Some foods are best appreciated when we stop trying to improve them. Mortadella is one of those foods. A few thin slices, fresh bread, perhaps a glass of something refreshing, and lunch is already sorted. No elaborate recipe, no parade of condiments, no culinary performance required. Mortadella on display, with its distinctive pink interior and white flecks of fat. Look closely … [Read more...] about The Art of Eating Mortadella: Why Less Is More
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Nothing Beats the Simplicity of Burrata With a Glass of Red Wine
Nothing beats the simplicity of burrata with a glass of red wine. Put a fresh ball of cheese on a plate, add a little olive oil and some bread, and lunch is more or less settled. Cutting through that soft outer skin and watching the creamy centre ease onto the plate is enough to make you slow down. There is no particular reason to hurry anyway. The photograph catches exactly … [Read more...] about Nothing Beats the Simplicity of Burrata With a Glass of Red Wine
Falafel and Fried Eggplant Make a Street Food Counter Worth Stopping For
The tray of fried eggplant is what holds the eye. It sits on the stainless steel worktop at the front of the photograph, piled with uneven rounds and long slices, their dark purple skins curling around browned flesh. Some pieces have nearly black edges; others show broad golden centers. Behind it, a wide metal tray holds falafel, while the glass cabinet offers a whole different … [Read more...] about Falafel and Fried Eggplant Make a Street Food Counter Worth Stopping For
Pasta Wrapped Like Sweets
At first glance, the little parcels on the counter could pass for sweets waiting to be wrapped. Their deep pink centers sit between pale yellow ends, each piece pinched and twisted into something resembling a candy wrapper. Then the rest of the scene comes into focus: flour scattered across a broad work surface, shallow metal trays crowded with more parcels, and two cooks … [Read more...] about Pasta Wrapped Like Sweets
Dried Chiles Do Half Their Work in a Dry Pan Before They Ever Touch Water
Late October is when the dried chiles come out. Fresh peppers are done for the year, the evenings want something slow and dark in a pot, and a bag of anchos from the back of the cupboard starts to look like a plan. Most people tear them up, drop them in hot water and blend. That works. It also skips the step that makes the sauce taste like it came from someone who knew what … [Read more...] about Dried Chiles Do Half Their Work in a Dry Pan Before They Ever Touch Water
A Good Tomato Needs Very Little but Every Detail Counts
A sliced tomato with salt and olive oil looks almost too simple to discuss. Then you eat one made with a ripe, fragrant tomato and another made with a cold, hard specimen, and the difference becomes the whole subject. A short preparation leaves every ingredient exposed. There is nowhere for a disappointing tomato to hide, which is also why a good one needs so little help. Begin … [Read more...] about A Good Tomato Needs Very Little but Every Detail Counts
The Pleasure of Eating at the Counter
A counter changes the scale of a meal. The plate is close, the next person is close, and the distance between choosing something and eating it can be no more than a turn of the wrist. You see the bread being cut, a glass being filled or a hot dish passing toward someone farther along. Even a simple order becomes part of the room's movement. That proximity is the attraction. At … [Read more...] about The Pleasure of Eating at the Counter
The Perfect Taco: Freshness, Fire, Acidity and Everything in One Bite
A great taco is a small masterpiece of contrasts. It is fresh, spicy, sour, juicy, crunchy and tender, all at once. There is no need for elaborate presentation or sophisticated cooking techniques. The magic happens when a handful of ingredients, each with its own distinct personality, come together in a single bite. And somehow, despite all those competing flavors and textures, … [Read more...] about The Perfect Taco: Freshness, Fire, Acidity and Everything in One Bite
Pan con Tomate: The Divine Simplicity of Spanish Tapas
Some dishes impress you with their complexity. Others make you wonder why anyone bothers with complexity in the first place. Pan con tomate, the Spanish classic of toasted bread rubbed or topped with fresh tomato, belongs firmly to the second category. It is almost ridiculously simple, and when done properly, absolutely divine.The photograph captures exactly what makes this … [Read more...] about Pan con Tomate: The Divine Simplicity of Spanish Tapas
These Churros Made My Day
Some desserts are elaborate, sophisticated and designed to impress. Others are simply perfect. A plate of freshly fried churros with a generous cup of thick, dark chocolate belongs firmly in the second category. And sometimes, frankly, that's all it takes to make a day considerably better. These particular churros arrived looking exactly as they should: long, gloriously … [Read more...] about These Churros Made My Day