How I Taught My Brother To Cook

Improvisational Tuscan-Provençal Cookery (and other good stuff to eat)

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John Barrows Food, Inc.

Rent and watch the documentary "Food, Inc." (inspired by Michael Pollan's books) Total corporate control of our nation's food supply from seed to market to table is literally poisoning us - worse than even the tobacco industry. It is even infiltrating and contaminating the world's food supply. At the very least boycott anything made by Monsanto, Dyson, Smithfield. Anything containing high-fructose corn syrup or made with any kind of soybean product - and any man-made, processed food in general… Continue

Added by John Barrows on November 18, 2009 at 7:28am — 1 Comment

Patrick How To Watch A TV Cooking Show

There are a multitude of cooking shows out there and they are, in general, all alike. Sure, some are better than others in certain respects but they all follow the same format and that is, "here is what I am going to make and here is how you do it". My advise, is forget about really what the dish is they're making and watch for tips, shortcuts, techniques and general advice. I am not saying that what they happen to be making that day is not important, but essentially all they are doing is makin… Continue

Added by Patrick on November 8, 2009 at 12:07pm — 7 Comments

John Barrows What, me worry? (about what I eat)

In Saturday's (10/31/09) NYTimes, Nicolette Niman (yes, of the famous Niman Ranch) makes a rational argument for why meat is not necessarily the root of all climate change evil. Yes, we all know that we (people that is) are responsible for climate change - though I still haven't seen a clear explanation of why we should care or start panicking since having a little warmer weather here in Oregon, and maybe a little more sunshine would not be unwelcome. But one of the arguments that the chicken-l… Continue

Added by John Barrows on November 1, 2009 at 2:29pm — 1 Comment

John Barrows So you think you know pasta?

Every now and then my faith in the rationality of the world is sustained by article's like the one in today's NY Times by Rachel Donadio entitled "So You Think You Know Pasta". In the article she talks about ORETTA ZANINI DE VITA, the pre-eminent Italian food historian's new book, "The Encyclopedia of Pasta". Read the article and be amazed that there are still people and cu… Continue

Added by John Barrows on October 14, 2009 at 11:27am — 2 Comments

Patrick Bake Sale Ban

Take a gander at this New York Times article regarding the ban of bake sales in the NYC school system. In a "nutshell", NYC school kids are too fat and the bake sales used to raise money for whatever cause exacerbates (it appears) the problem. The number one cause for obesity is corporate America. They are forever finding new ways (and reinventing the old) to take money out of ones walle… Continue

Added by Patrick on October 14, 2009 at 8:29am — 6 Comments

John Barrows Read All About It. Julia Child is Dead! May she rest in peace.

By way of response to Christopher Kimball's Op-Ed ("Gourmet to All That") in the Oct. 8, 2009 New York Times: Oh dear! I had always wanted to meet Julia Child. But alas, she has passed away, as Christopher Kimball has noticed. I always loved her charm, as did many millions of other people. And the fact that she never took herself too seriously (unlike Mr. Kimball). So it is with a se… Continue

Added by John Barrows on October 8, 2009 at 2:00pm — 2 Comments

Laura LES FROMAGES DE FRANCE

One of the characteristics of our splendid country : the cheese or cheeses I rather say ! We don’t have enough days in only one year to eat a different one with each meal… I will try to tell you some history of cheese, to present some of them and to propose receipts containing chee… Continue

Added by Laura on September 18, 2009 at 2:12am — 60 Comments

John Barrows The Sicilian "pie"

No picture here - we have pictures of Sicilian pizza on the site already. But the story is I made one the other night for the kids. I used almost 3 batches of Patrick's no-knead dough and filled a pizzeria sized pan of 18" X 26" with a thick chewy crust. Adorned with a fresh sauce made with onion, garlic and oregano - and covered with fresh mozzarella. Half was anchovy and caper (the most classic Sicilian recipe) and the other half with peperoni. Surprisingly this was the kids' first Sicilian… Continue

Added by John Barrows on September 16, 2009 at 5:20pm — 2 Comments

John Barrows It's A Dog's Life

Whence came dogs? The theory is that all the doggy breeds came from wolves. And the theory around that was they descended from wolves gathering around the cavemen's fire looking for scraps. Then they were domesticated as protection, for hunting, and companionship. Wrong! Turns out that all the breeds of dog started in what is now China about 14,000 years ago as food! This is a cooking blog - remember? In the Tuesday Sept. 8 NYTimes Nicholas Wade posits the theory of dogs as ancient Chinese food… Continue

Added by John Barrows on September 8, 2009 at 8:47pm — 2 Comments

Hilary Conway Best Baked Halibut

Dylan and I made this dish tonight and Dylan declared it "the best fish ever". Halibut steaks with salt and pepper. Then we made a paste of bread crumbs, minced garlic, thyme, parm, olive oil and covered the tops of the steaks. 450 for 15 minutes. Yum. so nice and moist. Had it will rosemary roasted potatoes and kale from the garden. Great on a chilly, drizzly summer night. Continue

Added by Hilary Conway on August 13, 2009 at 9:06pm — 3 Comments

John Barrows The Pizza Page

With pizza being such a universal favorite, we decided to create a page dedicated to just that....PIZZA. Here you will find creations from us and members. Add your pizza creations as you make them here. Enjoy!

See photo detail here… Continue

Added by John Barrows on August 9, 2009 at 2:00pm — 5 Comments

John Barrows Who Are Those Guys?

You may be wondering who the two stone-faced characters are that have taken the place of my image on our blog here. They are none other than the Gracchi Brothers of ancient Rome. For my part, I identify with them - and I think that Patrick would, too. Here's a little bit about who they were: The Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, were a pair of tribunes in 2nd century BC who attempted to pass land reform legislation in Ancient Rome that would redistribute the major patrician landholdings amo… Continue

Added by John Barrows on August 8, 2009 at 6:30am — 1 Comment

Patrick Where is most home cooking done in America these days (or at least back when)?

I was listening to my local radio station the other morning and they were doing their daily "question of the day". This meant that they would give a topic and people would call in naming songs that had to do with that topic. For example if the question of the day was " What songs had the state of California in them?" people would call in and name a song that had California in it and so on.. Now this station is able (thru web streaming, etc) to broadcast by radio or the computer all over the coun… Continue

Added by Patrick on August 6, 2009 at 11:30am — 1 Comment

John Barrows A Remembrance of Food Past ( or "Kill Your TV" for God's sake!)

I'm sitting around on a sultry Sunday morning, awaiting the temperature's daily rise to 90+F outside, and just thumbing through the New York Times trying to keep up with world events (I'm a glutton for punishment, but obsessed with trying to figure out just how bad things could get before my time on planet earth expires sometime in the next couple of decades). Skimming the news and essays I become aware of a couple of current items circulating in our culture at this moment: One, there's a new m… Continue

Added by John Barrows on August 2, 2009 at 1:06pm — 2 Comments

John Barrows loading a dishwasher - sure to create a tempest in a teapot

Q. Why can't women load dishwashers? A. I guess because they assume that either their husbands will re-load correctly when they're not looking, or there are magical little robot elves built into the machinery which magically get stuff clean even when stuff is all piled on top of each other. You got any better ideas? Q. Why do men re-load the dishwasher after their wives load them. A. So their wives won't complain that the dishwasher doesn't clean properly and lobby to get a new one. This ma… Continue

Added by John Barrows on July 9, 2009 at 12:30pm — 8 Comments

John Barrows Portobello is the New Black

OK, Patrick had his day in the sun with his curly-cue site design. It had its strengths, I admit, but needed a little more "masculinity" (if you know what I mean). This "look" is called "portobella" ( I assume because of the color). Anyway it reminds me of mushrooms, meatballs, and the good earth. The kinds of simple things that we celebrate here at "How I Taught My Brother to Cook". Summer is here. The earth is thrusting up its food bounty. Uncle Claude is smiling somewhere in dirt farmer hea… Continue

Added by John Barrows on July 5, 2009 at 10:52am — 5 Comments

John Barrows Patrick gets in touch with his inner femme

Love the new look of the site? Thank Patrick. It's the new "femme" thing he's trying out. It's all about reminding us that women can cook, too. And that just because women are discriminated in the workplace (especially when trying to get top chef jobs), we don't discriminate here. So, Patrick, I love the new femme theme you've picked. Keep up the good work. I think we were all growing a little tired of my more masculine design approach. And stay in tune with your inner "Julia Child". It becomes… Continue

Added by John Barrows on July 2, 2009 at 4:09pm — 4 Comments

Patrick Queer Food

I just finished lunch which was comprised of a baloney sandwich, a glass of homemade iced tea and a chunk of Hershey's chocolate to finish it off. Now I am ready to rant. Chances are very good that if you were to go into one of these fancy 5 star restaurants you will not find pot roast on the menu. The reason? It is not queer. These restaurants have chefs who spend their time inventing the most intriguing and bizarre dishes that people can go back home and brag to their friends about only becau… Continue

Added by Patrick on June 28, 2009 at 10:01am — No Comments

John Barrows Somethin' fishy goin' on here!

In Mark Bittman's Wednesday June 10th (2009) "Dining" essay, he describes the modern fish-eater's dillema - i.e what kind of fish is safe, and sustainable, to eat - and how much. Seems like everything these days is a dilemma - especially things one eats to survive and enjoy life. Guilt, cost, and fear of death from food-borne disease haunt our every day food choices. Why is that? Well, with more people living on the planet (Catholics, Mormons, and Muslims - among others - don't seem to want to… Continue

Added by John Barrows on June 14, 2009 at 4:46pm — 4 Comments

John Barrows Kids are the future of food

Here's a roast duck.

Here's a deliriously satisfied duck diner! (age 6)

… Continue

Added by John Barrows on June 7, 2009 at 11:56am — 1 Comment

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Latest Activity

Patrick commented on Brian Timian's photo 'Baguette Normal'
I would go with your recipe but over night 1st rise, knead, 2 hour 2nd rise, knead. Rest. Form into length. Rest for 1 hour. Put slits in. Bake, covered. ( when I say "rest", I mean the dough, not you)
on Thursday
John Barrows commented on Brian Timian's photo 'Baguette Normal'
Yes, the standard baguette has a very hard, crusty crust that your have to work hard to break off a piece. But the inside is very light. I was assuming you'd used the no-knead. I have baked baguettes using the no-knead, and they come out great. Ke...
on Wednesday
Brian Timian commented on Brian Timian's photo 'Baguette Normal'
Or ... we could just go there and find out for ourselves.
on Wednesday
Patrick commented on John Barrows's blog post 'Food, Inc.'
Again, one must grow their own or raise their own to avoid the less than desirable stuff. The food industry is too powerful, who lobby to politicians, and in the end win while everyone else loses. Same scenario whether its food or shoe laces. We ...
on Wednesday
Patrick commented on Patrick's photo 'Potatoes and Onions'
You could add cheese if you wanted but all I was trying to do here was make the standard fried potatoes & onions by baking instead.
on Wednesday
Patrick commented on Brian Timian's photo 'Baguette Normal'
You could cover the dough instead of using the ice water. Also, I am not so sure that a French baguette has a thick crust anyway. I tend to think that it does not. We'll have to wait until the French Connection checks in.
on Wednesday
Brian Timian commented on Brian Timian's photo 'Baguette Normal'
Actually, I used a recipe that I found in a book called "Local Breads - sourdough and whole-grain recipes from europe's best artisan bakers" (found only at the finest libraries). It's very similar to the no-knead recipe (only you knead this one). ...
on Wednesday
John Barrows added a blog post
Rent and watch the documentary "Food, Inc." (inspired by Michael Pollan's books) Total corporate control of our nation's food supply from seed to market to table is literally poisoning us - worse than even the tobacco industry. It is even infiltr...
on Wednesday
John Barrows commented on Brian Timian's photo 'Baguette Normal'
I'm sure it was the no-knead: that's what I taught him ...
on Wednesday
John Barrows commented on Patrick's photo 'Potatoes and Onions'
maybe some cheese too
on Wednesday
Patrick commented on Patrick's photo 'Potatoes and Onions'
Only other thing a should have done was brown the top more.
on Wednesday
Patrick commented on Patrick's photo 'Kitchen Cat'
Nancy should recall this cat climbing up her back.
on Wednesday
Patrick commented on Brian Timian's photo 'Baguette Normal'
What recipe for the dough did you use?
on Wednesday
John Barrows commented on Brian Timian's photo 'Baguette Normal'
maybe leave the cover on longer - I think more moisture for a longer period may thicken the crust. only take the cover off for last few minutes to brown
on Wednesday
John Barrows commented on Patrick's photo 'Kitchen Cat'
I thought that was your other head
on Wednesday
John Barrows commented on Patrick's photo 'Potatoes and Onions'
don't hurt yourself with all that complexity (don't try this at home, folks)
on Wednesday
Patrick added 2 photos
on Tuesday
Patrick commented on Patrick's photo 'Kitchen Cat'
Time out for a photo-op.
on Tuesday
Brian Timian commented on Brian Timian's photo 'Baguette Normal'
Thank you. Once it cooled it really tasted great. My only complaint is that the crust wasn't as thick as I would have liked. Hopefully that will change when we get the new range installed next summer.
on Tuesday
Patrick commented on Brian Timian's photo 'Baguette Normal'
Very nice job!
on Tuesday

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