In a few weeks I'll be deer hunting. Someone recently told me that squirrel is the best meat in the woods. And while I plan on testing that theory and presenting you with a squirrel recipe one of these days, until then I'm clinging on to the notion that venison is the best meat in the woods.
The key…
One of the first little bits of wisdom I learned when I decided to get serious about cooking, was how to make garlic paste in 30 seconds. It was a revelation and I thought, "Wow! These are all the shortcuts that pros know!" So then I began to work in professional kitchens and was peeved to see…
You have to love the olive tree to do the work... early in the crisp mornings of late October, well into the even colder evenings of late November. To make a single liter of extra virgin olive oil requires more than ten pounds of olives. It is a commitment to be an olive grower.
I like…
Welcome to the final installment of my three part dinner series...
After a full day of hunting on the ranch, and a full day of cooking by Paul, we finally got to eat the fruits of our labor.
The ranch has a very beautiful interior, with lovely wood paneling and a cozy lodge atmosphere. The fireplace was…
Welcome to part two of my three part dinner series...
After we brought the hogs back to the ranch, Tim put them in a walk-in cooler. After debating, we decided to have the tenderloins for dinner rather than wait to let them age. So we brought them into the kitchen and got them ready for a…
Welcome to my three part dinner series.
In part one, we go on a hog hunt, very early...
The owner of Hidden Valley Ranch, Tim Haley, and his foreman Craig, and I hopped into the jeep and drove through some very chilly winds...
But the ranch was so beautiful as the sun came up that it was a lovely…
Today I am off to a place called Hidden Valley Ranch. I'm pretty sure it's not the salad dressing place because I am going there to hunt wild pig, and that would be strange...
This is my schedule for Saturday:
Out of bed before sunrise, hunting at daybreak with the ranch owner and ranch foreman.
Come back…
Today I conclude my recipe testing. At least the recipe testing for my book. It has been a long windy journey, full of twists and turns.
Full of pretty, tasty things...
Full of ugly, horrid things...
Full of strange happenings...
Full of outright kitchen drama...
Nevertheless, I have survived, with only a shard of glass in my foot as a battle wound, and…
Grandma Frances Pellegrini invited me and my brother Gordon over for dinner recently. On the menu was chickpea and tomato soup among other things...
She has a very special soup terrine that looks very lovely with soup in it. It dresses up even the simplest of soups. I have a feeling it has been in this…