Author Archives: diary of a tomato

2.19.12 Persephone rising

Posted on February 20, 2012 by diary of a tomato

“As the story goes, the earth goddess Demeter had a daughter, Persephone, who was abducted by Hades to live with him as his wife in the netherworld. Demeter would have nothing to do with this and threatened to shut down … Continue reading →

Posted in garden | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Sesame Braised Daikon with Mushrooms and Ginger

Posted on February 17, 2012 by diary of a tomato

I finally gave into temptation. Does cooking in a clay pot really make a difference? I’m not certain, but this newly-acquired La Chamba is so beguiling, I find myself looking for excuses to cook with it. I’m just grateful I don’t live … Continue reading →

Posted in cooking | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Linguine con Zucca, or Pasta with Shredded Winter Squash and Sage

Posted on February 15, 2012 by diary of a tomato

One of the first things I noticed in Italy was how the menus were written. Our limited vocabulary made them difficult to decipher, and there seemed a terse vagueness to the way food was described. Zucca, or squash, was particularly mystifying … Continue reading →

Posted in cooking | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Valentine interlude

Posted on February 14, 2012 by diary of a tomato

“It’s only with the heart one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery, “The Little Prince”

Posted in interlude | 1 Comment

2.12.12 The winter pantry

Posted on February 13, 2012 by diary of a tomato

With many months remaining before the next growing season, February is a good time to take stock of what we have in storage. When we bought our house we knew we wanted a full basement, but never anticipated using it … Continue reading →

Posted in garden | 17 Comments

Pot-Roasted Chicken with Bacon, Celery Root and Calvados

Posted on February 10, 2012 by diary of a tomato

This wasn’t the first time I almost caught the kitchen cabinets on fire. When it comes to culinary technique, there are a couple of things I’m remarkably bad at, and burning off alcohol is one of them. It may be … Continue reading →

Posted in cooking | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

La Brea Sourdough Bagels

Posted on February 8, 2012 by diary of a tomato

I can’t help but think of these as dinosaur bagels. This second batch is from the baking book, Nancy Silverton’s Breads from La Brea Bakery, and before Silverton made it famous for her bread, La Brea was known by every Los Angeleno … Continue reading →

Posted in cooking | Tagged | 12 Comments