Bison: Home on the Range--My 6th and Final Installment of Protein Shake Up

On December 30, 2015, the sixth and last installment of Protein Shake Up, my series on unusual proteins, was published in the San Diego Union-Tribune. This story, Bison: Home on the Range, focuses on a very healthy red meat alternative to conventional beef. With less fat than beef and no hormones or antibiotics given to bison, they're a meat option that meat lovers can enjoy sans guilt. 

But, their very leanness makes the cooking process different than beef. So I consulted with Chef Paul McCabe of Town & Country Resort and Convention Center to learn how to make the most of this protein. He gave me lots of great tips--and a beautiful recipe for Coffee Crusted Bison with Smoked Hedgehog Mushroom Hash and Cabernet Reduction. It's not nearly as complicated as it sounds and makes for an impressive dinner party dish.

Enjoy and Happy New Year!

 

Photo by Howard Lipin

Photo by Howard Lipin

Tacos from Another Galaxy: My Latest UT San Diego Story

This week's food section in the San Diego Union-Tribune features my piece on how to make vegetarian tacos and quesadillas, courtesy of Chef Trey Foshee of Galaxy Taco. Foshee invited me into his kitchen and taught me how he makes the key sauces that turn a vegetable-laden taco into a rich and satisfying Mexican experience, proving you don't need animal proteins like fish or beef or lamb to make a great, authentic dish.

Photo by Eduardo Contreras

Photo by Eduardo Contreras


Legumes & Grains! Part 5 of My Protein Shakeup Series in the San Diego Union-Tribune

We're heading toward the end of my six-part series on unusual proteins. Part 5 of the Protein Shakeup series looks at how we can enjoy non-animal protein in the form of beans and grains. For this I turned to Catania's executive chef Vince Schofield, who taught me two marvelous bean dishes that are far from the traditional beans in a pot he ate as a child, prepared by his Mexican parents. One dish, Beans and Harissa, borrows from North African flavors and adds some lardo to boost the taste buds. The other, Merguez Sausage and Beans also has a North African twist, thanks to the spicy lamb sausage. Then I add my own recipe for Sorghum and Tomato Salad, a new favorite of mine that can be adapted to any whole grain.

Beans and Harissa photographed by K.C. Alfred for The San Diego Union-Tribune

Beans and Harissa photographed by K.C. Alfred for The San Diego Union-Tribune


Octopus and Squid! Part 4 of My Protein Shakeup Published + Appearance on Midday Edition

It's been a fun week. On Tuesday, I made an appearance on KPBS FM's weekend edition with 2Good2B chef/owner Rodney LoveJones to talk about cooling summer foods--those dishes that you can prepare on a sultry day without having to turn up the heat. Readers of San Diego Foodstuff will recognize some of the dishes I mentioned, like my gazpacho soup, my new coconut milk melon soup, and my watermelon pizza salad. You can listen to the segment and get a couple of recipes on the KPBS website. 


On Wednesday, the fourth of my six-part unusual proteins series this year for the San Diego Union-Tribune appeared. This one addresses how to prepare octopus and squid. I went to two marvelous San Diego chefs for help with this. Danilo Tangeman of JRDN makes a sublime octopus panzanella, so I spent time with him in his kitchen learning how to both cook octopus and how to make the salad. I turned to Solare chef Accursio Lota for a primer on making squid. Both were hugely helpful and shared their time and recipes. You can find the story here. 

A Taste of the Philippines Now on SDU-T

Are you a fan of Filipino food? Do you even know what it is--beyond lumpia or adobo? I've been spending time with Arterra Del Mar's executive chef Evan Cruz, who was born in the Philippines and steeped in Filipino culture, learning about this lovely, under-appreciated cuisine. Now I've written a story about it for The San Diego Union-Tribune and it's out today. And, you'll get two marvelous recipes from Evan: pork adobo and turon, a dessert version of lumpia made with jackfruit and plantain.