Sometimes one food can drive me so crazy, so happy, so obsessed that matters get a bit out of hand. That would be the case with carnitas.  Having moved from Vermont to Colorado, there is nothing more intriguing, more foreign, than true Mexican cuisine.

Carnitas are made using one of the most inexpensive cuts of pork... shoulder or Boston butt. Here, I can acquire a hormone and antibiotic free cut for about two-three dollars per pound.  I find that preparing three pounds is about ideal. Enough for a hearty meal for two and another meal of leftovers. There is a good amount of fat on the meal that will either be cut off or cook down during the process.

My favorite thing about the process of cooking carnitas is the initial browning of the meat.  It creates the most splendid, euphoric scent.  Browning a meat with so much fat does produce a significant amount of dark...

I love meat and potatoes dishes.  Who doesn't?  They are comforting food for the soul. Sometimes, though, the smooth and starchy potato just don't have the character to hold up to gamey, fatty meats such as lamb.  The slightly bitter sweet parsnip stands up very well to the richness of lamb.

Parsnips are a rather overlooked root vegetable. They were as common as carrots in Roman times, and were a very common starch until the potato arrived from the New World.  They grow very well in hardy cold climates, their flavor becoming more defined as they hibernate in cold soil until after the first frost when they are traditionally harvested.

This dish started out as a parsnip and potato puree in my mind, but seeing as I had some extra time on my hands, waiting for the clock to count to midnight on New Year's Eve, it became a gratin. 

The soulful creaminess of the...

Comfort food comes in many forms. For me, most food provides comfort.  Whether it be a spoonful of peanut butter with a banana, a pile of pancakes saturated with maple syrup accompanied by a thick slab of bacon, or radishes dipped in creamy butter and topped with sea salt. Sustenance is a right of life, but enjoyment of culinary bounty is a privilege enjoyed by too few.



I decided it was important to begin the new year on an earthy note this time around; and graced our plates with rich and seductively fatty braised lamb shanks, earthy, rooty parsnips and potatoes fancied up in a bubbly gratin, a dense loaf of brown bread to sop up the mess and a bowl of simply steamed broccoli to balance out the richness.

The dinner was splendid, and a well composed reminder of the fortunes yet to be told in the year to come. For it is in this year ahead that my life partner and I will pledge...

In the depth of winter, on a zero degree day, little can make me happier than a bowl of rich chocolate pudding. I had a strong craving for this recently and knew that life simply couldn't go on without it. Some folks lust over chocolate cream pie... but I can do without the crust as for me it is an unnecessary texture and flavor in my pudding.

This recipe, I have adapted to accommodate my distrust of corn products where they do not belong. A brief internet search will reveal hundreds of pudding recipes dotted and packed with corn starch, which I find completely unacceptable. This recipe uses none and is all the better for it. It also contains quite a bit more chocolate than many recipes and thus has a dense chocolate flavor that is unrivaled. A dollop or three of chocolate whipped cream over-top is the ideal addition of light and fluffy to this decadent dessert.

We ate this pudding...