Eat + Drink

Acorn, buttercup, butternut, carnival, delicata, Hubbard, kabocha, red kuri, spaghetti — seeing the different varieties of winter squash displayed in our local grocery stores brings a poetic expression to my eyes. An expression that is, covertly, the expression of a scheming cook. From dark green acorn to deep orange red kuri, from smooth-skinned butternut to […]

My wife Beni was in Cleveland recently, where she dined at Lola, a cutting-edge restaurant owned by Chef Michael Symon. Several years ago, we read a biographical sketch of the young Symon in Michael Ruhlman’s book The Soul of a Chef. When Beni returned, having had a spectacular meal, and having met Symon (she bore […]

The subject line for the e-mail said simply, “Cool Beans!” The message came from juice man Dave Feral (see “Table Talk,” Oct. 4), who serves on the board for North Coast Grower’s Association, the folks who run the local farmers’ markets. Dave noted that he’d heard at a recent NCGA meeting that, “Paul Giuntoli of […]

Last week was soup week at our house. This year’s soups are Summer Vegetable (peppers, beans, tomatoes, corn), Winter Vegetable (butternut, potato, celeriac, parsnip) and a small quantity of Roasted Pepper (a thick puree of sweet Italians and smoked bells). Now, having used up my stocks, I have to make more. The late fall and […]

In July of 2006, the Pew Internet & American Life Project published the results of a survey of US bloggers. According to the report, about 12 million American adults keep a blog. More than a year later, I am sure the number is higher, at least by one. Before the idea of joining the food […]

Braising greens at Little River Farms’ stand at the Arcata Farmers’ Market.Photo by Bob Doran What was that old saying — “Do you think the rain will hurt the rhubarb?” Saturday morning I was wondering more about the effect of a night of hail and rolling thunder on the Arcata Farmers’ Market. Anyone who reads […]

I’m obsessive about culinary authenticity. Even in daily meals at home, I confess to being distressed if smothered pork chops and guacamole share the same table. Or pasta primavera and bratwurst, ouch! The discontinuity is almost painful. My mate indulges this nerdy compulsion. We tend to have ethnic continuity — Spanish, Jewish, Southern American, Italian, […]

It’s still prime tomato season at the Farmers’ Market. Every year, it seems the tomatoes have more variety and get meatier and more flavorful. This time of year, we try to have BLTs every Saturday morning. And this column is about a BLT, sort of. While I consider myself the second-best sandwich maker on the […]

Dave Feral pulls a handful of apples from a cardboard box and drops them into the hopper at the top of his cider press. As invisible whirling blades chop the fruit, he follows the apples with an equal amount of pears. Juice is already trickling into a glass pitcher from a wooden trough at the […]

The Farmers’ Market is always a feast for the eyes, and some days the feast includes fireworks. Lately I have been admiring the pyrotechnic display of peppers. Stalls are overflowing with specimens of different colors, shapes and sizes. Looking at this bounty, I feel like a child in front of an amazing array of (vegetable) […]

The beef brisket sandwich was as good as everyone promised. The glowing sauce — a bizarre, grainy concoction of paprika and vinegar — took some getting used to, but the whole combination of meat and sauce and pickle slices and icy beer pretty much couldn’t be beat. (Arthur Bryant’s, Kansas City, Miss.) At Cooper’s, you […]

An early vernacular Spanish source for gazpacho — probably 14th century — says, "Gazpacho is a dish of rustic shepherds, or those who have nothing else to eat, because it is made up of garlic, vinegar, bread and water." Well, gazpacho has come a long way from that. In fact, it’s come a long way […]