Lancaster, let's cook!

Given the state of the world and as part of my efforts to lessen my impact on the spread of this virus, I'm suspending my cooking and baking classes until further notice. Photo by Scott Umstattd on Unsplash Of course, this is not a fun decision to make but in the big scheme of things, this is minor. In the meantime, please keep yourself and your loved ones safe and healthy. Get information about the pandemic from trusted and trustworthy sources like the CDC and your local state and city government. Thank you and I hope to see you on the other side of this. My favorite thing in life is to feed the people I love with food I made. There's something very primal about it and it touches a part of me nothing else comes close to touching. I think my second favorite thing in life is to teach other people how to do cook for and feed the people they love. Cooking at home fosters togetherness, it makes for better diets and nutrition, and it's a direct and definitive ...

Greek fava has nothing to do with fava beans

photo by me This is the waterfront of the delightful city of Chania. It's on the western edge of the truly enchanted island of Crete and I was fortunate to spend a week there last June. This time last year, Frank and I were putting the finishing touches on a month long trip to Austria and Greece. That planning and the trip itself feel like they happened a lifetime ago. If I think about it too much I get entirely too consumed with what feels like a loss. Wait a minute, it's not that it feels like a loss, it is indeed a loss. The world I once knew is gone and the world that will replace it has yet to make an appearance. I find that to be unsettling to say the least. Anyhow, the Chania water front is lined with family-owned restaurants and like just about everywhere in Greece, there's a maître d' positioned in front of each of those restaurants. Unlike just about everywhere else in Greece, these gentlemen aren't carnival barkers who won't take no for an ans...

A simple sourdough recipe

Photo by Rebecca Matthews on Unsplash This is a simplified sourdough recipe I teach beginning sourdough bakers. When I say simplified that's a relative term. Though this isn't at all complicated it does take time. Since most of that time involves the dough sitting and you observing it I'm calling it a simplified recipe. If you're new to sourdough baking this is a good place to start and it doesn't require any specialized equipment (like bannetons). All you need are the ingredients, a bowl and a bread pan and you're off to the races. Another reason this is a good practice recipe is that it makes a single loaf instead of multiples. Making smaller batches at first saves you from being inundated with cast offs if it doesn't work at first. But this recipe does work if you follow it. My previous sourdough posts can get you started with an overview , a starter and a recipe that uses a bit of commercial yeast as a safety net. Give them a look. Here...

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Lancaster, Let's Cook

Paul Anater: I am a chef instructor. Teaching other people to cook is my passion and my vocation.

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