Some like it saucy. But if you like it flatbread-y and extra cheesy, then San Francisco's Arizmendi is for you.
Pictured here is today's delicata squash, fontina cheese, walnuts, and herb oil. I know what you're thinking. That must be some kind of fancy-ass pizza for the liberal elite. Named for a Basque labor organizer and owned by its workers, Arizmendi Bakery actually supplies us with socialist pizza. It is probably Kenyan and anti-colonial as well. Yikes.
At $2.50 a slice, the pizza at Arizmendi Bakery is one of the most enticing deals in town. Featuring organic ingredients, seasonal vegetables, and a thin, crispy sourdough crust that is lightly dusted with cornmeal, pizza flavors change daily. As you can see, each order includes a mama slice and a baby companion slice. Where do you begin? (I always eat the little guy first.)
http://www.arizmendibakery.org/
When was the last time you bit into an Asian pear? So crunchy, so juicy. So light but meaty enough to amount to a satisfying snack. Asian pears are perfect sliced into salads. Or how about toast topped with salty cheese, pear slices, and a drizzle of honey? There's a delicious three-minute project.
Chinese railroad workers brought the seeds to California in the 1850s. The asian pear is native to China and Korea. First planted by laborers and miners in the Sierra Nevadas during the Gold Rush, today these trees with pretty white flowers can be seen from California to Washington. Unlike other pears, these fruits should be consumed when firm and crispy.
Like many home cooks, I'm a big fan of Smitten Kitchen. Deb's Blue Cheese and Red Potato Tart will knock your socks off. Simple to prepare but elegant, super satisfying, and made with inexpensive ingredients, this savory tart is a total winner. Pair it with a green salad and you have an impressive meal. Added bonus: leftovers are perfect for breakfast. Once the tart shell is made, this recipe only requires:
- 1 lb. small red potatoes, cut into slices
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 egg yolk
- blue cheese crumbles (about 3/4 cup)
- some chopped herbs; try rosemary, thyme, and/or sage
- sea salt for sprinkling
The tart shell is dummy-proof. It's nothing like a pie crust and needs no food processor or special equipment. See instructions here.
Lacking a pastry blender, I used a couple of cold knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture. All you need is a 9-inch pie plate or tart pan (standard size) to bake the thing. A container of blue cheese crumbles makes life easier.
You make the dough (see link), roll it out, and stick it in the refrigerator to firm up for 30 minutes while boiling the potatoes. Pat dry the potato slices and arrange them on the tart shell. Top with blue cheese and the cream and egg yolk mixed together. Sprinkle with herbs and salt. That's it! The thing goes into a 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes, once cheese gets toasty and tart shell is golden brown. This one is so much easier than it looks.
A tribute to the Argentina-Brazil friendlies of late and my late father. Next match is October 3 in Resistencia (in Chaco) in the northeast of Argentina. Last game, which Brazil won 2-1 with a last minute penalty kick, was also played wayyy off the beaten path in Goianas, Brazil. The goal (ha) has been to bring action to parts of Latin America that don't get much attention when there is a sporting event of national significance. It's the nation's team, not the Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo team. Soccer has always been about nation building in this part of the world.
The universal and inalienable right of every Argentine is to eat empanadas as a snack, with pizza, at an asado (bbq), and before and after sporting events. The empanada's recent surge in popularity has been a total surprise for me. I remember as a child in Chicago visiting a ramshackle shop where my parents bought empanadas and newspapers from their native Argentina. Today, every third hipster food entrepreneur seems to be peddling empanadas on the streets of San Francisco.
Knowing how to roast yourself a good frikin chicken should be like knowing how to change a flat tire or build a fire. (Not that I excel at these.) There are hundreds of recipes out there but this one is foolproof. I've prepared it dozens of times in five different states, and the recipe has never failed me. Best of all, this roast chicken requires just a few easy ingredients and demands no more than 15 minutes in the kitchen. Throw a handful of small potatoes and chopped carrots in the pan and you have a meal. Added bonus: you have awesome leftover chicken sandwiches the following day.
You will need:
- 1 whole chicken, between 2 - 3.5 lbs.
- kosher salt
- large roasting pan
- 1 lemon
- a few sprigs of thyme
- small potatoes, carrots (optional)
- kitchen thermometer
In the foreground of this glorious arrangement of tapas, photographed in Bilbao, Spain, is the glistening pimiento de padrón. Grown by sixteenth-century monks in the parish of Padrón in the northwest region of Galicia, this bite-sized pepper is the perfect conveyance for salt and good olive oil and should be washed down with cold beer. While most are not spicy, the occasional pepper packs heat (about one in seven), adding a touch of mystery to your padrón popping. The fruit (yes, a fruit since it grows on stems above ground) recently made its way from Spain's tapas bars to farmer's markets in the New World. Thankfully. But in the beginning, four centuries ago, the seeds arrived in Galicia in the luggage of a Spanish missionary returning from Mexico. Like so much of what we eat, the pimiento de padrón is a story of globalization.
To enjoy, heat one tablespoon of good olive oil in a large skillet, add peppers and fry for 5-7 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until peppers shrivel and begin to blister. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a generous sprinkling of coarse sea salt. Buen provecho.
The last thing the world really needs is another food blog. Despite my better judgment, I have created this blog to organize and share culinary content and hopefully put to use years of food-centric photos while I eliminate piles of sticky printed-out recipe pages shoved into kitchen drawers.
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