Prosciutto Wrapped, Stuffed, and Grilled Figs
These wrapped and grilled figs have been one of the most highly anticipated offerings at my summer parties, although the dish has gone through several “edits” over the years. This final permutation is just right!
read moreAn Homage to the Gulf, a Short Elegy for Shrimp and a Recipe for Remoulade
I have spent the last month organizing a fund raising tasting event (LA Helps LA), here in Los Angeles, to benefit the Gulf Restoration Network based in New Orleans. Because it was all over the news this summer, some may think it’s about the BP oil spill. Or perhaps because we have just passed the 5th anniversary of hurricane Katrina, some may think it’s in response to that. While it’s a silver lining to a very dark cloud, that the oil spill brought attention to the Gulf, and while I hope our nation never forgets the destruction wrought by Katrina, it’s not just about the BP oil spill, or Katrina. In this post, I am going to share with you a few issues, issues that have existed for a very long time, and that I wish everyone understood about the Gulf Coast region, which is the third coast of our nation. Perhaps it'll give you a better sense of why I have poured so much energy into this event. Much of this information came from www.healthygulf.org, which has been in existence since 1995- well before either of the above mentioned occurences. I urge you to visit their site for more info. The Dead Zone Sounds scary, right? And it is, although maybe not in the way you’re thinking. You may have read my relating of this story before. On a summer visit to New Orleans as a young teenager, I accompanied my Uncle JuJune and Aunt Leticia on a trip to “make” the groceries, as they say down there. I marveled at the low price of shrimp in the local grocery stores (a premonition of my life as a chef, perhaps). Uncle JuJune responded “hell, they’ll just give ‘em away if you drive a pick up truck down to the Gulf, they got so much of it.” Unfortunately, they are not quite so plentiful now. I was so saddened to learn what has happened, in the course of my adult lifetime, to shrimp in the Gulf. A “dead zone” (an area where oxygen levels in the water are too low to support life) forms seasonally off the coast of Louisiana and Texas, which while varying in size from year to year, often reaches the size of states like Delaware and New Jersey. Those fish, crabs, and shrimp that can swim away from the Dead Zone do so, while others simply die. So what causes the causes the Dead Zone ? It’s no mystery. According to www.heathygulf.org, “when the Mississippi River reaches the Gulf of Mexico, it is loaded with nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. The polluted water acts as a fertilizer of algae, resulting in large algal blooms. When the algae die, they sink to the saltier water below and decompose, depleting already low oxygen in the deeper water. Because the salty bottom waters do not mix well with the lighter, fresh water from the Mississippi River, oxygen in the water is not replenished, resulting in a large dead zone in bottom waters. There has been an almost threefold increase in nitrogen entering the Gulf from the Mississippi River and its tributaries in the last 30 years. Nitrogen remains the prime factor in causing the Dead Zone. The largest source of nitrogen is commercial fertilizer used throughout the...
read moreA Menu to Complement a Keg Party- and Korean Beef Taco Recipe
Beer is the world’s most widely consumed beverage after water and tea, and its often called the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage. It’s also a natural to accompany spicier ethnic cuisines. Take a look at this menu designed specifically to complement a beer only party.
read moreAlison and Aaron Wedding Party and Asian Barbecue Sauce Recipe
A Pan Asian menu for a casual backyard party to celebrate a newly married couple.
read moreFive Years after Katrina- Hungry Town and Red Beans and Rice
Reading Tom Fitzmorris’s Hungry Town, and making Red Beans and Rice 5 years after Katrina’s wake flooded New Orleans
read moreLunch at The Enchantment Resort- an enchanting experience indeed
A sumptuous late lunch at the aptly named The Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Arizona and recipe for Slow Braised Short Ribs.
read moreDinner at The Phoenician and Jean-Georges Tuna Tartare Recipe
A progressive dinner at The Phoenician in Phoenix, Arizona and and the recipe for Jean Georges Vongerichten’s mouth watering Tuna Tartare served at the J & G Steakhouse there.
read moreTapas and Paella for a Milestone Birthday Party
Tapas with Paella – great menu for a special occasion party.
read moreFrench Dressing- Revisiting a Retro Recipe
a recipe for French dressing, a classic vinaigrette with a hint of tomato- not the orangey, sweet glop of bottled French dressings of our youth
read moreCelebrating Earth Day -40 Years Later-with Asparagus and Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes
I had no idea then I would end up cooking professionally, but 25 years later, after working in the restaurant, hotel and catering industry in New York, I returned to the Bay Area to attend culinary school- btw, I lived right next door to the house with the organic garden of those early years.
Now, I regularly shop, for both my personal consumption and for parties I cater, at any of several local farmer’s market, and indeed, locally grown and organic produce have become a big trend in the catering business.
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