How to Make Fancy Crackers – Also Know as Crispy Rosemary Sea Salt Flatbreads

Making your own “fancy” crackers at home is a fairly basic operation, and not only will they be less expensive, but you can customize them anyway you want. Whether those reasons are good enough is for you to decide, but if they are, your efforts will be rewarded… with crackers just as good as the ones from the store. As I mentioned in the video, there are two types of “crackers;”...

Read More

Roman-Style Gnocchi – No Potatoes Were Harmed During the Making of This Video

Gnocchi alla Romana are as delicious, as they are virtually unknown. I feel like I’ve eaten a fair amount of Italian food, and I’ve been to Rome, but it wasn’t until late in life that I discovered these wonderful, baked semolina dumplings. Above and beyond their exquisite texture, and great taste, I love their versatility. They’re a world-class side dish as is, but can be...

Read More

How to Make Berbere Spice and What to Do with It (Partial List)

I love berbere spice, but it never occurred to me to make my own. I usually get it pre-mixed from the fancy grocery store, and it’s never disappointed, but I’ve wanted to feature it in a recipe, so I figured I’d also show how to make a batch from scratch. Well, sort of from scratch. To make this “for real,” you need to buy the whole spice seeds/pods, toast them, and grind...

Read More

Sausage Pasta Fazool (Pasta e Fagioli) – Perfect for “One of Those Days”

It’s not completely accurate to say this is my recipe for sausage pasta fazool, since I’ve probably never made this the same way twice, but that’s just the kind of dish it is. In fact, I rarely even make it on purpose, but rather as a way to use up leftover meat. Regardless of what you use, this is classic Italian-American comfort food at its finest. Having said that, if...

Read More

Mexican-Style Shrimp Cocktail – The New Taco?

One of the many advantages of living in San Francisco is my proximity to some pretty amazing Mexican food. That used to be a much bigger deal, but happily, you can now get tacos and burritos in just about every corner of the country these days. However, one item that hasn’t swept the nation like the others, is the Mexican-style shrimp cocktail. Which is a shame, since it’s...

Read More