There is no Prince Pilpelchuma, at least not as far as I know. (Any resemblance to an actual person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.)

Though fictional, Prince Pilpelchuma’s name is taken from two very real foods: a fiery hot condiment called pilpelchuma, a recipe for which can be found in the cookbook Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi; and hot chicken, a type of spicy fried chicken found in  (more…)

Without intending to write a follow-up to my last posting on heirloom seeds, I’ve done so with this story, which deals with the other h word—heritage breeds.

A couple of weeks ago, after having done the work of making a double batch of David Leite’s Amped-Up Red Pepper Paste as well as his Piri-Piri Sauce, both in his cookbook The New Portuguese Table, I decided to make two poultry recipes that would highlight their flavors.

I started with Leite’s Quick Weekday Roast Chicken with Potaotes. The chicken is (more…)

This recipe, from Global Grilling by Jay Solomon, was inspired by the cuisine of the Yucatán, the land of Mayan culture. The marinade features some key, commonly used ingredients from that cuisine: citrus, in particular the bitter orange; chili pepper; and achiote oil, which is made from simmering annatto seeds in oil. The annatto seed is used for the brilliant, dark red color it adds to food and even beverages. (Historically, the Mayans added ground annatto seeds (more…)