Fish Napkin

Whenever I travel I always think the trip is a success if I see an easy project to duplicate or think about. I recently went up to Vancouver Island to visit a salmon farm (more about that later). Our group was put up at a lovely log cabin resort called The Lodge at Gold River. One night after a day of float planes, boat taxis, hiking and fishing we gathered in the lodge dining room for dinner. Staring up at us was this adorable napkin folded into the shape of a fish, with the napkin ring as an eye. Every woman remarked on it. No man noticed. That alone got the conversation started. Such a simple thing to do to bring a group of people who don’t know one another together – an adorable napkin fold that was the theme for the day. It showed attention to detail and a sense of humor. We were exhausted and we laughed and clinked our glasses to the fish. What better start to dinner? Take a look at this pinterest page of Napkin Folds and Rings.

Another great idea I saw was this wine box repurposed as an herb planter. The tarragon seemed to be enjoying the first non-wintry week by the river. If you’re curious (as I was) about the winery here’s a link about Oculus. And if you’re now obsessed by herb planting ideas here’s some fodder.

Wine Box Planter

Every week on the Good Food Blog we celebrate Meatless Monday by sharing a vegetarian recipe from our archives.

Culinary educator Raghavan Iyer demystifies the flavor of Indian curries in his book, 660 Curries.  He first shared this recipe for Smoky Eggplant with Garlic and Red Chiles on May 17, 2008.

Keep reading for the full recipe… (more…)

Today on Good Food, Independent Producer Sasa Woodruff captures the story of the first community oven in Los Angeles. Keep reading for more photos of the bakers and their bread…

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Chef Sean Brock

Sean Brock is the Executive Chef at both Husk Restaurant and McCrady’s Restaurant in South Carolina. Today on the show he talks about sorghum – what it is and why it’s so hard to find. His favorite recipe that includes sorghum is this one for his grandmother’s Apple Sorghum Stack Cakes.

Keep reading for the full recipe…

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Allison Costa is the owner of Ventura County Food Tours. Check out these photos from her walking food tours and next time you’re in Ventura tag along on her Eating Ojai tour or her Downtown Ventura Tasting Tour!

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I asked my buddy Darra Henigan, Farmers Market Coordinator at the Santa Monica Farmers Market, what delicious ingredients should make it into my cart this weekend at the Farmers Market. She recommends…

- first of the season stone fruit 

- zucchini 

- cherries

This week on Good Food, Jonathan Gold reviews Bizarra Capital in Whittier. The restaurant is owned by the Diaz family who owns Guisados and Cook’s Torta. Jonathan suggests starting off with a pint of Victoria, a Mexican lager that they have on tap, and then order aguachiles, huazontles, cochinita pibil tacos, chiles torreados tacos (be careful they’re spicy!), a quesadilla with huitlacoche and the capirotada for dessert.

This post was inspired by Claus who tweets as @augustlights.  He sent out the pic above with the question:  “Do you have any idea what this is? Picked up on whim at HFM Sunday”.  I recognized the ultimate veg for the frugal.  They are Squash Vines, or as I learned in Basilicata, Italy, grattaculi which translates as Butt Scratchers.  The vines are very fibrous and prickly, ergo the Italian reference.  That’s enough to make me try them.  New zucchini vines are the most tender of the squash vines.  I suspect those above are a bit more fibrous.  Anyone who grows summer squashes knows the benefits to curbing their growth by trimming the vines.

Several years ago I was exploring the region of Basilicata which is the arch of the boot of Italy.  I was lucky enough to be introduced to the most gifted natural cook I’ve ever met, Angela Scutari.  She and her family operate a very rustic B&B in the hills above Senise called L’Acacia.

Here is what I said about how she used the squash vines:

Then there was the simplest of soups made from the tender tops of zucchini vines Angela lopped off then simmered in water with zucchini flowers, a diced potato, a couple of green beans, basil and a bit of salt.

Angela's Grattaculi

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Tomorrow on Good Food, Laura Avery interviews Amelia Saltsman about what she likes to do with rhubarb. Rhubarb is more common in colder climates, but you can find it at both Mud Creek and Trevino’s stands at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Amelia likes to roast it with a little brown sugar to preserve the brilliant color. Keep reading for her simple Roasted Rhubarb recipe…

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Every Thursday on the Good Food Blog we share a recipe from our archives.