Something big happened in my life a couple years ago. Taylor Shellfish Farms opened a store in my neighborhood. I'm a huge fan of, well, any shellfish to be honest. But mussels - moules in French - make me weak at the knees. Combined with fries and a crisp glass of white wine, … [Read more...] about Moules à la Mariniére
Healthy
Recipe: Chilled Spinach Asparagus Soup
Chilled soup carries a stamp of posh. "Oh James, prepare the vichyssoise and the champagne for dinner, will you?" The first time that I can recall having chilled soup was as a impressionable 20-year-old college student at the home of a wealthy older man that I was interviewing … [Read more...] about Recipe: Chilled Spinach Asparagus Soup
Recipe: Spicy Creole Shrimp with Pasta
Years ago, I did a cooking class event with a special menu titled "Lunch from the French Quarter." I taught a gumbo recipe from my book, The Sharper Your Knife. I developed the recipe below based on a dish that I had in New Orleans during a rushed trip to the Crescent City during … [Read more...] about Recipe: Spicy Creole Shrimp with Pasta
Recipe: Pasta with olives, tomatoes and tuna
This is a cheap and easy meal to craft from pantry staples. The tuna bumps up the protein quotient, but it's optional. You can use fresh or canned tomatoes, but if you use the latter, be sure to drain them well. Cook the pasta in liberally salted water, and then reserve some of … [Read more...] about Recipe: Pasta with olives, tomatoes and tuna
Recipe: Easy Pan-Seared Fish
I’ve been spending the week on Anna Maria Island. No trip is complete without a visit to Cortez, the historic fishing village named for the murderous bastard who wiped out its original population. Mom and I headed over to the Cortez Bait & Seafood Market yesterday and picked … [Read more...] about Recipe: Easy Pan-Seared Fish