You say “prawn”, I say “shrimp”, let’s call the whole thing risotto…. Is there a difference between prawns and shrimp? In colloquial usage, generally not. Many of us use the two terms interchangeably. It’s a cultural given that folk from the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, lean towards prawn, while those from the US… Read More Risotto, Prawns & Shrimp

Menu #12 March 21-23 – 2019 – 21-23 de Marzo Favorite Plates / Platos Favoritos   It was Purim week, and while nothing in our meal was a traditional Purim dish, each one had inspirations from tradition. Gravlax translated to a modern style ceviche, we had a spicy bean soup, smoked trout found its way… Read More Purim Inspirations

Menu #11 March 14-16 – 2019 – 14-16 de Marzo “Life is short, eat dessert first. / La vida es corte, coma el postre primero.”   A strange, stray thought occurred to me when I looked at this picture of our dessert this week…. If someone is colorblind, does it more or less just completely… Read More Sweet, Bordering on Savory

Menu #10 March 7-9 – 2019 – 7-9 de Marzo     Mixed Ceviche with Lime & Tangerine – sole, scallops, and prawns, cured in a mix of lime and tangerine juices, ginger, Chinese chili flakes, Szechuan peppercorns, salt, olive oil; garnished with limo chilies, cilantro, red onion, fried mote corn. Ceviche Mixto con Lima… Read More Minor Jumbles

Menu #9 February 27-March 1 – 2019 – 27 de Febrero-1 de Marzo   Ajoblanco – White Gazpacho Puree of garlic, almonds, bread, olive oil, sherry, white wine vinegar, salt, white pepper. Shrimp and cockles. Piquillo pepper puree. Olive oil. Limo chilies. Puré de ajo, almendras, pan, aceite de oliva, jeréz, vinagre de vino blanco,… Read More Garlic and Shiso, Pretty as Pictures

Menu #8 February 21-23 – 2019 – 21-23 de Febrero   I’m not going to go through each dish from last week’s menu, as you’ve seen several of them before. Our wine theme was a whimsical one – wines from three-grape blends. Just for fun! No voy a repasar cada plato del menú de la… Read More Parts is Parts

Menu #7 February 14-16 – 2019 – 14-16 de Febrero Wines with Spanish Roots / Vinos con Raices Españoles   Salmon “Causa” – potato puree flavored with yellow chili, lemon juice, olive oil, salt; diced raw salmon, avocado, cilantro in lime and szechuan peppercorn mayonnaise; cherry tomatoes, roasted red onion petals, smoked salmon caviar, chives.… Read More Roots in Spain

We’re thinking about making some changes in our Casa SaltShaker format over the next couple of months. One of the things I want to do is put more emphasis on the wines, and have some sort of theme for the week that relates to them, and then plan the dishes around them. The other, and… Read More Five Shades of Pinot Noir