This recipe can be canned with the traditional boiling water bath method or with the Ball FreshTECH canning machine. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information and the USDA Guide to Home Canning tomatillos' pH level makes them safe for home canning following the recipes and cooking times for tomatoes. This recipe also maintains the acidity and consistency of … [Read more...]
OVER-STUFFED LOBSTER ROLLS WITH A SCIENTIFIC COMPARISON OF PRE-SHELLED LOBSTER MEAT VS. HOME COOKED
Stuart's, our excellent seafood store in Amaganset offers cooked lobster meat out of the shell for $55 a pound. The pieces are nice and big, the claws neatly extracted to keep their form. The thick tails are tightly curled, a crucial sign. Lobster tails will only curl up when cooked if the lobster is alive just before cooking. Already dead lobster tails don't curl. The … [Read more...]
TAMPIQUENA
Tampiquena is a south of the border alternative to the summer grilling familiars. At its most basic it's a seasoned grilled skirt steak served with a variety of sides and garnishes. Not surprisingly beans, rice and corn tortillas are usually included. It's the upgrades and add-ons to standard carne asada that give Tampiquena its flair. A sweet-spicy marinade is a good … [Read more...]
WHITE CLAM PASTA WITH SEA BEANS – LINGUINI ALLE VONGOLE
Freshly foraged briny little sea beans pair beautifully with just-dug quahogs for a hearty, down-home tangle of linguine alle vongole. And the best part is out here in East Hampton the ingredients are only as far away as the water. At water's edge of our favorite clam bed in Three Mile Harbor is a healthy stretch of sea beans. Also known as salicornia, glass wort and … [Read more...]
PENNE ALL NORMA: A BARILLA PASTA GAY-FRIENDLY FAMILY RECIPE
The Barilla Pasta “we don’t think gay families represent our values” dust-up last fall reminded me of a Barilla-sponsored luncheon I attended in '07 or '08. Pasta was on the plate and family mealtime was the topic at table. Although it's taken a while to dig into my files (i.e. piles of papers and random flash drives) I supposed that there must have been a … [Read more...]
SAMPHIRE ASPARAGUS VINAIGRETTE
One of the thrills of foraging is tapping into Mother Nature's limitless abundance. While some treasures of the earth are hard to come by (see: truffles) wild samphire is abundant here on eastern Long Island and at its peak now, in early summer. Samphire, a.k.a seabeans, sea asparagus, salicornia, or picklewort, thrives in the marshy, sandy shores of Three Mile Harbor in … [Read more...]
PEA SHOOT PESTO
Turns out early summer isn't such a bad time to join Weight Watchers. Facing the somewhat grim regimen of Points, Power Foods and vanishing carbs is easier when fresh produce (for the unlimited fruits and vegetables the program allows) comes into abundance. These pea shoots were on offer at an East Hampton farm stand. The guy said they would make a nice pesto. True … [Read more...]
PERSIAN BLUE SALT
Another reason to love San Francisco: Spice Ace in Pacific Heights. Where this exotic Persian Blue Salt was acquired for our salt library. It's rock salt with a light mineral taste. Proprietor Olivia Dillan oversees an encyclopedic collection of spices and is eager to have you sniff and taste to your hearts content. I hear tunes and songs on television shows also that … [Read more...]
SALTED CARAMEL PECAN CAKE
Picture #1: Salted Caramel cake as made by House Beautiful food columnist Alex Hitz. Picture #2: Salted Caramel Pecan cake as made by Spectacularly Delicious. Although these two cakes wouldn't be mistaken for identical twins they do bear more than a passing resemblance looks-wise. But down in their souls, their very essence, they are one in the same: lightly salty, … [Read more...]
MEXICAN CHORIZO
For cooks who enjoy process and transformation, leisurely, at-home sausage making can make for a very satisfying afternoon's work. This Mexican chorizo recipe is a delicious example. Not to be confused with Spanish chorizo, which is a cured sausage, dense, dark, and hard, Mexican chorizo is a fresh pork sausage spiked with chiles, cumin and coriander. A generous dose of … [Read more...]