Big City Cooking by Matthew Kenny and Joan Schwartz

Cover of Big City Cooking by Matthew Kenny and Joan Schwartz

New bookstores are fabulous. Used bookstores are fantastic. The places that combine both are amazing. The place that is an “entire city block”:http://www.powells.com/locations/powells-city-of-books/ is beyond words. At least, that’s how I felt being there. I think that while we were in Portland, OR we visited Powell’s City of Books and/or “Powell’s Technical Books”:http://www.powells.com/locations/powells-technical-books/ at least twice. We were only in Portland for about three days, so that should give you an indication of how much we enjoyed the place.

In truth, I think I like used bookstores better than new bookstores. I truly love all bookstores, and new bookstores show me what’s just come out or what’s on the horizon. But used bookstores offer up old-time gems that you might never otherwise encounter at a library or in a friend’s home, which is just lovely.… Continue reading →

[5] Slow-Roasted Salmon with Yogurt and Cardamom

Big City Cooking

As you can probably imagine, right now a lot of our meals start with, “What do we have in the house?” and “What recipes do we have in cookbooks?” This was particularly hard until 2 June 2010 (when we made this dish) because we had been holding off on buying very much food until our first CSA share arrived. We purchased a few things at one of the city’s farmers’ markets two days before the share arrived to supplement what we already had, but that was it.

This salmon dish was the first recipe we made after going out for groceries. I was rather hesitant about it, but it turned out fairly well. The best part? Having leftover salmon to top salads with the next day!… Continue reading →