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Welcome to the WHOLE HOG blog. Please click "more" to view an entire post, and browse the Index below for more great posts and recipes!Prickly PearsOctober 17, 2010  He who picks prickly pears must prepare to get prickled. Often, a little unpleasantness must be traversed on the way to something rare and delicious. There are big stands of prickly pear cactus in our yard; only a little effort and a few thornpricks stand between me and a cool, refreshing glass of prickly pear juice. (more…) Pear Sherbet with Rosemary FlowersOctober 6, 2010  Oh, boy, it’s pear season! Bartletts are piled high in the produce bins, ready to be purchased slightly green and ripened to butter-colored perfection on your kitchen counter. A glance through The Commonsense Kitchen proves my pear obsession: before we even get to sweets, we have Pear and Apple Salad, Butternut Squash Soup with Diced Pears, Pear Pizza with Ricotta and Blue Cheese, Pickled Pears, and Shaved Fennel with Pears and Parmesan. Then, in the dessert chapters, you’ll find Pear-Gingerale-Lemon Gelatin, Pear-Ginger-Lemon Crisp, Pear Pie, Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce, Ricotta Pancakes with Pears, Warm Pears with Chocolate Ice Cream…and, finally, my favorite pear manifestation: Pear Sherbet. (more…) The Flavor of FigsOctober 2, 2010  Fresh figs are cherished by California cooks—in their summer season, they are given pride of place not only in desserts, but also in salads, hors d’oeuvres, and main courses. In Chez Panisse Fruit, introducing the chapter on figs, Alice Waters writes, “Their flavor combines flawlessly with the other ingredients that define the cuisines of southern Europe that inspire us.” That prompted me, harvesting a bowlful of green fresh calimyrna figs from a tree we are fortunate to have in our yard, to really scrutinize figs’ flavor. How would you define the flavor of figs? What makes them so appealing?(more…) |
(tangerines and dates; winter Cooking Class, 2011)
(hog at the trough, Deep Springs, Summer 2007)
(chard in the Deep Springs garden, Fall 2006)
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