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Fresh ricotta is a wonderful, underappreciated ingredient. If you can find rennet, it’s easy enough to make yourself, but in Philadelphia we are blessed with Claudio’s, a glorious cheesemaker that sells fresh ricotta for the bargain basement price of $2.99 a pound. (Oddly enough, they don’t mention the fresh cheese on their Web site, [...] Q: All of the pressure cooker instruction books say that you shouldn’t cook split peas in your pressure cooker. But Doris, you told me you did! What happened? Is it safe? (a conversation between Doris and Jilly) Well, Jilly. No, you really shouldn’t do this. I tried, and it’s the only time that I have been frightened [...] We know you’ve been on pins and needles wondering just what exactly we did with those fresh chickpeas. Today we bring you the answer. Jilly was in town for this experiment, and I must confess that we were both a bit stumped by the chickpeas. Raw, they sort of tasted like regular peas, only milder, or [...] This chickpea stew—vaguely based on a similar one I had in Spain—has become a staple in our house. (I promise an update on those fresh chickpeas soon, but first, a stew to go with the rainy, dreary weather.) It’s cheap, flavorful, and, if you make it in the pressure cooker, surprisingly fast. It’s definitely intended [...] Q: I tried canning chicken stock, and followed the directions on your blog, but the lids made the “pop” sound as soon as I poured the liquid in and seemed to seal (I hadn’t heated them up yet). Then I processed them. Is this OK? Are the jars safe to eat? (from Christina, Philadelphia) Yes! If you had [...]
As part of Jilly’s visit to Philadelphia, we made our regular circuit of key South Philly institutions: La Lupe, Chickie’s, Di Bruno’s, and, of course, the Italian Market. Both of us got excited when we saw what we thought was a bin of fresh fava beans. We envisioned a fruity, lemony salad, maybe with [...] (First things first: apologies for the silence. Taxes are now done and major life events successfully navigated, leaving ample time for blogging.) The ever-brilliant Harold McGee has an ode to fermented dairy products in today’s New York Times that’s worth checking out. An excerpt: “Even if cultured dairy products aren’t part of your daily regimen, they’re worth [...] |
  
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