Creamed Parsnip and Apple Soup with Mushroom Dill Garnish

I am a lover of parsnips.  They are sweet and have a lovely smooth texture when cooked.   I just learned that they have similar nutritional value to potatoes but do not require very good soil.  They are a humble, overlooked, industrious vegetable. This soothing, fortifying soup is simple to make and really captures the…

Bittersweet Side Dish- Broccoli Rabe and Roasted Yams

I have been a little distracted by the storms hitting New York City lately.  However I wrote this post a while back and never got a round to publishing it.  Enjoy! I crave bittersweetness…..dark chocolate, chinotto soda, Seville Orange Marmalade, Italian aperitif, very strong black tea with milk and sugar.      It may all…

Tuna-Dill Tomato Sauce

I’m really happy with this sauce. I have consumed immense quantities of tomato sauce in my life but it’s not something that I’ve ever gotten into making. That just means I have opinions about the subject and know what the good stuff looks like when I see it. Cockiness aside, this is a really flexible…

Cheap Eats! Vegetable Jambalaya

This is the lean time for me.  I am a freelancer and, in my field, there is not much work in August or September.  Don’t cry too many tears for me.  I could buckle down and live within my means for my two months of underemployment, but I usually travel and have fun cooking food…

Lamb, Fig and Eggplant Moussaka (Gluten-free or not)

I have had the pleasure of eating a lot of fresh figs as of late.  I hope that you have too.  If not, consider making this moussaka.  My mum’s friend Keith grows figs and he told me recently that figs were good in moussaka.  I tend to trust Keith since he was the first person…

Red Pepper Soup

Back in January, at my favourite school, I ran into the science teacher in the hallway.  She had a HUGE box of red peppers.  It was about half empty.  She also had a big mixing bowl of already chopped red peppers.  She had been making chili with her students for science class and was trying…

TomatoTart! Tomato Pie! Tomato Cobbler! (all gluten-free or not)

I used to make tomato pie from More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin, which (along with Home Cooking) is one of my favourite books.  Tomato Pie the epitome of summer comfort food…tomatoes baked with cheese, herbs and a bit of home-made mayonaisse in the most delicious biscuit crust.  I tweaked the recipe over the years to…

Shrimp in Aromatic Tomato Sauce

This simple, delicious dish requires curry leaves.  You can find them fresh in Indian grocery stores (buy a bunch and freeze them for later!).  You can also order dry curry leaves here.  I used to have a curry tree and you can find the whole sad story of its demise in the Curried Avacado post.  Once…

Travelers Potato, Leek, Gouda Soup (For a rainy day in Tallinn)

In mid-June, my sister and I spent six days in Tallinn, which is the largest and oldest city in Estonia.  Tallinn offers an excellent balance between modern and medieval.  If you want to travel to Europe to see traces of VERY old culture and architecture and you want to travel to a place that is…