{Eating}

The Gray Lady, R.I.P.

3.4.10

 

I never met her, nor dined at her restaurant, but I could tell from her food, and the joie de vivre that radiated from her face, that Rose Gray was a glutton for life. We lost another great one to cancer today. She was only 71. Co-owner and co-chef of London’s River Café, opened in 1987 in a converted warehouse on the Thames, she was a self-taught cook who fell in love with the cucina rustica of Northern Italy while living in Lucca. After her friend Nell Campbell invited her to run the kitchen at Nell’s, a New York hot spot in the 80s, Ms. Gray caught the bug and decided to open her own place, along with her friend Ruth Rogers (seen above), another self-taught chef.


In honor of this great lady, I include here one of her pristine recipes, a classic Sicilian pasta dish comprised of just a few ingredients. It was in simplicity that she found much of the pleasure and excitement in cooking. I hope you will, too. Eat well and raise a glass to Rose. Read the rest of this entry »

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{Eating, Health}

I Eat Therefore I Yam

3.3.10
photo by george billard

The whole yam conversation can be very confusing. Americans use the word to refer to a rich, orange-fleshed variety of sweet potato. But botanically, yams are of the species dioscorea batatas, and are native to Africa, while sweet potatoes are of the species ipomoea batatas and are a member of the morning glory family, native to Ecuador and Peru. To everyone else in the world, a yam is what Americans call a “tropical yam,” a firm tuber with white flesh. There are more than 150 species of yams grown throughout the world, but true yams, with their bark-like, deeply brown skin, are seldom seen in our supermarkets. Whatever you call it, I am deeply fond of the garnet yam, pictured above. It has a sweet, creamy, brilliant orange flesh that, when roasted, could pass for dessert. Mixed with a little flavored ghee or just plain, it is truly delicious. And don’t let me forget to mention what a great source of nutrition they are: rich in vitamins A and C, niacin, riboflavin and potassium, with some protein and plenty of fiber thrown in for good measure.


My sister Sarita first introduced me to African peanut soup but I had not thought about it in years, until a fellow member of the Food52 community posted this recipe. It’s a rich, filling soup, perfect for these cold days of winter. Velvety and sweet from the yams, peanut butter and cream (you can substitute buttermilk), it is spiked with smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and fresh cilantro. I sometimes like to add cooked, shredded chicken if I happen to have it on hand. Read the rest of this entry »

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{Garden}

Bat Sh*t

3.2.10


Have you heard about the plight of the bats here in the northeast? They’re suffering from something called white-nose fungus, a scourge that has killed more than a million bats since it was first noticed in upstate New York in 2006. The sugary looking smudges of fungus that accumulate on bats’ noses and wings seems to thrive in cold, damp hibernation caves. It disturbs the bats’ hibernation sleep, waking them up and sending them out, confused and disoriented, into frigid temperatures. This dangerously depletes their stores of fat and they frequently die of starvation. The fast-spreading disease has already been detected in nine states, and biologists fear it could wipe out certain bat species entirely. Because bats can consume their own weight in insects in a single day, their decimation could have serious consequences. A rise in the number of agricultural pests could mean that farmers will react with more pesticides, which would find their way into the water table.

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{Eating}

Condimental: Spice Girl

3.1.10
photo by george billard

If you’ve ever been out for Japanese food (not just sushi, but maybe soba or yakitori or hot pots), you may have noticed a little red shaker on the condiment tray. That’s shichimi togarashi, a Japanese spice blend traditionally eaten on noodles, soups and stews. It’s made from a combination of seven spices (shichi means seven in Japanese), most commonly ground red chili pepper, dried orange peel, black sesame, white sesame, ginger, ground sansho, and nori flakes or powder. You’ll often also see a little green shaker alongside, and that’s just plain sansho, a berry from the prickly ash tree that is a relative of the Sichuan peppercorn. It has that same peppery-piney flavor that leaves a slight tingle on the tongue. You can find both these condiments at any Japanese market, or online at Japanese food specialty sites. Read the rest of this entry »

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