posted by
Samar on
April 21, 2014
There is a term New Yorkers use to describe, with grudging admiration, shamelessly audacious behavior: chutzpah. A perfect culinary example is taking a dish made at least weekly in every Japanese home and elevating it to not just haute cuisine but almost iconic status. As that is what Chef Nobu has done with his miso-glazed black cod. True, to be fair, I have not eaten at his eponymously named restaurant and for all I know his dish does deserve the acclaim it gets. Still, fish marinated in miso and grilled is about as homely – and tasty! – as Japanese cooking gets. This is ‘my’ version, made using salmon. You can use any other firm, fatty fish. Traditionally, the fish is wrapped in cheesecloth soaked in miso and allowed to absorb the flavors for a few days. Here, I take the easy route and just marinate it for an hour or so. The results are still excellent.
posted by
Samar on
April 9, 2014
Before I moved to America I had never encountered people who didn’t like vegetables. Granted, I grew up in a vegetarian household in a country where that is the norm rather than a passing fad. And, sure, there were veggies I wasn’t too keen on (such as this). But, still, the notion that vegetables could only constitute a side dish boggled my mind. I mean: what else are we supposed to eat? (I’m writing this after a trip to Barcelona where this would be considered a silly question with an obvious answer: jamon!)
posted by
Samar on
April 1, 2014
I’ve been thinking of buying a pasta machine for some time now. But after watching this, er, documentary I think I might save myself a lot of trouble and just buy a spagetti plant!
posted by
Samar on
March 6, 2014
It has been an extremely soggy winter here in England, apparently the wettest since records began nearly a hundred years ago. But if there was a silver lining to the unremitting cold and damp weather it is that dishes such as today’s soup taste, if that were possible, even better. Don’t let the simplicity of this soup, taken from Martha Shulman’s Recipes for Health column, fool you. It is filling and deeply flavorful, and made even more so by the leeks.
posted by
Samar on
February 28, 2014
There are lots of things I miss about New York but surely top of the list is eating in Koreatown. More specifically, it is the banchan at Korean restaurants that I truly long for. These are the small, food-laden plates that instantly and magically appear as soon as you sit down. Meant to be nibbled on as appetizers while you wait for the main course, or eaten as side dishes with rice, a few of these–like Spanish tapas–could easily make for a complete meal. And a balanced one, too, given that a good banchan includes something from just about every food group!
