How I Cook Archives - Evan Kleiman

Thoughts: Persian Food

Evan Kleiman — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 17:07:10 +0000

I love Persian food. In the early 80s I fell in love with my project architect for Angeli and we were together for several years. Mahmood “Michele” Saee introduced me to the profound satisfaction of the intensely herbal, rice based cuisine. My very first experience...

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Weekend Fridge Cleanout

Evan Kleiman — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 19:45:18 +0000

Sometimes weekends are for tackling a culinary project be it a single complicated dish or making dinner for friends. But more often it’s about cleaning out the fridge, making a few quick dishes that can be eaten on the fly and even better served hot,...

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Mise en Place plus Technique equals Dinner

Evan Kleiman — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 19:36:53 +0000

Now that I’ve put the restaurant to bed I’ve been really noticing how I cook. Not what I cook, but how. Maybe it’s all the years of cooking out of a walk-in refrigerator but I realized that nearly all the meals I prepare at home...

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Making Fig Jam

Evan Kleiman — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 18:27:15 +0000

This year’s fig output is rivaling the most bountiful zucchini harvest ever. If like me you’re racing to scoop figs off the pavement before the summer sun turns your backyard into a fermentation zone it’s time to get on a ladder, pick everything that is...

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Pie Fail = Just Another Opportunity

Evan Kleiman — Sun, 22 Nov 2015 19:49:38 +0000

On the eve of a lot of pie baking I gift you with a story of failure turned into success as a reminder that perfection is it’s own kind of hell. Yeah, I know. You get to a point in life where you say to...

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ButterUp Knife: Solution to a Simple Problem

Evan Kleiman — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 19:57:42 +0000

Like a lot of people I troll Kickstarter, mostly because I’m intrigued by the combination of confidence and creativity that results in creating a project that makes it to the site. Because I’m a cook who appreciates good tools I tend to be attracted by physical objects...

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Thanksgiving Leftovers: The Denouement

Evan Kleiman — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 21:40:43 +0000

Maybe you come from a family that prepares just the right amount of food to feed everyone. I’ve always admired that. That has never happened in my house. If there isn’t enough to feed three to four to ten people who “drop by” then there...

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Pastry Tool: Pastry Wands

Evan Kleiman — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 18:23:37 +0000

I recently received a package in the mail at KCRW. Opening it up revealed a thin, long package of wood strips of differing thickness held together with a loop of chain called Pastry Wands. I was immediately intrigued. I tend to be a chaotic cook who...

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Egg Slicer – The inexplicable gift

Evan Kleiman — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 19:31:12 +0000

The Mom bought me an egg slicer for my birthday. A dear friend who is Mom’s bestie was deputized to buy it since mom can’t get around on her own. Apparently there were many conversations to plan the acquisition. I opened the square box wrapped with...

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Vinegar Making Class

Evan Kleiman — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 16:55:45 +0000

I use a lot of vinegar. In particular aged red wine vinegar. I love its layered, complex, tart, winey flavor. If you’ve had my Forte Dressing during the Angeli years you understand why. It used to be fairly easy to find good vinegar even though you have...

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