Carol and I recently took a food tour of Reykjavik. This was the dish that our guide was most enthusiastic about. It is classic Icelandic comfort food and he thought his grandmother made the best of all possible versions. Cod and potatoes are two staples of the Icelandic diet, so there would frequently be some Read More …
This is an adaptation of a recipe in Bon Appetit magazine which had a good way of cooking shrimp for a cold salad or cocktail. Shrimp needs to be cooked just enough (not overcooked!) and this method works very well to avoid overcooking. This made a very nice dinner for 2 persons with a piece Read More …
(I used oil-packed tuna, but the original recipe calls for water-packed tuna) In 1986, Carol gave me Tapas: The Little Dishes of Spain by Penelope Casas for Christmas, and we have been cooking out of it ever since. Most recently we made a tuna ball tapas for Carol’s sister and her pescaterian husband and they Read More …
This Cantonese dish is adapted from a recipe in Martin Yan’s Chinatown Cooking. He includes 1 tsp. of cracked Sichuan peppercorns which I have omitted since I do not like them. We have made this twice with asparagus, as he suggests, but I think it would be better with other, quicker cooking, vegetables, such as Read More …
A traditional way to preserve fish and chicken for short periods is to cook it and store it in a mixture of oil and vinegar in a cool spot. I consulted a number of Italian and Spanish cookbooks to make this simple version. Carol thought it reminded her a lot of pickled herring, although this Read More …
This version of the Italian-American classic is sized for 2 persons and is adapted from Alex Guarnaschelli’s book Cook with Me. It is a quick saute, rather like a more lemony version of Gambas al ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce) . So the important thing is to have all the ingredients prepped and ready when Read More …
This year we wanted to have a seafood feast for two for New Year’s Day. Usually, we would make some variation of the San Francisco-style Italian-American soup Cioppino, such as Cioppino for the Beach . This time, for variety, I based our feast on a recipe in a new cookbook I got for Christmas, Food Read More …
This fish, potato, and olive oil spread is a variation on a Venetian classic Baccala Matecato and similar Italian and French spreads. The key difference is using smoked trout instead of dried cod as the fish element. This version is adapted from a recipe in Saveur. Since olive oil is a key ingredient, it is Read More …
This Catalan dish is like a simplified and quicker paella in which pieces of thin broken pasta take the place of rice. This version is adapted from an article in Milk Street Magazine and will make 4 servings in about 35 minutes. Thus this could be a weeknight dinner. It requires a 12 inch skillet Read More …
This is a quick and easy fish stew which gets its special character from preserved lemons (or as an alternative 24 Hour Salted Lemon Spread ) and green olives. This is an adaptation of a recipe in Cook’s Illustrated. It will serve 4 people with rice, and will take about 40 minutes. 1.5 lb. cod Read More …