Year: 2013

Whether You Like to Cook or Read a Good Book . . .

Published by Kathy Hunt

I’ve got a few suggestions for you. Being a food writer, avid reader and collector of cookbooks, I come across a wide assortment of food-focused books. Some are good. A few are awful. (Seriously, you don’t test your recipes?) Several end up being so spectacular that I add them to my eclectic collection of favorites. Such is the case with the following books. Great to give or receive, they would be fitting gifts for any foodie. Ard Bia Cookbook by Aoibheann Mac Namara and Aoife Carrigy (Atrium, 2013) Straight from Galway, Ireland comes a lovely, wholesome and tad exotic cookbook from the equally lovely, wholesome and tad exotic Ard Bia restaurant. Fitting for new as well as adventurous cooks, Ard Bia tempts readers with luscious photos, engaging anecdotes and fresh, creative recipes. Among the gems are smoked trout pate with caperberries and preserved lemon salsa, the easy, retro Ard Bia Mess, and chickpea pancake with spinach and feta, romesco sauce and tabouleh. With Ard Bia you’ll cook well and eat healthfully throughout the year. Cook’s …

The Battle with Holiday Baking

Published by Kathy Hunt

Ah, the holidays! Such a sweet yet complicated time. We baking enthusiasts embrace the excuse to churn out batch upon batch of cookies, cakes, breads and pastries. On the flip side, sweets lovers like me have to battle the urge to conquer each and every one of these homemade confections. All week I’ve waged this war. After spending Monday baking 24 dozen cookies with a college friend, I headed home with 12 dozen luscious temptations. All of them begged me to “eat, eat!” Two days later I tested European holiday cookie recipes and then faced six dozen more sweet adversaries. Although I’d love to say that I fought the good fight, well . . .. Amusingly enough, on the very day that I ate a plateful of ginger cookies for my lunch, I learned that Fish Market had made Weight Watcher’s “Good Enough to Read: Best Cookbooks for Giving and Getting” list for 2013. Ironic, huh? As of last night the cookies and I have reached a compromise. They’ll stay tucked in our freezer, nestled …

In This Chowder It’s All about Corn

Published by Kathy Hunt

Wondering what to serve vegan friends this holiday season when everyone else at the table loathes tofu and seitan? Contemplating what to make for unexpected dinner guests? Craving a warm, hearty, one-pot meal? Overwhelmed by all those bags of frozen corn tumbling out of your freezer every time that you open the door? Have I got recipe for you! As its name suggests, Chocked-Full-of-Corn-Chowder brims with plump, yellow kernels of corn as well as chunks of potato and a smidgen of onion, celery and dried parsley. With pureed corn as its thickener and vegetable stock for its base, this wholesome soup will please everyone at your dinner table. Plus, as you might expect, it’s quick and easy to make. CHOCKED-FULL-OF-CORN CHOWDER Serves 6 1/2 tablespoon olive oil 1 small yellow onion, diced 1 stalk celery, diced 1 teaspoon sea salt 3 cups vegetable stock 1 Russet potato, diced 2 (15-ounce) cans whole kernel corn 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels 1/3 teaspoon ground white pepper 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley Baguette, optional, for serving …

Scoop up Mulled Apple Cider Ice Cream

Published by Kathy Hunt

This time of year, along with a surplus of apples, I usually have a refrigerator crammed full of apple cider. In my twenties I could blame this excess on my next-door-neighbors and their prolific orchard. Every fall they’d collect the grubbiest apples, take them to a cider mill and press bushel upon bushel into sweet, murky cider. What they didn’t freeze, they gave away to family, friends, colleagues and me. Although I ended up with more than I could ever consume, this distribution barely put a dent in their cider supply. What did my neighbors do with all that apple cider? They roasted meats and sautéed vegetables in it. They poured it over dry cereal and, of course, drank it. Think of any creative way to use this beverage in your kitchen and, chances are, they did it. Inspired by their resourcefulness, I occasionally cook with cider. As this practice is more rare than regular, I have multiple jugs of cider hiding out in my fridge. When I do dig out a half-gallon container, I …

Doubly Delicious, Double Apple Muffins

Published by Kathy Hunt

Walk out your front door on any given day this week and what do you see? Withered leaves scattered everywhere. Portly pumpkins plunked on stairways. Colorful mums planted here and there. On the sidewalks people stroll by in coats and scarves, warming their bare hands with take-away coffee cups. For me, these sights can only mean one thing. Apple-picking time is here. Whether you raid your old neighbors’ orchard as I brazenly do or come by your apples honestly, you may soon find yourself glutted with this pome fruit. What to do with that extra pound, peck or bushel is an age-old quandary. When you’re tired of baking apple pies and tarts and boiling down applesauce and apple butter, I’d suggest moving on to moist cakes, breads and muffins. Back in March I shared an apple cake recipe inspired by a winter trip to Switzerland. As its name suggested, apple-almond kuchen was packed with tart apples and sweetly savory almonds. Want to reduce your apple supply by a few pounds and enjoy a deliciously fruity …

Hometown Favorite — Stracciatella

Published by Kathy Hunt

This Saturday I’ll be back on my home turf, speaking at the Pittsburgh Public Market about writing, cooking and writing a seafood cookbook. While I’m in town, I won’t just be talking about food. I’ll also be eating my way through the city. Primanti’s fry-filled sandwiches, Pamela’s massive pancakes and Pierogies Plus’s handmade namesakes all appear on the weekend menu. Somewhere along the way I hope to encounter a bowl of steaming stracciatella, too. To me, stracciatella is what plain, old chicken noodle soup is to most—a restorative dish for when you’re cold, sick, blue or just craving a taste of home. A specialty of Rome but popular throughout Central Italy and, of course, my hometown, stracciatella may remind the uninitiated of egg drop soup. Granted, it does feature two of the same major ingredients, eggs and chicken stock. Yet the resulting dish seems far more velvety and savory than the Chinese soup. I suspect that the ever-present Parmesan cheese and occasional addition of herbs such as basil and parsley are what make the Italian …

Delightful Danish Brown Bread

Published by Kathy Hunt

At the end of summer I spent two idyllic weeks in the magical, Scandinavian land known as the Kingdom of Denmark. Vikings, Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Hans Christian Anderson as well as Legos, Lars von Trier and Chef Rene Redzepi have all called this series of lovely islands home. Frequently ranked as the world’s happiest country, Denmark has the world’s highest minimum wage, a high per capita income, environmental and historic preservation, free university education and universal healthcare. It’s a country of breathtaking architecture, influential designers, renowned writers, fervent cyclists, golden fields, rugged coastlines and amazingly fresh, tasty, wholesome foods. Weeks after returning from vacation I remain wildly smitten with Denmark. Top among my obsessions are Danish pastries, films, mystery writers, the TV series Forbrydelsen, Ilse Jacobsen rain boots and the country’s dark, nutty brown bread. I first tried this hearty specialty six years ago in Sweden. There it’s known simply as Danish bread. In Denmark it’s called rugbrød, a flavorful, dark rye bread chocked full of whole grains and fiber. Danes eat it at breakfast. …

Back in Season & in Kitchens – Oysters!

Published by Kathy Hunt

When the invitations to oyster festivals start rolling in, I know that fall is here. Any diehard oyster fan will tell you that during the months of May through August these shellfish spawn, becoming watery and not terribly tasty. Hence the old rule of not eating oysters in a month without an “r” in its name. Once September kicks into full swing, these guys come back, ready to dazzle diners. Although certainly not the most beautiful of bivalves, these gray, rough-shelled creatures have long held tremendous culinary allure. Considered to be a delicacy and an aphrodisiac, they were over-consumed during the 19th century. This, unsurprisingly, led to shortages. Today both American farmed and wild oysters are abundant, healthy and relatively inexpensive to buy. What should you do with a mound of live oysters? Like their bivalve brethren, they do well when baked, broiled, grilled, or steamed. They also can be poached, roasted, or sautéed. As evidenced by the event menu above, they’re quite popular when fried, made into a stew or consumed raw on the …

Swedish Chokladbollar

Published by Kathy Hunt

Six years ago, while visiting a friend in Stockholm, Sweden I tried my first chokladbollar. Rich, chocolatey and with the pleasing chewiness of oats and coconut, this unusual sweet lingered on my mind for months. The next time that I went to Sweden, I tracked down not only the confection but also — and more importantly — a recipe for it. Just what is chokladbollar? Translated, it means “chocolate balls.” Think of them as very hearty truffles or no-bake cookies. Taking mere minutes to make, they feature cocoa, sugar, oats, butter and a smidgen of coffee. Mix the ingredients together, roll a tablespoon or so into balls, blanket them with coconut and refrigerate until you’re ready to nosh. Served alongside coffee or tea, they’re a delicious afternoon pick-me-up or after-dinner treat. Two weeks ago I turned up in Southern Sweden where one of the first things that I looked for, besides a hotel room, was a coconut-dusted chocolate ball. Turns out that I was in the right place, at least when it came to chokladbollar. …

Semifreddo, the Semi-Frozen Wonder

Published by Kathy Hunt

Ask me to name only three fantastic things about summer and I’d have to pick long days, fun getaways and cold foods. Right now I’m hooked on a chilled sweet that I first tried on a sunny, summer holiday in Italy almost a decade ago. Nope, it’s not icy granita, although, on a sultry afternoon, those sugary shards of ice are quite a treat. Instead, semifreddos are what have captured my heart and my spoon. Italian for “half cold,” semifreddo refers to any chilled or partially frozen dessert. This includes gelato as well as cakes, tarts and custards. More often than not, I see semifreddo in the form of semi-soft ice cream. As someone who prefers her ice cream a tad mushy and melting, who leaves half-gallons of Breyers and Ben & Jerry’s on the kitchen counter until the contents turn soupy, I am smitten with these semifreddos. If Spanish cuisine is more to your likening, take heart. In Spain this same sweet dish is known as “semifrio.” No matter what you call it, you’re …