Where to eat, what to cook, and what's happening around the city. Straight from the team that has been touring Columbus kitchens since 2010.
During my protracted trip back to Columbus something caught my eye in the British Airways magazine: Ice lettuce Invented in Ohio, ice lettuce is the next fêted leaf. It’s exposed to freezing temperatures to concentrate its sugar content and amplify its juiciness. Watch out for chefs such as Raymond Blanc using it in their menus. The article,
Read moreI first started going to Wagamama in 1992. In those days there was only one branch in Streatham Street, Bloomsbury near the British Museum and close to the intersection of Oxford St and Tottenham Court Road. I had just graduated from high school, was working in London and earning money for the first time. Wagamama
Read moreIt seems inconceivable that the new year starts and we are still eating up left over turkey. Slightly depressing when everything is about new year’s resolutions, fresh starts and all that, but I guess it goes along with the irony that most people start the new year with a hang over. Eating leftovers however, do
Read moreIn November I made a cold brussels sprout salad with cheese and walnuts. Soon after I went to Alana’s and had a similar dish, but served hot and if I recall correctly with blue cheese and a walnut oil dressing. On boxing day I made a warm brussels sprout salad with some lemon Wensleydale, lemon juice,
Read moreEnglish bacon. Definitely one of the things I miss.
Read moreMy parents have a house in North Nottinghamshire, near the market town of Retford (pop 21,000). This is Robin Hood country, with what remains of Sherwood Forest nearby (not much!) and it is also the area that the Pilgrim fathers originally hailed from. There are a couple of coal mines in the area (a lot
Read moreI was away from home last year for Christmas so it is even more enjoyable spending christmas at home this year with my parents. I arrived home on the 23rd and dinner was oxtail stew with mashed potato and swede (rutabaga) and spring cabbage. I haven’t had oxtail for a long time. It was banned
Read moreFondue is social, delicious and perfect for cold winter evenings. Here is a simple to follow classic cheese fondue recipe. There are a lot of options to choose from online and different methods. The methods vary (such as when and how to add the corn starch) but the ingredients are fairly consistent. Next year, I
Read moreOne of the books I brought on my my trip was ‘How I learned to Cook: Culinary educations from the world’s greatest chefs’. The book came out in 2006 and you can hear an NPR feature about it here. It is a follow up to a previous collection ‘Don’t try this at home’ . I
Read moreI am in Miami Beach for 10 days on a winter rowing trip. This is an annual trip and we usually frequent the local grocery store (Publix) and the restaurants close to the hotel, with an occasional trip to South Beach. This year I decided to try and find some Slow Food friendly places and
Read moreChristmas parties in England are accompanied with foods such as mince pies, satsumas, sausage rolls, mulled wine and boxes of quality street. Mince pies are certainly the most ubiquitous pre-christmas food, either shop bought of home-made in all sorts of sizes and varieties, and it seems hard to go anywhere in December without being offered
Read moreI first used chipotle peppers in adobo sauce last weekend for Heidi Swanson’s baby lima bean soup. I think they are wonderful and can’t get enough of their smoky heat. I am planning to make the soup again tomorrow with just chick peas but in the meantime I was on the look out for other recipes and
Read moreIt is hard to believe that it is December. November has flown by and in its passing I realize that there are lots of things that I could and should have posted about. In no particular order here is a quick wrap up of some of the places and foods I have enjoyed in the
Read moreI had amazing gnocchi at Lisa’s October dinner, made by Chef Seth Warren. Since then I have ordered gnocchi at several restaurants in the hope of being similarly enraptured. Sadly, each time I have been disappointed and the gnocchi were not sufficiently different to the supermarket variety. Leafing through Simon Hopkinson’s ‘Second Helpings of Roast
Read moreOne of my thanksgiving highlights was picking arugula from my garden on November 27th for a delicious lunchtime salad of arugula, baby white turnips and radishes. We had a non-traditional pot-luck thanksgiving dinner. Not a turkey in sight, but a feast nonetheless. Here is the menu. Beet, goat cheese, pecan and mixed green salad made
Read moreI am not sure why, but for the last month or so I have had an obsession with Baked Alaska. I was tempted to try making it around election night (seemed appropriately Palin-esque, but I didn’t have time). I think I might have had Baked Alaska once as a child, but I can’t remember if
Read moreI was very lucky to be treated to a biscotti master class yesterday. My friend Suzanna makes amazing biscotti and came over to teach me her secrets. It is hard to believe that her biscotti are home-made, they are that good, but she claimed it was easy. She was right, the recipe is surprisingly simple
Read moreBobotie is a South African dish, a little like moussaka or Shepherd’s pie. A savory mince with a subtle curry flavor, topped with a savory custard. It is something we used to eat at home but I haven’t made it for years. I remember using the recipe for a home economics class when I was
Read moreThere were only four stall holders braving the cold at the market yesterday. The Thomas’s selling apples and cider, Toad Hill, Wayward Seed and Elizabeth Telling. With temperatures in the twenties, they really deserved some support. With the cold weather and a noon football game the market was as quiet as I have seen it.
Read moreI made pumpkin soup again, this time with my red kabocha squash. It is definitely soup weather now, with the temperature was in the 20s today (Fahrenheit – brrrrr). This time I made Nigel Slater’s spiced pumpkin soup with bacon. It is online on the Guardian website with some of his other recipes. There are a few
Read moreI thought it would be more helpful to post a couple of thanksgiving ideas now, rather than post holiday. I say thanksgiving, but these are Christmas recipes chez Woolf – so I guess turkey dinner ideas is most accurate. Margaux and Tim invited me round for a trial run thanksgiving on saturday and I was
Read moreFollowing on from my previous post about comfort food, last night was the Slow Food pot luck. I made a Nigel Slater recipe Baked Onions with parmesan and cream, which he kindly has online. I used smaller onions because I knew there would be lots of food and people would just want small tastes. I
Read moreA wet wintry day at the market and only a few stalls. The sort of day that makes you want to make soup. Stalwarts the Thomas’s were there with a huge array of apples. I bought Braeburns this week. Also Tim from Toad Hill with arugula, red mustard greens and spinach. I bought a buttercup
Read moreThis recipe is from my Mom who originally found it in Cookies Galore (Post Cereals). She made these a lot when I was little and they fit quite a few of the criteria for comfort food. As you can see they are really easy, delicious and have an interesting knobbly texture. They are kind
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