This buckwheat vegetable salad was an accidental creation, as are many of my culinary efforts. I recently decided to reduce our intake of meats and dairy, incorporating additional vegetables into our meals, even planning some meatless dinners. So I bought an assortment of fresh vegetables at a farmer’s market, intending to use these ingredients in […]
Jeweled Buckwheat Salad For Everyone Read More »
It’s asparagus season. The appearance of bunches of vividly green or ghostly white asparagus at the local market is a harbinger of spring, calling for a seasonal celebration of this often unappreciated vegetable with special recipes for soups, omelets, soufflées, tarts and even asparagus desserts. And now is the time to savor the difference in
Asparagus Soup á la Cozinha Velha Read More »
The crust is the flavorful base for this assembled Grilled Vegetable and Hummus Black Pepper Olive Oil Tart and is star of this post. Using olive oil in baking was new to me until I started traveling to countries along the Mediterranean littoral where I encountered breads, pizzas, cookies, pastries, tarts and cakes made with
Grilled vegetable and hummus black pepper olive oil tart Read More »
Finally, it’s spring and I’m abandoning winter stews, chilis and soups for lighter fare and fish is my preferred choice. The advent of spring always reminds me of fish and Lent. My family took Lent seriously when I was growing up. My maternal grandfather Didunio, a Ukrainian Orthodox priest, fasted as required by Orthodox theology,
Fish Veracruzan style — Pescado a la veracruzana Read More »
There is wide discretion in recipe nomenclature. You can pretty much name a recipe anything you want. The usual practice, however, is that the name should indicate something about the ingredients and style of preparation. I named this dish a clafoutis despite knowing that the French are persnickety about naming classic recipes. Académie Française, the renowned
Corn, Pepper & Goat Cheese Clafoutis Read More »
When our daughter Sophia was in elementary school, she spent a month or so each summer with her grandmother Raisa and extended Zelinsky-Oliver-Bulawka clan in Maryland. At the end of her stay, my husband Weldon and I drove out to bring her home to Chicago. But before we headed west, we always drove a 100 miles
Family traditions, especially cultural food traditions, are often passed from parents to children to preserve ethnic identity and heritage. Occasionally, however, a memorable event provides a basis for establishing a new family tradition. The first year I was an associate at Reuben & Proctor, a Chicago law firm, my husband Weldon and I were invited
Memorial Day Picnic á la Reuben Read More »
This chicken with olives recipe is a family favorite. I don’t remember the precise date it became part of our repertoire, but probably in the late 1990’s at a time when my husband, my daughter and I were very busy with schools and careers and being able to prepare a one-pan dish for dinner was
Chicken with Olives Read More »
I always loved noodles, perhaps because this was the first dish I learned to cook. Well, not really cook from scratch, but I helped my grandmother drop the fresh dough into boiling water. Watching the transformation of this lump of raw dough into a delicious noodle, I was hooked for life. During my childhood, I
Spaetzle – the Ubiquitous Noodle Read More »
A few nights after the Little India on a Plate tour, we embarked on another Frying Pan Adventure, www.fryingpanadventures.com. Arva Ahmed, Farida Ahmed’s sister, took us on the five-hour Middle Eastern Pilgrimage Food Trail through the streets and alleys of the Al Riqqa section of old Dubai to savor assorted Arabic dishes brought to Dubai
Exploring the Foodways of Dubai — Part 2 Read More »