New Product: Pineapple Vinegar
In case you missed the news, we now have fermented pineapple vinegar. I've been making my own for years but it's a drag to run out and sometimes you just...
The Rancho Gordo Blog
Meeting the Great Traditional Chefs of Michoacan
I was rather shocked when I got the invitation to be a judge for the Encuentro de Cocineras Tradicionales de Michoacan. I’d attended the event a few years ago and...
A Beautiful Runner Bean from Michoacan: Ayocote Purepecha
I will soon be writing more about a recent trip to Morelia that changed me in a lot of ways. For now, I wanted to introduce you to some lovely...
What to Do With a Pot of Beans No. 3: Bean Soup with Roasted Red Pepper and Kale
Yes, that's been the flu that has been knocking me down. But I get right back up! Thanks in part to some leftover beans! This was entitirely based on what...
What to Do With a Pot of Beans No. 2
I had a small about of cooked heirloom beans left. I had used most of them for a salad, so I had very few beans and lots of bean broth....
Make Mine Moka!
As a teenager, I never understood it's appeal. My father's dependence on it first thing in the morning seemed at odds with my flower child persona I was indulging at...
What to Do With a Pot of Beans No. 1
One pot of plain beans means dozens, or hundreds, of options. Cooked Sangre de Toro (Bull's Blood) beans. Add a spoonful of fresh ricotta cheese, a pinch of Mexican oregano,...
Ayocote Morados in a Pressure Cooker: One Hour from Whim to Wow!
I've been cooking in so much clay lately that I thought I'd give some love to my pressure cooker. This was a gift from the wonderful Lorna Sass but I've...
A Lazy Sunday and Royal Coronas in a Clay Pot
As you may have read, I love cooking in clay pots. I also like slow cookers, pressure cookers, Le Cruset and pretty much anything technique for cooking beans. But my...
Gearing Up for the Superbowl: Beans and Chili
We've all heard it, particularly from our friends in Texas: There is no place for beans in chili. Chili con carne means chile with meat. I was living in Milano...
A Potato Galette, Sort Of
I came of age in the kitchen in the early 1980s. One of my favorite Saturday morning shows was Julia Child and More Company. I missed the French Chef era...
An Event in Sonoma
Last night I went to a book event at Reader's Books in Sonoma, just off the square. Kathleen Hill, Sonoma's First Lady of Good Food, is the hostess and interviewer,...