Thursday’s news that contaminated ground beef was being recalled gave me a momentary feeling of self-importance. After all, my household rarely consumes ground beef, both for reasons of health and taste. But I had to swallow my pride when I heard that some of the meat was an organic brand, although not the one I [...]
Some A la Carte readers may wonder why today’s section contained so many eggplant recipes. Others are likely grateful for the variety, particularly if they grow this vegetable, which botanically speaking is actually a fruit. Eggplants are still coming on strong, and there’s no better time to enjoy them. Their versatility should be obvious given [...]
The prospect of hosting a friend from the East Coast last week sparked at least a half-dozen ideas for light-but-wholesome summer meals — prosciutto-wrapped and ricotta-stuffed zucchini blossoms, eggplant rollups with fresh mozzarella and anything liberally seasoned with garden-fresh basil (my friend’s favorite herb). I stocked my refrigerator accordingly, hoping I hadn’t overlooked a crucial [...]
If you like barbecue, Scott Knapp has the event for you. The Smoke-N-Man — known for his Conestoga wagon’s brief stint on Crater Lake Avenue — is firing up his grills with other meat masters this weekend at Emigrant Lake. The public is invited to sample Foster Farms chicken and Kobe beef and cast votes [...]
This week’s A la Carte section renews an effort that lapsed for 15 years in the Mail Tribune — a showcase of readers’ recipes. In honor of summer grilling, we asked readers to send in their best burger recipes. We also got plenty of cooking tips and topping suggestions in the ensuing e-mails. Whether your [...]
The newspaper’s Web editor has been goading me into posting a blog on Trader Joe’s to voice our outrage over Redding’s selection as a store site with no Medford location in view. I smiled for a few days and nodded my head like most good reporters do. But I finally had to come clean about [...]
When I choose recipes for the newspaper, size inevitably comes into play. I often feel the need to justify the length of a recipe to Mail Tribune page designers who may be up against limited space for the week’s A la Carte section. But I never imagined they were looking at the feasibility of actually preparing the [...]
Whenever I grill up some cheese, I feel like a conspirator in a delightful secret. Grilled cheese, you ask. What’s so remarkable about that? But I’m not talking about the much-loved sandwich. Well, I am, er … sort of. A British cookbook provided the first reference I’d ever seen to haloumi — grillable cheese. I [...]
Among the local food products that have captured national attention, Gary West Meats announced its recent nod in The New York Times as the second-best jerky producer in the country. Gary West, which has been manufacturing in Jacksonville since 1966, has focused on “steak strips” or gourmet jerky since 1980. They add only four or [...]
Really great pie crust is a secret addiction of mine. I can’t resist Pennington Farms savory turnovers, sold at weekly farmers markets for $3.75. They’re the perfect size for lunch and are totally encased in the Penningtons’ to-die-for crust. My fondness for these little pastries can be blamed on my own ineptitude or lack of [...]
