Month: July 2023

There was a recent post on the Spain message board of the website Reddit whose subject line read, “My favorite menu item at McDonald’s in Spain,” that included a photo of a McDonald’s hamburger with a slice of jamón Ibérico sitting atop the patty. The slice of cured ham glistened in the light, adding some verve to a lifeless, dull burger. The top comment was, “Why would you destroy a perfectly good piece of ham like that?” The post was clearly meant to be a joke, but my first thought was the opposite: that this person was taking a mediocre hamburger and making it better by adding a vastly superior ingredient to the mix. But slapping a slice of jamón Ibérico onto a McDonald’s patty is just the beginning.  Case in point: this summer, some of the...

I'm strong to the finish 'cause I eats me spinach.  We enjoy a lot of spinach in our house. It is so versatile, you can add it to an omelet in the morning, have a spinach salad in the afternoon and sauté it as a side dish in the evening. Ok, that's a lot of spinach. Spinach, scientifically known as Spinacia oleracea, is a leafy green vegetable that belongs to the Amaranthaceae family. It is one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It is a versatile vegetable that can be consumed raw or cooked and is commonly used in various cuisines worldwide. This article will explore spinach’s health benefits, nutritional value, and culinary uses. History Spinach is believed to have originated in ancient Persia (modern-day Iran) and was ...

I love popsicles. This fact should perhaps be gotten out of the way up front—this edition of Rabbit Hole will be no evenhanded journalistic exercise of restraint and neutrality, published here at the very apex of popsicle season in America, a time when the thoughts of the nation, young and old, turn to all things freezable. They taste incredibly good, popsicles, but moreover, they are both an optical illusion and a Rorschach test—personal and meaningful and much bigger than they appear in the mirror.  The entirety of the farmers’ market can be turned into a popsicle. The wildest idea in your most intimidating cookbook, the sweet of your dreams, those Proustian flavors of childhood waiting to be recaptured: all of these can be poured into a mold,...

Why did the chicken cross the road? To see if it could fly to the other side? How far can a chicken fly? Growing up, we had chickens, and I remember them flying up into the surrounding trees if they got out of their coop or pen. So yes, chickens can fly, but let's look at their capabilities more carefully. While chickens are not known for their long-distance flights, they can cover short distances through brief bursts of flight. On average, a chicken's flight capabilities typically extend to a maximum distance of about 50 meters (164 feet). However, it's important to note that individual chickens may vary in their flying abilities due to breed, size, and overall health. Short, low flights generally characterize the flight of a chicken. They use their wings to generate thru...

What is Dim Sum? A good friend and an amazing cook introduced us to dim sum in Salt Lake City.  Now when friends come into town, we suggest this restaurant to them. It's that good. Dim sum is a type of Chinese cuisine that originated in the Cantonese-speaking region of southern China. It consists of small bite-sized portions of food served in steamer baskets or small plates and is usually eaten for breakfast or lunch. Dim sum has become increasingly popular worldwide, and many people enjoy its various flavors and textures. The term "dim sum" comes from Cantonese, meaning "to touch the heart." This phrase reflects the idea that dim sum is meant to be a light and enjoyable meal that is shared among friends and family. In China, dim sum is often served in tea houses, where peop...

Eli Zabar has some beautiful tomatoes. Lush and disfigured, just like God intended. He’s required to use both his hands to hold the Zapotec Pink Ribbed heirloom that he presents to me as a gift, plucked from the section of his namesake store on Third Avenue on the east side of 80th Street. Then we walk over to the olive oil. He says I need a really good bottle to go with this perfect tomato, which he has personally grown on a nearby rooftop because he got obsessed with having exceptional ones. He picks up a bottle with a red string tied around the top. There’s an illustration of a Tuscan house in gold, and below it, the words “II Palagio” and the names Trudie and…does that say “Sting”? Is this Sting’s olive oil?  “He’s a customer,” Zabar tells m...

Summer is here and, with it, an abundance of fresh fruit. Grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and fruit stands are all brimming with the season’s finest offerings, from cherries and berries to plums and peaches. I’m always tempted into buying entire flats of fruit, only to get them home and wonder how I will consume several pounds of peaches that are all likely to ripen at the exact same moment. Turning these summer fruits into jams and jellies is the most common way to preserve them, but this summer, I’ve turned to pickling instead.  Hear the word “pickle,” and you may think of cucumbers, asparagus, or onions, but fruit is just as delicious dunked in brine—and, dare I say, even more versatile. Think of the savory Japanese pickled plums known as u...

November 22, 2005. I leapt off the school bus and opened the front door of my childhood home in Harleysville, Pennsylvania, to see my older sister standing next to our family boom box, having recently returned from a trip to FYE. “Ellie, you have to hear this one song,” she said as I giddily ran over to her. The song queued up was “Vicinity of Obscenity,” the ninth track of System of a Down’s fifth studio album, Hypnotize. It’s a collage for the ears that merges smooth funk, Zappa-esque silliness, and loud, grating riffs that my mom calls “headache music.” I was in love. The endless refrain—“Banana banana banana banana terracotta, banana terracotta terracotta pie, BANANA BANANA BANANA BANANA TERRACOTTA, BANANA TERRACOTTA TERRACOTTA PIE”—blared...

Pici, A Classic Tuscan Pasta While we were in Tuscany on vacation, we enjoyed pici at several restaurants. We even took a cooking class at Podere Il Casale, a farm located on the hilltop of the renowned Sienese countryside, where we made our own pici pasta and then enjoyed it with a simple tomato sauce we also learned how to prepare. What is pici pasta? Pici pasta, also known as "pici senesi," is a traditional Italian variety from the picturesque region of Tuscany. With its origins dating back centuries, pici has become a beloved staple in Tuscan cuisine and has gained popularity worldwide for its rustic charm and unique texture. Pici pasta has gained recognition outside of Italy, appearing on menus in various international restaurants. Its artisanal nature and rustic c...