My wonderful siblings got me a cookbook in Morocco that is both inspiring and idiosyncratically translated. The quantities are along the lines of “heaping coffeespoonful” and “one teaglassful”. Many of the dishes have combinations of sweet and savory, fruit and meat, which intimidate me. I should try out more of these recipes than I do, […]
tomatoes
Koshari
This is a very simple and easy recipe for when you either have lots of leftover rice, or when you have almost nothing fresh in the house but a full pantry. It’s a traditional, cheap Egyptian dish, and while I still haven’t visited Egypt, I’m told I make it pretty close to the original. It’s […]
Chicken Parmigiana Revisited
Call it chicken parmesan, parmigiana, or parm, most of the time this winds up being a soggy, insipid dish. BUT–never fear, dear readers, I have improved it! The trick is to put the chicken (or veal) cutlets on top of the sauce, which keeps the breading from getting soft. I keep the cutlets small so […]
Kadhai Paneer
I synthesized this from a couple of recipes. It turned out pretty well, and we could use some more Indian recipes on the blog. Ingredients1/2 pound paneer or tofu1 red and 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1.5-2″ squares 1.5 Tbsp coriander seeds2 dried red chilies4-6 cloves garlic, minced 4-6 medium tomatoes (depending on desired […]
Spaghetti in tomato sauce
I have learned a lot about making pasta in the last 2 years or so; it is not a coincidence that this overlaps with my having very little time to contribute to the blog. I’d like to illustrate what I now know about the “true” italian approach to pasta with a dish from the menu […]
Moroccan style cucumber and tomato salad
This is a favorite of Melanie’s and is definitely an example of something that is greater than the sum of its parts:Cucumbers, skinned and dicedTomatoes, skinned, de-seeded and diced as wellWhite vinegarVegetable oilSalt Combine. Enjoy.
Thin Crust Pizza
Edit: I just re-tested this recipe 9 (!) years later and made a few changes: There’s a time for thick, doughy pizzas and a time for thin, crispy pizzas. This is for when you have a hankering for the latter. It takes some forethought, since the dough rises overnight in the fridge, but is well […]
Spicy Spaghetti Bolognese
There’s a zillion recipes for bolognese sauce, but this one worked well for me. Some people add cream at the end, but I find I don’t like that as much. This one’s really good if you can find hot pepper paste (usually associated with Hungary, but I have a Peruvian brand that’s excellent). You can […]
Artemis’ Lentil Soup
This soup is from my good friend Artemis who I met in Jordan. It’s a seriously delicious lentil soup, much more than the sum of its parts. I’ve copied and pasted the recipe from an email, hence the narrative style. Ingredients:Red Lentils5-6 cloves garlic, WHOLEOnion4-5 juicy tomatoesVeggiesOreganoBrothLemons Start with a relatively deep layer of olive […]
Kufta Hotdish لحم بالصينية
So I realize that this is very similar to Lillian’s previously posted Lamb Kibbeh Hotdish, however, this it is different enough that I figured it warranted a new entry. The Arabic name actually, literally means, “Meat in a Pan.” It’s relatively easy, but needs about an hour or more to cook. I originally learned this […]