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The recipes and images on this site belong to Vanessa Barrington. Feel free to link here and if you’d like to use a recipe or image, please ask permission first. Thank you.Twitter Updates
- DIY Delicious and Heirloom Beans both featured on Amazon as a Kindle Big Deal until Aug 23rd http://t.co/YupbnPbB get them digitally! 2012/08/18
- New Recipe on the blog: Antipasti-style calamari salad http://t.co/vxAzXQfh 2012/06/11
- RT @ethicurean: Nice plug form @CKummer for great anti-waste cookbook "An Everlasting Meal" by @tamaradler #cfs12 2012/05/18
- RT @twyspy: My response to @Chef_Keller's "radical" take on flavor vs. sustainability http://t.co/IVTqJuXb @grist (please chime in!) 2012/05/18
Category Archives: entertaining
Baba Ghanoush with Homemade Harissa
I promised to post this recipe after I posted the harissa recipe a few weeks ago. Apologies for my slowness. In the event you still have some eggplant hanging around in the garden or fridge at this late date, here’s a great way to use it. If you don’t have harissa, this is still fantastic [...]
Also posted in DIY, from the market, healthy Tagged dips, dips and spreads, DIY Baba Ghanoush, DIY Delicious, DIY Harissa, entertaining, harvest, healthy, summer, vegetarian Leave a comment
Homemade harissa d’espelette—a many splendored condiment
Lately I’ve been into making harissas and sambals and other fiery chile-based condiments. I think the attraction is that they provide a quick and easy way for a busy cook to make rather ordinary soups, seasonal salads, and baked chicken or fish a lot more interesting. Less than an hour in the kitchen on a [...]
Also posted in DIY, Food and Drink, from the market, healthy, pantry staples Tagged Basque chiles, condiments, corn salad, DIY condiments, dried chiles, harissa, Mediterranean food, Middle Eastern food, pantry, piment d'espelette, potato salad 5 Comments
Fried Green Tomatoes & Burrata for Impatient Gardeners
Chilly Bay Area summers make waiting for that first green tomato to ripen like waiting for Congress to negotiate a budget. Thankfully green tomatoes have a lot more going for them than our typical legislators. They’re way more fun; they have a movie AND a book named after them; they’re tasty; and, instead of making [...]
Also posted in gardening, hearty Tagged basil, burrata, buttermilk, cornmeal, fried green tomatoes, gardening, recipes from the garden, tomatoes Leave a comment
Plum Gorgeous & Cherries Galore
If you’re a person who reads cookbooks as much for stories as recipes, and aspires to an elegantly rural, abundant lifestyle, then Plum Gorgeous by Romney (Nani) Steele will speak to you. If you swoon over gorgeous photos of seasonal fruits set in dreamy tableaux, Plum Gorgeous, with photos by Sara Remington, will send you [...]
Also posted in Books, Food and Drink, dessert, from the market, fruit Tagged DIY Delicious, Gluten free baking, gluten free cherry clafoutis, Nani Steele, Romney Steele, Sara Remington, seasonal fruit desserts 2 Comments
Will Cook for Art—Beth’s Ultimate Dinner
My friend Beth is an artist. I am a cook and food writer. I can’t afford art. At her last open studio event, I was admiring this piece portraying East Oakland. She suggested I cook her an “ultimate dinner” in trade for the piece. I gladly accepted. The deed went down a few weeks ago [...]
Portuguese Pickled Pork Plus New Class Announcement
Every year, my brother-in-law’s family descends on my sister’s house the morning after Christmas to consume large amounts of pork, poached eggs, and bread fried in pork fat. Even the mostly vegetarians join in for what’s become known as Porkmas. My sister gets up early and arranges the house so as to fit the whole [...]
Also posted in breakfast, hearty, holidays Tagged Christmas breakfast, family recipes, pickled pork, Portuguese pickled pork 3 Comments
Creamy Polenta with Spicy Crab
It’s funny how recipes are developed. At least in my house. This one came out of the fateful collision between the opening of crab season and a few scenes in a bad Woody Allen movie. Let me explain. Crab season always opens just before Thanksgiving when everyone is busy with turkey, stuffing, gravy and mashed [...]
Also posted in Food and Drink, from the market, hearty, seafood Tagged Dungeness crab recipes, Hibiscus Restaurant, spicy crab, spicy crab and grits, spicy crab and polenta 3 Comments
When Pigs Fly: Bacon Tasting
My friend Ellen’s underground restaurant took an interesting turn last week. Instead of dinner, the meal served was brunch and, instead of Ellen being the sole cook and bottle washer, we partnered up on the menu, with the invaluable help of Leila for shopping, prep and clean-up duties. The goal of the brunch was to [...]
Albacore Ceviche with Pumpkin Seeds and Persimmon