Author Archives: Gary Allen

When I was a child, one the best dishes — at least to my childish palate — was my mother’s onion soup. Her recipe was simplicity itself: take several silver-​​​​wrapped cubes of beef bouillon from the little white cardboard can decorated with red cows, dissolve them … Continue reading →

Zhōng Guó It’s the Chinese name for China. It means “middle kingdom,” because they regarded themselves as a bit of civilization at the center of the world, surrounded by barbarians. Since they created one of the world’s greatest cuisines, in company … Continue reading →

What is a Sauce? Everyone knows the answer, right? It’s that fluid substance we pour over our food to make it taste better. Naturally, the answer is a bit more complicated (or this book could be reduced to just those last fourteen … Continue reading →

Before building a stone-​​​​wall in our backyard, part of the hillside had to be dug away. One morning, I noticed something white sticking out of the exposed strata, a foot or so below the surface. Once it was rinsed off, a gleam of nacre … Continue reading →

This year, we’re all wondering what our holiday dinners will be like. The thing that all holiday dinners have in common is tradition, and this year is anything but traditional. It’s hard to imagine what it will feel like to … Continue reading →

Everyone knows that certain foods are associated with certain holidays, but did you ever wonder why that is?… Continue reading →

I never believed that whole equinox thing — spring never arrives in March in the Hudson Valley. For a time I thought April first (opening day of trout season) was the real first day of spring, but that, invariably, was a cruel joke for flyfisherfolk. … Continue reading →

Don’t get me wrong; I have nothing against really good wine. I’ll drink it whenever I can — especially if someone else is buying. However, most of the time, I’m on a mission to find something drinkable that I can afford. One friend dubbed this a quest … Continue reading →