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Entries by Andrew Hunter (96)

Thursday
Sep292011

Autumn Sweet Potato Soup

By Andrew Hunter

Sweet potatoes have gone from obscurity to celebrity in the last few years. They now grace plates in every menu category, especially side dishes, of restaurants from fast food to fine dining. I’m not a nutritionist, but a simple review of their nutritional label shows some real benefits to these orange-fleshed tubers. They weigh in with fewer calories and carbs than russets and they contain more than 700% of your Vitamin A for the day…no kidding.

As a parent, sweet potatoes are the kind of veggie you hope your kids will like. Heck, I’ll even let the boys eat sweet potato fries if it makes them happy. But as summer fades into fall, and I start thinking about the chilly weather, turning leaves and woolen sweaters of my Michigan childhood, I automatically think of soup.

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Thursday
Sep082011

Late Summer Gazpacho

By Andrew Hunter

One of the greatest gifts a chef can receive is when their guests come back, time and again, for the same dish. When I worked for Wolfgang Puck, there was an architect from Spain who lived down the street from one of the restaurants where I spent a lot of time. She would always order the summer gazpacho and tell me it was better than she got back home. A few kisses on both cheeks and she would be back the next day for another bowl.

Spaniards have debated gazpacho style for decades – maybe centuries. Smooth or chunky, white or red, simple or complex. Everyone agrees though, that it needs to be made with fresh summer tomatoes, and that it hits the spot on a hot summer day. Our boys turned up their noses at first, but learned to like gazpacho by dipping their bread into it like salsa; now they drink it like a veggie smoothie.

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Thursday
Sep012011

Empanadas para la Familia

By Andrew Hunter

Little savory hand-held pies called empanadas are a big hit in the Hunter house. We have an empanada shop close by, but we often make them at home. They’re super simple and easy to customize.

Perfect for lunch, dinner, or an on-the-go snack, one empanada is plenty for the typical appetite, especially if served with a salad and vegetable dish. We even pack them in the boys’ lunch boxes. Bake and serve them all, or freeze some to bake next week.

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Thursday
Aug182011

Family Paella

By Andrew Hunter

Paella is truly a family meal and usually includes friends because it’s impossible to make less than enough for the neighborhood. At our house, we have an outdoor propane burner that I bought at a Chinese hardware store. We use it for party-sized stir-fries and paella. There are enough BTUs to singe the leaves in the trees 20 feet high.

Paella is Spain’s national dish made in a shallow pan with a flat bottom and handles on each side. The great thing is you can customize it to your tastes and budget … if you’re feeling flush, add shrimp and mussels, if you’re cooking for finicky kids, chicken and sausage.

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Thursday
Aug112011

Sweet Summer Corn 

By Andrew Hunter

Growing up in Michigan, sweet corn was as much a part of summer as swimming and humidity. I remember going to our local farm market called Leverett’s for corn so sweet that it satisfied my candy cravings.

Mrs. Leverett, who was also our source for pumpkins, Christmas trees and all things seasonal, taught me the quicker you go from stalk to pot, the sweeter the corn will be. I learned as a chef that the natural sugars change to starch after corn is picked, so while she probably didn’t understand the science, Mrs. Leverett knew enough to put a burner and pot of water in the field she was picking to capture that sugar before it escaped.

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