BEEN COOKING…

Posted: September 28, 2026 in Uncategorized
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Whole red snapper. I almost always order a whole fish when I see it on the menu at a restaurant. But I’ve never tried cooking one at home until now. My fishmonger cleaned and scaled the fish, so I just rubbed it with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and put it on a sheet pan in a preheated 350° oven. I cooked it until the fish registered 140° on a thermometer. And in a pan on the stovetop, I made a variation of aglio olio: extra virgin olive oil, lots of chopped garlic, chopped parsley, and some scallions. Fried it up until the garlic was crispy and poured it on top of the fish.
That may not look like ribs in the corner, but it’s a nice, fat, Berkshire pork rib with my homemade barbecue sauce. Smoked it with hickory for about five hours. Found some organic collards at Whole Foods, so I cooked them down, throwing leftover chicken parts into the pot, to give it some flavor. When it was time to serve, I reheated them, seasoning with salt and pepper. Kept it simple. And finally, what they call ‘fava” in Santorini, Greece. It’s actually yellow split peas that I boiled in a pot of water and chicken stock, with an onion thrown in. Cooked it all down until it became a porridge, and then I put it in the blender to whip it up. Served with capers.
And let’s talk cocktails. I’ve been a fan of Vesper martinis forever, but I’m getting tired of Lile’s, and since I don’t use it that often, it goes bad in the fridge. Same thing with Cocchi Americano. (Those are the two fortified wines that most people will argue back-and-forth about when it comes to what belongs in a Vesper.) But I have more use for an excellent vermouth so my “faux” Vesper is three parts gin, one part vodka, and just a rinse of the glass with the vermouth. Twist of lemon.

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