Newsletter: In the Kitchen: Getting ready for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is this Sunday, so many couples will be making reservations, while others will be planning an intimate dinner at home. And some of us will wonder why this is a holiday at all. Regardless of your feelings on the holiday, we have ideas to help you out, including a list of where to get great chocolate.
If your special someone loves beer, you might consider cooking with it. After all, we cook with wine all the time. We offer tips and a few fun recipe ideas. You might also want to check out this grilled cauliflower recipe -- we think it’s one of the best ever. For further inspiration, check out our cookbook of the week, Matt Goulding’s “Rice, Noodle, Fish”, as well as our latest farmers market report on what to do with all those delicate pea shoots showing up right about now.
Where to get great chocolate
While good chocolate is enough to make any day worth celebrating, it would seem Valentine’s Day is not complete without it. Food editor Amy Scattergood has gone looking for the best chocolatiers, coming up with a list of 13 — whether you’re looking for a traditional box of truffles or even a chocolate growler. And check out our handy Valentine’s Day guide, covering everything including gothic gift ideas and 43 great recipes for two.
Don’t just drink your beer — cook with it too
The fried cod sandwich is made with cod battered in Manifesto beer at Eagle Rock Public House.
You can add beer to almost anything, from chili to shrimp boils, bread and cakes to queso. More than just a novelty ingredient, beer adds an extra dimension and depth to a dish, lending notes such as roasted barley or sweet fruit, chocolate or molasses. Experiment a bit and you might find yourself cooking with beer frequently. Just don’t forget to keep extra on hand for drinking, too.
Best cauliflower recipe ever?
If you’re looking for a great cauliflower dish, it would be hard to beat this recipe from the Wallace in Culver City. In this take, the humble brassica is simply brushed with rosemary olive oil, then baptized with a Parmesan cream sauce and sprinkled with almond bread crumbs. And if you just left out the Worcestershire sauce (which contains anchovies), the dish would be a star at any vegetarian meal.
Cookbook of the week: “Rice, Noodle, Fish” by Matt Goulding
It’s not really a cookbook per se, but Matt Goulding, co-creator of the book series “Eat This, Not That!,” has come out with what Amy Scattergood calls “a Lonely Planet guide crossed with an issue of Lucky Peach.” “Rice, Noodle, Fish” is essentially a tour of Japan’s food culture, with Goulding sharing stories and offering advice for navigating everything from eating in izakayas to surviving convenience stores.
What to do with pea shoots
Delicate pea shoots and curly tendrils have long been used in Asian cuisine and are increasingly turning up in a variety of dishes, both cooked and raw.
You know spring is just around the corner when delicate pea shoots and tendrils start showing up at the market. If you’ve never used them before, pea shoots are easy to use, and are perfect for lending the flavor of peas without adding the peas themselves to a recipe. Check out our tips for buying, along with recipe ideas.
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