I had some really successful kitchen kismet this week. Bob and Evelyn sent over some fabulous beans. I think I made an erroneous assumption that they were Chinese long beans. Whether they were or not, it set off a tidal wave of memories for me and, as usual I headed to my trusty stash of recipes, which live in the gigantic white loose-leaf notebook called, simply "Clare". Hmmmm....I wonder if in my heart, cooking defines me? Clearly the subject for, if not therapy, then lots of further thought. But I digress....back to beans. I found a wonderful Gourmet recipe from 2006 and there, right beside it, a Mark Bittman recipe from 2002 which I must have decided at some point would go together beautifully.
Read moreGazpacho
I believe this would be appropriately termed an embarrassment of riches. I've had a simply lovely week of being a pampered houseguest in not one, but two extraordinarily beautiful historic homes in Virginia. As though that wasn't incredible enough, both visits were with people I dearly love and involved most of my favorite things--talking, walking, laughing, swimming, cooking and eating. Sheer bliss in every way that I can possibly imagine. To guild the proverbial lily, I returned home to find everything going berserk in my garden (as you can see from these lilies) and then, this morning, at the farmer's market.
Read moreCucumber Salad
Goody, a reader request andan excuse to use my favorite kitchen tool--my mandoline--all in one go. In today's "Clare's Kitchen"column in the Times-Dispatch, a reader noticed my reference to cucumber salad and wondered how I make it. This involved a phone call to my father to verify my technique since he's the cucumber salad czar. He reassured me that my instincts were correct. (I think I make this phone call to him annually to verify, by the way. He must think I'm kooky.) Anyway, I think it must be Austrian or Czech or something, but no matter whence it comes, it's refreshing, crunchy, spicy and possibly the perfect thing to make for July 4th.
Read moreOrecchiette with Sweet Italian Sausage
Having just spent a wonderful few days in New Orleans, I'm refreshed and full of lots of ideas. The food there was stupendous, of course: red fish, black drum, banana praline bread pudding--well, you get the idea. All that, plus hanging out with some of the best people the world has to offer: urban librarians. Talk about a happy break full of lots of interesting ideas.
Anyway, back at home I seem to have adopted my own attitude of the "Big Easy," in other words, with minimal effort, getting something on the table that satisfies the teenaged carnivore, and, well, everyone else too.
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