After celebrating the holidays with our daughter Sophia in warm New Orleans, we returned to Chicago’s cold, snowy weather. Here, winter will hold us in its grip for another three months. After indulging in traditional Scandinavian dishes for several weeks, we are ready to put rich holiday fare behind us. We will sustain ourselves through […]
Comforting Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Spicy Cornbread Read More »
In our household, December meals are not usually vegetarian. But this year I included a dinner of Crispy Potato Pancakes with roasted carrots, labneh, and hot honey, inspired by Samin Nosrat’s recent podcast of Home Cooking, where she answered a question from a listener seeking advice on how to use four gallons of honey. Samin, a honey enthusiast, excitedly
Crispy Potato Pancakes — a New Twist on an Old Classic Read More »
We were introduced to Sodd, a Norwegian soup made with chunks of cooked lamb or mutton, lamb and beef meatballs, potatoes, and carrots in a clear broth, several years ago in Oslo, Norway, at dinner with Weldon’s cousin Jan Erik Bangsund and his family. A bowl of hot Sodd on that cold October night was
Sodd, A Comforting Norwegian Meal Read More »
This Grilled Caponata with Balsamic Vinaigrette is a summer vegetable dish inspired by caponata, the classic Sicilian sweet-and-sour vegetable stew.* Here, the vegetables shine without the need for heavy tomato sauce or copious amounts of olive oil. It is a versatile dish, delicious at all temperatures. After seeing this year’s crop of eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash,
Grilled Caponata with Balsamic Vinaigrette Read More »
After a cold spring, summer has finally arrived, and it’s time to lighten meals and reduce time at the stove. This Cucumber Gazpacho with Heirloom Tomatoes, Basil and Mint is my idea of perfect summer cooking – easy, quick, adaptable to many occasions. It’s my re-creation of a cucumber gazpacho that I had at a
Cucumber Gazpacho with Heirloom Tomatoes, Basil and Mint Read More »
This Ras el Hanout Cauliflower Wedges with Mashed Chickpeas recipe is this year’s addition to my plant-forward repertoire. It illustrates how seasoning with an unusual spice blend can amplify the flavor of a common vegetable. When I was growing up in Maryland, Mama and other family cooks cooked vegetables they knew. Thus, my vegetable diet
Ras el Hanout Cauliflower Wedges with Mashed Chickpeas Read More »
My daughter Sophia teases me whenever I choose a beet dish from a restaurant menu, saying, “So Ukrainian of you!”. But I love the sweetness and earthiness of beets, which have been a part of my diet in soups, main dishes, and salads since childhood. This Winter Beet and Dried Plum Salad with Walnut Dressing
Winter Beet and Dried Plum Salad with Walnut Dressing Read More »
I first encountered this Korean Carrot Salad (in Ukrainian морква по-корейськи, корейський салат з моркви; also called morkovcha in transliteration from Russian) when I started to work in Ukraine over two decades ago. In those days, most fresh vegetables vanished from Ukraine’s markets by the end of October and those that remained were imported and
Korean Carrot Salad Read More »
I became curious about salting and fermenting vegetables when I lived in Ukraine and this post summarizes what I learned and provides my adaptation of classic recipes to small batches. The first summer I worked in Ukraine, a female colleague returned to the office with red-stained hands after a weekend in their family village. When
Making Summer Last — Salting and Fermenting Vegetables in Ukraine Read More »
This Chilled Crayfish Soup (холодник з раками – cold soup with crayfish) is one of many cold soups enjoyed by Ukrainians and their Eastern European neighbors. On a hot summer day, Ukrainians substitute a hot meal with a cold soup – kholodnik (холодник from the root word холод, meaning cold in Ukrainian) to refresh and
Chilled Crayfish Soup from Ukraine Read More »