Dispatches


contentpublisher's picture
10/03/2018 / (0) Comments / In Latest News / by

Bill & Holly indulged with a delicious dinner at a country restaurant near their 16th C convent in Pittigliano, Tuscany. It started with tagliatelle alla carbonara; then came the shaved black truffles. Their main was an arrugula salad with dried Chiana beef, and dessert was a puff pastry layered with whipped cream and topped with surupy wild berries. Tutto delizioso!

Duncan's picture
05/25/2018 / (0) Comments / In Latest News / by Duncan

When the Salmon is fresh at the fish market, weather never gets in the way of grilling a nice fillet in the Pacific Northwest!  
To prepare, cut the fillet before into serving sizes of 4 to 7 oz. before you grill them, it is much easier to cut the fish before it is served.  After the fish is cut to serving size, apply the rub and let sit for 30 minutes.  On propane or natural gas grills, start the grill hot.  If using a charcoal grill, be sure to use the “indirect” method where the...

Duncan's picture
03/21/2013 / (0) Comments / In Latest News / by Duncan
We've got two easy but superb ways to prepare both lamb and ham. Both are great choices. It just depends on your inclination and what you think your family or friends might prefer. Our already cooked ham is finished off with a chutney glaze and only takes about an hour in the oven. Our leg of lamb is roasted with a classic rosemary, garlic and olive oil rub and takes longer in the oven but you cook it with carrots, potatoes and onions so your entire meal comes out in one fell swoop. I'll...
Duncan's picture
12/10/2012 / (0) Comments / In Latest News / by Duncan
Thanksgiving is a no-brainer: It’s always turkey. You can brine it or not, but the decision of what to serve was made for us several centuries ago. Christmas and even New Year’s is different. I know people who serve turkey; others do a crown roast of lamb, baked ham or filet of beef. Some will serve oysters and bubbly and call it a day. I’m still undecided. If my friend Peter Woerner brings some pheasants he shot in Montana recently, they’ll be on the menu. If not, I’m thinking about serving...
Duncan's picture
11/05/2012 / (0) Comments / In Latest News / by Duncan
I’m a pasta lover. It’s become a kind of addiction; I think I’d be eating pasta every day if only my wife shared my dependence. It started right after college when I lived in Rome. I’d go to a certain restaurant for Sunday lunch because it had the best homemade lasagna that day. Or, to another place because they served an unbelievable spaghetti all'amatriciana Thursday night. You get spoiled living like this. But of course you can’t, so I’ve learned how to make wonderful pasta dishes at home. I...
Duncan's picture
08/01/2012 / (0) Comments / In Latest News / by Duncan
On a trip west to see family in Oregon's beautiful Cascade Mountains, we found two restaurants where they create delicious dishes from locally sourced ingredients. Jen's Gardens (http://www.intimatecottagecuisine.com/restaurant-menu/menu) is housed in a quaint little cottage in Sisters, OR which looks like Hollywood's version of an old west movie set. We dined in the garden on Oregon albacore tuna nicoise, bay shrimp with an heirloom tomato consomme, and artichoke crusted steelhead salmon over...
Duncan's picture
07/13/2012 / (0) Comments / In Latest News / by Duncan
Green, yellow and red peppers are starting to sprout in my garden and show up in farmer's markets. The tomatoes are turning our way as are all the other ingredients for this cool summer refresher. My good friend Silvia Ogilvie served a yellow version as an appetizer the other night, flecked with bits of red tomato. It made a beautiful summer palatte (http://www.facebook.com/ChowGuys). You'll find the redder version in our recipe file and I'd urge you to try it. (http://www.chowguys.com/recipes/...
Ben - Helsinki's picture
Norris
06/27/2012 / (0) Comments / In Latest News / by Ben Norris

Juhannus (Midsummer) is one of the biggest celebrations in Finland. It’s a weekend for everyone to clear out of Helsinki and head to summer cottages with family and friends--a chance to relax and enjoy good food and drinks. Thanks to the hospitality of some new friends, this past weekend I headed 80 miles west of Helsinki to celebrate in Hanko, a small city on the southernmost tip of Finland that’s full of extraordinary coastline views.

It’s generally hard to cook gourmet in large...

Ben - Helsinki's picture
Norris
06/19/2012 / (0) Comments / In Latest News / by Ben Norris

This past week, a friend and I trekked 1,000 km north of Helsinki to Sodankylä, a small town north of the Arctic Circle that hosts the annual Midnight Sun Film Festival. With films scheduled for all hours of the day--the 24 hours of sunlight in Sodankylä helping us ward off sleep--the festival went by like a cinematic blur, film after film after film interrupted only by quick meals, a few hours’ rest in the car, and a quick swim in chilly Lapland rivers.

With most of our time spent in...

Duncan's picture
06/08/2012 / (0) Comments / In Latest News / by Duncan
I spent a week in my friend Pietro Woerner's restored 400-year old farmhouse and boy did we eat well! His place is 8 miles from the nearest hilltop village of 700 hearty souls so we were pretty remote. But we ferreted out some amazing food experiences: making the delicious pecorino cheese from sheeps' milk on a self-sustaining farm; cooking a meal of fried zuccini flowers, pasta with ragu and rabbit braised with white wine and rosemary, all from Liliana's grandmother's recipes; shopping for the...

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