A good friend is moving soon, and I recently hosted a going-away dinner for her. Eggplant parm is her favorite meal, so I wanted to make a truly superlative one. After crowd-sourcing recipes and tips from trusted foodie friends, I came up with this recipe which I would absolutely, enthusiastically make again.
Read MoreI went to the market earlier and picked up a gorgeous bunch of fresh carrots with an excess of feathery green tops as well as a can of coconut milk for no good reason except that it was on sale. When I got home, I came across the lone ghost pepper I'd bought last week. While cooking dinner for the boys, I thought about risotto...
Read MoreTomato soup is the ultimate in comfort. Much of the time, I prefer it to chicken noodle soup because of the thick, hearty factor and because I am a mad tomato lover. Plus, you can't dunk a grilled cheese in chicken soup, but life is better when you do so with tomato.
I love the subtle notes of hot pepper, lemon and saffron in my recipe, and after once adding white beans to get my sons to eat more soup, I decided I really loved their inclusion too.
A dish of mine, Chicken with Caramelized Sumac Onions, Preserved Lemon and Pearled Couscous, was featured on Food52 as a superb one-pot meal. Afterwards, a friend of mine told me how much she, too, loves sumac, and asked if I'd ever tried it atop sauteed spinach. I'd not but was immediately intrigued and that evening made this (with chard). For lunch the next day I made this again (using kale and arugula). I ate every bite both times.
Read MoreI love mint and pistachios, and really, pesto is of the gods. This is great on steak and slathered on bread! I also think it'd be fantastic with grilled peaches! Per reviews on Food52, this is divine on lamb. Lastly, this is just so darn easy- fantastic!
Read MoreOne of my favorite appetizers at one of DC's best pizzerias is the rapini with vin cotto. I've been to known to actually lick my plate to make sure none of the gooey, syrupy, incredible vin cotto goes to waste. Vinegar is one of my favorite condiments, and the bitter-sweet combo of it and the rapini in this dish is off the charts awesome. This is my version of the restaurant's dish.
Read MoreWhile in N.C. on vacation, I bought a small tub of lima bean hummus. I believe it was made by Roots, and I went for it because I've never met a lima bean I didn't like. This did not disappoint; on the contrary, it was love at first bite. Spectacular flavor and spice. It was so smooth and made a chip feel fancy and a good sandwich feel all gussied up! This is my attempt to recreate. Delicious!
Read MoreCaramelized Brussels sprouts and shallots concentrate in flavor and soften just enough to provide a slight textural contrast to the pasta. The sherry offers a touch of sweetness that perfectly matches the savoriness of the veggies and the speck. The dish is subtle yet each bite suffuses your mouth with flavor. Sublime!
Read MoreIn the midst of winter, I enjoy a warm lunch salad. For this, sturdy greens make a great base. I bought a gleaming bunch of mustard greens recently- they were so fresh and healthy that they appeared to be lit from inside. As I got out my trusty Lodge pan and gently warmed some oil and garlic, I was reminded of another dish that I simply adore: my mom's tomatoes Provencal. At that point I knew I simply had to merge the two ideas into one.
Read MorePappa al pomodoro is the consummate comfort food. Humble, simple, rustic, and hearty, I am always amazed that five extraordinarily basic ingredients can be cooked into something so spectacular.
Read MoreThis salad is nothing fancy, and I mean that in the very best of ways. Each element shines, and the whole is a wonderful confluence of terrific parts. The fresh kale is rubbed aggressively with a lemony garlic oil and then topped with toasted walnuts, tangy-sweet sour cherries and curls of shaved Pecorino.
Read MoreThis one-pot chicken meal is fairly quick to pull together, can be made ahead, makes great leftovers and just bursts with flavor!
Read MoreA potage incorporates the vegetables (and/or meat) one has on hand, and today, a cold, gray one, I considered that a comfort dish like a fresh potage would not only satisfy but help me clean through my kitchen.
In my fridge I had a fresh pound of parsnips and some lingering rutabagas. My pantry proffered a handful of small red-skinned potatoes, some shallots, garlic and good olive oil. And a glance at my windowsill reminded me that one of the persimmons I’d plucked last month was finally seriously ripe.
I absolutely adore this flavorful sauce. Its piquancy and color derive from parsley, cilantro, garlic, red wine vinegar, red pepper and cumin. Chimichurri never fails to perk me up as it does for any food with which it's paired. Great with grilled meats, scrambled eggs, and a whole host of other things.
Read MoreOn days when a comfort dinner is needed or simply desired, soup often fits the bill. It warms us when we're cold, soothes us when we're sick. It just feels good going down. I've been on a potato tear lately, craving them all the time and in every which way: mashed, roasted...you get my drift. Next step: soup!
Read MoreI love pestos and remember how liberated I felt when I realized they needn't be made just from basil and pine nuts. Rather, the possibilities are limitless and I have favorite recipes for mint-pistachio, sage-walnut and now this: basil-pecan.
Read MoreI ordered and marveled at the quinoa and honey-glazed carrots I enjoyed during lunch at Gramercy Tavern one day; this is my version of it!
Read MoreA super-flavorful red chili scented with cinnamon, chock full of beans and easy to make with a number of pantry staples.
Read MoreI adore sunchokes; they're nutty, earthy, flexible tuber. Here, I've used them in a wonderfully flavorful, robust, rich (but not heavy) winter soup!
Read MoreThis is such a bright, flavorful dish: leeks drizzled with a garlicky oil, roasted and then topped with breadcrumbs toasted with grapefruit zest and juice.
Read Moremusings from a stay-at-home, cooking-obsessed mom
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