Vietnamese Beef Salad
Shopping list: port coffee scallions sugar green tea okra garlic limes tomatillos black beans from bulk bin lemongrass!!! A few days ago I found myself staring at my shopping list, bemused. Okra? Tomatillos? Port? Lemongrass? When did I become a person urgently in need of lemongrass? Not so long ago…
Soups Without Recipes
There is nothing like soup. It is by its nature eccentric: no two are ever alike, unless of course you get your soup from cans. Laurie Colwin, “Soup”, Home Cooking Even we are exhorted to hoard every leftover scrap of food to craft innovative meals in a thrifty cycle of…
Back-in-the-Pot-Pork
My community college photography classmates would have decimated the shot below. After slowly feeding my ego through the wood-chipper for using color film, a choice signaling rank amateurism, the group would have settled in for a nice long discourse about compositional elements. Meaning ninety minutes on the blue rubber band. Fortunately, none…
While we wait for the next post…
We here at the IK are peering out the window, where El Niño, conspicuously absent last month, has reappeared with a vengeance. We’re also working on a long-overdue book review for our editor at PopMatters.com, where you may read our review of Bee Wilson’s excellent First Bite. While there is indeed food…
Corned Beef Brisket After Jane Grigson
Before discussing today’s recipe, it is only fair to touch on the last post, wherein I ranted and raved about my failed attempt to enroll in an identity theft protection program. This was occasioned by the hacking of my former employer’s antiquated computer system. Alas, attempts to protect my identity…
Stuffed Cabbage In The Troo Style
Stuffed Cabbage In The Troô Style is a recipe I’ve longed to write about. Yes, cabbage. With its connotations of sulfur, Soviet canteen meals, wind. This recipe is none of those things. We love this dish. Love it. Which is why I’ve longed to write about it. Stuffed Cabbage In…
Pork Parmesan Meatballs
Many years ago we belonged to a meat CSA. Once monthly, I drove to beautiful home in Berkeley, where I fetched a box containing the finest meat we’ve ever eaten. Alas, we left the CSA. Members had to opt for specific monthly amounts: 11 pounds, 17 pounds, or another, higher number…
Braised Short Ribs
Braised Short Ribs belong to the important family of stews, braises, and daubes, those heartily earthy dishes of winter. In this discussion, the term “stew” is synonymous with “braise,” signifying a dish requiring long, slow cooking, usually in a low oven. My passion for braising began in grad school, while reading…
Pork Belly With Beans
Over at Gluten Free Girl And The Chef, Shauna James Ahern admits it’s been difficult getting into the holiday spirit. I couldn’t agree more. The past week has seen me writing and discarding countless drafts to that effect. All sounded too whiny, too negative, too miserable. But recent months have seen…
Pork Roasted In Banana Leaves (Cochinita Pibil)
Yesterday I had a doctor appointment; I’ve been trying to get follow-up care for the tennis elbow. I arrived at the office only to find my doctor had cancelled her appointments for the day. Had her patients been informed? Of course not. Clearly, the very notion of continuing medical care falls into the…