recipes
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How to make a meal from your market basket
Turning market treats into good eats. On a recent trip to the farmers market, I found a mountain of leafy greens of all different hues and textures. I couldn’t resist buying four varieties: rainbow chard, red Russian kale, an Asian green similar to spinach, and escarole. Cooler weather also means the arrival of […]
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From Iowa’s apple orchards, a delicious heirloom and a recipe for stuffing
This column is an excerpt from Friese’s new book A Cook’s Journey: Slow Food in the Heartland. Truly scrumptious: the “red delicious” apple’s heirloom antecedent. Photo: Kurt Michael Friese One cool spring morning about 1880, a farmer in Madison County, Iowa, named Jesse Hiatt was walking the rows of his young […]
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How to turn black walnuts into a delicious dish
When I was growing up in central Ohio, school began right after Labor Day. This was advantageous compared to today’s August start, and not just because of the longer summer break. The extra time also allowed the black walnuts to ripen just in time to give us something to hurl at each other as we […]
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When the basil plants get out of control, reach for the mortar and pestle
Mortarin’ pesto. September in Iowa always brings the same delicious dilemma — what to do with all that basil. Few herbs are as surrounded by mythology and folklore as basil. Its origins are debated, but most seem to think it came from India. There, the plant offered innumerable culinary uses: A devout Hindu has a […]
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Judging a tomato contest, and celebrating with a fresh, tomato-y gumbo
You say tomato … All my life, I have wanted to be a professional tomato taster. I am happy to report that on August 18, 2008, I had the chance to serve as a judge (unpaid, so, OK, not exactly professional, but still …) in the 24th annual Massachusetts tomato contest, organized by the Massachusetts […]
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A few thoughts on an amazing event — and a recipe for a delectably slow-cooked pasta sauce
Say cheese: a sample of Slow Food Nation’s Taste Pavilion. Photo: Russ Walker It’s going to take me more than just a few days to fully understand the effects and implications of the first Slow Food Nation, held in San Francisco over Labor Day weekend. The brain power on display was impressive enough: Wendell Berry, […]
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When the tomato harvest gets out of hand, the tough get canning
Too much of a good thing? Photos: Kurt Michael Friese For a tomato-loving gardener, what’s the only thing more frightening than a failed crop? Try an overabundant one. You become terrified that any of these jewels will go to waste. The specter of fruit flies congregating on the compost heap brings regret of over-ambitious spring […]
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The dog days of summer mean bountiful farm stands and spicy salsas
This is the time of year we flatlanders pine for the snows of January, when it’s a full 100 degrees colder than it is right now, and all the humidity is frozen to our windshields. August in Iowa may be unbearable for humans, but vegetables love it — the hot, sticky dog days bring us […]
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After a mass bike ride across Iowa, a slow-food chef picks up the pace
Do the ride thing. Photo: David Wade Every year for the last 36, Iowa plays host to a unique event. At the beginning of the last full week of July, more than 15,000 people dip the rear tires of their bicycles in the Missouri River — and seven days and about 450 miles later, they […]