Pappadams!

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: November 4, 2011

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Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

I made my staple Lemon-Cumin Dal the other day and while I served, Donna brought the pappadams over to the light for this photo. I always serve these Indian—what, crackers?—with dal. They add a delicate crisp crunch to the meal and an exotic (to me) flavor. If you've never served them, I urge you to try them. Not only delicious, but fun to cook! Made from lentil or chickpea flour, they're sold as flat smooth discs. Slip them into hot oil and they puff and fold and are finished in five seconds. While I'm hoping a prominent food blogger, who publishes one of the most lovely recipe blogs I know, will try the recipe for this mung-bean-based dal, featured in Twenty, it reminds me of two other writer cooks specializing in Indian ...

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Posted in Appetizers, Books, Ethnic Cuisine | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Twenty in the News

By emilia | Published: November 2, 2011

There has been a flurry of activity in regards to Michael's new book Ruhlman's Twenty it is featured in today's Chicago Tribune; "20 Steps to Better Cooking".  Joe Crea from Cleveland's The Plain Dealer writes about a few of the Twenty techniques, in "Michael Ruhlman's 'Twenty' Recipes.  Russ Parson's of the LA Times has also reviewed Twenty.     Upcoming Ruhlman Events Tonight at 6:00pm see Michael at Lantern in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Thursday Michael is back in Ohio for the Cleveland Culinary Challenge that is being held at the Tri-C Hospitality Management Center. On November 11 & 12 see Michael at the Fabulous Food Show in Cleveland. To learn more about events follow Michael on Facebook and Twitter.

 

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Posted in Article, Books | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Lunch with Pollan, Part Two:
Hopeful Words

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: October 31, 2011

Michael Pollan at The Greenhouse Tavern last week/photos by Donna Turner Ruhlman

Dan Moulthrop, a former journalism student of Michael Pollan, interviewed the writer before a sold-out crowd at the Ohio Theater last week. I asked Dan, Curator of Conversation at The Civic Commons, a Knight Foundation project to use new media and emerging technologies to strengthen civic engagement, for his thoughts on Pollan's visit. —M.R. by Daniel Moulthrop I woke up this morning from a dream in which I'd taken Michael Pollan to the West Side Market. It's just an echo of his Monday visit, and a remnant of a strong desire the Cleveland ambassador in me had to show him both that place and the Ohio City Farm. Here's my big takeaway from Monday night: The food system I grew up with is not ...

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Posted in aromatics, Food Adventure, Food Writing, Guest Post | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Lunch with Michael Pollan:
Two Words of Warning

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: October 27, 2011

On Monday, Writer’s Center Stage and Cuyahoga Public Library brought Michael Pollan to Cleveland to speak. He happened to be free for lunch and seemed delighted to be taken to The Greenhouse Tavern (above, photos by Donna Turner Ruhlman), for a taste of fall. Pollan, who lives, teaches and writes in Berkeley, CA, is tall and lanky, bobs his head a lot, smiles easily, and is engaging in conversation. He was for years a magazine editor in New York, and left full-time employment with no small amount of anxiety to complete his first book. His second book had mediocre sales, he noted (I read it long ago, excellent book). The Botony of Desire faired better, but it was The Omnivore's Dilemma that transformed him from non-fiction author and ...

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Posted in chefs, Farming, Food Politics, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 32 Comments

Green!

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: October 24, 2011

I ran this photo by Donna a while ago, but came across it this weekend and love it so much I decided to put it back up. Just because. Want to see something even more beautiful? Watch this video, from Grant Achatz and the team at Alinea and Next, the restaurant that is now devoted to childhood. Anyone else tear up? It was the beaters that got me. (My colleague Emilia Juocys found it and put it in the Sidenotes here but it deserves to be featured.)

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Posted in Uncategorized | 21 Comments

Chicago, XOCO & Chocolate

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: October 20, 2011

I'm such a homebody, I dread book tour trips and typically stress about them, and I nearly always return thrilled to have gone and surprised and amazed by what I encountered. Last week was Chicago and the schedule was so tight that I took a taxi from O'Hare straight to the Chicago Tribune's test kitchen where Monica Eng, formerly a food reporter now on the investigative beat, reverted to her former purview to join me in making an easy Coq au Vin from Ruhlman's Twenty (I forgot how good it was till I tasted it—haven't made it since Donna took the pix). I had time for a quick lunch after across the street at The Purple Pig (pig ears and the artichokes), excellent casual place recommended by a twitter friend. That night there was ...

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Posted in Books, chefs, Desserts, Food Adventure, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Curing Ground Meat: Soppressata

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: October 18, 2011

Soppressata w-credit In honor of this month's #charcutepalooza challenge over at Mrs. Wheelbarrow, I'm reposting this soppressata recipe from a couple years back. Wishing all who take up the challenge well. Happy curing! While David Lebovitz considers molecular gastronomy and  The Alinea Cookbook in a long and thoughtful post today (he approaches with great skepticism, as he's a traditionalist at heart, and leaves with appreciation having come back round to where he'd begun but by a whole new route), I would like to consider some of the oldest molecular gastronomical magic known to man.  Combining ground pork and salt and seasonings, introducing to it some microscopic creatures, and waiting for it to dry a little, to achieve a tangy flavorful sausage that has never gone above room temperature. In December, a few of us went in on a pig.  One of the pleasures of hand-raised hog is ...

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Posted in Charcutepalooza, Charcuterie, From Scratch, Pork!, Recipes, Salumi | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

Ruhlman’s Twenty: The Winners

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: October 14, 2011

Whisk/photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman (the book's opening image)

Winners were chosen at random, but the ah-ha moments were so interesting and so vast, they deserve their own post, or maybe even a book!  Many thanks to all who offered their personal "Ah-Ha."  And thank you Rob Levitt, of Chicago's Butcher & Larder for suggesting this idea in the first place! Here are the winners of a signed copy of Ruhlman's Twenty: 20 Techniques; 100 Recipes; A Cook's Manifesto and their "Ah-Ha" moment: Ryan: My Ah-Ha moment came the first time I used a knife that wasn't from a garage sale or Walmart. Before that moment cutting food (much less cooking it) was always a chore; something done because it had to be, not because I wanted to. But from the first moment I used a real ...

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Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Ruhlman’s Twenty Giveaway:
Win a Signed Copy (Ah-Ha!)

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: October 10, 2011

As I begin to travel this week to promote my new book, I want to give away five personalized signed copies. But I want something from you. An "ah-ha" moment. Earlier in the month, promoting my appearance at Butcher & Larder in Chicago, owner Rob Levitt asked people for just such a moment, a revelation, a moment when you tasted something, combined two uncommon ingredients, used a tool in a new way, that changed the way you saw food, the kitchen, cooking. I've had many, and they're always a thrill. I write about one in the new book, the time my chef instructor at the CIA, Michael Pardus, tasted my cream of broccoli soup and said, "This is good. But I want you to take this back to your station and taste it again. Then I want you to ...

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French Onion Soup

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: October 6, 2011

 

Onion soup, with croutons and melted cheese/Photos by Donna Turner Ruhlman

Funny.  The recipes people are pulled toward, desire, crave, are the most basic. Like Onion soup. Part of why I love people’s hunger for basic food is because there’s so much to learn from the simplest dishes. This recipe is from the new book, Ruhlman’s Twenty.  The new book attempts to distill cooking down to 20 fundamental techniques. Two of the techniques are not verbs but rather nouns: water and onion—two of the most powerful ingredients in your kitchen, rarely given the reverence they deserve. The soup deserves this high praise not only because it’s delicious and satisfying, but because it was borne out of economy. This is a peasant soup, made from onions, a scrap ...

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Posted in aromatics, Books, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, Soups | Tagged , , , | 49 Comments

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