March 2011

Maple Honey Roasted Nuts

31 March 2011 by local kitchen

I made a great salad last night: Spring farmer’s market greens, scallions and fresh parsley, crisp Mutsu apple, feta, and these nuts, all dressed with a simple vinaigrette. It was like the promise of Spring, which is a long time coming this year: we had a brief foray into temps in the 50’s yesterday (yippee!) but snow is back in the forecast for tomorrow. Oi. Of course, I did not manage to take a picture of said great salad, nor the […]

Categories: nuts, snack, year round • Tags: cooking, food, nuts, quick & easy, recipes, snacks

Chinese Orange Chicken

27 March 2011 by local kitchen

The interconnectedness of the Web never fails to delight me; in fact, “world wide web” was a prescient name back in the days when few people could foresee how it would change our world. The way that people end up here at Local Kitchen is always fascinating: the search terms, the links from other sites, the random surfing that led someone to a particular recipe (whether they were looking for it or not), but I’m also delighted by how I end […]

Categories: chicken, citrus, main course, rice, scallions, year round • Tags: chicken, chinese, cooking, food, local, main course, orange, recipes

Christmas Limas with Seared Pork Cutlets and Fresh Apple Relish

24 March 2011 by local kitchen

It’s just a week shy of April, yet temps hover near freezing and the snow still flutters down to add to the 3 – 4 inches that accumulated over night. So, as much as I want to be noshing on crisp pea shoots, chive blossoms, pungent ramps and mild green garlic, it seems that Mother Nature is conspiring against me. Have you had Christmas lima beans? They are big, meaty beans with a firm texture and a flavor of chestnuts. As wintry as […]

Categories: apples, beans, heirloom beans, kale & leafy greens, main course, pork, spring, winter • Tags: cooking, food, local, main course, recipes, winter

Chutney Rice Cake FAIL

22 March 2011 by local kitchen

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks: I’ve been working 12 – 15 hour days, I made a last-minute, whirlwind trip to Toronto for business, I caught a cold after a 9-hour airport odyssey trying to get home from Toronto; let’s just say that I haven’t had a lot of time to cook, and even less time to blog about it. Tai has been a trooper though: in order to prevent us living solely on popcorn and orange juice, he […]

Categories: chutneys, disaster, grains & legumes, rice, Use it or Lose it!, vegetarian, year round • Tags: cooking, disaster, FAIL, food, local, recipes, rice cakes, vegetarian

1-2-3-4 Citrus Jam

14 March 2011 by local kitchen

I’ve been sick since Wednesday’s epic 9-hour air travel adventure coming home from Toronto. (Yes, Toronto to New York. Nine hours. Did I mention there was curling and bad airport beer involved? Sigh.) Nothing major, just a cold I’m sure, but since I’m almost never sick, I’m completely impatient with the whole process. Like I figure a 2-hour nap and a tall glass of OJ ought to fix me right up. And when it doesn’t, I’m totally cranky: What? You’re […]

Categories: breakfast, canning, citrus, jams, preserves, preserving, winter • Tags: canning, citrus, cooking, food, local, marmalade, preserving, recipes

2010 Dietary Guidelines: Fat 102

11 March 2011 by local kitchen

2010 Dietary Guidelines is a series in which I discuss the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 released by the UDSA and US Department of Health and Human Services at the end of February. In the series, I attempt to untangle the facts from the political rhetoric and scientific jargon, to translate the key data & recommendations into plain English, and to investigate whether the document truly reflects the best and most current food science available today. Need to catch up? Dietary […]

Categories: Dietary Guidelines • Tags: cholesterol, cooking, diet, dietary guidelines 2010, fat, food, trans fat

Use It or Lose It! Strawberry Chipotle Turkey Breast

7 March 2011 by local kitchen

Happy Monday, everyone. I am working on the next installment in the Dietary Guidelines series (Fat 102: trans-fats, hydrogenation and cholesterol, oh my!), but in the meantime I thought I would share my latest poultry-cooked-in-jam adventure: strawberry chipotle braised turkey. Despite the fact that daylight savings time starts this weekend (!) and that Biblical amounts of rain fell yesterday, washing away all but the most stubborn patches of snow, winter still has us in her grip, and there is still comfort […]

Categories: berries, braising, turkey, Use it or Lose it!, winter, year round • Tags: cooking, food, local, main course, recipes, strawberries, turkey, winter

Strawberry Chipotle Preserves

4 March 2011 by local kitchen

Can you believe that I don’t have a single jar of strawberry jam left in the garage pantry? I feel like I spent half of last summer preserving strawberries, but in reality, I guess not: there was this Ferberesque strawberry rhubarb jam, but I made it in San Francisco and left it with my friend Christina; there was this Can Jam strawberry rhubarb & caramelized onion jam, but I made that way back in March with frozen berries (sensing a trend, here?); there was a […]

Categories: berries, canning, dessert, hot chile peppers, preserves, preserving, spring • Tags: berries, canning, cooking, dessert, ferber, food, local, preserving, recipes, spring, strawberry

2010 Dietary Guidelines: Fat 101

2 March 2011 by local kitchen

Fat. Saturated fat. Unsaturated fat. Monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, partially hydrogenated, trans fat. Lipids, fatty acids, triglycerides, cholesterol, omega-3, omega-6. No wonder we’re confused! What does it all mean? From the OED online: Pronunciation:/fat, / noun 1) a natural oily or greasy substance occurring in animal bodies, especially when deposited as a layer under the skin or around certain organs, 2) a fatty substance made from animal or plant products, used in cooking 3) any of a group of natural esters of glycerol […]

Categories: Dietary Guidelines • Tags: chemistry, diet, dietary guidelines 2010, fat, fatty acids, food

Use It or Lose It! Apple Walnut Parmesan Crumble

1 March 2011 by local kitchen

Sometimes I am lazy. Often, especially in late winter it seems, I just can’t work up the motivation to put together a fancy dessert, or even to roll out a pie crust (I blame the lack of Vitamin D). But, even in winter, friends come to visit, or Tai works a week of 15-hour days back-to-back and I can’t just crack open a box of Entenmann’s and say “Here you go, kids!” It’s just not my style. But I can do the next […]

Categories: apples, baking, cheese, dessert, fall, oats, quick & easy, whole wheat flour, winter, year round • Tags: apples, baking, cooking, dessert, fall, food, local, quick & easy, recipes, vegetarian, winter