A great way to end a meal or delay the need for one, a cheese course is one of my favorite courses and also a quite versitile one. Manchego (a somewhat dry, usually aged at least 4 months but often for a year or more, sheepsmilk cheese from Spain with some air bubbles) with membrillo [...]

Carnaroli Rice (eyeball to cover sautee pan bottom for 2)
olive oil
1 shallot
4 C home made chicken stock
1/2 C dry white wine
10 good looking salt water shrimp, peeled and deveined
Heavy pinch Saffron
Salt & Pepper
Sautee the minced shallot and the rice in hot oil until the rice becomes golden, adding salt & pepper. Add 1/4-1/2 C white [...]

Our grill is in full swing these days and on lazy weeknights we often throw on a few mixed squash, a bell pepper, an onion, and sometimes a peice of meat. I cover the vegetables immediately before grilling in olive oil, salt, and pepper (all generously), and marinate the steak in soy sauce and olive [...]

On a budget of $120 for four people, a good friend and “astro-twin” who claims herself as a vegetarian but eats seafood and strangely, bacon, asked me to make a belated birthday dinner for her friend (my acquaintance). Because of the graces the bay area allows us in grocery shopping, and with many thanks to [...]

For two, Spanish Spicy Shrimp:
10 shrimp–shell & de-vein them yourself
8 slices baguette, toasted with raw garlic rubbed on them
5 cloves garlic, minced coarsely
1/2 cap san marzano tomatoes or package fresh cherry tomatoes (cut in 1/2)
olive oil
vegetable stock
1/2 tsp thyme
salt
pepper
chili flakes
Two skillets: start one cold with olive oil & chili flakes (about 1/2 tsp), heat [...]

A friend of mine kindly not once but on two different occasions recently provided my cocktail-sipping self with much needed pizza delivered to my hand inside a bar (it was from the “outside”), and to thank him for not only 1. going to get it but 2. paying for it, I offered to cook him [...]

The week before last I was asked to come and cook for a good friend of mine and his roommate. I gave my friend–who I love to tease and challenge–a complicated grocery list that would send him shopping in at least three places, one of which was Japan Town in San Francisco. He procured everything [...]

So for a dinner date last night I came up with a great menu centered around a live lobster. I didn’t manage to take pictures because I was hectically preparing the meal, but here’s the menu:
White pluot with lemon zest ricotta & olive oil (stolen from Peter’s prosciutto wrapped pluot & ricotta)
Lobster with fresh fava [...]

We’ve enjoyed dinner with my friend Peter before, but about two weeks ago I worked hard (read: begged) for another home cooked meal in the city.
Friend and I headed from Berkeley to the city for pre-show dinner at Peter’s (we were to catch the MF Doom/Pigeon John performance at the Independent, but when we arrived [...]

This is a Sardengna style recipe for the classic Italian dish of “zuppetta di mollusca,” or, mussels in a light stew. This is relatively inexpensive to make and very fast to cook, though I don’t recommend eating bottom-feeders like mussels and clams often. You can also add clams to this dish though I’ve found its [...]