RadioGastronomy The table as the gravitational center of our lives.
Side Dishes & Accompaniments
Kalafiory w Cieście (Polish Cauliflower Pie)
“Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.” -Legendary American author, pistol, troubled entrepreneur, and avid traveller Mark Twain
Fattoush (Lebanese Peasant Salad with Pita Croutons)
“A salad is not a meal. It is a style.” -Feisty, chain-smoking New York-based writer, humorist, and iconic trend-setter Fran Lebowitz
Tuna, White Bean, & Tomato Salad with Meyer Lemon & Fresh Herbs
“I have to quit these peas. Peas are no good for me, I better try corn or beans.” -Stephen King, American master of horror, fantasy, and suspenseful writing, in his best-selling 1994 novel Insomnia
Raw Kale Salad with Miso Sesame Dressing, Golden Raisins, & Crispy Okinawa Sweet Potato
“I don’t care what they say, kale is a good garnish, I don’t think it’s ready to anchor a meal.” -Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Prichett on the popular ABC comedy Modern Family
Babaganouj (Lebanese Eggplant Purée)
“Very well, I will marry you if you promise not to make me eat eggplant.” -Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez in his celebrated examination of the complexities involved in matters of the heart, Love In The Time Of Cholera
Colorful Quinoa Grain Salad with Latin Flavors
“One grain of sand. That’s all that remains of my vast empire.” -Doe-eyed Childlike Empress, the fading, heart-broken, actually-very-old ruler of Fantasia in Wolfgang Petersen’s 1984 film adaptation of The Neverending Story
Salata Faki (Greek-Style Cold Lentil Salad)
“Well, it’s mostly lentils, but there’s some crockery mixed in.” -Nigel Planer as politically depressed neu-hippie Neil Pye in the early-80′s BBC Britcom comedy of manners The Young Ones
Erdäpfelsalat (Austrian-Style Potato Salad)
“I benefit from the Mr. Potato Head syndrome. Put a wig and a nose and glasses on me, and I disappear.” -Phil Hartman, immensely talented and sadly passed-before-his-time Canadian-American comedian, actor, and alum of such awesomeness as SNL, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, and The Simpsons
Spanakopita
“Eat your spinach, you no good infink. Eat it. EAT IT. Eat it.” -Poopdeck Pappy, Popeye’s spitting image and reluctant, foul-mouthed father
Braised Yao Choy with Shaoxing Wine & Toasted Sesame Seeds
“Making sex is like a Chinese dinner – it ain’t over ’til you both get your cookies.” -The incomparable Alec Baldwin as Old Man Dunphy in the Farrelly Brothers’ 1999 comedy Outside Providence
Homemade Ricotta Cheese
“Society is commonly too cheap. We meet at very short intervals, not having had time to acquire any new value for each other. We meet at meals three times a day, and give each other a new taste of that old musty cheese that we are.” -Henry David Thoreau, American transcendentalist, tree-hugger, political activist, and writer
Pickled Red Cabbage & Asian Pear Salad with Poppyseeds
“The time has come,’ the walrus said, ‘to talk of many things: of shoes and ships and sealing wax – of cabbages and kings.” -Lewis Carroll, British author, clergyman, mathematician, and photographer, from his classic book Through the Looking Glass
Baked Mac & Cheese with Herbed Panko Topping & Fresh Tomato
“He puts some MacAttack Mac & Cheese in the microwave and dons headphones and takes out a video game so he won’t be bored during the forty seconds it takes his lunch to cook.” -George Saunders, awesome American writer/satirist, from his 2006 short story collection In Persuasion Nation
Chipotle Jicama Slaw with Asian Pear, Green Cabbage, and Radish
“I wonder what you’d have on the side with a plate of Deep-Fried Anxiety. Pickles? Coleslaw? Potato-Strychnine mash?” -Robin McKinley, American writer and repeat Newbery offender (man I loved Newbery books as a kid…..The Westing Game! Ramona Quimby, Age 8! Sigh.)
Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Curried Yogurt Dipping Sauce
“It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems with just potatoes.” -Douglas Adams, British author, satirist, and mastermind of the incredible “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”
Dad’s Roasted Garlic & Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes
“The next time I have meat and mashed potatoes, I think I’ll put a very large blob of potatoes on my plate with just a little piece of meat. And if someone asks me why I didn’t get more meat, I’ll just say ‘Oh, you mean this?’ and pull out a big piece of meat from inside the blob of potatoes, where I’ve hidden it. Good magic trick, huh?” -Jack Handey, American author and humorist
Grandma Rose’s Broccoli Gratin
“Fatherhood is telling your daughter that Michael Jackson loves all his fans, but has special feelings for the ones that eat broccoli.” -Bill Cosby, American comedian & author