I know, I know. When it comes to cooking for myself, I generally stick to Provençal fare or Thai food mixed with the older, Le Colonial French, Indochina cuisine.
But when I make family dinner, I incorporate my other two favorite cooking methods - Italian (mostly Campania and Lazio Regions - pastas, pizzas, flat produce-infused breads, fresh vegetables, etc. - and good old Florida Coastal!
Florida is a wonderful fish, crab, shrimp, oyster, beef, pork, and free-range chicken producing region. The summer melons, berries, corn, and veggies of North Florida are perfect and plentiful. The modern chef cooks with much less grease (yes, I mean butter and lard) now than in the past, moderate amounts of fried foods, the tiniest bits of bacon and of course less sausage.
What I like (love) about these four cooking methods is that they use the same seafood, pork, poultry, veggies, and similar cheeses. Only the cooking methods are different. The great choices remain the same.
Most Italian recipes don't have enough garlic for me, so I add more. I love olive oil from Sardinia but also from France, Greece, and Spain. Recently, I discovered a California olive oil that is superb, as is the balsamic type vinegar the vineyard ships only to wine club members or sells to visitors on wine tours.
Anchovies have become standard fare in my kitchen I even slip them into the boys' pasta sauce unbeknownst to everyone at the table. I order L'anchois mostly from Amazon, but I found one dusty tin of Long Tailed Anchovy on the shelf of the Oriental grocery store right here in Tallahassee.
But when I make family dinner, I incorporate my other two favorite cooking methods - Italian (mostly Campania and Lazio Regions - pastas, pizzas, flat produce-infused breads, fresh vegetables, etc. - and good old Florida Coastal!
Florida is a wonderful fish, crab, shrimp, oyster, beef, pork, and free-range chicken producing region. The summer melons, berries, corn, and veggies of North Florida are perfect and plentiful. The modern chef cooks with much less grease (yes, I mean butter and lard) now than in the past, moderate amounts of fried foods, the tiniest bits of bacon and of course less sausage.
What I like (love) about these four cooking methods is that they use the same seafood, pork, poultry, veggies, and similar cheeses. Only the cooking methods are different. The great choices remain the same.
Most Italian recipes don't have enough garlic for me, so I add more. I love olive oil from Sardinia but also from France, Greece, and Spain. Recently, I discovered a California olive oil that is superb, as is the balsamic type vinegar the vineyard ships only to wine club members or sells to visitors on wine tours.
Anchovies have become standard fare in my kitchen I even slip them into the boys' pasta sauce unbeknownst to everyone at the table. I order L'anchois mostly from Amazon, but I found one dusty tin of Long Tailed Anchovy on the shelf of the Oriental grocery store right here in Tallahassee.
I often cross boundaries at one meal. Tomorrow, I'm going to serve a Tom and Jack favorite, Spiral Ham (Ha! Yes! I am Thai in the way I love to buy prepared dishes of various kinds) and an assortment of veggies. Eggplant, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers will find their way into Tian Niçoise. I'll cook the spinach a la Latium (Lazio) and the potatoes Coastal Carolina! Should be a fun time, as we are celebrating a birthday. Birthday? Oh, my! What's for desert?
