Kathryn Hill

    I Found the Key to Perfect Southern-Style Sweet Tea
    Before my fellow Southerners read this and start thinking, “Are you kidding me? Who doesn’t know how to make sweet tea?” — hear me out. I am Florida-born and Georgia-raised, but when I moved to California, one of the first things I noticed was that no one drinks sweet tea out here! I always keep a pitcher ready in my fridge, and my friends inevitably ask me, “How do you make this?” Today you’re going to find out how.
    Kathryn Hill
    Apr 5, 2024
    Nobu's Famous Miso Black Cod Is Easier to Make Than You'd Think
    There are many reasons to love black cod — it is sustainably fished, full of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and wonderfully buttery when cooked. Here’s one more: Nobu restaurant’s miso-marinated black cod, a classic Japanese-influenced recipe that makes an easy, elegant dinner for guests or a quick main dish you can prep over the weekend.
    Kathryn Hill
    Feb 16, 2024
    The Secret to a Great Cuban Sandwich
    Hint: It's not a panini press.
    Kathryn Hill
    Oct 19, 2023
    What To Do With Green Tomatoes
    Green tomatoes — not to be confused with tomatillos — are simply regular tomatoes that haven’t ripened to redness, yet. Tomatoes can keep producing fruit well into fall, but they need temperatures of 75 degrees or more in order to reach full growth and optimum ripeness. Therefore, most tomatoes that start growing in the fall stay small and green. Don’t throw them out, though.The good news is that green tomatoes are still edible, delicious, and good for so many things!
    Faith Durand
    Sep 22, 2023
    Cuban Black Bean Soup
    This classic Cuban soup is inexpensive, hearty, and guaranteed to warm you up.
    Kathryn Hill
    Aug 30, 2023
    Kohlrabi and Carrot Slaw
    With winter out of the way, one vegetable I’ve been seeing in abundance at Bay Area farmers markets is the sputnik-like vegetable with the funny name, kohlrabi. Eaten raw, it’s fresh, crisp, and the ideal ingredient for a summer slaw. This kohlrabi slaw is actually one of my favorite summer recipes. Quick and easy to make, it’s a nice cool side dish to eat after a long, warm day of working in the garden, or at a sunny picnic under flowering fruit trees.
    Kathryn Hill
    Aug 24, 2023
    Halal Meat: Here's What You Need to Know
    Learn more about how the traditional style of meat is prepared.
    Kathryn Hill
    Aug 21, 2023
    Mushroom and Leek Risotto
    I’ve been craving a nice, hearty risotto so I’ve decided it would be a good time to make this type of dish during cold months. I had it in my mind that I wanted to make something with mushrooms and leeks. I wanted it to be savory and woodsy, encompassing the flavors of fall. I have a collection of nice dried mushrooms waiting to be used; some chanterelles picked by friends, and some dried porcinis that I picked with my mushroom picking club.
    Kathryn Hill
    Jul 31, 2023
    Weekend Recipe: Sauerbraten for Oktoberfest
    It’s that time of the year when people around the world go to German beer halls and German restaurants to celebrate Oktoberfest. Are you in the mood to try some homemade German cuisine this weekend? Try sauerbraten! The word means “sour roast,” and the dish is a roast beef that is marinated in vinegar and then braised. In the old days, sauerbraten was made with venison or horsemeat; today, most people use beef.
    Kathryn Hill
    Jul 25, 2023
    Quick Pasta Recipe: Orecchiete with Chanterelle Mushrooms, Sage, Walnuts, and Brown Butter
    It’s been a very good chanterelle mushroom season here in the Bay Area this year. I’ve been on many forays with my mushroom club, and I’ve gone to secret collecting spots in the forest with friends. I have been dry sautéeing and drying my chanterelle hauls, and making things like this risotto recipe. The other night, I threw together this easy pasta dish.Orecchiete with Chanterelle, Sage, Walnuts, & Brown ButterIngredients2 cups of orecchiete 1 tbsp.
    Kathryn Hill
    Jul 25, 2023
    What Foods Can You Carry on the Plane? The List Is Surprisingly Long.
    Hummus and carrots will be your new go-to travel snack.
    Kathryn Hill
    Jul 20, 2023
    My First Kimchi-Making Experience
    I love Korean food, and I love kimchi. I’ve never attempted to make it on my own, I always thought it was this huge, complicated thing and that it’s probably best to just buy premade kimchi at the store. Plus, since I didn’t understand fermentation, it scared me. Some kimchi recipes call for raw oysters and raw squid. How would these stay fresh for weeks and months, I wondered? Would I get sick? So, making kimchi was just one of those things I avoided. It intimidated me.
    Kathryn Hill
    Mar 16, 2023
    How To Crack And Eat A Whole Lobster
    It’s summertime, which means lobster prices have lowered and many people are enjoying eating these delectable crustaceans at clambakes and other al fresco situations. I just love sultry summer evenings, sitting on the back porch and digging into some freshly steamed lobster accompanied by a chilled pinot grigio, laughing with good friends.
    Kathryn Hill
    Mar 8, 2023
    Kitchen Tool: Romertopf Clay Baker
    One of our favorite kitchen tools to cook with on busy weeknights is our Romertopf clay baker. It’s so easy to use, and food cooked in a clay baker is healthy and flavorful.Clay pot cooking is an old method that can be traced back to the time of the Romans. Romertopf clay bakers come in various sizes, and are unglazed. To use, simply soak the pot in water, add your ingredients, and place in the oven for 45 minutes. The clay absorbs the water, which turns into steam and cooks the food.
    Kathryn Hill
    Mar 8, 2023
    Fresh Mangosteens Now Available In The US!
    Long illegal in the US due to the belief that they harbored the Asian fruit fly, mangosteens are no longer contraband. The ban was lifted in October of 2007, and the first fruits were shipped in April of this year. Look what we found at New May Wah supermarket on Clement Street in San Francisco!We were so excited that we text messaged Faith to tell her the news of our precious find. Mangosteens! The first time we ever had a mangosteen was in Montréal – they are legal in Canada.
    Kathryn Hill
    Mar 8, 2023
    How To Make A Sushi Hand Roll
    Yesterday I covered the different types of sushi, and one of these was the temaki, or hand roll. This cone-shaped wrap of seaweed sheet (nori) is filled with vinegared rice and various ingredients. In this post I’ll explain how to make one.Items You Will Need:1 sheet of nori (seaweed sheets), cut in half1/2 cup cooked sushi rice with 1 tbsp.
    Kathryn Hill
    Mar 8, 2023
    No, Prawns Are Not Just Really Big Shrimp — Here’s the Difference
    All your questions, answered.
    Kathryn Hill
    Dec 17, 2022
    Easy, Hearty Split Pea Soup Is Exactly What You Need Tonight
    It's the perfect cure for cold, snowy days.
    Kathryn Hill
    Oct 8, 2022
    Ingredient Spotlight: Banana Blossom
    If you’ve ever seen a banana tree, perhaps you have noticed the teardrop-shaped purple flower at the end of the banana fruit cluster. This is the banana blossom, also called the banana heart. It is an edible flower used in Southeast Asian and Indian cooking, where they consider it a vegetable. You might be surprised that banana blossoms have a lot in common with a more well-known and popular vegetable. Can you guess what it is?
    Kathryn Hill
    Sep 29, 2022
    What Is A Meze?
    Last week I made a list of small bite meals around the worldA meze is a big part of the dining experience in Eastern Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Arab countries When served with alcohol like anise-flavored liqueurs such as arak or, ouzo, raki (alcohol made from grape pomace,) or wine, a meze is a main meal. Without alcohol, this is called muqabbilat in Arabic and means “starters,” or appetizers.
    Kathryn Hill
    Sep 28, 2022
    What Exactly Is Sushi?
    The word “sushi” is often ambiguous for non-native Japanese. We think of it as being interchangeable with raw fish. Sushi is vinegared rice topped with other ingredients. Sashimi, which is slices of raw fish alone, is not sushi because it isn’t accompanied with rice. Originally, sushi was fermented fish with rice preserved in salt, and this was a staple dish in Japan for a thousand years until the Edo Period (1603 to 1868) when contemporary sushi was developed.
    Kathryn Hill
    Sep 28, 2022
    Technique: Making A Sauce Reduction
    You’ve seen them on restaurant menus at fancy places. Braised Beef Medallions with Cognac Reduction. Roast Muscovy Duck With Cherry-Port Reduction. Venison with Rosemary-Basalmic Reduction. They may sound exotic, but they’re quite easy to prepare at home on your own!You, too, can dazzle your family and dinner guests with chi-chi reduction sauces at very little time and cost.A reduction sauce is often a sauce made with the drippings and juices left over after cooking meat.
    Kathryn Hill
    Sep 20, 2022
    How To Pick, Clean and Prepare Fava Beans
    Go ahead and make your jokes about fava beans and a nice Chianti. There’s no denying that these fresh, meaty beans are delicious, and they are in season right now, so grab them up! This protein-packed legume can be mashed and spread on bruschetta, or folded them into mashed potatoes. Most Americans aren’t familiar with fava beans, so we hope this post will make them seem less mysterious and cause more people to give them a try.
    Kathryn Hill
    Aug 8, 2022
    Ingredient Spotlight: Bergamot
    If you’ve ever had a cup of Earl Grey tea, you’ve had bergamot. Earl Grey tea’s characteristic citrus/floral flavor comes from the addition of dried bergamot peel or bergamot oil. Bergamot is a type of citrus that originated in Italy and is believed to be a cross between a lime and a sour orange.The rind of bergamot contains a large amount of essential oil, which have both culinary and cosmetic purposes. The flesh is very sour and does very well in curds and marmalades.
    Kathryn Hill
    May 13, 2022
    How To: Cook And Clean Dungeness Crab
    It’s Dungeness crab season in California! I’ve been buying these yummy critters for $2.99 per pound at Sun Fat SeafoodManila Oriental MarketFirst, always select Dungeness that are feisty and active. They should come out of the tank fighting. Never buy crabs that come out of the tank with no fight in them. Sniff them. They should smell clean, like the ocean. If you detect any ammonia odor, do not buy. Cook the crabs the day you buy them, preferably within a few hours of purchase.
    Kathryn Hill
    May 13, 2022
    Recipe Recommendation: Hot Boiled Peanuts
    I’m originally from Georgia, and recently returned from a month-long visit with my relatives. As soon as I get my feet back on some red clay, I immediately start seeking out my favorite Southern delicacies that I can’t find in San Francisco. Among these are hot boiled peanuts.
    Kathryn Hill
    May 13, 2022
    In Season Right Now: Sour Cherries
    These tart, acidic cousins of the sweeter table cherries are very hard to find. In the United States, they’re grown in large numbers in Michigan and Wisconsin and marketed as either sour or pie cherries. I managed to find them at an u-pick farm in Brentwood, California, but when I got out there, the trees had been picked over and I didn’t get enough cherries to make a pie or jam. Special note to cherry growers: please plant sour cherries. Hint, hint.
    Kathryn Hill
    May 13, 2022
    Seasonal Spotlight: Chanterelle Mushrooms
    I love it when these meaty, golden yellow mushrooms show up in the Fall at Far West Fungi or the Alemany market. They sprout from September to February, and are profuse since insects and other animals don’t like them. More for us!Chanterelle mushrooms grow wild in woodsy areas. They’re difficult to cultivate, but they sprout easily from forest floors in the US, Asia, and Europe. They have a firm flavor and texture and stand up to cooking and heavy sauces very well.
    Kathryn Hill
    May 13, 2022
    Web Resource: Supercook
    Supercook Usually when one does a Google search for recipes, then end up with many results, most that require more shopping. Sometimes we want to use what we have in the house, or sometimes we are doing a freezer or cupboard purge. Supercook comes in handy this way; simply enter the ingredients you want to use, and the resulting recipes will contain only those ingredients. This helps cut down on time wasted going through numerous recipes trying to find the right one.
    Kathryn Hill
    May 13, 2022
    Recipe Recommendation: Pommes Anna
    With potatoes filling up root cellars right now, we wanted to share a nice potato side dish recipe. Break out your mandoline and get ready for this!Pommes Anna is a rich, buttery potato gratin dish made up of layers of thinly sliced potatoes. Since the potatoes are cooked in butter, it’s not the most healthy dish out there, so consider making this for a special occasion when you’re cheating on your diet.
    Kathryn Hill
    May 12, 2022
    Recipe Recommendation: Cornmeal Fennel Cookies
    We were in a cookie-baking mood over the weekend, so we flipped through our cookbooks and our 3-ring binder collection of recipe printouts and magazine tear sheets. Finally we settled on a recipe we’d cut out of a back issue of Sunset magazine last year for cornmeal fennel cookies.We chose this recipe (click here for recipe) because it looked interesting, and we had all the ingredients on hand, so it was convenient.
    Kathryn Hill
    May 12, 2022
    What’s The Deal With Pâté?
    Pâté might not look too appetizing, but this spread made of ground meat (usually liver) and fat combined with wine and spices, cooked, and puréed into a smooth, spreadable paste is quite yummy.Not simply a mainstay of hors d’oeuvre trays, pâté is also a main ingredient in the Vietnamese bánh mì sandwich. A little pâté spread on a baguette with some cornichons makes a delicious sandwich.
    Kathryn Hill
    May 12, 2022
    A Roundup Of Avocados
    It is avocado season, and we’ve been doing a lot of things with this buttery, delicious fruit. While the Hass avocado is the most widely known variety, there are many varieties of avocados, some you’ve probably never heard of! Bacon avocados are medium-sized oval avocados with green skin that is easy to peel. They have a light taste and are available from late fall to early spring. Fuerte avocados were the original California avocado.
    Kathryn Hill
    May 12, 2022
    Our Small San Francisco Container Garden
    We don’t really have a lot of room to garden at our San Francisco Edwardian row house. Our backyard faces north and doesn’t get enough light to grow vegetables, and our south-facing front stoop had very little real estate. We’re limited to whatever containers we can fit on our sunny front stoop.Last year, we had several container herbs, strawberries, and vegetables growing on the stoop and some sunflowers growing in the sidewalk.
    Kathryn Hill
    May 12, 2022
    Good Idea: Growing Strawberries in Hanging Bags
    We’ve been covering space-saving garden solutions this week, and today we’re sharing another great space-saving idea: the strawberry growing bags.Strawberries grow well in small spaces; they adapt well to containers and strawberry pots. However, growing food in containers doesn’t make maximum use of available space. When you live in a small space, you need to start thinking about the available vertical space. This tall Strawberry Growing Bag can hold ten strawberry plants.
    Kathryn Hill
    May 12, 2022
    Recipe: Rhubodka (Rhubarb Vodka)
    I love experimenting with home-infused alcohol. My friends Tim and Aaron turned me on to this homemade rhubarb vodka recipe. Rhubarb is in season right now, and although I love it in pies and jams, I wanted to try it in beverage form.This recipe is very easy to make, and my big jar of rhubodka is sitting next to the jars of Japanese plum wine I made a month ago, waiting to be ready for consumption.Rhubodka1 1.75-liter bottle of vodka – Tim says the bottom shelf cheap vodka is fine.
    Kathryn Hill
    May 12, 2022