|
|
The kids looked at me silently with big eyes. I strapped them into their car seats and read them the riot act, right out there by Bartell Drugs. As I turned the key, I heard sidewalk murmurs from the passers-by and saw a 40-something squint through his rectangular glasses at the sky above my head. [...]
I was 14, a boy from the great West Philadelphia suburbs, when my parents announced one glorious spring afternoon that we were going downtown to Super Sunday. As a family, we never went downtown. Certainly not for a fair. It was such an unusual event that I remember it well.
But it was there, under the [...]
I left the East Coast 30 years ago and, except for sporadic family visits, I’ve hardly been back since. The man can leave the East Coast but the East Coast doesn’t leave the man. One yearns for corner delis with fistfuls of amazing sandwiches, serious pizzas from pizza joints whose recipes have bridged generations. And [...]
As a boy growing up in Philadelphia, I loved soft pretzels. They were everywhere. At the ballpark, the school cafeteria, or the corner shop, there was always a heating cabinet with hot pretzels hanging. On the streets around every activity happening in center city vendors sold them from stacks on dowelled contraptions, keeping a few [...]
I’ve always liked bread that comes with a good story behind it, so when my friend Posy turned up at Chez Bullhog one rainy Saturday with a little book under her arm and a bright gleam in her eye, I perked up straight away. ‘Bialys,’ she said, excitedly poking at the book with her finger. [...]
|
Welcome Aboard At Woodfiredkitchen.com, Sortachef takes you on adventures in the kitchen and beyond, with tales to suit. Many of his offerings are woodfired - a flaming good recipe for pizza, bread, or something different. All recipes are original and tasty. Enjoy!
Sortachef Adventures Early this summer, Sortachef took his trusty steed down to California for two weeks, camping and cooking with fire along the way. In Arcata, Lodi and Mt. Shasta City, he visited with owners and operators of woodfired ovens.
The trip opened new avenues for woodfired ideas. See ‘Camping Clam Spaghetti in the Redwoods’ and ‘Beautifully Barbecued Baby Back Ribs’ for two of his stories.
In mid summer, Sortachef spent several weeks collecting material in the U.K., where he followed leads on bakers using specialty ovens and sampled a variety of pizzas. See 'The State of British Pizza: 2010' for an overview; it just might change your views on British food.
Sortachef and the Salad Queen will be heading to Puebla, Mexico in October to visit the birthplace of Mole. Stay tuned for more, Amigos!
Flame On!
Got a good campfire cooking story? In his quest for the perfect camping food, Sortachef talked to many folk from Grants Pass, Oregon to Yosemite. Almost everybody had a tale to tell. If you’ve got a good one, send it to Sortachef@gmail.com, and he’ll try to use it in an upcoming entry.
Kudos “Do you know those days when it feels like a hot chocolate day? That’s what Don’s site makes me feel like.”
“Sortachef on Woodfiredkitchen.com includes an eclectic mix of travel, food memories and photographs to accompany his recipes. Since we believe food, wine and travel are the best geography lesson you can have to understand and appreciate various cultures, his style of sharing his message is what we enjoy.
"(Don) may not be a chef, but he is a great cook and a good writer which shines through on his blog.”
“You have two very special gifts, one your love of cooking and the other, one with words.”
"Sortachef's woodfired chicken is not just a recipe to try, but his writing is just as savory. Part travelogue and part rambling joke, you'll enjoy the introductory anecdote just as much as the cooking."
“Reading your post nearly brought me to happy tears remembering how (my mother) prepared this masterpiece with such loving care. I didn’t have a copy of her method so I think I will bridge the gap with yours.
Thank you so much for jogging a jovial food memory for me.”
“The bread is as beautiful as your writing.”
“One of my favorite things is when people blog for themselves and the people they connect with, not to make money or to get a book deal. That being said, I think Don should make money and get a book deal”
|
