Archives for 2008

How To Mince Garlic

March 3, 2008 (Updated March 24, 2014) by Drew Kime

Herbs / Spices, Technique Garlic, Undieting

In case you didn't already know, the smaller you chop garlic the stronger the taste will be. When you cut or smash the cell walls, you're releasing the oils that carry the flavor. If you want to go a little milder than you get with smashed or pressed garlic, or if you just hate cleaning the garlic press, you'll need to learn how to mince. As a bonus, this is also a good technique for using cloves that are actually a little past their prime. It's better, of course, to get something perfectly … [Read more...]

White lasagna — an experiment

February 25, 2008 (Updated March 24, 2014) by Drew Kime

Dinner, Pasta grandmother's recipe, Italian

This week was going to be ravioli, but I had a lot of mozzarella left after last week's chili-cheese fries. I mentioned to my wife that I'd have to figure out something to put it in, and she suggested I do a lasagna. Now I had already done that once before. But I wasn't thrilled with how the top came out, because I neglected to cover it for the first half-hour. So this would be my chance to fix that. But as we were talking about it, my wife mentioned a white lasagna that she used to make … [Read more...]

Chili-cheese fries cooked in beef tallow

February 20, 2008 (Updated March 24, 2014) by Drew Kime

Appetizer, Beef, Side fat, frying, gluten free, grandmother's recipe

Fries used to be cooked in beef tallow. They were crispy golden pieces of goodness. Restaurants liked tallow because they could use the same tallow for a month as long as they didn't burn anything and they kept it clean. Then the food police decided frying in beef tallow was bad for us. Ask them for the medical studies proving any connection between animal fats and heart disease and all they have is a study where they force-fed rabbits -- vegetarians without the ability to process animal fats … [Read more...]

A day at the West Side Market — Cleveland, OH

February 11, 2008 (Updated April 11, 2014) by Drew Kime

Beef shopping

Today's post will be a little bit of a detour. Before cooking real food, you have to buy some real food. For me, that starts -- and usually ends -- with a trip to the West Side Market. Anyone in the Cleveland area who doesn't love the West Side Market either has never been there, or isn't into food at all. While it doesn't compare to markets in New York or L.A., there is more variety in this one spot than in most of the rest of the state combined. Even the best grocery stores tend to stock … [Read more...]