On Evolution

Taking Shape

(Ir)Regular Columns

Things are starting to come together here at The Ruminative Cook. Thanks in part to your responses to our request for things you would like to hear about and in part to my own ruminations, we have come up with some regular and some irregular columns. What to look for:

If I Do Say So Myself
We all have mothers and so we all have things that our mothers did/do that made/make us crazy. In my case, it was when my mother would sit down at the table, take a quick bite of what she had prepared and, before we even had a chance to lift our forks, say “This is pretty good – if I do say so myself.” So, in this column, I shall tell you about things I have recently prepared that turned out really well “if I do say so myself.”

Memories Of Things Best Forgotten
Like my aunt’s tomato aspic salad with sliced green olives and mayonnaise. Or, like the chili I made in Chapel Hill into which I put one chile pepper (not much effect), then another (still not much effect)… until I had used the whole string. Then I let it cook for three hours. Three of us drank a whole case of beer just trying to get the stuff down! But disasters can be fun. Well, at least they make for memories.

Symphony From The Old World
My former brother-in-law, but still best friend, Klaus Wieken (aka “Bro”) wrote from Germany to ask if he could write some pieces for The Ruminative Cook reporting on what is going on in Europe these days and things that he has been trying. We are delighted.

Slurp!

Soups often get the short end of the stick in food writing. I guess too many people are watching their weight – so they cut out the soup course when they entertain. We don’t. Even if we just serve an espresso cup of something in the living room before we go in to dinner, we most always have some kind of soup on the menu. Personally, I’d rather throw out the salad course than the soup.

Man Overboard!


It’s my blog, so once in a while I think it’s OK for me to go off the deep end (like my diatribe against that awful stuff called bay seasoning.) In any case, this is where I get to vent and be outrageous. For example, I think macadamia nuts and cashews are really boring. I suspect people claim to like them because they are expensive. Neither of them stands up to a really good roasted Virginia peanut. Seriously. Taste them side by side and see if you don’t agree. (Try Whitley’s or Hub’s – without the Bay Seasoning!)

Old Dog, New Tricks

You know, even at my age, we can learn new things or, at least, new ways of doing things. For example, I have been making gougères (those crispy little puffs from Burgundy made with Gruyère cheese) for decades. It never occurred to me to change the ingredients – until I was reading a Spanish recipe for essentially the same thing into which they put bits of Serrano ham or chopped green olives, or slivered almonds, or anchovies. Wow! A whole new world. Old Dog, New Tricks.

Decapods

Crabs are a major part of life here on the Eastern Shore and so are lobsters (yes, we catch them in Maryland) and shrimp (no, we don’t). So, every once in a while, I will pass on a recipe for using one of these tasty critters in a new way (or in an old way – but without Bay Seasoning!).

The “S” Word

I love to shop the internet. And the places I haunt the most are the Sale, Clearance, and Outlet sections of food, cookware, and entertaining sites. So one regular feature of The Ruminative Cook will be a listing of sites with good sale sections (like Crate and Barrel – which really understands the “S” word) as well as things currently on sale that you might want to check out.

What I’m Reading

There’s at least one good recipe in just about any cookbook. In this section, I’ll report on books I’ve been reading and give you a recipe or so to try on your own.

Thanks for all your suggestions. While still a Work In Progress, we’re getting there.