by Sam Tackeff | Feb 9, 2009 | Japanese, Soups
My kitchen for the past several months has seemed to take on a distinctly Asian flare inspired by the wonderful posts of one of my favorite food blog writers, Maki, of Just Hungry and Just Bento . With her influence, I have been making bento lunches almost daily, and have a large stash in my freezer of dumplings, steamed buns, and udon noodles. I have been experimenting gleefully with fish sauces, chili oil, rice vinegar, adzuki beans, and miso paste, and have found that for the most part these ingredients are actually quite simple to use, and produce tasty results (regardless of whether they are being used authentically). (more…)
by Sam Tackeff | Feb 9, 2009 | Salads
To think that I almost missed out completely on the joyful possibilities of cole slaw… After years of being served the gloppy, mayo mess at summer picnics or lobster pounds, I had developed an extremely negative association with anything that called itself “slaw”. Fortunately I learned that all slaw is not the same, and there are some really fantastic versions out there with endless varieties of of crispy, crunchy vegetables dressed lightly and most importantly not swimming in jarred mayonnaise. (more…)
by Sam Tackeff | Jan 30, 2009 | Salads
As I child, I did not like fennel. Raw, it has a crisp, bold, anise flavor that takes some getting used to. Luckily for me, our palates tend to change over time, and now I can’t seem to get enough of the fresh, crunchy and delicious vegetable. I’ve been picking up a bulb every week at my farmers market in Noe Valley. Conveniently, fennel is a hardy plant, a member of the Apiaceae family, and can be grown year round here in Northern California.
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