This blog celebrates all the strange and wondrous foods that our world has to offer—especially those products that have become forgotten or despised. Part and parcel of this is encouraging respect for the whole plant or animal and minimizing waste—the bones, tongue, and liver of the cow are just as desirable as the loin, the beets greens as savory as the beets themselves…
Southern Fried Catfish
Coated in a savory mixture of cornmeal and Cajun spices, deep fried to perfection, catfish is both delicious AND a sustainable option for dinner!
Crispy Salt and Pepper Shrimp
Fried in their shells, these shrimp have an awesome crunch, and the meat inside is super succulent. They’re crave-worthy, and you’ll be hard pressed not to scarf them down like potato chips!
Lemon-Parmesan Fusilli with Asparagus and Feta
This pasta dish is simple but super satisfying, with fresh bites of asparagus and basil, the tang of lemon and feta, and the rich saltiness of parmesan.
African Peanut Stew with Chicken and Collard Greens
This is an easy, healthy taste Africa that you can make in 30 minutes, with a well-rounded balance of earthy-sweet peanut butter and spicy crushed red pepper.
Chicken Wings with Crab-Caramel Glaze
I don’t think I’ve ever had wings that were so juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and coated in a more succulent glaze. The crab-caramel glaze is sweet, salty, and just a tiny bit funky—an amazing, fresh new take on your classic wings.
Brisket Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew) with Pearl Onions, Bok Choy, and Crispy Burdock Chips
This recipe is for bo kho, which literally translates to “beef stew” in Vietnamese—but trust me, it’s much more than the beef stew you probably grew up eating. Intensely rich beef stock is elevated with aromatics like star anise, ginger, and lemongrass, with a splash of fish sauce and rock sugar to round out the sweet and sour notes. In this miraculous beef broth swim sweet pearl onions and mild, almost peppery bok choy greens, along with the brisket itself, topped with crispy, earthy burdock chips. You’ll want to garnish it, of course, with your favorite fresh toppings, like chopped jalapeno, sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges. Scrumptious, and perfect for a Sunday night dinner!
Dill Pesto-Crusted Salmon
Who doesn’t love moist, flaky salmon wrapped in the warm embrace of dill pesto, topped with a crisp, rich crust of panko and parmesan? This is a delicious, no-fuss recipe that is even easier to make if you’ve already got the pesto in your pantry.
Dill Pesto
The ingredients you can use to make pesto are plentiful and diverse. I use dill here, but you could also make pesto out of those carrot tops that you would normally throw away. Nettle—foraged from your own yard perhaps—also makes a fine pesto. You can use walnuts or pistachios instead of the usual pine nuts. Whatever you enjoy or have on hand will do! And best of all, it freezes well, so you can save some for later!
Forgotten Feast II: Offal Rising
Offal’s descent into ignominy is a mainly Western, modern phenomenon that is tightly bound up with issues of class. But there are pockets of our food culture that have either never stopped eating the “humble” parts or who have returned to it, finding something wholesome, exotic, or even erotic about it.
Pork and Mushrooms in Honey and Mustard Sauce
This recipe gives you juicy pork chops and mushrooms in a
sweet, tangy sauce; it’s ridiculously delicious and takes very little effort.
