Tegan has been home for the summer, visiting from Abu Dhabi. We had her husband Johannes here for a bit and they celebrated their marriage with their US friends over the July 4th holiday. It was wonderful seeing everyone, some from back in high school days (Tegan’s, not mine!). Last week Tegan took Lewis and […]
Pear and Butternut Squash Chutney
This chutney, with the cinnamon and cardamom, has the taste of India. Here I’ve served it with a cheese and cracker assortment but it would go very well with samosas, pakoras, dosas, dal, or rice. The cheese, starting at the top center and continuing clockwise are a local cheese called Hereford, which is like a […]
Salade (Almost) Nicoise
No tuna here, so I’ve used my French Potato Salad and my French Mustard Vinaigrette. Oui, oui. The large heirloom tomatoes are done. They’re still around but don’t have that sun-ripened brightness that makes them queen of the garden throughout the hot days of summer. Cherry tomatoes hold their taste longer, probably because they are […]
Minestrone
This is the time of year I freeze a whole lot of minestrone for the winter months. I leave the pasta out, to keep it from becoming mushy upon defrosting and heating. That allows me to change it up at whim into a Moroccan, Mexican, or Indian stew or soup. This is what I traditionally […]
Roasted Ratatouille
This is the time of year that I always make a big batch of ratatouille to freeze for the winter. Grab some Roma or other paste tomatoes for this. You want a meaty tomato, not the delicate (and expensive) heirlooms as a base. I had green Italian peppers from the garden, but of course you […]
Mexican Salsa Verde
This recipe can be made raw, roasted, or boiled. I prefer boiled to cut the harshness of the onion, so that’s the recipe I’ve given you below. Mexican cuisine dry-roasts aromatics and vegetables and the oil is added later, in this recipe once the ingredients are cooked and put through a blender. I quadrupled the […]
Miang Kham: Thai Green Mouthfuls with Ginger Garlic Sauce
Miang Kham, a traditional Thai snack food, translates as ‘little mouthfuls’. This is by far my student’s favorite in my Small Bites from Around the World cooking class, even though it’s the simplest recipe to make. All that’s required is a little gathering of ingredients, a little toasting of dried coconut, some chopping of shallot […]
Roasting Vegetables
Clockwise from top left: Shallots, red bell pepper, fennel, sweet potato, butterball potato, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, carrots, blue sweet potato, rutabaga. Roasted vegetables are the umami of the plant world. Their depth of flavor is without compare. The browning (maillard effect) is how you develop the umami, caramelizing the natural sugars in the vegetables. […]