Modern Problems: Those Pesky Kale Stems!
I love kale. I also am "thrifty" and the stalks have always been problematic for me. I've tried sauteing them until tender before adding the actual kale leaves. It's fair...
The Rancho Gordo Blog
clay pot cooking
More on Soaking. Sometimes, It's a Very Good Idea.
I almost hate to bring it up because everyone has such a strong opinion about it but normally I don't soak. Sometimes I do. I really think the best beans...
Leftover Strategies: Grits with Black Eyed Peas and Bacon
Earlier, I wrote about cooking on my wood-burning stove and the success I had making grits. It was simple and fun but even having given away a lot to my...
Hearth Cooking: Soup, Grits and Beets
I know there's little that's more obnoxious than a Californian complaining about the cold but here goes: This last weekend was too cold. At my place, it hit 30F. I...
Look, Ma! I Made Me a Cassoulet!
I spent Sunday finally making a cassoulet. I’ve been curling up with Kate Hill’s Cassoulet: A French Obsession, for a week or so and finally decided to take the plunge....
More Leftover Strategies: Egg in Bean Broth with Sausage and Mozzarella
This was about as happy as I can get in the morning. Leftover Ayocote Negro (but Ayocote Morado or Scarlet Runners would be excellent as well), bean broth, chicken broth,...
Guisado de Lupe: A Delicious Tomato Surprise That Will Make You Flip
In Hidalgo, a meal with my pal Lupe is essential. She is a great cook. I would almost describe her cooking as colonial. She prefers good olive oil to manteca...
Cooking Superior (Nay, Perfect!) Brown Rice in a Clay Donabe Pot
I always laugh when I hear Alton Brown and his followers declare, as an absolute, No single purpose kitchen gadgets! When did this become a law? There are many of...
The Simplest and Best Soup I Know and the Trick to Make It Magnificent
If you love beans, you want beans. You don't want a lot of other things getting in the way. But if you're making soup, you do need to do something....
Buyer Beware! Not All Clay Pots Are Equal!
My recent habit has been to make a tomato sauce with fermented green chiles and then poach an egg in it, via a small clay cazuela. I've been using my...
Heirloom Bean-Mushroom "Carnitas" Casserole
This beautiful little casserole has made several inspired dishes out of what were essentially leftovers. I've cooked 90% of my dishes on the stove-top and it's kind of funny discovering...
Mazano Chiles Steamed Like a Tamal: Diana Kennedy's Chile Canario en Pilte
Manzano chiles are also known as Peron and apparently in Oaxaca, Canario. They look like habeneros but they have much more flesh and a less tropical, but no less delicious,...