It’s Thursday, and I’m sure we can all use a cocktail by now. I know I can. I came up with this the other night in an attempt to put the beautiful kumquats I had to good use. They’ve arrived at the shuk, big beautiful baskets of perfect little ovals to be purchased by the kilo. Continue reading “Kumquat Martini Smash”
I’ve resisted the urge over the years to get a fondue pot. Small apartment living has made me deny any one trick ponies into my kitchen, even if their one trick is really worthwhile. It’s the same reason I don’t have a tagine. Continue reading “Fondue, Without the Skewers”
An invention of the 1982 Silver Palate Cookbook, Chicken Marbella has been a perennial dinner party favorite ever since. For those unfamiliar, the dish is a startlingly good combination of olives, capers, prunes, oregano, garlic, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, and white wine. Continue reading “Marbella, Meet Kumquat”
I love sweet potatoes, and I love the idea of sweet potato soup but too often it ends up being bland or overly sweet. Sometimes its a little too much like baby food, or there’s too much cream to thicken it up. I was sick all last week and so of course I wanted soup. But I also didn’t want to make something that was overly involved or complicated; I was sick after all and it was a nasty virus. So I decided to make sweet potato soup, but with attitude. Continue reading “Sweet Potato Soup with Attitude”
I first tasted cilantro pesto a few years back at August restaurant in New York. It came spread on toasted baguette as an accompaniment to a shared starter of steamed mussels; it was a revelation. I have been craving and making it religiously since then. Continue reading “Cilantro Pesto”
If you live in Israel, then chances are you have a bottle (or three) of arak lying around. And, if you’re like me, you don’t reach for it all that often. Similar to other anise-flavored spirits like Greek ouzo, French pastis, Turkish raki and Italian sambucco, arak is often consumed in shot form or sipped as an aperitif. It gets its nickname, the Milk of Lions, because a splash of water turns the liquid from clear to milky white and mellows the flavor slightly. (To read more about the history, distillation process, and cocktail recipes check out my article on the subject in the Jew and the Carrot). Continue reading “Cooking with the Milk of Lions”
Maybe you have heard of lemon posett, but the first time I encountered it was about a year ago at Huckleberry, an unbearably cute neighborhood cafe in Santa Monica that has some of the best breakfast and pastries on the planet. It’s a completely unassuming dessert served in a ramekin or small bowl, pale yellow in color, and not very exciting to look at. But one swipe of your spoon through this silky, creamy delight is all it takes to realize you’ve come across something special. Continue reading “The Best Dessert You’ve Never Heard Of”
I brought a small container of saffron back from New York and have been waiting to use it. As the world’s most expensive spice (a pound of dry saffron requires at least 50,000 flowers and 15 hours of manual labor) you can’t just use the stuff willy nilly. On the other hand, a little does go a long way, especially if you soak it in liquid first. But what to use it on? My last saffron recipe, Rigatoni with Wine-Braised Chicken and Saffron Cream, would be hard to live up to. I’d been craving risotto, so Risotto Milanese it was. Continue reading “Risotto in the Style of Milan”
This recipe, as with most of my favorite recipes of late, began with a trip to the shuk. It may be February, but springtime is in bloom, and the artichokes at the market were stunning (apparently they come to Italy in late February). With no particular plan in mind I bought four. You should know that I have a bit of a rocky history with artichokes, particularly an unusually thorny one that left me the worse for wear early in my cooking career. Artichokes can be intimidating – those tough outer leaves, the necessary trimming, the quick discoloration. But once you learn to properly turn and prepare an artichoke, the result is always satisfying. Continue reading “Artichokes with Roman Flare”
This recipe was born out of the desire to cook with what I had on hand. It required a bit of creativity, and I honestly didn’t expect all that much. A healthful supper, but not something memorable. But then the flavors came together. The natural affinity of black beans and sweet potatoes became apparent, and the aromatic seasoning brought the dish from plain Jane to something special. It turned out damn good. Continue reading “A Hearty Hash for Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner”
