Fermented Xoconostle
Being an unbearable hipster, I of course am fermenting almost everything that stands still in my kitchen. Kombucha, vinegar, tepache, chiles, beets-- nothing is safe. My latest victim is the...
The Rancho Gordo Blog
Chorizo and White Bean Tamale Pie
Before you leave a comment about the word tamale, yes, I know that in Spanish the word is tamal and the plural is tamales and there really isn't a word...
Breakfast with Eggs Poached in Heirloom Tomatoes
The more I read about breakfast cereal, the more I question its value as a breakfast food. Processed grains with sugar floating in milk. I have the habit but like...
Feeling the Pressure: Giving in to the Pressure Cooker
Watching TV recently, I watched an otherwise fine chef make a pot of beans in an electric pressure cooker. Said he: This was the best way to make beans because...
Xoconostle Chicken
Sunday night means family meal and as our weather has been mild, almost cool, it seemed time to pull out the old chicken coffin, as I call it, and make...
When Life Gives You an Earthquake, Make Beans
Like most people in the Napa Valley, I just want to get this last earthquake behind me. I'm tired of thinking about it: the lost money, the damages, that initial...
Green Beans with Pepitas and Oregano Indio
What has my life come to? Every week I get a glorious box of vegetables from my CSA, Carneros Farm Stand, and at first it was cute but now I'm...
The Four (and a half) Culinary Plants Every Mexican Home Cook Should Be Growing
The deeper you dig into Mexican cooking, the more addicted you get to the unique flavors and ingredients. A bunch of cilantro from the grocery store is fine but you...
Back in the Kitchen with Plantains Stuffed with Picadillo
I was reading a very nice recipe book about the food from one of my favorite states in Mexico, Veracruz. The food is particularly rich and it's hard not to...
The Interview That Sort of Never Was But Still May Be
Earlier this Spring I was asked to do an email interview about our products and company for an ecommerce site. I think I did rather well but I was later...
Movie Review: Chef
Saw "CHEF" over the weekend with my two kids One loved it, the other hated it but on reflection hated the audience more than the movie. I agree somewhat. The...