"Ooh...Sounds exotic! 'Arroz con Mariscos'...but what does it mean?" asked a friend, as I served her a portion of my freshly made dish. I didn't want to let her down but I had no choice but to answer, "It just meas 'rice with seafood.' "Oh..." said my friend. But when she ate … [Read more...] about Peruvian “Arroz con Mariscos”: Rice with Seafood and Chili Pepper-Tomato Sauce
Fish and Seafood
Sustainable Shrimp and Chicken Pad Thai and the Elements of Thai Flavour Balancing
I never seem to make Pad Thai the same way twice. Sometimes I'm feeling all traditional and I keep it dry and mild, and other times I'm craving that sweet-and-sour tomato saucy, spicy mess you get at most Thai takeaways. But there are some constants, whatever way I do it. It has … [Read more...] about Sustainable Shrimp and Chicken Pad Thai and the Elements of Thai Flavour Balancing
Seared Amazonian Paiche Fish with Huacatay Yellow Potatoes, Avocado and Coca Leaf Rice
Food is cheap in Lima, but quality food is not. So I finally got cooking to both save money and eat better. It's comforting to know exactly what I'm putting in my body instead of wondering if I'll be okay if I eat something at a restaurant. There's a fish called "paiche" - river … [Read more...] about Seared Amazonian Paiche Fish with Huacatay Yellow Potatoes, Avocado and Coca Leaf Rice
Photos and Recipes from the 5th Annual Volk/Watson Extravaganza
The Christmas party was South and Central American-themed. That's a lot of ground to cover. Mostly it was Peruvian and Mexican under the thinly veiled charade of a "fiesta." Nobody complained. The margaritas, sangria and rum probably helped, but the ceviche, guacamole, and … [Read more...] about Photos and Recipes from the 5th Annual Volk/Watson Extravaganza
Dinner Party Menu Ideas, from Indian Ven Pongal or Lamb Saag to Ancho Chili-Rubbed Salmon with Sweet Chili Hollandaise
I have a saying: "You can't choose your family, but you can choose your dinner guests. I do think my family makes up the majority of my blog readership, however, so I'd better be careful what I say! So let me tactfully start by saying honestly that I love cooking for family. As … [Read more...] about Dinner Party Menu Ideas, from Indian Ven Pongal or Lamb Saag to Ancho Chili-Rubbed Salmon with Sweet Chili Hollandaise
Salade Nicoise à la Selengut
This is a very telling salad. In the intro to the recipe, author Becky Selengut writes that Salade Nicoise is a dish where cooks show their personality types: "Anal types will place each ingredient in efficient, color-coordinated piles, most likely not touching each other. … [Read more...] about Salade Nicoise à la Selengut
Thai Pumpkin Curry with Mackerel and Fish Sauce
I wrote about how I was gifted a pumpkin at a farmers market. Well, a girl can't live on pumpkin smoothies alone, try as she might. And I didn't try very hard. So I ended up with half a pumpkin to cook. And that, dear reader, called for pumpkin stew. but I don't really like your … [Read more...] about Thai Pumpkin Curry with Mackerel and Fish Sauce
Remaking a Champion: Seared Mackerel and Mango with Ratatouille
This is a far cry from Becky Selengut's original recipe, but when I saw her make this at the Queen Anne Farmers Market in Seattle with peaches instead of figs, I knew I could get away with a few changes. Now, she used peaches because they were in season, but as peach season had … [Read more...] about Remaking a Champion: Seared Mackerel and Mango with Ratatouille
Geoduck à la Modernist Cuisine: Spaghetti alle vongole with clam noodles
Do you know the expression, "There's more than one way to skin a cat"? Well there are a grand total of two ways (that I know of) to skin a geoduck. What's a geoduck? It's a kind of clam, pronounced "gooey duck," and is very much not a duck. Each geoduck costs about $45 and for … [Read more...] about Geoduck à la Modernist Cuisine: Spaghetti alle vongole with clam noodles
Like a Kid in a Candy Shop: Lychee-Black Sesame Marshmallows and Olive Oil Gummy Worms at the Modernist Cuising Cooking Lab
I grew up in a city that didn't have a candy shop. We had one-cent candies and nerds you could buy at the convenience store, but the closest I got to an actual candy shop was the store in the Halifax airport that sold 20 flavours of candy canes when I was 10 years old. Now, … [Read more...] about Like a Kid in a Candy Shop: Lychee-Black Sesame Marshmallows and Olive Oil Gummy Worms at the Modernist Cuising Cooking Lab