough of. Jose Andres has arranged its exclusive import through Fermin. read more...
Ice creams & gelati - 17 Jun 2009
In Russia, even in the depths of winter, queues of people form around the ice-cream carts stationed on street corners and down the iced-over paths of Moscow's Gorki Park. The world over, it's a seductive cold comfort. read more...
Marchone's - 17 Jun 2009
The thing about Marchone's is it isn't a destination Italian delicatessen. It's not so different from many others of its kind. But what marks it out is its line of 'Anna' pasta. This manufacturer of dried pasta makes unusual shapes, like gemelli which look like roll ups loosely formed by wet fingers that might have come out of a kindergarten art class, and huge tubes they call, surprisingly, fettucini (sic). But it also does a line in wholewheat pasta, with penne, spaghetti and gnocchi in a mushroom shade of brown. This stuff is a rarity on Washington deli shelves. read more...
Eggs: Tortilla Española - 17 Jun 2009
From the Taberna del Alabardero, Chef Dani Arana's recipe for Tortilla Española makes a classic Spanish tapas dish, perfect for summer, that feeds 15 with very little trouble. read more...
José Andrés cooks paella on a barbecue - 10 Jun 2009
It's always fun having a front seat at the effervescent show that is José Andrés. Especially when the 6-restaurant owning Spanish chef demonstrates making paella at his Bethesda house. On a barbecue grill. His goal? To make Americans break out into more than hamburgers and hot dogs with their charcoal. Here's how he does it. read more...
Pasta: Paccheri with Maine Lobster - 20 May 2009
This recipe from Enzo Febbraro of D'Acqua Ristorante elevates pasta to a heavenly level with a luxurious prime ingredient - the other ingredients are cheap - but simple technique. read more...
Dani Arana - chef of Taberna del Alabardero - 17 May 2009
There's something beguiling about what an accent and minor grammatical and phrasing slips can do to English. Dani Arana, chef of Taberna del Alabardero, explains why his mother sent him off to culinary school. "I didn't like so much" - there's a pause here while he searches for the word - "study." He grins. "She tell me, you need something to do in this world to make money and live. You are not so bad in the kitchen. You can learn more, make it your profession." read more...
Anchovies - 6 May 2009
One of the most unpopular fishes, anchovies are the culinary equivalent of the Wonderbra. They add body to any dish and most opponents don't even know they're there if they can't see them. read more...
Enzo Febbraro - chef of D'Acqua - 20 Apr 2009
Enzo Febbraro, chef and co-owner with Francesco Ricchi of D'Acqua Restaurant, sits at a table in the dining room facing Pennsylvania Avenue, in a black shirt and black apron, a heavy gold medallion nestling against his chest.
He has wonderful tales to tell of 20 years traveling, working his way through top restaurants in Paris, Germany and Spain. And plenty to say about food in Washington. 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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Olives
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