AWEsome Cookery

      This should probably be labeled “Tart Super-Fruit Chutney” or “Antioxidant Chutney“.  Some of these tart fruits are not available right now unless you happen to have frozen them or dried them, but this gets our juices flowing for ways to use this northerly bounty next year.   Cranberries The cheeriest looking staple to your holiday table.  They are used also medicinally to treat UTI’s—their proanthocyanidin prevents the bacteria from latching to the urinary tract, and studies show

  Aloo = Potato,   Jeera = Cumin  Aloo + Jeera = Yum   It’s been a while since I’ve had time to sit down and ramble on about food, I’ve been too busy catering.  It seems the more I cook the food the less I have time to write about it. We’re heading into a slowing-down time of year.  Late October and November are often overcast and drizzly, and the brilliant leaves are on their way out leaving dull

  It’s a drizzly overcast day with a chilly night coming on, and time for all of the basil to be dug out of the garden and processed.  I’ll be up to my elbows in pesto of course, but I’ve been wanting to try herb salts all summer so this will be the day.     I was amazed at how green it is even after drying in the oven.  That color will be especially appreciated in the winter days

  I recently made this dish for a wedding I catered, and as I have been known to do I included something on a menu that I hadn’t exactly done before but it sounded like a good combination of ingredients.  Fortunately for everyone this assumption turned out to be true…I have never before seen a party eat beans with such gusto! A recipe was requested so this is an attempt to recreate the magic.     For the wedding I

  It’s time for a little image-tribute to the last days of summer and the radiant color of its bounty.  These are two photos from my friend David Cavagnaro of Pepperfield Project.  I never tire of looking at his pictures.  He photographs using only natural light, calling himself “stubbornly anti-technological” but the results are brilliant.     “We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry.” .

    Tis the season of these fuzzy tart rubies. The cicadas are buzzing, the days are steamy, but the nearly-sharp chill of the early morning gives away that secret I’ve been aching to hear…that fall is knocking at the door.   Sumac is often used in shawarma seasonings or ground up and sprinkled over hummus and Mediterranean meats, but this year the warm days make me want a refreshing cool drink that’s like a Midwestern lemonade.   . Staghorn

. Cabbage.  Magnificent.   This is an easy-to-make Waldorf-Coleslaw hybrid that Scott created and I love it.  The cabbage is already at Farmers Market and the early apples are coming in so it seemed like a perfect time to share this salad with you.   The dressing is sweet-tart and the curry powder is subtle but essential—-great for a warm summer’s day. Not bad for a fall day either.   . Such beauty!  I suppose summer does have a few

  If you’re growing cilantro in your garden it probably looks like this right now: a mass of beautiful little flowers and bulbous green seeds.  Usually I don’t have time to deal with them and just wait until they dry in the garden then harvest the coriander seeds for use in the winter, but sometimes I catch them at this perfect stage when they have flavors of both fresh cilantro AND coriander seed. I know that there is an ant-cilantro

  Figs and Balsamic Vinegar…a match made in heaven! Rich, Deep Flavors with Sweet and Tangy, together they tango.   Balsamic Vinegar Balsamic originates from the word ‘balm’ and years ago this rich caramel liquid was used for medicinal purposes such as curing colds and aiding heart conditions, not for cooking as we use it today.   Traditionally it was aged for decades, sometimes up to 100 years, in a series of wooden barrels (mulberry, ash, cherry, chestnut, and oak)

  Potato salad you can take to a picnic and not worry about the mayo.   I recently made this for an outdoor meal with 340 people.  It held up well and tasted even better after it rested for a few hours.  Because of the rainy spring and late plantings there weren’t many local potatoes ready yet so I added zucchini to bulk it up to the 14 gallons that I needed to make.  We’re just beginning the season where

    YELLOW! With the summer sun blazing every day, it seems like the season of yellow.   Preserved lemons, a.k.a. lemon pickles, are known as a North African condiment but they appear in dishes all over the region. The entire lemon is preserved in a bed of salt and lemon juice to keep it usable for many months and the result is a distinct lemon flavor that adds a surprising sparkle… yet is also kind of mellow.  I’ve often

. The idea is not to just find ways to substitute dairy, but to have a dish be whole and delicious on its own.  To make good food.   The role of ricotta in lasagna is to give some creaminess, some protein, and a mild flavor that will take on the surrounding strong flavors of the sauce.  Here we replace the ricotta with a puree of cannelini beans, leeks and nutritional yeast.  The goal is a fluffy, creamy, salty blend

  I used to cook with tofu like I might cook a fish.  Tofu is somewhat bland and fleshy but with a delicate texture…so I started using it as a blank slate for other flavors.  This concoction became a Deli sandwich, served with a Lemon Caper Aioli, tomatoes and lettuce.   . Let the tofu sit for a few minutes to let the liquids soak in, then sprinkle with the spices.   .. . I like my tofu crispy or chewy,

  Last fall we bought an extra turkey —we love turkey and can’t figure out why we don’t eat it all year round.  This week we cooked it because it’s been so cold and rainy that the idea of a warm oven and turkey aromas sounded cozy and appealing.  The day after turkey-roasting came the stock-making ritual, and we awoke to another rainy chilly day so I was doubly glad to have a that flame and good smell in the

  Mmm..more things to make with the rhubarb that is popping up all over. You can make almost anything into a chutney.  Chutneys are either raw or cooked, but since this one includes rhubarb it will definitely be cooked! . . . . . Last week’s post had lots of words, this week has very few! .  .   I made a version of this for a small wedding years ago, serving it alongside slices roasted pork loin.   Rhubarb

  My sister made this dish for our sister’s weekend and we devoured it—she said that even her finicky teenage boys love it.  The chicken makes it a meal but I’ve also made it without the chicken and it was scrumptious.  When my sister started her new job she found in her office a pile of recipes that someone left behind so we have no idea where the recipe originated, we’re just grateful for this little gem that was in

  I know I keep saying this…but this soup really truly was one of the favorites at the Deli.  The silky broth texture was such a treat.   My friend Kristen shared many a great recipe with the Deli and Hmong Market Soup was no exception.  It was adapted from a recipe she brought us from Savoring the Seasons Of the Northern Heartland. . .  Fresh ginger is available these days in most grocery stores, but unless you have creative

  I remember years ago on spring mornings my mother and some configuration of us daughters would take walks along the gravel road, making our way to the hallowed spots where asparagus grew wild along the field fencelines.  In late summer the asparagus would of course mature into the tell-tale towering green wisps making these spots NOT so secret, and if passers-by paid attention they might come back the next spring and have their own harvest party.  But in my

  In 2009 my friend Liz gave me the book The Artist’s Way.  It was the perfect moment in my life for such an undertaking and I dove into it headfirst, letting it do its magic on me. .   The Artist’s Way is a workbook by Julia Cameron (author, teacher, playwright, filmmaker, composer) about unblocking the Creative—a 12-week program of readings and art-homework to help people retrieve and nourish their inner Artist.  The backbone of her process is the practice

. Let’s start with a few images from a weekend in a cabin with my sisters…as you can see it was full of hardship and suffering!  My favorite is the top photo taken by my sister. .   Girls with blow torches! .   This is a post about the Little Guys—ingredients that tirelessly support the whole, the oft Unsung Heroes of our culinary quests, the Ameliorators. I try to have near me at all times what I call The