For three weeks in July, I’m the fortunate beneficiary of a CSA vegetable share from Red Fire Farm in Granby, MA. While my friends P&R are out of town, they’ve challenged me to make use of their vegetables – and you know I love a challenge. This week I picked up a box brimming with … Continue reading “Cabbage: A vegetable about as large and wise as a man’s head.” -Ambrose Bierce
I love cooking with limitations. Rescuing leftovers, using up dusty jars from the back of the cupboard, and cooking to suit special dietary restrictions or party themes – all of these things are one big game! This time I was working with two conditions: 1) the unstocked pantry of someone who recently moved, and 2) a giant … Continue reading A Surprisingly Good Recipe for Minimal Pantries
It’s cold outside. The sky keeps spitting chunks of frozen water and blowing in my face. I can hear my nose whistling in the wind. I need something warm, comforting, rich and meaty with plenty of vegetables. Do you share my feelings? TA-DA!!! Shepherd’s Pie with Creamy Poblano Sauce For the pie: 1.5 lbs ground … Continue reading Shepherd’s pie with a creamy poblano twist
I had a jicama that I planned to add to my lunch salads for the week, but I forgot to chop it along with the other vegetables. It squatted in the crisper like a sweet, drab little duck while I fretted about my finals and ordered a lot of takeout. Eat me! Eat me! One … Continue reading Vegetables for dessert?!
Soup is such a restorative food. Savory broth brims with pleasantly chewy hominy grains, but is still light and fresh thanks to plenty of roasted vegetables. Don’t be put off by the fact that the Aztecs made posole with human flesh. It’s still really good when you make it with pork. 1.5 lbs bone-in pork … Continue reading Holy Posole, Batman!
I don’t much like washing dishes. After cooking, I want to eat. And after eating, I want to relax. Cleaning doesn’t fit too well into either, so I try to minimize the mess I make. Sometimes, this leads to awesome creations like this magical one-pot pasta. I based it on what I had in the … Continue reading For the dishwasher-resistant: One-pot pasta
Dumplings must be perfect foods, because just about every culture lovingly invented ’em. When I took a book arts class in college, my final project was an international dumpling collection, with pop-up illustrations. Lifting the flap of each dumpling revealed stamps I carved to illustrate commonalities in ingredients (flour, onion, potato, egg, etc.). I included … Continue reading Why dumplings are a perfect food, with braised short rib potstickers
I recently acquired a shiny new slow cooker. Woohoo! But Boston’s August humidity isn’t quite right for stew. I broke it in with a batch of yogurt instead. Homemade nonfat yogurt tends to be runny, so I strain it to my preferred thickness. Straining yields a yellowish substance, similar to one that you may have … Continue reading Caramelized Banana Pancakes: When there’s whey, there’s a will.
Dear lettuce, I resent your status as pretender to the salad throne. Certainly, you’ve had your moments. At your best, you add a satisfying sweet crunch, and you shine in the Caesar and, I’m told, the Wedge. But really, you lack substance. You’ve got negligible nutrients and very little taste. I can fold up a … Continue reading A public breakup letter
As you all saw, I ate myself silly in Paris, and I don’t regret a single bite! The bread, the cream, the cheese, the butter… those folks really know how to have a good time! Now that I am back, though, I’ve been trying to clean up my insides. My Paris detox starts every morning … Continue reading Detoxing from Paris
Writing by Numbers 