Ajvar (or Ljutenica) is one of my favourite store-bought condiments. It is a relish made from sweet red peppers, eggplant and tomatoes. Some brands are spicy and some are not. It is a beautiful bright orange-red color. It makes simple, cheap food taste thrillingly gourmet and it is astonishingly inexpensive, which is why I always refer…
Tag: home-made pantry item
Crab Apples Pickled in Sherry Vinegar and Five Spice Powder
My Estonian grandmother planted a fruit tree for each of her grandchildren when they were born. Mine was the crab apple tree. When I was about seven years old, I asked my grandmother why my tree was the one with fruit that was so hard and sour. She told me that the crab apple tree…
Sweet and Smoky Chipotle Seasoning Paste- And a love letter to my Texas friends
Good Mexican food is still not that easy to come by in NYC. For years, I got around this sad culinary situation by working (and eating) in Texas as least once a year. Sadly, this summer marks two years without a trip to Texas, so it’s time to start cooking Mexican for myself again. On…
For the Love of Sourness- Rhubarb Chutney
My maternal grandparents lived in a white farm house with a red roof and a veranda that wrapped around two sides. I have a lot of affectionate for the trees and plants that grew directly around that house. These were the plants that my grandma and great grandma has chosen to encircle the house….a…
Red, Yellow and Green Thai Curry Pastes
For many years, I made very large quantities of green, yellow and red Thai curry paste at Christmas time to give as gifts (and also to stock my freezer). A few years ago my friend Kerthy helped me roast and grind all of the ingredients and half way through the process we could barely speak or…
Sweet and Tangy Fruit Chutney
It was bound to happen. What with all the jam, curd and marmalade making, I was bound to start making chutney. I was perfectly content to use store bought mango chutney to top my Spicy Chickpea Pancakes, samosas or pakora….but now I have made my own sweet and tangy fruit chutney, and it kicks the teeth out…
Labour of Love Blood Orange Marmalade with Rosewater and Almonds
I don’t usually buy blood oranges. They are expensive, and aside from being so very pretty, I have never been convinced that they are better than other (cheaper) citrus fruit. I think that the ones that we get in New York are actually grown in California, but there are famously from Spain and Italy….
Masala Spiced Orange Curd
I recently made Meyer Lemon Curd for the first time using a recipe from the very inspiring blog Food in Jars. It was easy and delicious and I decided that I would make the Creamy Orange Cardamom Curd next time. When I finally got around to looking more closely at the Orange Cardamom Curd recipe,…
The Right Kind of Marmalade- Made with Bitter Seville Oranges
I have a lot to say about marmalade. If you want to read a lot of personal marmalade stories from my childhood, college years and young adulthood read on. If you just want a recipe for marmalade scroll to the bottom! I grew up eating marmalade with butter on the world’s best scones, baked by…
Meyer Lemon Curd
Lemon curd is a creamy, tangy, sweet spread for scones or biscuits. You can also use it to fill tarts and pies or in between the layers of a cake. You can also stir it into yogurt.
Big Sis Little Dish 