I’m not a jealous person. But when I saw Chef Zov Karamardian’s home vegetable garden, I was overcome with envy. Just steps from her kitchen, cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs flourished, alongside a spectrum of lettuces and greens. Espalier fruit trees snuggled walls. Fully-bloomed artichokes showed off their stunning buds. (Photo above shows Zov sitting in her home vegetable garden.) Zov…
It’s a great time to bake up some blueberry treats; California bountiful blueberry season starts now and continues through June. Here’s one of the blueberry bushes in my front yard. So, how will I use them? Sweets need to be more than just sweet to interest my palate. There needs to be an interesting contrast in flavors, such as the…
NEW SPRING MENU AT SEASONS 52 (Costa Mesa): Nothing over 425 calories My favorite is the Columbia River Steelhead Trout with spring vegetables (including edamame, snow peas and cherry tomatoes), basmati rice and lemongrass sauce. Chef Tim Kast told me how he builds so much flavor in the rice without adding fat. He toasts it in a dry skillet before…
I’ve never actually seen my heart, but I suspect that a big meaty lamb bone might be etched on its surface. OK, that’s an exaggeration fueled by a carnivore’s cravings. I grew up in a family that defined the meal by the menu’s meat. What’s for dinner? Lamb, beef, chicken, or pork. Occasionally fish. But what if a vegetarian dish…
Moist, chewy, luscious …. date bars are a little bit of heaven. Really. I know I’m sentimental. The day Condé Nast scrapped Gourmet magazine, I felt like a friend had died. The 68-year-old publication had been a part of my monthly routine for decades. Reading it opened my view of global cuisine, especially in the early years of my career….
Super Bowl Sunday is a day of indulgence. Food is the focal point for many party-goers, the game only an amusing backdrop. Trough-style is the only way to go. Put it out. Guests scoop or ladle up the goods. Easy peasy. For many, chili has become a traditional Super Bowl entree. Not only is it delectable, it can easily be…
It’s a pity not everyone has a grandmother with a fig tree. More folks would be fig fans. One of my earliest food memories is of climbing those lush, low-slung branches and plucking Nana’s teardrop-shaped wonders. I’d zero in on the heavy ones that made the stems droop. The ones that looked like they were about to drop to the…
My husband disagreed. I needed a new car and he didn’t like my choice. I’d driven a fancy-schmancy two-seat sports car for 13 years. But with the birth of a grandchild, it was time for something more practical. A car with a back seat, four doors and fuel efficiency. I wanted a Toyota Prius Hybrid. My husband, Phil, hated the…