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 am done with winter, which was more severe this year than for many years. And even with three side trips to warmer climates – Dubai, New Orleans and Cuba – the shock of returning to Chicago’s extreme cold and snow was hard to bear. Cabin fever and a winter diet of stews, soups, chilis
Spring Beet Salads – Two Variations on a Theme Read More »
There are many reasons to visit Cuba, but its food is not one of them. Cuba is a poor country whose current diet is limited to a few staple items, and food in today’s Cuba is markedly different from the varied Cuban cuisine available in US-based Cuban restaurants run by pre-Revolutionary refugees. The variety and
Cuba – Restarting the Clock? 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 »
The modern Arabian desert oasis, Dubai, is a long way for North Americans to taste Middle Eastern and Indian cuisines, but it is a pleasing adventure worth pursuing. Most of Dubai’s 12 million annual tourists are probably attracted by this city’s architectural icons — the world’s largest dancing fountain; tallest building (Burj Khalifa); only 7-star hotel
Exploring the Foodways of Dubai — Part 1 Read More »
I usually plan and specifically buy ingredients for what I intend to cook, but several weeks ago, I impulsively bought beef short ribs without any specific recipe in mind, just because they looked good. So I scrambled for inspiration on how to use this wonderful meat best. Recognizing that short ribs are best cooked slowly
Dark Ale Braised Beef Short Ribs — Carbonnade á la Flamande Read More »
As Thanksgiving approaches each year, my daughter asks “how can we retain the traditional elements of the holiday meal but introduce some innovation?” Over the years, my experiments with various turkey dry rubbing, brining and cooking methods and stuffing and dressing preparations and different potato and vegetable combinations were generally successful. I was less successful,
When I check out at the grocery with a turban squash in my basket, the person behind me often leans over and asks what I do with it. Occasionally I am asked whether I will use it as a centerpiece or as a tureen for soup. I explain that I will stuff and bake it
Turban Squash — Not Just for Show Read More »
Several years ago during a September stopover in Oslo, the hotel sent a copy of Aftenposten to the room along with breakfast. Aftenposten, Norway’s leading newspaper, is published in Norwegian, of course, and since my Norwegian was limited to about 50 words, the best I could do was to decipher captions and look at pictures.
Norwegian Pear Cake – Not Lost in Translation Read More »