The first time I saw fingerling potatoes, I was confused in a Danish supermarket. I was looking for the large potatoes that I was familiar seeing in American grocery stores. Produce and meat in Denmark are expensive. The portions are small. The vegetables are imperfect. The taste far exceeds American food. I returned to the United States with a determined effort to shop at farmer’s market than the average grocery store, when time permits. The fingerling potatoes in Denmark had a thin paper shell, similar to an onion or a tomatillo, that needs to be rubbed or peeled off before prepping for a dish. The small size, like most produce and meat, produces a sweet and tender taste.
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Fragrance is in the Air: Asian-Inspired Noodle Shrimp Soup
Star anise, cinnamon, chili, ginger and garlic makes a fragrant broth for cooking chicken or seafood. The smell was spicy, warm and seductive. After the solid ingredients were gone, there was extra broth left over. It was strained and placed it a freezer for a future dish of steamed or braised fish.
Read moreCue in Theme song: Introducing “The Mc{Your Surname Here} Breakfast Sandwich!”
My mother was known for her pancakes and waffles, but my father was known for his savory breakfast of eggs, sausages and cheese. I still remember him passing me a breakfast sandwich wrapped in wax paper as we quickly rushed out the door for school. His version had toasted bread, tomatoes, eggs and bacon. Admittedly, I didn’t like it, because I have an aversion to running eggs. In addition, the flavors were probably too much for my young palate. Now, I enjoy making these sandwiches and wrapping them in wax paper, especially when the boyfriend has a busy morning appointment. The version pictured with this post was made with homemade biscuits, in which the biscuits are a weekend treat. A weekday version is made with wheat bread from a bakery that is lightly toasted.
Read moreToo Easy Apple Skillet Pancake
This is a simple show off recipe. Guests are always amazed when they see a puffed pancake coming out of the oven. I have served variations of this recipe. A little rum to the batter is a nice addition and nuts are preferred. Whole milk is the best diary for this recipe, because the pancake will rise better than soy milk. I’ve heard of some people who add a little cream to the milk. Tart apples and under-ripe pears taste good. Add cranberries or raisins to the batter. Use white sugar or maple syrup in place of brown sugar, and adjust the quantities to a preferred sweetness. One day, I would like to experiment by adding a little crystallized ginger to the batter before blending it. This recipe is made for a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, but decrease the ingredients in half for a 6-inch skillet. Understand one fact about this recipe: this is very easy to make.
Read moreRoasted Vegetable Tomato Sauce over Pasta
In an effort to control our weight, we’re trying to eat dinner earlier in the day. After a couple hours of freelance work, I started grocery shopping at 4:30 p.m. to purchase a few vegetables and wine. Prepping dinner started close to 6:00 p.m. The evening’s schedule was to fix dinner, go to the gym for 30 minutes, return home to take a shower, reheat dinner and end the day with a glass of red wine. In reality, an Argentinian bottle of red wine was opened at 7:00 p.m., the coat was hung for the night and we sat down to a bowl of garlicky, roasted vegetable sauce over penne pasta. Lesson learned for the day: go grocery shopping earlier. This is a sauce that tastes better the next day when the flavors marinate over night.
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