Flash in the Pan is a weekly food column, precisely engineered to be complete nutrition for your mind brain. If you are an editor or publisher in search of food content, click here to learn more about adding Flash to your fine food section. If you are a private citizen in search of gastronomic adventure, you can get there from here. Below, you will find links to the lovely websites of my fabulous client papers, where you can read all of my previously published columns.
Welcome to the Pan
About halfway through our family trip to Andalusia, the United States restricted air travel from Europe, and Spain declared a state of emergency. The geopolitical and pandemic crosscurrents at play were difficult to read, even from the rooftop terrace of our house in Guajar Faraguit, a quiet village in the hill country above the Strait of Gibraltar. We tried to sniff the breeze for guidance, but all we could smell were lemon blossoms. (give it a read here)
When I asked the bearded, rosy-faced gentleman about his favorite beet dishes, his grin widened. Then he leaned in, using his fingers to enumerate the ingredients: “Beets, carrots, potatoes—cooked. Chopped onions and pickles. Little bit of oil.” (more).
I love pumpkin pie, but I hate making crust. And I will gladly spend more time not making a crust than I would have spent making it. I’ll make pumpkin souffle, pumpkin pudding cups, or some other crust-free pumpkin-based alternative. (more)
Thanksgiving marks the start of the winter holidays, and a parallel season of enhanced leftovers consumption. It can be a freewheeling, chaotic time, when pieces of feasts and roast beasts are combined and reheated. But amid improvisations like refried mashed potatoes and microwaved kale salad, the most sacred act of leftovers season remains constant: bird bone soup. (more)
When I asked the bearded, rosy-faced gentleman about his favorite beet dishes, his grin widened. Then he leaned in, using his fingers to enumerate the ingredients: “Beets, carrots, potatoes—cooked. Chopped onions and pickles. Little bit of oil.” (more).
I love pumpkin pie, but I hate making crust. And I will gladly spend more time not making a crust than I would have spent making it. I’ll make pumpkin souffle, pumpkin pudding cups, or some other crust-free pumpkin-based alternative. (more)
After the first big frost of the season, things got real at the farmers market. Buyers arrived, knowing it was our last chance for warm weather crops; I was there for tomatoes, and I felt like a big spender with my two boxes earmarked for salsa. Then, Chef Scott Gill showed up with a hand truck, as if to remind me that I’m a wannabe player, and loaded it with crates of lipstick-red sweet peppers. With one season ending, another was beginning, and soon we were chatting about Brussels sprouts. (more)
Hot peppers and cheese are a winning combination. Whether it’s red flakes on a slice of pizza, a spicy tray of cheese-drenched nachos or a serving of ema datshi (a Himalayan dish of hot chile and molten cheese), the action is the same: The fat in the cheese embraces the violence of the capsaicin, absorbing the heat with its creaminess. Even in meals where the heat level doesn’t warrant protection, the pungent flavor of chile remains a perfect match for a rich bite of cheese. (more)
With a fresh pomegranate in your palm, you have magic at your fingertips. Wave your hand, and food becomes more beautiful, more delicious and more exciting. Toss those juicy rubies on salad, soup, steak, linguine al funghi, Brazilian black bean soup, granola and yogurt. The flavor added by these fleshy seed packages, called arils, matches the color: sharp and sweet (more).
For the candy industry, Halloween is like Christmas. The five biggest candy-shopping days of the year are all in…read more
When people say they like pumpkin spice-flavored foods, what they mean is they like pumpkin pie-flavored…read more
