Pan Bagnat: Memories of France

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

Chris didn’t get to go on many picnics. When Steve and I lived in New York City, we went on picnics in Central Park all the time. It was a cheap outing and a chance to get outdoors, living as we did in a high-rise apartment in a concrete and steel city.

When David was little, we lived in a condominium in San Francisco and escaped to Golden Gate Park with a picnic hamper. But by the time Chris came along, we lived in a house with a small yard that satisfied our need for the outdoors. No picnics.

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Blanching vegetables

By Sandy Hu
A new video for Video Friday

As the weather warms up and farmers’ markets and supermarket produce counters are filled to overflowing, it’s time to celebrate the bounty with crudité platters and delicious dips.

Some vegetables, such as radishes and sugar snap peas, taste great just served raw. But hardier vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower florets, green beans, asparagus and even carrots taste better when they’re blanched. A quick dip in boiling water takes the raw edge off and makes these vegetables taste sweeter.

Blanched vegetables can also be used for cooking. I like to blanch green beans , then sauté them in olive oil. By blanching first, the beans cook more evenly, since they have had a head start through the blanching process, and cooking goes faster.

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Dip or Dressing or Marinade or Sauce…which is it?

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

I’m in love with the carrot sesame ginger salad dressing at my local Japanese restaurant. If you order sushi, they’ll give you the option of miso soup or a salad. I usually go for the salad, simply because of that delicious, pulpy orange dressing.

The main ingredient in this recipe is carrots. Baby carrots – the real deal, not the shaved down, bagged versions sold as “baby carrots” at the grocery store (some have the aroma of a damp basement that I can’t get past) – are available in spring and early summer.

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Down to Basics: Pasta with Tomato Sauce

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

One of the simplest dinners to make is pasta with tomato sauce. And in my opinion, it’s still one of the most elementally satisfying, too. The key to its greatness is in the quality of ingredients you use.

Keeping costs low for everyday meals is always something to keep in mind, but when you make a meal with only four or five ingredients, you have license to splurge a little.

In this recipe, I only use shallots, garlic, basil, canned tomatoes and dried pasta. But if you have a little extra cash, try spring onions instead of shallots, or even throw in some ramps if they’re still around. Purchase high-quality San Marzano tomatoes, the gold standard, instead of the cheaper varieties, for the best flavor. One of my splurges is using purple basil instead of regular basil; it has less of a bold anise flavor and is more floral and spicy, which I love in this sauce.

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Smoky Grilled Short Ribs

By Andrew Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

When I fire up the grill, I put everything on it I can find in the fridge. Not because it’s lots of work to build a charcoal fire, but because it’s sacrilege to let that fire burn without infusing its smoky goodness into as much food as possible.

On this same kettle fire, I cooked chicken thighs that were pulled from the bone and used in sandwiches and on salads. I cooked burgers for the boys’ lunch, and I smoked tomatoes, onions, Poblano peppers and pineapple for some sauces and a fruity pico de gallo I was inspired to make.

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