A Traditional Christmas
I was on deck for Christmas Eve dinner. Since we didn’t have company this year, I didn’t make the usual pot of clam chowder. Instead, we treated ourselves to shellfish, our Christmas Eve fallback when it’s just family: a shrimp boil…
Thanksgiving 2016
Sorry, no recipes this time, just a few notes and photos. The deMenthes enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving. Number one daughter Escargot was here, along with number one son Baguette, number one daughter in law Truffle, and number one grandson Pesce.…
Oven-Baked Beef Back Ribs
We had a couple of slabs of beef back ribs in the freezer and were looking for something to do with them. I saw this recipe online and thought it was worth a try, with a few modifications of my own.…
Eighth Rule of Cooking Club
Don’t forget to pass everything that’s on the table! That is Rule #8, and it’s a good one. Last Saturday the On-On Gourmets met at the home of Magret de Canard for an evening of preparing and enjoying Middle Eastern…
Crouton’s Slow-Cooked Beef Back Ribs
This is not my photo, but one I found on the net. Next time I make beef back ribs (and there will be a next time) I’ll take my own photos and update this recipe with visuals. Notes Beef back…
Seventh Rule of Cooking Club
Outdoor grilling and smoking requires every bit as much planning & preparation as cooking in the kitchen. Yesterday’s bimonthly meeting of the On On Gourmet Hash House Harriers was a grilling cook-off. Ditalini and I were the designated hosts, so…
Sixth Rule of Cooking Club
When doubling Cajun recipes, don’t double the cayenne. The On On Gourmet Hash House Harriers met again Saturday night, this time at the home of Giacomo “Hercules” Mandriano, where we were joined by Giacomo’s brother, Washington DC refugee Giuseppe “Pastoso”…
Caldo de Birria
I discovered this stew at a Mexican restaurant in Tucson. So far I’ve found only one other local restaurant serving it. I’m told it’s street food, highly regarded as a hangover cure. What impressed me was its rich beefiness, reminding me a…
Fifth Rule of Cooking Club
Know your coconut milk products. The On-On Gourmets cooking club met Saturday at the home of Anitra and Manzo Spezzatino for an evening of Thai cooking and consumption. Three new members attended: Pomodoro Calde, an experienced cook with years of…
Ditalini’s Oxtail Soup
When I was a kid, living in Germany with my USAF family, one of my favorite dishes was ochsenschwanzsuppe — oxtail soup, a thick and flavorful beefy broth. In later years, married and living in the USA, I’d sometimes pick up a…