Cod in Smooth Pisto Sauce —a confined kitchen at Lent
It’s a weird sensation these days, isn’t it? We wake up every morning wondering what the new limitation will be for the day ahead —whether we’ll be able to go out freely for a walk in the neighborhood, whether we’ll be able to fly next week to see a loved one. COVID-19 has turned us upside down as in the most dystopian of stories.
Routine tasks we used to do without giving them a second thought now become a highlight of the day – leave the house for a moment to pick up the mail; take the garbage to the curb. A trip to the grocery store (more…)
Have you tried tortilla paisana, peasants omelet? A very Spanish omelet, for some it’s a more tasty one than Spanish omelet.
A very early flight for the last of my adult sons return to college marked the end of the holiday season and the return to the routine. And routine, for me, means familiar dishes, comfort food. Braised chicken with prunes is a dish that brings me back to the normal, to the every day, with the familiarity and reassurance of what is known and expected.
Here we are again, days away from a major feast, with a recipe I would love you to make —because, trust me, your guests will love it! I serve citrus marinated salmon as an appetizer, and it’s always a hit. Pretty simple to make, it looks and feels as if you took special time and care to make it, as something special, for a special occasion. The occasion is certainly special (Christmas), but the dish is not complicated. The main thing you have to remember is to make it at least 3 days before you plan on having it.
When I saw this recipe I thought I had to make it. The sugared cranberries, the beautiful creamy pink filling, and the crumbling crust, had my name written on them. But I was a bit weary: sometimes beautiful recipes don’t end up tasting as great as they look.
For the most part, food ingredients taste different depending on whether they are cooked or not cooked. Mushrooms, peppers, broccoli or cauliflower, as well as carrots or brussels sprouts, can be prepared in many ways: sautéed, fried, baked, battered, in tempura, and even raw, in salads or smoothies. But few ingredients have such different flavor when you use a different method of dicing or cutting. 
We are enjoying the last of the tomatoes, for tomato season is (almost) over. I had been holding on to posting the recipe for salmorejo until we got really good tomatoes, and now the season is slipping away. No matter, I made salmorejo with the last of the good tomatoes and here you have the recipe. Save it until next summer.
I have been away from these pages for too long. You know it, I know it. So to make up for it, I bring you a star recipe: pimientos de piquillo de carne, meat stuffed piquillo peppers. I still have to find one person I’ve served these peppers to that doesn’t like them. They are a crowd pleaser, and I make them on special occasions, precisely because they are so special. I make piquillo peppers stuffed with meat as well as stuffed with cod, and both varieties are just as delicious, and a success among family and guests alike.
One year after his graduation from high school, this blog post is for my son Ethan. I wanted to choose a dessert recipe to go with it, something sweet, because that’s how he is. I chose my recipe for lemon mousse tart, a light dessert I’m sure you will love as much as we do at home.
Culinary Diplomacy Spain took place at the Joseph Decuis farm on March 22, 2019. A lot has happened since then (I published a book!), but now it’s time to talk about that great evening, and share with you one of the recipes the guests enjoyed, mojo picon with wrinkly potatoes, mojo picón con patatas arrugadas.
