Truffles: Move Over Piedmont, Here Comes Balehonnur

As Susan Boyle recently showed the world, appearances can be deceptive. Take the truffle, for example. It’s never going to win a culinary beauty contest – heck, it’s not even going to qualify for the first round. Yet this butt-ugly mofo manages to find its way into the kitchens of the rich, the famous, the [...]

Potatoes (#2 What Can I Do With…)

… I’m back. After eight (okay, more than eight) weeks of eating, drinking, traveling, and trying to help someone fight for justice from possible hospital negligence. Oh, and did I mention that my best friend (she of flying yellow pepper fame) delivered twins?
When the rain forces me to roll myself out of my hammock, I [...]

Olive Oil: Mysteries Revealed

Seems like everyone’s into olive oil these days. I’ve seen it in restaurants, in stores, on dining tables, and in kitchens everywhere – even the most traditional of Brahmin adige manes and Punjabi rasoi ghars.
“Yeh toh haalth ke liye achcha hota hai, toh hum ab isme hi pakaate hai sub kuch,” (This is good for [...]

Red Pepper, Yellow Pepper: “What Can I Do With…” #1

My closest friend threw a yellow pepper at me the other day. Really.  “What the hell am I supposed to do with this?” she hollered.  She’s pregnant, and her husband has taken over the vegetable shopping. Seduced by the alluring colors and neat packaging he sees at their local Namdharis store, he stocks their refrigerator [...]