Chimichurri.

The other day, a friend noted that, although he likes bluefish, he won’t cook it inside the house. I told him that I know a way to prepare it indoors without stinking up the joint. “You’re on,” he said. The smelliest and most regret-inducing way to prepare fish indoors is to pan-fry rich, oily fish. [...]

Pressed for time.

The Cuban food fest of the past weekend yielded some leftovers, by design. See, I really like Cubanos. As sandwiches go, I don’t think you can beat them. If you don’t already know, a Cubano – the archetypical Cuban sandwich – is a sandwich of ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, and sliced pickles between the [...]

Good evening, Vietnam.

A reader seeks advice regarding lemongrass. Read about an all-purpose marinade, and a couple of sauces – one rustic, one refined – on the Lemongrass page.

Cuba libre.

Those of you who follow me on Facebook know that we’ve been eating a certain amount of Cuban food during the past several days. One of my favorite people in Washington is leaving town for good, and moving back to her hometown, Tampa. I’m happy for her and all, but I wish she weren’t leaving. [...]

Bland no more.

A reader laments that “the cauliflower was bland,” and seeks to improve its taste. A canvassing of some earlier cauliflower recipes from these pages, and a couple of new ones, on the Cauliflower page.

Bloody good.

A reader wonders whether it is possible to achieve the perfect Bloody Mary at home, and considers the essential role of pickles. Special guest appearance by DC mixologist Jason Strich, who provides his recipe for a spicy, celery salt- and horseradish-infused Bloody, accompanied by my pickled beans, on the Bloodies page.

A peck of pickles.

A reader enthuses over kimchi and sauerkraut, and asks about other ways to pickle cabbage and other vegetables. Read about Taiwanese pickled cabbage and giardiniera here on the Pickled page.

Sometimes you feel like a nut.

A reader asks for ways to use half a bag of pine nuts, left over from making pesto. Read about the ubiquity of pine nuts, and try out a couple of recipes using pine nuts, here on the Pine Nuts page.

Down by the old mill.

A reader asks whether food mills are worth the investment. How to identify a good mill, here on the Food Mill page.

Garlic soup.

Here’s the deal with this garlic soup. There’s a restaurant up in Vermont (which shall remain unnamed) that makes a delicious garlic soup. It’s creamy and mild and, when we dine at that restaurant, my husband always has a bowl as a first course. Well, Vermont is pretty far away. And, to be frank, I’ve [...]