Category Archives: Recipes

Tales from the Larder: Pleasant Persian Surprises

Posted on February 17, 2013 by patric

Many food writers seem to neglect Persian food (well, except this guy here, written some time ago under my not so clever handle, Asinus Asinum Fricat, originally a piece for Daily Kos) and I would surmise that because it is … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, History, Recipes | Tagged , , , , | 54 Comments

Cannelloni Exposed

Posted on February 3, 2013 by patric

When my youngest daughter recently asked me to make my smoked duck cannelloni for her 12th birthday dinner I knew I was on a winner! Cannelloni had been, alongside gnocchi, my favorite food as a young buck (with interplanetary ambitions, … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Fun, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 44 Comments

How to Make a Fool-Proof Salad Dressing

Posted on January 27, 2013 by patric

Oddly enough, most of the people I know ask me for the recipe of our salad dressing. Almost everyone seems to fail to understand the basic precept of a successful dressing: vinegar & mustard first, then whisk the chosen oil. … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 67 Comments

A Japanese Salad Tale

Posted on January 24, 2013 by patric

The birth of my Japanese salad, in so many words: I have to say that I did stumble on this concept a while ago during some experiments on fermented vegetables. I was trying to make a simple gingered red cabbage … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Fun, Health, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 85 Comments

About Diet Fads & a Great (Healthy) Salad Recipe!

Posted on January 8, 2013 by patric

With the new year now firmly with us one can not avoid reading about resolutions ad nauseum in magazines, television programs or online, particularly on the social networks. The number one resolution has not changed for donkey years: losing weight … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, History, Recipes | 56 Comments

Christmas in Provence: History and Recipes!

Posted on December 18, 2012 by patric

In Provence our Christmas season begins on 4th December, the day of St. Barbe (yes, we do have a Saint named Barbe, nothing to do with a beard though), with the ritual sowing of wheat and lentils on shallowdishes to … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Memoirs, Recipes | Tagged , , , , | 84 Comments

Italian Delights

Posted on December 13, 2012 by patric

I love Italian food. Perhaps it’s because my great-great grandfather came from the Piedmont area, perhaps I just love to eat. It’s hard to select particular dishes from the Italian repertoire as their cooking is incredibly regionalized so don’t be … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Health, Recipes | 80 Comments

The Delicious World of Potato Gratins

Posted on December 9, 2012 by patric

At its simplest, a gratin is merely thickly sliced potatoes, whole milk (or cream, even double, if you wish) and a few dollops of butter nicely spread on top, then oven! Add herbs or spices or both, and a handful … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Health, Recipes | Tagged , , , | 81 Comments

Rice, its History and 3 Knockout Recipes

Posted on June 5, 2012 by patric

Firstly, rice is that rare food which is gluten-free, though one has to be careful when reading labels: some producers use various coatings to enrich it and I would suggest to check carefully if you are gluten-intolerant. Since white rice … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Health, History, Recipes | Tagged , , , | 92 Comments

The Very Cool World of Ice-Creams & Sorbets

Posted on May 16, 2012 by patric

With the summer coming around the corner it’s time to take a look at ice-creams and sorbets. Ice cream as a dairy delight was probably “discovered” in the 1600’s, according to several books but none of them actually agree as … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Fun, History, Recipes | Tagged , | 87 Comments