Over the weekend I entertained a few friends and made a large pot of this hearty and rustic chili, a warm welcome when the cool days of late autumn arrive. To make it a full meal, I served this chili with moist cornbread—a slightly sweet family favorite made with stone-ground corn and flavored with a hint… Read More
German-Inspired Green Split Pea Soup
Since antiquity, split pea soup has been a part of the cuisine of many cultures around the world. In Germany, Erbensuppe (split pea soup), used to be the food of men at sea as dried peas were easy to store and the soup was simple to make. Nowadays, the soup is quite common throughout the… Read More
Ribollita: A Classic Tuscan Soup
When Leonardo da Vinci set out to paint his famous portrait, the Mona Lisa, he took much time to consider the most appropriate background. The scenery had to enhance her physical beauty, not overwhelm it, and it had to evoke the viewer’s idea of paradise. His solution was to paint the landscape dearest to his heart, the… Read More
Thai Red Lentil Soup with Aromatic Chile Oil
I look for ‘drama in the mouth’ when eating…I am always on the lookout for bursts of pronounced flavors. – Yotam Ottolenghi, renowned chef and author I’ve been deeply absorbed in London-based, Jerusalem-born Yotam Ottolenghi’s new cookbook, Plenty More, since it was released earlier this month. Like Plenty, it’s filled with recipes that make vegetarian… Read More
Hearty Kale and Kabocha Salad with Farro and Apple
We normally think of greens, like kale, as cooking vegetables, but they also make excellent fresh salads. In the fall and winter, it’s nice to pair greens with hearty and hardy ingredients like squash, grains, fruit, nuts and seeds. In this delicious and simple salad chock full of flavorful and nutritious ingredients, thin strips of kale… Read More
Kale and Sweet Potato Soup
Apparently, beginning at around the age of two, children suddenly express very strong opinions about food. They also can be a bit quirky about it, insisting on having the same food at every meal—for weeks—and then suddenly refuse to eat it, only wanting something else as their “new favorite”. My son, aged two, is going… Read More