The More Things Change…

By Marilyn Hunter

In this ever-changing world of food, ingredients and philosophies about how we eat, very few recipes withstand the test of time. But old-school garlic bread, in my opinion, should stay the same forever.

One of my favorite stories is about Rose Pistola, a beloved icon of San Francisco’s North Beach Italian food culture. Rose is said to have passed away peacefully with a wedge of good Parmesan and a cup of olive oil on her bedside table. She was a master of “red gravy” and San Franciscans loved dipping crusty Italian garlic bread in her tomato sauce.

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Dirt to Dish

By Andrew Hunter

As our kids grow, we realize the importance of teaching them how food gets from the dirt to their dish. It’s not just about developing healthy eating habits, but also learning about seasonality, ripeness and sustainability in a fun and experiential way.

We’re teaching them that dirt to dish means striving for a shorter distance between the farm and home, and that if they eat seasonally, their food will be ripe, fresh and at the height of flavor during its natural harvest time. This week’s lesson is radishes. They grow underground with just the leafy tops sticking up, and if you pick them in early spring, they’ll be small, sweet and crunchy – perfect for a child’s palate.

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Kids and Veggies Don’t Mix

By Andrew Hunter

Kids and veggies don’t mix…or do they? Marilyn and I recently discovered that Ben’s third grade classmates, all professing their distaste for everything green, will actually gobble down more veggies than they realize when stir-fried with rice, ginger, garlic and soy sauce. Yes, fried rice loaded with broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and snow peas was a big hit with eight-year-old boys and girls alike!

A couple of weeks after our fried rice demo in Mrs. Touhey’s class, Ben nonchalantly handed me a dog-eared envelope that had evidently been in his backpack for several days. “Oh here, dad. Some notes about the rice,” he said in his typical dry tone. We read each and every one of them aloud as a family and were thrilled.

Perhaps this quote from one of Ben’s buddies says it best, “I can tell you put lots ‘o’ love into it! It was tres, tres bon!” So the next time you have leftover rice, stir-fry it with a bunch of veggies, soy sauce and “lots ‘o’ love.” Dinner is sure to be delicious!

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Mad for Mayo

By Sandy Hu

I was making tartar sauce the other day for a Special Fork Video Friday shoot on catfish when, rummaging through the fridge, the parsley eluded me. So I chopped up some cilantro instead.

While mixing the cilantro into mayonnaise, I realized that capers, while adding distinction to a good tartar sauce, would clash with the assertive cilantro. So I eliminated the capers and added some sriracha sauce, minced onion and finely diced sweet pickles. I liked the outcome – a Southeast Asian flavor profile that added zest to the fish.

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Garlic: Our Frustrating Old Friend

By Craig Deppe

As ubiquitous as onions in savory foods, garlic is much loved for its flavor but perhaps not as much for its ease of preparation. This pungent relative of the lily comes wrapped in messy “parchment” that has to be removed from the head only to reveal another layer tightly clinging to each clove. Once this inner layer is pried from the prize there still remains the task of preparing it so that it lends its wonderful qualities most effectively.

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