"mediterranean" news and stories

At the start of every summer, I do this. I tell myself I am going to make all kinds of new foods with the summer's produce bounty, particularly vegetables that I have never cooked myself before. Like a high school girl on summer vacation between sophomore and junior year, I want to flirt with all different kinds of vegetables that I find randomly at the farmers' markets!

Um, never mind about that "high school girl on summer vacation" part. I took college prep classes during the summers...

Anyway, at the start, I always tell myself I want to expand my cooking horizons by challenging myself with something new in the kitchen every day, or even every week, and I always end up having one long torrid affair with one vegetable every summer. One summer I was enamored of zucchini. The summer before that, I was having a hot fling with every kind of tomato I could get my hands on. This year, I've been seeing eggplant. A lot. In fact, you might call us "an item."

Could you imagine waking up at dawn each morning to knead and shape dough, letting it rise for a few hours, then take it to a centrally located oven where it is baked alongside everyone else's? This is the norm for many families in places like Morocco, though with modernization the tradition is beginning to fade.

In Pixar's latest film Ratatouille, Remy the Rat learned his culinary skills from the best of the best - Thomas Keller, owner of French Laundry in Yountville, California.

Is your organic food really all organic? The Department of Agriculture is preparing to approve a list of non-organic ingredients that could make the cut in food stamped with their organic seal

Eric Asimov takes a look at the delights of Beaujolais in 'The Pour'

Frank Bruni asks some of the more prominent names in the food industry which meals or moments in their pasts were "pinnacles of carnivorous gluttony." Yes, pig snout made the list.

This week's recipes:

Lamb Schnitzels With Mint-Horseradish Pesto, Confit Byaldi, Lamb and Bulgur Kibbe With Garlic Yogurt Sauce, Chicken With Couscous, Moroccan Anise-Flavored Bread (Khubz), Tagine of Fish, Pea and Crab Salad

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Lately I've found myself in the mood for raw oysters. This extreme closeup that I found today over on Chez Pim has made me crave them even more. I can almost taste the briny juices from this beautiful, ultrafresh specimen. I don't know about you, but I take my oysters neat, so as to better savor the taste of the sea. Tabasco and lemon only mask the flavor. Chez Pim took this shot at Paco Meralgo, a tapas bar in the mecca of tapas bars, Barcelona. Pim heaps much praise on the tapas at Paco Meralgo, but points out that the real star is the incredibly fresh seafood, including razor clams and langoustines. I've always known that there's a lot more to tapas than jamon, cheese and olives, but this whole fresh seafood thing takes it to another level. Enough tapas talk, I'm off to the nearest raw bar.

[via Tastespotting]

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Harold McGee takes a look at the various tastes, smells, and anti-inflammatory properties of extra virgin olive oils - is that what makes Mediterranean cooking so healthful?

Eric Asimov sends thanks to those who affect the wine trade beyond the vineyard - from sommeliers to importers, from consumers to bloggers.

Mark Bittman puts the spotlight on an American in Paris - Patricia Wells. Her resume includes cookbook author, restaurant reviewer, food writer and culinary guru. Yes, she also worked with Joël.

Want to quit your job so you can cook? Audrey Davidow takes a peek into the lives of those that have done it, and are now living their dream

This week's recipes:

Zucchini Carpaccio With Avocado

Almond and Buttermilk Sorbet

Discover a new twist on an old favorite - meatballs done three ways:
Veal and Ricotta Meatballs
Pork Meatballs with Yogurt Dressing
Tuna Meatballs

Forget bottled salad dressings, make your own Creamy Lemon-Chive Dressing

You have the dressing, now you need a salad: Couscous Salad With Spinach

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Remember the Vocation Vacations I mentioned earlier on which you can go on vacation and live out four dream job as a star chef, a baker, or even a restaurant owner? Well, food-related vacationing seems to be quite the trend these days, as the New York Times Travel section points out. Hotels are now opening up their kitchens to provide learning experiences for their guests. Writer Taylor Holliday has gone to Turkey and Vietnam to do such a thing, and also lists the Shaw Guides and the International Kitchen as resources for finding your next culinary vacation.

Me? I'd love to go to Spain. Then again, I don't think I'd actually want to cook. I just want to eat!