I never thought something as simple as making a salad could remind me of why I cook in the first place. I cook for a living, but before I made money doing it, I just lived to cook. Making things in the kitchen was my creative outlet, and made people around me happy. Ever since…
Salad
Fried Oyster Mushroom Croutons
If the restaurant were to fail, finding a way to mass produce these would make me rich I tell you. They’re not so much a crouton as they are crispy, deep fried mushrooms, but calling them deep fried mushrooms would insinuate that they’re served hot, which they aren’t. Personally, the word “deep fried mushroom” conjures…
Fiddlehead Salad With Spruce Tips, Peppermint, And Pecorino
Here’s what I made with the last of my fiddleheads this year, it’s a great little spring salad. The origins are Italian. In the Spring, it’s an Italian tradition to have fresh fava beans with hunks of pecorino cheese, a great example of less is more-just beans and cheese, that’s it. A colleague of mine,…
Wild Greens That Survived Winter, With Celeriac And Cheese
Like most people, I think of seasons as static: Winter turns to Spring, to Summer, to Fall, and then repeats. It really isn’t true though, the change of seasons is gradual, and the transition between them blurry. At the restaurant, the first day we saw snow melt a server pulled me aside and asked me:…
Roasted Beet Salad With Fennel And Anise Hyssop
People know I like to cook with foods that are off the beaten path. A couple weeks ago my coworker pulled a bunch of anise hyssop out of his garden and brought it into work. “Can you use this Al?”. I told him it depended on what it was. He came back with a…
Purslane Panzanella Salad
I don’t really go out of my way to eat tons of “salads”. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great and all, and I will make one from time to time. Its just that working in a restaurant 60+ hours a week can have a part to play in how quickly you can get to…