Mykitcheninspain

 Two things appeared concurrently on my kitchen table: a heap of leeks from the garden and a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Child, Bertholle, and Beck; 1966), a cookbook I’ve never owned before. (The neighbor who brought the book over had no way of knowing that I am gradually divesting myself of cookbooks!) It seemed pre-ordained—I would cook a leek recipe fro...

 Pork tenderloin with whisky sauce is a Sevilla specialty.I reached for the brandy, the perfect finishing touch for a sauce, and there was none. Instead, I made solomillo al whisky, pork tenderloin in Scotch whisky sauce.While it seems a little far-fetched—whisky in Spain?—this is actually a favorite dish in Sevilla tapas bar. I always supposed it came about when a cook ran...

 Are you one of those people who always keeps a packet of peas in the freezer? Ready to hand for a quick side dish or addition to soup or stew? Not me. I don’t like frozen peas. In my opinion, they are fairly tasteless and ever so starchy. At least they’re green. Canned ones don’t even have that attribute. But peas picked fresh from the garden are a revelation, tender ...

 Your guests will love these eggs stuffed with chopped shrimp.If you’re having a backyard party or you’re off to a community potluck, stuffed eggs are the answer. In any form, they are real crowd-pleasers. I like them, too, as a simple lunch dish, served with chilled gazpacho in a glass.The Spanish rendition of huevos rellenos (stuffed eggs), once a typical selection in tap...

 I’m in a cabbage state of mind. With a plenitude of cabbages from the garden, I have been searching my files for cabbage recipes. With only one or two people to feed, a single cabbage goes a long way—half a head makes a veggie main dish for one meal, coleslaw with another quarter, an addition to Asian stir-fry for the rest. I even pulled out The Joy of Cooking in search of...