Grant

Zucchini seems to get a bit of a bad rap, which I think is a little unfortunate. People write it off as flavorless and boring, but I happen to quite like it. Zucchini is sort of like the boneless, skinless chicken breast of the vegetable world — there’s not a whole lot to it, but it’s a great vehicle for flavor. In this dish I combine it with sweet red onion, woodsy thyme, and finish it off with the salty punch of feta cheese.

I’ll be the first to admit that the name kind of makes me wince. It brings to mind McDonald’s ill-fated attempt to lighten up their menu in the early 90’s with the McSalad Shaker. And yet, when I saw the Fit and Fresh Salad Shaker while browsing Bed, Bath, and Beyond several weeks ago, I was struck by how clever it was.Basically it’s a plastic storage container designed for lunchtime salads.

One of the stands at my local farmers’ market sells some of my favorite olives and I always try to keep a container of them in my refrigerator.The Eliki Olive Oil Company specializes gourmet olive oils, vinegars and other delicious foods imported from Greece. Their olive oil is organic and comes in interesting flavors such as Sun dried Tomato and Garlic, Rosemary, Chili Pepper, Orange Tarragon, and Lavender with Thyme.

I know there is no shortage of antique stoves for sale on Craigslist, but here’s a particularly nice one. This Wedgewood from the 30’s has been completely restored to its original condition. It has four burners, a center griddle, two ovens and a double broiler. The owner says it works perfectly. It’s being sold for $750. And don’t forget to post your own listings at The Kitchen’s classifieds by clicking that pretty yellow button to the right.

Perhaps you’ve read a recipe that calls specifically for canned San Marzano tomatoes. But what’s so great about these particular tomatoes anyway? San Marzano tomatoes are the most famous plum tomato to come out of Italy. They are grown in the rich volcanic soil at the base of Mount Vesuvius, which gives them a sweet flavor and low acidity and they are coveted for their firm pulp, deep red color, easy to remove skin and low seed count.

I love the idea of Christmas cookies but I have to admit I find many of them, cut out in different shapes, slathered with colored icing, well they can taste a bit cloying. Sure, they’re pretty, but I tend to prefer good old-fashioned oatmeal cookies. Of course I do dress them up a little for the holidays, studding the dough with raisins, chocolate chips and walnuts. The edges get nice and crisp, while the middle stays soft and chewy.

Aren’t we all glad the low-carb hysteria that paralyzed the nation a few years back is over? Why would anyone ever want to vilify bread? Bread is perfect.Just in time for bread’s triumphant resurgence, LA has gotten an amazing new bakery. Breadbar was created by artisinal baker Eric Kayser, who is also responsible for Maison Kayser, considered by many to be one of the outstanding most boulangeries in Paris.

Dear Kitchen,Some of my favorite recipes come from cooking blogs and websites. I use del.icio.us to bookmark them, but sites can disappear or change URLs, and sometimes I even find myself cooking somewhere without an internet connection. I’d like to find a good recipe-organizing software program to copy them into. Do you have any recommendations? I have a Mac.Thanks, Gwen (To All Good Questions)Next question?

Like heirloom tomatoes and other farmer’s market specialty produce, once you’ve tried black kale, you might not ever want to go back to the more conventional supermarket variety. Black Kale, also known as Tuscan Kale, Dinosaur Kale, Lacinato Kale, and my favorite, the exotic sounding Cavalo Nero, is a member of the cabbage family. Like mustard greens, collards and mizuma, it is considered a winter green with a season running from late fall through February or so.

Did we all see Top Chef last night? Let’s not get into Padma’s bikini top, hippie sweater and bandana tragedy and instead, let’s focus on the food. The theme of the episode was cooking with limitations. For the Quickfire Challenge, judged by Raphael Lunetta, owner of Jiraffe in Santa Monica, was to create an entree using only raw food that they get from the Redondo Beach Farmer’s Market. No cooking.

I love making various dips and spreads to keep on hand for whenever I want a snack. Humus is simple to whip up but lately I’ve been into beans. This spread, which comes from famed chef Alfred Portale of the Gotham Bar and Grill, is a unique take on a classic white bean dip. The white truffle oil really elevates the humble beans to a whole new level.

Dear Kitchen,I came across a recipe recently that called for “butter beans.” I’m not exactly familiar with butter beans. In the photograph that accompanied the recipe, the butter bean looked pretty much exactly like a lima bean, but was beige instead of green. Are these two beans related? I don’t really care for lima beans so I sort of hope they aren’t.

Like so many vegetables, cauliflower is one of those that is available year round but few realize that there is indeed a season for it. Cauliflower season runs from October through April but it’s at its best starting in December. Look for compact, dense heads without any discolorization. To store, place in a plastic bag and put in the refrigerator, where it should keep for about a week.

Thomas Keller writes in his cookbook Bouchon that at his restaurant garlic confit is used in so many preparations that they consider it to be a pantry staple. Indeed if you’ve ever had it, it’s tempting to figure out a way to use it in virtually everything. Much like roasted garlic, as garlic confit cooks, submerged in a green pool of olive oil, it softens, turns golden brown and the flavor mellows to the point of an almost smokey sweetness.

Dear Kitchen,I’ve got a Thanksgiving related question. Every year my Aunt Gayle brings her famous candied yams, which I’m really looking forward to. I was always under the impression that yams and sweet potatoes are the same thing, but someone told me recently that they aren’t. Now I’m a little confused and I’m not exactly clear on what the difference between them is. Any help with be greatly appreciated.

It’s highly likely that in the next several weeks you might find yourself with an abundance of leftovers.Certain leftovers obviously work really well as, say, a sandwich. But what about mashed potatoes? Sure you could microwave them and serve them alongside the sandwich, but why not use them as the base of a whole new dish with flavors that are the complete opposite of Thanksgiving? After all that heavy food, wouldn’t it be nice to have a nice light meal?

Dear Kitchen,I was making a recipe recently and it called for 5 thinly sliced shallots. As I started to cut and peel my shallots I realized that each one was made of two smaller shallots and then I got confused as to what the “five shallots” actually refers to. Is it like garlic where you count each individual clove or do you count the entire bulb or head or whatever you call it?Thanks a lot,Lauren (To All Good Questions)Dear Lauren-Shallots are interesting little vegetables.

Thanksgiving is less that two weeks away. Believe it or not, for someone who enjoys cooking as much as I do, this year will be the very first Thanksgiving I have ever made a dinner myself.Growing up, we always went to my grandmother’s house for an awkwardly formal meal. You could always hear the sound of cutlery on the plates and people swallowing. She’d make oyster dressing and because her husband was diabetic, there was no sugar in the whipped cream.

With Thanksgiving coming up soon, I’m sure a lot of us are on the search for interesting recipes for side dishes to accompany our birds.A mash of some sort is a natural to partner for a thick slice of roasted turkey.

Farro is an ancient grain. In fact, it’s the oldest grain there is and it is believed that all other grains derive from it. It was a daily staple in the diets of Ancient Romans, as well as people in the Mediteranean and the Near East. However because it’s difficult to grow and is a low yielding crop, it nearly became extinct. Nowadays it is grown mostly Mugello region of Tuscany. It is currently becoming more popular with the health conscious as well as in upscale restaurants.

Chances are you’ve seen them at the farmers’ market lately. Like pomegranates, pumpkins, apples and pears, fall is the season for this somewhat perplexing fruit known as a persimmon. Usually some shade of orange and resembling a tomato with a sort of brown flower bud in leiu of a stem, persimmons are likely conjur a jumble of questions to swirl though the heads of those unfamilar with them. Are they a fruit? Are they a vegetable?

I love hors d’oeuvres but most recipes for them are a bit too involved for the home cook. They require an unrealistic amount of preparation and have to be served right away and the ones that don’t are just a little bit dull. This recipe comes from Tyler Florence. The combination of warm figs, melted blue cheese, salty, velvety prosciutto and sweet honey are guaranteed to wow your guests.

I’m always looking for interesting side dishes. It’s sort of old-fashioned but I quite like a meal comprised of a protein, a green vegetable of some sort of a starch. I discovered this recipe in Donna Hay’s book, New Food Fast.The nice thing about this dish is that it cooks pretty quickly and is completely hands off. The sweet potato ends up tender in the middle and crisp at the edge. I like to use it as a base for chicken breasts or pork chops. It’s also quite versatile.

Dear Kitchen,What makes pesto turn brown? This weekend I bought a ton of basil from the greenmarket and made a nice green pesto, but within a minute of being exposed to the air it turned a deep unappetizing shade of brown. What did I do wrong? I used basil, olive oil, walnuts & pine nuts, and garlic. (I left out the parma). This happens when I make guacamole as well. Is something wrong with my water?Thanks,M (To All Good Questions)Dear M,There is nothing wrong with your water.

With the exception of perhaps oil, few pantry staples come in as many varieties as vinegar. I regularly keep on hand no fewer than seven different vinegars: red wine, white wine, champagne, sherry, rice, apple cidar and balsamic. Later on, I discovered white balsamic vinegar, a blend of white grape must and white wine vinegar. Recently, while scanning through the ingredients list of a recipe I was making, I came across a vinegar I was unfamiliar with – White balsamic vinegar.

If you have a small kitchen and space is a precious commodity, then check this out. This All-Clad hanging pot rack is a steal at just $15 (it retails for $49). The bar can be hung as low or high as you want. Why waste cupboard space? Hang your pots right where you can get at them.And don’t forget to post your own listings at The Kitchen’s classifieds by clicking that pretty yellow button to the right.