Chef Tom – Salad Days

One of my favorite all-American treats, and one that’s starting to gain popularity after having fallen out of favor for a few decades.

Iceberg lettuce (aka crisp lettuce) got its name from the method of transportation, once the cross-country train system was created. Before refrigerated train cars, they would pile crushed ice on top of the pallets of lettuce (at the time, the number one vegetable in the US). The heads would peak out from below the ice and look like icebergs.

Chef Tom’s Turkey Alternatives

Not a big Roast Turkey fan. Never been. I do like the ceremony, though, a lot. Over the years I’ve kept the ritual of bringing something magnificent to the table and carving it, but I’ve replaced the bird – with beef or pork. These cuts are much more forgiving, way juicier, and still make for an elegant presentation.

Here are my two favorite go-to crowd pleasers for that Thanksgiving centerpiece.

Chef Tom – Food Fusion and The Silk Road Ensemble

Not to be confused with CON-fusion. Some ultra-PC folks wax expert about cultural appropriation. Well, the one place where that construct has no business being, is in the kitchen. Every dish you cook has had multiple influences from multiple cultures. Even if I were relegated to only cooking white boy food from Northern California (eeew), there would be zero recipes that I could cook that hadn’t originated from someplace OTHER than my own neighborhood. Even my own neighborhood evolved from countless cultures other than my own.

Fusion is the result of natural evolution, IMHO. The world is one big magical soup. The parable of Stone Soup makes my point. Without the generous influence from the other cultures around us, life would be unbearably dull. 

Chef Tom – Upping Your Kabab Skills While You Listen to Mugham

Yes. I know. Upping Kabab skills and enjoying Mugham may not be familiar to most of you, but they will be by the time you finish this column. Food and Music are Life.

Now let us begin ….

Chef Tom – ¡Esta muy caliente!

Aguas frescas, water-based fruit drinks, are a cool way to make your fresh fruit go further—especially in the summertime when you might have a larger watermelon than you know what to do with, or peaches that are starting to shrivel.

Chef Tom – In honor of Passover on the 27th

Chef Tom – Foodz N’ Vidz

 

Chef Tom – My Good Husband Dan

My good husband Dan’s birthday is April 1. I know, an April Fools baby. Explains a lot, really. I am counting on nine people being fully inoculated by then (three of us already are, including me), that we’re all on a sunny patio in lovely San Carlos drinking beautiful wine and eating multiple tasty courses over a four hour gathering. I’ve already started the menu.

Here are four highly recommended dishes (these are starters) from my foodiverse.

Thought I’d give you a taste.

Chef Tom – Meat and Potatoes The Blues …and a Whiskey

Call me old fashioned. Sometimes you just wanna go back to your roots. Doesn’t mean you can’t apply a smidge of sophistication.

Chef Tom – Cherries! Food and Music!

 It’s cherry season. There are thousands and thousands of recipes. There are tons of nutrients and health benefits with this jewel of the stone fruits.